Title: Beating Fear
By: Mrs_Ianto_Jones
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG-13
A/N: I started this as purely an adventure story but it's mutated slightly into somehing else.
Spoilers: Big spoilers for 'Countrycide'
Summary: Jack, Ianto and Gwen go into the country to investigate a Weevil sighting. Ianto's fear of the countryside gets to him.

***

The sleek black Torchwood SUV slid through the South Wales countryside. It's occupants sat in a companiable silence. Jack had relinquished the driver's seat to Ianto, choosing the passenger seat instead. Gwen had the entire back seat to herself. Owen was away on a weeks leave and Toshiko had elected to stay in the hub. Their computer systems had been overrun by viruses, thanks to Jack and his endless porn obsession. Tosh needed time to get them cleared. The reason for this out of town sojourn was down to Ianto. Strictly speaking, it was the strange police reports he'd found. Part of his job was to monitor police and hospital reports for anything anomalous. In the last week there had been three unusual wild animal sightings in the same area. One person had even claimed to have been attacked by the animal. What had attracted Ianto's attention were the injuries. The description matched those of a Weevil attack. Jack had called an instant road trip for Gwen, Ianto and himself. As much to get away from Tosh's complaining as anything else. Ianto had not been happy about the prospect of going into the country and confided his fears to his boss. The captain fully understood his worries but had insisted on his presence, with Owen away, Ianto was needed in the field. It was Ianto's fears that had led to Jack giving him the driving job. It would give him something else to think about for a while.

An hour out of Cardiff, the team finally arrived at a small town. Following lessons learned in the Brecon Beacons, Jack had booked them into the pub. He'd reserved two rooms. One was for Gwen and the other for Ianto and himself. Jack had told Ianto that there had only been two rooms available. The younger man had been immediately suspicious and had playfully accused his commander of planning it. Not that he'd minded. Jack had simply responded with his best flirtatious smile. Deep down though, Jack was concerned about his young colleague. He would enjoy sharing Ianto's bed and body heat but his main motivation was to keep an eye on him. Jack knew that being in the country would be bringing dark thoughts, though Ianto would never let on. His ability to internalise everything would wind up killing him. So, Jack had taken on the role of babysitter. It was a role he had no problems adopting and if anything else happened in that bed, so much the better.

"Okay, plan of action." Said Jack as Ianto brought the SUV to a stop in the pub car park. "We'll get our stuff into the rooms, have dinner then set out."
It was decided to leave the equipment in the vehicle. They didn't want to draw too much attention. This was easier said than done. Striding in like he owned the place, Jack turned several heads with his film icon looks and RAF greatcoat. He flashed a winning smile at the barmaid, making her knees weaken. Gwen and Ianto gave each other a knowing look.
"Hi, Cap'n Jack Harkness. I have two rooms reserved."
"One moment Sir."
She reached under the counter for the reservations book and asked Jack to sign them all in.
"Thanks" said Jack, accepting the keys for rooms three and four. "What's your name?"
"Jenny Morgan." Replied jenny, with a giggle. She blushed bright red.
"Thanks Jenny."
As they headed up to their rooms, Gwen asked,
"What is this power you have over women? And men for that matter?"
Jack didn't answer but was secretly pleased to see Ianto following Jenny's example by blushing furiously. He couldn't understand why, everyone knew of their ‘understanding'.

Shortly after finishing a light dinner of chicken and rice, Jack, Gwen and Ianto made their way to the nearby woodland. Jack had managed to charm a little information out of Jenny. Actually, all he'd said was,
"Have you heard anything about a wild animal in the woods? And she'd told him every piece of gossip and rumour that had been floating around the town. Most of it had been along the lines of ‘my mate's brother's girlfriend knows a bloke who saw it'. Despite this, Jack was given an accurate description of a Weevil, meaning there was definitely one about. A brief stop at the SUV was needed to retrieve communications, weapons and Weevil-spray, and then it was off to the woods.

Four hours of stalking around the woods yielded only one sighting of the Weevil. Gwen saw it first and went chasing after it, with Ianto and Jack following in her wake. They'd lost it again after thirty seconds. After another hour of fruitless searching, Jack declared an end to the hunt.
"We'll try again in the morning." He told them. "Now it's time for sleep."
They walked back to the pub in relative silence, still keeping an eye out for the Weevil. Jack glanced back at Ianto, who was bringing up the rear. His gun was gripped absurdly tightly in one hand and the spray was held equally as tightly in the other. His eyes were darting about all over, looking for an enemy he feared far more than the creature they were hunting. Trying not to make it too obvious, Jack slowed his pace, allowing Gwen and Ianto to pass him. Ianto visibly relaxed when he was no longer at the back. Jack once again found himself admiring Ianto. He was clearly terrified but still did his job. He still did what was expected of him. On a less serious note, Jack was glad he'd dropped back. It meant he got a good view of both Gwen and Ianto's arses. He may be having relations with Ianto but that didn't mean he had to be blind to everyone else.

