When Ianto Jones opened his eyes, he came face to face with a fluffy pink bunny. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, but the bunny stayed put.

Definitely not the sight he was expecting when he decided to use the Mind Mesh.

Carefully Ianto sat up and looked around to find out where he was. He was surrounded by shelves, heavily loaded with more stuffed animals, toy cars, remote-controlled spaceships and plastic dinosaurs. It looked like he had ended up in a toy store. Not something he would associate with a place in Jack's mind. Not that he wasn't childlike sometimes, but a literal toy store was a bit of a stretch. On one of the walls, Ianto noticed a sign that said „Super Toy Run".

Ianto frowned. Like that show he used to watch on Nickelodeon? That had been one big envy fest when he was a child, seeing those kids going home with toys he always wanted but knew he'd never get. He got up from the floor and brushed invisible dust from his suit.

The store was enormous, with rows and rows of fully stocked shelves. Bright lights from neon tubes attached to the ceiling bathed the room in bright light. It seemed abandoned, and it was dead quiet.

While he began to walk down one of the aisles, Ianto slowly realised that he hadn't thought this through. Using the Mind Mesh had sounded simple. Go in, free Jack from the grip of the parasite and get out. Looking around the empty store, it dawned on him the mission would be a bit more complex than that.

Suddenly he heard an automatic door open and close at the far end of the store. With all the shelves, he couldn't see where the door was, but he slowed his steps and came to a halt. He reached for his gun to remember he didn't bring one. An inexcusable oversight, he chided himself. Ianto strained his ears and carefully listened. All he could hear were shuffling footsteps. Someone or something else was in the room, slowly coming closer.

Dread rose up his spine as he took a step backwards, unintentionally knocking over a bunch of racing cars stacked up in their boxes behind him. The car tower came crashing down, piling up in a heap.

Ianto closed his eyes in desperation. Dammit.

The steps came to a halt.

„Oh, come on guys. You already got your Jack-buffet today. Gimme a break, okay? Let's arrange another appointment for tomorrow. Or next week," Ianto heard a familiar voice speak up. It was unmistakenly Jack. Such a relief to hear his voice! A smile spread over Ianto's face, and little butterflies started to fly inside his stomach.

„Hello?" he asked hesitantly. „Jack?"

He heard more rustling. The other person was moving between the rows of shelves. Ianto tried looking over the shelves but couldn't see Jack anywhere in the aisles.

„Jack? It's me, Ianto. I'm here to help you," Ianto tried again. Suddenly he felt the cold steel of a blade on his throat. He hadn't noticed anyone sneaking up on him. The excitement of hearing Jack's voice had led him to let his guard down. He cursed inwardly.

Ianto stood stock still and waited for the hidden opponent's next move.

„That's Captain Harkness for you," Jack snarled behind him. „Wait... how do you know my name?"

Ianto didn't dare to speak.

„Who are you and where the hell have you come from?" Jack's voice sounded fierce and relentless. Ianto tried to turn his head but stopped when the pressure of the blade at his throat intensified.

„What are you doing, you know who I am," Ianto tried to say as calmly as possible, keeping his face straight forward.

A hiss escaped Ianto's lips when he felt the blade nicking his skin slightly above his adam's apple. Whatever was wrong, he better play along.

„My name is Ianto Jones, and I'm here to help you," Ianto stammered and held his breath.

„Nice to meet you, Ianto Jones. The funny thing is, I'm here for weeks and as it happens, I know I'm alone on this station. Makes me wonder if this is another of the voice's funny tricks," Jack pondered warily, still on guard. He spoke to the room in a louder voice, addressing no one in particular. „Or are you getting bored of your zombies already?"

„What are you talking about, Jack?" a voice boomed through the room.

Ianto tried to take all the new impressions in but felt lost.

„'Jack & The Zombie Apocalypse' is one of my favourite shows. That will never get boring!" A deep laugh resonated from the walls. „But really, take a look at yourself. You really shouldn't let yourself go like that. Go back to your room and freshen up. I will give you some time out. Tomorrow is a new day!"

The voice went silent.

„What is going on?" Ianto heard Jack whisper behind him.

„I don't know. Please. You have to believe me," Ianto whispered back. He felt the pressure of the blade lifted from his throat when Jack stepped back. Slowly Ianto turned around to face the man he had come for. Or a version of Jack that didn't know him yet, since he failed to recognise him.

„What happened to you?" Ianto asked, concerned. Jack looked like he always did, only his hair a bit shorter than usual, but Ianto had only eyes for the other man's dishevelled appearance. His shirt and jeans were in shreds. Traces of blood smeared over his arms and face. A large sword fastened on his back, several knives in his belt and looking out of the shafts of his heavy boots. Another sword he gripped tightly in front of him, ready to strike.

