Hey Guys! I'm finally starting a new story after quite a few years! So please forgive me if i am a bit rusty! I'm sure i'll probably write another Author's Note at the end of the chapter, but if you have any questions about me/the story, then feel free to leave a review, and i'll be more than happy to answer!

But! I just wanted to let you know that that this chapter is a flash-back (only by like a half hour though) and the second chapter will begin in the story's present-tense!

Alright! Let's get started! (I'm very excited!)

TWTWTWTWTW

Three days. Three days, seven hours, fifty-two minutes, and twenty four seconds. That's how long Ianto Jones waited for the immortal Captain Jack Harkness to prove his immortality to both him, and the rest of the Torchwood team after Billis' little pet sucked the life energy out of the captain.

And during all of that time, Ianto never left Torchwood. He would just spend what felt like an infinite number of hours either sitting in Jack's office, or standing just outside of Torchwood's personal graveyard where Jack's body currently resided; although not yet tucked away, because of Gwen Cooper (Torchwood's newest agent) acting as guard dog. Not wanting the dog to back at him, Ianto decided to keep his distance.

Inhaling the scent of Jack's longcoat one last time, Ianto slowly hangs it back up onto the hook, wipes the tears from his eyes and cheeks, and straightens his tie as he walks out of the office door. Not wanting to go, with slight anxiety for what he is about to do.

Ten minutes later, after having made the team all cups of coffee, he finds himself having a hard time breathing as he begins walking towards Gwen. Preparing himself for what he is about to see.

"Coffee?" He asks with the most professional face he can manage, holding one of the cups of coffee out to her with shaky hands. He tries not to look at the body lying inches away from his fingers.

"Thanks…" Gwen accepts the cup. They both just stand there for a few moments without a word. Although he does notice her hand gently places on Jack's, and he feels a twinge of jealousy.

"Thankyou Ianto." She kisses his cheek, and leaves. And he knows that she wasn't just thanking him for the coffee.

Pushing all thoughts to the back of his mind, Ianto kneels down next to Jack's body. The silvery-grey color of his his skin causes memories of his father's funeral to rise. But, unlike now, he didn't feel anything then.

Now, looking down at the corpse of the only person he's trusted in a long time, the man he loved; all of Ianto's emotions come flooding out at once, and the tears begin to fall uncontrollably. The adventure. The love. The memories. It was one thing to be told that Jack was dead, but seeing it with his own eyes, was something. Something that made Jack's death undeniable, and made the thoughts of jack possibly having found his doctor again and was happily staying with him, impossible. And it made Ianto feel as if the remains of his heart were ripped from his chest, and were being hit with a hammer.

He didn't know what to do. So he just lied there, with his arm draped over his lover's lifeless body, and one hand holding onto Jack's cold grey one. Hoping. Pretending that he was just asleep, and was waiting for him to wake up.

After what felt like both years, and seconds, of just "waiting"; Ianto manages to choke out "i love you.." and adding "so much…" as he wipes his nose, and stands up.

As he looks down at Jack, he knows he is not ready to leave yet. He knows that he is not ready to accept that Jack isn't actually asleep. But, still pretending that he was, Ianto bends over and gives Jack a light kiss on his cold lips as carefully as possible, as if trying not to wake him. Ianto begins to walk away, head down.

The kiss was truly nothing special. Not special like the kisses they had shared before, anyway. In fact, Ianto had barely even touched him! But it was enough. Enough to give Ianto the most closer he would probably ever get. Enough to give him the courage to walk away, back to the others, back to pretending he was fine. And it was just enough to-

"I love you too…."

It was weak. Weak, and just barely audible; but he had still heard it. Everything felt like it as happening in slow motion as Ianto ran back to what, only seconds ago he thought was the corpse of his lover, to what he now sees is the man he loves, smiling. More alive than ever.

But it wasn't just smiling.

He was laughing.

" I don't quite see what's so funny, sir." Ianto chokes out of habit, although he was smiling as well.

"True love's kiss" Jack replies.

