Achieving Avalon (part 3)

[hopenight]

Title: Achieving Avalon
Author: HopeNight
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, past Arthur/Merlin, past Ianto/Lisa, past Ianto/others, Gwen/Rhys
Ianto Jones/Merlin Emrys, Captain Jack Harkness/Arthur Pendragon, Toshiko Sato, Doctor Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper, Rhys Williams, Morgana la Fey/Lady Morgana Farthing, Great Dragon/Cameron Ashmore, Nimueh/Naomi Smith
Warnings: OOC-ness running rampant, rude language, REALLY AU after Cyberwoman, Jack Harkness in general
Rating: PG-13 possibly light R
Current Word Count: 20,001
Beta(s): scarlet_reader
Summary: Ianto Jones is a perfectly ordinary man with no past and a not so ordinary job. Merlin Emrys on the other hand? He has a trail of mysticism, magic, death, love, and reincarnation following him like a lost puppy. Somehow it’s up to him to put a little magic back into the Torchwood teams lives especially Jack’s. Why? Well because it’s Jack he falls in love with every lifetime and it’s up to the Captain to get his own memories back.
Notes: This was just a weird little chestnut in my head. So yeah I wrote and I enjoyed it. Thanks to my wonderful beta, scarlet_reader.

Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.-Duke Senior As You Like It

 

Magic is by definition unpredictable. Well alright not exactly by definition. The definition of the word magic is as follows: the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature. This tells how magic can be controlled
.

 

Real magic on the other hand, real pure wild magic is a whole other thing entirely. See magic such as this is untamed, amazing and golden. It is the core of Ianto Jones or Merlin Emrys, whatever you prefer to call him. It’s what fuels the mind.

 

It’s what you think you saw out of the corner of your eye.

 

And it loves everyone throughout space, time, and existence. It’s barely there, barely tangible, feather light and like a butterfly’s kiss. It’s still amazing nonetheless…still breath taking…
still…

 

So even though the magic is coursing through the air, playing with people, and having a rather grand old time the vessel of magic was hard at work.

 

“How the bloody hell did you get this shit on the esoteric woofer?!”groused Ianto as he rolled up his sleeves and scrubbed. He stared at the green purple goo that coated the machine. He turned to glare at his co-workers.

 

Tosh had the decency to look a little bit sheepish. Gwen shrugged a little. Owen just glared at Ianto. Jack, the bastard, had the gall to smile at him.

 

In a past life, Ianto would have smacked the Captain on the back of the head. But then it would’ve led him merrily to the stocks. The tea-boy had a sneaking suspicion that he would always hate that device. Except for the memory of that one time Arthur was accidentally put in the stocks.

 

He sighed and cursed under his breath.

 

“You know what? I really don’t want to know. If this happens again, I’ll lock you all up in the bleeding stocks we have in the basement.”

 

“Kinky.”

 

The sorcerer rolled his eyes and began to curse in Welsh as he went back to cleaning. Sometimes this job took him back to the unpleasant memories of mucking out the horse shit. Though pterodactyl shit isn’t that much better.

 

He muttered under his breath. This is not coming off… Quietly he looked over his shoulder. The team had dispersed leaving him to his cleaning. He bit his lip and chewed on it for a moment. If it was just a little softer then he could get it off easier.

 

He licked his lips before closing his eyes and holding out his hands. He gently worked the goop with his magic to get it softer while simultaneously praying that he wouldn’t get caught. Then he began to clean off something that was green purple with the consistency of tapioca and smelled like rotting meat.

 

He decided then and there that he really needed a raise or special cleaning supplies. He sighed and went back to scrubbing. To distract himself from the rather rancid smell, he sang softly under his breath. He didn’t notice the shadow of the Captain standing there, listening to the tea-boy sing.

 

“Tradition is a trap that allows people to stick their head in the sand. Everything in the past was so quaint, so charming. Times were simpler, kids didn't have sex, neighbors knew each other. It's a friggin' fairy tale. Things sucked then too, they just sucked without indoor plumbing.” –Luke, Gilmore Girls

 

Ianto enjoyed his volunteer work at the pediatric specialty hospital. It was very soothing. It gave him a chance to talk about his actual past. The children knew he was magic. He wasn’t exactly clear on the why exactly. Just that the children consciously sought out magic and they knew instantly when they found it.

