Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, no copyright infringement intended. If you still want to sue bring Ianto back to Jack first.

Warnings: Might contain spoilers for the TV-series. Not beta-read and English's not my native language, constructive criticism is appreciated.

Sealed hopes

Jack was waiting in front of the plain door of the doctor Marion Stevenson's flat. While standing there, doing nothing but praying that the young Welshman who looked like his Ianto was really behind it, he tried to remember if he had made up enough excuses to keep his friends busy for the day: God forbid Gwen started to worry about him and to stalk him. Again.

He kept telling himself that he just wanted to protect her in the dire case that Ianto's look alike wasn't really their beloved co-worker, but he knew, deep inside himself, that the shock of this news would only be his, especially after what he had found out thanks to the tests.

No, there wasn't a way darker reason behind his lack of communication with the others, no matter how much the tiny little voice in his head kept screaming that Jack actually wanted to keep this innocent Ianto away from Torchwood and all for himself.

Jack shook his head to push away that egoistic little thought, and got his best smile ready as soon as the door opened and he found himself face to face with his Welsh namesake. Taking in his appearance, he felt even more insecure than before about his chances with him, and, scarily enough, about the answers he had gotten from the Torchwood machineries.

This man was young… extremely young, and Jack didn't really remember Ianto being this young while being with him. Nevertheless, he had also never seen Ianto in shabby blue jeans since he was 24 years old and, the last time that had happened, he had been way too angry and annoyed at his lover to actually notice how young he seemed.

"You've been staring. Is that a habit of yours?" Ianto's look alike asked, opening the door wider to let the captain get inside.

"Only when I see something I really like" Jack flirted instinctively, making the other man blush at the compliment.

The living room was simple, clean, and, much to Jack's happiness, lacking of Marion's presence.

"I- I've been wondering…" He said, taking advantage of them being alone. "How old are you supposed to be?"

"About 26, according to the medics." The Welshman answered proudly, smirking a bit. "What, your researches didn't lead you to all the answers you wanted?"

"No, I- I've just been wondering…" He trailed off unsurely and decided that he had better stop right there, in case the man in front of him wasn't really his Ianto. "I found a flash drive!"

"Why would someone save personal videos on a flash drive?" Marion said, making Jack jump in surprise despite knowing too well that she was supposed to show up at one point or the other.

"Well, some of what we stored it's from our surveillance system. If we got caught doing something we didn't want to share, we deleted it-"

"But we made a copy first, didn't we?" The Welshman asked, sounding quite sure of his assumptions.

"Yeah." Jack confirmed, grinning unreservedly. "We filled drives, DVDs and more"

"I wish I could see them" Ianto muttered softly, staring so intently at him that Jack was almost sure he was trying to imply something more than just office registrations. Strangely, something about it made him feel quite uncomfortable, no matter how much the Welshman's words were exactly what his Ianto would have said under the same circumstances.

"Only if mama Marion approves" Jack answered eventually.

"Speaking of mothers" Marion interrupted, taking her chance to say aloud something that has been bothering her for quite some time. "You're old"

"Hey!" Jack protested, but, through the corner of his eyes, he could happily notice Ianto roll his eyes at the doctor.

"I wasn't judging, only considering." She pointed out annoyed.

"It was between consentient adults."

"Let's see it then" She challenged him, showing him the computer location as she moved the sofa in front of it for a more comfortable viewing.

*After the Circus -Private- *

The camera showed a big open area surrounded by desks, computer stations and different kind of techs hard to classify for a common civilian. On the one wall they could see, right in front of the camera and looking completely out of place in that metallic section, there was a lone basketball ring. Jack stood in front of it, trying to throw the ball inside without much success.

After another couple of failed shots, the sound of someone approaching echoed inside the large room, someone who was apparently making his way on the cold metal of some grates not included in the scenery.

"Jack, c'mon, just give up" A deep familiar voice suggested softly.

