Title:Cracked Memories

Fandom: Torchwood

Rating:PG

Prompt: Bereft confusion 121 from 500 prompts. Jack/Ianto Post End of Days requested in addition.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I gaining any money for this work. I'm just trying to enjoy myself.

Summary: Jack's memory fails him, and Ianto's patience runs out. Post End of Days.

Cracked Memories

It was the random things.

Jack could remember that Toshiko tended to chew through a dozen pens a week. But he could not remember what Ianto's laugh sounded like.

Not that he would say this, but Ianto saw the look of surprised recognition in his eyes when he realised he had forgotten something.

It scared Ianto. Not because he thought Jack had the best memory, but because it was becoming plain that Jack would eventually forget everything that existed now. A thousand years in the future and Jack would probably have forgotten Toshiko's face, Owen's voice, Gwen's temper, and Ianto's loyalty.

Ianto had been surprised at just how much Jack had retained from his time in the ground, but he reasoned that without any stimuli to make more memories, Jack had clung on to the old ones. How could he do that again living his life?

"Ianto! IANTO!"

Ianto set down his coffee and ran up to Jack's office to find him staring at some of his old photos, looking devastated.

"Jack?"

Jack held up a picture of a woman in a wedding dress, standing next to a sitting Jack. "Who is she?"

"I…"

"I don't remember her Ianto."

Ianto felt helpless, he had no idea who the woman was, because Jack bloody Harkness kept everything to himself.

"I married her and I don't remember her." Jack sounded on the verge of a tantrum. Like it was Ianto's fault this was happening.

"Let me see if I can look her up in the Archives." said Ianto carefully, edging forward. "There's bound to be something there."

"But I don't remember her!" snarled Jack.

"I know, but I can't fix that Jack. All I can do is help you recover her name."

Ianto was at his wits end. He had been dealing with these sort of reactions for weeks now, as well as holding Gwen up when she wasn't with Rhys, and aiding the police and various other groups who were rebuilding the city.

"What good is her name if I can't remember what I felt for her?" Jack was on his feet, striding towards Ianto who grimaced and held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm trying to help Jack."

"Well you can take your help and piss off!"

Jack strode past Ianto, who felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Then he was trembling with rage.

"You know," he called, voice shaking a little, "Maybe it's a good thing you can't remember her."

He heard Jack stop near Toshiko's desk. Ianto stayed where he was as he continued,

"Maybe it's better that you don't remember how often you hurt her with your secrets, your lies. Maybe it's better that you don't remember anyone who loved you because you're so selfish all you cause them is misery. And really, who would want to remember that?"

The punch was no surprise, even though it really hurt. Ianto dropped like a stone to the floor and cradled his head but refused to look at Jack.

"You'll change your mind when you're dying and realise that the only think that'll remain of you is the memories of the people who knew you!" spat Jack, his voice cracking. Ianto felt rather than saw Jack's legs buckle under him and the immortal man collapsed next to him. Jack curled up into a ball and began to sob, a pathetic mess of a human being. Ianto rubbed his face, still aching from the punch, and then propped his head up in one hand, while the other rested on Jack's hair, stroking the sweaty strands. Jack's sobbing seemed to go on forever, and Ianto was so tired that he fell asleep, propped against the wall.

It was how Gwen found them the next morning. The alarms announcing her arrival made both men stir and blink groggily as the Welshwoman regarded them both with despair and shook her head.

"You two can't keep doing this."

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Night's Darkness