Trigger warning: Domestic violence

At breakfast the following morning, Jack entered his kitchen to find Ianto already up, dressed and a coffee awaiting him. He took a seat at the table facing his friend, who was tapping away furiously on his new phone.

"Morning Tiger," Jack grunted, sipping his coffee and mentally going through how much he had to drink last night.

"Any more of the Tiger and I will renounce your right to call me Yan." Ianto remarked without looking up.

"Ouch!" Chuckled Jack, feigning offense. "You ok this morning?" He asked, as Ianto put his phone down.

"Rhiannon." Ianto gestured towards his phone. "I finally got the courage to let her know what's been going on, and well, I'm currently trying to talk her out of going round to the house and murdering Lisa."

"Tell her she needs to get in line!" Jack growled, feeling the familiar wave of fury wash over him that seemed to come every time Lisa's name was mentioned.

Ianto raised his eyebrow.

"What?" Jack sipped at his coffee. "She's not the only one who cares about you, you know."

"I am….I am starting to slowly realise that, yes." Ianto admitted softly.

"Good! Because we do, and we want to see Lisa get what she deserves. Although, granted, as a member of the local police force I shouldn't exactly be advertising the use of force or violence…"

"Is this conversation heading where I think its heading?"

"Where do you think its heading?" Jack peered over his mug at Ianto.

"You still want me to make a statement."

"Yan, of course I want you to make a statement." Jack put down his mug. "I want to see that bitch in court, I want to see her handed a prison sentence for the way she has treated you, for what she has done to you. I am a police officer and it is my job, and my duty. But ultimately, it has to be your choice, not mine. And I know it is a huge step to make."

Jack swallowed, and looked down.

"I didn't actually report my ex to the police."

"You didn't?" Ianto was surprised.

"I didn't. I just couldn't go through with it, couldn't admit to half of what he did. And I regret that now, especially knowing he has since done time for violence to both men and women. I could have stopped that, and it kills me knowing I didn't."

"But Jack," Ianto protested. "You weren't to know he would do it again. It's not your fault."

"No, not entirely," Jack agreed. "But If I had come forward then, maybe he wouldn't have hurt those after me."

Ianto looked down at his mug. He understood what Jack meant. It had crossed his mind that when Lisa stopped looking for him and found someone else, she may well continue her abusive ways.

Over the course of the following days, the thought of making an official police statement never strayed far from Ianto's mind. Jack had begun to get concerned at how little Ianto would leave the flat when he was alone, so his friends had rallied around and Ianto's calendar was filling up rather nicely.

He had, of course, his sessions with Martha, which continued to go well. He often met up with Tosh on her days off from the hospital lab to discuss what novels she was reading, and occasionally he would return home, laden with another few paperbacks she had loaned him.

Gwen and Rhys invited him to the rugby, and Owen dropped in and out of the flat in between shifts at the hospital. He had even, on his last visit, recommended a job vacancy to Ianto; the local library was looking for a part time assistant. It would suit Ianto ideally, nothing too stressful or strenuous for someone who had been out of employment for some time.

All the while, however, there was a dark shadow on Ianto's mind. This shadow was the reason he couldn't sit still in a public place, the reason he was constantly looking over his shoulder, the reason he flinched worse than ever if he wasn't in the flat. It was of course, the fear of bumping into Lisa in public. Now he was back in contact with his sister, Rhiannon had been trying to persuade him to move in with her and her husband and their kids. It wasn't that Ianto didn't want to, he was very grateful for the offer and got on well with them all, but he was happier with Jack. He wasn't about to leave Cardiff, no matter how afraid he was.

Jack drained the remnants of his coffee and glanced at the clock, half past eight. He hated working late, by this time he liked to be sprawled on the sofa in front of a film, catching up with Ianto about his day.

As he gathered his things and tidied his desk, Gwen suddenly catapulted into his office.

"Woah, Gwen!" He yelped in surprise. "Where's the fire?"

