Title: Into the Rift
By: Tiffany F
Pairings: Jack/Ianto & Lisa/Ianto
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Torchwood
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't claim, no money made here.
Warning: On going series. Jack will die at least once, I just wasn't sure if that should be a warning or not.....
Series: 1) Starts and stops
Note: Sort of follows "Starts and stops" but you don't need to have read it for this to make sense.
Summary: Instead of shooting Jack, Owen and Gwen push him into the Rift. The world is in danger and no one knows what to do next.

***

Ianto crouched on a street corner near the park and debated with himself. Abaddon was too strong to be destroyed or contained by any weapon Torchwood had stored off-site. There had been one down in the archives that Jack wouldn't let anyone near, but the Hub was buried and no one could get into it. People were dying and, for a moment, Ianto felt the urge to push both Gwen and Owen out into the passing shadow just to be rid of them.

"What do we do, Ianto?" Tosh asked softly.

"I don't know," he replied. "We need Jack, Tosh. He's the only one that knows what's happening and how to stop it."

"He'll be back," Owen said. "You know that Jack always shows up when no one expects him to."

"You pushed him into the Rift, Owen," Ianto said, rounding on the others. "There's no way of knowing where he landed, what time, or place, or even planet. You've seen how much alien stuff comes through there. It's possible you've stranded him light years away from his home."

"Or, he could be closer than you think," a strange voice said.

Everyone jumped and turned to look at the young man who had appeared in the middle of the group without anyone knowing. Ianto felt a small spring on hope in his chest when he recognized the Doctor. "Where is he?" he asked softly.

"He's close, but he's wounded and recovering," the Doctor said. "Abaddon. Nasty piece of work. Still, now is not the time to be talking about how a walking shadow of death is currently attempting to remake the Earth for himself and his father. Now is the time for action. Ianto Jones, do you remember what you and Jack talked about back when you were first hired?"

"Of course I do, yes."

"Good lad. I need you to find the TARDIS and get everyone you care about inside," the Doctor said. "Here's a key. Keep everyone in the control room. That's very important." The Doctor stood up and straightened his bow-tie. "I don't have companions with me at the moment, so I'm depending on you to be in control."

Ianto nodded. "Are we risking any timelines this time, Doctor?" he asked.

"No, well, yes," the Doctor replied. "Actually, if I don't time this just right, everything could explode on me and wipe out the Earth, but seeing as you lot are too stupid to listen to your leader, I have to risk the universe to save everyone on the planet. Go, Ianto, she's just around the corner."

"What are you going to do, Doctor?" Ianto asked.

"Oh, I have a few tricks left, I can take down the walking shadow of darkness," the Doctor said with a slightly mad grin. "Get those you care about out of here, Ianto Jones. Jack needs to know you're safe."

"I understand," Ianto said. He grabbed Tosh's hand. "Come on, Tosh, let's go."

"What about Gwen and Owen?" Tosh asked, following quickly along. "Ianto, who is that man? How do you know him? What's going on?"

"They'll be fine, that's an old friend of Jack's here to help, and I met him back when Jack first hired me," Ianto said. "Remember that I was sickly when I first came to Torchwood? It was from stress and other personal problems. The Doctor helped me, helped Jack, and promised to be back when it was safe. I don't know why he's here now, but I'm glad he is because I think he's the only one that will be able to stop Abaddon, Tosh. Jack would have been able to, but without him, the Earth is doomed."

Ianto smiled when he found the TARDIS and stroked her door softly while unlocking it. "In you get, Tosh," he said, slipping in behind her. He shut the door behind them quickly and patted the wall next to his hand. "Hello again, TARDIS. I didn't think I'd get to see you again. You look good."

Tosh smiled softly at the hum filling the air. "Ianto, I think she likes you," she said. "How is it so much bigger in here?"

"The Doctor is an alien and this is his ship," Ianto said. "I don't fully understand it, but I do know we're safe in here. The world could end out there and it wouldn't be able to touch us. Come on, we can sit over here."

"The Doctor really is going to be able to stop that thing?" Tosh asked. "What about Jack, Ianto? Will the Doctor be able to save him, too?"

