The Ties That Bind 6/34 + Epilogue)

[madbottoms]

Title: The Ties That Bind Part 6
Beta: Blackcat1000
Artist: miss_bekahrose who is mucho awesome!
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Donna, John Hart, Owen and James Harper, Mickey/Martha, Toshiko/Tommy, Claudia, Phillip, Saxon, Rhiannon, OCs
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 75K+
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. 

Madness must be catching. Considering the circumstances, that’s certainly what it felt like. Jack was trapped in his SUV with Ianto, surrounded by that mouth-watering scent, and the damn road seemed to stretch on forever, punishing him for the sexual thoughts that kept slinking their way into his brain.

 

Ever since his family had taken off in the dead of night twelve years ago leaving Brecon for London and then a flight America, Jack had hated road trips and travelling in general. It made him irritable and tense. He’d been on more flights and road trips than he could count since joining the Guardians, but he couldn’t recall ever feeling this restless while cruising down the open road. He couldn’t even keep his damn eyes on the road, constantly stealing sideways glances at the man sitting beside him.

 

Ianto had changed his clothes before they’d headed out, trading the leather pants for a T-shirt and jeans. Jack’d hoped the change might be easier on his system, but no such luck. The outfit might have covered more skin, but the way it clung to his body was just as sinful.

 

He should have known it was going to be like this. That he’d lose his mind the instant he set eyes on him again. If he’d had any brains at all, he’d have locked himself up in some cheap hotel room with someone for a few days and screwed his brains out before setting foot in Brecon.

 

Then he wouldn’t have had any left to fry. As it was, all he could hear was the slow sizzle of his thought processes as they smouldered and burned, surprised he didn’t have smoke coming out his ears.

 

Scrubbing a hand down his face while the other had a death grip on the steering wheel, Jack made a desperate attempt at conversation. “You gonna tell me why Donna was wearing that rabbit on her head?”

 

Maybe Ianto needed the distraction as much as he did, because instead of telling him to shut up, he gave a throaty laugh, the rich sound doing something pleasant to Jack’s insides. “You should have seen the look on your face when she opened the door wearing Adi.”

 

“Adi?”

 

“He was her pet, until he keeled over from old age. That was a few years ago.”

 

“Okay.” He ran his tongue over his teeth, trying to wrap his mind around that. “So then Donna wears him out of affection? To keep him…close to her?”

 

Ianto rolled his head over the back of the seat slowly to look at him. Ianto was exceedingly sexy, and naturally so, without even trying. And it was hell on his senses.

 

“She doesn’t wear Adi to keep him close,” he murmured with a crooked smile. “She uses him to project her loony persona.”

 

“Why does she want people to think she’s crazy?”

 

He rolled his head back toward the window, staring out into the starless night. “A person can have all kinds of reasons for facades,” he murmured. “In Donna’s case, I think she likes the protection her reputation affords her. With fear comes a certain amount of respect. But I also think it helps to keep away those who might have a romantic interest in her.” Another husky laugh rolled off his lips, the throaty sound making Jack’s muscles twitch. “And Adi certainly does a good job of that.”

 

So he’d been right, after all. Maybe ol’ Donna wasn’t nearly as batty as she appeared to be.

 

Keeping one hand on the wheel, Jack reached up and touched the charm she’d given him, wondering if it would actually work. After all, if anyone could pull off that kind of spell, it would be Donna. The woman had an understanding of the occult that was unlike anything he’d ever seen. And then there were her Celtic Wiccan and Sidhe powers, which were truly impressive. Ianto’s family were at the high end of the power spectrum and although their abilities lie with the elements, they could mould their abilities into one of three specific specialties. There were the spell-makers, the warriors and the healers. Donna, obviously, had devoted her life to the first, Ianto to the second and Rhiannon to the third, and as far as he knew, Brandon hadn’t really taken hold of any of the three specialities, much preferring to not use magic at all.

