AN: You're all going to hate me for this, but you knew it was coming. Please R&R. xx

Even Ianto couldn't deny that Elizabeth looked stunning walking down the aisle, dressed in a beautiful white dress, the intricate embroidery glinting in the multicoloured rays of sunlight streaming in through the stained glass windows. She simply glowed, and her dazzling smile finished off the look perfectly.

But he still couldn't stop thinking about Jack. His Jack. Back at the house helping prepare for the party that would be held in the large ballroom afterwards. Of course, he would be surrounded by people, and he wouldn't have a minute to himself, but no doubt he would be feeling lonely. Ianto felt exactly the same way as his bride arrived at his side at the front of the church.

Still, he somehow managed to pull himself together, making every effort to at least make it look like this was the happiest day of his life. Despite the fact that that particular day was spent with Jack, and involved very little clothing and an exchange of a certain three little words.

…

"We are here today to witness the joining in holy matrimony of Ianto Jones and Elizabeth Matthews."

Her face lit up in an endearing smile, but Ianto felt nothing. None of the butterflies in his stomach, or the bolt of electricity, or shiver down his spine, when Jack looked at him, or smiled at him, or talked to him, or touched him.

…

"Do you Ianto, take Elizabeth to be your lawful wedded wife, for as long as you both shall life?"

He swallowed dryly, attempting, and failing miserably, to get past that lump in his throat, and to stop his palms sweating. He felt sick as he stood in front of all his family and friends - well, almost all of them - and vowed to live the rest of his life with this girl. This beautiful, kind, intelligent girl, that despite his best efforts, he didn't feel a thing for.

"I do."

…

"You may now kiss the bride."

He had been dreading this bit all day. He felt bad for feeling this way, but he hated Elizabeth's kisses, they were clumsy and awkward, and rarely went beyond a peck, she didn't hold him the same way Jack did, one hand draping possessively round his lower back, the other spread out on his neck, using his talented fingers to stroke the skin and play with his hair. So when he did kiss his new bride, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with, all he pictured was Jack. All he imagined were Jack's lips on his, and all he could hear was that little niggling voice in the back of his head telling him he had betrayed the man he loved.

…

Jack circled the room, carefully balancing a tray of drinks in one hand, offering the multitude of guests glasses of champagne. His stiff suit, shirt and bowtie restricted his movements, and made him feel even more nauseous. Every time he turned his head in the direction of Ianto, he would offer him a faint smile, but it never reached his eyes. He had to spend the entire night watching his lover dance with his wife, smiling and laughing whilst talking to the mass of people, and he had to watch as he kissed her. That was the worst part.

And no matter how many times in the weeks running up to this damned day Ianto had reassured him of his love, it didn't help him feel any better.

The room felt alive with chatter and laughter, couples dancing, and families enjoying themselves, but Ianto didn't feel any of the merriment. Every time he caught Jack's eye, it only served to increase his guilt.

However, the worst part of the evening had to be his first dance with Elizabeth. Unlike her kisses, she was clearly a talented dancer, moving effortlessly in time with the music, swaying in Ianto's arms, but he was aware how uncomfortable he looked, how robotic his movements were, and he just didn't feel bad for Elizabeth at all. It didn't matter that this mess he was in wasn't directly the woman's fault, he had come to blame all his troubles on her. No matter how insignificant they were, it was always down to Elizabeth, and he really hated that he had to put them both through that for the rest of their lives.

…

The end of the night approached rapidly, and the guests slowly filtered out of the large, extravagantly decorated hall. Elizabeth had retired to Ianto's room, the room they would share until they moved into their own house in the near future, promising she would wait for him.

Soon, it was only Ianto and Jack left in the room, everything had been cleared away, and the only signs left of the day's events were the gold band glinting menacingly on Ianto's finger, and the dejected look on both of their faces.

Ianto approached Jack, his footsteps echoing in the room as his heavy shoes clicked on the wooden floor.

As he arrived at the man's side, both men remaining silent, as tears glistened in two sets of stormy blue eyes, he reached out, his hand landing on Jack's shoulder, the first contact they had shared all day. Jack sighed. Ianto couldn't tell what it meant, if it was a relieved sigh, a happy one, or a crestfallen one. All he knew was that it was a sigh, and it was the only reaction he was getting from Jack for the time being.

His hand slid down Jack's arm, all the while retaining perfect eye contact, as his fingers ran over the stiff fabric of his shirt and the sculpted beauty of his muscles. He gently entwined his fingers with Jack's, relishing in the conflicting textures - the gentle caress of his thumb over the back of Ianto's hand, accompanied by an array of calluses and rough skin, a small sign of the work Jack did day in, day out.

Their faces were mere millimetres apart, their gazes fixed on the captivating eyes of their lover, and their warm breathes meeting in the air, tangling together to form a unique web only they could create.

"I love you."

When the words were spoken, the two men were so close together that as Ianto's lips formed the words, they brushed gently against Jack's, sending a shiver down his spine as he too declared his love for the man in front of him.

"Dance with me."

"Jack, there's no music."

"We don't need music. We don't need anything but each other. Together, like it always should be."

For the first time that day, a genuine smile lit up Ianto's face, and a single tear trickled down his cheek, landing on Jack's shirt, leaving a quickly forgotten damp patch on the material.

Jack pulled Ianto against him, one arm snaking around the younger man's waist, the other reaching to take their conjoined hands and rest them against his chest, the faint drum of his heartbeat acting as a soothing tune to aid their movements.

It was their first dance. A million times more enjoyable than the one he shared with Elizabeth only a few hours ago. Every sway of hips, and footstep would forever be etched in his memory as they moved so close together, it was almost as if they were one person.

He felt himself relax in Jack's hold, resting his head on Jack's shoulder, closing his eyes and listening to the sound of his pulse, throbbing away as they continued to move.

"I'm so sorry, cariad."

It was Jack who spoke, surprising him with his use of Welsh, a language he had been taught since he was a young boy. He would occasionally slip into it when engaging in conversation with his father, but he never thought he would hear Jack use the language.

"You know Welsh?"

"It's amazing what you picking up working as a footman in a manor in the Welsh countryside. And you never know when it'll come in handy."

Ianto couldn't see Jack's smirk, he was far to comfortable resting his head in the crook of Jack's neck, but he could feel it.

"You're amazing, Jack. You do know that?"

"Yes, I know."

Ianto chuckled, almost forgetting that after today, things would never be the same again.

But right now, as they slipped back into silence, all he wanted to concentrate on was the dance, so perfect in it's simplicity.

And then Jack stopped moving.

He gently placed his hands on Ianto's shoulders, holding him at arms length and maintaining perfect eye contact, even as the tears threatened to fall.

"Go. Go to your wife. She'll be expecting you."

The pained expression that flooded Ianto's features almost broke Jack's heart again. He had lost count of how many times that had happened today.

He pressed one last kiss to Ianto's lips, their mouths melting together, until Jack pulled back, pleading with Ianto.

"Please, don't make this any harder than it already is. Please, Ianto, go to her."

And just like that he was gone, his dress shoes clumping heavily on the floor as the tears tumbled down his face and he made his way to his wife.

Jack's sobs were heard by an empty room.