Chapter Twenty One

"Every parting is a form of death,
as every reunion is a type of heaven."

Tryon Edwards

As he came to stand behind Kam's chair, towards the end of their shift, Jack cast a quick glance in An Cho's direction; she didn't seem to notice. He became aware that Kam had noticed him, however, and he smiled down at the young pilot. Their shift would be over in an hour and Jack had hardly been off the bridge since coming on duty. He'd only barely managed to keep himself from staring at the clock the whole time as he anticipated the end of the shift.

The Welshman was making a last sweep of the solar system, but neither Fielding nor Stasi thought there was anything left out there worth looking at; Jack was inclined to agree. Since the crew still had time left in their contracts, he gave the order for them to move out of the solar system and back into open space.

There were a couple of places in the general vicinity where he had made some good finds in the past. If he was really going to offer any of the crew serving aboard his ship a permanent contract, they were in for some major overhauls.

But he would worry about that later.

"I have to go take care of a few things," he said, mostly to Kam. "You kids need anything before I disappear?" he glanced around the bridge.

"I'm good, Sir," Weiss assured him. He'd been in a good mood all night.

"Likewise, thank you, Sir," An's voice was as soft as usual. Her tone was polite. She didn't make eye contact.

Jack wondered what she really thought of him, but he would deal with that later, too. The very worst case scenario he could think of was that he would end up having to replace her. While he appreciated Cho's abilities on the bridge, he could live with losing her. He turned his attention back to Kam. "Mr Anders?" he couldn't help the warmth that came into his tone. "You think you can handle things up here for a while?"

"Absolutely, Sir."

"Good. You have the con then." He leant in close whispering into Kam's ear, "and don't make any plans for dinner. Tonight you're all mine."

"Whatever you say, Sir," he only barely hid his grin. The next hour was going to be Hell… Jack had that look in his eye… he was planning something…Kam was sure he was going to like it.

…………………………………………………………….

By the time the young pilot got to their cabin, Jack had already showered; he was wearing just his bathrobe and a broad smile. He met the younger man at their door with welcoming kiss and a glass of wine.

Kam appreciated the kiss more than the wine, but the wine was welcome too. "Did I miss some special occasion on the calendar?" He teased, slipping out of his boots. Unlike Jack, he set his foot gear neatly by the door. While he was there, he righted Jack's as well and stood them up next to his own.

"I wanted to make up for the last couple of weeks," Jack told him. "Why don't you get a shower while I put the finishing touches on dinner?"

"You cooked?" Kam just barely refrained from groaning.

Jack laughed anyway. "No. I asked Mr McLean to make something special. And I've got a surprise for you for after dinner."

Kam's brows shot up. How in the world could Jack have arranged any sort of surprise on a ship the size of the Welshman…? Then again, he was Jack, after all.

"Go take your shower," he continued chuckling while Kam sipped his wine. "Just don't make it one of your usual long ones, or we'll be eating cold food."

"And here I thought you liked things that were long," he replied, deadpan, although his eyes twinkled with mirth.

"Don't get cute, Mister."

Kam just smiled and leant up to kiss him.

Jack pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss… and then shoved him in the direction of the bathroom. A hundred years… he closed his eyes. He knew it wouldn't be that long. But sixty years…eighty… a real life together. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so content… yes you can, he told himself.

……………………………………………

Kam took his shower as quickly as he could, then slipped into his pyjama bottoms and one of Jack's shirts. He loved the way the older man's shirts felt on his body, against his skin… the way they hung on him… the way they smelled of him, even after they'd been cleaned. He loved the way Jack looked at him when he was wearing one of his shirts… and given that Jack was wearing his robe, whatever he was planning didn't involve them leaving their cabin.

Then again, this is Jack, he thought again, a smile playing at his lips. When it came to his Captain, nothing was really a given.

He stepped into the sitting room and stopped. The lights were dimmed and artificial candles twinkled everywhere. Best of all, Glen Miller was playing over the speakers.

"May I have this dance?" Jack queried, taking the still mostly full wine glass from the younger man's hand.

Without a word, Kam slipped into his arms and into step with him easily. He laid his head against Jack's shoulder and closed his eyes. "I love this music," he murmured softly.

Jack pulled him in a little tighter, holding him snugly against his body. They really were a perfect fit.

