"No! No, that's not-- it doesn't work like that. It's not a reward for being a good person. It takes a lot to be -- it's not--" Fuck. He exhaled and then lowered his head back, putting his hands over his eyes. This was not a job for him, he couldn't handle that. How did he manage Barty? "We're not dating again, I don't trust you. You ra-- you messed with my head."
And he didn't want to rush back into any of that. Even a couple of years wasn't enough. He just wanted Barty to be a better person. "Maybe... friends." Distant friends.
"Friends. Right." Well, he knew what that meant. There was that sting again and the crushing emptiness beyond it. Rejection. "You don't want me to have anyone." He didn't even say it accusingly, it was a conclusion more than anything. The person he loved wanted him isolated from everyone. Probably locked away.
Kind of funny how life went. Kept repeating itself. Barty finished his coffee and stared at Sam. It was nice to be close to him, if nothing else.
"No, I want you to have someone. Even if it's just a friend. No one should be alone, especially not you." He assumed that isolation caused this mess so maybe he did just need a friend or something. He just didn't want it to be some young punk. He sighed and shook his head, not sure what to say. "Just because I don't want to date you right away doesn't mean I'm trying to make you miserable and isolate you. I just don't want to do that right now. Remember last time we dated? Nothing has changed and it would be insane to just start that again." Nevermind the whole terrifying nightmare that was Barty on a bad day.
"I wish you could be happy. I wish--" He exhaled, annoyed and tired. "I wish you lost your powers, like I lost mine. I know you think it'd make you miserable but it might make you safe. Not for everyone, for you."
"I don't know what it'd make me. Do you have any power repressors around?" Barty laughed, highly doubting that. Also highly doubting any power repressor's ability to control his power for long, not after all the enhancement that had been done. He rubbed the back of his neck and thought of Giac.
"Your power's not lost. Just suppressed." He could still sense it beneath the surface. He'd not want to call it forth for Sam, but he knew it was there. "Twins. Is that it? Your organisation. You've started looking into twins."
That explained some things. "They should drop the investigation. Only trouble that way."
"They always pick twins. We have to try and prevent it before it escalates. If we can track the pattern, we can prevent what happened to you." Which did pose the question of did Barty have a twin? He knew he had a family. He had hinted at a sibling. Was he involved in this sort of thing? "Jack won't drop it. Trust me."
That man let nothing go. Ever.
"Look, I have work soon and I can't stay long but... are you staying in Cardiff?"
"You'll track me, won't you?" So why should he tell him whether he was staying? Although, he supposed he'd made up his mind now anyway. They were trying to solve twin cases. They had to be looking into research of interest to him. A way to finally reunite with his parents might just be presenting itself to him after all.
One thing after the other. But it was worth thinking about. "Tell your colleagues to steer clear of me. Then I won't hurt anyone. For you."
"You promised me you wouldn't hurt anyone, so just -- you know what."
Sam patted himself down and then produced a pen, reaching out to take Barty's arm and push up his sleeve. Whatever, he had to make a point. He wrote on his arm much like he often did when Owen was too dense to fucking remember what he told him.
First: do no harm Don't hurt anyone.
"You said you love me. If you love me, you read this and you remember. Don't hurt anyone." He sighed and then looked at Barty, the bare bones of a smile there. "Unless your life is in danger, do not hurt anyone. Promise me."
"I promise." Was there much weight to that promise when at this very moment he could not help but envision his parents and how he'd kill them? How he'd try to inflict even a fraction of the suffering they had caused him and his brother? That their research was apparently still causing others now?
Probably not. But he looked at the words Sam had written and it made him smile. Made him happy that Sam had touched him again, of his own volition. He looked at him and they were so close now. How could he keep from asking Sam to hold him? "Thanks for meeting me."
"The meeting you threatened me into, yes." And no, he wasn't going to let Barty off the hook on that one either. "Send William somewhere safe and if you stay in Cardiff, you behave and you avoid Torchwood." With a sigh, he got up and gave Barty a final look, guilt and fear sinking into his stomach. This was so stupid. Too dangerous. What was he doing?
"Be good." And with that, he left him to it, hoping that something good could come from this.
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And he didn't want to rush back into any of that. Even a couple of years wasn't enough. He just wanted Barty to be a better person. "Maybe... friends." Distant friends.
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Kind of funny how life went. Kept repeating itself. Barty finished his coffee and stared at Sam. It was nice to be close to him, if nothing else.
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"I wish you could be happy. I wish--" He exhaled, annoyed and tired. "I wish you lost your powers, like I lost mine. I know you think it'd make you miserable but it might make you safe. Not for everyone, for you."
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"Your power's not lost. Just suppressed." He could still sense it beneath the surface. He'd not want to call it forth for Sam, but he knew it was there. "Twins. Is that it? Your organisation. You've started looking into twins."
That explained some things. "They should drop the investigation. Only trouble that way."
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That man let nothing go. Ever.
"Look, I have work soon and I can't stay long but... are you staying in Cardiff?"
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One thing after the other. But it was worth thinking about. "Tell your colleagues to steer clear of me. Then I won't hurt anyone. For you."
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Sam patted himself down and then produced a pen, reaching out to take Barty's arm and push up his sleeve. Whatever, he had to make a point. He wrote on his arm much like he often did when Owen was too dense to fucking remember what he told him.
First: do no harm
Don't hurt anyone.
"You said you love me. If you love me, you read this and you remember. Don't hurt anyone." He sighed and then looked at Barty, the bare bones of a smile there. "Unless your life is in danger, do not hurt anyone. Promise me."
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Probably not. But he looked at the words Sam had written and it made him smile. Made him happy that Sam had touched him again, of his own volition. He looked at him and they were so close now. How could he keep from asking Sam to hold him? "Thanks for meeting me."
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"Be good." And with that, he left him to it, hoping that something good could come from this.