"It's the ring." Jack protested, failing once again another shot. "I'm sure it's not fixed properly"

"You know I am the one fixing it every time, and I can assure you that it is perfectly fastened" The same voice retorted, even though its owner was still not noticeable.

"Are you sure?"

"Jack" The newcomer said with a deep Welsh accent, finally allowing his back to become visible on screen as he approached the captain. "You're out of focus, be both are"

He made all his way up to the captain and took in his hands the ball Jack was still holding, letting it linger between the two of them. "Come to my flat tonight." He whispered in Jack's ear, his voice barely audible despite the amplifying effect of the open area.

Jack turned to face him properly and simply offered him a seductive smirk that was clearly fake. "Are you proposing me?"

"I don't want to be alone tonight" The Welshman admitted honestly, ignoring Jack's assumption and hunching his shoulders a bit like a scolded kid.

"Ianto, what happened wasn't your fault" Jack told him, letting the ball run on the floor and grasping both his companions arms as he tried to make him look up at him again. "We did our best, and most of your deductions were brilliant. We wouldn't have known where to start if you didn't notice that there was something wrong with the videos"

"But I had the flask and I couldn't keep it safe. I might be good with thinking, but put me into something practical and… God Jack, now that kid is all alone and all those people died!"

"Shhh" Jack tried to calm him down, holding him tight in his arms. Ianto held him back and relaxed visibly in his lover's embrace. "You're not useless, Ianto, some people are better dealing with some things, others are greater facing different ones… No one can be good with everything, besides, no one could have foreseen what happened. Believe me, you shouldn't fault yourself"

"But-"

"No buts. Think that we saved one: that's good enough at the end of the day"

"It's not enough" Ianto kept retorting stubbornly.

"If you think like that, then nothing is ever enough." Jack reprimanded him. "You need to learn how to cope with this"

"I can't!" Ianto yelled, attempting to free himself from Jack's hold without much conviction. "It's still sad, it will always be… I keep thinking that I could have done something more…"

Jack closed his eyes and took a big breath before looking once again at his lover. "We're going out. On a date."

"Jack, I-"

"C'mon, let's have a good time." Jack offered him with a big sad smile. "You need to remember that you didn't die along with them"

"I really just want… It's too much, and actually…" Not really knowing how to phrase his own thoughts, Ianto eventually just sighed and shook his head in surrender. "Maybe you should just work a little more with me on my shooting"

"You wanna play baseball?" Jack teased, faking surprise.

"I meant with guns" Ianto stressed irritated, but his voice revealed that a smile was already forming on his lips.

"C'mon Ianto, you're a perfectly fine shooter" Jack countered, eyeing his lover with fondness.

"You know I'm not, but thank you anyway" A single shook of his shoulders was enough to show his complete disappointment.

"More shooting practice wouldn't have helped you today" Jack protested, slightly annoyed at Ianto's determination.

"No, but it might help soothe my remorse right now" Ianto admitted plainly.

"I stand my ground, but I won't say no to such an opportunity" He said softly, turning his lover so that now he was facing the camera for the first time since the registration began as he started massaging his arms and shoulders.

"This… is soothing" Ianto whispered, enjoying the slow and teasing rub with his eyes closed. Jack smirked and closed up the space between the two of them even more, taking his chance to kiss his lover's neck at its base.

"Sure you don't want to skip target practice?"

"You're completely unprofessional" Ianto protested weakly.

"It's afterhours"

"I'm not supposed to like the sound of that"

"You should, you asked me to stay with you tonight after all" Jack kept teasing, trying shamelessly to up the ante with boths his hands and words. "And I have a proposition for you."

"Hmm?"

"A nice dinner for two, and then we have a look at that museum exhibition… On one of your pamphlet they wrote that it stays open until late at night." Jack explained in details. "I don't think we're in the mood for a trip to the cinema today, but that could make it up for it"

"Sounds romantic" Ianto noted, as a warm blush spread on his cheeks as his resolve definitively crumbled.

