"Jack?" Ianto said, walking into the brightly lit room.

He said he'd be here.

"Hello." A deep voice filled the room. It was hard to miss where, exactly, the voice was coming from. A giant – well – it could only be described as a giant wrinkled head – sat snug in a glass container in one corner of the room.

"Hello there," Ianto said, inching towards it. "I'm sorry, I was looking for someone."

"I-" the head began, and then paused. "I had forgotten you."

"Forgotten me?" Ianto said. "I don't think we've ever met."

"I'm sorry," the creature said. "I'd made you a promise. I thought about you. For so long. Time. Goes on. I forgot."

"Um, yeah, yeah, it's okay." Ianto nodded, playing along. This – whatever it was – was old, he knew, and had no doubt mistaken him for someone else. Surely Ianto would have remembered a head of this magnitude. It was only then that he realized that as he had been having a conversation with this creature, its lips remained sealed. It must have been projecting its half of the conversation into Ianto's head and he hadn't even noticed.

"Wh-what's your name?" Ianto stammered.

"They call me," came a reply, "the Face of Boe." Again, Ianto nodded.

"Ah, well, uh, I'm called Ianto," he said, unsure of what to say. "Ianto Jones."

"Yes," came the Face of Boe. "Yes, that's it."

"Er-"

"Wait," the Face said, and Ianto found he was glad it wasn't up to him to keep the conversation alive. Then, however, the face mumbled something incoherently.

"Um, what was that?"

"Coffee," the Face said, more clearly.

"You, uh, want some coffee?" Ianto asked.

"You. Make coffee."

"I- I do." Ianto said. "It's-"

"Very good. Coffee." Suddenly, a thought passed through Ianto's mind. It was a small, stray thought, brought on by what was likely and innocent statement that meant nothing.

Except it wasn't. Anyone could have said such a thing, but how could this anyone have said such a thing? The small thought grew and grew and Ianto found he couldn't let it go. He slowly shuffled closer to the oversized glass container and crouched down in front of it.

"Jack said he'd be here," he said quietly. "Do you know where he is?" Silence. Ianto placed a hand on the glass. "I am," he said, "being completely ridiculous" Yet he couldn't keep it from making sense, this idea.

The Torchwood team had gotten stuck somewhere, some time in the distant future. Ianto was clueless as to how it had happened, but that's what Tosh was currently working to figure out. Ianto had been ordered to investigate this area of wherever the hell they were. And Jack'd said he'd be there.

The Face of Boe's voice filled Ianto's head again.

"I never had a chance to say," sounded the voice. Ianto waited patiently for him to go on.

"I loved…I love…"

"Ianto?" a louder, clearer voice rang through the room. Ianto spun around. Jack stood in the doorway. Ianto took one more look at that old face of Boe. The face didn't say anything, didn't make any movements, but Ianto could feel him smiling. Ianto grinned broadly in return.

"Oh, I know," he said in reply to the face's unfinished statement, then took off, almost running, towards where Jack stood waiting.

"Sorry I-" Jack was cut off as Ianto flung himself into his arms. "-took so long." Ianto smiled, hugging him tightly.

"You did say you'd be here," Ianto said.

"Yeah, and here I am," Jack said, not entirely confidently. Ianto released Jack.

"I missed your body," Ianto said, his voice sincere. Jack's resulting smile was suggestive.

"Well…I missed your body too." He ran his hand down Ianto's side and then grabbed his hand. "You know, Tosh figured out a way for us to get back home. Why don't we…go find the others and then we'll go back to the hub and you can show me exactly how much you missed my body." Ianto nodded, and Jack led him out of the room.