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aviv_b_artworkTITLE: Chapter 91-Fruition
AUTHOR: Aviv_b
RATING: Chapter 91- G/PG
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Jack, King William
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; Aunty B's and RTD's
WORDS: ~ 2810
SUMMARY: Jack and Ianto establish a daily routine. The Heroes of the Invasion Museum is almost ready to open. King William has a dilemma that only he can resolve.
Title is from: Fame and power are the objects of all men. Even their partial fruition is gained by very few; and that, too, at the expense of social pleasure, health, conscience, life. Benjamin Disraeli
Ianto's Journey begins here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/1972.html
All Chapter are linked.
A/N: I had a bit of a silly attack in the middle of writing this chapter. I had just finished talking to my brother about the fish he used to have...and their names. No I'm not kidding.
Ianto couldn’t believe how quickly almost two years had passed. He had fallen into a comfortable rhythm with his life in Cardiff. The museum was continuing to come together a little behind schedule as the board never fussed about the inevitable construction delays. Four years since the Invasion had passed, but given the amount of building being done in London and the rest of Europe, it was no surprise that skilled tradesmen and quality building materials remained in short supply.
Still it looked like the museum would be ready to open in June of 2044.
Thanks to the work of his former teammates, the section covering the everyday ordinary heroes was shaping up nicely. Gwen and Rhys had researched reports about civilian, military, UNIT and Torchwood people throughout the United Kingdom who had stood fast in the face of the invaders.
Ianto was able to prevail on Tosh and Owen to help with the project as well. At first they wanted nothing to do with it, but when Ianto pointed out that someone was going to have to go and talk to the survivors of Torchwood Osaka, they agreed to do so. In the end, they traveled to India and Australia as well. Jack volunteered to travel to the Americas and research potential Canadian heroes as well as a few extraordinary stories that had come out of the United States and Latin America.
There was an entire section devoted to the defense of London including heroes from Torchwood, the Armed Forces and UNIT. Ianto knew that he and Jack and Aaron were featured but the board refused to let him see the final exhibit.
“Sorry Ianto,” Jonathan told him during their most recent phone call, “but the King is insistent that none of the major honorees see the exhibit.”
Ianto was disturbed by this, but what could he do? The King was after all going to be attending the opening and bestowing honors on Jack and Ianto and Aaron as well as on General McGregor.
When he told Jack about his concerns Jack proposed a novel solution. “We could break in, you know. It wouldn’t be hard, and then there won’t be any surprises.”
Ianto just smiled and shook his head, ‘no.’ They had gotten into the habit of eating breakfast together, alternating between flats. ‘I don’t know about you Jack, but my lock-picking skills are a bit rusty. Not to mention, if we trip an alarm I can’t run all that fast anymore. And besides, think how it would look if we got caught…the King would have to give us our medals in prison!’
Jack snorted. “But think how exciting it would be,” he said as he expertly flipped a pancake. “You, me, danger, dark alleys…”
‘Its exciting enough just being with in Cardiff with you, thanks very much. Let’s see, you’ve managed to almost set your kitchen on fire making toast, almost flooded my flat when you were too stubborn to call a plumber and let’s not forget the little stunt of driving on the sidewalk the other day because you wanted to get around a traffic jam.’
“Yeah, guess I was pretty lucky that it was PC Andy that pulled us over. I’m really surprised he didn’t take retirement after his injury. Wouldn’t he have been eligible for a pension?”
Ianto knew that Jack was trying to change the subject, but let him get away with it.
‘You know I asked him the same thing when we first came back to Cardiff. I was at the pub with Gwen and Rhys and Andy came over and sat with us. Cardiff versus Swansea game, I think. Anyway, he said he didn’t know what he would do with himself if he didn’t keep working.’
“Poor man, he never did marry or have any children did he? And now with his injury…”
It was Ianto’s turn to snort. ‘He’s a bloody hero, Jack. Have you seen his current lady friend? She’s quite pretty. Seriously, probably fifteen years younger than him and petite and blond and has a killer body. Or at least she will until she starts showing.’ Jack stared at Ianto in disbelief. 'Yep, Andy's going to be a father. Don't cry for him Argentina.'
