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amythest_n_ice) wrote2007-08-15 06:25 pm
Hope (Chapter 6)
http://amythest-n-ice.livejournal.com/27289.html
Link to Chapter 7
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Ianto ran into the Doctor coming out of the kitchen as he was heading in.
“Sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going. Have you seen Jack, Doctor?”
“No, I thought he might actually be asleep.”
“He’s not in our rooms, and his bed hasn’t been slept in.”
“I thought you shared with him?” The Doctor said, ignoring the twist of hurt and jealousy saying that caused.
“Only when he’s upset, and I have to say…….. you’ve been very good to him lately.” Ianto acknowledged, flushing slightly.
Since the first trip, to Searexa Beta, the Doctor had been making a conscious effort not to say anything hurtful to Jack. There had been a couple of occasions when Ianto had had to hold Jack through crying jags, but they seemed to be more hormone related than connected to anything the Time Lord might have said, or done. Even they had trailed off now that he was moving into the second trimester, and his hormones were stabilizing a bit.
“You haven’t seen Jack have you?” The Doctor asked a bleary eyed Martha, who was in search of coffee.
“Not since last night, why?” She yawned.
“When last night?” Ianto jumped in.
“Uhm, before I went to bed, about 2am. He looked like he was heading down the other corridor away from your rooms.” She said, gesturing back in the direction of the console room.
“He was heading to the right from the console room?”
“Yeah.” She passed them, heading into the kitchen.
“What’s down that way?” Ianto asked. He hadn’t really explored the endless maze of corridors yet.
“The cloister, the gardens. The pool.”
“He particularly fond of any of them from before?”
“He likes the gardens, or at least, he always used to.”
They walked together in silence as the Doctor led the way down the corridor to the gardens.
He quietly pushed open the garden doors, and they looked inside. Jack wasn’t immediately visible, but the Doctor realized he could sense that ripple that surrounded Jack somewhere in the gardens.
“He’s here.” The Doctor stepped into the gardens, casting around for that psychic scent.
“Where?”
“That way.”
The Doctor led the way through the sweet smelling grass and bright flower beds. Finally locating the immortal in a shaded glade of herbs and flowers. He was out like a light, one hand resting over the slight swell of his stomach, the other trailing in a stream that ran along the edge of the glade.
“That’s new, she must have created it for him.” The Doctor mused.
“So?”
“She must be getting used to him being here.”
“Is he all right?”
“I think he’s just asleep.” The Doctor smiled as Jack sighed and shifted onto his side, releasing a burst of sage fragrance as he crushed some stems. His wet hand curled into the soft grass now, the other one tucking under his head.
“If he’s been here all night, his back is going to be killing him.”
“Yeah, come on, let’s see if we can move him without waking him.”
“Why?”
“Well, if he’s finally getting some peaceful sleep, we don’t want to wake him.”
Between the two of them, they lifted Jack in their arms, and carried him out of the gardens, taking him to his bedroom and tucking him into the bed.
“Are you getting used to him being around too?” Ianto asked when they headed back out to the sitting room. The Doctor looked up at him, then flopped onto the sofa.
“A little, I guess.”
“Have you told him?”
“I don’t want to get his hopes up. It could just be my feelings about being a father again distracting me. I can’t do it to him. I can’t tell him that he isn’t causing the disturbance any more, only to have to say after the birth, ‘hey, I was wrong, it was just the baby making it easier to have you around’.”
The Doctor buried his face in his hands, then took a deep breath, scrubbing them backwards and forwards through his hair, leaving it look like he had stuck his fingers in an electrical socket.
“I have no idea what to do.” He finally mumbled, not looking up at Ianto.
Ianto sighed, dropping down on the other end of the sofa from the Doctor.
“All right, fine. How about this, you don’t make him any promises, you keep treating him with respect until after the birth, and then when you know for sure if it’s him or his current condition that is changing your feelings, you can talk to him about where you both stand.”
The Doctor looked up at him, studying his eyes.
“This is hurting you too. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to drag your feelings through the grinder. I shouldn’t ask you to give me advice that might take him from you.”
“I won’t deny that it’s a torture I could do without, but I do just want him to be happy. If that’s really with you, I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen. At least I know I will always have his friendship.”
“You are a very good person, Ianto Jones,” The Doctor said with a faint, sad smile.
“So are you.” Ianto offered.
“No I’m not, I’m good for seeing off alien invaders, and solving problems, but other than that, I’m a menace.”
Ianto reached over batted his bicep hard.
“Ow.” The Doctor protested.
“You having a pity party for yourself is not what Jack needs. Pull yourself together.”
The Doctor laughed, surprised. He wasn’t used to people telling him off, but Ianto was starting to make a habit of it.
“Thank you,” he said simply.
“For hitting you?”
“No. It doesn’t matter.”
The Doctor left the room with a smile, and Ianto leaned back on the sofa, looking at the door of the room where Jack lay. He really hoped that things would work out for Jack one way or the other.
Tbc
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Glad you like my fics.
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(Anonymous) 2007-08-18 12:35 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
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Loved the images you painted in my head of the gardens the TARDIS created and Jack is enjoying. He seemed so peaceful and at rest while sleeping by the stream. I'm sure he needed it, what with all the hormonal cacophony and the stress of wondering what the future has in store for him and the baby. I'm glad the TARDIS and the Doctor are (I hope) slowly starting to adjust/accept Jack in his immortal state.
You do a wonderful job of portraying all of their sides (Jack, Ten, Ianto) so that we understand what's going on with that character and feel their emotional state too. That's a hard thing to do as a writer and you excel in that.
Your conversations between Ianto and the Doctor are a core part of this series I feel. It's like a yin and yang somehow. After reading each chapter I always feel torn as to who Jack should end up with. That's assuming you're not going to pull the rug out from under me and have him decided to be a single dad/mom and 'just friends' with Ianto and Ten. I cross my fingers that your muse will lead you to having them all fall in love together, but if not I really can't decide who I would be happier to see Jack with and the conclusion of this series. Ianto is so full of unconditional and passionate love for Jack. The Doctor I do believe does love Jack, but he's so full of worry that he'll do something to hurt Jack later on (esp. as you've mentioned that what if it's just the idea of the baby that's allowing him to tolerate Jack's presence better) and as demonstrated by the tv series (old and new) the Doctor isn't able to be vulnerable with his heart, truly, to many or for long. Darn apes have that nasty habit of dying. So the Doc's torn. Should he go all in on a relationship with Jack (damn the torpedoes and full steam ahead) or pull back before he and Jack have their hearts & souls cut any deeper.
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I think Ianto is an ideal balance between the two more impulsive men, so I think that he will always be quite pivotal between them, otherwise they would end up tearing each other apart without ever intending to.
Watch this space, there should hopefully be more in all my 'verses soon.