Chapter 3

My Immortal

Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or Doctor Who.

Summery: Ianto Jones isn’t an ordinary Human. He needs answers. Only the right kind of Doctor can give him those answers.

Authors Notes: Just doing a pre-warning here. There will be character death this chapter but it's the year that never was so...

Chapter Three

The Year That Never Was

Day One

Torchwood Safehouse, Cardiff

"I don't like this." Martha commented looking at Jack, "splitting up? That's asking for trouble, they're going to be looking for us."

"You know as well as I do that it will be harder finding us separately than in pairs." Jack pointed out. His years of being a Time Agent, coming back to him in full force.

"What are you going to do?" Jack shot Martha a quick look and she looked slightly sheepish, "right you can't tell me. Just do me a favour yeah? Stay safe. You won't be doing Ianto any good if you get killed."

"What?" He looked up slightly surprised.

"Please, I've seen the way that he looks at you." Martha said with a slight smile, "the way you where when he disappeared with the Tardis."

"It's not like that…" Jack tried to defend knowing that it sounded weak even to his own ears, "we're not…"

"You know… you're sounding like The Doctor when he talks about Rose." Martha said with a perfectly raised eyebrow and a hint of a smile.

"Maybe we should get back to working out the plan." Jack suggested suddenly eager to change the subject.

Day Thirty

Valient

Honestly, if The Master hadn't cheerfully reminded him and every body on the ship that it had been a month Ianto probably wouldn't have kept up. He'd known it had been a lot longer for him then most of them, but honestly he wasn't going to try to think about that. Not now.

At least he hadn't caught up with the others just yet.

The Master had been livid that Jack and Martha had got away. Ianto had been happy that they had. He felt for Martha's family. He had received the fall out for that but he found that he didn't quite mind. He was slowly getting to know Tish, when he could. He knew that the others had been sent to the Himalayas' and had been honestly surprised that the team had followed suit (above the government ring a bell anyone?) but suspected that had been Gwen's decision, with only three of them there.

He put on his ever present mask when he heard someone coming. Chained up to pipes like a monster. Like a…

"Freak!" There it was. The one word that Ianto had learnt to despise, above all else. He remained silent knowing that there was something that The Master wanted to say. He'd never seen him so happy- well apart from when he caught The Doctor. "Got a present for you!"

A present? That could only mean one thing. He'd found a member of the team. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know who it was. If had been Jack or Tosh he would never forgive himself. He however remained silent deciding not to comment on it.

He couldn't comment on it.

When Owen was thrown in front of him, Ianto inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't so much of the fact that he didn't like Owen. He liked him. It just meant the girls where okay. Or if they where all ready dead. A nagging voice pointed out but he tuned it out. Tosh could survive anything. He had full faith in her.

"Doesn't look like that much of a present to me." Ianto said dryly his Welsh accent coming through thick. Hoping that Owen would forgive him for this, "Bit scrawny isn't he?"

"Bloody tea-boy" Owen spat out and inwardly Ianto knew that Owen had caught on.

"Then you wouldn't mind if we kill him then." Ianto inwardly swallowed. A part of him longed to know whether or not Jack had caught up with them. Whether or not Tosh and Gwen where okay or not. Yet he couldn't. His mask was firmly in place. It had to be, for there own sakes. He couldn't break. Not now.

"Nope. Can't see much point in keeping him unless you like rats as a pet oh wait you've got the pet section all covered haven't you?" He said sarcastically.

"Fine. Shoot him. Then shoot the Freak as well." The Master sounded slightly disappointed. He wasn't going to break yet. Ianto thought to himself as he felt his eyes close as he waited for the inevitable shot.

Day Two hundred

Valiant

It was the two hundredth day that nearly did break him, the day he had destroyed Japan. That had been Ianto's second to worst day on the Valiant although at the time he didn't know it. He'd been dragged up to the observation deck for this one. He'd been slightly curious- Gwen was all ready long gone and Ianto knew that it could only be one of two people left.

Ironically although Ianto hadn't pieced it together at the time it had happened on the Pearl Harbour Anniversary.

