This is my first Torchwood story. Two oneshots tied together by one theme. Hope, you'll enjoy it:)

Beta: OneWhoSitsWithTheTurtles

The temperature in the room was unbearably hot. For that matter it couldn't even be called a room; more like a vault, a prison – which is exactly what it was. A prison for only one man who was restricted so strongly that even with his powers there was no chance of escape. His arms were spread in the air and chained, preventing him from fighting the guards who occasionally came in to check on the prisoner. The number of guards doubled every time the man made another attempt to escape and failed.

His name was Captain Jack Harkness, head of Torchwood Three. His captor, a man who took the name Harold Saxon, truly thought he was the Master, the one who managed to conquer the Earth. Both of them, captor and victim, were on board a huge mechanical ship sailing the sky over a desolate planet – Valiant. One was up on the main deck, another in what could be called dungeons but was, in fact, a part of the engine unit, hence the temperature.

Jack couldn't tell how much time had passed since he was captured, killed and chained for the first time. Tish, a girl who brought him food and news occasionally, sometimes gave him dates and told him which day of the week it was; but that didn't help him to see the whole picture.

While being alone most of the time, he had many things to ponder. He created plans about how to defeat the Master, but with his condition there wasn't much he could do. Besides, planning was mostly the Doctor's prerogative. From time to time he imagined how Martha traveled around the world and wished he could help her instead of staying on Valiant, captured, useless. When he was doing neither of those, Jack relished in memories of his team. Torchwood Three – object of his pride, strong, clever, determined. He only hoped they were fine. It was difficult to tell if the Master was joking when he said he'd sent the team on a trip to the Himalayas. Knowing the man, it could be just like that. At least he didn't say they were dead. There was this strange thing about this villain – he seemed to tell the truth on most occasions. It looked like he got a strange satisfaction out of it. So maybe, Gwen, Owen, Tosh and Ianto actually were in the Himalayas…the problem was, they could be frozen in the ice or something of that nature.

Jack missed them. All of them. He had so much time to just hang there and think and it made him reconsider his relationship with each member of the little team. Mostly with Ianto and Gwen, seeing as his feelings towards Owen and Tosh were rather simple. But with Gwen and Ianto…both of them attracted Jack in the same manner. And both of them seemed out of his reach. With satisfaction he thought that at least one of them had a crush on him. Seriously, who wouldn't? But whether he'd be able to turn it into something more... the Captain wasn't sure. Gwen had that pitiful excuse of a boyfriend and Ianto…The Welshman probably still hated him for Lisa. Nonetheless, Jack felt like he had to make a choice about which dream to pursue.

It was one of many long boring days when that happened. How did Jack know it was daytime? Simple. At night there were more guards and at midday they changed, which had happened only a few minutes ago. So it was daytime, that was settled. There was no one in the cell except the captured man, who stood there staring at the wall ahead while wondering if that ugly splash of grey dirt right in front of him had gotten bigger since he had first been thrown in here. Right when he thought his eyes were going to fall out due to boredom, Jack noticed sparkles in the air. Little sparkles of bright blue light. He strained his eyes to look directly at them as they grew and formed a shape and dissipated in different colors. Jack watched in fascination as four figures he knew so well appeared before him. His team. Torchwood Three.

Jack looked at Gwen's worried frown, who was closest to him, noticed the gleam of excitement in Toshiko's eyes, smirked at the barely noticeable shock on Owen's face, and his smirk almost turned into a gentle smile as the sight of the nervously fidgeting Ianto.

"Jack," Gwen diverted his attention. "Are you…Are you hurt?"

The Captain turned to look at her again, noticing shock in her features as well. They all reminded him of a group of kids whose little trick to fool their parents had unexpectedly worked and they all wondered in surprise at that. But the adult concern over his obvious prisoner's position was there as well.

"No. Just restrained. You know me, don't like to be chained…well, not unless it's in bed…You look good."

Gwen opened her mouth to say something else but Tosh interrupted her:

"We only have six minutes."

Jack nodded in acknowledgement and they took a step closer to him.

"Is it some kind of teleport device?" He asked. "If it is, how did you get the right coordinates?"

"It's a hologram," Owen replied while eyeing Jack with the professionalism of a doctor, taking note of his ragged clothes and dirty face, but not noticing any injuries.

"Wow. That's great. Very clever." He praised them with fascination and pride. "Where are you now?"

"Himalayas," Ianto answered quickly before Owen started cursing Harold Saxon.

Jack blinked in surprise. Really, he wasn't expecting the man to be so precise and honest with his threats. But he still found it somewhat funny.

"We are trapped, but it's fine. We can't get out but the Toclafanes can't get to us either."

