Title:The Search Is Over
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Tenth Doctor
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 50ficlets
Prompt: 25, Search
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.

***

He'd been searching for what he needed in his life for such a long time, the Doctor reflected, leaing back in his chair and propping his feet up on the Tardis' console. It seemed as though that search was an integral part of who he was.

How long had that search been going on? He really didn't know. He'd never really known exactly what he was looking for; there was no picture in his head of the perfect companion, or the person he'd want to give his hearts to.

Not until he'd met Ianto Jones -- and at the moment their eyes had met, he'd known that he had finally found everything he was searching for.

It was strange how one single person could embody everything he wanted, the Doctor thought to himself, smiling as he leaned back and focused his gaze on the ceiling. That had never happened until he'd found Ianto.

There had always been one thing or the other wrong with specific people. He'd thought more than once that he'd found the perfect companion -- if not as a lover, at least as a close friend -- but every one of them had always had some significant flaw.

He wasn't going to go over all of those flaws in his mind. They weren't really important, considering that those people hadn't stayed with him in the end. And they obviously hadn't been the one person who would take over his hearts.

But Ianto .... there had never been a moment's doubt in the Doctor's mind, from that very first meeting, that the two of them belonged together.

Why had he been so drawn to the young Welshman? It was probably unexplainable, he told himself, his brow furrowing slightly. No one had ever been able to satisfactorily tell him why he was attracted to certain people; he just was.

It didn't really matter, the how and why of their attraction, he thought, a smile replacing the frown. All that mattered was they they had found each other. The search was over for the two of them. They'd both found everything they needed and wanted in another person.

He'd spent most of his life thinking that what he looked for was impossible to find, especially after his relationship with Jack had come to a crashing end. The scars from that had seemed permanent; he'd been sure that he didn't want to be involved with anyone else.

And he would certainly never have thought that he would want to become the lover of the man who'd been Jack's lover after him!

But life worked in mysterious ways, as humans were fond of saying. He couldn't say just what devious paths had led him to Ianto, but he would be forever grateful that providence -- or perhaps fate -- had led him to the love of his life.

After spending so much of his life -- all of it, really -- searching for the person who could meld into his life seamlessly, he'd given up on the idea of actually finding them. He'd tried to convince himself that he was better off alone, though he knew in his hearts that wasn't true.

How many nights had he lain awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling in a darkened room, trying to tell himself that this was how he worked best, that it didn't matter if he had someone beside him or not? And all the while, he'd known that he was lying to himself.

It wasn't so much that he wanted a lover .... but he did want someone who would be committed to him, who would always be with him.

Of course, that couldn't be Ianto. He was human -- and as he'd told companions in the past, they could spend the rest of their lives with him, but he couldn't spend the rest of his life with them. That would never be possible, not with a human companion or lover.

But he could be with Ianto for as long as fate gave them -- and he was determined to ensure that it would be for quite a while. He would protect Ianto with his life; he hadn't spent so long searching for the other half of his soul to be careless with that love.

Ianto was completely committed to him, in every way. He couldn't be there forever -- his short human life span precluded that -- but it was enough for the Doctor to know that he wanted to be, and that Ianto's love would always be with him.

Yes, the search was over for him. He might not always have his lover and companion by his side physically, but Ianto would remain in his hearts forever.

The thought made his smile grow wider; he could almost feel his hearts expanding in his chest. Life might not be perfect or even easy for him, but knowing that the longest search of his life was finally at an end was enough to bring him happiness, and a certain measure of peace.

***