 

What really surprised him was not the fact that Morgana was in the doorway, watching and waiting for him, they were going out for drinks that night anyway. What surprised him was that Jack was there, looking as if he stepped out of a black and white movie in his forty style clothes; listening to him as if he had the elixir that turned lead into gold. Which he does have, somewhere in the mess of a storage place set up by Morgana…but that’s really neither here nor there.

 

It’s just that it’s been a few weeks since he returned to work. It was just like before: Ianto in obscurity. Except for Tosh, she kept her promises and they ate together most times talking about the latest science articles they read before it dissolved into movies and the latest happenings on Eastenders (which they both will not admit to being fans of). So seeing the Captain there was a major surprise because the last few conversations they had was about either food, coffee, archives, or meetings with various government heads.

 

Pushing the Captain out of his mind, he smiled as he talked about the time that Morgana and Arthur had a midnight horse race, which Morgana won. He and Gwen had collected food and after the race, they had had a midnight picnic with the bright silver moonlight falling down on them. He finished before he got to the part where he and Arthur made love in the forest by clearing shortly after the girls left.

 

Ianto waved goodbye to the kids as he made his way to Morgana. She gave him a huge hug and peck on the cheek.

 

“That was a great night,” she commented with a gentle tone. Ianto chuckled slightly with mischief shining in his blue eyes.

 

“It really was,” he agreed solemnly.

 

“Good story,” said Jack from behind. Ianto turned around and nodded his head at him slightly.

“Thank you, sir. I aim to please,” he paused for a moment, “May I introduce you to Lady Morgana Farthing? Morgana this is my boss, Captain Jack Harkness.”

 

Morgana gave her half smile which said she knew something that Ianto did not.

 

“It’s a pleasure, Captain,” she extended a pale, elegant hand which Jack took and touched his lips to her knuckles.

 

“The pleasure is all mine, Lady Farthing. I was hoping that I could steal Ianto for a moment? I just need to talk to him.”

 

“Not a problem. I’ll be in the car, Yan. Just come out when you’re done. It was good to meet you, Captain. I hope we see each other in the future.”

 

She smiled and placed an arm on Ianto’s before disappearing down the hallway. Ianto turned to the Captain, a curious look plastered on his face.

 

“Is there something the matter, sir?”

 

“No…I,” Jack cleared his throat and began, “I…I was hoping we could go to dinner but you’re busy with…”

 

“My friend,” finished Ianto with a small smile, “We’re meeting two others for dinner.”

 

“Oh well then it’s a bad time then.”

 

“Kind of,” said Ianto with a small smirk playing on his lips, “But, barring the end of the world, I’m free tomorrow night.”

 

Jack grinned widely and his blue eyes sparkled in the fluorescent hospital lights. Ianto could see the shadows of candlelight and same bright sparkling eyes superimposed on Jack’s face. Blond hair mingled with brown but the eyes were the same.

 

Those blue eyes were always the same.

 

“So I was thinking of making it mandatory that all men wear dresses to work on Thrusdays,” said Jack conversationally.

 

Ianto snapped out of it, “Oh! I’m sorry, sir. I was wool gathering.”

 

“It’s alright, Yan,” said Jack with a wink and small sly smile, “I’ll let you go see your friends. So tomorrow?”

 

“…Tomorrow sounds wonderful,” said Ianto as he turned around to go. His face slightly pinked, not noticing Jack’s huge grin.

 

Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean when is it going to end? –Rosencrantz from ‘Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead’

 

“So that’s Arthur’s new body huh?” said Morgana with a wicked gleam in her eye and lips curling into a knowing grin.

 

Ianto nodded knowing that there was a stupid grin on his face. He decided to let his silence do the talking.

 

“He asked you out didn’t he?”

 

The sorcerer nodded shyly. Morgana threw her head back and cackled merrily as she waved her driver to go.