"Freak" The voice he had come to hate was cheerful. Too cheerful for Ianto's comfort he knew that could only mean bad. A woman named Sarah Jane Smith had been dragged on board with her son Luke and The Master had used the same voice then. Though it was directed at The Doctor and he'd heard The Doctor's broken apology when first Luke and then Sarah Jane died.

"This present, I know you're going to enjoy. Bring her out boys" Ianto couldn't help but gasp when the guards threw Tosh at his feet. It was then he knew this was going to be extremely tough to keep together. If it had been early on he knew he would have been able to convince The Master to keep her as a slave. Now however? She'd been on one of the top ten most wanted people for months.

"Oh Tosh…" he breathed, his Welsh accent even thicker than earlier. The Master clapped his hands.

"That's enough of that." The Master said with a maniac grin that rivalled The Doctors. He hated that grin. "Now, we're going to have some fun with this one. Before that however, going to give you one more chance to tell me where Captain Harkness is Miss Sato." As much as he had prayed to hear that Jack was okay he decided it would be fine. If Tosh held out perhaps she could go quickly. That was what he needed.

For Tosh. He couldn't help but let a smile when Tosh swore at him in Japanese. However, what happened next made his smile fall off his face. When he gave the order to wipe out Japan and he saw Tosh's face with some tears coming down as the country was destroyed.

"You bastard." Ianto swore instantly knowing that he shouldn't have.

"The Freak reacts!" The Master said with glee. Ianto fell silent. He could feel the Doctor's presence in the back of his mind, almost trying to shield him but knowing it wasn't quite enough. He pulled at his restraints when The Master tortured her, vivid memories of the cannibals haunting him as Tosh screamed. He could feel the wetness on his cheeks and then there was silence.

Tosh was gone.

A part of him was relieved. It meant that she wasn't receiving pain anymore. A part of him however, was grieving. Tosh was his best friend. He knew he had to stay focused and he also knew that once the Tardis was reverted back all would be right again.

He refused to look up as The Master spoke to him, demanded him to. He could still be defiant, Tosh had given him the strength.

Day Three Hundred and Fifty Five

Valiant

Jack was ten days off a year before he was captured. What Ianto wouldn't know until later was that Martha and Jack had planned it that way. To distract The Master enough to put the final parts of The Doctors plan in motion.

It should have been the day that the Master had finally broken Ianto however, due to his actions it hadn't been. The Master had been furious but it made Ianto want to keep fighting. The Master had ordered The Doctor and himself to be brought up to the deck, like he had been brought up with Tosh and Ianto instantly knew that he'd captured Jack.

"Your resistant force got himself distracted. He flirted with the wrong person, Doctor, Freak. A Unit member completely on my side.

"He flirts with everyone" Ianto said with a shrug, "your point?" He didn't even flinch as he got a shot in his shoulder. It had happened so often since then, "seriously that's the best you can do? I've seen you do better than that" He taunted.

As long as he was keeping The Master occupied he could keep him distracted from Jack. Well partly anyway Ianto reasoned to himself when the world went blank. Only hearing the faint whisper from The Doctor of I'm sorry

Ianto didn't actually see Jack get killed. He was dead by the time that he'd revived. A selfish part of him was relieved. Another part of him however was upset that he didn't actually let himself stay alive.

Aftermath

"We've gone back one year and one day." Ianto found himself glancing at The Doctor as he spoke, sounding almost flat, "its two minutes past eight in the morning. It's just a story."

"What about the spheres?" Martha questioned.

"Trapped, back at the end of the universe." This brought Ianto ask the one question that was on the back of his mind.

"What about Jack?"

"The Captain?" The Doctor repeated looking thoughtful for a few moments, "He's fine. If my calculations are correct he should be in London."

"But I can remember it" Martha's mother spoke up sounding almost in wonder.

"We were at the eye of the storm," The Doctor explained, "we'll be the only ones that ever know"

"Woah there big fella" Martha's father said and Ianto moved over to help him, "where do you think you're going? The Party's only just getting started"

"Cuffs" Ianto said to one of the few guards that had been friendly to him, the man threw them over and he caught them swiftly handcuffing Saxon, "so what do we do with him?" he questioned.

"We kill him." Martha's father said firmly.

"Execute him." Tish agreed.

"That's not always the solution" The Doctor spoke up.

