Destiny (Fate)
No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made.
Destiny is made known silently. ~Agnes de Mille
Part One
Jack Harkness ran across the street, hurrying to catch up with the tall man striding quickly and confidently along the pavement. "Ianto? Ianto Jones!"
He tried not to stare as the other man stopped and turned around. Dressed casually in khakis and a collared shirt with a jumper pulled over, he was sporting the slightest hint of beard along his slim face, with sunglasses perched on top of his head. Jack's heart started racing and his throat went dry, and he was certain his hands were shaking. His greatest desire and his greatest fear stood before him, as gorgeous as he remembered and completely unaware of how close Jack was to falling apart right there on the pavement.
Familiar blue-grey eyes widened in surprise, and Jack felt a sharp sense of panic that the man before him would reject him, or worse, not even remember him. Yet to his relief, the man smiled broadly, though Jack told himself that smile was not for him, not really. There was no way Ianto Jones could be that glad to see him after so long.
"Jack Harkness!" Ianto exclaimed, striding forward to meet Jack. For a moment they stood before one another in awkward silence, until Jack extended his trembling right hand, suddenly self-conscious about chasing his former lover down on the street. Ianto took his hand, rolled his eyes, and pulled him into a warm embrace right there on the pavement. Jack let his head turn into Ianto's neck, taking in everything about him—the strength of his arms, the scent of his skin, the feel of his hair. This was the last man he had truly cared for; how could he have ever forgotten him?
Remembering a different time, when Ianto had extended the uncertain hand and Jack had pulled him into an embrace followed by a deep kiss, Jack was slightly disappointed when Ianto stepped back. He seemed to be studying Jack, looking him up and down, before shaking his head with another small smile.
"Of course you haven't changed," he murmured. "Not even a grey hair."
"The perks of being immortal," Jack joked quietly so that no one around them would hear. "Eternal youth and never-ending vanity."
"You'd be a handsome bastard even if you were old, grey, and wrinkly," Ianto replied with a grin. Jack was amazed at Ianto's openness and acceptance. He appeared genuinely glad to see Jack, and more importantly, truly happy in general. The man Jack remembered had been through so much, so broken and bitter at times, that it was extraordinary to see the confident and content man before him. It pained Jack to know that he had not been a part of that transformation, and that he had missed his chance to see it happen.
"You look pretty damn good yourself," said Jack, tucking his hands into his coat pocket. He was wearing a brown leather coat with blue trousers and suddenly missed his greatcoat more than anything. Ianto raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not even wearing a suit," he pointed out.
"That's all right," said Jack. "I lost my coat. So we're even."
"Too bad, I really liked that coat." Ianto laughed quietly, the sound so honest and so beautiful that instead of reveling in it and joining him, Jack felt it like a stab in the heart. He had rarely heard Ianto laugh like that, perhaps because he had not been able to give Ianto much happiness in their short time together, and Jack was instantly jealous of whomever had. Glancing at Ianto's left hand, Jack saw a platinum wedding band, and although he was pleased for Ianto, he was disappointed for himself.
"So what brings you back to our wayward little planet?" Ianto asked. There was none of the dry sarcasm that Jack would have expected; Ianto was legitimately curious, and in no way disparaging of Jack's return so many years later.
"I came back for you," Jack replied softly. It was a risk, especially knowing that Ianto was married. He'd said the same thing once, long ago, and it had taken Ianto a long time to believe him. It seemed unlikely that Ianto would believe him a second time, especially after so long and with a new life he was obviously content with. Yet Jack had nothing to lose and spoke from his heart.
Expecting a bitter response, Jack was once again surprised when Ianto smiled instead. "I remember you saying that once before," he murmured.
"It was true then too," said Jack.
"This is different," Ianto pointed out mildly. "It's been ten years, Jack." There was no accusation in his voice; he was simply pointing out the facts. From Ianto's perspective, Jack had left ten years ago with no promise to return. Given the circumstances, Jack was not surprised that Ianto had moved on and found happiness. He should be glad, and deep down he was, but he wished it didn't hurt as much as it did.
"I know," Jack replied softly. "And I'm sorry."
Ianto appeared puzzled by Jack's words. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Jack. You had no choice."
"We always have choices," said Jack. "And I chose to come back."