 

“So what are you going to wear?”

 

“…That’s a very good question,” stated Ianto slowly and carefully. He stared ahead for a moment saddened by the fact that he has to start this over again. Having to let someone that he knew in his heart of hearts loved him fall in love with him all over again.

 

“Oh Merlin,” sighed out the beautiful maiden. She gently placed her hand over his.

 

“It’s Ianto now Morgana. It has to be,” murmured the tea-boy under his breath. Blue eyes met blue eyes. He always stood by Arthur’s side in every life. The problem was that Arthur’s face changed with every life. His didn’t. And sometimes Arthur was reborn a mere decade after he died. So he had to disguise himself, change skins. The things he did for love.

 

“Besides knowing my luck if I went in as myself they would have pieced everything together and I would’ve been experimented on by the end of my first month there.”

 

“I don’t understand why you joined that organization in the first place.”

 

“Felt right, led me to Jack after all,” said Ianto with a small smile. It was sad but hopeful.

 

“I’m going out on a limb and saying that he hasn’t remembered yet,” Ianto’s silence was confirmation enough for her, “Typical! Why must he be so difficult?”

 

“When has he ever been easy to deal with?” asked the sorcerer rhetorically.

 

Morgana grinned and nodded, “True very true. He’s always been a stubborn son of a bitch.”

 

It was always funny to Ianto hearing Morgana curse with her posh high class accent. Of course he didn’t tell her that because he a) liked his testicles un-castrated and b) he learned to fear woman from her.

 

“Always is. Always has been. Always will be.”

 

Morgana stared outside the private car’s tinted windows. Her voice sounding a million miles away as she answered, “Perhaps not always…”

 

Ianto stared at his friend wondering what the statement meant.

 

He didn’t have to wait long.

 

“For the most part, the widely held belief that most people are sane is, in fact, highly inaccurate. There are no sane people in the world. The world is broken up in to the slightly crazed, crazed, slightly insane, insane, highly insane, and holy fuck run for the hills.” –Unknown

 

Owner of the high end bar the Sorcerers Secret, Naomi Smith sat down at a small corner booth of her ultra posh bar. She took a sip of a drink that was practically neon colored and waited for her comrades to come in. It was something the four of them did at least once a month since the beginning of the 80’s. Since at that point all the drugs from the sixties and seventies were flushed out of their systems and doing magic tricks through a high state of mind lost its appeal.

 

She flicked back her long curtain of raven hair over her shoulder and smiled coyly at a handsome young Scotsman at a nearby table.

 

“I thought you decided to go off men for this decade, Naomi,” said a deep male voice. Naomi huffed and turned to meet the face of Cameron Ashmore.

 

“Doesn’t mean I can’t look now does it? It makes everything all the sweeter when I get him hot as I snog another woman senseless.”

 

The blasted dragon raised a golden eyebrow and shrugged, “I suppose. I also don’t suppose you have just beer? If I drink one of those obnoxiously colored drinks I will lose all self respect for myself.”

 

“Honey you lost all self respect when you bedded that pretty young co-ed of yours years ago…”

 

“You have to tell me which one.”

 

“That one in the nineties who convinced you to pierce your…”

 

“Continue that statement, Nao, and I will just walk out the door,” said Ianto announcing both his and Morgana’s arrival.

 

“Ianto you’re looking as brooding as ever,” sniped Naomi in a greeting. She raised her bright purple drink in a salute.

 

“Naomi how was that latest botox injection? It seemed to have gone well as you’re face seems to be frozen in some sort of horrible grimace…oh wait. That’s your normal face. My most sincere apologies,” bitched back Ianto in greeting.

 

“Must you two always do this?” complained Morgana as she took a seat next to the professor.

 

“I find it amusing,” said Cameron as he glanced over the list of drinks before him.

 

“Being nice to each other is vastly overrated, Morgana darling,” answered Naomi with a flicked of her hair. She pulled her red lips back into a lovely curl of a smile. Her blue eyes shone as she watched the pretty blonde with lovely curves in the corner booth.