"It does, and you don't know what the restaurant main dish is yet"

"Something dirty?" Ianto asked curiously.

"Aphrodisiacal"

"And you plan a trip to the museum after that?" Ianto joked smiling, now visibly at ease.

Jack laughed heartedly, tightening his hold on the Welshman. "Do you have other ideas?"

"Well, at my flat there's-" Ianto stopped suddenly, as if he had just remembered something else, and he hastily put some distance between the two of them. "We really shouldn't do this after I made a fool of myself endangering and killing all those people"

Jack rolled his eyes and caught up with Ianto so that there was noticeably less space between them than even before. "You tried your best to save them, now stop this. We already had our share of crying at the hospital"

"That was relief. For the kid." Ianto said, trying to make some order on both his thoughts and feelings. "A kid that truth to be told doesn't have much to be happy"

"He has his life, Ianto. And you wouldn't betray the memory of those you couldn't save only because you're having a good time, you would be celebrating who's still alive…" Jack offered. "You know it's true, you told me this"

"Yeah, but it's easier telling others than doing it yourself" Ianto admitted eventually with a sigh.

"Then let me repeat this to you over and over during our nice dinner at the restaurant, and then, at your flat, it will be up to you deciding if you had enough or if you're up to something more."

Ianto turned to face Jack once again, but even though the camera couldn't show his face, his stance was a mix of casual and determination.

"What if I decide that I just want to sleep?" He countered, as if he was attempting to whip up Jack.

"Then we'll sleep" Jack answered quietly instead. "And since today our work ruffled your feathers this much, I'll cuddle you to sleep, so you can rest safely the whole night in my arms"

Ianto's shoulders tensed and he took half a step back, everything in his posture screaming discomfort and surprise. "We… Well, it's not like we-"

"Would you mind it?" Jack asked him, understanding too well where Ianto's fears lay.

Some minutes flew by in silence, and then the Welshman finally nodded, whispered a barely audible "Yes", and then rushed towards Jack to capture his lips in a heated kiss. No much time had to pass before Jack finally answered back, letting his hands trail freely up and down Ianto's arms comfortably, before settling eventually on the nape of his neck.

For some time, only the sound of clothes rustling echoed in the room, but nothing graphic was visible on screen until Jack's shirt fell undone at their feet, soon followed by Ianto's jacket. The Welshman shirt was just about to follow, and the top of his naked shoulder was peeking out in the open-

*Pause*

"Hey! I was watching it!" Marion retorted pouting, but Jack simply glared in her direction making very clear his intention to interrupt the play thatvery moment.

"Ian- I mean… Jack?" Jack asked worriedly, noticing the young Welshman at his side still staring at the screen.

"What had just happened?" Ianto's look alike asked tensely.

"Sorry, there wasn't much else I could offer without giving away something classified or, well, some privacy of our own." Jack explained, glancing furtively at Marion. "Here we didn't have much to talk about our work… We only wished to forget it, truth to be told"

"You… lost people?"

"Yeah, a fair number of people. Here they were only someone that we could have saved, but they were basically strangers to us. Later on it happened also to our best friends and co-workers, Tosh and Owen"

An awkward silence fell as the Welsh Jack could just nod, not knowing what there was left for him to say or ask about those revelations. Unfortunately, those names told him absolutely nothing, and something in Jack's eyes told him that the hardest to accept for the captain weren't even them. What could have happened in their line of duty worse than losing their best friends?

It was Marion who eventually decided to undo the stalemate, using the same technique that had helped her getting information at the cafeteria: she stood up, took her things and quickly run for the door.

"I'm leaving you two alone, just…" She stopped for a fraction on the threshold to give the boys an accusing glance. "Don't get over excited"

Then she closed the door with a loud slam, leaving behind an utterly embarrassed Welshman and a quite amused Captain.

