The Ties That Bind (5/34 + Epilogue)

[madbottoms]

Title: The Ties That Bind - Part 5

Beta: Blackcat1000 who is made of awesome!

Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Donna, John Hart, Owen and James Harper, Mickey/Martha, Toshiko/Tommy, Claudia, Phillip, Saxon, Rhiannon, OCs

Rating: NC-17

Warnings/Contains: Explicit sex (does that need a warning?), witchcraft, horror, supernatural themes, character death.

Summary: Ianto is a powerful magical warrior, one which Jack Harkness has never been able to resist. Once enemies, then almost lovers, he broke his heart. Years later, Jack must return to his hometown and seek help before it is too late. Jack and Ianto must now put aside their past and work together to defeat an evil threatening to overwhelm and take control of Jack because of his unique bloodline. Secrets and foretold prophecies will plague them and in this paranormal battle, they will need more than magic to survive.

A/N: If I get a good amount of comments to this part I might be convinced to post two or three parts in a row. Will the promise of some upcoming hotness entice you? Just saying. Anyway, on with the story…

Chapter Five

 

“Come again?” he rasped, while Ianto started to choke and cough.

 

“A virgin’s blood,” Donna repeated, resuming her place in the rocker. “And not just any virgin’s. It must be from an adult warrior. Not human, but of the clans.”

 

“What the hell?” He took a deep breath and scrubbed his hand over his eyes. “This has to be some kind of sick joke.”

 

“Come on, Jack.” Ianto’s voice sounded odd, like something between horror and amusement. “You didn’t actually think it would be something easy, did you?”

 

He scowled as he looked at Ianto. “Easy, no. But a little sanity wouldn’t hurt. I mean, call me a pessimist, but I don’t think a nonhuman, adult, warrior virgin is going to be all that easy to find these days. Whoever came up with it must have had some screwed-up mind!”

 

Ianto shrugged, still looking as if he was struggling with his own reaction to the bizarre news. “The spell is obviously old magic, and virgins were considered sacred in ancient times.”

 

Sacred. Right. Not to mention extremely rare in the twenty-first century. He was so tired of this war.

 

Blowing out a rough breath, he said, “What exactly is the spell, Donna?” He had a bad moment where he imagined himself lurking over a boiling cauldron, re-enacting the scene with the witches from Macbeth, but Donna just frowned.

 

“I’m sorry, Jack, but I’m afraid that’s where my expertise ends.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The passage is incredibly difficult, and I could only grasp bits and pieces. You’re going to need a demon to fully translate it.”

 

“A demon?” Ianto gave a low whistle. “Must be one hell of a spell.”

 

“This just keeps getting better and better,” he growled. “Where the hell am I going to find a demon?”

 

“Hell would be a good place to start,” Donna offered helpfully, as if she’d just suggested he run down to the corner store and grab a bottle of milk.

 

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and struggled for patience. “I know this might come as a shock to you, Donna, but I don’t travel into the Underworld all that often.”

 

“Hmm.” She pursed her lips, lost in thought, then clapped her hands together. “You could try finding an earthbound demon.”

 

An earthbound demon? Jack had heard of them. They were demons who had either escaped from Hell and were now on the run, or who had been forced out for one reason or another. The dynamics of the Underworld was so complicated, he’d never gotten a good understanding of it when his mother had tried to explain the hierarchy to him. He’d never thought he’d need to…until now.

 

With a tired sigh, he said, “I don’t suppose you happen to know an earthbound demon who could help me out? Or even where I could find one?”

 

“No,” Donna replied, her dark eyes almost glowing in the sunlit shadows of the room. “But…I think Ianto can help with that.”

 

~*~

 

Damn it Donna!

 

Lifting his hand, Ianto pressed it to the centre of his chest and glared at the woman who’d raised him. He felt as if he’d been dealt a physical blow. He couldn’t believe it. Had Donna lost her friggin’ mind?

 

“Ianto?” Jack’s voice was soft, cautious.

 

Keeping his hard gaze on his aunt, he said, “Forget it.”

 

Jack looked between Ianto and Donna, who was just sitting there with a serene smile on her face, pretending she hadn’t just thrown Ianto into the fire. “Would someone please tell me what’s going on?” he demanded.

 

“Ianto has a friend,” Donna explained. “His name is John.”

 

Jack grunted, the supremely masculine sound almost making her smile. “And this John is a demon?”

 

“Maybe,” Ianto muttered, ready to strangle his aunt. Bracing himself for the coming argument, he shifted his gaze to Jack. “But I need to be searching for Rhiannon. I don’t have time to get involved in your problems, no matter how serious they are.”

