Labyrinth

Author’s Note: One night, while looking at my DVD collection and trying to decide what to watch, I saw my copy of Labyrinth and thought “the Labyrinth is kinda like the inside of the TARDIS” and then I giggled at the thought of the Tenth Doctor, AKA David Tennant, in David Bowie’s pants… which we all know is the REAL reason anyone watches Labyrinth. And thus this came into being…

It was just another ordinary evening in Cardiff, and once again Ianto Jones had found himself alone in the Hub of Torchwood Three. He’d finished cleaning up Owen’s area, which had included disposing of one alien, which the team was currently out investigating. Toshiko’s area required only the emptying of her trash can, since the young woman tended to feel sorry for all trash that Owen and Gwen left around the Hub. Gwen’s area took the most work, since it seemed like a tornado had passed through, leaving over half of the Hub’s coffee cups in it’s wake.

After feeding the Weeviles and Myfanwy, Ianto made his way over to Jack’s office, which he’d left for last. Normally Jack’s office wasn’t too bad, but the last few times that Ianto had tried to clean he’d ended up bent over Jack’s desk with his pants around his knees. Ianto suspected that Jack secretly liked having his work area messy, and only allowed Ianto to clean it so he could keep the Welshman happy.

But now Jack was gone, which meant that Ianto could finally tidy up after his mysterious lover. Ianto stepped inside Jack’s office, which seemed to be cleaner then he remembered. A yellow post-it-note was stuck on the monitor of Jack’s computer, and it bore the Captain’s familiar scrawl.

Ianto-
Couldn’t sleep last night, so I cleaned.
-Jack

Next to Jack’s signature was a little cartoon heart. Ianto swiped the post-it-note and placed it in his pocket, before proceeding to tidy up a little bit. Jack’s definition of “clean” was very different from Ianto’s definition. After throwing away a veritable mountain of old Torchwood papers and newspaper clippings, all of which Jack no longer needed but had apparently forgotten to throw away. After dumping a load of paper, Ianto reached for another load, only to have his fingers brush against something different. Between an old newspaper and an old medical report from Owen was a thin book, bound in ancient red leather. On the cover was a drawing in black ink of an archway. Above the archway the title was written in a elaborate cursive script.

“The Labyrinth?” Ianto blinked, turning the book over in his hands. Why on Earth would Jack had a child’s book on his desk? Spotting a bookmark, Ianto allowed the book to fall open to the page it was marking. The bookmark was old, made of brown leather so dark it was almost black. Upon the dark leather was an abstract design painted in white. The bookmark looked almost as old as the book itself. Ianto found that his eyes were drawn to a section of the page where someone had written ‘REMEMBER THIS’ in faded blue ink. Part of the paragraph next to the message had been underlined.

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child you have stolen. For my will is as strong as your’s and my kingdom as great. You have no power over me!

Ianto frowned, trying to figure out why anyone would need to remember that particular part of the book. Slowly he flipped back to the first page of the book, wondering what Jack had found so interesting about the old children’s book. Ianto could faintly remember someone reading the book to him when he was young. From what he could remember it was a normal enough fairytale… simple story, happy ending.

Ianto was about to put the book back, when he heard the familiar sounds of the Torchwood Three Team returning to the Hub. Without thinking about it, Ianto slipped the book into his pocket before walking out into the main section of the Hub. Ianto watched Gwen, Toshiko and Owen enter the Hub… with Jack a few steps behind him.

Jack looked exceptionally tired. His coat was draped over one arm, and his blue shirt was stained with blood… Ianto had enough experience with Jack’s immortality to know that, once again, Jack had died and been brought back to life. Jack nodded to the rest of the team, who was making their way out of the Hub, apparently having been told they could leave.

Before Ianto could offer to take Jack’s coat, or at least get the Captain a clean shirt, the immortal man tossed his coat over the back of the Hub’s beat up old sofa. Jack was slowly moving towards his quarters, running a hand through his hair as he picked at the dried blood on his shirt with a sort of grim fascination.

“We’re done for today. You can go home,” Jack called over his shoulder, not even looking at the Welshman.

Ianto checked that the rest of the team was gone before he spoke. “Jack… I thought maybe we could---” The Captain cut him off.

“Not tonight Ianto.”

Ianto silently watched as Jack opened the hatch which lead down to his personal living quarters. Jack slid down the ladder and a few seconds later he could hear Jack typing on a laptop computer. Ianto sighed softly, before going back to his duties. He forgot about the book in his pocket until several hours later. It was at that point that Ianto found himself sitting on the couch, trying to work up the nerve to force Jack to talk to him.
Since Jack’s mysterious disappearance and reappearance, he’d both distanced himself from Ianto and never wanted the young Welshman to leave his side. He was extremely hesitant to allow Ianto out on a mission, no matter how mundane or how much they needed another man. Most disturbing to Ianto were the times when, after shunning him for hours, Jack would hold Ianto for hours. All the while Jack offered no explanation for why he was acting so strangely or where he’d gone!

As Ianto pondered the mystery that was Captain Jack Harkness, he slipped his hands in his pockets, where he discovered the book he’d found on Jack’s desk. Ianto found himself taking the little red book out and flipping it open. He scanned the pages, trying to remember the story.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby…

But what no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl and he had given her certain powers…

So one night she called on the goblins for help…

“Say your right words,” the goblins said, “and we’ll take the baby to the Goblin City and you will be free.”

Ianto smiled softly, remembering how, when he’d first heard the story, he’d been scared half to death that his sister would wish him away! As he grew older he’d tried to wish away some of the kids who had bullied him and school and once, when he was extremely drunk, he’d even tried to wish away a girlfriend of his.

