Author's Note: I do not own Torchwood or any of its characters.
*~*~*~*
"Goodnight Jack," Gwen called quietly. It had been a few months since Ianto's death but the two of them had continued coming into work. They did little things here and there, with Jack going out and Gwen helping through the comms. It was mostly so she could check on Jack without him thinking she was doing anything odd.
"Night," Jack called quietly. "Hey Gwen?"
Gwen stopped and turned back, looking at Jack. "Yeah?"
"Don't come in tomorrow. Take a day off," Jack said quietly. "Please?"
Gwen looked at him and nodded a yes. "Call me if you need me?"
"Always," Jack said quietly.
"Good," Gwen replied quietly but she could see that the sparkle that Jack used to have was gone. The smile that Jack used to always have was replaced by a frown or a hard line. Ianto's death had been hard on the both of them but she knew that it was hardest on Jack. "You sure you don't need anything?"
"I'll be fine," Jack replied and waved her off. "Go home Gwen," he said.
"Alright – see you day after tomorrow then," she said quietly and left the Hub to home.
Jack nodded a yes and watched the CCTV to make sure she left. It had taken them a while to get the Hub back up to what it was. He was grateful for the fact that the archives went into protection mode along with the coolers. Gray was still there, along with Suzie and Tosh. He made sure the doors were locked before making a slow descent down into the archives. He stood in the doorway to the file room and heard the laughter that came from Ianto only a few months before. The memory of their kiss and how it seemed to hold so much promise and love for each other.
There were some nights before this when he couldn't go into the archives at all. He could feel Ianto in there and he couldn't face him. He couldn't face him to say that he was sorry that he killed the love of his life. He walked into the room and nearly turned around but took a deep breath and went further in. He went to the familiar file case that held the clothes the person was wearing at the time of death. He moved most of them out of the way until he got to the one labeled 'Ianto Jones'. He opened the box slowly, savoring the smell of coffee and ink that came out of the box. His fingers ran lightly over the shirt before he picked it up and hugged it. He inhaled deeply from it and forced himself not to cry. He didn't want to ruin the perfectly good shirt that was the last thing Ianto ever wore. He sniffled and folded the shirt back up, putting it away. He closed the box and put that away as well.
He moved from there to the crypt, his fingers touching where Ianto was. He pulled out the drawer to look at him and smiled at how peaceful he looked. He blinked back the tears but couldn't help from one falling onto Ianto's cheek. "I love you," he whispered. "And I have to go. I can't stay here, Ianto. I could if you were here – I probably could get through everything if you were here. But it's the not the same. She's not talking to me anymore and I don't blame her. I killed my grandson to save the world and Gwen – she's even looking at me differently. I just – I can't anymore. And I wanted you to know, even though I'm not sure if you can hear me." The tears were freely flowing down his cheeks now as he turned away from Ianto.
A wind blew through the crypt, something Jack knew couldn't really happen. The air hit his cheek and he heard "I forgive you" before it went away. The voice was Ianto's – Jack knew that – and those words. That was all Jack needed to hear as he gently closed Ianto's door in the crypt. He went back to the box, got the stopwatch, and left the Hub for what would be the last time.