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Title: A Different Shade of Darkness
Chapter Four: On The Move
Author: blucougar57
Summary: In the wake of his untimely death, Ianto Jones accepts a deal that will change his life forever.
Rating: Strong T, for now.
Warnings: Spoilers for The Series That Never Was (AKA, Children of Earth).
X-over: Torchwood/Doctor Who/Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter books.
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, Doctor Who or any aspect of Sherrilyn Kenyon's awesome Dark Hunter universe. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.
Go Here For Chapter Three
Read More
Ianto had a hell of a time getting himself to New Orleans.
To begin with, by the time he finished his business with the alien and fled Thames House, it was already heading rapidly towards dawn. Keeping in mind Artemis' warning about daylight, Ianto found himself a cheap room, thanking whatever other benevolent deity was out there that his wallet hadn't been removed during his brief period of death, and hunkered down to wait until nightfall. By the time night rolled around, enough time had passed to make things more than a little difficult for him, much to his quiet frustration.
It also took him far longer to get back to Cardiff from London than he'd hoped it might, mainly because he dared not travel on any sort of public transport where he might be spotted by cameras. Using the last bit of cash he had, he hired a vehicle and drove the entire way, all the while wishing sourly that his new-found status had come with some useful skill, like teleportation.
As it turned out, the journey from London to Cardiff was a phenomenal waste of time. The nice surprise that Artemis had alluded to was moot because on arrival at his flat, he found his sister and brother-in-law there already, cleaning the place out. Judging by the startled and somewhat incoherent exclamations being made by Rhiannon, Ianto figured that they had already discovered whatever it was that Artemis had left for him.
He left the flat behind, unsure over what he should feel more irritated by – that he had wasted so much time on a trip that had turned out to be utterly pointless; that he would have to fund his own passage (because he was positive that the 'surprise' was some form of payment that Artemis must have left for him); or that his sister was so quick off the mark to pack up the contents of his home and his old life. She'd always been a practical person, though, and he couldn't fault her for acting in her nature. It simply irked him that she'd barely waited twenty-four hours before moving in to pack up the remnants of his life.
He tried to access his bank account, but that had been frozen days ago by Johnson and her spooks. That didn't upset him quite as much as it probably should have, given that he doubted there was enough in the account to cover the cost of a last minute flight to New Orleans, especially given that he was going to have to make certain travel arrangements that was likely to cost him a significant amount of money. He decided fairly quickly that it wasn't worth the trouble trying to hack.
In the end, he resorted to cleaning out one of Jack's lesser and rarely used accounts. It had been well-hidden by Jack some years ago, at a time when he'd felt it necessary to keep options open to bolt. Ianto didn't know for certain, and damned if he would ever admit to not knowing, but he suspected that Jack probably had set the account up for himself after Alex Hopkins had killed himself and the rest of the Torchwood Three team nine years ago. There had been a period of a couple of years when Jack had been on his own, and Ianto supposed he'd acutely felt a threat from Yvonne Hartman. If she had made an aggressive move to retake control of the Cardiff outpost, Jack would not have been in a position to stop her, and fleeing would have been his best option to avoid the sorts of torments that Hartman would have inflicted on him.
The emergency account had been very well-hidden, and so was missed by the spooks when they tried flushing them all out by starving them of finances. For that, Ianto was immensely grateful, and he quickly set about making the necessary arrangements to get himself safely to New Orleans.
He slept for much of the flight, aided by the comfort of a business class suite, which allowed him to keep himself shielded in almost complete darkness. The stewardesses thought he was just another eccentric man with more money than he knew what to do with, but he simply didn't care. He was comfortable, he was safe and he was alive. With the exception of being without the man he loved, Ianto was momentarily satisfied with that state of affairs.
* * *
He'd worked it out well. It was just after nightfall when the plane touched down. As he disembarked and headed through the terminal, his mind was a-whirl with what he had to do.
Find Acheron, Artemis had told him. Acheron would train him.
It was hardly a solid starting point, but he supposed it was at least something, and something was better than nothing. Ianto grimaced. He found it more than a little disturbing how willing he apparently was of late to settle for less.
