After The Rift Storm

[blucougar]

Title: After The Rift Storm 1/1
Author: blucougar57
Summary: Post Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Ianto doesn't hold a grudge for Jack leaving. He can't see the point, not when time could be better spent offering some much needed comfort.
Rating: K
Warnings: H/C - less hurt, more comfort.
A/N: Because I needed a bit of fluff.


"After the Rift Storm"

Ianto honestly hadn't intended to fall straight back into bed with Jack after his very abrupt return from... well, from wherever it was that he'd swanned off to with the Doctor. He'd had every intention of playing hard to get, to force the Captain to work hard to get back into his good graces. It was a risky manoeuvre. He'd known all along that despite her engagement to Rhys, Gwen still pined for Jack, and there was the chance that Jack might fall instead into Gwen's more than willing arms.

It might have seemed that was actually the case, given what Ianto witnessed between Jack and Gwen on the CCTV immediately after bringing John Hart back to the Hub. He was nothing if not observant, though, and where others might have interpreted Jack's exchange with Gwen as being a bad thing for Ianto, Ianto himself didn't see it that way.

He'd never tried to kid himself that Jack wasn't infatuated with Gwen, at least to a point. He knew Jack loved the feisty, frustrating, determined woman in his own inimitable way. Jack would always have love for more than just one person at a time. It was practically written into his DNA, but rather than allow himself to be despondent about it, Ianto chose to see it from a positive perspective. Yes, Jack loved Gwen, but that didn't mean he loved Ianto any less and, despite Jack's cavalier attitude towards sex, he respected the boundaries of relationships far too much to act on any unrequited feelings.

What Ianto had observed in the CCTV footage was not Jack lusting after something that he couldn't have, but rather accepting Gwen's choice to marry Rhys and to offer her a somewhat melancholy blessing. Gwen clearly saw it differently, judging by her careless comment about accepting Rhys' proposal because 'no one else would have her'. Frankly, Ianto thought that if that was her attitude, then she had a responsibility to cut Rhys loose, and leave the man with at least a shred of dignity, as well as the chance to go out and find someone who truly appreciated him.

It left a tiny smile on Ianto's face when, instead of throwing himself at her as Gwen apparently had expected him to, Jack had instead offered his congratulations and then backed away. Not that he was one to gloat, but Ianto wished things hadn't gone to hell the way they had so soon afterwards. He would have loved to oh-so-casually ask Jack where he'd like to go for their date when the others (namely Gwen) were within earshot.

Immature? Maybe. Satisfying? Definitely. He was only human, after all.

But things had gone to hell, because this was Torchwood and Torchwood didn't do bright, sunny and carefree fluffiness. John Hart made a half-arsed shot at stalling the team so that he could get his precious and apparently non-existent Arcadian diamond; Gwen barely survived being poisoned (Jack had warned her not to let John kiss her, so his sympathy was a little on the dull side, there); Owen was shot in the shoulder (again) and Tosh had a nice old migraine from being whacked across the head. And Jack, of course, died. Typical Torchwood day, really, even if it did happen at night.

Then time reset itself (and didn't that just leave Ianto experiencing serious déjà vu) and they had to avoid themselves for the next ten to twelve hours.

Ianto had been prepared to go home and curl up in his own bed for that period of time but Jack, bless him, decided he owed them and booked them all into the St David's Hotel, of all places, for some relaxation and serious pampering.

That was another thing that irritated Ianto; the attitude of the others, and Gwen in particular, that Jack had betrayed them by leaving. Yes, he'd been upset. They all had been upset by Jack's abrupt disappearance, and no one would deny them the right to feel that way, but betrayed? That was stretching it, especially after it became clear that he'd gone with the Doctor. Gwen, even more than Tosh and Owen, should have understood, after she'd confessed Jack had made references to 'the right kind of doctor' on multiple occasions in her presence, but she chose to act affronted at Jack's actions.

It really was a bit rich, Ianto thought at the time when Gwen turned on Jack in the Hub and verbally ripped him a new one for leaving them. Given their betrayal had seen Jack die a horrific death at the metaphorical hands of Abbadon, they were the last ones who should have been standing as judge and jury over Jack.