"Has she just told us that we can see the video further by ourselves?" Jack teased, amused by the doctor's actions. "Tell me she does have hidden cameras"

The younger man's embarrassment only deepened. "I- I actually… Well, I think she hoped for us to talk about some of those classified things freely…"

"I still can't do that, not even with you" Jack admitted unwillingly. "I'm sorry"

"Does it have something to do with the results of the tests?" Ianto's look-alike asked, trying to hide his uncertainty and disappointment and failing miserably at it.

"They are the problem, but it's not what you think." Jack explained. "They actually confirmed your identity."

The Welsh Jack, now definitively proven to be Ianto Jones, stared finally back at him, looking happy and yet absolutely confused. "What's the problem then? You've got someone else? Did we fight before I went missing?"

Jack stared at him, not really knowing what to say. "You're still doing this. Why do you keep asking me about our relationship or about me? Shouldn't you be more concerned about yourself? Your family, our work or the causes of your… getting missed!?"

"W-well…" Ianto stuttered, realizing that Jack was speaking the truth and that it wasn't rational at all. Not by Marion's statements on amnesiac people and much less by his own logic. Still, something in his mind kept telling him that Jack and their whereabouts were the only thing that really mattered right now about what had happened to his forgotten life. "I thought that maybe you didn't exactly want me back… After all you stopped searching for me…"

"Ianto- I mean, Jack… If you really had only gone missing, I would have never stopped searching for you. But I can't tell you the truth now, not until we discovered what really happened and you get your memory back."

"Help me then…" Ianto countered before he could think properly. "… gaining back my memory I mean. Then I could help you discovering what happened!"

"What if you don't know and you remember enough of what had happened to ask yourself why you being here is it even possible? I need to be sure to have an answer for you before you gain your memory back, and I'm still working on it… As things are now though, I really fear that even if I just stay with you I could make you remember by accident."

"But I'm already remembering…"

Jack's eyes widened in shock, as he stared at the sheepish and vulnerable expression Ianto was wearing. "This wasn't in the files Marion sent me"

"She thought most of that to be part of sci-fi movies, but now I'm not so sure… Besides, I kept for myself some other things"

"What things?"

"I'm not really sure I should tell you, exactly for the same reasons I didn't tell her at the time"

Ianto glanced nervously at his surrounding, looking at everything that wasn't Jack and tormenting nervously the smooth surface of his jeans.

"Ianto, if it's your past, I already know most of it. I really liked to be the man you could talk to, and you had a desperate need to let everything out when we met."

"That's not it, it's just…" He trailed off, getting more embarrassed as the time passed and eventually averting his eyes from Jack completely after a last quick look at him. "Well, when I kissed Marion I remembered myself kissing another woman that looked a bit like her… A woman that was lying on a sort of mechanic device"

As Ianto stole another quick glance in Jack's direction, he noticed the man staring a bit shocked at him.

"Oh" Jack was barely able to enunciate.

"Yep" Ianto confirmed ashamed.

"So, you kissed"

Ianto gulped, not really expecting that out of everything he was fearing about Jack would just ask about it like this.

"Which girl are we talking about?" He asked eventually.

Ianto's quick question made Jack chuckle instinctively and that somehow cleared the captain's mind a bit from his fog of jealousy and surprise.

"Marion, actually. I kinda guessed you and Lisa kissed at a certain point in time, since she was your girlfriend and all"

"Lisa? Was that her name?" Ianto asked confused. "How did you know my… ex?"

"Well, saying that I knew her it's not probably the right way to put it…" Jack admitted. "We had quite an encounter with her, and after that you talked a fair bit about you two, but… As a matter of fact when I met her she wasn't quite herself, so all I really know is your point of view on her. Mostly."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen, Ianto" Jack told him, not at all sure whether it was good having such a conversation at the moment or not. "Your life has been in such dangers and absurd things that it would break you if you happened to remember shreds of it not knowing the whole story behind… No, maybe even if you remembered every detail it would be too much for you to take in"

"That's twice" Ianto considered, noticing Jack's questioning eyes as he took in his words but not really caring about changing completely subject at the moment. "That's the second time you called me Ianto"

Jack eventually didn't know what to say. His mind screamed that it wasn't normal for an amnesiac -and much less to someone peculiar like Ianto- to ignore the main bits of his own past and always focus only on the details regarding the two of them. However, he had to admit that he himself was behaving weirdly enough to confuse Ianto, so maybe his responses were just triggered by that.

