Title: Never Did Run Smooth – Chapter 22 (of 22)
Rating: R
Words: This final chapter is 2500 words. :)
Characters: Jack/Ianto
Genre: AU, angst, H/C
Spoilers: TW S1 & S2 (some references to Jack’s time with the Doctor)
Disclaimer: All the wishing in the world won’t make Torchwood mine.
Summary: AU which explores what could have happened if Jack had refused to hire Ianto even after capturing Myfanwy. Years later, while conducting an inspection of UNIT, Jack spots a prisoner being transferred who catches his eye…
Beta: My dearest friend,quaintheart.
A/N: This story is complete and beta’d. I will be posting regularly. Feel free to friend me.
Previous chapters at my Master List 

A/N 2: I want to dedicate this final chapter to everyone, EVERYONE, who’s been following this story. I have made new friends; entertained and been entertained. Thank you so very much. *Hugs you all tight* 

Chapter 22

“Jack, no!” Ianto was shaking his head frantically.

Now that Jack knew what needed to be done, an easy calm settled over him. “Ianto,” he looked deeply into the frantic man’s eyes, “do you trust me?”

Without hesitation, Ianto answered, “Yes.”

“Good, then listen to me carefully. I’m going to get you out of here. You’re coming back to Torchwood with me. I can protect you there.”

“But… why?”

“I can’t kill you and I can’t leave you here. Besides, you were right, two years ago - you do have the right qualifications for the job and we need you… I need you.” In the almost complete darkness of the cell, Jack could still see Ianto’s eyes staring back into his own filled with wonder and amazement.

“They’ll never let you take me.” Still, Ianto sounded truly hopeful for the first time.

“I wasn’t planning on asking. You’re coming with me and I’m not going to let them stop me.”

“But why me Sir?”

Jack sighed, “I’m so very far from home Ianto. I’ve been on my own for so long.”

“You’re lonely?”

“It’s more than that. It’s so rare that someone comes along who actually fits so smoothly into my life…” Jack realized he was doing a terrible job at explaining himself. He didn’t want Ianto thinking he was being brought back as a bed-warmer.

“I’ve lived so long; done so much… nothing surprises me anymore. You… you’re like no one I’ve ever met. The strength you’ve shown; your ability to survive against so many odds… Baker told me what you did – to protect the world.” Ianto bit back a sob and fixed his eyes on Jack’s chest unable to look into his eyes.

“Ianto, I can’t really describe how I feel other than to say that I am proud. Proud to know someone with your strength and honored that after all you’ve been through you still have the capacity to trust and for some reason you trust me. That amazes me Ianto, it really does.”

“Would you go back home… if you could?” Ianto asked quietly.

“I left home a long time ago. Don’t really know where I really belong. Maybe that doesn’t matter anymore… Being here, I’ve seen things I never dreamt I’d see, loved people I never would have known if I had just stayed where I was.” Jack watched Ianto until the other man raised his head to look back at him. “And I wouldn’t change that for the world.”

Ianto hesitated for a second before lunging forward and claiming Jack’s mouth with his own. The two men pressed close to each other, each trying to meld their bodies to the other. As their lips joined, all else fell away. There was nothing but Jack and Ianto; no cell, no base, no soldiers or cyber-ghosts of the past. Nothing existed in that moment but them, wrapped in each other’s arms.  

A desperate pounding at the door broke them apart, although Jack’s hand gripped Ianto’s tightly.

“Jack, hurry up… The guards will be back soon.” Baker sounded nervous.

Jack helped Ianto to his feet, cringing at his wince of pain. He scooped up his gun and put it away, opening the door. Baker stood there and smiled at Ianto.

Jack smiled back. “You knew I wouldn’t be able to do it, didn’t you?”

Baker looked at him with eyes that could bore into a man’s soul. “You’re not a monster Jack. You’re better than anything we’ve got locked up down here…” Baker turned away from Jack’s gaze. “…better than all of us.” He added this in a whisper as though ashamed of all the atrocities committed not by him, but by those he worked for and with.

Jack cleared his throat, squeezing Ianto’s hand even more tightly. The Doctor’s words echoes through his mind: That’s why I left you behind. It’s not easy… even just… just looking at you; ‘cause you’re wrong... You are, I can’t help it. Baker’s words and Ianto’s forgiving trustfulness were so much harder to accept than the heartbreaking words his old friend had uttered. Since the moment he woke up on the space station surrounded by Dalek dust and corpses; alone and abandoned, he’d felt wrong. The Doctor’s words had only confirmed it and had shattered any remaining hope that he could be fixed. And yet these two men; one who knew his secret and one who didn’t; they looked at him and for the first time he felt as though someone was actually seeing him. It was almost too much; he had to carry on.

