buttononthetop | Fic: Vizzini's Rule (41/105)

Title: Vizzini's Rule, Chapter 41

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Nothing springs to mind

Spoilers: Season One thru Random Shoes (1x9)

Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around!

Summary: In which it's just another day at Torchwood...

Notes: Alrighty then, this is the bridge between They Keep Killing Suzie and Random Shoes (winner of Worst TW Episode Ever by a landslide, in my humble opinion). As far as I'm concerned, the only good part of RS was how yummy GDL looked in that suit with the blue shirt! Therefore, I'm taking a lot more from the Captain's Blog than from the actual episode and introducing a completely different story-line and my first OMC!! *nervous* But all that is still to come!

Previous Chapters

Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Forty-One

Ianto woke up very slowly. First he was aware of sound, the muted ticking of a watch nearby, the muffled sound of a chair rolling above him. As he drifted towards consciousness he realized that he couldn’t feel Jack’s warm skin anywhere on his. He reached out a hand, groping for Jack but found only empty space. He sighed and opened his eyes. No Jack, he thought, he must be upstairs. What the hell time is it?

Peering blearily at the clock by Jack’s bed, Ianto determined that it was 5:40. But whether that was morning or evening remained to be seen. Cursing Jack’s need to live in a bloody cave, Ianto pulled on a pair of flannel pants from the dressing table and climbed up the ladder.

Jack was sitting at his desk, going over some official-looking forms. He glanced up as Ianto’s head appeared in the hole in his floor.

“Morning sleepyhead,” he grinned as he put down his pen.

Ianto walked behind Jack and draped himself over his shoulders, reaching his arms around Jack’s chest to hug him close.

“Morning,” he yawned. “Is it really morning?”

Jack nodded, turning his head to kiss Ianto’s cheek. “Mmmhmm, you slept for almost twelve hours.”

“Someone wore me out,” he accused lightheartedly. He yawned again. “I should go home and get cleaned up,” he said, not moving.

“No need. The others won’t be in until after lunch, you can go back to bed for a little longer if you like.”

“No fun alone,” Ianto said, kissing the side of Jack’s neck.

“You want some company?” Jack asked.

“You’re not tired though.”

“We don’t have to sleep,” Jack pointed out.

Ianto smiled, “And I’m not up for anything athletic.”

Jack swiveled his chair and brought Ianto down so he was sitting across his lap. “We don’t have to have sex, either,” Jack said with a light kiss on Ianto’s lips.

“What exactly are you proposing, sir?”

“This,” Jack said, kissing him deeply. “And some of this,” he said, rubbing his hands over Ianto’s back. “And maybe some of this,” he said, pulling him tight against his chest.

“That all sounds nice,” Ianto said, rubbing his head against Jack’s shoulder like a contented cat. He stood up and pulled Jack out of his chair, down the ladder and back into bed where they spent the early morning hours wrapped around each other, kissing and caressing.

Just before lunch, Ianto kissed Jack goodbye and headed back to his flat. He took a quick shower and got dressed for the day, then spent a few minutes going through his mail and checking the fridge. It’s a good thing I don’t have pets or a plant, Ianto thought as he dumped the soured milk down the drain. Can’t even keep dairy. He cracked open a window to let the cool fall air blow away the staleness and then headed back to Torchwood.

He had just started a pot of coffee when Jack bellowed at him from his office.

“Coffee’s still brewing, sir,” Ianto said as he walked in and sat down.

“Believe it or not, I called you in here for a reason wholly unrelated to coffee.” Jack paused as the scent of French Roast wafted through the door. “Although be sure to let me know when it’s ready,” he added with a grin which Ianto returned. “No, it’s been three months since Gwen joined the team and I need you to close out all the– ”

“Jack!” Toshiko called as she came through the doorway. “Oh sorry. Hi, Ianto.”

“What is it, Tosh?” Jack asked.

“Just intercepted a police call that sounds an awful lot like a weevil attack,” she said.

“In the middle of the day?” Jack said incredulously.

Tosh nodded. “Two of them.”

“That is not good,” Jack said springing up from his chair. He reached for his coat but Ianto was already there, holding it open for him. As he shrugged it over his shoulders, Jack hollered “Owen? Gwen? Time to get to work. Ianto?”

“We’ll finish when you get back, sir.”

“Right. See you soon.”

After the team had left, Ianto poured himself a cup of coffee and headed down to the cells to make sure they were ready for two more occupants, just in case. While he was down there, he fed Janet and their other guests. The weevils always tended to fall asleep after they ate and it was easier getting new ones into the cells without the current occupants beating on the glass and howling.

