AN: My beta is amazing. Taamar, thanks so much! This is our 20th chapter to work on together. (Seems like only yesterday)

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood.

Warnings: Usual

Rating: MA

Spoilers: Everything Changes (If you squint)

Jack

Jack was surprised to find Ianto asleep on the couch. He looked peaceful in his sleep, and Jack wondered what the man was dreaming about. Ianto appeared to have lost at least ten pounds since joining Torchwood 3, which worried Jack. It was also evident on the Welshman's face that he had cried himself to sleep. Jack knew that Ianto had many things to cry about. The fact that he had been exposed to a Dalek was bad enough, Jack still had his own nightmares about them, but Ianto had also survived the Cybermen, as well as losing Lisa, his girlfriend. Jack knew all too well what it felt like to lose a lover; it was a pain like no other. He was surprised at how well the man was holding up. The immortal gently ran a finger along one of the tear streaks on Ianto's face and the Welshman shifted slightly but didn't wake.

With a small smile and a sigh Jack sat down in front of the couch. He watched Ianto's chest move in time with his gentle breathing and wondered why Ianto hadn't just come down to sleep with him in his bunker. It was possible that the young man felt weak at having all these emotions, but Jack didn't see weakness. He saw humanity. The older man had been watching silently when Ianto let out a little whimper. It was obvious that he was having a nightmare, so Jack gently stroked the younger man's hair and cooed softly. Ianto settled back down and soon he was back to peacefully sleeping.

Iden Miller Aka… Ianto

"Honey, I'm home!" Ianto called walking into the foyer of the mansion. No one answered.

Adrian came in behind him. "You could try using the intercom?" he suggested.

"You'd think she'd be waiting here for me." Ianto pouted. "I told her when we would arrive."

"Maybe she's out?"

Ianto looked at Adrian then put his bag down and walked to the kitchen and straight through it to the garage. Aria's car was gone. Annoyed, Ianto marched back into the house.

"She's not here."

Adrian was leaning against the counter in the kitchen. "If only there was some sort of device that could be used to contact her in some way," he said dryly.

Ianto narrowed his eyes as he pulled out his cell phone. "Smart ass," he muttered under his breath. He began to dial Aria's number, but Jason came in before the call connected and Ianto could tell he was angry, so he decided that his call to Aria would have to wait.

Adrian's eyes lit up. "Hey," he chimed, but Jason ignored him and looked instead at Ianto.

"Ianto's not returning my calls," he barked angrily. "Yes, we got in a fight, but he still has to answer my phone calls. I'm the second in command for Christ sakes. He has no understanding of chain of command. He disrespected me in front of Aria last night. Told me off for making her relocate people, and it wasn't even my damn idea. He is my charge, yet for some reason he thinks that just because…"

"Jason, where is my wife?" Ianto interjected before Jason finished that sentence. Adrian didn't need to hear it, whatever it was.

"She went to Lavender's… oh wait she changed her name again. It's Tink now. Anyway, Aria rudely said that she didn't feel safe here alone with me so she, the little crying machine, and Ianto left last night late."

Ianto wanted to growl in frustration. He just wanted to hug his wife and then try to get over his jet lag, but there was all this drama going on.

"Why don't you just go to bed and I will make sure Aria and Ruby are here when you wake up," Adrian suggested.

Ianto knew that Adrian was just as tired as he was. "You don't have to do that Adrian."

"I know. I want to. Now go to bed." Adrian ordered, pointing toward the hall that led to the main stair case.

"But…" Ianto began.

"Go," Adrian said in a voice that left no room for argument.

"Fine," Ianto smiled, putting his hands up in defeat.

The tired Welshman made his way to his room. He crawled into his bed and tried to go to sleep, only sleep refused come. Ianto tossed and turned for a good twenty minutes. As he did he tried to remember what little Ianto's fight with Jason had been about, but it had been so long ago for him. He remembered the green eyed man pinning him against the fridge, and he remembered that it had been some kiss. He turned and looked at the ceiling biting his lip. After going over the kiss against the fridge a few more times he decided to give up trying to sleep.