Ianto sighed as he looked over at the hatch. He could still hear the sound of Jack typing. There was no denying that something was wrong with the immortal… Jack would normally never chose work over Ianto. Ianto’s eyes drifted back down to the book, which was lying open in his lap.

“I can bear it no longer! Goblin King! Goblin King! Wherever you may be! Take this child of mine far away from me!”

Ianto had always thought that it was an extremely weird way to wish someone away… after all, wouldn’t it be easier just to say something like:

“I wish the goblins would come and take you away,” Ianto whispered, looking in the direction of Jack’s hatch without really thinking about what he was saying. “Right now.”

It took Ianto a few seconds to realize that the sound of Jack typing on his laptop had stopped. Worried that Jack had somehow heard him, Ianto quickly made his way over to the hatch, leaving the book on the couch. He peered down, expecting to see Jack staring up at him… only to find that Jack quite simply wasn’t there.

There was no other way out of Jack’s personal quarters, and no way that the captain could have slipped without Ianto noticing. As Ianto struggled not to panic, he didn’t notice that something was flying around the upper levels of the Hub… and it wasn’t Myfanwy.

Ianto turned around, thinking he had heard something behind him and found himself face to face with a large white owl. Ianto squeaked in surprise and held up his hands, afraid that the creature was going to crash into him… only to watch in amazement as the owl shifted and became a man dressed as if he belonged to a Renaissance Fair. One where everyone wore tights two sizes two small.

“Who… who are you? What are you doing here?” Ianto struggle not to let his surprise show, and tried to focuses on how a civilian had gotten into Torchwood Three. Ianto took another look at the man’s strange clothing… it was somewhat like a cross between a Medieval Lord and a Rockstar… and for some strange reason the man looked an awful lot like the ex Prime Minister, Harold Saxon. “You’re not an alien… are you?”

“No,” the man smiled mysteriously. “I’m the Goblin King… but you can call me Jareth.”

“The Goblin King?!?” Ianto blinked, remembering the main character from the book. “Did you take Jack? If it’s all the same, I’d like him back!”

“What’s said is said,” Jareth replied, crossing his arms so that his cloak closed around him. He slowly stalked around Ianto, who turned to keep him in view.

“But I didn’t mean it!” Ianto frowned, stepping forward. “Please… where is he?”

“You know very well where he is,” Jareth smirked. “Ianto… why don’t you go back to your normal life? Forget about Captain Jack Harkness… look! I’ve even brought you a present!”

The Goblin King extended one hand, in which he held an elegant crystal ball. “What is it?” Ianto asked, quite confused.

“Just a crystal. But if you look into it… you can see your dreams,” Jareth explained as he offered the crystal to Ianto. “Think of it! You could see your beloved Lisa once more… whole and unharmed.”

Ianto froze at the mention of Lisa. He struggled to keep down the painful memories and emotions that the mention of her name triggered. “I’m sorry, but I can’t…” Ianto whispered. “I want Jack back!”

Jareth frowned and the crystal vanished from his hands. “Ianto, don’t defy me… you’re no match for me!”

Jareth frowned and the crystal vanished. “Ianto, don’t defy me… you’re no match for me!”

“Where is he?” Ianto asked, as the room seemed to fade away… Ianto found himself standing in a field, looking out at an immense Labyrinth. Far in the distance a castle could be seen, rising above the rest of the Labyrinth. “The Castle beyond the Goblin City,” Ianto whispered, as Jareth stepped forward, coming between Ianto and the view.

“You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth… before Captain Jack Harkness remains here forever.”

The Goblin King vanished, leaving Ianto alone on the hill. “How do I get into these sort of messes?” Ianto sighed, before he started walking down the hill towards the walls of the Labyrinth.

As Ianot approached the high outer wall of the Labyrinth, he blinked in surprise. There, admiring her reflection in a small decorative pond was a young woman with blond hair. The woman appeared to have heard Ianto’s approach, since she turned to look at him, raising one perfectly plucked eyebrow.

“Excuse me… I have to get through this Labyrinth. Can you help me?” Ianto asked the young woman, who was wearing what looked like something that barmaids would wear… or perhaps a pirate’s wench.

“I’m Rose… who are you?” The young woman asked, slowly standing up and straightening out her skirts, before she started walking away from Ianto. She walked alongside the Labyrinth’s wall.

“I’m Ianto… do you know where the door to the Labyrinth is?” He asked, watching as Rose battered aside a Fairy as if it were a mosquito.

“Maybe,” Rose sighed, inspecting her nails. “But you have to ask the right question.”

“How do I get into the Labyrinth?”

“Here,” Rose practically yawned, gesturing to an opening door which hadn’t been there a few seconds before. “You’re not going in there are you?”

“I’m afraid I have to,” Ianto sighed, leaving Rose outside and entering the Labyrinth… only to be confronted with a straight path in both directions. “They both look the same!” Ianto sighed.

“You’re not going to get very far!” Rose laughed as she leaned on the archway which formed the door to the Labyrinth.

“Which way would you go?” Ianto asked, turning to look at Rose, who laughed at him, covering her mouth with one hand.

“I wouldn’t go either way!” Rose smirked. “You take too many things for granted! For example, even if you do get to the center, you’ll never get out again.”

“Thanks for nothing,” Ianto sighed, watching as Rose walked out of the Labyrinth, the colossal doors closing behind her. Shaking his head, Ianto started off in one direction, hoping that Rose wasn’t right.

TBC