"Oh, I think so." Ianto couldn't help but watch Martha's mother pull the gun on Saxon and he couldn't help but feel proud of the woman, "All those things happened, what he did to young Ianto, they all still happened. I saw them."

"Go on." Saxon said (Ianto refused point black to refer to him as the Master) in a voice that Ianto had come to hate over the last year. He then knew if he had had the gun he would have taken the shot then and there.

"Francine you're better than him." He couldn't help but watch as the gun fell to the ground as she broke down as the Doctor consoled her. Ianto debated going for the gun himself but Saxon distracted him from his thoughts.

"You didn't answer the question, what are you going to do with me?"

"You're my responsibility." Ianto drew his gaze from the weapon to looking at the Doctor in shock.

"You can't trust him." He hissed.

"I'm not an idiot, Ianto." The Doctor snapped, "I'm going to lock him in the TARDIS forever."

"You're just going to keep me?" However The Doctor was looking steadily at Ianto.

"I'm not about to become a murder, Ianto" At those words a gun shot went off and Ianto's eyes shot around the room trying to find where the gunshot had come from and his eyes fell on Lucy Saxon.

He couldn't watch the scene between The Doctor and Saxon. So much death all ready a mental voice told him, sounding eerily like his cousin.

Cardiff, Wales

"There we are Cardiff, Wales." The Doctor proclaimed and Ianto couldn't help but let a smile come on his face. The year that never was, was still taking a toll on him. Everything that happened. He looked hesitantly at the door, "Ianto, you're welcome to stay and travel with me for a bit if you want" The Doctor suggested almost sensing his unease. For a moment he nearly said yes. But he knew he had to go. It was his time. He shook his head.

"I've had a lot of time to think this past year and I have my responsibilities. I have to go back to the team, Doctor. Jack's going to have questions." The Doctor nodded and Ianto started to head out of the Tardis and then paused.

"Thing is... am I going to still look like me in a thousand years Doctor?"

"You getting vain there, Ianto?" The Doctor asked sounding slightly amused, "never pictured you to be"

"Can't help it." Ianto said with a slight smile, "With a boss like Jack..." he trailed off, slightly wanting to know what The Doctor was going to say, however the Doctor shrugged his shoulder.

"You're an impossible thing, Ianto." Ianto smiled sadly.

"Guess it's my childhood coming back to haunt me." Ianto said with a fond sigh, "Mam, used to say I had the Face of a Bow. Whatever that meant." He said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Martha gave him a hug.

"If you ever need to talk give me a ring yeah?" She said whipping out a pen from somewhere and writing her number down on the back of his hand. "You're going to need it." He nodded with a smile.

"Yes, Mam," He then nodded to the Doctor, "Sir." He then started to head off with a slight smile. He was home. Cardiff was beautiful- even if it was raining. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to head down to the hub just yet. He wasn't ready for the questions. What he really wanted was a shower, he realised. He'd cleaned up on the Tardis, she'd supplied a nice fresh suit but he wanted to relax for a bit. To accept everything that had happened to him.

By the time that he'd got out of the flat it was late. He was annoyed to see that it had not been the night that he'd left but three months later. Night had fallen and he'd headed straight for the hub. His codes worked surprisingly enough and he was thankful that Jack believed that he'd come back. The hub was empty but he could see that they'd all been in recently. He made a mental note to clean up when he had the time- the hub was a mess. Almost as bad as he'd first arrived at Torchwood Three. He hoped the archives weren't that bad. He suddenly was eager to see the team. He walked over to Tosh's computer and tracked where the SVU was.

Not too far from the hub . He realised. He was going to be on foot but he knew it couldn't be that bad.

He made it as the blowfish started taunting the team. They'd grown so strong since he'd left. He was amazed, and Jack- looked the same as ever. He thought as he stood firmly behind him the team distracted enough not to see him.

"And The Captain. Not knowing what's happened to his missing tea-boy. Has he left? Is he coming back? Can you shoot me before I shoot the girl?" That was his cue. He was not going to let this go by like he had with Saxon. He couldn't. He shot and found the team looking at him in shock and he looked slightly sheepish.

"Hey guys, did you miss me?"

To Be Continued