"He'll have to be. There are timelines at stake, and you never mess with timelines," Ianto said seriously. "Jack's been teaching me about it in our off hours. Time is amazing, Tosh. You have no idea how wonderful it is."

"I didn't realize you two were doing something extra," Tosh said. "Don't blush, Ianto, I knew the two of you were dating."

"I think Gwen worked it out, and that's part of the reason Jack ended up in the Rift," Ianto said. He looked up when the door rattled. "That's not the Doctor."

"Probably Gwen and Owen," Tosh said. "Ianto, I don't understand how we all turned on Jack like we did. What happened?"

"Abaddon happened," the Doctor said. "It wanted into the world and it used you lot as a portal to get to the Rift. I don't know exactly how it happened, but it's not good."

Ianto looked around and then sighed. "I do wish he wouldn't do that. You know, Doctor, I remember Rory commenting that you were telepathic," he said. "Is that what you're doing now?"

"Sort of, but completely different," the Doctor said. "The TARDIS is helping me battle Abaddon, so I'm linked to her through the Time Vortex right now. Horribly risky, not something I'd recommend, but it's the only way to defeat him and have the Earth survive. This, fortunately, isn't a fixed point."

"That is good news," Ianto said. "Is there anything we can do from in here to help?"

"Not at the moment, but I'll let you know. I'm going to attempt a bit of a reset," the Doctor said. "Blimey, that was a hit. Old girl, can you up the vortex power and link to the sonic? Now don't take that tone with me, I know just what I'm doing. Yes, that's good, thank you. Now then, where was I? Oh, right. Ianto, actually, could you go on up to the console and flip the two green switches labeled with half circles? That would be a help."

"That'll give you more energy to fight?" Ianto asked, standing up.

"No, it'll put the kettle on. Always time for a nice cup of tea," the Doctor replied.

Ianto shook his head with a sigh. He liked the Doctor, the Time Lord had helped him when no one else could, but there were times when his memories of the mad man just didn't match up with reality. "Tea is on, Doctor," he said. "Is there anything else?"

"That's fine, thank you," the Doctor said. "All right then. Old girl, we need to force a reset of about half an hour. Short resets are tricky, and there's no way to bring Jack back through this one, but we can't have everything in one go. Where would the fun in that be? Yes, yes, I know. I'm doing the best I can out here."

"What about using the Rift?" Tosh asked.

"Too risky," the Doctor replied. "The Rift is uncontrollable, unstable, and horribly dangerous. You lot don't realize it because you only see parts of it and the results of it spanning time and space. Jack understands it a little better, but even he doesn't know everything about it. I need time to study it, but that's something I don't currently have right now."

"Doctor, shouldn't you be focused on your fight?" Ianto asked.

The door to the TARDIS opened and the Doctor walked in, carrying something in a jar. "What fight?" he asked. "That wasn't a fight, that was a teenager throwing a tantrum because he didn't want to go back to where he belongs. Still, got that done, Abaddon is secure, and the Earth has its slight reset for the past half hour. I just have to keep you two in here for an hour or so, so we don't mess up the timelines any more than we already are. I have three days to find Jack, get him home, and then leave before the next fixed point in time and space." He put the jar down on the console. "Ianto, was Jack wearing his vortex manipulator when he was shoved into the Rift?"

"He was, yes. He never takes it off, not even at night when we're asleep," Ianto said.

"Perfect. The all I need to do is take care of one or two little shorts in the console," the Doctor said. "Never let it be said that Abaddon didn't put up a fight, I just didn't have to fight back. Never underestimate a Time Lord, Ianto. There now, that should hold until we get where we're going. Just a short hop, nothing to worry about. They're tricky, but we can manage."

"Doctor, if this isn't you coming back to research the Rift, what are you doing here?" Ianto asked, holding onto a railing. "Don't misunderstand, I'm glad you're here, but you said there's a timeline at risk."

"Jack is about to find his Doctor, Ianto Jones. I can't change that, it has to happen," the Doctor replied softly. "All of that has to happen or else the universe is at risk. I'm sorry, I can't risk the universe. Just always remember what Jack's told you."