The pub was closed by the time they got back, which meant using the key to that back door Jack had been given. He and Ianto wished Gwen goodnight and went into their room. Whilst Ianto busied himself in the bathroom, Jack stripped naked and lay provocatively on the bed. He didn't have to wait long but was disappointed when Ianto appeared wearing boxers and a t-shirt. It was a clear message to Jack that sex would not be on the agenda tonight. Reluctantly, he drew the covers over himself.
"Are you okay, Yan?"
Ianto gave his boss a reassuring smile, but his eyes told a different story.
"I'm fine Jack. Things have just been a little tense for me tonight."
"Understood." Jack patted the empty side of the bed. "Wanna talk about it?"
Ianto shook his had and climbed into bed. He leaned over and kissed Jack tenderly. It was a gesture of thanks.
"I just want to sleep." He said, before settling down and closing his eyes. Jack watched as Ianto swiftly fell into a deep sleep before getting up and putting his clothes back on. He pulled a chair up to the window to watch the night grow old.

~~~He ran with difficulty. His hands were cuffed behind him, the steel cutting painfully into his wrists. Their pursuer was closing in but not fast enough. Maybe this time they would escape. She was ahead of him, her hands bound with rope. Suddenly he was falling. He landed heavily against a tree. Then he felt hot breath against his neck as his attacker pulled him to his feet. Moonlight glinted of the cleaver as it was pressed to his neck. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears, blood that would soon be leaving his body. He began to whimper, the whimpering quickly turning into sobs. Then…~~~

"Ianto! Wake up!"
Ianto opened his eyes and saw a shadow looming over him. He tried to pull away but it had hold of him.
"Ianto, calm down. It's Jack."
Slowly, he recognised the American voice and allowed himself to relax. He started to sob uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face. Jack pulled him into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around him. Ianto buried his face into Jack's shoulder and clung on as though his life depended on it. Jack rubbed Ianto's back and head and let him cry himself out. When he stopped crying, Ianto lay back down.
"How often have you had that dream?" Jack asked him gently.
"Every time I sleep." Replied the Welshman. "It's always the same. As soon as I think I can escape, I fall."
Jack's heart contracted in his chest. It physically hurt him to think that Ianto was going through this every night. It was all because of those bastards in the Brecon Beacons. ‘I should have shot the fucking ringleader when I had the chance' Jack thought to himself, silently cursing Gwen for stopping him. Ianto woke in fear each night, alone. Not this night, though. This night, Jack was there to comfort his lover. He leaned over to kiss him then lay down as close as possible to him. He draped his hand across Ianto's chest to let him know that he was protected. Ianto placed his hand on Jack's arm and fell back to sleep. Jack lay awake in this position for the rest of the night and listened to Ianto's breathing.

***

At 8am the next morning, Gwen knocked on Jack and Ianto's door. Jack, who had his finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, opened it. He indicated the still sleeping Ianto.
"Give us half an hour." He whispered. "We'll meet you for breakfast."
Gwen gave him a thumbs up before going back to her own room. Jack closed the door quietly and turned to Ianto, who was snoring quietly. It seemed a shame to wake him up. He'd been disturbed twice more by the dream through the night. Both times, Jack had soothed him back to sleep. Oh well, might as well wake him the fun way. He leant over the sleeping man and kissed him gently on the forehead. Then he kissed his nose, and as Ianto began to wake, he locked lips. Ianto put his hands behind Jack's head to prevent him from stopping and returned the kiss with gusto.
"Good morning, Sir." He said at last.
Jack laughed.
"Ianto, I really wish you wouldn't call me sir when we're in these compromising situations."
"Sorry Sir." Ianto replied with a cheeky grin.
Jack straightened up and threw Ianto's trousers to him.
"Come on. We'll have breakfast then head back into the woods.

Searching the woods in the daytime was far less creepy than at night. Jack could tell that Ianto was much more settled than he had been last night. Whether his calmness was due to the daylight or Jack's presence through the night, he wasn't sure. It didn't really matter which. A focused Ianto was better than a frightened Ianto. Each of them was carrying a small backpack containing food and water. Jack's seemingly magical charm had been employed to persuade the pub landlady to provide them with sandwiches and fruit.