“Spoken like a true gentleman, Ianto," Jack teased.
‘Oi, I'm happy for him. He's a good man and deserves some happiness after everything he's been through. Dangerous surgury to try to save his eye and ends up losing it due to an infection he picked up at the hospital. Sometimes life just isn't fair, is it?’
"I think you just made the understatement of the 21st century," Jack mused.
***
After breakfast, Ianto would typically check his email, address any museum business and then go work in their garden for a few hours. Much to Jack’s surprise, the garden was quite freeform. He had teased Ianto terribly when he first started to plan the garden.
“So Ianto, are you going to arrange the flowers by color? Or how about alphabetically?” Ianto was not amused and shot Jack a withering look. “No seriously, aren’t you going to draw out everything so you have a nice neat and orderly garden?”
‘I don’t need to. I know exactly what I want to do. And its all up here,’ he said pointing to his head. There was no way that Jack was going to point out that just the week before, Ianto was complaining about his increasing forgetfulness. Much to Jack’s amazement, the garden had turned out quite nice. It was still a bit sparse in parts, but even after only two years, it was a real work of art.
Jack didn’t know the names of all the plants Ianto used, but he loved the way everything looked so unorganized but when you stood back you could see the movement of color and light and shapes through the garden. Jack didn’t help much with the actual gardening but he had constructed a small pond with a waterfall in one corner. He had surprised Ianto by adding some koi to the pool; just a few tiny ones knowing that they’d grow much larger at some point. 
‘Uh Jack, it’s charming really, but when it gets cold, the water will freeze and the koi won’t survive.’
Jack preened a bit. “I put in a heater, so the ice won’t freeze and the fish will be fine.” Ianto was impressed. Jack still often did things impetuously, but here he had taken the time to think things through. Unfortunately, Ianto was forced to revise his opinion a bit when the first winter came on cold. Jack hadn’t really calibrated the temperature, so when he switched the heater on he ended up with poached koi. Fortunately, Ianto was out that day which gave Jack time to clean out the dead fish, get the heater working properly and buy some new fish.
‘Jack,’ Ianto texted when he went into the yard, ‘something’s happened to the fish.’
Jack cursed under his breath. He was sure he had removed all the dead fish and got everything working right. As he joined out Ianto by the fountain he was relieved to see the fish were fine. “Ianto, the fish look fine, what are you talking about?”
‘Look, the white one has a black spot on it. Do you think it has a fungus? And the dark orange one…wait, we don’t have a dark orange one…these aren’t the same fish! Jack what the hell is going on?’
Jack grinned sheepishly at Ianto. Ianto rolled his eyes. “Ok, I had a little problem with the pump and somehow the fish…”
‘You let them freeze, didn’t you? Oh those poor fish, I knew something like this was going to happen.’
“Uh actually,” Jack replied, “I par-boiled them. I know stupid of me. But see, I got you new ones. I tried to get them as close looking to the original ones as I could but they’re all a little different you know…” His voice drifted off as he saw how upset Ianto was.
‘But they are not the same are they? Their personalities are completely different. Take the white one, he always ate first. This new white one is timid and shy, nothing like the original. How can he have the name Hoi Polloi Koi when he’s nothing of the kind?’
Jack mouthed the name of the fish silently. “What? You named them? You named the fish?” Jack was highly disturbed by this for some reason.
‘Yes I did. There was Myrna Loy Koi – the one that really swished her back end when she swam, Rob Roy Koi – you know the light orange one with the black on his tail, he would swim endlessly in circles like he was drunk, Hoi Polloi of course, Helen of Troy Koi – so regal...’ Ianto shook his head in exasperation. ‘Ok, what did you do with them? You weren’t planning on cooking them for dinner were you?’
“Of course not. I fed them...uh…to… that big black and white cat that comes around…” Jack’s voice trailed off as he saw the look of horror that had come over Ianto’s face.
‘Oh, you didn’t.’
As if on cue the black and white tuxedo cat strolled into the garden, sat down and promptly threw up a stomach full of fish. Jack couldn’t help it, he laughed, loudly.