He slowed to a halt as he exited Immigration, and found himself staring incredulously. Standing apart from the veritable crowd of drivers waiting with placards bearing various names was a young man holding up a sign that read 'Ianto Jones'. Half expecting some sort of trap, Ianto approached the waiting man with caution.
"I'm Ianto Jones."
Relief filled the other man's face and he let the placard drop, as though his arms were aching from the effort of holding it up.
"Thank the gods. I wasn't told what flight you were on, and I was scared I'd missed you. Ash would've had my guts for garters if I had."
"Ash...? Do you mean Acheron?" Ianto wondered.
"Yeah, but no one calls him that. We just call him Ash. I think he prefers it."
"Okay," Ianto murmured, making a subconscious note of that little titbit. "And you are...?"
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry. The name's Eric Turner. I've been assigned as your squire, at least for the time being."
Ianto shut his eyes briefly against a threatening headache. This was all starting to get to be just a little bit too much.
"Okay, Eric, let me be honest with you. I've been a..."
"Dark Hunter," Eric supplied when Ianto hesitated. The Welshman nodded.
"Right. I've been a Dark Hunter for approximately two days. I've just gotten off a trans-Atlantic flight and I am rather tired and confused right now."
Rather than the mockery he was fully expecting, Eric nodded in understanding.
"Sorry, sir. Ash did say you were just newly made. That's why he assigned me to you. I've been a squire for years. But the way, squire is the term we use for humans who work for Dark Hunters. It's our job to run errands and such for you guys, and to make sure you're safe during the day... You know, when you can't go outside. I can run interference for you, and pretty much do anything you need me to do."
Ianto swallowed a sigh. The one thing he really needed was Jack, but he knew he hadn't misinterpreted Artemis' warning against fraternisation. It stood to reason. She was supposed to be the virgin goddess (though he was having serious misgivings about the likelihood of that), so any creation of hers would naturally be condemned to a solitary and fraternisation-free existence as well. He wondered distantly just how long he might have to wait before he could get away with fraternising again, and just as quickly put the thought out of his mind. That was something to worry about later.
"All right, Eric. So what now?"
"Well, I'll take you to meet Ash. Then, I think some serious clothes shopping is in order. You look like you're still wearing the suit you died in."
Ianto lifted an eyebrow.
"I am wearing the suit I died in."
"Ah. Okay. Right this way, and I shall take you to meet the big guy himself."
* * *
Ianto really hadn't known what to expect when he met the man that Artemis had said would train him, but he definitely hadn't expected to be introduced to a man wearing Goth-style clothes, with exquisite features who looked barely out of his teens.
Acheron, apparently preferably known as Ash, stood tall at nearly seven foot, and exuded a power and authority that sent shivers through Ianto. He had long, black hair with a startling streak of red and for just a split second Ianto could have sworn that his eyes swirled with silver. He was, undoubtedly, one of the sexiest and best-looking men that Ianto had ever seen in his life. If Jack were there, he would definitely sulk at the competition. The thought almost made Ianto smile.
"Come on in, Ianto," Ash told him without bothering first to ask for confirmation that Ianto was who he was supposed to be. Somehow, Ianto didn't think this intriguing individual had any problems with identifying a new charge.
He followed Ash into a surprisingly spacious apartment that reminded him vaguely of Jack's descriptions of the TARDIS, that it was bigger on the inside. As the door closed behind them, though, he suddenly found himself under his new boss's scrutiny, and it was a less than pleasant experience.
"Artie, what the hell were you thinking?" Ash muttered as he looked Ianto up and down. Ianto frowned, not appreciating what he was hearing in Ash's tone.
"Excuse me, I am in the room."
Ash, however, was unapologetic. He dropped into an armchair, but the sudden lack of height in no way aided Ianto's comfort levels. If anything, the man was even more intimidating in such a laid-back pose. Ianto couldn't help but feel like he was back in school, fronting the Headmaster for some major infraction.
"Listen, kid, there is a reason why there are almost no Dark Hunters made from the current generations of humans. You can't deal with what's out there."