 

As far as Jack knew, a witch’s or warlock’s ability to gain power was essentially limitless, depending on their lineage and how strongly they chose to train. In Ianto’s case, considering his leanly muscled physique and the way he’d handled that blade that he carried, it was clear that he’d trained hard. But he hadn’t crossed over into the “dark side” of the occult, the way his sister had, which meant he’d be at a disadvantage if the two ever faced off together. Jack hoped it never came to that, but then, he’d learned the hard way that just hoping for something wasn’t always enough.

 

“So now that you’ve blackmailed me into this working arrangement,” Ianto said, “I have some questions for you.” He stretched as he spoke, rolling his shoulders back until his chest strained against the confines of his T-shirt. From the corner of his eye, Jack stared at the strong shape of his chest and shoulders, wondering just how much of a bastard he must have been in a past life to deserve this kind of torture.

 

Apparently a really, really big one.

 

Kneading the muscles at the back of his neck, Ianto asked, “What are you guys doing about them?”

 

Jack blinked, pulling his mind back from the distraction of Ianto’s body. “Them?”

 

“The Wraiths.”

 

“Uh, not much,” he rumbled, quickly forcing his attention back on the road, where it wasn’t likely to get him into trouble. “At the moment, they’re pretty much in the lead. We’re in deep pick-up-the-pieces mode, rather than prevention. We have no idea where they’re going to strike next, or when. Or even how many of them escaped when we fried the Pharis in the Veil.”

 

“Have there been any problems with the media?”

 

“A few.” It was costing the Alliance a fortune to ‘buy’ the silence they needed from witnesses in order to ensure the secrecy of the clans. Not to mention some questionable intimidation tactics that made him and the people in his unit very uncomfortable. They understood the necessity, but that didn’t mean they had to be happy about it.

 

“And what about the Tome?” Ianto asked. He wasn’t surprised Ianto knew about the Tome Army. He was a part of the clans, after all, which meant he knew to be on guard from the fanatical organisation of human mercenaries who devoted themselves to purging the world of all nonhuman species. They saw anyone with preternatural powers as a threat to the human race.

 

“The Tome are pretty busy at the moment trying to save face.”

 

“That’s hardly surprising,” he drawled. “They screwed up, big-time.”

 

They had definitely done that. In an ironic twist, the Tome had partnered up with the Pharis after being offered a deal they had hoped would lead to the death of the clans. Instead, their greed had left them looking like idiots.

 

“The Tome generals might covet blood, instead of money or power, but it all ends the same,” he said. “In misery and death.” He could feel the press of his stare as Ianto looked at him.

 

“And what do you covet, Jack?”

 

Apparently you, he almost muttered. But he managed to choke down that colossal blunder.

 

“I mean, what is it you’re trying to do?” Ianto asked, without waiting for his answer. “Buy yourself some good luck? You should be trying to find the Master. Not worrying about how to stop the Wraiths.”

 

“I honestly don’t know.” He worked his jaw, uncomfortable with the topic. Hell, he didn’t waste time psychoanalysing his actions. He just went with his gut and tried to keep his head on straight, which meant keeping busy. He didn’t like sitting around and thinking everything to death. Shit like that drove him mad.

 

“What about you?” Jack asked, wishing he hadn’t smoked his last cigarette. He’d never been much of a nicotine addict, but the past few months had been a bitch. And it wasn’t like there weren’t worse vices he could be indulging in.

 

“What about me?”

 

Jack slid him a sneaking glance, then returned his attention to the road. “From the bits and pieces I’ve heard over the years, you’ve earned quite a reputation as a badass investigator throughout the Clans. One who isn’t afraid to mete out some rough punishments every now and then. Kind of like a judge, jury and executioner all rolled into one.”

 

“Well, it does pay to be a little bit bad,” Ianto said with a smile in his voice. “And I never hurt anyone who’s innocent.”

 

“And what about those who are guilty?”

 

“That,” he murmured with almost feral satisfaction, “is a different matter altogether.”

 

“Is that why you decided to focus on warrior training? So that you could mete out justice?”

 

“Oh, you know,” he said airily. “It was either that or go into Donna’s line of work and end up wearing a rabbit on my head.”

 

“You got a thing against ol’ Adi?” he teased, sliding him a lopsided smile.

 

“Nope, I just didn’t like the idea of anything mussing my hair.”