‘You are cleaning that up,’ Ianto said as Jack turned to go into the house. ‘Now! I have to go and think up names for all the new fish. As if I don’t have enough to do.’
Jack was still chuckling after Ianto had left the garden. “Hey it was funny,” he told the cat. He watched the cat as he began to clean himself. “And how was I to know that he would name the fish and get attached to them? I’m mean really, who would name fish? It would be like naming a stray cat,” he said looking again at the Tom. The cat stared back unsympathetically. “Ok, no more fish boils for you, Mr. Fred Astaire if you can’t at least be on my side,” he told the cat.
Domestic harmony did not always exist at the Harkness and Jones flats, but by the following winter Boy-toy Koi, Bok Choy Koi, Oi! Koi and Jump for Joy Koi were all swimming contentedly in their pool, safe from big bad cats by fine steel mesh netting tented over the fountain and from Captain Know-It-Alls by an electronic thermostatic heater.
***
In March of 2044, the King was dealing with a bit of disharmony at his own house. He had made a promise to Ianto that Aaron would receive a knighthood and now his advisors were trying to get him to reverse his decision.
“Terrance, I don’t care if a Knighthood has never been awarded to a person posthumously, I made a promise and I’m a man of my word.”
When the advisors tried to continue King William jumped in with, “Yes, yes I know all about the 2007 assassination attempt on my late grandmother in Uganda, but that was foiled by their security services. And the rumored attempts on her life by the IRA. Not to mention the numerous attempts on Queen Victoria’s life. But I want you to name me a person who stood in front of attackers and took a bullet to save their lives.”
No one had an answer.
“Good then its settled, the Museum is set to open on June 11th, and I want a ceremony arranged for those who are getting medals and such stemming from actions during the Invasion to all be honored at once. You will have final approval of all awards and honors by the end of the week.” And with that William got up and walked out of the room.
***
In late May, as the last details were being put into place for the museum opening. Ianto made a final inspection of the site with the exception of the material that dealt with his own role in the Invasion (the King relenting on letting Ianto see Jack’s and Aaron’s displays ahead of time).
A fair amount of the space was devoted to the history of UNIT and Torchwood as well as a retelling of the invasion through recordings of ordinary citizens. A larger area covered ordinary heroes of the Invasion with multimedia presentations for each country of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. He found the personal effects of some of the heroes to be the most moving; items like a pair of eyeglasses from a utility worker who died protecting a power station, a shoe of a reporter from BBC Wales who stayed at her anchor desk reporting on the Invasion until she was finally cut down as well as PC Andy’s battered coat that he was wearing when he was hit in the eye while defending Cardiff police headquarters. Ianto looked at all the items and wondered if they shouldn’t discretely install some tissue dispensers near this part of the exhibit.
Going on to what had been the second floor of his and Aaron’s home, the guest bedrooms had been converted into an area honoring members of UNIT, Torchwood and the military who fought during the Invasion. Ianto felt his chest tighten as he looked at tributes to Gwen, several dozen casualties at Torchwood London and at Torchwood Delhi. There was also a separate display of the Indian soldiers that had died trying to protect the Torchwood India site. And then there was Osaka. Kimiyo and over two hundred of her colleagues were honored for the brave fight they lost to the Toclafane.
The final two rooms were dedicated to the ‘heroes’ that the King would be honoring just prior to the museum opening. Ianto and Aaron’s bedroom had been converted into a display of honors for four major leaders fighting against the Invasion. One section was covered as it was Ianto’s display. He was tempted to take a peak, but in the end thought it was best just to go ahead with the agreed upon plan.
The irony was not lost on Ianto. ‘Well I never thought I’d have Jack and Mickey let alone General McGregor with me in my bedroom. Could make for an interesting story. He was pleased that the information on Jack was totally positive. The UN’s Security Council report was available on digital display in its entirety but the exhibit made it very clear that everyone from Torchwood to UNIT to the regular troops to the King himself, thought it was just so much rubbish.
