Chapter 2 - The Ice

Ianto wasn't sure what woke him but as he opened his eyes he saw him. Gareth Haines sat calmly on the edge of his bed. He looked liked he'd stepped out the photograph, he hadn't aged a day.

"Hey Ianto." he smiled at his old friend as if no time had passed "Long time no see."

"Gareth, you can't…." Ianto sat up staring at the person at the foot of his bed "Your solid, you can't be a……"

Gareth laughed, Ianto had forgotten how good that sound was.

"Do I have bed sheet over my head and a rusty chain?"

"No, but..."

"You know there's no such thing as ghosts; I thought Torchwood disproved those ages ago."

Ianto reached out and touched Gareth, he was there, he wasn't dreaming.

"If your not here to haunt me, then why are you here?" Ianto murmured. Gareth grabbed him and kissed him, and Ianto let him.

Ianto could taste the memory in the kiss. The tang of fear, expect their parent to burst in at any moment. The sharpness of his ex lovers expectation, the thing that had drove them apart before. But Ianto could feel how cold he was, like a body in the mortuary.

"You're like ice." Ianto told Gareth sadly as they broke apart.

"I bet that's not what you say to Jack." Gareth said.

Ianto stifled a gasp "How do you know about him."

"You don't stop thinking about him." There was something in the way Gareth looked at him that scared Ianto.

"I can see those memories. The way he holds you, touches you, kisses you. We never did that."

Ianto said nothing so Gareth carried on "It won't last, you know that. Some day you'll be to old and he'll move on, cast you off."

Ianto looked away "How can you read my mind? What are you now Gareth."

"They have me." Gareth whispered in way of an answer "They took my pain, and then they took me."

"Who?"

"I can't tell you." A lone tear trickled down his check. Ianto wiped the freezing water away.

"Help me Ianto."

Before Ianto could answer he was gone. As if he'd never been there. Ianto cried, he was so frightened and his hands shook.

The doorbell rang making him jump. Ianto threw his bathrobe on and went to the door. Jack stood there with a concerned look on his face.

"I picked up weird rift activity just now and….." he broke off as he saw Ianto's tear stained face. He put his arms round him and kissed his forehead.

"What happened?" He asked gently.

Ianto let him in and passed him the scrapbook "I had a boyfriend." He explained. By the time he'd finished Jack was holding his hands to stop them from shaking.

"I don't know..." Ianto began but Jack shushed him.

"I'll stay with you tonight." Jack grinned "Breakfast in bed in the morning.

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