Ianto felt affronted, and his thoughts went briefly to the many traumas and trials he'd experienced in his life, right up until his death. It was insulting to think that he had survived Canary Wharf with his sanity intact, only to be told he couldn't cope with whatever it was that Dark Hunters dealt with.
"I worked for Torchwood, Sir," he said, perhaps a little more snippily than he really intended. "That particular philosophy doesn't necessarily apply to me."
Ash smiled tightly. He liked the kid, despite his better judgement... But then, he'd liked Nick, too, and look where that had gotten him. The last thing he needed was to ruin someone else's life in the way he had destroyed Nick's. On the other hand, Ianto was already a Dark Hunter, so it wasn't as though he had a choice. He barely withheld a grimace. Oh, how he hoped that this wasn't the start of a trend for Artemis, as just another way to torment him. Now that he personally had no recourse to negotiate the release of anymore Dark Hunter souls, he really didn't want to see a whole new generation of infant Hunters.
Not for the first time, he sincerely regretted not being able to sic Simi onto Artemis, and just let her eat the bitch.
"I'm sure you can accept it, Ianto. I'm just not so sure than you'd last one night patrolling for daimons. Compared to pretty much every other Dark Hunter, you're... well, puny."
Ianto felt his face and neck heat up with embarrassment, and silently cursed that his body still reacted in such a way, especially when he was pretty damned sure that he had no cause to be embarrassed, regardless of Ash's assessment of his physical form.
"Looks can be deceiving," he replied stiffly. "I assure you I am perfectly capable, if you'll give me a chance to prove myself."
Before Ash could respond, their discussion was interrupted by the entrance of a girl who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen with long black hair and china doll features, and dressed in Goth attire the same as Ash. She peered at Ianto intently, licking her lips in a way that had him squirming on the inside.
"Ooh, he's scrawny, Akri. The Simi wouldn't get two bites out of him, even with extra barbeque sauce."
Ash rolled his eyes, but Ianto didn't miss the love in the big man's eyes.
"It wouldn't matter if you could. You can't eat this one, he's a new Dark Hunter. He's here to be trained, not eaten."
Ianto raised an eyebrow as he realised that Ash and the newcomer weren't kidding.
"I'd appreciate not being eaten, thank you," he said wryly. Ash smirked.
"Ianto, meet Simi. She's my little girl."
Simi snorted.
"The Simi isn't little, Akri. Baby Marissa is little."
Ianto watched with interest and only mild concern as he began to realise that the girl was, in fact, not a girl – not in human terms. He held his ground as she sauntered towards him, and his sharp eyes quickly noted the small horns that adorned her head, and the sharp fangs that glinted in her mouth. She was some sort of demon, he realised, and was mildly surprised to find that that fact didn't scare him anywhere near as much as he'd thought it should.
Bowing his head respectfully, Ianto spoke with the same level of formality that he had trained himself to use when dealing with the Prime Minister in Jack's stead.
"I am very pleased to meet you, Simi. It's a tremendous honour to be in the presence of someone as special as yourself."
The demon's delight at the formal address was obvious.
"Ooh, the Simi likes this one, Akri. Can I keeps him?"
Ash chuckled in amusement, his earlier intensity melting away.
"Smooth, kid," he told Ianto. "Very smooth. Sorry, Simi. You can't keep him, but I'm sure he'd be glad to be friends with you, if you promise not to eat him."
"Absolutely," Ianto agreed, smiling genuinely at the demon. He did like her, too, despite just meeting her. He got the distinct impression that here was someone who was exactly as she presented herself, with no facade and no pretences. It was a rare thing, and something that Ianto found he could truly appreciate after a past that had been filled with deceptions. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who was appreciative, as he suddenly found himself with an armful of Simi.
"Yay! The Simi has a new friend! Yan and Simi are friends for always, and I promise not to eats you."
Ianto couldn't help smiling at the innocent, if slightly odd, offer of friendship.
"And I promise to go shopping with Simi if she ever wants."
He had no idea what had prompted him to make such a promise, but it seemed to be the right thing to say, judging by the delighted squeal that followed. Then, abruptly, Simi was gone again, disappearing with a declaration that she was going to find food.