Ianto studied him for a moment. "Walk with me?" he asked, inclining his head. Jack nodded, a warm feeling spreading through him at the invitation, the impulse to grab Ianto's hand and hold tight almost overwhelming. They set off down the pavement, walking silently until Ianto glanced sideways and asked the question Jack had been waiting for.
"So why are you back on earth, Jack?" he asked. "Are you…did you remember everything?"
Jack tried not to imagine he heard anything in Ianto's voice but curiosity. Ten years was far too long for even Ianto Jones to wait, after all.
"Yeah," he said softly. "I did."
Ianto stopped mid-step and stared at Jack, his face a mixture of surprise and anger and grief and this time Jack thought he saw it—hope. Ianto's mouth moved a few times before words came out.
"That's…that's great, Jack. When did you remember?"
Jack met his eyes. "About three months ago. It took a while to adjust, though. It didn't come back all at once, and it was…" He glanced away, taking a deep breath as he remembered the difficult weeks of readjustment as he tried to make sense of a life he had left behind. "It was hard. It wasn't just a few memories returning, but almost a hundred and fifty years of a life I could hardly believe was mine. It was confusing and frightening and…" He trailed off again, overwhelmed. "It was awful. Sometimes I thought I was going mad."
"I'm sorry," Ianto whispered, laying a warm hand on Jack's arm. "I can't imagine going through something like that."
"No one can," Jack laughed bitterly. "But I survived. I always survive."
Ianto nodded as he turned to continue down the street. "You weren't alone, I hope? Please don't tell me the Doctor abandoned you again."
Jack felt that warm feeling surge through him again as he heard the protectiveness in Ianto's voice. The first time Jack had left with the Doctor, Ianto had been angry and hurt; it had taken time for them to move past that, but Ianto had never lost his sense of resentment for the Doctor. Watching Jack leave must have been even worse the second time.
Jack had left Earth with the Doctor with no intention of ever returning, and for two years, he had given little thought to Cardiff, Wales, and Torchwood. An accident with an unknown artifact from the Rift had taken all his memories of living on Earth, and given what he'd learned about his life there, he hadn't felt the need or desire to remember. It had been too overwhelming, particularly the thought of being immortal. As far as he'd been concerned, the last thing he'd remembered was fighting the Daleks on Satellite Five with the Doctor. Jack had been happy to be alive, but he'd been confused about finding himself on 21st century Earth and had certainly had not wanted to be the centuries old leader of a secret alien organization living underground. Although the people at Torchwood had been intelligent and attractive and had tried so hard to help, he had not been the man they knew. He wasn't one of them, he belonged with the Doctor, and he had made it clear he could not stay.
It had been Ianto who had contacted another former companion of the Doctor, Martha Jones. And when Martha had arrived at the Hub to find that Jack had no memory of her, she in turn had immediately called the Doctor. Jack had been thrilled, even when the Doctor he'd known had been replaced by a mop-haired man wearing a suit and trainers. The Doctor hadn't known how to help him with his memory problem, but he had promised to try. Jack had said goodbye to the team of broken men and women he'd apparently grown close to, as well as the man he suspected had been his lover, and had left the planet to travel with the Doctor once more. The Doctor had tried to help him with his memory, but Jack hadn't been particularly concerned, except when the memories bled through and the nightmares were too bad.
"No, he didn't abandon me," Jack said quietly. "He spent two years trying help me regain my memory, and when I finally did, he helped me through it."
Ianto nodded, his body relaxing. "Good, I'm glad," he said. "I hated letting you leave with him, you know. I was terrified he would abandon you again." He stopped, as if surprised at his unexpected confession, and shook his head. "But you said you spent two years trying to regain your memory, and regained it three months ago. It's been ten years since you left." The unspoken question—where were you the rest of the time?—went unspoken.
"This is when the Doctor dropped me off," said Jack. "He said it was when I was meant to be, and that bringing me back any sooner would have messed with the timelines."
"Wibbly-wobbly, timey-whimey?" asked Ianto with a crooked smile.
"Something like that," Jack replied, unable to hide the bitterness. "I'm not very happy about it, but you're taking it awfully well."
They stopped at a corner, waiting for the light to change. Ianto bounced on his heels, casual loafers scuffing the pavement. "Things change, Jack. I've changed. I saw so much at Torchwood that nothing, not even time travel, surprises me anymore." He shrugged as they stepped off and continued their walk. "It must be difficult, though. Remembering so much, only to return so long after it all happened."
