A/N – Ahh… the penultimate track. This one went in a totally different direction that I had originally planned. But I like it.

13. It's All Right With Me

Ianto sat on his couch staring at the boxes stacked against the wall. It was a week into his suspension and while he'd found the courage to pack up the clothes and other belongings of Lisa's that he'd brought from London, he still couldn't bring himself to take them out of the flat.

A knock on the door dragged him from his thoughts. He pulled himself off the couch with a grunt and went to answer the door. Ianto was unsurprised to see Jack Harkness standing in the hallway with a grin on his face. He knew the captain would show up eventually.

"I brought dinner." The captain beamed as he held up a plastic bag emblazoned with Chinese characters.

Ianto sighed and stepped to the side allowing Jack into the flat. He followed Jack to the kitchen and watched the older man unpack the food. After a few failed attempts, Jack managed to find the utensils and set the small table. Ianto moved forward into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He held out a bottle of water, which Jack took as he sat down at the table and grabbed a beer for himself before joining the captain.

They ate their meals in silence. Ianto tried to push the memory of the last time someone sat with him at this little table. The tall boisterous man sitting across from him shoveling food into his mouth was a stark contrast to Lisa, but he found it wasn't as hard to accept Jack's presence as he expected it to be. The man sitting across from him was different, but still charming in his own way. Ianto found himself returning Jack's smile and deciding it was okay with him.

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Jack became a fixture at Ianto's flat in the coming days and weeks. The captain would stop by, usually bearing takeaway, and they'd talk about anything but Torchwood. Sometimes Jack would stay for the evening and they'd watch television or a DVD. One Saturday, Jack even helped him bring the boxes with Lisa's belongings to the local charity shop.

One afternoon, Ianto was returning from a visit with his sister and he paused outside the door to his flat. He could hear loud music coming from inside. 1940s… big band… Glenn Miller, maybe? He thought. He unlocked the door and stepped inside closing the door behind him.

Moonlight Serenade was floating gracefully from the stereo that had previously mostly played Lisa's top 40 favorites. As he stepped through the living room, he noticed Jack's great coat draped neatly on the back of the couch.

The music masked his steps as he crossed to the kitchen. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched as jack stood at the stove stirring something in a pot, swaying to the music as if dancing with an invisible partner. He was completely oblivious to the Welshman's presence. Ianto smiled and decided the change in music was definitely not a bad thing.

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It was late… very late. Ianto had been back from suspension for a little more than a week and he was trying to catch up on the backlog of archiving work. It seemed like the rest of the team had run roughshod in the collections while he was away. He climbed the steps to the main area, his attention on the file he was holding.

"You shouldn't be here." Jack's voice startled him.

Ianto looked up from the file and saw Jack standing in his office leaning on the desk wearing only his trousers and a white t-shirt. He had obviously just woken up. Ianto saw past the disheveled post sleep look and noticed a haunted quality in the older man's eyes. Nightmare, he thought.

"Neither should you." He countered.

Jack stepped out of the office towards Ianto. The sad, troubled look lingered in the captain's eyes. In that brief moment, Ianto could see that Jack was not the monster he'd accused him of being. The older man without doubt knew what loss was.

Not able to hold Jack's intense gaze any longer, Ianto turned towards Owen's station. He placed his file down on the desktop when he saw there was an alert flashing on the screen. He sat down and pulled up the information. He felt Jack move closer behind him to look at the screen himself, but Ianto was still startled when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

"What've you got?" Jack said, easily slipping into his leader of Torchwood demeanor.

Ianto turned to look at the captain's touch as it moved down his back.

"Funny sort of weather patterns." He answered pointing to the display.

Jack's touch stiffened and froze before the hand was abruptly removed. Ianto turned the chair to face the older man. The haunted look in Jack's eyes had been replaced by something else… fear?

He reached out to reassure the older man, but his hand met with empty air. Jack was already striding back into his office.

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It had only been twenty-four hours since they'd noticed the weather patterns, but so much had happened. Ianto knew what had happened on the mission, he'd been following the team on their coms. The rage and resentment emanating from the team upon their return was unmistakable. He'd also seen the look of utter despair on Jack's face before the captain had shut himself away in his office. Ianto told Tosh, Owen and Gwen to go home less than an hour later due to the emotional oppressiveness lingering over the hub.

Now that'd they'd gone, Ianto was carrying two mugs of coffee up to Jack's office. He opened the door without knocking and entered the dimly lit room. Jack sat at his desk, head in his hands, illuminated only by a single desk lamp.

Ianto crossed the room and silently placed the blue and white striped mug on the blotter in front of the captain before settling down in one of the guest chairs in front of the desk. He sat in shadow sipping his own coffee and watching the older man.

After a while, Jack broke the silence. "Come to gloat?" he sneered. "The rest of the team think I'm a monster now too."

"No." Ianto paused. "I have no right to judge you." He continued quietly.

"They seem to have no problem with it." Jack motioned to the door now open to the rest of the hub.

Ianto shrugged. "They don't understand, and they don't think you're a monster… not really. They'll come around. I did."

"Why are you here, Ianto?" Jack sighed.

"Returning the favor, maybe?" He shifted in his seat. "I didn't think you should be alone tonight." He added as he stood and placed his empty mug on the edge of the desk and moving around to stand by the older man. "You're just a man, Jack. You're called on to make these decisions that no one should ever have to make, but you're still human. You're allowed to grieve just like the rest of us."

Jack turned in the chair to look up at Ianto, his eyes shining with emotion.

Ianto leaned over and wrapped his arms around the captain, allowing the other man to melt into the embrace. In that moment, any remaining ill feelings between the two men vanished and a new understanding was forged. Two broken souls coming together to heal each other's wounds.

Ianto held Jack in his arms and decided it was all right with that.

End

It ended a bit more philosophical than I had intended, but it was late, and I was getting tired. :-)