Title: Lingering
Rating: T
Beta: YukiOnnaOfWinter
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Jack/Ianto, Ianto/Lisa
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 2079
Summary: Jack goes to visit Ianto during his suspension.
Notes: You should be familiar with the story of Rose Tyler before you read this story. There will be DW spoilers where she's concerned.

Jack stares at the apartment building. He doesn't know what he's doing here. He never cared about anyone he worked with this much, certainly not enough to visit them while they're on suspension for bringing a deadly thing into the workplace.

And what Ianto did was dangerous. There were few casualties, but he could have gotten everyone killed. Though, he didn't seem to care about the consequences of his actions. His only thoughts were of a machine that no longer had any feelings. A machine that wasn't the person Ianto thought it was.

Jack sighs, staring at the steering wheel as if it holds all of the answers to his many, many questions. Deep down, he knows why he's here. He does care about Ianto, and although the Welshman's actions were foolish and incredibly dangerous, Jack knows he didn't mean for it to transpire the way it did. He was blinded by love, and that's something Jack understands all too well.

If there hadn't been a part of him that understood, he would have put a bullet straight into Ianto's head or retconned him immediately. Jack wouldn't have even had to think about it. Instead, all he did was issue a suspension.

He's hurt that Ianto used Jack's genuine affections for him to hide Lisa – or what used to be Lisa – but he can't blame Ianto for loving someone so much that he was willing to take such a risk. Lisa must have been pretty special to inspire such loyalty.

There's no point in stalling. He's here for a reason and nothing will deter him. He gets out of the van and slowly makes his way to Ianto's apartment. He knocks.

There's no answer.

Jack furrows his brow. He knocks again.

When there's still no answer, Jack gets worried. Ianto was really distraught. Jack doesn't like to think he might have done something drastic in his desperation, but if he's learned anything, it's that Jack doesn't know Ianto as well as he thought.

Jack bangs on the door, hoping for an answer. If he doesn't get one fast, he'll be forced to kick the door down. He's just afraid of what he might find if he does.

He hears a crash inside and Jack breathes a sigh of relief. Ianto's alive. Jack's about to find out how corrupt his state of mind is, but at least Ianto is alive. They can deal with anything else.

After a couple more crashes, Ianto opens the door. For a second, Jack doesn't recognize him.

Ianto is rubbing sleep-filled eyes – obviously the reason he didn't answer the door – and he's wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. He has slight stubble, something Jack's not used to seeing on the usually clean-shaven face, and his hair is in disarray.

"Hi," Jack says, unable to think of anything else.

Ianto's eyes are cold. "Hello. Are you here to retcon me or shoot me?"

Jack's eyes widen. "Trust me. If I was going to do either of those things, I would have done it right after the Cyberman was taken care of."

"Cyberwoman," Ianto corrects.

"Right." Jack nods. "Cyberwoman."

"So, if you're not here to get rid of me, why are you here?"

Jack looks around. Ianto's apartment is small and there isn't much furniture. He sees a picture displayed prominently on a side table and he just knows it's a picture of Lisa, even without a closer look. "I'm here to check up on you, see how you're doing."

"Really?" Ianto's tone is disbelieving.

Jack frowns. "Of course. Believe it or not, I do care about you."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Ianto mutters, turning away from the immortal.

Jack quickly reaches out and grabs Ianto's hand before he can go. "I'm sorry that I had to shoot the Cyberwoman. She wasn't Lisa anymore, though. And she never would be again," Jack says, trying to get Ianto to understand.

"You don't understand! I love her. If you had the chance, wouldn't you do whatever you could to save someone you loved? No matter the consequences?"

Rose's face flashes through his mind. "You know, there's probably one person that I'd do anything I could to save. And if I ever considered threatening humanity for her, she would have slapped some sense in me. She was all about saving everyone else, no matter how dangerous it was. To her, everyone else came first."

Ianto tilts his head. "She sounds amazing."

Jack nods, tears try to well up in his eyes, but he forces them away. "She was pretty amazing, and I think she might be part of the reason I reacted as strongly as I did to the Cyberwoman."

"What do you mean?" Ianto asks curiously.

Jack leads Ianto to the couch, gently pushing him down and then also sitting."Considering Lisa and the fact you were part of Torchwood 1, I'm going to tell you something. Something that no one else at Torchwood 3 knows. Not, Tosh, Owen, or Gwen."

The fact that he wants it to stay between them is left unsaid, but Jack's sure that Ianto understands.

Ianto nods.

"There was a girl I knew. She was amazing. Beautiful, brave, and selfless. She always loved a good adventure, too. She was at Canary Wharf when everything with the Daleks and Cyberman happened." Jack pauses, taking a shuddering breath.

Ianto reaches out for Jack's hand, giving it a slight reassuring squeeze.

Jack returns the motion and continues his story. "It sounded like the kind of thing she would have been at; doing everything she could to help. So, after it was over, I looked at the list of the dead. Her name was on it. I don't know if she simply died or was converted and then later killed before she could do any damage. And I might never know the truth. To me, Lisa, or that thing that Lisa had become, was one of the things that probably killed Rose. And that's all I was thinking about when I faced it in the basement. It was Rose's face that helped me shoot it without a thought."