 

A burst of laughter rumbled up from Jack’s chest, and he was surprised by how good it felt, the husky vibration feeling almost new. Damn, had it really been that long since he’d laughed?

 

“And really,” Ianto continued, “I couldn’t see myself doing anything other than what I do. It just…works for me. I enjoy the travel. The freedom. And it probably sounds corny as hell, but I enjoy helping people.”

 

“What kind of cases do you normally take?”

 

“There’s a lot of jerk-offs bailing on their families, leaving the wife and kids behind and shacking up with clueless chicks half their age. The whole deadbeat-dad thing, just like you said. But I also work a lot of missing-persons cases, which can just about kill me if we’re talking about a child. Those are the…” His voice trailed off, and Jack watched from the corner of his eye as Ianto rested his temple against the darkened passenger’s window. “Those are the hardest, but they’re also the ones that bring the greatest reward, if I’m able to make a difference. Most of my clients have nowhere else to turn, since it’s difficult to involve the police when your child isn’t human.”

 

Something weird turned over in his chest, and he rubbed at the spot with the heel of his palm. “I wish there were more people like you in the world, Ianto. It would be a helluva lot better place if there was.” He gave a soft, self-deprecating laugh, then turned back toward him. “It’s strange to hear you talk.”

 

Ianto slid him a curious look, wondering if he had a speech impediment he didn’t know about. “Why’s that?”
 
"Although you still sound Welss, it's not as strong."

 

With a grin, he said, “It’s easy to lose an accent when you travel around so much. No one in my family sounds all that Welsh anymore, and Donna has never sounded Welsh. You sound real different too. You’ve got that American accent going on.” Ianto smiled at Jack.

 

“Yeah, it just seemed the thing to do at the time and it kinda stuck,” Jack replied.

 

“What are your brothers up to?”

 

“Gray’s been running my bar for me back in New York.”

 

“Boeshane’s, right?”

 

“That’s right.” He waited to see if Ianto would expand on that, wondering what else he knew about the life he’d left behind in New York, but he kept silent. “Anyway, he’s a good kid. Mum was pissed that he dropped out of college, but he couldn’t take it. He damn near already knew everything they were trying to teach him, so it bored the crap out of him. He’s taking it easy for now, content at the bar, trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life.”

 

If he has one.

 

The intrusive thought made him flinch, and he shook his head, surprised when Ianto reached over and put his hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Jack.” His voice was soft with understanding. “He’ll make it through.”

 

“Yeah,” Jack grunted, enjoying the touch of his hand. And missing it when he pulled away, settling his hands in his lap. Giving himself a mental shake, he got back on topic. “And Thomas is a family man now.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“I swear to God. He married a woman who’s part panther, and she keeps his crazy ass in line. They have a little girl named Felicity, who’s the cutest damn thing you’ll ever see.”

 

“I can’t believe you’re an uncle.”

 

He smiled. “I’m not just an uncle. I’m her favourite.”

 

With a quiet laugh, Ianto said, “I bet she misses you.”

 

“Yeah, I miss her, too. I haven’t seen her since we moved the unit’s headquarters to Torchwood Estate in Scotland.”

 

Only recently, Jack had discovered that the Estate was in fact his. Unfortunately, it was also the place where his ancestor had been attacked by the Pharis, led by a group of sinister monks. Since then, the Torchwood Estate has been haunted by stories of magic and the supernatural. It was finally shut up in 1879 after Sir Robert died unexpectedly and his widow could not bear to live there any longer. It had passed down through the MacLeish family to the Harkness’—as did the Pharis bloodline—when the only child of the MacLeish Clan married a Harkness and they moved from Scotland to Wales.

 

“It seems so odd that you live there.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I don’t know. I guess I just never pictured you as the manor type.”

 

Dryly, Jack said, “I try not to drag too much mud through the place.”

 

“I wasn’t saying you’re not classy enough, Jack. Just that you’re too…” He seemed to be searching for the right word, but couldn’t find it. “Never mind. But it wasn’t an insult. I didn’t know you were so… Well, you’re pretty touchy, you know that?”

 

“And you’re a prick,” he countered, liking it when Ianto gave another soft laugh.

 

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