When Jack reappeared six hours after he had vanished from under Gwen's nose he was a different person. Ianto didn't know if the others noticed it consciously but he did. Jack looked younger and older at the same time. His eyes seemed, if it was possible, even wiser and further away. Yet they also had a new vibrancy and joy within them which had been absent before.

His smile had changed. Before when he smiled it was always in the moment over something Gwen said or a dirty joke. He had never seemed to smile because he was really happy, just smiled for the sake of humor. Perhaps all the time he'd been smiling just for them. It hadn't been something Ianto had completely noticed before. He'd always felt that Jack's smiles weren't quite the same as everyone else's. He only noticed because he did the same thing. Yet six hours later Jack had a smile which shocked Ianto. He smiled with actual happiness. He smiled with genuine joy to see them, to be there. He was smiling as if some of whatever it was before that had stopped those smiles was gone. He smiled like he'd been given another chance and he wasn't going to waste it. It was bright and glorious and the rest of them seemed to instinctively smile along with Jack like they never had before.

Ianto could not fathom what six hours mysteriously away could have done to evoke such change. Jack was livelier and somehow more genuine. It was as if before Jack had just been a long term visitor and now he was home.

Everyone seemed happy upon his return as the new Jack. Gwen especially seemed to brighten in response. For the next week the hub was like a fiesta! Jack and Gwen were romping around as if they were children, tackling each new mission or alien find like it was the first time, like it was Christmas day. The fever began to spread to Tosh and Owen. The darkness which had been surrounding Owen seemed to be receding, Diane perhaps fading into the past. Tosh became a new kind of workaholic bursting out in joy every few hours over something she'd translated and just had to tell them all about.

Still Jack smiled and joked on and seemed a new man. The ghosts who had been hidden in his words were gone. Jack was just happy, truly happy.

Yet through all of this Ianto could not help but feel like he was being left behind. He didn't catch the hub fever and go spinning about. His job did not change or gain new life infected by Jack's euphoria. Romantically, so to speak, things between him and Jack had changed as well. Jack still joked and flirted casually with Ianto now and then, sometimes kissed him on the check, but that was all. Every night they said good night and Ianto went home. They hadn't even really talked about it either. It was kind of like Jack forgot that they were like that once.

Ianto had always known what he'd had with Jack wasn't permanent, Jack wasn't the sort. However, he didn't think things would so suddenly change and certainly not like this. It seemed to be Ianto that was lacking somehow. Why wasn't he excited like the rest of them, caught up in the happy Jack?

The answer came to Ianto ten days after Jack's sudden transformation. The reason Ianto was being left behind was because Jack no longer needed him. He didn't need someone to pass the time or to pull out the better smiles or remind him to be happy. He was happy as he was, living now, working at Torchwood, happy under his own steam. Ianto was just a pretty face again. Ianto was back to square one, the coffee boy with hidden talents in the background. The realization caused Ianto to feel emptiness creep into him. Yet on the other hand why should be feel empty if Jack was happy. Wasn't it a good thing that Jack had new strength and could take care of himself?

Another four days of thinking made Ianto realize that something big must had happened in those six hours, something to completely change Jack's outlook on life. But what could happen in six hours to do that?

That evening as the hub had gone dark for the night and the others were gone Ianto stopped by Jack's office on his way out. Jack was behind his desk slowly poking some tweezers into a small onyx-looking box.

"So?" Ianto said, leaning in the door way.

Jack looked up and smiled his new smile. "You heading out for the night?"

Ianto nodded.

"Ok, I'm just going to fiddle with this some more. Don't worry I'll be sure to get some sleep."

"What really happened, Jack?" Ianto said suddenly.

Jack paused in his work then put the tweezers down and looked up at Ianto. Clearly further clarification as to what Ianto meant was not required. Jack did not respond.

Ianto continued. "Because you're different now, Jack. It's like you've lit up, remembered what living is and spread it to everyone." He decided not to add 'except me.' "It's as if part of whatever was wrong before is right… but what could you have done, what could have happened in six hours to change you like this? Because you weren't like this after you woke up again so it must have happened in that time but what?"

Jack smiled, somewhat reminiscent of the way he use to smile and stood up, coming around to the front of his desk.

"Let's just say I packed a lot of time into that space and I had a lot of it to think. I saw someone I hadn't seen in a long time and he reminded me why we all keep living."

"Why do we all keep living then?" Ianto asked.

"Hope," Jack said with a smile, sitting on the edge of his desk. "Hope and just to be happy."

Ianto pursed his lips and nodded. One thing hadn't changed about Jack, he was still cryptic.

"That wasn't the answer you wanted to hear, was it?" Jack said.

Ianto chuckled and stood up straight, looking at his shoes. "No, it was a fine answer. Cryptic old you."

Jack laughed in response. "Yeah, that's me." Then he stood up and moved in front of Ianto. "So, what's wrong then, huh?" Jack brushed the hair on the side of Ianto's head with his fingertips and smiled lightly.

Ianto shrugged. "Nothing, it's just…" He paused and looked up. "I feel its like you've suddenly started living a different life and you don't need me anymore."

Jack blinked, clearly not expecting Ianto to have said that. "What?"

Ianto sighed then waved a dismissive hand and turned away. "It's nothing; I've got to head home." Then he stopped and turned back momentarily. "I am glad that you seem so happy now, sir. Whatever it was that happened did some good for you."

"Ianto…" Jack said from the doorway, his stern voice starting to come through.

Ianto ignored this change in tone and walked down the stairs. "Good night, sir."

"Ianto, you-"

But Ianto was already through the circular door. It was fine. Jack was happy now and it only made things better. Ianto would just have to find a way to catch up to the rest of them. Perhaps it was time to find someone else, someone outside of Torchwood to make him happy. Jack was fine without him now, happy and better than before. Ianto knew it wasn't a bad thing and as he walked to his car Ianto decided he would find a way to be happy too.