Set after Season 3 CoE ---- Jack is struggling to come to terms with Ianto's death. But when he dies again, is he ready for what awaits him?
The shot came unexpected and caught Jack in the chest. He hadn't died in a long while. As he sank to the floor, he heard Louis Habiba shout his name. More shots rang out and he was sure that Gwen and ex-PC Andy had taken his killer out. He smiled as his last conscious thought was about his new team. After they had defeated the 456, Torchwood had been reduced to just Gwen and himself. He wasn't able to accept Ianto Jones' death and so, once Earth was safe again, he took off, leaving a distraught Gwen crying.
Jack went everywhere and nowhere, looking for something he didn't know what it was and finding things he didn't want to find. And in the end, he realised that the one thing he was trying to escape away from, he couldn't outrun ... himself.
So he came back.
They say that there is no place like home, and even though the one thing that had made his life worth living was gone, Earth was still home to Jack. He had recruited Louis Habiba into Torchwood and Gwen had convinced him, that her colleague PC Andy would make an excellent addition to the team. They found a young doctor to fill Owen Harper's place and after a while, it started to feel like home again.
But no longer would a certain Welshman's smile brighten his day, the smell of Ianto's coffee would no longer linger in the Hub and he would never feel the soft, gentle lips of his lover on his skin.
But he was still home.
Jack closed his eyes and prepared himself for the dark, silent void which greeted him every time he died. And as soon as his now lifeless body hit the ground, he could feel the familiar pull drawing him away. He sighed and resigned himself for the long wait in the dark until another pull drew him back into life. With a simple gunshot wound, it should only be a few minutes.
The silence was all deafening. Jack took a deep breath - and suddenly stilled. There was a scent ... a familiar scent. This was new. There was never anything else but darkness and silence. But this scent, he could smell it clearly. It was coffee. And not just any coffee – Ianto's industrial strength coffee!
This was not possible.
Jack opened his eyes and gasped. This was not the pitch darkness, the silent nothingness which had greeted him for the last hundreds of years. He looked around and instantly recognised the place. How could he not? This was "Chez Jaques", the little French restaurant around the corner from the office, where he and Ianto had spent many happy hours. But now, the restaurant was empty. No chatting couples enjoying their meals, no waiters rushing around and taking orders, no noises from the kitchen promising delicious French cuisine. The street outside was empty as well.
It was just him.
"I've been waiting for you." A soft voice came from behind him and Jack's heart missed a beat. He turned around and there, in the corner, sat Ianto Jones. The young Welshman smiled.
"Ianto?" Jack whispered, afraid that his voice would make the wonderful vision disappear. "What is this place and what are you doing here?"
Ianto stood up from his chair and walked over to the tall Captain. "This is the Other Side and I'm here, well, because .... I'm dead."
Jack closed his eyes at the painful memory. "But why? How?"
"Do you remember the last time we came here?"
Jack nodded. "It was last Saturday, just before we got the call from the hospital to come and examine a body."
Ianto smiled. "Yes, and you told me what it was like when you die." Ianto took a deep breath "Well, I was very sad to hear about the darkness and the silence. I couldn't imagine what it must be like to be trapped in such a place over and over again and to never know when you're being pulled back."
Jack closed his eyes as he remembered the conversation. He sighed. "But, Ianto, you're dead. You shouldn't be in ..." he gestured around him. "...here."
"I can't cross over, Jack." Ianto said and smiled sadly. "I have unfinished business."
Jack looked questioningly at his lover, as Ianto took another step forward and took the Captain's hands in his'.
"You."
"Me?" Jack whispered. "I'm your unfinished business?"
Ianto nodded. "Yes, Jack. I can't leave you alone in this." He smiled and looked around in the restaurant. "In here."
"Ianto ..." Jack started and swallowed hard as his throat threatened to close up. "Oh God, I'm so sorry!" he whispered. "I never meant for this – for my life, my immortality to stop you from ... crossing over." Jack shook his head. "Oh, God, I trapped you in here!"
Ianto smiled as he squeezed Jack's hands. "No, Jack. This is not your fault. And I'm not trapped in here. It's my choice. I chose to make this my unfinished business. I might be dead, but I still want to be there for you when you need me."
Tears started to well up in Jack's eyes, as he looked into Ianto's blue eyes and saw the love shining in them.
Ianto moved his hand so that his thumb could wipe away Jack's tears. "The fight is not over, Jack. Torchwood needs you. Earth needs you - The Universe needs you!" Ianto smiled. "And we can't have the dashing Captain Jack Harkness running around not focussed on the task at hand!"
Jack laughed under his tears at the punt.
"So whenever you die, Jack, I'll be here, waiting for you to keep you company until you're ready to go back. And I will be here, until your time comes and you're ready to stay here with me." Ianto let go of Jack's hand cupped the Captain's cheek gently. "No more darkness. No more silence, Jack. Just us, our favourite restaurant and a good cup of your favourite coffee."
"Ianto", Jack said with a sad voice, leaning into the caress. "You know I can't die. You'll be waiting forever."
Ianto smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Jack's cheek.
"Don't worry, Jack. I have all eternity."
The End