„Lost another round in the Zombie Apocalypse," Jack spat out, „Always takes a while to get back to full strength. I'm more interested in who you are and why the voice is oblivious to your presence."

„I think I have a few answers for you. If you have some for me. The rest we might have to figure out together," Ianto offered.

Jack looked at him for a while, weighing his options. Eventually, he lowered his sword until the blade's tip rested on the floor.

„Come with me."

„Welcome to my cosy home," Jack said when they entered the apartment, he had chosen as his living quarters. He opened his belt with the knives and let it drop to the floor. He stored the harness with the Katanas more carefully by hanging them over the green plastic cactus, which stood in a corner.

„Living room, kitchen, bathroom," he introduced Ianto quickly to the layout. „My sleeping room is over there. The apartment has three spare rooms. Just pick one. I'm gonna change into something less ruined. Back in a sec."

Ianto nodded and looked around. „Suppose you didn't pick the furniture?" Ianto stated after a curious glance around, eying the green walls, pink carpet and slightly creepy hand-shaped designer chairs.

„Definitely not," Jack replied from the sleeping room with a chuckle.

Jack had mentioned Big Brother House. That's exactly what the apartment looked like. It didn't make any sense to Ianto. He was curious about the explanation Jack would hopefully have for him later. The kitchen looked well stocked, and to Ianto's joy, he noticed a well-equipped Italian coffee maker nestled into the corner of the counter.

Moments later, Jack came back strolling into the living room, now wearing a white shirt and tight black leather pants.

„Are you showing off, Jack?" Ianto asked him, amused.

„Didn't have many opportunities lately," Jack pouted. More seriously, he added, „Travelling light?" He eyed Ianto's well-cut pinstriped suit and neatly polished shoes, which looked quite out of place in this setting. A stranger appearing out of nowhere with just the clothes on his back must look suspicious for someone obviously living here.

„I really don't plan to stay long," Ianto explained vaguely.

„That's what I thought too at first," Jack shook his head. „Maybe we fetch something for you tomorrow. First, we sit down and talk. I want to know who you are and why you seem to know me. Want a beer?"

A smile spread over Ianto's lips. „I have a better idea."

„I tried to use it in the beginning, but I think it's broken," Jack tried to dissuade the stranger from making coffee.

„I can see that. You got coffee powder stuck everywhere. Let me clean it first. It won't take long," Ianto had already opened the side of the machine and swept the dry brown substance out of places it shouldn't be.

Jack leaned back on the couch and watched him work. He had no idea where the young man had come from, but after weeks of being all alone, it was a relief to talk to someone other than the crazy voice.

It was a strange sight to see the young man, Ianto was his name – right, it was a peculiar sight to see Ianto cleaning out the coffee machine in a sharp pinstripe suit, plum red shirt and matching tie, here on the game station in the year 200.100.

Jack caught himself gazing at Ianto lasciviously while watching him work. He'd felt a strong attraction right from the moment he lay eyes on him back in the toy store.

Ianto looked delicious in his suit, his lean body filling the jacket nicely. The short haircut fit him well, and begged to be played with. The stubby little nose looked absolutely adorable, but the clear blue eyes were what stole his breath. Jack started losing himself in the sight before him.

While finishing the cleaning process, Ianto smiled when he noticed Jack undressing him with his eyes. As if on purpose, he leaned over the counter to reach for a towel, showing off that not only did his jacket fit well.

Jack stared at the well-rounded arse before him and felt his cock stir, reawakened from an unusually long sleep. That brought Jack finally back to his senses. He cleared his throat and sat up straighter. Definitely not the right time.

When Ianto was finished working on the coffee machine, he filled the hot black liquid into two mugs and carried them over to the couch. Jack took one of the steaming mugs and watched Ianto sit down, carefully holding his own mug to avoid spilling anything.

The coffee smelled delicious. A moan filled with pleasure escaped Jack's lips when he took the first sip. The explosion of aromas on his taste buds sent ripples straight down to his groin. How the hell was he supposed to keep his cool when teased like this?

„Wow, I think that's the best coffee I've ever had," Jack raised an eyebrow appreciatively.

Ianto grinned at him happily. „You always say that."

„I do?" Jack took another sip and stared at Ianto with a serious look. „Stop talking to me like we know each other. I'm sure I don't know you. I think it's about time you tell me who you are, how you got here and most importantly, what you want."

Ianto's face turned serious too, and he stared into his own cup, clearly trying to decide where to start.

„I would actually prefer if you tell me what's going on here. I'm here to help you," Ianto started, but Jack interrupted him.