 “I left my suitcase behind, but it’s too dangerous to go back for it now. There’s nothing important in it; I’ve already uploaded my report to Torchwood. Can you get us to the parking lot? It’s asking a lot I know, but…”

“No problem Captain, follow me.” Using Jack’s vortex manipulator to take out the surveillance cameras as they went, they quickly made their way to the sub-basement parking area. There was one guard on the doors so Jack had Baker and Ianto keep out of sight as he knocked the man unconscious. It was almost too easy. Jack knew that the Brigadier would never have thought Jack capable of such a grievous breech of professional courtesy. UNIT stays out of Torchwood’s hair and Torchwood leaves UNIT alone. If they had any idea how much Jack had come to care for Ianto, the three of them would never have made it this far unnoticed.

Baker was about to key in his access code but Jack stopped him by grabbing his wrist. “We can’t let them know you were here.” He explained. Baker nodded as Jack entered the temporary code he’d been given. It worked, proving their escape had not yet been reported.

There were still the outer doors to get passed though. As they walked by rows and rows of cars Jack continued to scan the area for cameras. “Can that device of yours get the secured doors open?” Baker asked, looking suitably impressed with Jack’s wrist-strap. 

“You bet it can!” Jack said grinning. He pulled out the keys to his Aston Martin.

Ianto grinned, “James Bond’s car? Are you for real?”

“Every bit of me baby!” Jack smirked back.

Baker looked the car over. “At least you’ll be able to outrun any pursuit. And if I know UNIT, once you’re back in Cardiff, they’ll leave you alone. The Brigadier would never risk pissing the Doctor off.”

Jack looked at the soldier seriously. “This is going to get you in a lot of trouble Baker. Come with us. We could use someone like you on our team.”

Baker shook his head. He grinned, but his eyes looked a tad regretful. “Nah. My friends and family are here. Thanks to your nifty device, they’ll have no proof that I helped you. I’ll be fine. Good bye Jack.”

“Well, if you ever change your mind… You’re a good friend Baker. I won’t forget you.”

Baker smiled at the praised and after a second’s hesitation, surged forward to wrap Jack in a tight hug. “It was fun!” He said, blushing as he pulled back. Baker clapped Ianto on the shoulder and wished them good luck.

Jack helped Ianto into the passenger’s seat, doing the buckle for him, then climbed behind the driver’s wheel. They sped past the rows of cars and away from the base, growing more and more confident the further away they got. As the kilometers sped by, Jack slowly relaxed enough to slow the car from insanely fast to just marginally breaking all the speed limits. 

Ianto, who hadn’t seen the outdoors in almost two years, insisted on having the window down, staring excitedly as the wind whipped past his face. The years of confinement were falling away and Ianto look young, reveling in his freedom. He kept looking back at Jack as though surprised that he hadn’t yet woken from this dream.

Jack spent the time talking about the team and the Hub. He spoke of missions they’d been on and weird, exciting things they’d seen.

“…And she says, ‘If I’d known what he was, I never would have married him!’”

Ianto laughed when he was supposed to laugh and gasped when he was supposed to gasp but Jack could tell he was too distracted to really be paying much attention. 

He spoke of Toshiko; about how she’d been forced to commit treason to save her mother. Ianto listened carefully to this. As Torchwood’s new archivist, Ianto would have full access to all this information and Tosh had never asked that it be kept private so he wasn’t worried about breaking any confidences. He hoped it would help Ianto feel understood, like he wasn’t alone. And perhaps, when Ianto was ready, Tosh could become someone he could confide in. 

Ianto didn’t express surprise though his eyes widened as Jack spoke about bringing Tosh back to Cardiff. Jack talked about how he’d followed through on his promise to UNIT and had kept her away from her family for about three months before giving in and secretly allowing her to see them as often as she needed. Ianto looked ready to say something before looking out the window again; attentive, yet lost in his own thoughts.

Jack spoke of Owen, jokingly telling Ianto to watch out for his acidic personality and humourless pranks. He spoke in great detail about how he’d met Owen, focusing on the death of his fiancée and how much he still suffered from the memories of that loss.

And Gwen, how on her first day she foolishly released a gaseous life form that killed over a dozen men before they managed to destroy it.

