It had become routine by now: Owen and Tosh taking Gwen home and spending the night at Owen's, Jack and Ianto spending the night at Ianto's.

It had been six days since the attack and Owen had started to lower the dose of painkillers for Ianto, meaning he wasn't out cold for the night anymore.

Jack had expected the nightmares and they came with full force in the first night without a sedative. Ianto was thrashing around wildly, fighting an invisible enemy and almost punched Jack before the older man managed to capture him in an embrace, holding Ianto flush to his chest and whispering soothing words. It broke his heart to hear his lover begging his tormentor to stop while tears were running down his face, soaking the dressing which still covered the almost healed cut on his cheek. Ianto would never show this much fear when he was awake, so when Jack held him through the nightmares, it was his only chance to see how much the attack had really affected the young man. Torchwood had been Ianto's safe place for some time now and it had been in that safe haven he had been attacked and almost been killed. And it hadn't been by aliens who tried to take over earth, no it had been by some guy who was pissed off at Jack and used Ianto to get to him. Jack buried his face in the younger man's hair and tightened the embrace as much as he dared considering Ianto's cracked rib.

"I'm so sorry." He felt his tears wetting Ianto's hair now and cursed himself to be so weak. His tears helped no one, especially not the trembling form in his arms. He needed to find the monster who had done this, he needed Ianto to be safe again. "I will find him and I will kill him, no one will hurt you anymore."

"I know you will."

Jack started at the unexpected response and felt slightly embarrassed, but he caught himself quickly.

"Hey, I didn't know you're awake."

"I don't want to sleep anymore."

"Yan, you need..."

"I can't Jack, he will come back." Ianto sounded unbelievably young and so desperately terrified it ripped Jack's heart apart.

"I won't let him."

"It was that... that guy from the Brecon Beacons," Ianto whispered and clasped his hands tightly in Jack's shirt.

Panic shot through Jack. They had looked at those files already, all the people from that village had been locked away, there was no chance that... then the penny dropped, Ianto was talking about his nightmare. Of course... Jack could have kicked himself. It was only natural that this experience would break up the old wounds. Cringing by the memories of Ianto being in pure terror after his ordeal in the countryside, Jack pulled the younger man even closer. He had suffered through way too much for his age, but Jack knew he would refuse taking retcon so he didn't even offer it.

"It was only a dream, Yan," Jack said weakly, knowing that wouldn't comfort the young man. "Do you want to take a sedative? Owen gave me some in case we needed them." When he felt the young man nod against his chest, Jack entangled himself from under the duvet and went to the kitchen to fetch the pills and a glass of water. Back in the bedroom, he helped Ianto to sit up and watched him swallow his pill down with a gulp of water. He then put the glass on the bedside table and slid back under the duvet, Ianto instantly snuggled closer, almost trying to crawl into the other man. Suppressing a sigh, Jack just held on tight, stroking soothingly with his thumb over Ianto's back.

The sedative didn't need long to take effect and so Ianto was quickly relaxing, his breathing evened out and the young man slipped into a deep sleep. A luxury Jack couldn't and wouldn't allow for himself. Not until he had caught the bastard who had done this to his lover.

--oooOOooo--

When Ianto awoke the next morning, he found himself in a tight embrace, smiling he snuggled closer to Jack before he tilted his head up to look at the other man. He frowned when he saw the serious expression on his lover's face enhanced through the dark circles under Jack's eyes.

"Jack?"

As if he had been pulled from a deep trance, Jack flinched and blinked a few times before he looked down at Ianto.

"Hey sleepyhead, how are you feeling?"

"Better, a bit tired, but better. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"Jack!" Wriggling out of the embrace, Ianto propped himself up on one elbow, ignoring the strain on his ribs and looked sternly at his lover.

"Yan..."

"Tell me, Jack."

"What do you think, I was ragging my brain with? I need you to be safe again and I have no idea how to achieve that. I have no idea who that bastard was, who destroyed the only place you felt safe, who ripped open old wounds and gave you nightmares again, who... who tortured you." Jack's voice had faded to a whisper at the end of his outburst and tears were threatening to fall again. He cursed himself for bringing all that up again, Ianto suffered enough without being reminded what had happened.

Ianto looked stunned for a moment, then a small smile played around his lips and he reached out, tracing the way of the single tear that had escaped Jack's eye. His finger slid gently over Jack's cheek and wiped the streak away the tear had left before cupping the older man's face with his hand.

"We will find him and we will deal with him, but promise me you won't destroy yourself over this. I need you, Jack. And you know as well as I do that I will never be completely safe while working for Torchwood, it's in the job description, but I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't change my life, not one single day."

"Oh damn you Ianto Jones," Jack chuckled weakly. "I'm supposed to take care of you, not the other way round."

"It's a two way street Jack," Ianto smiled. "And I remember you taking care of me last night." He slid his hand to the back of Jack's head and pulled the older man into a tender kiss, trying to put all his love into it.

When they parted again, Ianto smiled. "Come on, let's get up, we need to catch the bad guy."

"What would I do without you?"

"Probably still catching the bad guys but without your morning coffee." Ianto leaned forward, giving Jack another quick peck and then climbed out of the bed.