"You will come to regret that promise, you realise," Ash told him as he motioned for Ianto to sit.
"Oh, I don't know. It couldn't be any worse than going shopping with Jack..."
He faltered, fresh pain filling him at the thought of his lover. He wanted nothing more than to be in Jack's arms right at that moment, and forget that the events of the last week had ever happened.
"You can't see him again," Ash said in a sober, if quietly sympathetic tone. "I'm sorry, but it's one of the necessities of becoming a Dark Hunter. He wouldn't understand what you've become, and you couldn't explain to him why you aren't aging, but he is. I'm sorry, but it's just not possible."
Ianto almost smiled at the thought that Jack wouldn't understand his not aging.
"How much do you really know about me?" he asked Ash quietly. "How much do you know about Jack?"
Ash sat back with a slight frown. The truth was that while much of Ianto's past was laid out bare before him, some aspects of that past, as well as his future, were clouded. It wasn't the type of blind-spot he experienced when he encountered someone whose life would directly impact his own. This was different. It was like looking into a vortex, where a million and more possibilities existed. It was enough to give him a migraine.
"You are Ianto Jones. You were born in Newport, Wales, and you died in Thames House in London at the age of twenty-six. You worked for Torchwood, dealing with alien phenomena. You had an ambiguous relationship with one Captain Jack Harkness..."
Ash trailed off, realising that everything about Ianto that wasn't clear was somehow connected to Jack Harkness. It was this mysterious Jack whose past, present and future was a swirling, incomprehensible mess to him, not Ianto.
"Believe me," Ianto said ruefully, "if anyone could accept what I've become, it's Jack."
"Regardless," Ash said with a shake of his head, "you can't allow yourself to be distracted. You have a hell of a lot to do to get up to speed, so you won't be a burden to the rest of the Hunters. You need to put this man out of your mind... at least for now."
Encouraged that Ash hadn't completely ruled out a reunion down the track, Ianto made a silent promise to himself that he would see Jack again, and hopefully sooner rather than later.
* * *
to be continued...
Chapter Four: On The Move
Author: blucougar57
Summary: In the wake of his untimely death, Ianto Jones accepts a deal that will change his life forever.
Rating: Strong T, for now.
Warnings: Spoilers for The Series That Never Was (AKA, Children of Earth).
X-over: Torchwood/Doctor Who/Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter books.
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, Doctor Who or any aspect of Sherrilyn Kenyon's awesome Dark Hunter universe. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.
Go Here For Chapter Three
Ianto had a hell of a time getting himself to New Orleans.
To begin with, by the time he finished his business with the alien and fled Thames House, it was already heading rapidly towards dawn. Keeping in mind Artemis' warning about daylight, Ianto found himself a cheap room, thanking whatever other benevolent deity was out there that his wallet hadn't been removed during his brief period of death, and hunkered down to wait until nightfall. By the time night rolled around, enough time had passed to make things more than a little difficult for him, much to his quiet frustration.
It also took him far longer to get back to Cardiff from London than he'd hoped it might, mainly because he dared not travel on any sort of public transport where he might be spotted by cameras. Using the last bit of cash he had, he hired a vehicle and drove the entire way, all the while wishing sourly that his new-found status had come with some useful skill, like teleportation.
As it turned out, the journey from London to Cardiff was a phenomenal waste of time. The nice surprise that Artemis had alluded to was moot because on arrival at his flat, he found his sister and brother-in-law there already, cleaning the place out. Judging by the startled and somewhat incoherent exclamations being made by Rhiannon, Ianto figured that they had already discovered whatever it was that Artemis had left for him.
He left the flat behind, unsure over what he should feel more irritated by – that he had wasted so much time on a trip that had turned out to be utterly pointless; that he would have to fund his own passage (because he was positive that the 'surprise' was some form of payment that Artemis must have left for him); or that his sister was so quick off the mark to pack up the contents of his home and his old life. She'd always been a practical person, though, and he couldn't fault her for acting in her nature. It simply irked him that she'd barely waited twenty-four hours before moving in to pack up the remnants of his life.
