Title: Face the Fire
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 4, 100_situations
Prompt: 35, Phobia
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own Ianto Jones or the Tenth Doctor. Please do not sue.

***

Ianto looked around nervously, expecting to see a threatening figure jump out at him from behind any of the trees that surrounded the area where he and the Doctor were sitting on a blanket near the Tardis. But no one was there; the clearing was quiet and serene.

After all this time, he still hadn't managed to get past that frightening time when he and Tosh had been held prisoner by cannibals. Ianto still shivered at the memory -- and the thought of how close he had come to being killed. It wasn't something he liked to think about.

But being out here in the middle of nowhere brought that memory back, as strong as it had ever been, to prey on his mind and make him feel vulnerable and afraid. He didn't like to remember that incident, but the place they were in forced it back into the forefront of his mind.

He knew that it was a good idea to try to confront his fears, so he could try to put them behind him. And he also knew that there was nothing here for him to be so afraid of; the Doctor was near, and so was the Tardis. There was no one hiding in wait to take him prisoner.

He was safe here; he was protected. He had the person who meant the most to him right by his side, and the protection of the Tardis to retreat into, should they need it. But that didn't make his fears recede; if anything, it felt as though they were growing stronger.

Ianto hated to think that his long-ago experience in that house of horrors would scar him forever, but he was starting to think that he would never get over that phobia. He still hated being in the country; it made him nervous and jumpy, all of his senses on the alert.

"You're still nervous about being out in the open in the country, aren't you?" the Doctor asked, his softly voiced question breaking the silence. "There's nothing to be worried about, Ianto. There are no cannibals here. No threats. We're safe, love."

"Intellectually, I know that," Ianto answered with a soft sigh. "But just being in the country makes me feel so .... vulnerable. It takes me back to that time, and the memories all come flooding back. I supposed I'll always be traumatised by that experience."

"I hope not," the Doctor told him, a furrow forming between his brows. "I don't want you to hold on to those fears, Ianto. I know it might seem like a silly little thing, but you never know when or where in the future we might be in a situation where you have to be in a place like this."

"And if we are, not having to deal with that phobia may mean the difference between life and death for one or both of us," Ianto said, resisting the urge to heave another sigh. "I know that, Doctor. And I want to put that fear behind me. But it's not as easy as you might think."

"If we keep working at it, being in places like this until your subconscious mind realises that there's nothing to fear from the place itself, then we'll be getting somewhere," the Doctor told him, reaching out to rest his hand on Ianto's arm. "We're already making progress."

Ianto nodded, brightening slightly at the Time Lord's words. Only a few short months ago, he wouldn't have been able to stay in a place like this without pacing around, shining a light into any place that looked shadowy, and making sure that there was a clear path back to the Tardis.

But he'd shed some of his fears, at least. He was now able to sit here on the blanket and not peer around him every moment, starting at the smallest noise. That was progress of a sort, even though he was still so tense and nervous that it felt as it every nerve was right on the edge.

The Doctor could feel his nervousness; he was sure of it. Ever since that fateful day when the Rift had changed their lives forever, he and the Time Lord had an even closer bond than they had already shared, if that was possible. He could feel it growing stronger.

It was as though the two of them had developed senses that they hadn't previously had, or that they'd never taken the time to notice. He felt closer to the Doctor than ever before; with each passing day, the feelings between them seemed to intensify.

The Master probably hadn't counted on that, Ianto thought, feeling a big smug. That would be one of the weapons they could bring to bear on the rogue Time Lord when they next met. This time, he told himself, they would be prepared for whatever might be thrown at them.

He had no reason to feel smug, Ianto told himself, firmly pushing thoughts of the Master away and locking them behind a closed mental door. The Master could somehow always seem to surprise them; they never knew what he would have up his sleeve next.

At least he didn't seem to know about this phobia, Ianto told himself, feeling relieved. If he did, then there was no telling what horrors he would contrive to unleash upon them -- and there was always a chance he could find out and do just that.

Ianto shuddered at the thought; the Doctor turned a worried countenance to him, sliding an arm around the young man's waist and pulling him close. "Ianto, what's the matter? Does being here really make you that nervous? We can leave, if it does."

Ianto took a deep breath, shaking his head as he searched for the right words to describe how he felt. "Yes, being here makes me nervous -- but that's not what made me shiver. I was thinking of what the Master might do if he knew about my phobia of the country."

The Doctor sighed, a shiver running through his thin body. "I've thought of that, too," he admitted, sounding worried. "But there's nothing we can do to keep him from finding out, Ianto. If he does, then we'll just have to deal with him knowing."

"I hope he never finds out about that phobia," Ianto whispered, wishing that all of the thoughts about what the Master might contrive to come up with in the future would simply go away. His imagination was running riot -- and it was conjuring up ideas that he'd rather not think about.

It would be so easy for that monster to get into his head -- he'd done it in the past. And once he did, there was no way to keep back the flood of information that he could learn. Ianto didn't want that to happen; it would place both himself and the Doctor in mortal danger.

"We'll just have to hope that he never finds out, love," the Doctor said, his voice soft and gentle. "And if he does -- then we'll cope with it. As long as we're together, he can't defeat us, Ianto. We may not always win our little battles with him, but he'll never win the war."

"We won't let him," Ianto agreed, feeling buoyed by the Time Lord's presence at his side. As long as he had this man in his life and in his heart, he didn't have to be afraid of anything. He could conquer any fear that he had -- and any that might come at him in the future.

It was past time for him to put his phobia about being out in the countryside behind him; he had to conquer this fear, even if there were others that he might not be able to get over. This was the one fear of his that could possibly cause them a lot of problems later on.

"I need to get past this, Doctor," he said, trying to keep his voice strong and firm, to keep the trembling that was threatening to break through from the back of his mind at bay. "I need to get it into my head that there's nothing to be afraid of in the countryside."

"No, there isn't," the Doctor said softly, turning his head to press a gentle kiss against Ianto's forehead. "It's a phobia that you need to get past, Ianto -- not just for the sake of what could happen in the future, but for your own peace of mind."

"It's time for me to face the fire, so to speak," Ianto said, taking a deep breath. "Let's sleep out here tonight, Doctor. In our sleeping bags. It's about time I made myself spend time in the country without having to feel that I'm surrounded by enemies."

"Two sleeping bags?" the Doctor inquired, raising one eyebrow and tilting his head to the side with a quizzical expression. "Shouldn't that be one large sleeping bag? After all, there are a lot of ways we could keep each other warm tonight."

"That's a good idea," Ianto said, trying to keep a straight face, but unable to keep back his grin. "And that way, you can protect me if anything does happen to sneak up on us. That is, if you're up to the challenge." He couldn't resist adding the last words.

"Oh, I don't think that's going to be a problem at all," the Doctor told him, leaning closer to Ianto and closing his eyes. When their lips met, any thoughts of danger went out of Ianto's mind, and all he could think of was the man in his arms.

***