Back to Ianto's statement though, the name had actually come out so naturally that Jack hadn't even noticed he had used it. After all, since all his tests turned out positive, it had been quite difficult for him to not consider the man as his long lost boyfriend. He still didn't know how it was possible, and he was less than sure that everything could be back the way it was before Thames house between them, nonetheless he was still hoping that everything turned out fine.

No matter how much he feared to even touch the man or Ianto's rejection of what the truth would be, he still couldn't stop hoping to get back the same Ianto he had been kissing and making love to in all those tapes he had in his office.

No matter if what had happened in the House of Dead told him a different story.

"I'm… sorry" Were the only words Jack felt safe to say eventually.

"Don't be. I like it." Ianto reassured him with a smile. "It feels way more real than Jack…"

"Well, it certainly suits you"

"Thanks" Ianto said embarrassedly, and tried to close the space between them a bit. "So… Are you going to show me some more of this tape?"

It took all Jack's strength to not accept the offer he had been given on the spot. He tried to put an awkward smile on his lips and after a deep breath he was almost sure his voice could sound casual enough. "Shouldn't you ask me about your family, your life?"

"I'm supposed to ask, I know that, it's just…" Ianto said, as if he was forcing himself to admit it. Then, all of sudden he looked up to stare right in Jack's eyes, and there the captain could notice an odd mix of confusion and desire in them. "Your aftershave is really good"

"I don't wear any." Jack tried, hoping to help Ianto remembering if that expression meant that something was trying to break through the surface. "51st century pheromones"

Ianto's eyes clouded a bit more, visibly not recalling their conversation and much less understanding what Jack was talking about. "Does it explain why I want to shag you till the end of the month?"

"A bit…" Jack admitted, now extremely worried. "But what you're experiencing is wrong, you're feeling them too much. I can think that more than my pheromones it's a matter of routine, like associating the smell of your lover to the actual act, but no matter what, they should not be enough to make you do something you don't want to do"

"Or someone" Ianto deadpanned, and Jack could finally notice him shacking.

"Ianto, are you alright? You never had problems refusing me"

"I'm fine, really" Ianto countered quickly, honestly forcing himself to stay focused on their conversation. "Speaking about that, you said it has been years for us. How many? None of us is much younger in your videos"

Jack didn't feel comfortable enough to take his eyes away from Ianto, especially as he had the distinct feeling that he wasn't really trying to change subject, but that his question had a specific aim. What this aim was worried him a bit.

"That's one of the problematic things to explain… It was six years ago"

"That's an awful load of time…" Ianto said, and Jack could notice the exact moment in which he finally gave up to close the space between the two of them with determination. "I think you're right, my body might have just missed you"

Ianto tried to go for a kiss, but Jack stopped him, trying to make him stay on his side of the sofa.

"Ianto, stop it." He admonished. "Not like this!"

"Why not? I'm willing!" Ianto almost yelled, harassed by Jack's refusal.

"First, you're not much willing and I can't understand why you are not yourself at the moment. Secondly, you're not going to waste the chance for us to have a real first kiss. You deserve it!"

"We were together, didn't we kiss?" Ianto asked, flushed in embarrassment for his lack of control and extremely confused by Jack's words.

"Of course we kissed! Just… we didn't have a nice romantic first kiss like the movies." Jack explained, feeling even more ashamed admitting it out loud. "You're the romantic type, way more than me… Wouldn't you like the chance to get a real first kiss?"

"At the moment I just want you" Ianto pleaded, slightly irritated, and then tried to kiss him again, even though Jack managed to dodge him just in time.