~TWTWTWTW~

Jack had been all too happy to remove the sheet covering his body and to help Iano with his suit -that Jack was positive that it was the same one that Ianto had been wearing when he last saw him nearly four days ago- But Ianto wasn't having it. His argument had been that they should go find the rest of the team and prove to them that their really was nothing of this world (or from the Rift) that could keep Jack Harkness down. And Jack couldn't argue with that.

But even now after having sent the entire rest of the team to go pick up the pizza around the corner, Ianto still wanted to just innocently hang around the Hub with Jack.

So that's where they were left now; Ianto trying to make coffee and talk about how they desperately needed to change Myfanwy's diet -acting like nothing had happened had somehow always made things easier for him- as Jack held onto his waist from behind, kissing his neck (well, trying to anyway).

Until Jack heard the TARDIS.

As he starts to leave the room to check on the jar containing his precious Doctor's hand, he motions for Ianto to follow him (Ianto had still been wondering why Jack had left so suddenly). Seeing the liquid that preserves the Time Lord's hand bubbling, Jack smiles and tells Ianto to pack the jar, and the supplies in the drawer below it.

For nearly four years now, Ianto had been cleaning up and organizing the entire base. He knew the place backwards, forwards, and upside-down. But he had never seen what was inside that mysterious drawer, or even knew what that mysterious hand was that Jack had -for some strange reason- been so obsessed with. There were things hidden deep in the archives, nearly never seen, that had been daily topics of discussion around the Hub, but it was what had been sitting in plain sight -quite literally the first thing one saw when walking through the door- that was the most mysterious to the team. Ianto had no idea why Jack was suddenly acting as if Ianto knew exactly what was going on, and what it was. And why he was trusting him with something that he had never trusted him with before.

Bursting through the door of his office, Jack runs straight over to his desk, pulling out a manilla folder. Inside the folder is instructions as to what the team is supposed to do while he is away, who is in charge, and an apology for leaving...and taking away their amazing receptionist.

He was always needing to update that old file whenever an agent died, or a new one was hired; but it wasn't until a little over a year ago that he had ever decided he would take someone with him. Even back in the 70's when he was still married, he didn't plan on his wife (or daughter for that matter) coming along, although the fact that someone would need to take care of Alice did play a major part in that decision, although there were other reasons too.

Jack Harkness had always had boyfriends, girlfriends, fuck buddies, and wives. Even with the two people he had ever been married to, he had learned to accept that he would outlive them all. But never, before Ianto, had it actually made him afraid to let himself love them, and even cause his heart to ache at the thought of them dying.

He didn't know what it was though. Was it his beautiful blue eyes that had caused Jack to think of the ocean when he had first looked into them on that day that Ianto had brought him coffee (for all he knew, it could have been the coffee itself!), and that smile that Jack was clearly able to see him trying to hide when Myfanwy dropped Jack on top of him. The way he had looked at him when they almost kissed that night, what made Jack decide then and there that he wanted to be close with this man, causing him to be hired. And who could forget that choker necklace that he had wore the day he had given yet another complement to his coat (which he had been sure to wear when he went up to talk to him) as he walked away after having tasted the greatest coffee he had ever had for the first time in his life. It was hard for him to say, because in Jack's eyes, everything about the young welshman was absolutely flawless.

Throwing the file onto Tosh's desk, Jack shouts, "Are you ready Ianto?!", not realising that the young man was standing right behind him.

"Here you go" Ianto helps Jack with his coat, and backpack, "And ready for what, sir?"

"You're coming with me!" He winks.

"Where?" Ianto questions.

"Ever dream of seeing the stars?" Jack replies.

And with that, they run hand in hand out of the hub, and straight into their newest adventure.

A/N: So what do you guys think?! I know this is rather short, but once we get into specific episodes, the chapters will definitely be getting longer! I'm already working on the next few chapters, so I'm going to try and update weekly! There is so much i want to say here, but i dont really know what, so please just leave a review! and i'll see you guys later 3