It was late when Jack was woken by Ianto crying out in his sleep and thrashing around. He hadn't had a nightmare for weeks. He relaxed as Jack reached out for him and pulled him into his arms. He kissed his neck.

"Ssshhh, it's alright, baby, I'm here. No one can hurt you," he whispered.

"Please god NOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed.

"It's alright, Yan, I promise anchor to me baby," he said in Ianto's ear.

He sighed as he felt Ianto's mind touch his, he nearly screamed from the sudden onslaught of pain coming from his partner. He saw himself tied up with chains hanging from the ceiling of metal grating; his body covered in wounds made from various weapons. His feet barely touching the metal grating that served as a floor, his arms were pulled taut above his head and secured with metal shackles to the same kind of grating his feet were barely touching. His head hanging loosely, his eyes staring dead ahead. He thought Ianto wouldn't remember, the Master lied to him. He told him Ianto was on Earth when he'd died from the torture he received from his insane captor. Ianto wasn't supposed to have been there when time reversed itself, he wasn't supposed to remember. Jack could feel the tears burning his cheeks as he held Ianto close to him. He focused his mind and took the pain away from Ianto, pushing deep into his own mind, filtering away what Ianto could feel. Once the pain disappeared, he focused on the beach, he placed himself and Ianto hand in hand on the beach. It wasn't even a memory but he inserted it into Ianto's mind. He felt him relax into him, the shaking stopped and his breathing slowly returning to normal. Fighting his body's reaction to throw up, Jack pulled Ianto even closer and forced himself to steady his breathing. He finally closed his eyes and slept.

Now it was his turn to dream.

"Good morning, Freak," said the insane voice of the Master.

Jack refused to answer him; he would never give him the satisfaction of letting him know what the torture was doing to him. He refused to open his mind to the Master. He wouldn't give him what he wanted; he would NEVER hand over his team to this madman.

When the Doctor had sent Martha to walk the Earth, Jack had managed to tell her a message. One he knew no one but his team would understand.

****

Martha was also dreaming.

Martha walked the Earth, telling people of the Doctor and that, when the time came, they were to say his name out loud in prayer, billions upon billions of people all saying his name at the same time right across the planet. Strength the Doctor needed to recover and defeat his archenemy and friend.

Martha reached Cardiff, she walked through the streets. Careful to avoid the curfew police; news traveled fast and people knew she was coming and hid her when she needed to be hidden. In return, she told them stories, stories of an alien who'd saved the Earth before and needed their help. The stories passed from her mouth to others and word spread. She walked into the tourist office and, just as Jack had told her, she found Ianto Jones sitting behind his little desk. Blissfully unaware of what his lover was going through on board the Valiant. Captain Jack Harkness had vanished without trace, but Ianto knew he was alive. His heart would tell him if that changed. He knew he'd come back, he just didn't know when.

"Can I help you miss?" said Ianto in those beautiful Welsh tones that Jack loved so much.

"I don't have much time, I can't stay," she said quickly,

"What do you mean?" asked Ianto.

"Please just listen, don't ask me how I know but Jack sent me, he's alive, Mr. Jones".

"Jack, where is he? Is he alright?"

"He said to find you and give you a message."

"What's the message?" said Ianto, eager to know what Jack needed them to do.

"Send the team to the Himalayas in search of 4, you are to stay here with the Rift"

"Where is he?" asked Ianto.

"Don't go looking for him, he's an enemy of the country and you're known to them. If they catch you, you'll ruin everything," she said, then turned and left.

For three more months she walked the Earth and spread the message. Then the time came. She stood with the people and whispered a single word.

"Doctor".

All around the world at the same time, millions and millions of people muttered the same word.

*****

Jack woke to find Ianto watching him, the tears still fresh on his face. Ianto reached up and gently wiped them away.

"Why didn't you tell me, Yan?" he asked.

"What? That I remember everything, I remember the Master torturing me and killing me and torturing you til you died and came back and starting over while I was forced to watch the one I loved dying repeatedly in front of me and there was nothing I could do to stop him?" said Ianto, the tears now running down his face.

"You made me tell you everything when I came back," he said.

"You had to tell someone, Jack, who better than me? It was going to consume you," said Ianto, the tears still coming.

"You said no secrets, Yan."

"I know, Cariad, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he sobbed.

"It's me who should be sorry, Yan. I should have just told him what he wanted to know," said Jack, pulling Ianto to him.

"Jack you couldn't, if you had told him how to open the Rift you would have been responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, you did what you had to do."

"But I was responsible for the death of someone who meant more to me than I wanted to admit then," he said, sobbing.

"Jack, I'm fine," said Ianto gently.

"I know, no scars but you have the memories. Why didn't you tell me Yan?"

"I should have. I'm sorry, I've never dreamt about it before; it's always Lisa," he said.

"I told Martha where to find you. If I hadn't, you never would have come looking for me," said Jack.

"Jack, I would have still looked for you, I looked every day. I scanned the hospital records for any trace of you."

"You never did tell me how you found me."

"After Martha gave me your message, I knew where you were. Once the rest of the team were safely on their way I broke curfew, I knew the Master was looking for me. I knew he'd take me to you."

"But Ianto, I specifically told Martha to tell you NOT to look for me. I needed you safe I needed to be able to come back to you."

"I know, but I needed to be near you Jack. I didn't care what happened to me I just needed to know you were alright."

"Oh, Yan," said Jack, the tears still falling as he held him to him.

Ianto placed a tender kiss on Jack's lips. Jack's mouth opened immediately to Ianto's probing tongue. The kiss seemed to go on forever as they held each other, the tears still falling down both their faces. Jack could taste the tears in their kiss; it was a bitter taste but he wouldn't break the kiss. He needed to feel Ianto, he knew he was safe. He had been since time reversed and the Master died, but Jack just needed to reassure himself.

Ianto wouldn't break the kiss either, much for the same reasons. He'd never told Jack the truth and that hurt. When he came back he'd made him tell him everything. Forced him to tell him everything that happened, even though he remembered it. Jack needed to talk before the feelings he had consumed him. He knew Jack needed this kiss and he wasn't going to be the one to pull away.