"Ianto stop!" He took the Welshman by his hand and led him straight out of the apartment. As he opened the door, he found himself face to face with a very confused Marion.

"What's happening?"

"He never tried to jump on you, didn't he?" Jack asked just to be on the safe side.

Her eyes grew even larger. "Of course not!"

"Then I'll steal him for a bit, I need to scan his head with the proper devices"

Without giving Marion the chance to say a single thing, Jack strode out of the room, dragging a confused but willing Ianto with him and then, as soon as they reached his car, he secured him in the back seat of the SUV with the safe belt.

"Jack, would you care to explain to me what the hell is happening!?" Ianto yelled eventually, disappointed by being fastened to the backseat.

"Want to know something?" Jack replied, as he checked Ianto though the rear visor. "I really wish you could tell me"

"Where are we going?"

"Where I can reassure myself that you're fine." Jack quipped. "I'm taking you to the hub."

"The Hub?" Ianto protested grimacing. "Sounds like a pub name…"

Despite his worries for his lover's wellbeing, Jack sniggered at the joke and started the engine, hoping to get to the hub before things went out of hand. He would have never thought in his life that he would fear a Ianto too much interested in getting him laid.

Hopefully, they reached Cardiff Bay without incidents.

As soon as they got inside the turist centre, Jack knew he was in for quite a lot of explanations to too many different people, so he decided to loosely explain what was going to happen to Ianto before being slashed to death by Gwen for retaining important information such as finding their dead co-worker alive and with amnesia.

"Ianto, focus on me for a bit will you?"

"I'm very much focused" Ianto assured him, honestly and pretty much brutally.

His bitter irony worried and yet reassured Jack a bit. After all, the man seemed to have gained back a bit of his composure during their trip in the SUV, even though the impulse making him act appeared even stronger than before.

"What you're going to see is a bit incredible, but you have to trust me: I can explain everything, just not all together and not as soon as you set foot inside."

"Why are you bringing me in here now, then?" Ianto enquired suspiciously. "Am I in a so bad shape?"

"No, you look quite good to me actually" Jack said thoughtlessly, and then mentally slapped himself as he saw Ianto's lips twist in a small smirk. "Yeah, you look good physically speaking too, and I'd like very much taking up on your offer, but what's happening to you is not normal, so everything will have to wait. Now, what I meant was that I will have someone else's questions to answer first, so do me a favour and hang on yours. I'll get you back on those, promise"

Ianto nodded, so Jack finally entered the code to open the wall and then rushed down the metallic steps. The Welshman, on the contrary, descended pretty slowly, staring amazed at the cold walls around him and at the seemingly infinite staircase.

That was how, when Jack finally got past the cog-door, he was the only one Gwen could scream at.

"Jack, what's the meaning of all these tests you ran behind our backs!?" She yelled furiously, slapping her hand soundly over some folders. "I want to hear a clear explanation, Mr. Harkness, because none of this is making any sense!"

"I still don't understand why you're screaming" Jack stated resignedly. Unfortunately it didn't have the hoped effect to calm her down, and Gwen's eyes just grew angrier.

"What project could be so important for you to work on it in the depth of the night, hiding everything from us!" She pointed out, a hint of desperation clear in her eyes. "There are only three of us here and we've almost nothing to do: we could have helped, Jack!"

"But I didn't need help." Jack pointed out quietly. "And besides, I wanted to understand what I was dealing with before telling you everything."

"What is this everything!?" Gwen kept going, closing up the space between them and pointing his finger accusingly at his chest. "What are you hiding, and WHY you are bloody hiding it!"

"Gwen, you're taking it much worse than it should be"

"What am I supposed to think then-" Her words stopped in her throat as she noticed by the cog door who was the newcomer that had appeared over Jack's shoulder.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ianto asked uncertain, making both Gwen's and Rhys' jaws dropping almost automatically.