Ianto nodded. "He'll come back," he said.

"Yes he will," the Doctor said with a smile. "There we are, landed. You two stay here, this isn't a planet where humans can survive. Won't be a moment."

"If humans can't survive here, then how is Jack managing it?" Tosh asked.

"Space suit?" Ianto suggested.

The door opened before Tosh could say anything and the Doctor walked in supporting Jack. "Hey kids," Jack said weakly.

"Jack," Ianto said, hurrying to support his lover. "How long were you out there?"

"Dunno. Woke up and found the Doctor standing over me," Jack said. He slid down onto the stairs and leaned against Ianto. "What happened, Ianto?"

"Your team was possessed, or at the very least, these two were," the Doctor said, shutting the door firmly.

"You mean he really...?"

"Yes."

"What'd you do?"

"Old trick and a jar."

"Doctor, you didn't."

"No, I didn't."

Ianto looked over at Tosh. "They tend to do this," he said wryly. "You sort of get used to it after a time. Jack, I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened, but you know that I would never hurt you."

"I know, Ianto, I know," Jack said, pulling the younger man into a hug. "The Doctor says you were possessed, then you were and there's nothing you could have done to stop it. I'm fine, I just need to breathe for a few minutes is all. It's not very nice out there."

"Understatement of the century, Jack," the Doctor said. "Ianto, would you and Tosh give me a moment with Jack, please? Then I'll take you all home again."

"Sure, come on, Tosh. Let's see if we can find the kitchen and I'll make us all a snack," Ianto said.

"Okay," Tosh agreed, still not sure what was going on, but willing to go with the flow if no one was panicking.

"What happened, Doctor?" Jack asked when they were alone on the stairs.

"I defeated Abaddon, Jack. It wasn't easy, no matter what I told Tosh and Ianto," the Doctor replied softly. "He was turned loose to take over the planet, yes, but I think he might also have been a trap for you. What if your team had learned your secret?"

"Then others would have found out too," Jack said.

"I think, and this is only opinion mind, that someone is looking for you, Jack. Someone wants your blood for their own ends, and this was only the first attempt at it," the Doctor said. "In three days, you'll find your Doctor. Correct order and everything. It's a fixed point, Jack. If I could spare you this, I would. I would keep you and Ianto here with me for the rest of your days, but I can't." The Doctor's eyes met Jack's firmly. "Survive for me, Jack. Remember how important you are to me. No matter what you face, no matter what happens to you, remember that for me."

"Always," Jack said. "You'll still come back and look at the Rift when it's safe, right?"

"I haven't forgotten," the Doctor said. "Then we'll see what happens. And, Jack."

"Yeah?"

"I told Ianto to get everyone he cared about into the TARDIS to keep them safe," the Doctor said. "He only brought Tosh with him. What does that tell you?"

Jack grinned. "That he's smarter than I gave him credit for," he said. "Owen has potential, but he's got a lot to work past. Gwen's hopeless, but I'd rather have her where I can keep an eye on her than running around loose. How much of a reset did you give them?"

"Half an hour," the Doctor said. "Whole planet. Everything is fine, no one is dead from Abaddon, and you'll be home within the hour. Whatever you tell your team is for you to decide, but Jack, while you're gone, make sure that Ianto's going to be safe."

"He's important, isn't he?" Jack asked.

"More than you know," the Doctor replied. "I didn't want to bring it up, but if you think it won't hurt him to hear this, Lisa is alive and happy. I check on her every so often and she's become a bit of a legend on the planet I took her to. She doesn't remember anything about Earth or Ianto, but she's living a life she loves."

"I'll tell him," Jack said. "He worries about her, even now."

"All right, that's your choice," the Doctor said. He patted Jack on the shoulder and headed for the console. "So, back to the Hub and your team. I'll drop you off upstairs and away from the cameras, just in case you want to make something up."

"We went out to lunch," Jack said. "Doctor, thanks for coming to get me and saving the Earth. I've really grown fond of the place, you know."

The Doctor smiled. "Yes, Jack, I do know exactly what you mean."

***