Really, a little understanding and sympathy wouldn't have gone astray from any of them, but it was like after the faeries incident when they'd lost the Chosen One, Jasmine. On arrival at the hotel, Gwen, Tosh and Owen had all taken their door keys from Jack and headed to their individual rooms without so much as a 'good night' to their hapless leader. When Jack had turned to Ianto, with a look that suggested he was expecting the same silent treatment from the younger man, Ianto had taken some pleasure in surprising him by taking his hand.

"I don't think we really need to bother with a separate room, do we?" Ianto had asked lightly. Jack's eyebrows shot up, and Ianto had smiled wryly. "No sex. Not yet."

Jack's face fell just slightly, but he quickly fixed it into a big grin that did nothing to hide the pain in his eyes.

"Not quite ready to forgive me yet, huh? Well, I guess I can understand that. Gives me something to work towards, doesn't it?"

Ianto silenced him with a quick, chaste kiss.

"There's nothing to forgive, except the fact that you left without at least leaving a note. I admit I don't know why you had to go, but you never do anything without a damned good reason. Don't see why you leaving would be any different. Now, come on. I'm knackered but I need a shower before I can even think about sleep."

It was when no dirty comment or innuendo was forthcoming that Ianto had really noticed for the first time that not all was right with his Captain. The second time was when he got a good look at Jack's emaciated body when the Captain was stripping off to take his turn in the shower. That disturbed Ianto greatly, and prompted him to phone Room Service and order a selection of food. Jack was clearly painfully hungry, but took care not to wolf food down too quickly, or to take too much.

All together, it was the sight of Jack behaving with unnatural reservation and timidity that finally encouraged Ianto to ask the same question that Gwen had asked hours previous in the Hub tunnels.

"Where did you go, Jack?"

He hoped he sounded less demanding than Gwen had, but he couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. Besides, it didn't hurt to ask, and if Jack truly didn't want to answer then Ianto wasn't going to force him into doing so.

Jack fell quiet, his gaze fixed on his hands, which were resting in his lap. Not easily, though, Ianto noticed. His hands had the beginnings of the faintest tremor in them — something else which disturbed Ianto greatly. He'd never known his Captain's hands to be anything but rock solid. He refrained from adding that Jack didn't need to feel obliged to answer. He either would or he wouldn't and Ianto wasn't going to patronise him by stating the obvious.

"I went to the end of the world," Jack admitted finally, repeating what he had said earlier to Gwen. "I saw the end of the world, Ianto."

"I gather you're not speaking geographically," Ianto murmured. Jack shuddered violently.

"I watched a madman unleash hell on the world, and I couldn't stop him. Everything I loved... Everyone I loved died."

Even me, Ianto thought numbly, his over-active mind adding in a most unwanted image to accompany what Jack hadn't said.

"How long was it for you?" Ianto asked, choosing not to press Jack on the details. They would come later, if Jack wanted to share it.

"A year," Jack admitted dully. "Maybe a bit more, taking into account what went on before and after. We had clean-up and repairs to take care of, so that took a little while. Yeah, a bit over a year."

It made no sense to Ianto, and he made no effort to try and understand. All he knew was that Jack had apparently endured a terrible trauma for a long time, and that effectively erased any possible lingering resentment he might have felt over Jack's departure.

"When was the last time you got to sleep in a bed, with someone holding you who didn't want to hurt you?" Ianto wondered softly. Jack laughed, but the sound was strangled, ugly.

"Bed? A couple of nights ago. I got to sleep in my old room in the TARDIS. She helped me to sleep... took away the nightmares. Physical contact that didn't involve torture? When we slept together before Tosh and I went back in time through the rift."

Ianto felt shocked. That was four or five months for him, but so much longer for Jack. For someone who was so tactile, and craved intimate contact like the body craved water, it seemed unimaginable.

"Jack, will you be all right if I hold you now?" Ianto asked softly. Jack looked sideways at him, fear mixed with hope etched all over his face.

"Please...?" he asked softly, in that too-timid voice that was so completely un-Jack-like.

Gently urging Jack to lie down, Ianto started to slide into the bed behind him, only to stop when Jack stiffened.

"Please," Jack whispered. "Not behind me. Not yet."

Ianto didn't question why, though he could reasonably guess. Instead, he went around to the other side of the bed and slipped in under the covers so that he and Jack lay face to face. He lifted an arm, but waited for Jack to move willingly into his embrace rather than risking doing anything that might frighten Jack.