When he was done with that chore, Ianto gathered up the filing and, checking that his com was on, headed for the archives. Just before he reached the stairway, he heard a muted ringing. Curious, Ianto followed the sound to Jack’s office, to the locked cabinet where Jack kept the secure-phone for calling the Prime Minister. He fumbled with his keys, trying to get the cabinet open as quickly as possible. By the time he was able to grab the phone off its cradle, the ringing had stopped. Ianto checked the missed call log and let out a long breath of relief. It wasn’t the Prime Minister’s number. It was a local number which Ianto didn’t recognize and the name associated with it wasn’t a name, only a set of initials: “FH”. Since it wasn’t the PM, Ianto felt comfortable leaving well enough alone. He set the phone back on its cradle and locked the cabinet. He left a quick note for Jack and headed down to the archives.

The team returned a few hours later, two snarling weevils in tow. Between the three of them, Jack, Owen and Ianto were able to get them into their cells with only a little difficulty. When they were done, Jack clapped Ianto on the shoulder and said, “Think I’ll take that cup of coffee now, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh God, me too, Ianto?” Owen asked as they headed up the stairs.

“Of course, I’ll have it ready in a jiffy,” Ianto assured them.

Ianto got a fresh pot of coffee made and handed round to everyone as quickly as possible. Apparently the wind had picked up and they were all chilled to the bone. Ianto saved Jack for last, bringing him his coffee in his favorite blue-striped mug. When he entered Jack’s office, the Captain was standing behind his desk, frowning at the post-it Ianto had left earlier.

Jack flipped the paper at Ianto, showing him the note he had written. “What’s this?” Jack asked in a serious tone.

Ianto set the mug on the desk and took a seat in the chair and a sip of his own coffee. “Just what it says. I heard the phone ringing, was afraid it was the PM since I thought he was the only one with that line. By the time I got to it, they had hung up. Missed call said FH and that number. Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I guess. Just…” Jack paused as he sat down and reached for his coffee. “Just don’t answer when you see FH, okay? It’s nothing you should have to worry about..”

Ianto raised his eyebrows but didn’t pry. “Yes, sir.” Wondering even more just who the hell FH was, Ianto changed the subject. “You needed me to do something regarding Gwen?” he asked, bringing the conversation back to their earlier discussion.

“Oh yeah, Gwen. It’s been three months and I assume there’s been nothing on the surveillance since your last report?”

“Nothing at all. Some of her cover stories could use a little work, but her boyfriend seems to buy them with no question.”

Jack chuckled, “As long as she’s not spilling the beans about what we do, she can tell him she’s joined the circus for all I care. Alright then, go ahead and discontinue surveillance and write up the final report.”

“Yes, sir.” Ianto got up to leave but then hesitated. He was trying to decide whether he should ask his question when Jack spoke.

“What is it, Ianto?”

“I was just wondering… why didn’t you do surveillance on me when you hired me?”

Jack’s face remained carefully blank. “I did.”

“But why… I mean, well… what did you see?”

“I saw exactly what you wanted me to see, Ianto. It’s not a perfect system, more of a formality than anything else and something I was never very good at.”

“Did you do the full three months?”

“No,” Jack said, resting his elbows on his desk. “I closed the official file after Lisa’s death. After that, I kept an eye on you for my own reasons.”

Ianto gave Jack a long searching look. “During my suspension, I kept thinking I was being watched. Was that you?”

“Like I said, I was never very good at it.”

“Why?”

Jack sighed. “I wanted to make sure you were okay, safe and alive, not slitting your wrists in the bathtub or anything. You locked yourself away for so long I started to worry that you’d never come back to m– ...to Torchwood.”

Ianto felt a dim memory stir. “That package! You sent that package.” Ianto dropped back into the chair. “That was the first time I felt it. You were across the street, weren’t you? Who is J. Smith?”

There was a faraway look in Jack’s eyes when he answered. “An old friend. And yeah, I was watching. Bribed the letter carrier to keep banging until you showed. Wanted to see you were okay, knew I couldn’t just ring the bell myself, not after… everything.”

Ianto stared at his hands for a moment. When he looked up, his eyes were bright with unshed tears. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“For what? Spying on you?” Jack asked.

“For caring. Even after… especially after what I’d done.” He reached out to take Jack’s hand for a moment, the touch saying all the things they wouldn’t say out loud.

Jack cleared his throat and gave Ianto a smile. “Hey, why don’t you tell everyone to head on home. Might as well make it a short day on both ends.” He added in a softer tone. “You go on home too, Yan, get some real sleep in your own bed.” Glancing at the note still in his hand, he added, “I have some stuff to take care of tonight, it seems.” That sadness was back in his eyes.

“Jack? Is there anything I can do? To help?”

Jack smiled at him. “No. It’s not anything dangerous, just unpleasant. Go on home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Ianto returned his smile and left to tell everyone to pack up for the night. He replayed the end of their conversation all the way home that night, and for several more nights, wondering who FH was and why they made Jack so sad.

TBC in Chapter Forty-Two

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