[for Ianto re:Ace]

[more_flexible]

Jack-

I need time to think, because because while I meant everything everything I said yesterday I don't know why I told you. I- It's not something that I'm fine, and I know how to handle myself, so I'll be safe.

I know that you have what you have with Greg, and it was stupid there's more then enough challenges without me doing saying what I did. I'm sorry-

I- Tell Ianto I'm sorry too, will you? Things- Things happened there yesterday, too. I'm scared It'll be alright.

I love you Take care of yourself, alright?

Ace


It was pinned to her jacket, which she rarely left behind. She couldn't have gone far. He couldn't believe he'd slept deeply enough not to notice.

He held the note and read it over and over, then shook his head and went to his room to pull on jeans and boots, a t-shirt he didn't mind ruining, and a button down shirt in case it took more than one night to find her.

He left a note for everyone in the house, specific and vague at the same time and to the effect of Gone with Ianto to find Ace. Took Stu's gun. WILL return.

First stop was the Redman's hut where he told Stu what had happened and he gave over the M16 without any fuss. The Texan had insisted he take his backpack as well, so by the time he was at Ianto and Tosh's hut, he was ready to go.

"Ianto," he called, knocking hard. "Need your help...you in there?"

Comments

[coffee_sir]

A part of Ianto had anticipated more of the same from yesterday and had decided to stay in for at least part of the day. So, he was there when Jack knocked, and casually dressed.

Opening the door, Ianto blinked once at the gun, then looked to Jack's face. "What happened?"

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Ace is gone."

Between his posture and the gun, it was obvious he meant to find her or hurt someone in the process. He pulled her note from his pocket and held it out as he recited, "Tell Ianto I'm sorry too, will you? Things happened there yesterday, too."

He stepped inside, past him, while he read. "Do I want to know what she thinks she needs to be sorry for?"

[coffee_sir]

Ianto blinked again, stiffening slightly as Jack walked past. He shut the door, then walked towards his room as he spoke, frowning lightly. "She asked if -- She has nothing to be sorry for."

Ducking into his room quickly, he grabbed a windbreaker and slid it on. "Where do you think she went?"

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"If she felt the need to tell me she can handle herself and that she'll be safe? Dinosaur territory," he said, standing tall as he waited for Ianto. "Do you have a gun?" he asked as he shrugged off the pack.

These were the main concerns, nothing else. If Ianto said she had nothing to be sorry for, it was likely no worse than what she'd said to him.

But considering it was Ace...for her it was likey the worst thing in the world.

[coffee_sir]

A part of him wanted to quail and step back at the mention of dinosaurs, but he stayed steady, shaking his head at Jack's question. "No, and I don't think Tosh has one either," Ianto said, then shrugged lightly as if it didn't matter.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Into the pack he dug, coming out with a 9mm pistol and a shoulder holster. "You'll need it. Unless you don't want to come," he added. He hadn't even given a moment's thought to the idea that Ianto wouldn't join him.

"If you do, then I'll fill you in on the way about what to expect. And if we kill any, I get the teeth."

[coffee_sir]

Ianto was very rarely so relieved to see a gun, and took the holster and weapon without question.

"Of course I'm coming," he said, half taking off his jacket to fit the holster on, checking the gun's safety before slipping it into its place. "If we kill any, I have no desire for any part of it."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Then you should leave a note for Tosh so she won't worry."

He was repacking the load and had it on his shoulders again, taking up Betsy. "She says she needs time to think and I get that, but I'm not going to let her get eaten. She can do it out of dinoland."

[coffee_sir]

Nodding, Ianto slid his arm back into the windbreaker, then grabbed a notebook Tosh had left out along with, conveniently, a pen. He wrote down a quick note and set the book on the table in plain sight for when Tosh came back.

"She had been thinking, and doing it fine here. Nothing seemed that bad yesterday to have made her run off like this."

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

Ace opened her eyes some hours later, and made a soft noise in her throat as she lifted up her head. It was warm- There was an arm over her hip, and someone was pressed against her back.

Oh.

She remembered.

She smiled slowly, and then pressed a gentle kiss to Ianto's shoulder, slipping out from between them. She was awake, didn't want to wake them up- She took one of the shirts as she slipped out of the tent, slipping on the shirt. The moon was out, and she padded out into the grass. She looked up at the stars, and a slow smile spread on her face, having no idea that she'd actually woken people up.
OOC: For Ianto. :3

[coffee_sir]

It was only after Ace had left the tent that Ianto fully woke up. The lack of warm body in front of him and the gentle touch to his shoulder were enough to rouse him half-way, but, with the tent as warm as it was from their collected body heat, the gust of fresh air that snuck in with Ace's departure tickled him fully awake. He blinked a few times, rubbed at his eyes as he became aware of Jack laying across from him, but no Ace between them.

He forced himself to sit up then. The tent wasn't exactly big enough for her to be hiding anywhere out of view, so that only left outside. Quickly and quietly Ianto tugged on his jeans, doubting that Ace would run off again and this time without her rucksack or clothing, but not really wanting her to be outside alone for too long.

Slipping out of the tent, Ianto caught sight of her easily in the light of the stars and walked quietly towards her. "Alright?" he asked softly when he was close enough to do so.