A smile graced his lips as Jack uttered a sound of contentment and curled in against Ianto. Only then did Ianto lightly close his arms around the Captain.

"I won't leave again," Jack whispered, his voice muffled from where his face was somewhat smooshed against Ianto's shoulder.

"I won't hold you to that promise," Ianto assured him. "There may be a time again in the future when you'll have to go, when the Doctor will need you. All I want is to know you'll come back."

Jack shuddered in his embrace, and Ianto thought he detected a telling damp spot forming on his tee-shirt.

"Always," Jack promised, and Ianto smiled.

Jack had promised him, and that was enough.

tbc

Go Here For Chapter Two

Comments

[geminia]

Beautiful, hon. Simply beautiful.

Maybe now I can actually get through EoD and KKBB without wishing that Jack would retcon all four of their ungrateful, traitorous hides back to infancy.

Hmm. Then again, probably not.

But at least I can come back and reread this lovely fic to make it better. :)

[blucougar]

Thanks. :)
The "you betrayed us" attitude really irked me, but I got the impression there was less anomosity from Ianto towards Jack during that ep, and really, if any of them had the right to be angry with Jack, it was Ianto. But given he forgave them all so readily after Abbadon, you'd think they could have found it in themselves to give him the same absolution when he came home. Just goes to show who was truly the character with the most heart and soul, and it wasn't Gwen.

[geminia]

Oh yeah. He really forgave them all way too easily and while it demonstrates why he is truly the heart and soul and how great a person he is (bigger on the inside, you betcha!), I also think that's part of the problem. They didn't actually have to face the consequences of their actions.

They nearly bring the end of the world, but Jack fixes the problem - dying horribly in the process, but hey he can't stay dead, so that's not a big deal, right? grr - and all the innocent people whose deaths they caused are brought back and none of it really happened, so no harm, no foul.

Then, after more than a century of waiting for him, the Doctor finally shows himself, but he's got less than 2 minutes to get to him before the arrogant git will be taking off again. So, he can either wait around to tell them where he's going and risk having to wait another century or "inconsiderately" run to catch him while he's got the chance - not knowing he's going to end up at the end of the universe FCOL!

And I just love Gwen's "We knew nothing, Jack!" Yeah? You sure seemed to think you did when you all went and opened the rift when he was saying clearly not to!

Okay, stopping now. I can rant about that aspect of those episodes for days. LOL

[akawho.livejournal.com]

Oh I love stories set right after KKBB, and you did it so well.

I agree with you about that scene where Gwen told Jack she accepted Rhys' proposal because "no one else would have me". She was sending Jack an invitation and instead of accepting it he backed off and gave her his blessing.

Your Ianto is no fool. He can clearly see that Jack was traumatized by what happened while he was away and offers comfort instead of criticism. Beautiful!

[blucougar]

I think Gwen fully expected Jack to practically jump her on the spot, but while he was always promoted as a man-slut, the truth is that he was never as promiscuous as Owen and Gwen were, and he always gave the impression that he held relationships as sacrosanct. If Gwen had said she'd broken up with Rhys, then she might have gotten the reaction she wanted.
I don't believed for a second that Ianto would have overlooked whatever traumas might have been lingering in Jack's mind, and Ianto was far too comfortable with Jack in the next ep for them not to have had some sort of positive closure. Unfortunately, these are the things RTD never lets us see.

Thank you! :)

[idamus]

Love it, it's a very believable behind-the-scene fic, any chance of you doing more oneshots like this from series 2?

[blucougar]

Thank you. I might do more, if the mood takes me. Mind you, I wrote this at 1.30am....
I like the idea of doing a series of fluffy one-shots, but I was actually mulling over a follow-on from this piece, where Ianto confronts the others (and Gwen in particular) over their determination to hold a grudge against Jack for leaving.

In the meantime, I have the next chapter of the latest "What Never Should Be" installment to type up...

[idamus]

Oh, just catching up on those, I stopped reading after you saved Rose, but the short recruitment fics looks good (unless I catch Rose in one, I'll keep reading those)

[blucougar]

LOL, fair enough. I had people begging me not to save her, but the muse wants what the muse wants. If it helps at all, she's pretty much completely secondary to the rest of the plot in the main fic.
You might want to know she surfaces for a brief cameo along with Martha at the end of "New Beginnings", but there is no whisper of her in "The Physician's Tale".

