A/N: again a huge thank you to everybody who has continued to read (and hopefully enjoy) this!

Can anyone tell me what's with grapes and hospitals in the UK? I've noticed the connection between grapes and sick friends in hospital in both Doctor Who and Torchwood. (Over here, we just bring flowers… all things considered, I'd rather have grapes. Last time I was in hospital, my roommate had so many roses our room was starting to smell like a funeral parlour. It wasn't very comforting considering I was in for major surgery.)

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Chapter Ten: Aftermath

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"Please tell me you're not seriously considering retconning Bobby, Cariad," Ianto said in a quite tone. He and Jack were seated in the waiting room near the Intensive Care Unit, with one other couple whose son had been involved in an auto accident.

Bobby was with Tim.

Abby paced furiously back and forth, chewing on her thumb nail, periodically glancing up at the clock.

As for the question, Jack gave his partner a look that would have caused anyone else to back down from the subject. Immediately.

Ianto, however, wasn't anyone else. He knew the man sitting next to him better than anyone else did. "Do you honestly fault him for doing whatever he felt was necessary when lives were at stake?" he pressed, carefully avoiding mentioning that his was one of those lives.

Jack didn't meet his gaze. "No," he said at last.

"Well then…"

"It's not settled," the Captain snapped before the other man could finish his sentence. Abby stopped pacing long enough to glower at him; then she resumed her treading back and forth, lost in her own thoughts. Jack continued, keeping his voice low. "He let strangers into the Hub…"

"It was a video conference, Jack," Ianto cut him off. "They have absolutely no idea where he was calling from, other than it was somewhere in Cardiff... which in case you've forgotten is arather large city. It's not as if he gave them the security codes to our front door or access to our files. Besides, it's not as if the whole world doesn't know more than it did a year ago about our place in the universe. You're the one who keeps saying this is when it all changes."

"Not like this."

Ianto sighed. He knew when Jack was being stubborn for the sake of it. "Would you have done any less, if you had been in his position?"

Jack didn't answer. He sat back and closed his eyes, hanging onto Ianto's hands, thinking about how close he came to losing his partner on a regular basis and how much he hated it. Human life was too short to begin with, compared to his own seemingly infinite lifespan. What was he really going to do in ten or twelve or twenty years when he lost Ianto?

He prayed for that long at least, but even so, what was twenty years compared to forever? Even if he had some hope that it would eventually end, how many more years would he live? A million? A billion? Two billion… two hundred billion… he'd heard the rumours about the Face of Boe being as old at the Universe itself and he fully believed that it was just the sort of clue he'd leave for himself. How much of this would he really remember in a billion years?

He glanced over at the painfully young man sitting next to him. Somehow I will remember you… he promised, giving Ianto's hand a gentle squeeze.

He didn't want to see the beginning of the universe, he just wanted to live a normal life and grow old with the man he loved… but if the Doctor couldn't fix him, no one could…

Eventually a nurse appeared to tell them that Tim's condition had stabilized. Jack rose to his feet, relieved for the good news.

"We're going to keep him for a few days," she cautioned. "But it looks like the worst of it has passed."

"Can I see him?" Abby asked.

"He's still unconscious…"

"I don't care. I need to see him. Please…" she turned to Jack, knowing he would fix it for her.

"Torchwood," he told the nurse. He settled his hands on his hips. "One of us needs to be there when he wakes up," he said in a no-room-for-arguments tone.

Doubt flickered across the woman's face for only half an instant. Ianto would never have said it to his partner, but Jack was far more well known than he cared to be. One look at the RAF greatcoat slung over the back of a chair… his clothing… dark hair… blue eyes… the woman nodded, clearly convinced of his identity as Torchwood's infamous Captain Jack Harkness.

The nurse glanced from him to Abby and then back again before relenting. She flashed a tight lipped, professional and agreed to escort Abby back, with the caution that she needed to remember not excite Tim. "Quiet rest is what your friend needs right now…"

Bobby joined them in the waiting room a few moments later. He didn't meet Jack's gaze, turning to Ianto instead. "Before you two head home, I'd like to run a full tox panel on you. If…?" he glanced hesitantly at Jack, but the older man nodded. "I can take you back and do it myself. I just have to draw some blood. It'll just take a few minutes." His glance flickered briefly to Jack again, but only briefly. He couldn't maintain eye contact with either of them.

Ianto merely nodded… Jack caught his arm, "Will you be all right on your own?" his Captain asked. "I'd like to go check on Abby and Tim before we leave."

"I'll be fine, Cariad. I haven't had a paranoid thought in at least the last twenty minutes," he teased in a light hearted tone, although he had been keeping careful track of thoughts that felt foreign, occasionally hanging on a little tighter to Jack's hands, reminding himself of how much he loved the man. How much Jack loved him.

He pulled him close and for a brief, wonderful, moment all Ianto could smell were those fifty-first century pheromones.

"I won't be long," Jack promised.

"Take your time. I'll be fine, honest."

The older man nodded and went to track down a nurse to take him to Tim. This one didn't argue with him over the request. He wondered if word had really spread that quickly…

Tim's room was dimly lit. He was hooked up to monitors and IV, but he looked better than he had before.

Abby sat next to him, hanging onto his hand. She looked up when Jack came in.

"He's still unconscious," she said in an uncharacteristically soft whisper. "It's probably just the sedative, though. His heart stopped again, after they got him here. They say he's all right now. It's going to be touch and go for the next few hours, but he's all right," her voice caught.

Jack sat down next to her resting his hand lightly on her back. "Do you need anything?"

"Maybe Mickey could bring me my toothbrush…? And Tim likes poetry. I'd like to read to him… they say that helps. He likes e.e. cummings."

