Author's Note: I got bored tonight waiting for a new episode of Leverage, so I opened a new blank document, and this is what popped out. Dedicated to SiriusDoctorWhoHoney329, who asked so long ago for a nightmare fic. (edit: I fixed a few errors that were pointed out. Thanks Sushi Chi.)
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Torchwood, no matter what the voices say.
"Ianto!"
Jack shot up in bed, his eyes wide with fear. He was breathing heavy, and tears were running freely down his face, making small dark circles on the sheets. The young Welsh man lying next to him was woken by the shout, and slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes in order to become more fully awake. He was about to shot a comment toward Jack about waking him up in the middle of the night, but he was cut short when he saw the look on Jack's face.
Instead, the man protectively wrapped his arms around his older lover, his thumbs gently caressing the Captain's bare skin. "What happened?"
Jack's breathing had slowed to a normal tempo, and he had figured out what he had just experienced had been a dream. "N-nightmare."
Ianto's eyebrows rose. Jack had had many nightmares before, but none had ever been connected with his name. The younger man didn't say anything else. Jack would explain what his nightmare was about if he wanted Ianto to know.
Ianto had almost given up hearing about the horrible dream, when Jack started to whisper. "The 456….children.…so many dead….you….you were dead…."
Ianto didn't understand most of Jack's rambling. What he did understand, however, was that in this nightmare of Jack's, he had died. And Jack had believed it.
"You were lying there, so cold." Jack sobbed, turning to bury his head into Ianto's chest. The Welshman let him, tightening his grip.
"It was just a dream. I'm here. I'm alive." Ianto murmured into Jacks hair. He unraveled one of his hands from around Jack's torso in order to run his hand through his lover's hair.
"Don't leave me Ianto. Not yet." Jack said, leaning away from the Welshman in order to look him in the eye.
Ianto saw the look in Jack's eyes, a look of desperation and loss. He felt himself tearing up from his look. "I won't. I promise."
He said those words, even though he was sure that he couldn't keep them. Because it was what Jack needed to hear. And at that moment, it was what Ianto needed to hear as well.
Six months later, the nightmare all but forgotten, all the children in the world stopped.
What do you think? I wasn't going to add that last line, but something made me do it. Reviews would be loved!
