Chapter 32: Forgetting

A peace settled on the Hub after Jack 5's departure. They had all been affected by the scene between him and Ianto and needed a few minutes to recover their normal balance. Jack gave Ianto a quick hug and helped wipe the tears from his eyes, immensely proud of him. Ianto broke away after a few minutes, smiled at him and rose from the sofa. He gathered the coffee mugs; having four extra ones would only raise questions when they woke up. He took them off and washed them, grateful for a moment to himself; he had been more moved by Jack 5's words than he had expected. It was 10 minutes later that the six gathered again.

"I suggest you are at your desks. That way, when you wake it'll be more understandable," said Jack 4. They agreed and taking a pill each they went to their workstations. Jack 4 went to each in turn to oversee them.

Gwen looked up at him. "Goodbye. It's been good to meet you," she said politely.

"Goodbye to you, Gwen Cooper." She took the pill, swallowing it with some fizzy drink she had in an open can on her desk. "You were the best field operative I ever had. And Rhys is a very lucky man." He stroked her hair as she put her head on her arms on the desk and drifted off to sleep.

Toshiko was next, taking the pill with some water and smiling at him before her head slumped forward. "Farewell," he said sadly. "I lost you too soon, far too soon." He made her comfortable.

"Well, I don't mind forgetting all this," said Owen. "Five Jacks at one time is way too many! Five too many!" He took the pill with a swig of beer from a bottle he'd opened especially. He put his arms on the desk and nestled his head on them, asleep almost immediately.

"I'm sorry, Owen. I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I should never have brought you back, never." There were tears in Jack 4's eyes as he thought of the living death that was in store for the doctor. He laid a hand on his head for a moment, caressing gently.

Next was Ianto, who had decided to sit on the sofa rather than at his rather remote desk. He smiled at Jack 4 before looking across at the office where he could see Jack at his desk. "Goodbye," he said then took the pill with a small sip of water.

Jack 4 held him as he slumped sideways and helped him into a comfortable position half-lying on the sofa. He stroked his hair. "Oh, Ianto. Losing you still hurts. After all these years, you still mean so much to me." He gently kissed his cheek.

In the office, Jack looked up as Jack 4 appeared. "They all right?" he asked.

"Yes," Jack 4 nodded, "they're fine." He looked expectantly at Jack, who was rolling the pill around in his fingers.

"Do I have to?" he asked, knowing the answer but asking anyway. "I'd known so much of it already. Oh sure, I wasn't clear why Torchwood went global but I knew it happened. And it's no surprise to know I'll still be alive in the 47th century," he smiled at Jack 4.

"You know the answer," said Jack 4 not unkindly.

"Yes, I do." Resigned, Jack swallowed the pill with a gulp of water from the bottle on his desk. "It was good knowing you." He felt drowsiness overcome him and his head fell forward. Jack 4 caught it and gently placed it on the desk. "You have so much ahead of you, so much pain and so much heartache, but there will also be happiness, I promise."

Jack 4 took one last, long look at his younger self and went back into the Hub. He glanced round at the sleeping Torchwood team members and smiled with satisfaction. It was all done. He went across to Toshiko's desk and tapped in a few commands to erase the CCTV footage and sent the e-mails he'd prepared earlier. He smiled to himself: that should keep them guessing, he thought. He then took out a pill from the box before returning the latter to the cupboard: no point to giving unnecessary clues. He took a DNA swab from Owen's stock and moved to Ianto's side. He took a sample from the inside of the unconscious man's mouth. He smiled happily; the cloning machine he'd bought last century had been a wise investment.

He dry swallowed the Retcon and used his vortex manipulator to send himself back to 4693. There was no-one awake to see that he did not need to use the sonic screwdriver.