Prologue
"This must have been eating away at you." Ianto is saying "Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped."
"No, you couldn't." Jack denies angrily. Ianto feels like Jack has physically hit him.
"I tell you everything." He says sadly, although that wasn't true at the start of their relationship it was now, Ianto was an open book he had no more secrets, well just the one.
There is a pause while Jack processes the truth of this statement. "Ianto, tell me, what should I have done?" Jack finally asks and Ianto can hear a little of the desperation breaking through.
"Stood up to them. The Jack I know would've stood up to them." Ianto affirms confidently. Then wonders again about Jack's past, what is it in Jack's past could have made him do this "I've only just scraped the surface, haven't I?" he asks more quietly.
"Ianto, that's all there is."
"No. You pretend that's all there is." Ianto looks at Jack from the corner of his eyes.
"I have lived a long time—I have done a lot of things." Ianto can see Jack is going to make a run for it, like he always does when things get too hard emotionally. "I've got to go, I won't be long." Jack says.
"You're doing it again. Speak to me, Jack. Where are you going?" Ianto is aware that his frustration is clear in his voice, his frustration that Jack still doesn't trust him to understand.
"To call Frobisher. I can't call him from here, cause they'd be able to trace it. Is that okay?" Jack is angry now because Ianto isn't letting it drop as he usually does. Ianto feels his heart sink this isn't going to work, instead he bites out angrily "You're the boss."
Jack is stopped by his tone he turns and looks at Ianto, the anger is still there but there is something else, is that acknowledgement, understanding maybe? "And just so you know, I have a daughter called Alice and a grandson called Steven, and Frobisher took them hostage yesterday." Jack snaps out and leaves. Ianto nods warmed that, despite the tone, Jack has just shared a secret with him and Ianto recognizes it for what it is, a start. When Jack gets back Ianto is determined he is going to find the courage to tell Jack his own last secret, that he loves him and accepts him warts and all, and that he wants to spend the rest of his life, however long that may be, with him.
Who would have thought three years ago he would be ready to commit himself to this arrogant, egotistical, frustrating, vain man, a man for God's sake…and just to top it off, an immortal who wouldn't age or die. It sounded like a nightmare scenario, but Ianto knew that the worse scenario would be living without him. How had it happened? How had he transformed from the introverted junior researcher at Torchwood London who fell in love with a young field operative called Lisa, into the alien hunting, gun toting, right hand man (and lover) of the most charismatic, daring, charming and bloody sexiest man in Wales, if not Earth.