He went back down the stairs and toward the kitchen again only to stop in his tracks when he reached the entry. Jason had Adrian pressed up against the fridge in the exact same way that Ianto remembered Jason pinning him to it, only Jason had managed to get Adrian's tight jeans off him. Ianto knew he shouldn't be standing there watching. He knew he should turn and walk away, but it was like a train wreck and he couldn't tear his eyes off the scene.

It was obvious to Ianto that Jason was trying to relive the previous night through Adrian, and that pissed him off. His friend shouldn't be filling in for what Jason thought he really wanted. Adrian's eyes opened just as he let out a small moan. Ianto moved away from the door quickly. He would be speaking Jason about this, but he didn't want Adrian to know about it. The man would be mortified.

Ianto sighed slightly and went back up the stairs. Maybe sleep would come now, but he highly doubted it.

TW-TW-TW

Ianto awoke to the feeling of his wife's lips on his stomach. He let out a gentle moan and Aria began to move her kisses lower. Ianto put his hand in her hair gripping the blonde locks gently. He growled when she took him into her mouth, she was so good at making him come undone. He let himself enjoy the amazing things Aria could do with her mouth before gently pulling her up so her could capture her lips. She moaned into the kiss and Ianto flipped their positions so that Aria was pinned beneath him, "I've missed you," he breathed, breaking the kiss.

"I've missed you too," Aria rasped, bending her head up to try and capture Ianto's lips again. He pulled back.

"How much?" he teased, grinding into her gently.

"So much," she moaned wrapping her legs around her husband's torso, pulling him back down and into another scorching kiss. Ianto growled into it and then pulled her gently closer before swiftly entering her. She let out another moan and bucked up into him.

The coupling was frantic and to the point. The two hadn't slept together for nearly three months and they both needed to reconnect, and do it quickly. Ianto breathed in his wife's scent and left his mark on her neck. He moved inside her and brought her to completion three times. He felt so much better afterwards.

"You weren't here when I came home," Ianto stated as they both laid in the afterglow.

Aria shifted. "I've never seen Jason that mad. I was a little scared."

Ianto sighed as he played with a lock of Aria's hair. "He would never hurt you, I can promise you that."

"You put too much faith in him. He tossed Ianto to the ground like he was a bag of potatoes and nothing more."

"I said he wouldn't hurt you. I didn't say anything about me," Ianto murmured trying to keep his voice light. Truth was, he knew what everyone thought of Jason. It was easy to judge when you were on the outside looking in. It had also been easy for Ianto, before he knew the whole truth. He now knew that Jason's outburst the night before had come from a feeling of being out of control.

Ianto knew the truth now of course; he understood why Jason needed and craved total control. He had died in a battle of sorts, but it hadn't been for his king. It had been in defense of himself. It was common in the battlefield for the knights to all sleep with each other. With no women readily available it was an acceptable practice, but Jason had taken the acceptable practice a step too far when he fell in love with a younger man.

The other knights had ridiculed Jason when his love affair was brought to their attention. Jason became the plaything of all the other men, and his status as 'demi-god' was taken from him and he became the common whore. The worst part was the younger man he had fallen for had used him just as the other men had. Of course Jason had no idea that Ianto knew this, Adrian had told him in complete confidence, but it made Ianto understand why Jason always needed control.

"He's a hard man to understand, Aria, but he is a good man. A trustworthy man." Ianto insisted.

"If you say so," Aria yawned. Ianto turned to look at the clock. It was nearly lunch time.

"Where's the baby?"

"With Adrian."

Ianto pulled himself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. He wanted nothing more than to fall back to sleep, but he knew that if he did that he would never get over the jet lag. So he got in the shower and washed the smell of sex from his skin. Aria joined him and he took care to wash it off her skin too. Twice, since he ended up taking her against the tile wall.