Now Ianto was watching him carefully. “Why are you telling me all this Jack? It seems… so personal, private.”

“I’m not telling you anything you won’t discover when you organize the employee records, which are in desperate need of you talents. And, well… I wanted you to know that you have no reason to feel out of place or judged at Torchwood. Everyone else there has a past. They’ve broken laws for loved ones, lost lovers and made mistakes that have cost people their lives.” As he said this, Jack took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance at Ianto. He seemed to be absorbing everything thoughtfully.

“You’ll never be alone Ianto. We… we’re like you.” Then Jack grinned to lighten the mood. “And don’t let Owen tell you anything different. That man can be a miserable bastard, but deep down he cares. He’s probably going to give you the most trouble, but just ignore him; nothing pisses him off more.” Ianto smiled and Jack laughed, thinking of his team fondly. He’d been so focused on Ianto the past few days, he hadn’t though of them much, but now he realized how much he was looking forward to seeing them all again and introducing them to Ianto.

Ianto sat quietly, passing the bottom hem of his shirt through his fingers as if the feel of it calmed him somewhat. His excitement turned to nervous fidgeting though as they neared Cardiff. Jack was tempted to take Ianto straight to the Hub, but looking at the young man’s only clothes and remembering all the indignities he’d already suffered, Jack changed directions and pulled up in front of David’s and Sons; perhaps not the best men’s clothing store in Cardiff, but that wasn’t really Jack’s specialty. Once Ianto got his first pay-cheque, he’d be able to buy all the tailor made suits he could want. But this would have to do for now.

Ianto looked at him, his eyes full of gratitude, not arguing as Jack dragged him into the store. Jack would have happily bought him everything in there, but in the end, Ianto picked out two suits, six dress shirts (including a red one that made Jack’s eyes glaze over and a dopey grin spread across his face), and several high quality ties.  While Jack paid, Ianto dressed in what Jack called ‘the cute suit’. It was a dark charcoal grey pin strip which he wore with the red shirt and a red and grey striped tie. Jack whistled admiringly as Ianto stepped back into the room, tugging self-consciously at his waist-coat, cast nicely concealed by the sleeve. The shop-keeper had tried talking him out of buying the three-piece suits, saying they were not as ‘in with the young folk these days’, but Ianto had insisted. Jack approved with a wink and a grin.

By the time they pulled into the Hub’s parking area, Ianto looked far more comfortable in his new clothes. It helped that Jack couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of him. Jack helped Ianto from the car, noticing that the SUV was parked in its usual spot. Good, he thought, the others will be in. He paused before opening the door that led into his base.

“Are ready for this Ianto?”

“They’re not going to be happy, are they?”

“No, probably not. But they’ll accept it and in time I’m sure they’ll come to care for you as much as I do… well hopefully not quite as much as I do!” He added, pulling Ianto to him possessively. Ianto grinned nervously and quickly kissed Jack sweetly.  Jack groaned as Ianto pulled back, wishing he could simply press Ianto against the wall and give into his longing. He reluctantly pulled Ianto into the Hub, looking around for the others. He spotted them at their desks and made his way over, Ianto following silently in his shadow.

Tosh spotted him first. “Jack! Thank god! We were so worried.” Then she spotted Ianto and gasped, standing in surprise.

“What the fuck!?” Owen eloquently added.

And Gwen smiled kindly asking, “Who’s this then?”

Jack grinned and held out his arm, gesturing for Ianto to come and stand by him. The young man stepped forward, a mask of confidence and comfort plastered over his face. Jack understood and more than that, counted the hours until they would be alone again and he could peel that mask away to once again look upon Ianto’s face, open and trusting.

“This, my friends,” he said proudly, “is Ianto Jones. Ianto’s going to take over the archives, clean up after us and get us everywhere on time… Plus,” he added, looking Ianto over, “he looks good in a suit.”

Ianto tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement before looking mischievously back at Jack. “Careful; that’s harassment Sir.”

The End

A/N 3: Well that’s the end. If been asked if there will be a sequel and while I hadn’t originally planned on doing one; I’ve decided to write one after all. I’ve already started on an interlude which will focus on Ianto adjusting to Torchwood (and Jack) from Jack’s POV. 

I know many of you wanted to see Baker return to Torchwood. Don’t worry; you haven’t seen the last of him. But I won’t say anything more. *spoilers, spoilers* ;)

Thanks! xo

Here's Chapter 1 of the interlude.  :)