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

She turned, her arms around her waist as she smiled at him. "... Yeah. Alright, I think." She tipped her head back, looking up at the constellations. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

She shrugged a little as she inhaled, almost a little cold in the night air. "You?" She kind of wanted to touch him, but- well. That was the Just Once, wasn't it. She paused, and her voice was quieter the next time she spoke.

"Thank you."

[coffee_sir]

"Yeah," he agreed as he craned his head back to look as well, still walking nearer to her. "Better than in any city."

Ianto stopped when he beside her, not touching, but close enough that all she need do was lean an inch and she'd be against his chest, in his arms. He dropped his gaze from the sky, returning it to her with the slightest frown on his brow. "What for?"

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

She tentatively leaned that inch, ready to act like she'd just lost her balance, like- like she hadn't known he was there. After all, they'd all agreed. Just once, right? "They didn't seem so bright, no matter where I was." She bit the inside of her lip for a moment. "For tonight." The words were so simple, but they meant so much.

Because- because she knew that he in particular didn't- he'd not.... and he'd still done it. Let himself do it, maybe.

[coffee_sir]

He responded physically without hesitation, reaching one arm around her back and settling his hand at her hip, holding her close but not keeping her there. The verbal response, however, took a bit more thinking. This hadn't been a favor, which is what answering 'you're welcome' would make it sound like. And saying 'thank you' in kind just made it all seem rather crude and base in Ianto's mind.

"You needn't thank me, Ace," he said gently. "I appreciate it, but I'd rather you didn't."

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

Her brows knit, and she thought for a few moments before she spoke quietly. "I- You made it... clear. Before." She shrugged, but didn't pull away from him, shifting so that she actually moved closer, her forehead on the bare skin of his chest. She was still off-center from him, but she didn't care - she just wanted to be close to him in what time she had. She liked the closeness- it was one of those things that she always wanted to have, somehow. "That's all. Alright?" She knew what he'd said, and- and it wasn't like she was asking again, or anything. Just that she knew how it was. Knew how it was going to be.

"It meant- It meant a lot." That he'd not- that he'd not wanted, and he'd still- Her voice was still quiet, but it was clear that she wasn't upset.

[coffee_sir]

"I know," he said quietly. He had made it clear. Twice. But he hadn't anticipated this. Any of this. It was much easier to say he didn't want anything like this with her when they were in the kitchen and the possibility of this kind of intimacy was far away. Now Ianto didn't know if it was better to eat his words or let her think whatever she thought.

"And alright," Ianto said, letting the thought drop away from his mind. His hand shifted away from her hip, rubbing lightly at her back before resting at her middle back. He brought his chin down so he could speak softly but she could still hear. "It meant a lot to me, too."

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

Ace opened her eyes some hours later, and made a soft noise in her throat as she lifted up her head. It was warm- There was an arm over her hip, and someone was pressed against her back.

Oh.

She remembered.

She smiled slowly, and then pressed a gentle kiss to Jack's shoulder, slipping out from between them. She was awake, didn't want to wake them up- She took one of the shirts as she slipped out of the tent, slipping on the shirt. The moon was out, and she padded out into the grass. She looked up at the stars, and a slow smile spread on her face, having no idea that she'd actually woken people up.

OOC; For Jack. :3

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack had heard Ace and Ianto outside and had rolled over and dozed off. It wasn't until Ianto came back in the tent without Ace that Jack made noises like he'd just woken up and said something about having to pee and left the tent with his jeans in hand.

Outside, he pulled them back on, then stirred the coals and brought the fire to life again, watching the flames lick and dance on the new sticks he'd added. Considering how the day had begun, he couldn't think of a better way to close it out.

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

Ace padded back into the clearing, skin still damp from the imprompteu rinse she'd taken in the nearby stream. She... She was happy, really. For once. Just tonight. She could deal with just tonight, be happy with it-

Not question it, maybe.

Ianto's shirt was slipping off her shoulder, her legs catching the firelight. "... Jack?" She said his name quietly even as she moved closer, still hesitating just a moment. She'd- for god's sakes, she'd punched him.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Ace," he replied, looking up with a broad grin. "Glad you came back. How...how are you feeling?" he asked, eyes darting to her stomach, then back up.

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

She half smiled, and moved a bit closer, fingers reflexivly skimming hair off his forehead. "I'm.... Okay, I think. No, I'm good." Her brows knit at gentle fingers turned his head to see if she'd left a bruise. "I'm sorry I- Well, I'm not sorry I hit you, but I hope it doesn't still hurt?" That seemed to be the right answer.

"Can I join you? Or do you want to just be alone?"

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack smiled softly and moved into the touch, eyes trained on hers. "It doesn't hurt. And I deserved it, so...yeah," he said. "Have a seat. I've slept about all I can tonight."

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

Ace moved a closer, not sitting yet as she bent her head to press a kiss to his hair. She closed her eyes, standing there for a few moments as she spoke very quietly. "Thank you." She'd been through this rigamarol with Ianto, but she needed to say it. Needed to say it and mean it, those two words almost more meaningful and heartfelt then the conversation she'd had with him the night before.

It was for so much more then offering her a seat. It was for tonight, for fighting her and coming after her and- and not leaving her alone.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome," Jack said, reaching up to catch her cheek in his hand. He held her for a moment, just feeling the smooth softness of her cheek, the warmth of her skin. Just a moment, and then he let go to stir the coals again. "Aren't you sleepy?"