Yep, last chapter folks - really hope you've enjoyed it though! The final (three part) installment for this series will start sometime over the weekend, so look out for it! Thankyou all so much for your comments and support :D Love ya!

Chapter 13

In the sunlight and the shadows…

That's the way love is
Sky blue and black

"He said that now, he could see that there's nothing more right than you." Ianto finished his tale as he stared out of the window at the thunderstorm raging outside, the sky dark and bruised as the clouds reverberated with angry rolls of thunder.

"You were in the TARDIS?" Jack asked incredulously, sitting on the edge of the bed and staring at the young man, who simply nodded.

It had been two weeks since he'd woken up and Owen had cleared him to be off the heart monitors, meaning he could sit by the window and read when he wanted. It had improved his mood dramatically. Of course, it also meant that Jack had asked for an explanation. Now he was playing host to a war of emotions again.

"Something in the bullet got into my system, but it didn't take effect until later on. As it didn't happen when I was in A and E, I can only assume the shock straight to my heart in the operation was what activated it." Ianto shrugged and looked away from the sheets of rain to see Jack staring at the floor, his teeth gritted and his fists clenched. "What's wrong?"

"That was supposed to be recreational…" Jack growled. "It was a drug dosed and activated in specialised places, like futuristic sensory deprivation. You set a time to be under, they activated it and returned you when your time was up. I didn't realise that it could be replicated away from there. I should've but I didn't."

"Jack, it's not your fault – none of this was." Ianto reached over from his chair and put his hand on Jack's knee, squeezing it gently.

"What if you hadn't been drawn to the TARDIS? You would've just… existed, in two states until one part or the other failed…" Jack shook his head and looked at Ianto, cupping his cheek gently and staring into his eyes. Ianto was smiling and Jack frowned at the secret joke he laughing at. "What?"

"Nothing… I just heard things on the TARDIS… You know when you asked me what to do? And I said 'Don't you dare give up on me'…" Jack nodded slightly, his hand dropping from Ianto's face as the young man's expression softened. "That wasn't a hallucination, Jack. That was me. And trust me, you will survive, no matter what happens to me – that's a promise."

Jack nodded mutely and bit his lip, obviously wanting to say something but thinking better of it. Ianto was suddenly aware of how heavy the atmosphere was and he sighed. He hated this kind of tension. That's what was so good about the rain – nothing and nobody could restrain it. Those who tried were faced with the futility of human intervention.

"Can we go outside, Jack?" He asked suddenly, breaking the silence and looking up at him hopefully. Jack's face split with a smile and he chuckled, shaking his head.

"No way. Owen wouldn't be pleased." Jack laughed at the disappointed pout Ianto's smile dropped into and Jack patted him lightly on the cheek. "Next time, when you're back at home and there's a thunderstorm, I promise not to pull you inside, okay?"

"Fine." Ianto glared at Jack, made a 'hmphf'-ing noise, turning back to the glass. "Can you at least open one of the windows?"

Jack rolled his eyes and nodded, much to Ianto's appreciation, and pushed himself up off the bed to open one of the windows on a vertical hinge. As he made to walk past Ianto, back to the bed, he felt a tug on his arm and was pulled off balance, Ianto catching his face and kissing him hard, a silent promise of something more when he was better.

Reluctantly, Jack pulled away first and sat on the arm of the chair, wrapping his arms around Ianto pulling him close, the young man resting his head on Jack's chest, arms around his waist. Together, they watched the rain fall and listened to the crashing of the thunder, echoing through the streets.

*

A little less than a month later, Ianto was back at home with crutches to help him walk. The bullet had caused enough trauma to his spinal column to have cause temporary paralysis from his knees down. It had slowly faded and improved, but it had still left his muscles reasonably weak through lack of use.

It was only when Owen and Jack were satisfied that he could care for himself that they co-signed his discharge papers. Of course, Jack had absolutely no intention of leaving Ianto alone in his flat for any longer than absolutely necessary. Once Ianto had gained back enough strength to move around on his own for prolonged periods of time, he'd insisted that Jack go back to Hub, for at least a few hours each day. It wasn't like he was going anywhere, after all.

Jack soon settled into a rhythm of spending a couple of hours each morning and afternoon in the Hub and assisting on runs when needed. It was a miracle that the team had been able to pull together to cover Ianto's duties, but one both men were grateful for.

He spent most of his free time curled up with Ianto either on the sofa or in bed, arms around him and tuning himself into the sound of the other man's heartbeat.

"I forgot to ask you this earlier, but when I was with the Doctor, I stayed in your room and I found your home videos." Ianto said curiously as he traced lazy circles on Jack's forearm, where his sleeves were rolled up.

"Oh?" Jack asked, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face as he remembered the chips.

"Yeah, I pressed a couple of buttons and it turned on." Ianto smiled to himself. "You had ones of me asking you for coffee or yelling at you about filing, but that got me thinking… did you ever make… others?"

"Yes, I did." Jack said quietly, swallowing and nodding sincerely, though Ianto couldn't see him. "I keep them for when I don't have… the real thing anymore."

"Good." Ianto said with a sigh, closing his eyes and settling back into Jack's arms.

*

Ianto was currently sitting on his sofa, a week or so later, watching a film and Jack was trying to spend as much time as possible prolonging his search for his mobile and keys. Ianto was just about to point out that they were already in his coat, hanging on the back of the bedroom door, when he heard a clap of thunder and Jack whipped round to look at him.

Ianto just grinned and started to push himself up.

"Are you serious?" Jack asked carefully as Ianto made his way, still dressed in a t-shirt and pyjama trousers, to the front door.

"Perfectly." He replied with a grin, Jack sighing and hurrying over to help him down the stairs outside his flat.

"Why do I do this?" Jack asked absently as he caught Ianto under the arm when his knees buckled from moving too fast. Ianto turned and kissed him slowly. "Ah, that's why."

They went down the last two flights of stairs and Ianto almost dragged Jack across the entrance way, supporting himself against the wall as he made his way over to the door. He pulled it open and stepped out into the torrential rain, looking up into the sky with a childlike smile on his face that told Jack this was all worth it.

They were soaked to the skin within seconds, but Jack suddenly didn't mind. He wrapped his arms around the young man's waist and felt Ianto rest his hands on his arms and sigh in contentment. After several long and cold minutes, Ianto twisted in Jack's arms and kissed him again, harder this time and deeper, their tongues running together and lips and bodies melded around each other.

They stood locked in their embrace, rain cascading over them and running down their faces and necks, soaking every inch of them. Jack was cold and Ianto was starting to shiver, but neither of them cared because, for what felt like the first time an eternity, they were one whole again – two parts of the puzzle finally locked together.

"You do this because you love me, Jack, and you've seen me covered in bruises and blood and on death's door. You do this because it makes me feel alive and you love it." Ianto murmured, answering Jack's earlier question with words this time as he pulled back for breath and leaned his head on Jack's shoulder. "Thank you."

**

FIN x.