Title: I Feel Possessed
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 3, Substituted for Table 5, sound_of_drums
Prompt: 37, Possession -- substituted for 32, Bye
Author's Note: Slight spoilers for the Doctor Who episode New Earth.
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.

***

The Doctor sat up in bed, wrapping his arms around himself as he shivered. It was unusual for him to feel cold on the Tardis; the ship always moderated the temperature to what would keep him most comfortable, as well as whoever was with him.

But this coldness had nothing to do with the air around him; it was the coldness of a dream, a nightmare that he'd woken from drenched in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he hadn't woken Ianto; his young lover was still asleep beside him.

Ianto was blissfully unaware of just how bad his dreams were getting. He knew something of it, of course; the Doctor couldn't hide the fact that he spent most of his nights tossing and turning, unable to sleep because of the nightmares that plagued him.

He didn't want Ianto to know just how disturbing those dreams were. He didn't want the man he loved to know that in most of those dreams, he died, leaving the Doctor alone and bereft, facing a bleak and empty life without the other half of his soul.

Those dreams were more than disquieting -- they were utterly frightening. He awoke from them with a scream lodged in his throat, a scream that he couldn't let out for fear of waking Ianto and having to tell him just what had scared him so badly.

He couldn't bring himself to say the words aloud, even though he knew that it was only a dream. If he had to say that Ianto had died, even in a dream, then it would make that possibility seem much nearer and more appallingly real.

It was as though these dreams possessed him, taking him over until they had swallowed him whole. He had no idea where they were coming from, but he was almost sure that they had something to do with the Master. He had to be behind this.

Only the Master would want to break him down so completely -- and only he would use such a cruel, heartless way of achieving that goal. He would know that losing Ianto was the Doctor's greatest fear, the worst possible thing that could happen to him.

Until he'd had Ianto in his life, he would have said that the worst thing he could experience would be another regeneration, losing this body that he loved so much and wanted to keep. But losing Ianto would be a living hell for him.

Without Ianto in his life, he wouldn't have a life, the Time Lord told himself, looking over at the young man who was sleeping peacefully by his side. He would merely have an existence; he would drift from day to day without really caring what went on.

Sighing softly, he threw back the covers and got out of bed, reaching for his dressing gown and shrugging into it. He carefully pulled the covers back over the quiet form of his sleeping lover; there was no need for him to awaken Ianto just yet.

The feeling of having someone else in his mind was receding, but it was still there, buzzing just out of reach, around the edges of his consciousness. It was annoying, but he knew that the feeling would go away once he had been fully awake for a while.

This wasn't at all like what he'd felt when Cassandra had possessed him, the Doctor reflected, walking along the corridor that led from their bedroom to the kitchen. Then, his consciousness had been .... well, submerged, not able to express itself at all.

This feeling was far more insidious -- and far more disturbing. His consciousness was there, completely aware of all that he was doing, saying and thinking. But it was as though he was being guided, pushed -- or more accurately, manipulated.

He'd been possessed by another entity, another person; he knew exactly what that felt like. But this was somehow different. Could he call it possession? After all, it only happened when his conscious mind was in a dream state, closed down, in a way.

Yes, it was possession. It was far more stealthy than having someone else force their way into his mind and take over his body, as Cassandra had done. But it was possession nonetheless; and it was far more frightening than the more overt sort.

It had to be the Master. Only his oldest and most dangerous enemy could know how to get inside his mind; only the Master had that sort of connection to him, of all the enemies he'd made over the centuries. And only he would try something like this.

But what good would it do him? Yes, he could disrupt the Doctor's sleep, inserting images into his mind that would disturb and torture him. But in the end, that was all he could do. He couldn't manifest those dreams into the Time Lord's reality.

Or could he? A cold shiver flashed down the Doctor's spine at the thought. What if these dreams, this feeling of being possessed, was only the beginning? What if there was more to come -- and the Master planned to do something that would somehow involve Ianto?

He wasn't going to risk his lover's life. If the Master tried to come after Ianto in any way, the Doctor would prevent -- no matter what the danger to himself might be. He would protect Ianto with his life -- and the Master was well aware of that fact.

How could he protect Ianto from something as insidious as the Master slipping into his mind via his dreams? The Doctor had no idea -- but if there was a way, he would find it. And he would draw his enemy out into a physical confrontation.

This couldn't go on, he thought, sinking into a chair at the kitchen table and resting his head in his hands. He didn't need as much sleep as a human, but with these dreams pulling him out of his restful hours, he would get worn down much more easily than normal.

Maybe that was the Master's plan. This possession of his dreams would eventually bleed into his waking hours -- and soon, he wouldn't be able to get the Master out of his mind. He would turn more and more to whatever thoughts his nemesis wanted him to have.

Was this the beginning of the end? With this sort of possession, was the Master finally finding the way to defeat him? Or, if not defeat him -- was his greatest enemy bringing the two of them closer together, controlling the Doctor as he'd always wanted so badly to do?

No. The Doctor raised his head, a resolute expression on his face. He wasn't going to let the Master win. He hadn't let it happen for all these centuries; he wasn't about to give in now, not when he had so much more in his life than he'd ever had before.

He had Ianto in his life now; he had the assurance of a future with someone he loved. Not just a lover, but the man who had always been his destiny, the man he'd bonded with after all these long years of being alone. He wasn't going to let the Master jeopardize that.

This possession wasn't easy to deal with -- but he would find a way. And he would stop it. He had the definite feeling that it would stop once he confronted the renegade Time Lord in the flesh -- though he had no way of knowing how that confrontation would end.

Whatever this game was that the Master seemed intent on playing, he would follow along with it. He would find out just what the other man's objective was -- and no matter what risks to himself it might involve, he would ensure that he was the ultimate winner.

***