04- There's always a downhill to the uphill

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[Jack appears on the plane, looking annoyed, tired, worried, though he's trying to hide it, and just not pleased in general] Ianto wasn't at work yesterday morning, wasn't at his apartment, and nobody, including the owner down at the dry cleaner's, has seen him since then.

Anybody want to tell me what the hell is going on?

Comments

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

I heard. [sighs] I really wish people wouldn't push it.

[scratches his ear] Well, I figure I should. Not much else to do...

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

Right after I told him not to get himself killed, too.

I thought you said a part of Rose's London ended up there?

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

The Master's been calm enough lately, so we're lucky for that.

Oh, it is. But I can only go into the hat shop so many times.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

But who knows how long that's going to last.

I'd been meaning to ask you; how did that part of London end up in your world to begin with?

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

Hopefully a few more weeks. It's not too bad.

Oh, well, it's apparently a feature around here. Get close to someone emotionally and mentally and all that and you get a part of their world. I got a part of Rose's.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I'm not sure if dealing with Ianto aggravates or entertains him; he seems to enjoy getting under his skin, but I'm afraid Ianto might let his temper get to him and actually pull the trigger one day.

[And of course, Jack does not look at all happy about this]

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

The Master always does enjoy bothering people but he's not exactly adverse to pushing them beyond their limits. [totally thinking of how he was goading Martha's mother to shoot him]

[frowns] Are you worried for others?

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

My reality might not be the most pleasant to pass on to other people at the moment, and Ianto and Tosh really don't need to deal with any more.

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

I was wondering that...Ianto's world still has the Toclafane. That's not something I would wish on anyone.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

His Cardiff is probably destroyed enough as it is; don't need to add more destroyed buildings and angry weevils to the mix.

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

[nods] But we can't exactly stop the mixing.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[Really long and annoyed sigh goes here, because Jack knows exactly how he could keep his world from mixing with Ianto's]

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

[gives him a look, because he thinks that sort of thing is a bad idea]

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

We both know his reality is bad enough as it is.

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

Being able to talk to you helps him.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

It's putting both him and Tosh at risk.

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

We're all at risk right now. I'm not sure that we can just all ignore each other.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[Jack mutters something unintelligible under his breath and closes his eyes. When he opens them and he looks at the Doctor again, they seem infinitely older than his face] The last thing I want to do is to stop interacting with him, and I know talking helps us both, but if doing so puts him at an even greater risk....

The last thing I need is his blood on my hands, Doctor.

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

[looks him in the eyes for a moment, silent and understanding] Well. We'll have to find some sort of balance then, eh? [smiles slightly]

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

[Despite himself, Jack returns the smile; he still trusts the Doctor completely, and who better to figure out merging realities than a Time Lord?] I guess it wouldn't do to give up without experimenting a bit first.

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

[laughs and gives him a grin] Now that sounds like you, Jack. Try anything once, twice and a third time just to be sure?

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

They do say third time's the charm.

Besides, I doubt Ianto would ever agree to not talking with me anymore; he thinks it's bad enough that I asked him to stay away from the Valiant.

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

Which, really, having spent a year on it, I have to say it's not worth the effort to break in.

[itsthecoat.livejournal.com]

He considers it worth the effort to break me out.

[salvagestime.livejournal.com]

But unlike you, when he died he'd have to wait a few months to come back. [sighs] You don't think he'll try it, do you? I don't remember any break-ins. But the Master didn't tell me everything.