TW-TW-TW

Ianto found Jason in his bedroom while the man was sleeping. Of course Jason was tired; he had spent all night filling up little Ianto's voice mail and texting him constantly, then he had used Ianto's best friend to play out the scene from the kitchen. That would tire anyone out. Ianto entered the room and locked the door behind him.

"Jason!" Ianto shouted, effectively waking the sleeping man and causing him to fall off the king sized bed. He held no pity for the man's exhaustion.

"What the fuck, Iden!" Jason cursed as he clamored back onto the bed.

"We need to talk."

"Let's do it later," Jason grumbled turning onto his stomach and burying his head under his pillow.

"No, now, and it's an order!"

Jason let out an obvious sigh and sat up in the bed. He narrowed his eyes at Ianto, "Alright Minister, I'm listening."

"I saw you this morning with Adrian."

"Okay, so?"

"Who were you really with this morning? I know that it was Adrian, but who were you pretending it was?"

"Ianto." Jason replied without an ounce of shame in his voice.

"Do you think that's fair to Adrian?"

"He doesn't ca…."

"Yes he does! He loves you, and you treat him exactly like shit…."

"Don't presume to know a damn thing about my relationship with Adrian."

"I don't, but I do know everything about him. He is fragile. He needs you to love him, and you pretend not to."

"I care for him."

"It isn't the same! He needs to hear the words…'

"Oh, I bet Harkness said them to you? No, I know that's not true, Adrian told me that Jack never did say it out loud. Even when you died!"

Ianto lunged at the man and soon the pair were fighting it out on the bed. Ianto got in a few good hits but ultimately it was no use, even though Ianto was stronger than he had been in his first life Jason was still able to overpower him. So soon he found himself pinned beneath Jason's body. The two stared at each other as their breathing began to return to normal.

"Adrian is not fragile. I can promise you that. You're not doing him any favors by pretending he is."

"You're going to cause him to have another breakdown."

"I prevent them!" Jason growled pulling Ianto away from the bed and slamming him back into it. "He needs me. He trusts me. And what goes on between us is none of your god-damned business."

Ianto still hated when Jason was right about things, and this was one of those times. It really was none of his business what went on between Adrian and Jason. He just wanted to protect his best friend. "You're right," the Welshman admitted quietly.

Jason smiled. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Could you say it again, just a bit louder?"

"Don't be a wanker." Ianto groaned.

"I don't think that was what you said."

"Jason, let me go."

"I really don't want to…" Jason whispered, leaning down and kissing Ianto's neck.

Dammit, Jason had switched modes quickly. "Jace, we can't…" Ianto began, only to be silenced by a searing kiss from Jason. Ianto felt his resolve wavering, as it usually did with Jason. Soon Ianto was returning the kiss with vigor, giving small moans and bucking his hips up to meet Jason's. He hadn't had a relapse with Jason in three years; he didn't think he would ever earn that five year chip at this rate.

Jason finally pulled away after several minutes. He released his hold on Ianto and got off the bed. Ianto let out a small whimper at the loss of contact. "I really do miss you," Jason murmured then quickly retreated to the bathroom. Ianto was happy that Jason had chosen to stop because he wasn't sure he would have. Actually judging by the tent in his trousers, he was positive he wouldn't have.

Ianto got off the bed and tired his best to straighten out his appearance. Saying that he felt guilty for what had just transpired would have been an extreme understatement. He sighed, then quickly made his way out of the room. He went down the stairs and straight toward the kitchen, intending to get a cup of coffee before going to see Bethan. Really that was just an excuse he was telling himself. He just needed to get out of the house, and find a place to cool off.

Unfortunately he ran into Adrian in the kitchen, and he was forced to act as if he hadn't just played tonsil hockey with Jason. He smiled casually and the two had a quick discussion about the next trip they would need to make while he worked the coffee maker. The Las Vegas Rift had acted as if they were hiding things during the three days that Ianto and Adrian had been there, so Ianto wanted to make a surprise visit to find out just what was going on.