„No way. You first. I need to decide if I can trust you. There's been so much bullshit going on here the last couple of weeks. How do I know you are not just another mind trick played by the crazy voice from the top?"

„Fair enough."

Ianto fiddled with his mug, and it was obvious he struggled to find a good way to start.

„Just spill it. I'm a big boy, I can handle it," Jack tried to nudge him.

„Yeah," Ianto let out a small laugh. „Not sure about that." He cleared his throat.

„Okay, for what it's worth. I work for an organisation called Torchwood, in Cardiff. I'm from the year 2008."

„Torchwood... like in the Torchwood Archive?" Jack thought about where he'd heard that name before but could barely place it.

Ianto stared at him. „Don't know about that. Well, our job is to protect the city from the rift and to deal with any kind of alien activity we encounter in the process. And you are my boss."

„Me?" Jack asked him with a sceptical look in his eyes.

„Yeah. Since you obviously don't know me yet, you will be my boss in your future," Ianto explained.

„Wow, wait! What are you doing? Are we messing with the timeline here?" Jack tried to get up, extremely worried now.

„No! Jack, sit down. Trust me, there is no danger for the timeline," Ianto put a hand on Jack's thigh and nudged him back down.

„My Jack had a bizarre nightmare last night, and when I tried to wake him up, he..." Ianto tried to continue, but Jack cut him short with glee in his eyes.

„You tried waking me up. Are you and me...," a lecherous grin spread over Jack's face.

„Yes, Jack, yes we are," Ianto rolled his eyes. „I was trying to wake you up, but you fell into some kind of coma. I and the rest of the Torchwood team have failed to find a way to revive you so far."

Jack returned to being serious again and leaned forward, eager to hear more.

„A coma."

„Yes. Owen, our medic, said he had never seen anything like it. Your physical stats are normal, but your brain activity is off the charts. Like you are in a constant dream state. Or since you had a nightmare when it all began – a constant state of reliving one or multiple nightmares," Ianto paused and looked at Jack to see if his explanation made any sense.

Jack stared at the young man, trying to process what he had just heard.

„What has this to do with me?" It all sounded intriguing and quite concerning, but he couldn't figure out why Ianto was here.

Ianto took a deep breath and finally spilt the key point of the story. „I think all of this is the nightmare Jack had last night. The place where it all began."

„The..., what?" Jack stared at him dumbfounded. Did Ianto just imply this was a dream? Damn, Jack wished it was, but most certainly, it wasn't!

„Please, Jack! Let me explain everything and then you can ask questions or go mad at me. I don't care, just let me finish," Ianto implored and looked at him earnestly.

Jack already had so many questions, but he tried to put them on the back burner and be patient. „Okay. Go ahead."

„Thank you," Ianto sounded relieved. After a brief pause, he continued, „Owen conducted multiple tests on you, with no satisfactory results. Eventually, he noticed a parasite fused into your brain. We believe it's feeding from the energy produced by your nightmares. Its tentacles are buried deep in your brain, and it's hidden behind a naturally produced force field."

Jack stroked the side of his head absentmindedly, trying to grasp the implications.

„When we failed to wake you up," Ianto continued, „I decided to do some research on my own. I'm the archivist of Torchwood Three and have special access to certain... more dangerous alien artefacts we've found along the way. I recalled you telling me about the Mind Mesh a few months back..."

„Early 21st Century isn't supposed to have this kind of equipment!" Jack couldn't hold back and interrupted Ianto.

„I know, but things get left behind by alien visitors, or come through the rift that runs through Cardiff. It happens all the time. It's our job to keep it safe," Ianto explained.

„Until you use it."

„Sometimes," Ianto answered evasively.

Jack huffed. „You're lucky I'm no longer working for the Time Agency."

„If it's any consolation, you're in charge of Torchwood. And you know what you're doing," Ianto tried to justify their mandate.

„Good point," Jack grinned, too easily played by a bit of ego stroking.

„I recalled the Mind Mesh and how it gives you access to other people's minds. That's how I got here. I need to find a way to detach the parasite's tentacles and hope that would also deactivate the force field. There is no other way for Owen to remove the parasite. It's the only way you can wake up."

Ianto turned silent and looked at Jack.

Jack stared back at him, drawing a blank. His mind was racing, but he couldn't grasp anything he'd just heard. It sounded like a big pile of horseshit. He still couldn't connect himself to the story at all. Wait...

„You mean I'm not real?"

„Jack, I'm really sorry, but..."

Jack sat down the mug with a clunk and stood up. „I've never heard so much crap in my entire life!"

„Jack, please!"

But he wasn't listening. He needed some space, far away from this strange man. He grabbed his blades and stormed out.