Spellbound 10/14 + Epilogue

[madbottoms]

Title: Spellbound - Chapter 10
Author: Madbottoms
Prompt: Practical Magic
Pairing(s)/Characters: Jack/Ianto, Donna, John (Smith), Gwen/Adam, Owen, Tosh, OC’s.
Rating: PG
Length: 25k +
Warnings: Magic, dark themes, minor character death.

A/N 1: Written for reel_torchwood  See chapter 1 for disclaimer and full author notes. I'd really love to hear what you think so if you're taking the time to read please take an extra moment to leave a comment.

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10

 

Back at the Manor, Ianto was furiously cleaning up in the kitchen. He dumped the uneaten plate of starfish pancakes into the trash as Gwen hovered around her anxiously.

“We just stick to our stories, you know? No body, no crime. It’s a...” Gwen knocked over a bowl of fruit accidently, apples and pieces of broken ceramic rolled everywhere. “Oh, I'm sorry! She bent down to clear it up. Wordlessly, Ianto joined her and Gwen continued. “I'm feeling like shit. I'm not sleeping, I just keep tossing and...”-

“I. Me. Mine,” Ianto interrupted as he picked up fruit and broken shards. “God, Gwen, that's all you can think about, isn't it? You. It's all about you.”

Gwen dropped what she’d picked up and it landed with a crash. “I don't want to fight,” she said and started upstairs.

“Don't you walk away from me!” Ianto warned. “I'm sick and tired of cleaning up your messes.”

Gwen stopped and turned back and counters sarcastically, “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. You’re always right, Ianto. Oh, I'm just a mess. Just one big mess!” She came back down the stairs into the kitchen. “Well, at least I've lived my life. And you hate me for that because... because it scares the hell out of you.”

Ianto is irritated at her ignorance. “Gwen, I don't hate you.”

“Look at you! You spend all your energy just trying to fit in, be normal! But you're never going to fit in, Ianto, because we're different! And so are your kids.”

Ianto was angry but was trying not to show it. “You leave them out of this, okay?”

“All my life, I have wished I had even half your talent. You're ... you're wasting yourself, Ianto!”

Ianto turned to face her. “You know, I want you out of here. I want you gone.”

Hurt, but angry, Gwen replied, “Okay, fine. I'm gone.”

“Good.” Ianto walked toward the stairs, grabbed his coat and put it on.

“What... What’re you doing? Where are you going?”

“I’m doing the right thing.”

Incredulous, Gwen demanded, “No, no, no! You are not gonna go and tell him what happened!”

“You know, it’s funny, because the moment that that man came here, that’s all I seem to want to do.” It was true. He didn’t want to lie to him and if that meant giving them up, so be it.

“What are you gonna do, get down on your knees and beg for mercy?” Gwen grabbed him by the upper arms and Ianto resisted.

Pulling away, Ianto spun to face her. He’d had enough. “You want me to be true to myself? Huh? Then watch this.” Ianto stormed out, the door seemingly slamming shut of its own accord after him.

Gwen made no move to go after her brother and tried to compose herself. Bare seconds after the door shut, she winced and held her stomach, clearly in pain. “Ianto...” she whispered tearfully.

*~*

Ianto ran through the garden, and into town as fast as he could. He crossed the street and continued jogging until he spotted Jack Harkness, who was walking on the sidewalk a little way in front of him. He ran to catch him up, and spoke to his back.

“It was Adam’s ring.”

Jack turned to face him, unsurprised at the confession. “Oh, really?”

“I know you knew that, but I needed to tell you.”

Jack started walking again and Ianto followed. “Yeah. Well, I was serious back there - you better get yourself a lawyer before you talk to me.”

“I don’t want a lawyer.” Ianto said.

There was a long pause while they looked at each other.

“Alright,” Jack replied. Having reached his hotel, he opened the door entered first, looking around uncomfortably at the mess and then invited Ianto in. “Come on in. Excuse the mess, I wasn’t expecting company. Uh, have yourself a seat.”

Instead of doing so, Ianto picked up and looked at some photographs that Jack had left lying on a nearby table.

“Oh, let me get those...” Jack took the photographs and started clearing the others away. In doing so, he revealed Ianto’s letter to Gwen, sitting at the bottom of the pile.

Ianto picked it up and took it out of the envelope. He unfolded it and turned it over, marvelling at the state of it... it was heavily creased and slightly torn, the way letters get when they’re opened, read, folded and opened again many, many times.

“How many times did you read my letter?”

Taking off his coat, Jack attempted to sound casual. “A few. I have to study all the evidence.”

Ianto just looked at him pensively. Jack avoided his eyes.

“Ok. You wanna sit down?” Jack offered but Ianto stayed standing. Fiddling with a tape recorder, Jack pressed ‘Record’. “This is the testimony of Ianto Jones, March 8th 1998.” He looked up at Ianto. “You gonna sit down?” To which Ianto gave in and sat in a small chair by the window. Jack sat across from him, holding the tape recorder between them. “Where is Adam Smith?”

