Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or its characters. If I did, Ianto would have come back and the show would still be going. It all belongs to BBC and Russell T. Davies.
Jack's POV
I'm lost.
Why am I here? Why am I doing this?
What's the point? I don't know what the point is anymore. What's the point if I can't even save the people I love?
The 456 came back and people died.
Those people in that building died because of me.
Steven—my grandson—died.
And Ianto.
I held Ianto in my arms and watched him die. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't save him. I couldn't save any of them.
What's the point of doing this if everyone I care about—everyone I love keeps dying?
I had to go. I had go—it doesn't matter where, but I had to get away. I had to go before I end up getting Gwen and Rhys killed. They have a baby to take care and they don't need me screwing that up. I can't let what happened to Tosh, Owen, Ianto—or any of them—happen to them. I won't.
I said goodbye to Gwen. She begged me to stay. But I can't stay.
She would get over me. She would forget about me. She has to. It's for her own good. It's for her family's own good that I go.
I had to go and never come back.
But then I did.
Gwen called me. She told me I needed to come back.
I know I shouldn't come back, but something in her voice convinced me. What was it? Or maybe I just wanted to see her. Gwen was always special to me.
She gave me the coordinates of her location and it was a Torchwood branch located in America. I guess in the time that've been gone Rhys and Gwen have moved here to start their family; though it seems they haven't left a certain part of their life behind them yet.
"Jack!" I look over and see Gwen run over to me. I can see she no longer had a pregnant belly; I guess she had the baby.
"Gwen." I say as she throws her arms around me. "You look great."
"Oh shut up!" She says.
"No seriously." I say and Gwen smirks. "Now tell me. Boy or a girl?"
"A girl. Her name's Anwen." Gwen says. That was a great name.
"You didn't call me here just to talk, did you?" I question. I did not come back just to talk. I had to stay gone, but I knew something had happened just by her message. I really hope that isn't the case. I knew if it was just to talk she would try and convince me to stay. I couldn't stay.
"Gwen..."
"Jack—" I could tell by her tone that she was going to say something about Torchwood needing me. That she needed me and all that shit. But no. I wasn't going to hear it. If I listened to it then by some miracle she would convince me to stay. I wasn't going to do that.
I had to stay gone. Nothing good ever came when I'm around. What good did me being here do for Tosh? Owen? Or Ianto?
They are all gone—they're dead because of me.
I wasn't going to let that happen to Gwen or anyone else ever again.
"I can't stay." I tell her.
"Jack—Torchwood needs you. It needs it's captain." Gwen says.
"I can't stay." I repeat.
"Jack. I need you." I sigh in annoyance.
"I can't stay, Gwen. Nothing good comes from me being here." I tell her and before she can speak, I start to. "People die. Those people died because of me. All I do is bring death. I can't stay. I can't let more people end up like Tosh, Owen, and Ianto did."
"I won't let that happen to you." I add and she just stares at me, looking sad. I couldn't let anything happen to her or Rhys. She had a daughter—a family to think about. I would only bring pain and destruction.
I've already brought enough of that to my family.
"Jack! More people will die without you here!" Gwen shouts.
"I CAN'T—I can't let anyone else I care about die." I manage to stop myself from screaming. "I've already lost my friends, my grandson, and—the man I loved." I watched them die. I was there when they all died. I am the reason they all died. I can't watch anyone else die. I can't bare it.
"More people will die if you're not here." Gwen says putting her hands on my face, taking my head in her hands. "Torchwood needs you."
"And I need you!" I look over and my eyes widen at the sight. Standing in front of me—a couple feet away—no, it couldn't be. He's dead. He died. He died in my arms.
Ianto.
I looked between him and Gwen. She nodded at me—her way of telling me that it wasn't just me seeing him. I wasn't crazy. I wasn't seeing any sort of ghost. Was he real? No, he couldn't be real. He died. I held him in my arms and he died.
"You—He can't be—you can't be real." I stumble on my words, feeling tears run down my face.
"He's real Jack." Gwen says.
"I am. I'm here, Jack." Ianto says and I take a step towards him, before stopping. I turn to Gwen.
"How? He died—he's dead."
"It doesn't matter."
"Yes it does! He's dead—he died in my arms. He's supposed to be dead. HOW IS HE HERE?!"
"Aliens." Gwen says simply.
"Why?" I ask. I could wrap my hands around there being aliens that could resurrect. But why? Why would they bring back Ianto? And what's the cost? "There's got to be a reason."
"Torchwood needs you, Jack. And if you come back, Ianto comes back permanently." Gwen says. What? Why? So Ianto comes back if I return to Torchwood? There has to be some sort of catch or cost? He comes back and someone else dies? Then I'd be responsible for anyone person dying. No. I can't—this can't be happening. This can't happen.
"At what cost? Someone else dies in his place? What's the catch?" I ask.
"They need you to protect earth. There's no catch or cost, other than this: You have to come back to Torchwood and do what you've been doing since before I met you." Gwen says. "Jack, people die all the time. It doesn't mean it's your fault. And even if it is, make that the reason you keep going. Fight for them."
"Fight for me." Ianto says. "Also, being alive would be really nice."
I laugh as tears stream down my face. I stand before Ianto and then put my hands on his shoulders. I can touch him. He's here. He's really here.
I kiss him.
"Jack?" I turn back to Gwen. "Will you stay?"
"Please stay." Ianto whispers and I then nod at what Gwen asks before kissing Ianto again. I am not going anywhere. Not only because I was not going to let Ianto get away from me again. But because I knew she was right.
Earth needs Torchwood. And Torchwood needs me.
A/N: I have not watched series 4 yet, but I am told the show moved to America for the final series. But anyways, I hated how they killed Ianto so I needed to write something where he comes back. I don't know how good this is, but this is what I came up with. Please don't forget to review.