"It's a bit confusing," Jack murmured. "You seem so different, so happy."
"Maybe because I am," said Ianto, tucking his hands into his pockets with another smile. "I…I have a good life, Jack. It's been amazing."
He turned and continued down another street. Rather than ask the rather obvious question—what was so amazing?—Jack settled instead for the benign. "So where are we going?"
Ianto nodded across the street toward a small primary school. "To pick up my son."
Which was when Jack's stomach dropped and any hope he'd had of reconnecting with Ianto in any way shattered into pieces. For Jack it had only been two years—two years of living as his old self while he'd traveled with the Doctor and half-heartedly tried to break through whatever had blocked his memories so completely. And when he had, it was as if those two years had happened to another person: he still remembered them, but they didn't feel nearly as real as his previous life, the life he'd spent on Earth, with Torchwood. The first memory Jack had regained was of Ianto Jones—a rare night out together, going back to Ianto's flat, waking up wrapped up together in the morning. In spite of all the Doctor's warnings, Jack had hoped to find Ianto again and somehow pick up where they had left off.
Yet the Doctor had brought him back so many years later that Ianto had moved on. He was married, with kids. He was not the same man Jack had left ten years ago, and yet he was still Ianto Jones. Jack wanted to get to know this new man just as much as he had yearned for the Ianto he'd known, except the Doctor had ruined Jack's chance at happiness. Again.
"You're married," Jack said, unable to come up with anything less obvious.
Ianto tipped his head as they crossed the street. "I was," he said softly. "She died almost a year ago."
"I'm sorry," said Jack, beating back the fledging hope that maybe he did have a chance with Ianto after all, that maybe this was why the Doctor had dropped him off at this point in time.
"Thank you," Ianto said softly. He gazed into the distance. "Her name was Elain. Or rather, that was the name she chose at Flat Holm as closest to her own." Jack started in surprise, earning a sad nod from Ianto. "Yes, she was a survivor of the Rift. She came through about three months after you left. Owen and I took her to Flat Holm."
"Was she…was she human?" Jack asked. He was certainly not one to discriminate, but he was curious, particularly if her and Ianto had children together.
"Mostly." Ianto shrugged, still smiling from the memories of her. "Once she recovered, she was able to tell us a bit about her time and her planet. She was from the forty-second century, a colony planet called Boyne. She was human, a bit more advanced, I suppose, but she said one of her grandparents had been Huddol."
Jack nodded; he knew of that race. Ianto's son had the blood of Huddol running through him. Ianto hadn't been exaggerating when he'd used the word amazing. The Huddol were said to have remarkable gifts.
Glancing at his watch, Ianto gestured to a nearby bench in front of the school, where they sat side by side and he continued his story. He seemed comfortable talking about his past with Jack, something else that was different from when they'd been together, both them holding their thoughts and feelings close. It was as if talking about his dead wife was a way for Ianto to remember her and share their life together with others.
"She was in bad shape, frightened, clearly out of her time with no hope of going home. It took weeks for her to recover basic abilities, but then she began helping around Flat Holm, and she grew even more quickly. It wasn't necessary for her to stay, but we had no way of getting her home, and she enjoyed helping the others. She was so kind, intelligent, and incredibly caring, everything those people needed there."
"You said you and Owen took her there?" Jack prodded, as Ianto became lost in memories once more.
"I took over the island when you left. I tried to visit every week, but it was overwhelming. Then a fairly serious injury came through the Rift, and I had to bring Owen in on it. It was good to have someone else who knew."
Jack wondered how Owen had reacted, or if the others knew as well, but did not ask. Right now was about Ianto and his story, not Torchwood business. "So how did you…" He trailed off, leaving the question open.
"Oh, she was beautiful and intelligent, but there was never anything more than a casual friendship between us for quite a while." Ianto turned toward Jack and leaned forward as if whispering something confidential. "Not until after we closed the Rift."
"What?" asked Jack. "The Rift is gone?" The Doctor hadn't said anything about that. Then again, Jack had left the TARDIS so quickly he would have missed it anyway.