"Oh my God…" Gwen whispered weakly. "But… How?"

"I have no idea" Jack explained calmly, pinching the root of his nose with his fingers and glad that the onslaught was over. "But a couple of things about him are still unusual, so I thought that a visit to the hub was in order before clearing him"

"Clearing him as what?" Rhys asked, utterly confused.

"Clearing him as our Ianto Jones"

Not knowing what else to do, Ianto simply smiled at the two strangers and weaved his hand at them. "Hello"

"B-but… What is he? A clone? You didn't make it, didn't you?"

Gwen using the word 'what' while referring to him made Ianto grimace, but a bit more hurtful was the casual tone in which Jack answered to it.

"I didn't, but I really have no real idea, Gwen. The only thing I know for sure is that he matches with everything I know about Ianto, with the exception that he has no memory of anything and… well, he's still young."

"Jack please, he's dressed casual." Gwen pointed out, gesturing to Jack to just forget the doubts he held about this peculiarity. "I realised what his actual age was only when I saw him wearing jeans at the Beacons. He could easily be 32 and not showing it."

"But I'm 26" Ianto protested, feeling excluded.

"What would you know?" Gwen snapped at him before she could censor herself. "I thought you had amnesia"

"Well, my medics said so" Ianto challenged, putting his hands on his hips and glaring at her. "And who are you to speak to me like that?"

The rude question took Gwen by surprise, as if all of sudden the weight of 'Ianto came back from the dead' and 'he's amnesiac' had finally hit her full force. Ianto wasn't a subject they could talk randomly about anymore, he was a living person in front of her. A person that at the moment didn't share a single hour with her.

She sat on the nearest chair and hid her face in her hands. "Oh, my God" She whispered.

Ianto could only watch her carefully and raise an eyebrow at her weird behaviour.

"Ianto, she's Gwen" Jack said, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She worked with us. The other man is Rhys, her husband. He's been giving us a hand after your… departure"

"Departure is a ridiculous way to put it" Gwen protested weakly, but she realised that telling the man that he had been dead until now couldn't be sensible, no matter how much the truth was still very well impressed in her eyes.

"Still, 'departure' will have to work for all of us until he regains his memory and I discover what the hell happened. As for now, I have some scans to do. If you will excuse me" Jack explained curtly, and took Ianto's hand to lead him towards the medical bay.

"Can we do something when we've finished this?" Ianto asked as soon as he felt that Jack's whole attention was back on him. To Jack's ears he sounded a bit too hopeful and absolutely uncaring of who was around him, something that he would never associate with Ianto.

"No Ianto, please" Jack willed himself to say. "I told you it's not good at the moment"

"But you do smell good" Ianto protested, resting his forehead defeated on Jack's shoulder and making him eventually to stop walking.

Gwen looked up at them dubiously, frowned, and then eventually stood up to reach them and take a sniff at Jack.

"He doesn't smell any different than usual" She concluded, glad that she'd not missed any particular detail. "He doesn't have a particular scent on, he never had."

Ianto chocked down the outraged comment he wanted to make against Gwen sniffling other people's partners, but he still allowed himself to glare at her.

"How can you not notice, it's…" Ianto scanned his mind for adjectives that could describe what was smelling. "Exciting, strong. Maddening"

"I feel a lingering attraction to him, but no particular scent" Gwen countered, clearly at a loss.

Jack simply crossed his arms on his chest disappointed, and then grimaced when Rhys joined the bickering couple in taking a sniff at him.

"Gwen's right." The other Welshman concluded. "Weird feelings, but no scent"

"Good" Gwen concluded pleased. "Then we know what's wrong with him"

"No, we don't" Jack pointed out annoyed "Ianto always said he could smell my pheromones. Some people are simply keen to identify them with a particular scent more than others"

Everyone in the room stared impressed at his explanation, making Jack roll his eyes in annoyance.

"I've never seen Ianto's mind so clouded though" He added, as to not make any of the others think that he had somehow coerced his lover to sleep with him back then.