Jack nodded, concluding it'd be better not to tell them about the real nature of these 'aliens'. When he looked up Gwen was standing in front of him, her face filling all of his vision.

"What is going to happen next?" She asked seriously, but he felt like there was a hidden undertone to her words.

"The Doctor will save everyone like he always does," Jack replied in an easy joking tone but he truly believed it. "Just stay where you are, be careful, keep each other safe and everything will be fine."

"Can we help?" Asked Tosh, then her gaze quickly retuned to a device in her hand counting down the time remaining.

"No. There isn't anything you can do now. Just stay safe. I want my team at their beast when I return." He smirked at them, knowing he'd be understood the way he wanted to.

"But we are worried about you," Gwen took a leading role in the talk again.

"You know very well that nothing can happen to me," he replied.

"Yeah…" Gwen smiled up at him with one of these breathtaking smiles he liked so much.

But the next moment he got distracted by an unexpected movement on his left. Jack turned slightly to look at Ianto. The young man was just standing there, oblivious to the sudden silence, and stared at the place where chains circled Jack's wrists. Ianto lifted one hand, very cautiously and carefully, and his fingers stopped millimeters away from the Captain's wrist.

"Ianto?" The man asked tentatively.

"Oh, sorry," the young Welshman said, startled, but did not move away; he still looked ahead as if transfixed. "I just had a…stupid idea. It's nothing."

But his hand was still hovering over Jack's.

"Go on," the Captain encouraged.

Into's hand trembled slightly and his index finger lowered slowly with two pairs of blue eyes watching intently. For a second Jack thought he could feel the touch, but a little more pressure from Ianto's unstable hand and they witnessed how pale fingers went through tanned wrist. No contact. The Welshman got over his mistake quickly though, lifting his hand a little to keep the illusion of his fingers sliding over Jack's skin. From the Captain's wrist up his forearm to the bent elbow and to the muscled shoulder. During the process Ianto took a little step to the right so now they stood close to each other, Gwen long forgotten.

Jack held his breath as Ianto's hand gently traced his collarbone and then higher up his neck, to settle on his dirty cheek. It was a miracle how a touch that he wasn't able tofeel could feel so sensuous. It was a strange act, and the Captain could swear his cheek tingled and tickled under the feather-like hold, in this ugly prison. It was magnificent, enticing.

Ianto watched him in fascination, tears pooling in the corners of his watery blue eyes, but he was stronger now to let them spill. It brought back Jack's own strength to fight again, to let him carelessly spend years in this prison on Valiant; but at the same time it was desperately too little. He needed to be sure he'd be able to feel more of those tender caresses when he escaped.

Ianto looked Jack in the eyes and felt like he could start crying any minute. Uninvited, uncontrollable sobs threatened to escape him as he watched the Captain, as he remembered what this man had done to him, to Lisa, as he shamefully recollected his dreams featuring Jack every single night. His feelings choking him and the young man fought his contradicting emotions. But he was stronger now, had more control over them.

Ianto had more than a year since Jack disappeared to reconsider those feelings. Pain was subdued, giving place to longing and leaving only a wish to help Jack, save him from this awful place. He simply wanted to be with this man, with all resentment thrown away months ago.

And how he wanted to say it, to finally let out all of those feeling tearing at his heart. But it wasn't the right time or place. There were other Torchwood members; and there was Gwen right behind him. Gwen was always there. Plus so many other 'ands' or 'buts', the biggest of all – his fear of rejection. The attraction between the Captain and Gwen was so obvious; you would have to be stupid not to understand that Jack felt at least something for her. But was it strong enough to make Jack forget about all others?

No matter how closely he looked, Ianto couldn't find an answer to that question. Was he, the way he was now after everything he had done, worth Jack's attention and care?

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his hologram hand caressing Jack's cheek. "Sorry."

He was apologizing for his ignorance and cold-heartedness during their early days, for his betrayal and countless little slips that the Captain let slide, asking for the man's forgiveness wholly. He needed it so that he could move on.

"I know," Jack nodded leaning as close as the restrains let him. Seeing his smile, Ianto realized he had been understood and maybe even forgiven.

A second later, little matching smiles blooming on their faces before the holograms were gone, miles and miles separating them without a promise of meeting again soon.

Jack stared at the empty space where Ianto's face had been just a minute before, until he was whisked away with blue spark of teleportation. His smile didn't fall. With newfound energy he fought down sad thoughts, not letting them drag him down. He would return to his team and he would definitely answer Ianto's unasked question. They'd start with little things like first names, dinner, movies and proceed from there. Jack's smile grew.

Yeah…It'd be great to meet him again.

AN: Don't forget that Ianto didn't remember any of it, because technically it had never happened when time reversed.

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