"There's been some trouble Jack," Gwen reported. "Andy just got back, told me the address. It's at your apartment building!"

Jack froze, but then redirected his attention to his phone when it began to ring.

"Harkness."

"Get your arse to the hospital, I have Ianto in A&E." Owen's voice was full of fury. "He'll live, but he's not in a good way."

"On my way."

Jack sped out of the office, Gwen on his heels.

The waiting room was busy, a typical Friday evening. Jack made straight for Owen as soon as he spotted him.

"Come on," Owen spun around and led them into the cubicles. "From what I gather from your friends on the force, Lisa spotted him as he returned from town with Tosh. As soon as Tosh had said her goodbyes, she went for Ianto right on the doorstep. Your neighbours called it in, they thought it was a mugging. Lisa went wild, kicking, scratching, and ended up giving some old dear who tried a help a black eye. We've patched him up, he won't even need to stay the night, but Jack," Owen looked his friend in the eye. "He won't say a word. Not a single word, to any of us."

Owen drew back the curtain, and then he and Gwen disappeared towards the nurse's station as Jack approached the bed.

Ianto was lying on his side, curled up in the foetal position. Jack could see red scratch marks on his cheek, there was a cut above his eye and dark bruising on his arms. His blue eyes were staring blanky at the wall opposite.

"Oh Yan."

Ianto turned his head slightly towards the sound of Jack's voice, as the older man gently took hold of his hand.

"I'm sorry. Owen says you're going to be ok, physically I mean. But you won't talk to him, you won't talk to any of them. Oh Ianto, please, talk to me." Jack let out a stifled sob. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to stop this."

"It's… not… your fault…" Ianto choked out.

Jack gathered the young Welshman gently into his arms; Ianto clung to him and began to sob heartbreakingly as Jack rocked him, stroked his hair and made little soft shushing noises.

"I've got you, it's ok. Let it out, you're safe." Jack whispered to him.

"But I'm not!" Ianto let out a strangled yell and pulled himself free from Jack's grip. "She… she found me, she knows where I am now!"

"Hey, hey!" Jack tried to calm him, afraid he would hurt himself further. "She is currently in police custody, you are in no immediate danger."

"And when they let her out?"

Jack closed his eyes.

"Ianto, I think it's time you face the reality that to truly end this you need to come forward and make an official statement."

He opened his eyes to see Ianto bury his face in his hands, the sobbing increasing again. Fury rose from deep within Jack and he struggled to keep it contained this time. He turned away from Ianto and hollered towards the nurse's station,

"PC Williams! Doctor Harper!"

Both came running almost immediately.

"Gwen, get me an update on this situation. I want the witness lists, the full statements, the lot. Get onto Ianto's old neighbours too. I want witness statements on any and every domestic argument they have ever gotten wind of.

Owen, I need Ianto's medical files, the whole whack. Focus mainly on injures that you, in your medical opinion, think were caused by DV. I want dates, times, everything."

Owen and Gwen nodded, and rushed off to follow their orders. Jack turned back to Ianto who had managed to regain some control and had overheard the exchange.

"What are they…"

"The more evidence we can gather from third party witnesses, the less you may have to say in court." Jack explained. "If you have everything and everyone you can get on your side, you may not even have to testify."

"You're trying to protect me from court?" Ianto whispered softly, clutching his knees to his chest.

"I'm trying to protect you, full stop." Jack growled. "I should have been there tonight Ianto, and I wasn't. I can't take that back but I sure as hell will do everything in my power to stop it from happening again. If we have enough statements against Lisa from her attack this evening, we may not need yours. I can see how painful it would be for you to stand up in front of her, so I am going to do my best to avoid that."

Ianto closed his eyes. He had been beaten, both physically and metaphorically, so many times recently. He couldn't remember the last time someone actually stood up to protect him, to fight for him. He had forgotten how it felt to feel worthy.