He tried to access his bank account, but that had been frozen days ago by Johnson and her spooks. That didn't upset him quite as much as it probably should have, given that he doubted there was enough in the account to cover the cost of a last minute flight to New Orleans, especially given that he was going to have to make certain travel arrangements that was likely to cost him a significant amount of money. He decided fairly quickly that it wasn't worth the trouble trying to hack.
In the end, he resorted to cleaning out one of Jack's lesser and rarely used accounts. It had been well-hidden by Jack some years ago, at a time when he'd felt it necessary to keep options open to bolt. Ianto didn't know for certain, and damned if he would ever admit to not knowing, but he suspected that Jack probably had set the account up for himself after Alex Hopkins had killed himself and the rest of the Torchwood Three team nine years ago. There had been a period of a couple of years when Jack had been on his own, and Ianto supposed he'd acutely felt a threat from Yvonne Hartman. If she had made an aggressive move to retake control of the Cardiff outpost, Jack would not have been in a position to stop her, and fleeing would have been his best option to avoid the sorts of torments that Hartman would have inflicted on him.
The emergency account had been very well-hidden, and so was missed by the spooks when they tried flushing them all out by starving them of finances. For that, Ianto was immensely grateful, and he quickly set about making the necessary arrangements to get himself safely to New Orleans.
He slept for much of the flight, aided by the comfort of a business class suite, which allowed him to keep himself shielded in almost complete darkness. The stewardesses thought he was just another eccentric man with more money than he knew what to do with, but he simply didn't care. He was comfortable, he was safe and he was alive. With the exception of being without the man he loved, Ianto was momentarily satisfied with that state of affairs.
He'd worked it out well. It was just after nightfall when the plane touched down. As he disembarked and headed through the terminal, his mind was a-whirl with what he had to do.
Find Acheron, Artemis had told him. Acheron would train him.
It was hardly a solid starting point, but he supposed it was at least something, and something was better than nothing. Ianto grimaced. He found it more than a little disturbing how willing he apparently was of late to settle for less.
He slowed to a halt as he exited Immigration, and found himself staring incredulously. Standing apart from the veritable crowd of drivers waiting with placards bearing various names was a young man holding up a sign that read 'Ianto Jones'. Half expecting some sort of trap, Ianto approached the waiting man with caution.
"I'm Ianto Jones."
Relief filled the other man's face and he let the placard drop, as though his arms were aching from the effort of holding it up.
"Thank the gods. I wasn't told what flight you were on, and I was scared I'd missed you. Ash would've had my guts for garters if I had."
"Ash...? Do you mean Acheron?" Ianto wondered.
"Yeah, but no one calls him that. We just call him Ash. I think he prefers it."
"Okay," Ianto murmured, making a subconscious note of that little titbit. "And you are...?"
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry. The name's Eric Turner. I've been assigned as your squire, at least for the time being."
Ianto shut his eyes briefly against a threatening headache. This was all starting to get to be just a little bit too much.
"Okay, Eric, let me be honest with you. I've been a..."
"Dark Hunter," Eric supplied when Ianto hesitated. The Welshman nodded.
"Right. I've been a Dark Hunter for approximately two days. I've just gotten off a trans-Atlantic flight and I am rather tired and confused right now."
Rather than the mockery he was fully expecting, Eric nodded in understanding.
"Sorry, sir. Ash did say you were just newly made. That's why he assigned me to you. I've been a squire for years. But the way, squire is the term we use for humans who work for Dark Hunters. It's our job to run errands and such for you guys, and to make sure you're safe during the day... You know, when you can't go outside. I can run interference for you, and pretty much do anything you need me to do."
Ianto swallowed a sigh. The one thing he really needed was Jack, but he knew he hadn't misinterpreted Artemis' warning against fraternisation. It stood to reason. She was supposed to be the virgin goddess (though he was having serious misgivings about the likelihood of that), so any creation of hers would naturally be condemned to a solitary and fraternisation-free existence as well. He wondered distantly just how long he might have to wait before he could get away with fraternising again, and just as quickly put the thought out of his mind. That was something to worry about later.
