Title: If the Sun Doesn't Shine
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 5, 50episodes
Prompt: 35, Sunshine
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own Ianto Jones or the Tenth Doctor. Please do not sue.

***

Ianto leaned back, propping himself up on his elbows and looking down at the scene before him. They had landed the Tardis on a hill high above Cardiff, overlooking the city, and he wanted to stay here for a while and prepare himself for what was to come.

He shouldn't be so apprehensive about seeing Jack and his former Torchwood teammates again, Ianto told himself sternly. He'd gone to them before when he needed help finding the Doctor; why should this time be any different?

This was different because it wasn't just him asking for help, he told himself with a sigh. It was both of them this time around. And Ianto knew that the Doctor hated to ask for Jack's help, even when he knew that he was probably going to need it.

He himself wasn't thrilled about going to his former teammates with the suspicions he and the Doctor had, asking them for help against a menace that might very well not present itself. After all, they had nothing to go on at this point but their disturbing dreams.

What was Jack going to say when he found out that they had nothing concrete to base their suspicions on, nothing but dreams that had been growing steadily worse? He might very well laugh and say that they were being ridiculous.

Ianto didn't think that the immortal would take anything the Doctor said lightly. He knew that the Time Lord wasn't the kind of person to panic -- and that he would be reluctant to ask for help, even when he needed it. The mere fact that the Doctor had come to him would convince him.

But would it be that easy? Ianto frowned as he shaded up his eyes and looked up into the blindingly blue sky, sighing as he did so. On a day like this, it was hard to believe that any of them could have a care in the world -- but appearances could be so deceiving.

The bright sunshine beat down on him, washing the sight of the city of Cardiff with a light that he didn't usually visualize it as having. What would happen if Jack didn't help them, and if they were right? Would the Master be able to take this kind of light away from the world?

Not only could he do that, Ianto thought, mouth thinning into a grim line, but he would more than likely try to make sure that Earth would never again see a glimmer of light. He would probably destroy this planet, leave it nothing but a dead husk.

No. The Doctor wasn't going to let his ancient enemy do that -- and neither was he. No matter what they might have to do, if their suspicions were proved correct and the Master was planning something, they would stop him. And Torchwood would help.

It might be hard for the Doctor to ask for that help, but Ianto was sure that once the Torchwood members knew what they were up against, they would be only too glad to help in any way they could. Another thought hit him, one that made his eyes widen.

Jack had dealt with the Master before. He knew just what that villain was capable of -- and he probably knew better than any other human just what that madman had tried to do to the Doctor in the past. Yes, Jack would help. He wouldn't need a reason.

Why hadn't he thought of that before? Ianto could almost feel relief seeping through him. It wouldn't be hard to convince Jack that the Master was plotting something. He was more conversant with the Master's evil than most humans could ever hope to be.

Now, all that remained was to take a little time for themselves before they went to Torchwood and laid it all out for Jack and the team -- and took the chance that they could be embroiled in a situation that might demand they make the ultimate sacrifice.

No! Ianto told himself, shaking his head vehemently. Even if he had to sacrifice himself for the Doctor, he wasn't going to let his lover do the same. The universe needed the Doctor if they wanted the sun to continue to shine in their world.

The Doctor was the one who had to be protected at all costs. Ianto was expendable -- and really, so was anyone else other than the Time Lord. No matter what the Master might throw at them, they couldn't let the Doctor be vulnerable in any way.

"You look awfully serious about something, love." The Doctor's voice broke into Ianto's thoughts, making the young man look up and shade his eyes against the brightness of the sun again as the Time Lord sat down beside him. "I doubt this view put that scowl on your face."

Ianto shook his head, sighing as he spoke. "I was just thinking about what we may be up against. I know that Jack will help us -- he's had to deal with the Master often enough to know what that kind of insanity is like. But it's still not going to be easy."

"With him, it never is," the Doctor said softly, closing his eyes and stretching himself out full-length on the carpet of emerald-green grass. "We're heading into a situation where anything could happen, Ianto. And we have to be sure that what he wants doesn't happen."

"It won't," Ianto said with more confidence than he felt. "We'll stop him, no matter what we might have to do." He fell silent, not wanting to reveal more of what his thoughts had been to the Time Lord. He knew that what he'd been thinking would only upset his lover.

"None of us are going to take any unnecessary risks, even to stop the Master," the Doctor told him, his voice firm. "Especially you, Ianto. If anyone puts themselves into harm's way, it'll be myself and Jack. I won't risk losing you."

"We're all in this together, Doctor." Ianto's voice was no less strong than the other man's. "When I bonded with you, I took a vow to stand by you and be a part of you. That means that where you go, so do I. And if you're in danger, I'm right there beside you."

"And then I would have to live the rest of my life without you," the Doctor whispered, sitting up and turning his gaze to Ianto. The young man was surprised to see tears glistening in those beautiful dark eyes, threatening to spill down the Doctor's face.

"Doctor -- if anything happens to you, then none of us will live to see another day," Ianto murmured, his throat constricting even as he spoke. "He'll never let us live if he kills you. You know that. And without you, my life wouldn't be worth living."

Ianto wrapped his arms around the Time Lord, pulling the other man into his arms. "Without you, then the sun doesn't shine for me -- or for anyone," he whispered, wanting the Doctor to understand how strongly he felt about this. "And if the sun doesn't shine, then there's no life."

The Doctor raised his head, squinting up at the sun blazing down upon them from the bright blue sky. "I suppose you're right," he said after a few moments, his voice so soft that Ianto could barely hear him speak. "But I don't like to admit that."

"What, that you're indispensable?" Ianto told him, a teasing look in his blue-grey eyes. He wanted to lighten the mood, to change the subject for the short while that they would have before they plunged themselves in a world of darkness and intrigue.

The Doctor laughed ruefully, shaking his head. "No, that either of us having much of a life without the other would be impossible," he said softly, reaching up to take Ianto's face between his hands."I'd have an existence, but a life? No. Not without you."

"Then we're just going to have to make sure that we beat the Master at whatever game he's planning to play -- and that we keep the sun shining for all of us," Ianto answered, his voice soft and husky. "If we work together, I know we can do it."

The Doctor's answering smile was, for Ianto, as bright as the sun shining overhead. And he would sacrifice whatever he had to for that smile to keep shining in his life, he told himself, bowing his head to capture the Time Lord's lips with his and lose himself in their kiss.

***