After that little discussion Ianto excused himself and went to the garage where he got behind the wheel of his car and drove away. He wasn't sure where to go once he got on the open road. Somehow he just seemed to find his way to an old cemetery. He knew the layout well so it was easy to find Anna's grave. He knelt in front of her stone, giving a small look at the tiny one beside hers. It read: Ianto Gareth Jones Jr. the death date and the birthdate were the same. He let out a little sob and closed his eyes.

"I wish you were here, Anna. Every day I think about you. What would you have made of Jason? I know one thing… he would have loved you." Ianto said to the stone. He knew she wasn't there, he knew she couldn't hear him, but it was comforting none the less. He let out a gentle laugh then his face turned to a frown. "I'm still angry, you know. Not because you left me, but because you left Bethan. She needed her mother." He sighed gently, "I suppose it's easier though…. I can't imagine how messed up I would feel if I added another person I loved to the mix. Of course I'm sure you would have helped me through it. In your own little way, you always knew how to make me feel better. I failed you when it came to that, I suppose." He bent his head and started to cry gently. Talking to his long lost wife was intensifying his guilt rather than relieving it.

Suddenly he felt a familiar rush and he looked up to see Adrian standing beside him. The man knelt down beside him and wrapped an arm around him. Ianto leaned into his best friend's embrace. "Jason said you and he had a fight?"

"Yeah, it wasn't that big of a deal."

"Your tears say otherwise."

"I don't really want to talk about it right now, Adrian," Ianto confessed.

"Alright, how about this. We will walk through this cemetery and remember all the loved ones that we buried here. Then when we're done we go back to the mansion and we cherish the loved ones who are still with us?"

"Deal." Ianto agreed. Both men stood up and Ianto grasped Adrian's hand. "Let's say something that we remember about each of them."

Adrian nodded and looked toward Anna's grave. "Anna had the most beautiful hair."

Ianto smiled and nodded. "Anna kissed like a goddess."

Adrian shook his head and smiled. Ianto looked toward his son's grave. "Ianto Jr. had the bluest eyes," he said. Adrian gripped Ianto's hand harder. Then the pair turned to continue traveling down memory lane.

The next grave they stopped at was Perry Mouley. "If you say he was a good kisser this field trip will be over," Adrian warned.

Ianto giggled. "Perry loved children, which is what made him and excellent seeker."

Adrian nodded in agreement. "He once saved me from one of Bethan's many pranks."

"I'm glad she out grew that pranking stage."

"Me too, being as I am the only one she ever pranked."

The two laughed gently and moved on. Ianto was starting to feel a bit better, though when they came to Brody's grave his mood threatened to shoot back down. It had been pure luck that another Rift Child had found Brody's body before Torchwood and they had been able to have a proper funeral for him. Ianto had put guards around the grave just in case Torchwood tried to take the body, but they hadn't. Ianto had seen Jack near the grave a time or two, which made him wonder how attached his two past lovers had been to each other.

"Brody had spirit," Adrian said.

"Yes he did," Ianto agreed.

"And a nice ass," added Adrian. Ianto looked at his best friend with wide eyes. "What?" Adrian questioned.

Ianto let out a little laugh. "He did. You're right."

TW-TW-TW

Jack

Jack instantly regretted sending Ianto away after their fight, but he couldn't believe for one minute that Suzie was a murderer. That's something he would notice, wasn't it? Of course, if he was honest with himself here, lately the only thing he had been noticing was Ianto Jones, and that was an issue. He didn't need to be falling in love; he knew how those things ended for him. No…this fight had been for the best. If he ended things now then he would be able to save himself from the heartache that would come when Ianto left him, because one way or another they all left him.

He changed his mind the moment he tasted the decaf that Ianto put in front of him the next morning. No way would he be able to keep his hands off a Welshman who knew how to effectively get his point across without even saying a word.