"All right, Eric. So what now?"
"Well, I'll take you to meet Ash. Then, I think some serious clothes shopping is in order. You look like you're still wearing the suit you died in."
Ianto lifted an eyebrow.
"I am wearing the suit I died in."
"Ah. Okay. Right this way, and I shall take you to meet the big guy himself."
Ianto really hadn't known what to expect when he met the man that Artemis had said would train him, but he definitely hadn't expected to be introduced to a man wearing Goth-style clothes, with exquisite features who looked barely out of his teens.
Acheron, apparently preferably known as Ash, stood tall at nearly seven foot, and exuded a power and authority that sent shivers through Ianto. He had long, black hair with a startling streak of red and for just a split second Ianto could have sworn that his eyes swirled with silver. He was, undoubtedly, one of the sexiest and best-looking men that Ianto had ever seen in his life. If Jack were there, he would definitely sulk at the competition. The thought almost made Ianto smile.
"Come on in, Ianto," Ash told him without bothering first to ask for confirmation that Ianto was who he was supposed to be. Somehow, Ianto didn't think this intriguing individual had any problems with identifying a new charge.
He followed Ash into a surprisingly spacious apartment that reminded him vaguely of Jack's descriptions of the TARDIS, that it was bigger on the inside. As the door closed behind them, though, he suddenly found himself under his new boss's scrutiny, and it was a less than pleasant experience.
"Artie, what the hell were you thinking?" Ash muttered as he looked Ianto up and down. Ianto frowned, not appreciating what he was hearing in Ash's tone.
"Excuse me, I am in the room."
Ash, however, was unapologetic. He dropped into an armchair, but the sudden lack of height in no way aided Ianto's comfort levels. If anything, the man was even more intimidating in such a laid-back pose. Ianto couldn't help but feel like he was back in school, fronting the Headmaster for some major infraction.
"Listen, kid, there is a reason why there are almost no Dark Hunters made from the current generations of humans. You can't deal with what's out there."
Ianto felt affronted, and his thoughts went briefly to the many traumas and trials he'd experienced in his life, right up until his death. It was insulting to think that he had survived Canary Wharf with his sanity intact, only to be told he couldn't cope with whatever it was that Dark Hunters dealt with.
"I worked for Torchwood, Sir," he said, perhaps a little more snippily than he really intended. "That particular philosophy doesn't necessarily apply to me."
Ash smiled tightly. He liked the kid, despite his better judgement... But then, he'd liked Nick, too, and look where that had gotten him. The last thing he needed was to ruin someone else's life in the way he had destroyed Nick's. On the other hand, Ianto was already a Dark Hunter, so it wasn't as though he had a choice. He barely withheld a grimace. Oh, how he hoped that this wasn't the start of a trend for Artemis, as just another way to torment him. Now that he personally had no recourse to negotiate the release of anymore Dark Hunter souls, he really didn't want to see a whole new generation of infant Hunters.
Not for the first time, he sincerely regretted not being able to sic Simi onto Artemis, and just let her eat the bitch.
"I'm sure you can accept it, Ianto. I'm just not so sure than you'd last one night patrolling for daimons. Compared to pretty much every other Dark Hunter, you're... well, puny."
Ianto felt his face and neck heat up with embarrassment, and silently cursed that his body still reacted in such a way, especially when he was pretty damned sure that he had no cause to be embarrassed, regardless of Ash's assessment of his physical form.
"Looks can be deceiving," he replied stiffly. "I assure you I am perfectly capable, if you'll give me a chance to prove myself."
Before Ash could respond, their discussion was interrupted by the entrance of a girl who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen with long black hair and china doll features, and dressed in Goth attire the same as Ash. She peered at Ianto intently, licking her lips in a way that had him squirming on the inside.
"Ooh, he's scrawny, Akri. The Simi wouldn't get two bites out of him, even with extra barbeque sauce."
Ash rolled his eyes, but Ianto didn't miss the love in the big man's eyes.
"It wouldn't matter if you could. You can't eat this one, he's a new Dark Hunter. He's here to be trained, not eaten."
