Wrong Place, Wrong Time

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, RTD and the BBC do. Long live Ianto Jones!

Summary: On an early night off Ianto Jones learned the hard way that when everything about your job is unexpected, it's the everyday dangers that could kill you. Janto, set s2

A/N: Thank you all for the great comments! It makes me sooo happy to know that you like my story. I wanted to post the last chapter earlier, but my computer crashed. Oh, well… So this is the final chapter. One story ends… and another is still in the works. I hope to get it finished soon, but no promises. Special thanks to Mandassina and Kitsa for beta reading and support. I love you guys! Enjoy!

Chapter 17

"Only thirty-six hours after the robbery at HSBC on Saturday morning two suspects have been arrested. According to the police two former soldiers took a young man hostage, forcing him to get the money for them by putting a bomb necklace on him. Chief Superintendent Cadwallader commended Detective Inspector Katherine Swanson and her team for their brilliant work in solving the case in such a short time. We all can be…"

Zap.

"Hey, I wanted to see that!" Owen complained.

"Watch it on the internet," Ianto grumbled, dropping the remote control on the coffee table. He had seen more than enough.

"And where's my coffee?" Owen teased.

"Make it yourself," Ianto said flatly.

More than anything else this made Owen switch into doctor mode. He jumped up from his work station and strode purposefully over to the rec area.

"Don't you dare start prodding me again," Ianto tried to stop him. "I'm all right."

"You're all right when I say you're all right," Owen told him, sat down beside the Welshman and took his wrist to check his pulse. "Hm, seems to be okay."

"Thanks. Now bugger off!"

When Owen did not move Ianto got up and all but ran into the tunnel leading to the archives.

"Owen," Toshiko chided. "He needs some space. Don't smother him."

"Smother him? Me?" Owen replied, shocked. "I just don't want him to make me look bad by keeling over after I've declared him fit. Smother him! Really!"

Toshiko just smirked. "You can play the grump all you want, Owen. We all know better."

"Yeah, well then, we don't need to talk about it, do we?" Owen grumbled.

Chuckling, Toshiko agreed. "No, I suppose not, but you do need to give Ianto some breathing room," she said. "He's used to looking after us. If nothing else, I imagine your being so solicitous would make him uncomfortable. And really, I'm sure you've already decided he's really all right, he just needs some time to get his head around what happened to him."

"And being the insensitive twat that I am, I'm hardly the one to help him with that, eh?" Owen asked in a wounded tone.

"I never said that," Toshiko placated him. "But maybe this time you're not the right one to draw him out."

"And you think Jack is?"

"I didn't say that, Owen," Toshiko said calmly. "I mean, it's Ianto's choice." She paused. "Or maybe he just needs another unexpected experience to snap out of it."

"What do you mean?" Owen prodded.

"When we were at the UNIT facility…" Toshiko started. "Well, being there triggered unpleasant memories. Especially when I wandered the halls on my way to get the food. When I returned… I… had to bring myself to go back in. No one tried to stop me, not on my way out and not on my way in, but… it still was weird. I don't have to go there again."

"Oh," Owen said. "I'm sorry, Tosh."

"No problem," she shrugged. "After all, it was my idea to lock them up there."

Owen nodded slowly and returned to his work.

xXx

Jack found Ianto in the archives. The young Welshman sat in front of his computer with a pile of files but was not working. His shoulders slightly sagged and his hand resting on the mouse he stared at the screen, but Jack doubted that he really saw what was displayed on it.

"Hey, Yan," Jack softly said and walked around the desk to stand behind him. Carefully he put his hands on Ianto's shoulders. On the monitor he discovered an article about the bank robbery. Jack began to gently massage Ianto's shoulders. He did not say a word, just kept up working the kinks out of the hard muscles.

Finally he got a moan as response which encouraged him to breathe a kiss on Ianto's dark curls.

Jack kept on massaging and Ianto let go of the mouse. His arm slid down and came to rest on his thigh. Slightly swaying forward and back with Jack's kneading motions Ianto began to relax.

"Why?" Ianto suddenly murmured. "Why does it have such a big impact on me?"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, keeping up the massage.

"The kidnapping. After everything that happened to me, Canary Wharf, Lisa's death, the cannibals… I should be able to handle what they did, but I hardly slept last night and when I did I dreamed about the bank robbery and that the collar blew my head off. Thinking of it makes me physically sick. I didn't have breakfast, and I don't think that I could handle lunch."