"Yep," said Ianto, nodding smugly as he sat back with a grin. "We had to seal it permanently to stop another one of those Abbaddon-like creatures from escaping. Syriath, this one called herself. Nasty piece of work, almost had me for a moment. But honestly, Jack…it was for the best. It really was."
"I don't understand." Jack was shocked and confused. He had not only come back to find Ianto had moved on, but apparently the Rift had as well. It had never occurred to him that everything could be so different. It felt wrong, and more than anything Jack wanted to run away again now that he had returned.
"It was hard when you left," Ianto replied. "Owen died permanently not long after Elain came through. Tosh was devastated. She stayed, but between you leaving and Owen dying, it was like the light had gone out of her. And then she was killed by Daleks a few months after that." He blew out a breath and glanced down. Jack felt his heart clench in his chest once more.
Owen and Tosh were dead. He'd regained his memories and come back to Earth only to find half his team dead, the others moved on. He should have expected it, given the short life of most Torchwood agents, but to have it confirmed hurt.
"I'm sorry," Ianto whispered, reaching over to take Jack's hand. "I know it hasn't been as long for you. You just regained your memory so it probably feels like they should still be at the Hub, Tosh happily typing away at her computer, Owen dissecting aliens and grumbling about it."
Jack nodded numbly.
"They both died in the line of duty," Ianto said, squeezing his hand gently. "They knew the risks, and their sacrifice saved lives. Be sad, but be proud as well. I know I am."
Jack wanted to ask more—how had they died? What happened? How did Ianto survive? How did Torchwood survive? God, what about Gwen? Ianto hadn't said anything about Gwen, did that mean she was safe and alive or had she been killed as well, another victim of Torchwood, another life he had brought onto his team only to see ruined? He wasn't sure he wanted to know, and so he didn't ask, too terrified of the answer.
He was saved from the mournful silence that sprung up between them by the front doors of the school bursting open. The handful of parents standing around greeted their screaming, giggling children with hugs and kisses while Jack stood back and watched. One young boy, perhaps five or six, came running up to Ianto, placing his tiny hand into his father's and smiling up at him.
"Hi dad," he said, bouncing up and down on his toes. "Can we go to the park? It's finally stopped raining and David's going with his mum and I want to—" He stopped, staring wide-eyed at Jack. "Is that him?" he asked, his voice squeaking with excitement.
Ianto patted him fondly on the shoulder. "Yes, that's him, now don't stare. Trystan, this is Captain Jack Harkness. Jack, this is my son Trystan."
"But you can call me Trys, sir," said the young boy, glancing up at Jack in awe. Ianto laughed and picked him up so he was eye to eye with them. Side-by-side, there was no mistaking that he was Ianto's son: same blue eyes, same button nose, same curly hair cut short to stay tamed. Jack held out his hand, thinking to shake hands with the boy properly; instead, Trystan gave him a sloppy high-five, and Jack laughed.
"Then you can call me Jack, if your dad doesn't mind," said Jack. Trystan looked at his dad imploringly, and Ianto shrugged.
"I'm surprised he didn't tell you to call him Captain," he said with that dry tone Jack remembered so well. Trystan squirmed, and Ianto put him down.
"That's even cooler!" the young boy exclaimed. "Do you want to come to the park with us, Captain Jack?"
Jack looked at Ianto in surprise; Ianto raised an eyebrow at his son. "I never said we were going to the park, Trys."
"But dad—" the boy started, and Jack watched, mesmerized, as Ianto played the part of strict but doting father to perfection. He even winked at his son.
"And I never said we weren't. You can play with David while I catch up with Captain Jack. He's been gone for long time."
Trystan turned so that he was walking backwards in front of them. "Did you meet many aliens? Did you go to the future? Or maybe the past? I'd like to see the past, I love history! I want a real dinosaur, just like my dad. He said he—"
"Trys!" Ianto laughed, obviously seeing and enjoying the shocked looked on Jack's face. "What have I said about minding your manners? And keeping certain things to yourself?"
"Right," the boy said, nodding wisely. He pretended to zip his lips together, then skipped to walk in between Jack and Ianto. He took Ianto's hand in his, and gazed up at Jack with shining eyes and a boyish grin. "We'll talk about that stuff later. Want to know what I learned in school today, Captain Jack?"