He closed his eyes a long moment, enjoying the way the felt together… the memories that came back to him when he held Kam close… he could almost feel the wind coming off Cardiff bay…

Even though he suspected that Kam would have been perfectly happy to dance all night, after two songs, he ushered the younger man to the table, so they could eat. He watched Kam's smile when he lifted the lid off the warming plate to reveal crepes with pineapple.

He wished they'd had whipped cream, but it wasn't the sort of thing he'd ever thought he would need… but Lach had dusted the crepes with powdered sugar. It was a nice touch.

"I hope you didn't put Mr McLean through too much trouble, Cariad," said Kam, as Jack slid a couple of crepes onto his plate.

"He didn't seem to mind," he sat down opposite the other man. They drifted into easy conversation, just like always… like nothing had ever been wrong.

But something had been wrong. He had been so anxious to have Kam find his own feet that he had nearly pushed him completely away. The younger man still needed room to grow, space of his own, but he would have let Kam set his own pace. He would have to trust him to know what he needed and when. I just hope he never out-grows me...

After they both cleaned the last food off their plates, Jack refilled their wine glasses. He suggested that Kam grab a blanket off the bed and bring it into the sitting room while he cleared the table.

"You're not seriously going to take the dirty dishes back down to the mess dressed like that, are you?" Kam asked him.

"Actually, Lach should be here to pick them up any time now… and bring us something else," his eyes twinkled with mirth.

The young pilot couldn't help his expression. Jack was up to something and apparently it involved more than crepes and Glen Miller.

His expression made Jack laugh… Kam decided that it was a good time to do what Jack had asked him to and escape to the bedroom to get a blanket.

"And a pillow!" the Captain hollered.

Kam shook his head silently. He complied without asking why in the world Jack wanted a pillow. He had the feeling he wouldn't have told him anyway.

When he came back into the sitting room he saw that the Captain was setting up a portable computer screen on the coffee table. "I wish it was bigger," he said over his shoulder. "But it's the best I could do on short notice."

"The best you could do for what?" curosity began eating away at the younger man.

"You'll see," Jack grinned mischievously. "Just get comfortable. More wine?"

"Sure. Thanks."

Still grinning, he opened up another bottle of wine and put it within easy reach of the settee where Kam was getting settled. Then he busied himself putting the dirty dishes and cutlery together while Kam watched him, smiling despite the nervous, happy flutter in his stomach. Or maybe he was smiling because of it…he wasn't used to being the centre of attention, but whenever he was with Jack alone like this, that's how he felt. He liked it.

Finally the door chime sounded; not surprisingly, it was Lach. He was carrying a large covered bowl. Whatever was in it, it smelled unlike anything Kam had ever smelled before… and it was wonderful! Warm… toasty…

"Sorry if I'm a little late, Captain, Mr Anders," Lachlan McLean greeted the younger man briefly before turning back to the Captain. "This was… interesting, to say the least, Sir. I can't say I'm sorry I gave it a try, though," he added in an earnest tone.

After the Captain had outlined what he wanted for an after dinner snack, Lach looked it up in the ship's database just to be absolutely certain the man wasn't having one over on him as neither he nor Kai had ever heard of anything like what the Captain was asking him to fix up. Where Harkness had come across something so obscure and antiquated was anybody's guess.

"I appreciate the effort, Mr McLean," said Jack.

"Just you remember that when you're handing out bonuses, Sir," he shot over a good natured grin.

Kam leaned forward. He was having a very hard time keeping himself on the settee. It was obvious, too by his expression, that Jack was enjoying the suspense he was forcing the younger man to endure.

Lach collected the dirty dishes and wished them a good night then took his leave. As soon as he was gone, Jack dimmed the lights further and moved over to the computer terminal. "This isn't exactly like the book," he said somewhat apologetically. "But I think you'll like it. Judy Garland was one of the best actresses of her time. Of all time, as far as I'm concerned."

"What isn't like the book? And who's Judy Garland?"

"You'll see," he grinned; he hit a few buttons before joining Kam on the settee. He brought the bowl with him and set it down on the coffee table while they got settled.

"What is that?" Kam peered at the yellow-white fluffy looking things in the bowl. He had definitely never seen anything even remotely like it before.

