1
The cabin was silent, the snow falling outside making their bubble complete and Ianto stood silent and fragile in the first light of the new day.
Jack shifted in the bed and sighed softly as he reached for his mate and found cold pillows.
"Yan?" Jack slurred as he sat up, rubbing his face and he looked over at his love, seeing the male form looking back.
"Ianto? Come back to bed darling, its cold" Jack pouted and Ianto nodded, banking the fire and slipping in to Jack's arms.
"See? You're freezing" Jack huffed, rubbing his back as he kissed his neck and jaw as Ianto sighed and relaxed against him.
"Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be warm again" Ianto said softly, closing his eyes against the flames, licking around the wood like they might the world once more.
"Our wee Byrdie still snoring?" Jack changed the subject as he missed their wee hottie and Ianto hummed.
"I worried about her travelling, she took to it well though" Jack said innocently, "She will probably be quite the traveller when she is older."
"Once she gets her hands on the Tardis she is going to be a bloody cow to control" Ianto muttered softly as he nuzzled against Jack's neck and Jack frowned at the strange comment, then shrugged it off.
Finally Ianto sighed and rolled to the edge of the bed and rose, padding through to the kitchen and returning with some packets of crisps as Jack crowed, "What about crumbs?"
"I am craving these like nobody's business" Ianto replied, "Gods, I love salt and vinegar!"
Jack watched with awe as Ianto proceeded to devour the entire bag as well as a one litre bottle of cola like a pro. Burping and flopping back with a grunt of satisfaction.
"Wow!" Jack laughed, "You really do love salt and vinegar!"
"You" Ianto whispered so softly that Jack almost missed it as he settled in the bed, "I love you. More than everything, anything, all things."
"Awwww, you have woken soppy sweetling" Jack crooned, leaning over to kiss him and rub his chest, enjoying that soft chest hair.
"Jack" Ianto said calmly, "We promised no more secrets, that where and when there was a convergence it should be recognised and then let go. Move on. Right?"
"Yeah?" Jack frowned, "But …what. There is not fixed point here babe."
"No, not here. There. Then, we had to do some bad things and we had to act fast …even if it took a year to accomplish. It was just now. While you were asleep, it was my page written in the book" Ianto whispered as he looked at his handsome man and watched the myriad of emotions that flickered across his face.
"I …I don't understand, what the hell are you talking about?" Jack demanded and Ianto sighed.
"I bent the rules, I had to for our Byrd. Her husband was … well. Cant' say, Spoilers. But let's say he is lovely and I had to save him, his death would not have served and I had to take one for the team in order to get him out of Dodge" Ianto grimaced, "Oh Jack. The things I did for you, to you. I … I became who I needed to be to get the job done but …I am so tired, so bloody tired."
Jack held him tightly as he tried to understand what was happening, what he meant but he couldn't for the life of him work out what Ianto meant.
Then he felt Ianto change, and smiled as he loosed his hold to look down at Yan, only to find someone else in the bed.
Someone he had not seen in a lifetime.
"India?"
"Hello Cariad" she whispered, "I didn't blink once."
"Oh gods" Jack sobbed as the year came back with sickening clarity, his jailor, confidant, fellow activist.
"I'm sorry" she sobbed clutching at him, "I had to. Byrd was out there doing her part, I had to keep her safe and … gods, the timelines were so messy, I was so scared."
Jack crushed her to his chest as his heart threatened to explode, the realisation that the one he had thanked for keeping him sane in a time of insanity had been his love.
"Ianto …when you died at my feet I …."
"It was that time's Ianto. I came to you to try and comfort you when I could, I …when you thought I was an angel I couldn't crush you, I couldn't admit that it was me. Gods, how I wanted to tell you it was all going to work." She was sobbing, her own heart so broken as he crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her with al he had.
"You saved me" he said as he broke apart from her, "You! Your touches, kind words, updates, goddess the smell of Ianto. Of course I could smell him. It was you!" Jack laughed as he lay there, unable to fully comprehend the wibbly-wobbly mess.
"Wait. Byrd, she was there? What?" Jack sat up with horror as he looked at his lovely wee bub, "What do you mean, her husband! She's married?"
"She is all grown up with her own life, came back to do her part in the Great Game" India confirmed, then pulled at him to come back down.
"Sweetheart, I love you but …" he pulled a face and she nodded, letting Yan emerge and Jack relaxed as he held his love again.
"So, you clever thing. You learnt to mimic." He smiled, "It just happened for you? Really?"
"Yes. No. I took a wee trip with Byrd and her crew to an Alt Verse, she wouldn't let me back until she was sure I was strong enough" Yan answered, "Gods I missed you."
"My love" Jack held her tightly, "I want to make love to you, I want to make you full of my love. Let's put it all away, leave it screwed up in the trash where it all belongs and just be together, safe and whole."
"Tell you what" Yan prodded at him. "Pull that copper bath over by the fire and fill it with hot water so I can wash off the filth of memory and I will gladly reconnect with you while our little girl has her sleep after her feed."
"Deal!"
Jack rose and started to move the bath, waking Byrd who had slept too long anyway and Yan rose to collect her, remembering the woman who had defiantly stared her down.
"Listen here you" she said softly, "I'm the boss here. Right?"
Byrd's grin was so familiar.
"Wee bugger!" Yan huffed.