Trystan talked all the way to the park, and Jack was enthralled. It was only a few blocks, but Jack was fairly certain the boy managed to fit in every single thing he had done all day, plus several questions about the things he'd learned for his dad as well. It was remarkable to see; whereas Ianto had always been quiet and soft-spoken, Trystan was an outgoing five-year-old, talking a mile a minute and smiling and laughing so often it was impossible not to laugh and smile with him. By the time they reached the park, Jack understood Ianto's aura of contentment with life; the boy was a delightful child.
Trystan ran off to join his friends, and Jack and Ianto settled at a nearby table to talk and keep an eye on the rowdy boys. For a moment Jack watched them run around, climbing the equipment, jumping off as if they didn't have a care in the world. He glanced at Ianto only to find the other man watching him instead of his son. Jack cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed.
"He's a great kid," he told Ianto. "You should be proud."
"I am," Ianto said quietly, his eyes now drifting toward his son, crinkling around the corners as he smiled fondly. "He makes it so simple sometimes."
Jack leaned his chin on his hand, curious. "What do you mean?"
"Single parent," Ianto replied dryly, waving his hand. "Not something I ever expected and definitely not the easiest job in the world."
"No, I can't imagine it would be," Jack replied. "But you're doing a fabulous job. Trystan is amazing, and you seem happy, really happy."
"I already told you I was," Ianto replied, raising an eyebrow. "And yet you still seem so surprised."
"It's just that…" Jack sighed. "You're different from when I left. Or rather, you're in a different place. You've got a normal life. I never imagined you'd be married, with kids…or widowed, I suppose. I'm sorry," he offered again. "She must have been an incredible woman."
"She was," Ianto nodded, but this time he did not offer anything more.
"May I ask…" Jack hesitated, unsure of his place in Ianto's life and whether he should be asking such personal questions, "…how she died?"
Ianto gazed across the playground toward his son. "I was consulting for UNIT, and we were all in London so that I could attend a conference. There was an incident in the city. Bad timing for an alien invasion, but they do seem to like the holidays." He took a deep breath and continued. "Elain was injured in the attack and died several days later. At least we got to say goodbye."
Once again Ianto had lost someone he loved to aliens. It broke Jack's heart to think that Ianto had suffered so much for his ties to Torchwood. Friends, lovers, even his wife, all gone because one young man had been recruited to Torchwood One so many years ago. It seemed unfair, yet watching Ianto talk about his wife, Jack could sense that the man was deeply glad for the chance to have loved her.
They talked idly about Torchwood, reminiscing fondly at first, until Jack finally worked up the courage to ask after Gwen and the Hub. Ianto had left Torchwood after closing the Rift, maintaining only the administration of Flat Holm while Gwen had taken over the reduced workload of Torchwood Three. Within the year it had been enfolded into UNIT, and Gwen had left them to it, raising her daughter, and later a son through their early years before returning to the Cardiff Police, where she now ran a special task force that coordinated with UNIT on supernatural and alien-related cases. Ianto continued to look after Flat Holm while occasionally consulting with both Gwen and UNIT and raising his son.
"How did you get so connected with UNIT?" Jack asked, and Ianto's eyes closed briefly before he opened them again.
"We first worked with them when the Daleks stole the Earth. When Tosh died." He continued with a sad sigh. "After we closed the Rift, I went at Flat Holm, recovering from some injuries. Elain was still there and that's when we…grew closer. UNIT tried to recruit me, but it wasn't a life I wanted to return to in full."
Jack shook his head at yet another surprise. "Injuries?" he asked. Ianto's face became pained, and he pulled up the leg of one of his trousers to show Jack a prosthetic leg. He stared at it in shock.
"I don't even want to ask, but what the hell happened?" he said quietly.
"I told you, we sealed the Rift here in Cardiff. Unfortunately, it required a rather large explosion and I was a bit too close." He shrugged, pulling his trousers down. "My lower leg was crushed. I was in a coma for a month, woke up to find it gone. Gwen was beside herself because she'd been called to make the decision. And Rhys was furious at me for putting her through that while she was pregnant." He shook his head fondly. "He's fiercely protective, Rhys Williams."
Jack let his head fall, hands on his knees as he stared at the ground. "It's too much," he whispered. "I've traveled all over time and space, and yet, coming here has been more jolting than anywhere I've ever been." He glanced at Ianto with a bitter smile. "I guess I never thought things would change so much. When you live through a century of history, change feels slow. Miss ten years and all of a sudden it's like missing an entire lifetime in the blink of an eye."
