A/N Thanks to my lovely beta Peregrin_Ionad again. And to all of those who have read and reviewed. I own nothing except the things you don't recognize, read and review and all that good stuff.

Ianto awoke still tired and slightly disoriented. As his eyes cleared, the room swam back into focus. It was strange, when they first moved out he had woken wondering why it was so bright, now he woke is surprise at the darkness. The bed was empty save for himself, which was not particularly unusual, Jack still didn't sleep much, but he hoped that his lover had at least gotten some rather than waiting 'til he asleep and then slipping away. In spite of his over two thousand years of age, Ianto had found Jack remarkably poor at taking care of himself, though he was solicitous, bordering on the overprotective, when one of his team was injured.

After checking the time, he decided to go find his lover and make sure he got some sleep. It was still the dead of night, the hub at its most still and silent. As he slid the shirt over his head and stepped around the screen he was not particularly surprised to find Chris, a medical journal still in her hand, asleep on the sofa. Though there were other rooms in the hub set up for times when they worked around the clock, were injured, or just too tired to drive, but they were hardly comfortable or homey. When he and Jack had moved out, they had left behind most of the furniture and all but a few personal belongings, precisely so that they could use it when they had to, but somehow, what had been their living room seemed to have turned into an unofficial Torchwood recreation room. Not that either of them minded at all. Ianto smiled fondly at the doctor as he slid the journal from her hand, and pulled a quilt out of the box to throw over her. She
didn't wake up but merely sank deeper into the comfortable cushions with a contented sigh as the archivist slipped quietly from the room.

The rest of the hub was empty, as close to silent as the echoing old structure with its' combination of ancient and modern technology along with the odd alien artifact would allow. The main floor was empty, even the two flying reptiles either asleep or off for the night. Probably out, he thought to himself, rift activity, especially those two negative spikes earlier tended to make Myfanwy a little tetchy and Gwydion was wherever she was. Looking over toward the medical area he saw Jack standing at the rail, silhouetted against the low light from the room beyond.

"Jack," he said quietly, not wanting to startle him, or to disturb the patient if that was possible. Not that John Hart wasn't disturbed before, he thought stepping into the arm his lover held out to him.

"What are you doing up?" Jack asked him, looking concerned but distracted.

"Cold bed, how's the patient?"

"Still out, but I think he'll start coming around in the next hour or so, he's stirring a bit, more like natural sleep. He always was a restless sleeper." There was nothing particularly nostalgic or soft about Jack's recollection, just a statement of fact. That alone was enough to tell him how much the other man was really worried. He loved to tell a good story, and as they had been together, he had become more comfortable with telling stories about his past.

"Chris is the best, I am sure she got him sorted. Besides, don't all of you superior future physiology ex-time travellers heal faster than us poor 21st century models?" Jack smiled down and him and pulled him close for a kiss. "I know you're worried, I understand, really." Ianto tried to reassure the older man. They both knew it hadn't always been this way. There was a time when Jack's concern over John Hart would have had him down in the archives in a jealous snit or up here staring daggers at both of them. But that was past, after everything that had happened, Ianto was completely secure in his relationship with the immortal.

"Thanks, Ianto. He is…well, not my oldest friend, though that kind of thing gets complicated with time travel, but he is definitely the person who has known me the longest."

"Partners," Ianto said, remembering what the other man had said when they first met. He waited for the reflexive stab of pain and jealousy but it didn't come, only a memory of how he had felt back then.

"Yes, but not just that," Jack said, looking at him while he tried to find the words. "You know, when John and I met, he was the older of us? He was a senior recruit when I started my basic training with the Time Agency. I was an eighteen-year-old war veteran with a chip on my shoulder the size of a galaxy and something to prove to myself and everyone else. When the war ended, I had no home, no family to go back to and no plans for what to do next. I knew how to fight and how to kill, and had a big whole where my heart ought to be. First day in the agency was almost my last. Most of the recruits were from the core planets, some with pretty high-ranking families, and others who wanted to kiss up to them. Then there was me, from a colony world that didn't even have its own representation. I was the first one from Boeshane ever to be recruited." Jack paused, a little lost in the memory, but looking more relaxed than he had.

"So you picked a fight," Ianto said, wanting to keep him on track, not let him get lost in his head.

"I didn't need to, they picked one with me, wanted to show what the pecking order was, and who ran the show. I wasn't inclined to be pecked. I was doing alright too having the advantage of combat training and experience. What I didn't have was back up, and wanting to beat the shit out of them, not kill them hampered me. It's much harder in some ways."

"So what happened?"

"John happened. Oh, that wasn't his name back then and you know I won't tell you what it is. Hell, he's probably wanted for something, somewhere. He had that cocky grin on his face and he walked right up to their leader and punched him in the jaw, then preceded to tell them what and where to get off."

"So, of course, you were grateful and…"

"Grateful, hell, I was furious, almost got into a fight with him as well, right then and there."

"I would have taken you too," a voice croaked out from below them.

"John," Jack called out, taking the steps in a leap to land beside his old partner. Ianto followed at a more sedate pace.

"Don't you and Eye candy have anything better to do than natter on about the past? If you don't I can over some suggestions, might even join in," John laughed a little but it was a pained laugh and his voice sounded weak regardless of how he tried.

"You caused quite a bit of excitement around here this afternoon."

"Always like to make an entrance, you should know that by now."

"What's this about, John?" Jack asked, moving closer to the man on the table.

"I will just go and get…" Ianto said, turning to leave.

"Stay, Eye candy, it won't take long, and you're going to hear about it eventually. Did you give him the message?"

"He did but it wasn't much to go on, and you know I have a two year hole where some memories used to be. I didn't even know where to start."

"Remember when I told you the Agency had closed?" he asked. Jack nodded, as did Ianto. Jack had told him later, and Ianto had held him while he cried tears of self pity for the memories that would now never be recovered, and for what had or rather would be, but wasn't anymore. "There were only seven of us left, Jack. I took off not long after you did, it just wasn't the same and the missions, I don't know, something was happening but I didn't know or care enough to pay attention."

"Only five," Jack said with dawning comprehension. "Who? What happened? Was it a case, or …"

"I will answer all of your questions in time but for the moment, I think I am safe. Just let me…"

"That's enough, whatever you are doing to my patient you need to stop right now. He needs his rest."

"Chris, this…" Jack said before being cut off again, this time by the young doctor.

"You can continue this in about six more hours, Jack. This man has had major surgery, and he is going to get some more rest. I suggest you do the same. Ianto, take him out of here and back to bed. You have my permission to tie him down if necessary." That broke the tension and brought a chuckle from all parties concerned.

"Oh, and me unable to enjoy it, you think that maybe I could just go…"

"No," she cut him off, picking up a syringe and injecting it directly into his IV line.

"But…"

"No, now everyone back to sleep!"