[idamus]

Rose is Doctor Who's Gwen or rather the other way round since Rose came first, but anyways I can't stand either character

[blucougar]

I always saw Gwen as RTD's Torchwood version of Rose. The whole "viewer seeing Torchwood through this character's eyes" was a load of rubbish. It was just a mediocre writer attempting to recreate what he'd done in a previous show. It was so bloody obvious that Gwen was meant to be Jack's version of Rose. Thank God for viewer demographics and feedback, and for the utter lack of a chemistry between John Barrowman and Eve Myles, that the writers instead chose to pursue the Jack/Ianto relationship angle.

I didn't mind Rose, I guess, and it just suited my story to save her at Canary Wharf, but canon-wise I have to say this:
Donna Noble = BEST. COMPANION. EVER.

[evalentine99]

That was wonderful (as always) Not to fluffy really exploring the issue.

Loved it.

[blucougar]

Thank you. :)

[bookwrm89]

Gorgeous!

[blucougar]

Thank you! :)

[socalrose]

Lovely scene; the way it should have been. Thank you.

[blucougar]

Thanks. :)

[seabiscuit]

love the story

[blucougar]

Thank you. :)

[luvinthe88and20]

Lovely story

[blucougar]

Thank you. :)

[shinya_diey]

Well, one could think they learnt something about betrayals, at least Ianto was above their attitude (yay for him). Wish there were more fics in that tone about Jack's return.
I so love this story ^^

[blucougar]

I always thought it hypocritical, the way they (and Gwen in particular) tried to hold Jack to account for his leaving. "You forgave us, as you should, but we're allowed to hold a grudge against you for as long as we want." Just another example of Gwen's holier than thou attutde.

Thank you. :)

[weis07.livejournal.com]

I love confident and understanding Ianto! Usually there is too much angst over Jack and Gwen seemingly attraction in fics but as it leads nowhere and Jack never makes a move to let Gwen know that he is willing, it makes me believe quite firmly that he really respect relationship’ boundaries, Ianto and himself – enough to indicate what person he wants to be with.
To show that Ianto understands Jack so well and can judge his reactions and motifs, and Gwen’ behavior – that’s very wise move. As is an understanding that Jack’ leaving them wasn’t meant as betrayal, unlike their own actions against him. It’s good that Ianto draws right conclusion and acts on it. Perceptive, understanding Ianto who is willing to accept Jack, to see good in him, trust him and take care of him – that’s real delight. It gives the character strength and makes him the foundation for their unique connection. It makes them real, alive, believable and human.
I’m looking forward the “follow-up where Ianto confronts Gwen and the others over their refusal to forgive Jack”.

[blucougar]

I always thought that Gwen should have understood, given that he'd twice referenced the Doctor when talking to her, and if she'd put the same effort into researching that as she did with Carys in the sex gas episode, then she would have understood why Jack left.
I don't believe Ianto didn't figure it out. He was at Canary Wharf, he would have known as much about the Doctor as any Torchwood employee, and he would have known the Doctor's propensity for abrupt departures. He had to have realised that Jack had to leave quickly, that there was no time for goodbyes.

I will be writing that follow-up piece, not as a Gwen-bash, but as a further insight into Ianto's understanding of Jack's state of mind, which could not have been good at that stage.

Thank you. :)

[milady_dragon]

That was gorgeous. Nice and fluffy in just the right places.

I really don't think the team had much right to get up on their high horses though about Jack leaving. Okay, maybe leaving a note would have been nice, but Jack only had a few seconds to react.

And yes, I would have thought that, of them all, Ianto would have forgiven him first, even though he really had more of a right to be angry.

Poor Jack though...

[blucougar]

It irritated me badly, the way they did that, and I might be biased, but I thought Ianto didn't display anywhere near the sort of animosity that Gwen did. He was nervous, but that was possibly because he just didn't know where he stood with Jack, something that was addressed when Jack asked him out on a date.
I also believe Ianto was never naive enough to think Jack could or would restrict himself to loving just one person. Estelle was a prime example, there.

That, and Ianto was just too content and comfortable around Jack in the next episode for nothing positive to have happened between them.