“I think he’s in the spirit world,” Ianto responded matter of fact.

“You think he’s dead?”

Again matter of fact, Ianto said, “No, I think he’s haunting us.” He unfolded his letter and held it out so Jack could see it. He looked at him flatly. “What evidence did you get from reading my letter?”

Jack leaned forward and ignored his question. “Did you or your sister kill Adam Smith?”

“Gwen didn’t kill anybody.”

“Gwen didn’t.” Jack interpreted these words to mean something else. “Gwen didn’t, but you did.”

He didn’t reply.

“Huh? Did you?” Jack pressed. “Ianto, did you? Please, talk to me Ianto.” Jack reached out to touch Ianto’s hand.

Ianto stood up suddenly and stepped away from the table, paced vigorously for a moment. Looking up at Jack, he finally spoke. “What if I told you I did? What would you do? What, would you send me to jail for the rest of my life? All because the world was short a man like Adam Smith?”

“Ianto, it’s not for you or me to decide how he should be punished.” Jack stood and moved closer to Ianto. “He has to be held accountable.”

“Well, he has been punished.”

Jack didn’t really want to think what that meant. “He has?” He sighed and walked back over to the table and picked up the recorder. As he walked back toward Ianto, he clicked it off. “You really should get a lawyer’s advice before we go any further. Now listen, Ianto, I know you’re in some kind of trouble, alright? If you will trust me, tell me what you know, I promise you that I will do everything I can to keep you from harm’s way.” Jack put his hand on Ianto’s arm and rubbed it softly. “I don’t want to see you hurt, Ianto.”

Neither man moved, they stood still, looking at each other, staring into each other’s eyes as if searching for something. A sign, perhaps?

Jack moved his hand from Ianto’s arm and cupped his cheek, lightly caressing Ianto’s bottom lip with his thumb, feeling Ianto shiver under his touch. It was like time had stood still, they were captured in a moment of pure tenderness. Jack lightly stroked the other man’s lip for a moment then leaned forward and kissed him passionately, the moment going from tender to fierce in a flash.

Ianto responded immediately, and started to loosen Jack’s shirt buttons. Jack did the same to Ianto’s coat and before either realised what had happened they were half naked on the bed, Ianto on top, rubbing himself against Jack’s very noticeable erection, not unlike Ianto’s own.  

Ianto had not been with anyone since his wife died and he didn’t think he would ever feel this way about anyone. But Jack stirred something within him that he couldn’t explain. Ianto had been instantly taken with the man and he felt helpless against whatever was pulling them together.

Ianto moaned into the kisses and it seemed to only spur Jack on. Jack wrapped his legs around Ianto’s waist, pulling him in tighter so no space was left between their clothed crotches. The tight heat Jack felt in his pants was painful pleasure, but he prayed for release. It hadn’t gone unnoticed to Jack that they both still half dressed, that needed to be remedied before they came in their pants.

Ianto rubbed hard against Jack again and kissed him almost ferociously, like he was trying to devour him. Jack was fine with that and responded just as hard, pulling him in even tighter.

“Ianto, please, I need more,” Jack managed to say between kissing and the very short breaths. “Please.”

Jack’s voice seemed to startle Ianto out of his blissed state. “Jack? What...” Realising what was actually happening, Ianto looked at Jack wildly. “I can’t. I can’t.”

A little ashamed of himself for letting it get this far, Jack apologised. “Ok. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Ianto.” Jack in the meantime still had his legs wrapped around the other man.

Still looking at each other, Ianto started to kiss him again. Ianto scrabbled at Jack’s jeans, desperately trying to get them off, only managing to pop the top button before Jack stopped him. “Hey, slow down, we’ve got all night.” Jack kissed him tenderly, then a little harder. 

Ianto smiled into the kiss and took control of it again, switching between tender and hard, to playful, savouring each one and melting into Jack’s touch. He stopped and looked at Jack pointedly, the moment turning serious. He traced his fingers over Jack’s lips, then cheeks and trailed them up to his forehead, absently brushing his fringe out of the way. Ianto stopped, staring at the spot where the hairline and forehead met.

Stunned, Ianto whispered, “A crescent shaped scar.” He got up quickly, throwing his coat on, not worrying about his shirt in his rush to get out of there. “I can’t. I can’t. I have to go.” Ianto left, shutting the door behind him.

Jack was bewildered and touching his scar, said to himself, “It happened when I was a kid.”

 

 

 

Comments

[missthingsplace.livejournal.com]

Snogging, lots of snogging is good ... oh how i love this :)

[madbottoms.livejournal.com]

I have a fondness for snogging too, particularly these two.

Thanks so much for commenting again. Glad you're still enjoying it.