"I would be surprised if you didn't react to it," Jack said.

"But I was okay before!" Ianto argued, raising his voice. "When we were at the UNIT facility I slept, I had Chinese, I faced them in interrogation… And now I start to shiver when I read about it or see it on TV. I get nauseous when I think about how easily they could have blown off my head."

"That's perfectly natural, Yan," Jack murmured. "You slept because you were exhausted. You needed nutrition. And you were running on adrenalin during the interrogation." He let go of Ianto's shoulders and took the chair's backrest to turn him around. "Look at me, Yan."

Slowly Ianto raised his gaze to face Jack.

"Now the adrenalin has worn off and you realize what could have happened. Those men took your freedom, chained you up, put a bomb on you, and forced you to commit a bank robbery. Seriously, Yan, you have the right to feel scared. They rendered you helpless and that's a very powerful feeling."

"Yeah," Ianto croaked.

"I'm proud of you."

"What?" Ianto was stunned. "Why?"

"I'm proud of you for the way you handled the situation. You didn't break under the stress and you helped us when we gave you the lenses. And then you made them confess. That's really impressive, Yan."

Jack could not help but smirk when Ianto turned an adorable shade of red.

"Come," Jack said and pulled Ianto into a ferocious hug. He ruffled his hair and kissed him again. "Why aren't you the one who can get pregnant?" Jack said out of the blue. "Then I could get you up the duff so you'll have to go on maternity leave."

"Oh, really? Why's that?"

"You'd always be pregnant, you know, Yan? As soon as you gave birth I'd father the next baby."

"Jack!" Ianto groaned. "Now you're scaring me. Why would you do that?"

Jack choked. He knew exactly why. He just could not voice it.

"Jack? Why are you threatening me with constant pregnancy?"

Once more Jack swallowed on the lump in his throat and he chewed on his bottom lip. He stared into the blue eyes Ianto was piercing him with and his heart beat faster.

"So you'll have to stay home, or… at least in the Hub."

Cocking his head to the side Ianto looked at Jack questioningly.

"This situation scared me," Jack admitted. "I want to keep you safe. I don't want you to be in danger. I wish I could order you to stay at the Hub, safe and sound, so that I won't…"

"So that you won't…?" Ianto prodded when Jack trailed off.

"Lose you," Jack said so fast that Ianto barely got it.

"You're afraid to lose me?" Ianto murmured, cupping Jack's chin with his hand. "Yes?"

Choking again Jack nodded.

"One day you will."

Quickly Jack raised his hand to cover Ianto's lips, but it was too late. He already said it.

"I know," Jack said hoarsely. "I hope it's old age and not in the field."

"You're my boss, but you still can't order me to stay behind," Ianto challenged.

"I know."

Nodding firmly Ianto made his point.

"But…" Jack croaked. "Um, could your worried partner kindly ask you to quit field work?"

"My partner? I'd have to support him in the field, don't you think?" Ianto said innocently.

"I mean… your life partner."

"My life partner?"

"Yeah, like… your husband," Jack mumbled. He looked at Ianto's bright blue eyes and shuddered with anxiety.

Ianto also shuddered, sensing that Jack was fighting to say something and asking, "Who'd that…?"

Be he wanted to say, but was stopped by Jack's lips sealing his mouth with a passionate kiss.

"Me," Jack croaked when he let go. "Because I love you."

There it was, finally spoken aloud.

"And I love you, you big oaf," Ianto murmured, returning the kiss tenderly.

Their snogs became more passionate again, Jack's hands finding Ianto's butt, Ianto threading his fingers in Jack's dark hair while he clawed at his shirt with the other hand. They were about to tear each other's shirts off when an alarm blared.

"No!" Jack groaned.

"Oh, yes," Ianto smirked and headed for the tunnel up to the central Hub.

"Where are you going?" Jack growled.

"Well, I'm the butler, right?" Ianto chuckled, "Cleaning up after you and getting you everywhere on time."

Scowling Jack remained where he was.

"C'mon, Jack," Ianto prodded, encouragingly holding a hand out to him. "Time to save the world."

Jack took Ianto's hand and side by side they jogged up the tunnel to meet the team and face another challenge.

End