[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

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack was off like a shot in the direction of the explosion. "Ianto! Gun!" he called, pulling the rifle off his shoulder.

He charged through the brush, not worrying about stealth or preserving signs. He could see smoke up ahead and he knew where he was heading.

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

It wasn't particularly Ace's fault that she'd nearly missed the ... well. Rather giant dinosaur that was behind her. She'd been throughly occupied with her own thoughts, and only the scurrying of jungle creatures around her was enough of a warning that she pulled out three cans of nitro even as she scrambled to her feet.

Imagine a T-Rex. Now put it on a diet, and make it a little smaller, and even as she ran backwards, popping the lids off of her nitro that was what she saw. She counted, praying to whatever powers existed in this god-forsaken place that Jack'd calibrated her timers right - and when the first had fifteen seconds left she threw it, and then the next, and the next.

The first one hit it - it shrieked, and literally snapped the next one out of the air- and as the third rolled to it's feet, it loped forward-

.... The only reason Ace wasn't entirely covered in dinosaur blood was that she was partially behind a tree, but honestly she looked like Carrie on Prom night. She coughed, and looking at- well, at what was left of it-

She stumbled away from the gore to be inelegantly sick in a bush.

[coffee_sir]

Ianto dropped his branch and sprinted off after Jack, following, gun drawn, until he too could see and smell the smoke. The first thing he noticed was the smoking remains of a carcass, and the second a bloody Ace. He spun around, careful to not point his gun anywhere near Jack or Ace, some half-formed thought about securing a perimeter in his head, should this have been the kind of thing that hunted in packs.

No immediate signs of danger, and Ianto ran to Ace's side, taking hold of her arm despite the blood. "Ace?" he asked in lieu of a thousand other questions. 'Are you hurt' and 'What were you thinking' and all variants thereof were choked out by worry and panic.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"No time," Jack insisted. "Get her up, Ianto. The scavengers will be here with all this blood in the air."

Jack took a cursory and appraising look at Ace and decided in a second that she was more shocked than hurt and kept his gun leveled on the jungle.

"Let's go."

It wasn't a suggestion.

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

Jack.

And Ianto.

Emotions roiled through her, everything from anger to hurt to fear- And then Jack was saying Let's go and she went without thinking, not even sure what to say.

Several conversations played their way through her head, making it pointless to actually make them.

I said I can take care of myself.

What, like you just did, getting sprayed with dinosaur guts?

She wiped the blood (well, some of it) off her face as she followed- it was three minutes before she ground out words. "You didn't have to follow me."

[coffee_sir]

Ianto kept to Ace's side, gun still drawn and wary, but too concerned about Ace and getting that blood off and getting them out of the vicinity of dinosaurs to say much.

Until Ace spoke. "We don't want you hurt," he said.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack was focused on the trail, keeping his eyes peeled for the pylons of the perimeter. He caught a flash off to the right and stopped.

"Ace. Ianto. Perimeter is half a klik straight ahead. Keep that gun drawn and run. Don't look back. Just run as fast as you can."

The brush to the left rustled, but it might have been the wind. Jack knew it wasn't...he'd seen this breed before.

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

"Like hell." She knew it wasn't the time to have out right there when even she could see that there were things coming. She backed up, even as she swung around her (bloody) rucksack, and lifted her voice. "Jack-"

She tossed the silver can, already knowing he'd catch it.

She backed up a few more steps, and then turned. "If you aren't right behind us, I'll never forgive you."

And then, she ran, loping steps to try and keep up with Ianto's longer legs.

[coffee_sir]

Ianto knew better than to waste time arguing with Jack in a situation like this. Other situations, perhaps, but every rustle of leaves and second that passed made the knots in his stomach retwist even tighter. Glancing at Jack quickly, he nodded, swallowing against a dry mouth.

He waited until Ace had tossed the can, then took her arm again, anxious to keep her close and start running. The moment she turned and started moving her feet, Ianto started sprinting as fast as he could while still keeping her beside him, half pulling when need be.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

He caught the nitro deftly and stood, drawing the attention of the amber eyes as Ace and Ianto got away. He didn't hear anything following them so it wasn't long before he turned and began backing out of the area.

Two shots rang through the jungle, and about thirty seconds later there was an explosion.

And it was a few more minutes before Jack swaggered out of the jungle grinning from ear to ear.

"There's my girl."

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

Ace was shrugging off her rucksack, letting it fall to the ground as she pulled her shirt over her head. "You didn't have to follow me." Her jaw tightened even as she balled up the bloody fabric, and threw it at him. "I left for a reason, and it's not so that the two of you - especially the two of you can follow me." She was in her bra, but didn't care.

Jack'd seen it, and Ianto- well, she wasn't particularly focused on Ianto at the moment. "I can take care of myself. I don't need- I don't need looking after."

[coffee_sir]

Ianto was quiet as Ace started talking, just relieved that they were all out of the damned dinosaur territory, each in one piece. Setting the safety on the gun, he placed it back in its holster, hands falling to his hips as he watched Ace. If there was any reaction to her in her bra (which there wasn't), he certainly wasn't showing it.

"We're not going to let you wander about in dinosaur territory, Ace, no matter how well you can care for yourself."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack deflected the bloody shirt and set the rifle against a tree. His smile fell and he shook his head. "You? Do not get to die alone. You want time by yourself? Fine. Take care of yourself. You should know I know you can."

He crossed to her and grabbed her bare shoulders. "And you also know that no matter where you go or what you do, I'll be there for you. I told you that. I promised you that. You might not like what you said to me, Ace, but I did. Do. Tell me the truth, if I'd run off again and left you a note like that, would you really have sat on your hands and just waited?"

