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CHARACTERS: Ianto Jones, OPEN
LOCATION: The Gardens
WARNINGS: Minor depictions of PTSD and Stockholm Syndrome, mentions of physical and mental abuse, cannibalism and body horror
SUMMARY: Ianto is back on the TQ, only a little worse for wear physically after the rescue team stormed Melkor's base. Now he has to work through the mental and emotional aftermath.
NOTES: Responses may be from both Ianto and Jack. Former captives are especially welcome!

They've temporarily relocated to the gardens, he and Jack. On finally returning to the Tranquility, Ianto had surprised even himself by nearly panicking at the enclosed dimness of their quarters. He'd insisted on checking on Myfanwy in a way that had fooled absolutely no one, especially not Jack, and they'd headed to the gardens immediately. Ianto had needed the light, the open brightness.

His wrists and neck are still chafed and sore, bite marks having broken open the skin around his wrists where he'd tried to chew through his bonds. He'd refused to go to the medbay and have it all bandaged; he didn't need medical attention, not like the others did. Jack had ultimately insisted on bandaging it all himself and Ianto had acquiesced.

He keeps close to Jack at all times, partially out of an unspoken fear that they'll be forcefully parted again, partially because he knows Jack can't be as alright as he's pretending to be, not after what Melkor did to him.

And that, he thinks, is his fault too. A lot of things are his fault. The worst of it is that there's some small part of him that feels bad for betraying Melkor. And that's crazy, it's some kind of bizarre misplaced sympathy, but knowing that doesn't help get rid of it.

As he recalls the almost crazed need he'd had to get back to the Tranquility, he wonders what else has been done to his mind.

CHARACTERS: Godric, Eric, Thranduil, Seraphim, generally OPEN to garden inhabitants
LOCATION: The Gardens
WARNINGS: Depictions and mentions of mental and emotional trauma
SUMMARY: Godric set out to rescue his progeny and his bonded from Melkor, and now they're back safely if not entirely alright. Torn between keeping an eye on both, he's brought Seraphim to the gardens to stay with them.
NOTES:

[A] Being torn between two bonds is something that can fray the nerves of even the strongest vampire. Eric would be his priority in most cases, but Eric is with Thranduil for now, something that gives him leave enough to focus on Seraphim.

Only after being assured that she's none the worse for wear does he go with her to collect some of her things, insisting that she remain close to him for now. She gives no protest, still shaken from her experience. Godric can feel it, the tremors along their bond less than they had been, but still not entirely settled. She likely won't be fully settled for some time yet.

[B] Once Godric is assured that Seraphim is settled nearby, he seeks out his child. Eric's emotional state has been battering him through their bond for so long that he itches to be near him, to take the pain and torment from him. Thranduil's presence is a boon, and a great comfort. He expects to find them together.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She rests her face in his hand a moment - it's not quite like resting her face in Sirius Black's hand, because there's always an element of something fake there. It's not love like a romantic love that she feels for Godric (but there is an uncomfortable element of it, because of the bond, that she likes to ignore) but something that's harder to pinpoint, much more difficult to describe.

You keep saving me. I owe you so much.

It's not an easy debt, or something so easily defined as quid pro quo, but it's a fact.

She smiles, though, when she holds it up for him to read.

Godric smiles gently, but shakes his head.

"You owe me nothing. You have given me much, Seraphim. Through you, I know peace. It is my honor to keep you safe, it's nothing you need to repay." Without Seraphim, he would still be lost, the long years and the doubt eating away at him. Because of what he saw through her, because of her gift, that weight is lifted from him. Bond or not, he would not easily allow her to come to harm. He will fight for her whenever necessary.

That was God. I'm only His Throne. My soul houses Him. But all miracles come from God.

She writes it down and immediately feels self-conscious about it. She doesn't talk about her faith - or rather, her knowledge - very often, because it makes her feel like some Sunday morning television evangelist. But all her miracles, the scream that saved her life, she thinks, making Godric feel whole again, those weren't her, those were God.

But I'm glad that He spoke to you.

Godric laughs quietly and shakes his head.

"And how would He have done so, if not through you? What miracle would I have had to wait for?" How long would he have had to wait?

"You are not only anything."

Her blush is immediate, and she moves quick (though she is no vampire, when she moves quick it's not as though he can't move quicker) and kisses him on the cheek, her fingers curling around her slate.

Her smile, for the first time in a long time, isn't tinged with fear, but suffused with a joy. It's bright.

That kiss and that smile are enough to warm Godric, as if Seraphim is the sun itself. Touching her cheek gently in a tender bit of affection, he gathers himself to leave her for a time.

"I'll go to fetch some food for you, so you have a stock. Is there anything in particular you want?"

She looks up, and for a moment it's abstracted, like she's thinking, deeply, about something that she can't quite pinpoint. It's a common expression on her face once she's given away the fear, and so few people have seen it.

Finally she shrugs.

Something for sandwiches?