 

“The Wraiths aren’t my problem, Ianto. They’re everyone’s problem.” He paused for a second, his dark brows pulling together…and there was a strange light in his eyes that told him Ianto wasn’t going to like what he said next. “If you want to find your sister, then sticking with me is probably the best chance you’ll get.”

 

“How do you figure?” Ianto asked.

 

“Think about it, Ianto. What Donna said is true. The Master wants my body.”

 

Ianto shot him a sarcastic grin. “He got the hots for you, Jack?”

 

“You know what I mean,” he growled, an endearing flush of colour burning along his cheekbones.

 

Yeah, Ianto knew. But it was easy to see why Jack would be considered prime host material. What male, no matter how much of a monster he was, wouldn’t want to wear that sexy skin? People probably threw themselves at him on a daily basis, begging for the chance to touch and taste all that rugged perfection.

 

Ianto was being a bastard, but it couldn’t be helped. After all, it was easier to be angry than hurt, and damn, did it hurt. Just looking at Jack was almost a physical torment. Just being near him. Breathing him in.

 

Jack had been the first person who had ever made him feel sexy, desirable. Who had blown his mind with pleasure that was so intense, it’d felt like he was dying…but in a good way. And no one had ever quite managed it since. It was like the bastard had marked him, every other man he’d known paling in comparison.

 

Still, considering the cards he’d been dealt, it was, in a way, good that things had turned out the way they did. Thanks to a certain pain-in-the-arse prophecy, nothing could have come of his crush on Jack Harkness. But that didn’t mean that the way he’d ended things hadn’t stung. Having a guy tell you it was a mistake to touch you was never a good thing. When it was the guy you were in love with it sucked big time.

 

And yet, despite all of that, he knew he couldn’t refuse to help him. At least, not completely. His damn guilty conscience wouldn’t let him, no matter how badly he wanted to.

 

“Fine. I’ll track down John for you,” he grumbled, pulling his phone out of his back pocket, so that he could enter Jack’s number. He knew Donna was going to have a lot to say to him, but that didn’t mean he wanted Jack Harkness around to hear it. Better to clear out to his own cottage, and come back to see Donna later, before he left. “You got a mobile number where I can reach you?”

 

Jack’s dark brows drew together in a straight line over those sharp blue eyes. “Reach me?”

 

Ianto tried not to sound huffy. “Finding John isn’t going to be easy. He’s trying to avoid his ex, who has it out for him big-time, which means he’s gone silent. No phones. No pagers. I’ve got to hit the road to look for him. It might take a few days, but once I’ve found him, I’ll call you.”

 

He worked his jaw, something grim and angry darkening his expression. “That’s not how this is going to work.”

 

Ianto lifted one brow in a slow arch and put his hands on his hips. “Did I miss something? I thought you wanted my help.”

 

“I do. But you’re not going after the demon on your own.”

 

“You want that spell translated?” he snapped, pointing his finger at the papers in Donna’s hand. “Or not?”

 

“Yeah, I want it. But we get it together.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowed to hot, glittering slits. “The Wraiths aren’t idiots. If they catch wind of what you’re doing, they’ll come after you like a force from Hell. Literally. I intend to be there to make sure you don’t get hurt. And I want to hear the translation straight from the demon’s lips.”

 

“No,” he breathed out, shaking his head. Hell, no.

 

“If you want your answers about Rhiannon, this is the only way.”

 

“I’ll get my own answers,” Ianto snarled. “You’ve got to be out of your friggin’ skull if you think I’m just going to tag along with you for the ride!”

 

“The bastard who has her wants me, Ianto. That means you need me.”

 

“Maybe, but you need me, too,” Ianto shot back, his temper getting the better of him. He never had been able to suffer arrogant people. And Jack Harkness was as cocky and arrogant as they came. “You need me a lot. Remember? John might be the only shot you have at getting those pages translated!”

 

“That’s right. So we work together.”

 

Ianto’s stomach damn near bottomed out. What the hell had just happened? Closing his eyes, he stumbled back a few steps, until he came up against a wall. “Damn it, Jack. That’s a bad, bad idea,” he whispered, deciding he was going to have to add tricky to his list of character faults.”

 

“I’m no happier about it than you are,” Jack said in a low voice, “but I don’t see that we have a lot of choice here. Unless you’re willing to tell me where I can find this demon of yours on my own?”

 

At least Jack knew better than to gloat. But Ianto was still pissed as he opened his eyes to glare at him. “I can’t tell you something I don’t know. And he’d kill you before agreeing to help you.”

 

Jack gave a sarcastic snort. “Sounds like a great guy.”

 

Ianto’s smile was meaner for the fact he knew he was going to have to give in. The bastard was going to win and he would be stuck working with him, and God only knew better what other horrors awaited.

 

Comments

[madbottoms.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear it. Cheers.