Thank you. :)

[nancybrown]

:) It's always been one of my sticking points: the team mutinied and shot him dead, they don't get to complain that he ran off afterwards.

[blucougar]

Exactly.

Thank you. :)

[badwolf5225]

Too bad this is just a one-shot. I love when Ianto is able to give jack the comfort he needs but can't ask for. Well done.

[blucougar]

May not be a one-shot after all. The muse is poking at me to write a follow-up, where Ianto goes head to head with Gwen over 'jumping back into Jack's bed'.

Thank you. :)

[aviv_b_artwork]

Very nicely done. Ianto is so observant that there is no way he would miss the pain Jack was experiencing. And then there's no way, he wouldn't want to take care of Jack.

[blucougar]

My thoughts exactly.

Thank you. :)

[badly_knitted]

Achingly beautiful! Ianto is so caring and considerate, and as always highly observant - he notices the tiniest things, anything that isn't normal for Jack, and acts to comfort and reassure. And he won't push Jack for details. If Jack wants to tell him later, Ianto will listen, but he won't demand answers. Gwen seems to think she has some kind of god given right to demand answers to questions she really has no right to even ask. She also seems to be the most heartless and inconsiderate member of the team, imho, not least for the way she treats Rhys and her team mates. No one deserves the title of 'The Heart of Torchwood' less than Gwen.

[blucougar]

Ianto is too observant not to notice the little things. Gwen was far too wrapped up in herself to see what was right in front of her face. Jack damn near broke down right in front of her, and yet all she cared about was demanding answers. Ianto would not have missed that moment... and he wouldn't have been demanding that Jack answer his questions, no matter what.

Thank you. :)

[tonjavmoore]

Beautiful story and right on about the connection between Jack and Ianto! I like to think that if Jack was still dead when they found him, Ianto would at least have held his hand until he revived because Ianto would have known that Jack would probably be disoriented when he woke up. He'd been go so long that he might not remember where he was.

I doubt any of the others would have bothered. Or even thought about it. Ianto was the only one who looked past the hero facade to see the troubled and lonely man beneath.

Wonderful story.

[blucougar]

I've seen the cut scene where Jack revives, and sort of peels himself off the bench and walks away, but I prefer one where he revives to find himelf cradled in Ianto's arms. :D Gwen can't get in on the action this time, because she's still recovering from the poison.
Point being, that is another issue I have with that ep. I don't believe the others wouldn't have gone looking for Jack after they found Gwen, and his body was too badly broken for him to have completely recovered by the time they got to him.

Thank you. :)

[lone-star-woman.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this. I love how Ianto pays attention to what's really going on with Jack. He really is the heart of Torchwood.

[blucougar]

Thank you. :) And yes, I do agree there.

[mcparrot]

Lovely take on how things might have gone. I read that scene with Jack and Gwen as Jack showing absolutely no interest in Gwen at all. She was the one who was doing all the eyelash batting, and he was supremely uninterested.

Ianto of course has always seen through Jack's facade. He knew what Jack needed that night. Perfect.

[blucougar]

I think Jack was interested in Gwen, and it was a mild disappointment to him that Gwen had become completely unavailable to him, in his eyes, but that was accentuated by lingering trauma from everything he'd been through. It wasn't a slight on Ianto at all, and I think Ianto would have understood that.

Thank you. :)

[zazajb]

simply beautiful xxx

[bluelilacs.livejournal.com]

This was perfect.

The way you depicted Jack's state of mind and Ianto seeing there was most definitely something off with Jack is the way the episode should have gone. I quite agree with all of the comments above about the unconscionable way they all judged Jack for leaving, when they had just murdered the man and opened the rift in direct defiance of his orders causing him to have to die a horrific death to save the world. And he forgave them all immediately upon his revival!

I also agree with your take on how Ianto would see Jack's reaction to Gwen's engagement announcement. So many like to say Jack was disappointed that Gwen was no longer available and turned to Ianto as second choice. I think that's total garbage. It looked to me like she was pushing herself at Jack, making a last ditch effort to get him to admit he had feelings for her. I saw Jack as being stunned at how much had happened, and he'd missed, while he was gone. Her pathetic "no one else would have me" made me want to slap her, and shake the writers till they woke up and realized what stupid dialog they were writing.

I'm so glad you wrote a follow-up piece. I'm off to read it now.