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

"I did it once already." She twisted, trying to get out of his hands. "Why? What does it bloody fucking matter what I do? It doesn't matter." She was inches from just kicking him, from hitting and maybe from crying. "You can go, and you can leave and the rest of us just have to wait, and I leave and it's not even twelve fucking hours, Jack. Why do you care?"

Maybe that was the crux of it - that they cared enough to come here, but- Don't go there Ace. She was almost shaking with emotion, twisting to look over her shoulder at Ianto. "Why did you come?" She looked back at Jack, at those warm hands on her shoulders. "If you knew I could take care of myself, you wouldn't have come after me."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Because I love you, Ace. How many ways do I have to tell you that? It's not just some thing I say in bed and it's not something I take lightly," he said, leaning forward. He wasn't angry, but he'd be damned if she was going to get away with this with him. He held her tightly and resisted the urge to just shake her, but only barely.

"It wasn't stupid that you told me. It means so much more than you know, Ace. You and me...you and me..."

When at a complete loss for words, Jack didn't think twice. He closed the distance and kissed her.

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

.... And for once, Ace didn't melt into the kiss, didn't lean up and try and remember it. She yanked herself back so hard she almost stumbled, and she didn't even think about it before her fist moved towards his exceedingly perfect face. Luckily (for him), she wasn't planted on the ground terribly well.

"You and me- there- Jack, there isn't-" Her eyes burned, and so much of her was laid bare for him to see. That pure loneliness, that feeling that they'd be better off- "There isn't. And there won't be." It wasn't that she was denying him, that she was protesting. Her voice was rough with the tears she had choked back, low with an almost resignation and hurt- and she turned to move away. To get away from him, to get away from both of them because this hurt that much- When her back was turned, her head down as she just left, her rucksack forgotten - she started to cry.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

He was thankful she wasn't planted better. Why was his jaw the place to aim? His head jerked to the side with the meager force and he let her go, watching her until his heart felt like it was ripped apart. He looked over at Ianto, then shook his head. Jack slipped his pack off and pulled off his shirt. "ACE!" he called, throwing it at the back of her head.

Then he took up his rifle and pack and nodded to the rucksack. "Bring that along, Ianto. It's getting dark and we need to find a spot for the night."

[coffee_sir]

There was nothing Ianto could do but watch the scene play out in front of him. This wasn't what he had expected. He had expected shouting from Ace, yes, but other than that he had not known what to expect. He had not realized how deep Jack and Ace's relationship was, or how it worked itself out.

A part of him regretted coming, not because Ianto didn't want to watch out for Ace, but he felt more an accessory than part of a solution.

He nodded, already moving to pick up the rucksack as Ace walked away, watching her go.

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

Ace'd ignored the shirt, wincing as she heard the yell and felt something hit her (squishy as it was), but she didn't even look at it. She kept going, barely even registering the branches scratching her skin as she sped from a walk to a run, feet pounding on the jungle floor until she finally stopped at the edge of a clearing.

It wasn't stupid that you told me. It means so much more than you know, Ace. You and me...you and me...

"Shut up-" The words were almost sobs, her body folding as she sat at the base of a tree, her skin against the rough bark with her knees to her chest. There wasn't a him and her, there wouldn't be a him and her, and to say that there was- it hurt so much, it hurt so bad she wanted to throw up, wanted to just run and run and never see him again even though that hurt worse. It'd be better if she wasn't around, if she moved out and she wasn't making things harder-

But then she'd be really alone. Really alone, and- and it would hurt- Not that it doesn't hurt now. She rubbed her face with shaking hands, and finally just broke down. She couldn't do this anymore.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack stalked through the jungle, taking his frustration out on vines and foliage. He came to a clearing and stopped, shaking his head and finally turning to look at Ianto.

"That didn't go well," he said, like he needed to state something so obvious. "I'm sorry I'm dragging you all over, making you camp and stuff. It's dangerous in the dark, though."

[coffee_sir]

Ianto followed, ever quiet, keeping his head down and the rucksack over his shoulder. He was thinking, and perfectly content to simply walk along, as Jack was doing an excellent job on clearing a path.

"No," he agreed quietly. "But you didn't really expect it to, did you?" Ianto shook his head. "Don't apologize for that. I decided to come along, after all."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"I don't know what I expected. If Ace is like this today, maybe I'd rather stay out here, too," he sighed, unpacking the tent and setting it up. It wasn't huge, but there was plenty of room for three...if Ace came back.

"You think she'll come back? She's half naked and we've got her rucksack. She's got to come, right?" he asked, looking off into the jungle as iff he could see her.

[coffee_sir]

Dropping the rucksack, Ianto moved to help Jack, unfolding the tarp and grabbing a spike. He paused as he started to secure the tent.

"... Well, does she know how to find us?"

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Ianto, I don't know how to find us," he replied. "Maybe...God, she's pissed at me. I can finish this if you'll go look around for her. She can't have gotten far."

[coffee_sir]

Jack had a point, so Ianto nodded, leaving the spike and mallet for Jack to finish. He dug into the pack, fishing out a bottle of water for a quick drink, and then replaced it and nodded. "Be back."

He doubled back on the way they came, until he found the spot with Ace's bloody shirt and Jack's discarded one. Picking up both, Ianto then turned in the direction Ace had gone, going in mostly a straight line and listening carefully for any sound of her. "Ace?" he called occasionally, wondering if she'd even respond. "Ace!"