Title: Face To Face
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: R
Table: 1, fanfic50
Prompt: 33, Investigate
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.

***

"This is making me very uneasy, Ianto," the Doctor muttered as the two of them made their way through a suspiciously empty building. "It's not normal for bustling cities to be so quiet. We've barely seen any people since we got here."

"Do you think it could be the Vashta Nerada again?" Ianto asked, trying to look in every direction at once and failing. "They might not have gotten everyone here yet, and that's why you got that message on the psychic paper."

"And theycould have gotten to those people who sent me the message before we made it here." The Time Lord nodded, his tone thoughtful. "It's entirely possible. If it's the Vashta Nerada, we shouldn't get too far from the Tardis."

"But there's no way to find out if it is them," Ianto complained, feeling his muscles tighten at the mention of those shadowy entities. "Not until we're face to face with them, so to speak. And then all we can do is run as fast as we can go."

"That's all we can do in any situation that involves the Vashta Nerada," the Doctor said soberly, heaving a sigh. "There's no way we can defeat them, Ianto. Not with the powers they have. There's nothing for it but to run when you're confronted with something like that."

"You hate running, don't you?" Ianto asked softly, knowing the answer to the question before he asked it. "I do too -- but sometimes, there's no other alternative. And running is a lot better than trying to win what you know will only be a losing battle."

"Yes, I do, but in some cases it's the best -- or only -- thing possible." The Doctor took a deep breath, looking around him curiously. "There doesn't seem to be anything amiss here. We might have been called to investigate for no reason."

At those words, Ianto felt a prickling sensation down his spine -- one that he seemed to have only when there was some sort of danger near that threatened his lover. "Doctor, do you think this could have been some sort of plan by the Master to get us here?"

The Doctor looked startled; he turned to face Ianto, his dark eyes wide. "I hadn't thought of that," he said slowly, his brow furrowing in a frown. "But you could be right. After all, there aren't many people who know how to use the psychic paper ...."

"Doctor, we need to get out of here. To hell with investigating whatever might be here -- I'm not going to let the Master get his hands on you," Ianto said firmly, reaching for the Time Lord's hand. "Let's get back to the Tardis."

The other man nodded, taking Ianto's hand and turning towards the door. He took a few steps, then stopped, standing stock-still as though he was listening for something. "Ianto, don't move. Stay right where you are."

"What is it?" Ianto asked, his voice shaking slightly. He obeyed the Time Lord's words, standing right where he was, not even daring to look around him. He had no idea what it was that had arrested the Doctor's attention, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"Those shadows," the Doctor said in a terse voice, his fingers tightening around Ianto's. "They've moved. We're not dealing with the Master here, Ianto. It's the Vashta Nerada. I know the signs. I've seen them often enough in the past."

"Doctor, we need to get out of here. Now," Ianto said, his voice even more shaky now. He had to force himself to stand still; he wasn't going to disobey the Doctor, even though every nerve in his body was screaming at him to run.

"The shadows aren't near the door," the Doctor murmured, squeezing his hand. "We'll have to make a run for the door and hope that we can get outside. Once we do, head for the Tardis as fast as you can, Ianto. Don't stop for anything."

Ianto nodded, swallowing hard, his muscles tensing as he waited for the moment that the Doctor would tell him to run. His hand grasped the TIme Lord's; he was determined not to let go, no matter what might happen during the next few moments.

"Run," the Doctor whispered. As one, the two men ran towards the door, not looking back. The Doctor reached for the doorknob, twisting it and flinging the door open; within seconds, they were outside in the bright sunlight, running for the Tardis.

Even though he couldn't feel that they were being followed, Ianto didn't doubt that there were menacing shadows coming after them. He didn't want to look back; he didn't want to see anything that he knew would strike a numbing fear into his heart.

The Tardis was just at the end of the street; the two men pounded down the pavement towards her, the Doctor reaching out for the door of the ship even before they'd made it all the way there. It obligingly swung open, as though urging them into the Tardis' interior.

The Time Lord slammed the door closed as soon as they were both safely inside, leaning against it with his eyes closed, his chest heaving, his breath rasping harshly in his throat. Ianto clung to the railing by the three small steps, trying to catch his own breath.

Safe. They were safe inside the Tardis; the Vashta Nerada couldn't get to them here. But could those shadows surround the ship, making it impossible for her to get away? Ianto's heart seemed to clutch in his chest as the thought occurred to him.

The Doctor made his way up the steps to the console, pressing a few buttons and letting out a sigh of relief. Ianto felt the familiar displacement of time and space, the sensation making him sway slightly. He let out his breath by degrees, feeling his muscles go slack.

They were away from the planet, away from the danger that they had unwittingly stumbled into. Ianto frowned, remembering the message on the psychic paper that had sent them there to investigate, right into the jaws of peril.

Who had sent that message? Were they still alive on the planet below, trapped by the Vashta Nerada? Had they managed to escape that deadly menace, or were they gone, pulled into another realm by those shadows that spelled doom?

They would probably never know, he thought with a soft sigh. He moved to the console, standing beside the Doctor and watching the planet recede on the viewscreen. The Time Lord's face was somber, his expression bleak and brooding.

"We can't go back there, Doctor," Ianto said softly, shaking his head. "I know you'd like to find out why we were summoned there, and I would too. But it's too dangerous. The Vashta Nerada have obviously taken over the place."

The Time Lord nodded, closing his eyes. "I know. And whoever sent us that message is more than likely long dead. The Vashta Nerada have claimed another planet, and there's no telling how many people they've managed to destroy doing it."

"It isn't your fault, Doctor," Ianto told him, his voice soft and soothing. He slipped an arm around the Time Lord's waist, wishing that he could do more to comfort the other man. "You did all you could. But you got the message to investigate too late to be able to help."

"I know," the Gallifreyan whispered, still staring at the planet on the viewscreen. "I keep telling myself that I can't always save everyone, and that it isn't always my fault when I can't. But I should have been able to do something."

Ianto shook his head firmly, knowing that he had to stop the Doctor's thoughts from going in that direction. "You saved us. I know that may not seem like much, but it was better than nothing. There wasn't anything else you could have done."

The Doctor nodded, straightening up and giving his lover a wan smile. "I know, Ianto," he whispered, raising a hand to stroke Ianto's cheek. "We've lived to fight another day. And I assure you that we will. One day, I'll make sure that the Vashta Nerada are defeated. And destroyed."

The look of determination on the Doctor's face sent a shiver through Ianto; that kind of fierceness in his lover was never to be denied. When they next met the Doctor face to face, he was sure that the Vashta Nerada wouldn't stand a chance.

***