Ianto raised an eyebrow as he realised that Ash and the newcomer weren't kidding.
"I'd appreciate not being eaten, thank you," he said wryly. Ash smirked.
"Ianto, meet Simi. She's my little girl."
Simi snorted.
"The Simi isn't little, Akri. Baby Marissa is little."
Ianto watched with interest and only mild concern as he began to realise that the girl was, in fact, not a girl – not in human terms. He held his ground as she sauntered towards him, and his sharp eyes quickly noted the small horns that adorned her head, and the sharp fangs that glinted in her mouth. She was some sort of demon, he realised, and was mildly surprised to find that that fact didn't scare him anywhere near as much as he'd thought it should.
Bowing his head respectfully, Ianto spoke with the same level of formality that he had trained himself to use when dealing with the Prime Minister in Jack's stead.
"I am very pleased to meet you, Simi. It's a tremendous honour to be in the presence of someone as special as yourself."
The demon's delight at the formal address was obvious.
"Ooh, the Simi likes this one, Akri. Can I keeps him?"
Ash chuckled in amusement, his earlier intensity melting away.
"Smooth, kid," he told Ianto. "Very smooth. Sorry, Simi. You can't keep him, but I'm sure he'd be glad to be friends with you, if you promise not to eat him."
"Absolutely," Ianto agreed, smiling genuinely at the demon. He did like her, too, despite just meeting her. He got the distinct impression that here was someone who was exactly as she presented herself, with no facade and no pretences. It was a rare thing, and something that Ianto found he could truly appreciate after a past that had been filled with deceptions. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who was appreciative, as he suddenly found himself with an armful of Simi.
"Yay! The Simi has a new friend! Yan and Simi are friends for always, and I promise not to eats you."
Ianto couldn't help smiling at the innocent, if slightly odd, offer of friendship.
"And I promise to go shopping with Simi if she ever wants."
He had no idea what had prompted him to make such a promise, but it seemed to be the right thing to say, judging by the delighted squeal that followed. Then, abruptly, Simi was gone again, disappearing with a declaration that she was going to find food.
"You will come to regret that promise, you realise," Ash told him as he motioned for Ianto to sit.
"Oh, I don't know. It couldn't be any worse than going shopping with Jack..."
He faltered, fresh pain filling him at the thought of his lover. He wanted nothing more than to be in Jack's arms right at that moment, and forget that the events of the last week had ever happened.
"You can't see him again," Ash said in a sober, if quietly sympathetic tone. "I'm sorry, but it's one of the necessities of becoming a Dark Hunter. He wouldn't understand what you've become, and you couldn't explain to him why you aren't aging, but he is. I'm sorry, but it's just not possible."
Ianto almost smiled at the thought that Jack wouldn't understand his not aging.
"How much do you really know about me?" he asked Ash quietly. "How much do you know about Jack?"
Ash sat back with a slight frown. The truth was that while much of Ianto's past was laid out bare before him, some aspects of that past, as well as his future, were clouded. It wasn't the type of blind-spot he experienced when he encountered someone whose life would directly impact his own. This was different. It was like looking into a vortex, where a million and more possibilities existed. It was enough to give him a migraine.
"You are Ianto Jones. You were born in Newport, Wales, and you died in Thames House in London at the age of twenty-six. You worked for Torchwood, dealing with alien phenomena. You had an ambiguous relationship with one Captain Jack Harkness..."
Ash trailed off, realising that everything about Ianto that wasn't clear was somehow connected to Jack Harkness. It was this mysterious Jack whose past, present and future was a swirling, incomprehensible mess to him, not Ianto.
"Believe me," Ianto said ruefully, "if anyone could accept what I've become, it's Jack."
"Regardless," Ash said with a shake of his head, "you can't allow yourself to be distracted. You have a hell of a lot to do to get up to speed, so you won't be a burden to the rest of the Hunters. You need to put this man out of your mind... at least for now."
Encouraged that Ash hadn't completely ruled out a reunion down the track, Ianto made a silent promise to himself that he would see Jack again, and hopefully sooner rather than later.
to be continued...