The acidy smell of vomit hung like smoke in the air around the Hub. Ianto hadn't stopped throwing up in over two hours. The team had considered running to get Jack to comfort Ianto, but the Welshman had muttered, between retching: "No Jack."

"Are you sure?" Owen had asked. Ianto nodded.

"He can't" – retch – "see me" – retch – "like this." Owen could see Ianto was right. Jack had seen enough.

Within half an hour, Ianto's greenish complexion was starting to pale. His temperature was falling gradually, and Tosh could see spots of pink starting to appear on his cheeks. He looked almost himself again. Almost.

Another ten minutes, and he was as good as ever. The Doctor beamed. Ianto looked up at him, weakly; chucking the fifteenth full bucket he'd managed to use up aside.

"Ah. Now I can see what Jack sees in you." The Doctor said, sincerely. Ianto chuckled, disbelievingly.

"I look a mess." He told him. The Doctor shook his head.

"No." Tosh seized this opportunity to rush over to Ianto, and hug him. She cried into his shoulder.

"I missed you so much!" She exclaimed. Ianto held onto her, tightly.

"Thanks, Tosh." Tosh suddenly turned to glare at John.

"Don't you dare try and take him again." She warned him.

"She's got a thousand great punishment ideas..." Owen told a wary-looking John.

"Oh," Tosh looked embarrassed. "You found them, then."

"Oh yes." Owen said, smiling. He, uncharacteristically, pulled Ianto into a hug. "Good to have you back, mate. Wasn't the same without you." Ianto smiled, looking across the room at where Gwen was standing.

"Can I...?" She asked, as Owen let go. Ianto pretended to consider it.

"Well, I'd rather you..." Ianto laughed as Gwen's face fell a mile. "Of course you can, you daft sod!" Gwen practically ran across the room, grinning. Ianto stood up just in time to catch her as she flung herself onto him. "I'm so sorry, Ianto." She told him. "I really am, I should have never..."

"It's alright." Ianto said, comfortingly. "It's all alright..."

"Oh, what the hell." John said, pulling Gwen out of the way and capturing Ianto in a hug before he could get away. "I'm sorry, Eye candy." He said. Ianto nodded.

"I know." John let go, composing himself. The Doctor stepped forward.

"Seeing as we didn't get to properly meet before." Ianto nodded.

"I hope to be seeing a lot of you, Doctor." He said. The Doctor smiled.

"Likewise." Ianto smiled.

"Should I go get Jack?" John asked.

"Oooh, yeah!" The Doctor replied, enthusiastically. Owen looked at him, sceptically. "What?" Another sceptical look from Owen. "I love a happy ending."

"No, wait." Ianto said, as Owen made his way out of the medical bay. "Let me take a shower first. And then...I'll go see him." The Doctor looked like he was about to protest, but Ianto stopped him. "Please. Let me do this. I think we need some time alone. Especially if he's been as bad as you say he has."

"He has." Gwen interjected, unnecessarily. Ianto nodded.

"So, I'll take a shower, and then go and see him. Please…please don't tell me that I'm...well, alive." Owen nodded.

"We won't." Ianto smiled, and went to leave the room.

"Ianto…Would I…Is it…?" She started to ask.

"Yes, Tosh. You can watch on CCTV." Tosh smiled.

"Thanks."

*

Ianto stood under the hot spray of the shower. He couldn't remember a time he felt this relaxed. Everything was fine, he was alive, and Jack was okay. Everything was good. He was home.

But it wasn't fine, everything wasn't okay. Because, if Jack was half as bad as everyone had said he was, how the hell would he cope when Ianto died? Because he would. He knew he would. It was only a matter of time.

Ianto gave in to the pain threatening to consume him, and began to sob. He fell against the wall of the shower, wrapping his arms around his stomach. Tears fell down his face, mixing with the water falling from the shower head. He'd missed Jack. He'd missed Jack so much, and they'd only been apart a week or so. Well, before that he hadn't seen him for two weeks. But at least he'd been on the same planet as him.

Ianto tried to pull himself together. He was home...back with Jack. The place he'd wanted to be for so long. And he was alive. Alive.

*

Jack was curled up in a corner of the vault. His hand that was chained to the wall hung limply. His other arm was wrapped around his knees, and he couldn't stop crying. He felt like his world was slowly caving in around him, the darkness was starting to descend around him, and he didn't know how much more of being stuck in a cell he could take. His body seemed to radiate pain; it was seeping through his veins. Always there. Always hurting.

And Jack was just considering if killing himself would make the pain stop when a tall, beautiful, suited Welshman walked into view.