Ianto's mouth hangs open. "I'm so sorry, Jack."

"Rose was a very important person to me. When I met her, I was just a con-artist. Her, and another friends of ours, made me a better man, and I'll always be thankful to her and him for that. I'm going to always miss her and wonder what truly happened. All I can hope for is she wasn't converted but instead died quickly and painlessly. I truly hope that's what happened. She's the last person in the world who deserves to suffer."

"I hope so too," Ianto says quietly.

Jack comes back to himself and turns his head away; trying to hide the tears he now knows is falling. He never truly grieved for Rose and now he was. He might have initially come here for Ianto, but this visit is also helping Jack.

"Jack, I know I messed up. I just couldn't see it as not being Lisa anymore. I think even after it killed the pizza delivery girl, I still had trouble seeing what was right in front of me. I just, I didn't want to let her go, and I made everything so much worse."

Jack nods. "Everyone makes mistakes, and I realized after I cooled down that you intent hadn't been malicious. You were truly blinded by love."

"It doesn't make it right," Ianto says. "If you had told UNIT, they would have killed me right away, no questions asked."

"That's why I didn't tell UNIT. Besides, you know how much I hate UNIT's interference in normal matters. Like I'd really tell them about the Cyberwoman."

Ianto leans his head against Jack's shoulder. "I'm sorry I betrayed your trust. That's probably the worst part of what I did. You trusted me, and I let you down."

"I need to ask you something. It might not be the right time, but I need to know." He pauses, and then charges forward, knowing he can't stall. "Did you ever care about me when we were together? Or was it all a ploy to keep it hidden?"

Ianto tilts his head up and his lips graze Jack's cheek. "I cared about you. It might have started out as just a ploy, but by the end, I did care about you. And you can imagine my confusion about that. Before meeting you, I had thought of myself as a straight male."

Jack brushes his fingers against Ianto's cheek, feeling the stubble and being strangely turned on by it. He usually doesn't like guys with facial hair. "I'm glad it wasn't all a lie. You might have broken my heart if you said it was."

"I know I don't have any right to ask anything of you. But when I come back to work, what are we going to be? Employer and employee? Friends?" He pauses, and then adds, "Or more?"

Jack thinks about it, but he doesn't have to think for too long. He knows the answer almost immediately. "We're anything you want to be. You set the pace."

"You still want me? Even after everything I did?"

Jack smiles. "Yeah, I still want you, and I still trust you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have told you about Rose. It's up to you, though. You're going to have to eventually let Lisa go if you want to be with me."

Ianto looks into Jack's eyes and leans forward, pressing his lips to Jack's.

Jack slants his lips against Ianto's. One of his hands tangles in Ianto's hair and they deepen the kiss.

Ianto moans and goes to Jack's trousers, pressing his hand against the growing bulge that can be found.

Jack groans and lifts his hips slightly, thrusting into Ianto's grasping hand.

When Ianto goes to unzip his trousers, Jack pulls away. He stands up so he's far away from the temptation that is Ianto Jones.

"Ianto." Jack brushes his hands through his hair, trying to get his breathing under control. "You have no idea how much I want to continue where that is leading, but I don't think you're quite ready. I think, even if you say you understand, in your mind, I'm still the one that killed Lisa."

Ianto looks at his hands, and Jack knows his assumption is right.

He nods. "Take the rest of your suspension to get yourself together. Think about what you truly want. When you come back to work in two weeks, if you're still interested in continuing our relationship, I'd be happy to. I need you to be sure, though."

Ianto takes a deep breath and nods. "I understand."

"I should get going."

Ianto stands up and walks Jack to the door. "Thank you for telling me about Rose. It means a lot that you trusted me. And I'm so sorry that I let you down."

"Enough," Jack gently orders, taking Ianto's chin in a firm grasp. "I forgive you. You need to forgive yourself, though. Especially if you want to be able to move on with your life."

Ianto nods and presses a lingering kiss to Jack's lips. "Just wanted one last kiss since I won't be seeing you for a couple of more weeks."

Jack nods. "One more kiss." He claims Ianto's lips, swallowing Ianto's gasp of appreciation. Ianto clings to Jack, he's holding on to his shirt like his life depends on it.

Jack backs off with one last nip to Ianto's bottom lip. "See you in two weeks, Ianto."

"Goodbye, Jack."

Jack leaves and as he makes his way to his van, he feels good. In fact, he feels great. It's like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. He knows Ianto is going to be okay with time, and he may even get his lover back. Not only that but for the first time since it happened, he talked to someone about Rose. It feels like he can breathe a little easier now.

When Jack gets in his van, he closes his eyes and leans his head against the headrest of his seat. He takes a couple of minutes before opening his eyes. He needs to get to the hub in case some rift action occurs.

He turns the ignition and leaves the parking lot, already looking forward to the time when Ianto will be back in the hub, where the Welshman belongs.