Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales
Ianto Jones woke disoriented with an odd sense of vertigo. As his thoughts cleared, he recognized the familiar bedroll. After a moment of trying to figure out why he took a nap fully clothed, he remembered what happened to the hub. A bomb destroyed the hub with Jack inside.
Panic was threatening to take over as he pushed himself up. Jack's office looked exactly as he remembered. His original coat was even hanging on the rack in the corner. After a few deep breaths, Ianto stood. A wave of dizziness added to the fear. He patted his pockets searching for his mobile, and found his wallet but no keys or phone.
The last thing he remembered was the warehouse and planning what to do against the 456 and its demand for children. He'd been afraid of dying, and suggested sex. It hadn't happened, but he wasn't sure what had.
A laptop on Jack's desk caught his attention. It was out of place. Ianto switched it on. The first oddity he noticed was the year. It should have read 2009 instead of 2019. Dread mixed with the fear as he accessed the Internet and researched the 456 situation. Ten years passed. There was no listing of the dead. He checked properties he'd acquired for Torchwood and the deeds had been transferred to Jack's aliases.
A property search for Jack found a building given to him by the city of Cardiff. Flats that once belonged to Rhianna Hughes. Details were slim, but he resolved an alien situation, making the property safe but unsellable. Utility records showed two occupied apartments on different floors. A pang of jealousy added to everything else. Jack made a home with Gwen. She was still married to Rhys and obviously living with him. Yet, it hurt.
Ianto chided himself, realizing what he should have checked instead. Birth records. Gwen had been pregnant the last time he saw her. The results made him smile. Gwen had two children: Anwen age ten and Trefor age two. The boy's middle name had him staring at the screen. Why had Gwen named her son Gray after Jack's brother? Gray was responsible for what John Hart did to Cardiff. He fatally shot Toshiko. He switched off the tablet as the insanity overwhelmed him.
An unfamiliar computer chime sounded. "Hi, Ianto." The voice was soft and unfamiliar. "I heard so many stories about Ianto Jones over the years. The man with the impossible tasks of managing Torchwood Three without a support staff, and keeping Jack Harkness out of trouble. Neither would I wish on anyone." A beat. "You have the unfortunate distinction of having survived the destruction of two Torchwood facilities. In London, you lost the woman you loved. In Cardiff, you had to track Jack down and free him from a block of concrete." A beat. "People often underestimate the quiet heroes. The ones who face insane odds with the wrong skill-set." A beat. "Jack loved you. He didn't realize it until it was too late. He watched you die. You unfortunately know what that feels like. He honored you by seeing to your sister and her family." A beat. "Jack will be at the hub soon. This message was automated with both of your anticipated actions taken into consideration. He needs you. Please forgive him."
Hughes Flats
Jack Harkness stood in the Williams' kitchen drinking a cup of coffee and watching the sun rise over Cardiff. Manipulating time was possible with the right technology but ill-advised. While there were any number of reasons a person might risk the consequences, he couldn't think of one involving Anwen.
More than anything he missed his team. Tosh often understood science and technology better than he did. Owen was great at solving puzzles. And Ianto would always listen whether he understood or not. Gwen's family needed her more than he did. Something he had a hard time facing. She would be there if Torchwood needed her.
Small, quiet footsteps approached the kitchen. "The wrist-strap is malfunctioning." A full-sized vortex manipulator was open, dwarfing her hand. "I'm receiving Torchwood notifications instead of you." A beat. "Repeat notification."
"Torchwood Three system malfunction. Command authorization needed for diagnostic." It sounded like the hub. Except Torchwood Three hadn't been programmed to send notifications before it was destroyed.
"I asked why someone would give me a wrist-strap, Uncle Jack. The only answer I can come up with is I gave it to myself."
Jack unfortunately agreed. He quickly found his mobile and dialed the relay number to his office. He still remembered it, and wanted to see if the number was in service.
After three rings, a familiar voice answered the phone. "Hello."
"Ianto."
"The hub…" Ianto sounded tired. The kind of tired one got when they'd seen too much. "I don't know how I got here."
"I will be there soon."
Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales
Jack stood outside the tourist office door on Butetown pier. It looked exactly the same. He couldn't remember what had been built after the destruction of Torchwood. Using his wrist-strap, he scanned the building. The hub was back with obvious changes and without evidence of temporal displacement.
"Bilis Manger?" Gwen stood next to him.
"No." The situation was much different than Manger's manipulations. Closing the Rift reversed everything that happened as a result of opening it. These changes were specific to Torchwood and arguably beneficial to them. It suggested someone in future Torchwood changed the past.
"Is it safe?"
"From what I can tell."
Gwen headed for the door.
Jack hesitated, having no idea what he would say to Ianto. Despite what he'd told others over the years, he had regrets. There were things he could and should have done differently. The memory of watching Ianto die still haunted him.
After a moment, he followed Gwen into the tourist office and down the familiar hall. The large door slid aside revealing the hub. It felt empty, but felt the same. No shy smiles from Tosh. No sarcastic comments from Owen. Or the others that had their jobs before them. Ianto stood outside his office near the railing, watching them with haunted eyes. He wore the same clothes as he had the day he died.
Jack hurried up the stairs, and hugged him. Ianto held on tightly, setting his head against Jack's shoulder. "I missed you."
"I love you."
The only time Jack voiced his feeling aloud had been to Ianto's ghost in the House of the Dead. Jack leaned back, meeting Ianto's gaze. "I love you." The feelings had changed over time, but they were still there. Jack kissed him until the years and the pain faded. They stood, wrapped in each others arms, foreheads pressed together.
"I died."
"Yeah." Jack kissed his forehead.
"How did you…" Ianto hesitated. "Bring me back?"
"I didn't."
"You just wanted the hub?"
Jack tipped Ianto's chin up to look him in the eyes. "Someone from the future, probably Torchwood, changed the past." The look in Ianto's eyes worried him. "I want you. Ten years and I still missed you."
"Why do I feel like this?"
"I don't know." Jack wondered if it was post traumatic stress. Ianto was worried about dying and their relationship before he died. "What do you remember?"
"The warehouse. You asked Rhys to run an errand."
Which fit what he was already thinking. "We will figure it out." He'd seen PTSD numerous times during his military service and working for Torchwood. The only guarantee was that it affected each person differently.