Ianto narrowed his eyes, then nodded as he glanced back out toward the playground. "I can see that. It's probably rather unsettling. But things are good, Jack. For me, for Gwen and Rhys, for Torchwood. Change isn't always bad."
"No, it's not," Jack said softly. "I just didn't expect so much." He followed Ianto's gaze to where Trystan had apparently abandoned his other friends and was swinging as high as he possibly could on the swings, talking and laughing with a young girl next to him.
"Charming the girls already?" Jack teased, and Ianto grinned.
"God, no. I don't think he's realized the difference between girls and boys yet—other than the obvious," he corrected, just as Jack was about to open his mouth and make a joke. "He likes roughhousing with the boys as much as he likes having tea parties with Sarah." He inclined his head toward the girl on the swing.
Jack watched Ianto as he watched his son. He was glowing with pride and joy, and at that moment Jack knew he had no right whatsoever to take that away from him. Ianto might be a single father, but he was clearly doing well by it, and Jack did not want to get in the way. He had come back to Earth hoping to make amends and return to some semblance of the life he'd once had in Cardiff. Now he knew his hope was in vain, and that he did not belong there any longer. It hurt to admit, and he felt completely lost, not having anywhere else to go, but he knew what he had to do.
Standing up, Jack tucked his hands into his pockets. "I should get going, leave you to play with your son." Ianto glanced up, clearly puzzled.
"You're leaving so soon?" he asked. "You haven't said much about where you've been the last two years. Trystan is expecting some good stories, you know."
"Yes, and why is that?" Jack asked, crossing his hands in front of his chest and pretending to scowl. "How is it that he not only knew me, but knew about aliens and time travel?"
Ianto rolled his eyes as he stood, meeting Jack's eyes straight on. "He knows you from the picture of the team I have on my shelf, and from the stories he begs for before going to bed. He knows about aliens and time travel because he is an…unusual child with unique parents."
"There's more to that sentence, isn't there?" said Jack, knowing instinctively that Ianto was holding something back. The other man raised an eyebrow.
"Stick around a bit longer and maybe you'll find out," he teased.
Before he'd left, Jack might have responded with flirting and innuendo, but now it made him sad to think how inappropriate it might be. He couldn't return to the way things were, because so much had changed. He shook his head. "It's been too long. There's nothing here for me anymore," he said softly, gazing away.
Ianto reached out and turned Jack back toward him, fingers gently caressing his arm, then grasping his hand. "You don't know that. The Doctor must have brought you to this time for a reason, after all."
"What do you mean?" Jack asked.
"I'm not sure," said Ianto, gazing deep into Jack's eyes. "Just a gut feeling that you're supposed to be here, now." He shook his head, as if shaking off the effects of a spell, and dropped Jack's hand. "At least see Gwen. She'll hate me if I tell her you were here and didn't visit."
"Then don't tell her," Jack offered, and Ianto laughed.
"Nice try, but I have a five-year-old who can't keep a secret, and you know Gwen. No one gets away with that kind of stuff. What if I have her and Rhys and the kids over for dinner tomorrow? Safety in numbers?"
Jack gave him a curious look. "Safety?"
"It'd be better than meeting her for coffee," Ianto replied. "She was heartbroken and angry when you left. She never really understood."
"And you?" Jack asked, searching Ianto's face for the truth. Whereas once he'd had to work hard to know Ianto and his expressions, his moods, now the other man let him see freely what he felt, and it broke Jack's heart all over again.
"I understood," said Ianto. "But it was easier to let go because you weren't the same man I fell in love with. You'd lost over one hundred and fifty years of memories that made you who you were, including memories of us. I could let you go because all I wanted was for you to be you again, and to be happy, with or without me."
That was news to Jack. Ianto had loved him? Jack had wondered if their relationship might have developed into more, but they'd not had long before he'd lost all memories of his immortal life and left Earth, ostensibly to find them. He had certainly felt more than lust and attraction for Ianto, more than the affection he felt for the others. Possibly love, if he'd let himself, only he'd spent decades refusing to fall in love again and had even told himself he couldn't love Ianto. It hurt too much to lose the people he loved.