Jack grinned all the more. "Something no movie would be complete without," he informed the younger man. "Popcorn. Extra butter," he added, remembering all hte times he'd tried to get Ianto to go easy on the butter. Kam wasn't Ianto, of course, but popcorn really was better with lots of butter and it wasn't like they couldn't work off the calories later.

It only took them a few moments to find a comfortable position; Jack draped his arm around Kam's shoulders, pulling him in close as the opening music cued up.

It only took Kam a moment to figure out what the movie was (he couldn't read the title credits, they were in English, but the voices had been dubbed over for regular dialogue; someone in infinite cinematic wisdom had left the songs in tact, giving subtitles instead over dubbing, a fact for which Jack was grateful.) He was just getting over the popcorn… it was crispy and light… slightly salty… it all but melted in his mouth… and extra butter was an understatement. He was going to have to remind Jack that while he wasn't like to ever suffer a fatal heart attack, mere mortals weren't so lucky. He wanted a hundred years with Jack… but just as he was starting to say something, he realized what he was watching.

"Jack… the Wizard of Oz!"

The older man chuckled softly, pressing his lips to Kam's forehead. "I was surprised to find it in the database," he admitted. "But I thought you might enjoy dinner and a movie tonight." He shifted, getting a little more comfortable, bringing Kam in closer. They really were a perfect fit… except it looked like there were tears building up in the other man's brown eyes. "Kam?"

"I… I'm sorry," he sniffled. "It's really stupid."

"Talk to me, Sweetheart, what's the matter?"

"Nothing. It's… Jack, no one has ever cared enough about me… loved me… not like you do. You really do, don't you? Not just for today or tomorrow… but you really mean it when you say… when you say the rest of my life…? I just… I need to hear you say again… please?" he bit his lip.

Jack brushed his fingers lightly over the younger man's mouth. "Yes. I really mean it. I want you for the rest of your life."

He leant up and kissed him… it wasn't hard or heavy, but it was wonderful just the same.

……………………………………………………

By the time Dorothy was back home in Kansas, Kam was stretched out on the settee, his head resting on a pillow in Jack's lap, his eyes half closed. A dreamy smile played on his lips; he'd never felt so content… Jack's hand was wrapped around his, their fingers interlaced. The empty popcorn bowl lay on the floor. He knew this must be how everybody spent evenings alone with the person they loved… he reckoned most people must take it for granted… but he couldn't imagine ever taking anything like the last couple of hours for granted.

Jack had spent most of the movie watching Kam's instead of the screen. The younger man had confirmed his suspicions when he admitted that he'd never seen a movie before.

Films weren't as popular as they had been five hundred years ago… or even a hundred years ago. With so many pass times to choose from, so much technology, the people who could afford to go to the cinema had other things they wanted to do more. People like Kam's mother simply couldn't afford the luxury. Long gone were the days of five cent matinees…

Jack ran his free hand lightly over his lover's cheek. "Time for bed, Sweetheart," he said softly. He looked exhausted.

Kam smiled up at him. "That was wonderful, Jack. Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," he leant down. He hadn't intended the kiss to be much more than pressing his lips to the younger man's mouth, but Kam had other ideas… "Careful, or we'll both need a cold shower," he teased when he finally got the chance to speak again.

"I don't mind… I mean… you know what I mean," he shot a sleepy grin in Jack's direction.

The Captain smiled and helped him sit up. "Yes I do. But tonight I'd like to just… be with you." He hoped Kam would understand.

The last two weeks he'd been all over the younger man, desperately trying to prove to him that he should stay, that it would be worth if he did… desperately trying to enjoy every moment they had together as he became increasingly convinced it wasn't going to last very much longer… as he became increasingly unhappy because as great as the sex was, he wanted so very much more… "Do you mind?" he asked when Kam didn't answer right away.

"No," he pulled his Captain into another, much softer, kiss. He understood exactly what Jack wanted. He wanted the same thing. Just to be with him, to lie next to him. To feel his arms around him and know that even if...when... he woke up in the middle of the night to find Jack gone, that he hadn't gone far. "I don't mind at all."

"Go on to bed. I'll just clean up a little out here…"

Kam gave him an incredulous look. "You? Clean? Don't tell me I've finally met the man of dreams and now the Universe is going to come to an end."

Jack's glower was tempered by the smirk he couldn't have kept off his lips if he'd tried. "I'm just going to put a couple things away. The Universe will go on."

"If you say so."