Ianto Jones straightened the papers lying on Jack's desk.

It was the silence that was killing him. The hub had always been so alive. A living creature in its own right, a creature whose pulse raced through them all. But now there was just silence, as if each member of the team was holding their breath, as if the hub was holding its breath, just waiting, unable to move on.

Of course they had lost people before, you came to expect loss when you worked for Torchwood. Loss of your identity, your friends, your family, maybe even your own existence. But nothing had prepared them for this loss. Not for the loss of their Captain. Not for the loss of Jack.

Gwen was still refusing to let go. Holding on to her hope despite the evidence. Despite the fact that she had watched him die, that Owen had confirm he was gone, that it had been days. Ianto wished that he could hold on to such belief. But the silence and the emptiness he felt told another story. Jack was gone.

Ianto took Jack's coat down from the rack. He held it close, feeling its weight. It felt more real than he did and Ianto's hands shook as he lifted it to his face. He breathed in deeply, the familiar scent of its owner still lingered on the fabric, but already it was fading and soon, like Jack it would be gone. It would be nothing more than an old coat, belonging to a memory, a memory that Ianto would cling to until he too was no more.

---

The second Ianto saw the look on Tosh's face he knew. But he was afraid to really hope, even as he turned, his eyes following the path Tosh was running, even as he saw the familiar blue shirt and the braces and the man striding, a little uncertainly, across the upper level, even then it didn't seem real, didn't seem possible.

Ianto walked over to the man, his steps measured and careful, his destination feeling like a dream a million miles away.

Ianto held out a hand, welcoming back his fallen leader. But Jack wanted a welcome from his friend and pulled Ianto into a close embrace.

Jack's arms around him felt strong and solid. Their weight holding him down, tethering him back into the real world.

But it wasn't until Ianto felt the warmth of Jack's hand resting against his face, until he felt Jack's lips press gently against his own that he knew Jack was really alive. He knew that HE was really alive.