The morning passed uneventfully, with no sign of the Weevil. They were in fairly high spirits as they sat down for some lunch. Jack spread his coat over the ground to sit on. Gwen and Ianto just sat on the bare ground. They spent a happy half hour chatting and laughing about nothing in particular. Jack even regaled them with stories of his sexual prowess. Gwen was fully convinced that the captain was exaggerating his abilities. Ianto on the other hand knew exactly what Captain Jack Harkness was capable of. He'd been on the receiving end of it enough times. All too soon it was time to go back to the hunt. As they were packing up, Jack caught sight of the Weevil. It was watching them carefully. Jack silently let the others know the creature was behind them. Gwen and Ianto, slowly and carefully, pulled their Weevil spray from their pockets. Without warning, the Weevil darted towards them.

Ianto was directly in its path but had no time to react before it ploughed into him. He was pushed against Gwen who fell to the ground with Ianto landing on top of her. Gwen's head struck a rock and she lost consciousness immediately. By this time, Jack had drawn his trusty Webly pistol and fired it at the Weevil. The shot only served to anger the creature, which swiped a clawed hand at Jack's neck. The arteries and tendons in his neck were severed and he dropped to the floor, unceremoniously. He was dead before the fall was complete.
"JACK!" Ianto screamed at his fallen commander. Despair and anger flooded through him like a burst damn. He drew his own weapon and fired two shots at the Weevil. The creature ran off in pain leaving Ianto with an unconscious Gwen and a dead Jack. Without stopping to check Gwen's condition, Ianto hared off after the Weevil.

Jack came to with a start. Blood covered his upper torso from the rapidly healing wound in his neck. It was going to be sore for a good while yet. He sat up and looked around him. There was no sign of Ianto but his eyes came upon the insensible form of Gwen. He went straight over to her and checked for a pulse. There was no need to worry though; her breathing was normal and regular. Apart from a splitting headache, she would probably be okay. The sound of gunfire burst though the trees, startling Jack. It was reasonable to assume that the gunfire originated from Ianto. Leaving Gwen alone, Jack sprinted to the source of the shots.

He eventually found Ianto in a clearing. The younger mans empty gun had been strewn carelessly aside and he was now viciously kicking the, clearly dead, Weevil. Ianto's face was wet with tears of anger and frustration. He was yelling at the Weevil as he kicked it. Jack held back a while and listened.
"You fucking bastard! He's dead! He's dead. The one person who was keeping me alive and you've taken him. Bastard! Fucking bastard!"
The statement shocked Jack to the core. He knew Ianto was screwed up inside, but he hadn't realised how close to suicide he actually was. How was he supposed to know? Ianto very rarely let his mask slip, even when they were being intimate. Ianto's litany continued.
"All the hate, all the fear. I was starting to cope. With his help I was healing and you come along and fuck it up. What do I do now? Who'll be there now?"
His relentless kicking finally abated and Ianto dropped to his knees. He hung his head in an attitude of absolute defeat.

Jack could watch no longer. Ianto needed rescuing and he was just the man for the job. He stepped out from behind the tree he was using as cover.
"Ianto."
There was no reaction. Jack walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. There was still no response so he knelt down beside him and physically turned Ianto's face to his. He looked deep into the other mans eyes and said,
"Ianto. I'm not dead. I'm still here for you. I always will be." He smiled. Not one of his characteristic Cap'n Harkness smiles, but a genuine, caring, happy smile. Ianto's eyes explored Jack's face as though trying to determine whether it was real or not. Realisation dawned and he returned Jack's smile. Jack's heart lifted at the sight and he pulled Ianto into the most passionate kiss either of them had experienced.
"How come I don't get one of those?" Asked Gwen, leaning against a tree.
Jack broke off from Ianto and laughed.
"Your boyfriend would hit me." He replied. He climbed to his feet and helped Ianto up. Each man embraced Gwen in turn.
"Come on then." Said Jack. "Let's tidy up and go home."


Jack had insisted that Gwen get her head checked out at the hospital before dropping her off at home. With equal insistence, he made Ianto go back to the hub with him. He didn't want Ianto to be alone that night. Tosh had already gone by the time they got there, so they had the pace to themselves.
"Would you like a coffee, Sir."
"Is that automatic with you?" Jack asked rhetorically. "Let me do it."
Fleeting panic swept across Ianto's face.
"It's okay Jack, I'll do it. Your coffee is dreadful, if you don't mind me saying."
Jack pretended to look hurt but let Ianto get on with it. They drank the coffee in Jack's office, neither of them saying very much until,
"Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"You were dead. I know you were. How come you aren't now?"
Jack wasn't sure how or even what to tell him. He was about to launch into the whole death by Dalek story but was cut off by Ianto.
"It doesn't matter. It really doesn't. All I care about is that you're alive."

That night, Jack and Ianto lay together in bed. Ianto slept while Jack watched him. For the first time in weeks, Ianto's sleep was uninterrupted.

***