Jack couldn't help but chuckle; he wouldn't have expected that. "I'll have Mickey drop by the library. Anything else?"

She shook her head, her black pig tails flapping.

Jack suppressed another chuckle. Torchwood had definitely not been the same since Abby Scuito joined his team.

My team… all the changes he'd seen the last year. Tosh… Owen… Owen who regularly ordered pizza under the name Torchwood and had it delivered to the Tourist Office… only you, Harper, Jack thought at his dead… dead-dead… teammate's direction. Damn, I miss you… I miss you both so much some days… For a brief moment he thought back to the team he'd had before them. They hadn't been his of course, he'd been a part of their team, but they'd been good people. He missed them. He missed all of them.

Almost everyone he'd worked with over the years had been good people, he'd just been reluctant to let any of them in. When you let people in, when you cared, it hurt even more when they died than if they'd been strangers… strangers he saw and worked with every day.

But strangers or friends, it didn't matter, they all died sooner or later. Sooner for having joined Torchwood.

Jack leant in and kissed Abby's forehead. "He'll be fine, Abbs." Nobody was going to die today.

"I know."

"This wasn't your fault."

She didn't answer.

"Abby…"

"I know. This could have happened to any of us. But I brought him in."

"And he said yes," Jack reminded her. He hadn't pulled any punches with Tim. He'd outlined the risks.

She heaved a sigh and gave a reluctant nod, leaning into Jack's arms for a moment without letting go of Tim's hand.

He held her a long while. "I'm going to go take Ianto home," he said at last, "but if you need anything, call me."

Abby nodded again and he took his leave, telling her he'd be back in the morning. "Get some sleep," he added on his way out the door.

Jack found another nurse, to help him find Ianto and Bobby...

"I fell like a bloody pin cushion," Ianto grumbled by way of hello. "Or maybe one of Abby's voodoo dolls." Bobby had drawn half a dozen vials of blood.

Jack couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Every joke… every snarky little comment… he had never been so frightened as he'd been when Ianto shrank back away from him earlier.

He helped the younger man down off the table despite the fact that he was sure Ianto could get down just fine all by himself.He coudldn't help the light thumping in his chest, however, whenhis Welshman laid his hands on his shoulders, accepting his assistance without question or hesitatin. Jack took just a few seconds to enjoy the contact before turning to Bobby.

"I'm going to stay and run the tests myself," the medic said simply.

"I'm sending Mickey to drop a few things off for Abby. Do youneed anything?" Jack's tone was cool.

Bobby shook his head. Then, "I… I'd like to spend a little time with Wendy tonight… if I can. I… should have this wrapped up about midnight. I'm expecting it to come back clean, I just want to be certain he's going to be all right especially if…" he shrugged rather than finishing the sentence. He wanted to be sure Ianto was going to be all right especially if he didn't get the chance to do a follow up later… if he didn't remember who Jack and Ianto were.

"I'll check in on Tim, too," he promised. By this time tomorrow he might not remember knowing any of them, but for right now, it was important to him to know that they'd be all right.

Jack nodded, "I'll send Wendy home. And I'll see you in my office first thing tomorrow morning."

Bobby swallowed, but didn't argue. "No matter what happens… whatever you decide… I want you to know that I've loved every minute of working with you. All of you," he glanced in Ianto's direction. "Even if I don't remember it, I've had the time of my life. I appreciate everything you've done for me. If I could just ask one thing," he looked to Ianto. "Whatever happens… Wendy… if… just look after her for me, would you?"

"I'm sure that won't be necessary," Ianto told him, not daring looking at Jack himself.

The otherdidn't answer, he just left them alone in the exam room.

Ianto turned to his partner. "Jack… you're not really going to retcon him, are you?"

"I want him to sweat it over night," was his only answer. Then he wrapped his arms around his Welshman's waist. "Why don't we go out for dinner tonight, just you and me? Maybe that Italian place by your old flat…?"

Ianto shook his head, surprising the other man. "I want to go home, Jack. I want to watch you cook. I want to moan about the mess you've made in the kitchen and about how you never hang up your coat," he paused while Jack laughed, although the Captain had the wisdom not to contradict his assessment of their domestic life.

Ianto smiled and continued, "I want to help Jason with his homework and hear about your mother's boy or girlfriend of the week," because no matter how much Ella asserted that her son wasn't typical of the fifty-first century, her dance card was certainly quite full these days. He supposed she had every right, and she was always, always there for Jason. His only real discomfort came in being forced to view Jack's mother as sexually active, and that only bothered him because it made him wonder about his own mother which was something he didn't want to think about.

"I want to call my mother," he told him, "and talk with her about absolutely nothing. I want to hear all about how Ner hates her new job and how Remi's doing in school. I might even call my brothers tonight… well… Gavin and Dafydd at least." He still tended to avoid Cade. It was best for both of them.

"Why don't we invite your mother and Nerys for dinner?" Jack suggested. "I could make my galaxy famous chili…" he offered up with a broad grin.

His Welshman groaned. "I don't think my mother could survive your chilli a second time, Cariad."

He laughed, "How about I just throw some spaghetti together, instead?"

"That sounds wise. I'll need to stop off at Tesco on the way home and pick up some salad, though." Couldn't really have spaghetti without salad and it was one thing he could make.

"We could maybe some pineapple and whipped for later," Jack suggested then with a lascivious grin, his eyebrows raise suggestively.

"I do like the way you think…"

Jack pressed his lips hard against his partner's mouth, drawing out a deep, fierce kiss that both their bodies responded to.

"Keep that up and we won't be having company for dinner," Ianto murmured when he was finally allowed to speak.

Jack smirked. "Oh no. We're having company. I just wanted to give you a taste of what you're in for later."

The younger man smiled and pushed against his partner's lips again, giving him a taste of what he was in for…