It made sense to him that Ianto had moved on. He had not expected Jack to regain his memories, or to return if he did. Jack wasn't sure how he felt about that, whether it spoke to a lack of faith that saddened him, or a strength of character that revealed Ianto's perseverance. It was possible it did not matter. Maybe what mattered was not the past, but the present, and even the future.
He suspected that Ianto was right, and that there was a reason the Doctor had dropped him off ten years after he'd left instead of the two he'd spent trying to regain his memories. Whether it was to simply see something he was meant to see in order to move on, or for some other reason he couldn't possibly comprehend, Jack decided he could stay for a few days, at least. He could call the Doctor anytime and arrange to be picked up, but he should see Gwen, and maybe get to know Ianto and his son better.
"You said something about dinner tomorrow?" Jack asked. Ianto smiled warmly and nodded.
"All I have to do is give her a call," he said. Jack took a deep breath.
"Okay. But she's not going to hit me, is she?" He did his best to joke about it, but even a decade later, Ianto could see through him.
"I'll meet her for lunch tomorrow first," he offered. "Butter her up a bit."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Kinky."
To which Ianto rolled his eyes. "Good to know you regained your sense of inappropriate innuendo as well as your memories."
"I don't think I ever lost that," Jack said, and they laughed before settling into a comfortable silence, finally broken by Ianto's soft words.
"It's good to see you again, Jack," he said.
"It's good to see you too," said Jack. "I know it's probably too late after ten years, but I'm sorry I left you, that I wasn't there for you, that I—"
Ianto cut him off. "Don't apologize, Jack. I already told you that you have nothing to apologize for. I honestly didn't think you'd come back in my lifetime, but I always hoped you would. I'm…well, I'm glad to know you're alive and safe and remember your old life." He paused with a rueful grimace. "As difficult as it was."
"I wouldn't want to forget some of the lives I lived," said Jack. He reached out and trailed a hand down Ianto's cheek. "I want to remember the people I loved." He hadn't meant to say it, but as soon as he did, he realized it was true. Ianto stared at him in surprise, but if Jack was expecting any sort of romantic declaration in return or a toe-curling kiss of undying love, he was disappointed. Trystan came running up to them then, tugging on Ianto's hand.
"Dad!" he said, oblivious to the intense moment between the two men. "I'm hungry. Can we get a snack?"
Ianto shook his head and focused on his son with a gentle smile. "Of course. Let's head home, have a snack and some quiet time."
"Can Captain Jack come?" Trystan asked, turning to gaze up at Jack with those innocent blue eyes. "Are you hungry? You can have some of my Dino-crisps if you like."
"Thanks, sport," Jack laughed, ruffling the boy's hair. "But I should probably let you and your dad go. I have to—" He had nothing to do; he'd come back for Ianto, but Ianto was no longer his to come back to.
"You should come," Ianto interrupted. "We have grown-up snacks if Dino-crisps are not to your liking." He offered a crooked smile that melted Jack's heart. "And maybe I can make some coffee."
"You like Dino-crips, Tad," said Trystan, rolling his eyes exactly like his father. "And coffee is gross, you can have lemonade, Captain Jack. Come on, let's go! I want to hear about Mfanwy, and the Rift, and all the aliens you helped, and every planet you've ever been to!"
He took Jack's hand and chattered away, leading Jack down the pavement as Ianto followed behind, watching them with a fond smile on his face. Jack offered him a questioning look, and Ianto nodded in silent response, still smiling. Jack mouthed a quiet 'Thank you' and followed Trystan down the street, still hand in hand. He knew he would stay for as long as he could.
Just like that, something clicked quietly into place deep within his soul, a strong sense of purpose filling him with peace and love. Jack realized that not only was he was meant to be there, in that time, but that he was meant to be there for both Ianto and Trystan. His future was with them, because Jack had finally come home to his destiny.
Author's Note:
I have been sitting on this forever! It came to me in a bit of a flash, and still remains quite strongly in my mind as something that Might Have Been. Yes, there is more to the story, all right there in that last paragraph, but I'm marking it complete. As much as I write snippets in my head, there are so many others stories juggling for a spot in the To Be Written queue that I just don't know if and when the other two parts would ever be written. So I hope you enjoyed seeing Ianto alive and well and meeting his adorable son. Thank you for reading my 100th story here on the site!