Ianto came to the final room, Aaron’s former study. At the King’s insistence Aaron had been allotted the largest space. Ianto protested that it would be unseemly, but the King had prevailed. He almost didn’t have the courage to look in the study but decided that in this case he didn’t want to be surprised.
Ianto gasped. The Exhibit for Aaron was titled “The Making of a Hero” and covered Aaron’s entire life from childhood to his death. There were pictures of him in Israel with his sisters and mother, with the Brigadier and Stephen and Bryan from his early days in London and later pictures of him in his Royal Marine uniforms. There was a database available full of testimonials from many of the Marines that had trained under Aaron as well as his fellow officers. There was even a personal testimonial from the King!
Ianto smiled as he examined the pictures more closely. ‘Looks like Gwen got some of those pictures back from Tamara…but a few of these must have been Ronit's or Tamara's as I've never seen them before.’ Then it hit him. There were no pictures of Geoffrey or himself with Aaron. He felt a wave of anger wash over him. ‘I don’t believe it. We’re almost half way through the 21st century and we’re still going to exclude any mention of…’
And then he saw them. Two collages of pictures were on the wall. One was a reproduction of the pictures of Aaron with Geoffrey that Ianto had put together so long ago and the other was a new one of Aaron and himself. The new one was even more beautiful than the one he had made.
‘I know who’s responsible for this,’ Ianto thought as he made a call on his cell phone.
“Hello.”
‘Jack, I’m here looking at Aaron’s exhibit at the museum and I’m astonished by two sets of pictures. You wouldn’t have any idea where these came from would you?’
Jack couldn’t tell from the voice software if Ianto was upset or not. ‘Best to be straightforward,’ Jack thought. “I had a copy of the Geoffrey collage made and borrowed the pictures from your albums and computer files to have the other one done. And don’t worry; the original pictures are all back where they belong.”
‘I can’t believe you did this. I don’t know whether to punch you or kiss you when I get back to Cardiff.’
“Both are fine with me. Oh, and Ianto, you’ll find a copy of your collage in your home office next to Geoffrey’s.”
‘Punch you then kiss it all better, that’s what I’m going to do.’
“Hurry home Ianto, I miss you.”
***
Ianto and Jack just friends, friends with benefits or lovers at this point? What do you think?
Chapter 92 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/53757.html
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no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 03:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 01:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 01:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 05:28 am (UTC)Lovers, lovers, lovers! :-)
Seriously, Jack has grown up so much across the course of this story. He is finally worthy of Ianto's steadfast love and loyalty. I'll feel like there's no justice in their world if, after all that, they don't get rewarded with the happiness of being really completely together.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 01:27 pm (UTC)As for justice - just remember what Ianto said - life in unfair (but sometimes it isn't :>).
Rig the vote.
Date: 2010-06-23 08:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 07:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 01:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 11:41 am (UTC)After everything they've been through, they truly deserve to be happy together. Awwwww.... I'm a sap for happy endings, can you tell :-) ??
no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 01:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 12:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 01:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 12:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 01:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 02:22 pm (UTC)BTW, love the fish names. And this made me laugh.
I’m mean really, who would name fish? It would be like naming a stray cat,” then Jack calls the cat Mr
Fred Astaire. Pot & kettle, Jack? LOL
no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 03:35 pm (UTC)Fish names - the first ones are actual names of my brother's fish (yeah, we're both a bit warped)
Cat name: You caught that! So far you're the only one. Like I said, I was in a very silly mood when I wrote that section.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 06:13 pm (UTC)Hubby and I keep koi and each of our fish has a name too.
Oh what Jack did for Ianto is so beautiful, I thenk htey are on thier way to being lovers again.
Wonderful writing.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-22 06:15 pm (UTC)On the way to being lovers - I think you are the closest in where they are in the relationship. And really important is that they've become friends and equals this time around!
no subject
Date: 2010-06-23 05:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-23 01:19 pm (UTC)waves hand and say(s)
Date: 2010-06-30 05:35 am (UTC)1..laughing about the koi
2....crying over the pictures and what jack did for ianto
Re: waves hand and say(s)
Date: 2010-06-30 10:54 am (UTC)