 

“I think I get enough of this at work with Owen,” murmured Ianto under his breath as he read the drink menu over Cameron’s shoulder, “but I suppose this is the closest Nimueh and I will ever get to friendship.”

 

“You did kill me, Merlin,” pointed out the sorceress taking a dainty sip of her drink.

 

“Details,” said the immortal with a wave of his hand, “Is there anything remotely manly on this drink menu?”

 

“I have no idea,” answered Cameron, “I am currently searching for one. Though it seems to not be on here at all.”

 

“Ianto?”

 

Ianto froze at the sound of the voice. It was Gwen. Shit this wasn’t work. He wasn’t nearly drunk enough to deal with anything she said to him. She had been hunting him down determined to make him a project: someone that she could heap on tons of emotional stuff. He turned and saw the Welshwoman there standing next to a man that he could only assume was her boyfriend.

 

“Gwen!” he said silently blessing his years working as actor, “What are you doing here?”

 

“Oh Rhys and I are having a date night,” said Gwen gesturing to the man who Ianto had correctly assumed was Rhys.

 

“Ianto Jones it’s a pleasure to meet you, Rhys.”

 

“Same to you mate, Rhys Williams.”

 

The two men shook hands. Gwen cleared her throat and Ianto turned to look at her.

 

“Are you feeling ill, Gwen?”

 

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” she asked gesturing the table.

 

“Yes Ianto I would like to meet with one of your work friends,” said Naomi with a leer.

 

“Down Nao, you plastic surgery riddled harlot, she’s taken.”

 

“I’m down with three ways.”

 

“I thought you were exclusive to women now.”

 

“I’ll make an exception for a big strong man,” said Naomi with a wink to Rhys. The poor man was looking
distinctly uncomfortable and Gwen was getting more horrified as the conversation progressed.

 

“Gwen Cooper, Rhys Williams these are some old friends of mine: Professor Cameron Ashmore, Lady
Morgana Fathering, and Ms. Naomi Smith owner of this bar.”

 

“Hello, lovely to meet you,” greeted Morgana with a smile.

 

Cameron nodded his head in greeting. His eyes stopped on the name of a drink, “Dragon high ball? You’re twisted in the absolute worst way, Naomi.”

 

The woman in question smirked and polished off her bright purple drink. She waved her hand to a waitress signaling she wanted another.

 

“Would you like to join us?” asked Naomi sweetly.

 

“Uh, no thank you. We should...um really be going. Come on, Rhys.”

 

Ianto watched as the couple walked away. He sighed and turned to them.

 

“I have to work with her you realize this right?”

 

“That’s what makes it fuuun,” sang Naomi dragging out the ‘u’ extra long.

 

“I think she’s a little drunk,” stated Morgana with a look of wonder on her face. It usually takes a lot more
than one drink to Naomi drunk, “What the hell was in that?”

 

“If it gets her smashed that quickly I’m not really sure I want to know,” murmured Cameron with interest.

 

“Why do I hang out with you all?” asked Ianto placing his head into his hands.

 

“Um…fifteen centuries of living tends to make you want familiarity?” ventured Morgana cautiously.

 

“I don’t buy it but I’ll take it for now,” muttered Ianto under his breath, “So Jack asked me out to dinner.”

 

“Awwww…,” cooed Morgana, “You always have to fall in love with him huh?”

 

“Somehow Fate knows how to make him good enough for me to fall in love with the prat over again.”

 

“Oh Arthur’s back?” asked Naomi curiously.

 

“Reincarnated as Ianto’s boss,” answered Cameron as he sniffed the red concoction in front of him.

 

“That sounds naughty. Tea-boy, manservant…Might make a good porno though.”

 

“I hope you know that there is something very, very wrong with you, Naomi.”

 

“Shut up you overgrown lizard.”

 

“Bitch.”

 

Naomi and Cameron drifted off into their own form of bantering.

 

Ianto and Morgana shared a look that spoke volumes. They both clinked their brightly colored drinks
together. It was silent toast to the man who was both brother and lover respectively.