"I still have my freewill" Ianto pointed out resolutely, earning only distrustful stares directed at him by everyone else in the room.

"That's what I wanted to look at." Jack explained, leading Ianto back towards the machinery he intended to use. "Maybe what happened to him might have turned him more sensible to certain things, like my pheromones, and that might have caused the memory loss. This would explain something at least, unless…"

"Unless?" Both Gwen and Ianto asked at the same time.

"Unless the only problem here is actually the memory loss"

"Meaning?" Rhys asked, confused as much as the others.

"Ianto grew up in Cardiff, in a particular… situation, right on the rift. That might have triggered something… You know, he worked in London before joining us, there they could have cured him of something as well as they could have used him for anything… However, here really might just be only my dislike for Torchwood One speaking"

"Are you trying to say that me going after you could just be a reaction of chemicals enhanced by this thing called rift or by experimentation of some sort I might have had at this Torchwood One? That everything we had was a lie?" Ianto protested, but Jack was quick to shake his head.

"Nothing like that. I already told you that you were perfectly able to turn me down back then, and now you yourself said that you still have control over yourself. This pheromones thing is like…" Jack took some time to himself to think about a proper way to describe how they worked, before finding one he could use with 21st century humans. "You usually walk around the streets and see plenty of photos around you, but at the moment mine is as big as a scented poster. You can't stop noticing, but you act on it only if you like what you see… The problem here is the reason behind it"

"I didn't get you wanted privacy in London…" Rhys offered, trying to be helpful to the discussion. "Maybe now he's back for it? Like a ghost that-"

"Rhys" Gwen stopped him quickly, taking his husband's hand in hers. "Let's take a walk outside, we'll get some coffees for the rest of the team"

"But I think I finally found the right blen-"

"Rhys" She stated, not admitting complaint and dragging Rhys out of the cog door. "We'll be back… in a while"

Jack stared grateful at Gwen's retreating figure and then focused back on Ianto, who was currently simply staring sad at his feet.

"Don't think too much about your past, everything will become clear in due time"

"Jack, just answer me this…" He asked subdued. "What's the last thing I told you?"

Jack stared adoringly at him a few seconds, before cupping his cheeks with his hands and helping him to stare once again up at him.

"You said you loved me… You said you loved me too." Jack answered cryptically.

"I…" Ianto replied unsurely, somehow knowing Jack was telling the truth about both statements. "I wouldn't really mind to kiss you"

"Me too" Jack said sighing deeply, resting his forehead on his lover's. "But let's wait. Because I know you, but you don't know me quite as much"

"Feel like it though…"

"Do you have memories of us?" Jack asked hopefully.

"One… Maybe…" The words rolled out of his lips without Ianto actually acknowledging them ad surprising even himself, since he wasn't sure at all that he held such a memory.

"Care to tell me?"

"You were in your office, I think" Ianto said, as the memory actually presented itself in front of his eyes as he described it to Jack. "And you were staring at me like I was all you cared for in the world, like… You needed and treasured me. I kissed you and you kissed me back… I remember I couldn't stop, it was like kissing you was meant to show you how much I wanted for you to stay, stay by my side, on this Earth. I don't really know where that desire came from though."

Jack smiled at him softly and brought their foreheads together. "I remember that night… You have no idea how much I appreciated that. I never had someone to come back to in a long while."

"I wish I remembered…" Ianto whispered as his vision cleared and he lost himself in the depth of Jack's blue eyes.

"I… wish you remembered too. That was a wonderful evening we shared"

Ianto tried tentatively to lock their lips together again, but at the last moment Jack turned his face away, escaping the kiss and Ianto's hold at the same time.

"Jack…" Ianto whispered disheartened.

"Let's get this sorted out" Jack told him, forcing a smile on his lips.

That said, he silently led him in the depth of the medical area, hoping for his devices to tell him the truths he hoped for.

T.B.C.