Ianto's eyes began to adjust to the light. He could feel Jack's body tense as the air filled his lungs. He shifted Jack's body as he moved behind the immortal, getting into position. Jack's mouth flew open with a rasping gasp, his blue eyes wild and confused, arms flailing. Ianto embraced him, steadying him until the panic subsided.

Jack shifted his body again, trying to focus. He felt the strength of a man's embrace and angled his head to see who it was, his eyes wide in astonishment.

"Ianto?"

Ianto bent down and kissed him. "Feeling better?"

"What…where?" Jack turned his head to scan his surroundings. "I'm not back…" Panic entered his eyes. He tried to pull away, but was too weak.

"Jack, what do you remember?"

"This isn't real," the Captain struggled. "She's playing with my mind again." He threw a suspicious glance at Ianto. "You're not real."

Ianto hesitated, then loosened his grip, and helped Jack sit up. He then sat back on his knees, giving the immortal some space. "Look at me, Jack. Touch me." He reached out his hand.

"No, this is a trick!" Jack scrambled away from the fylgia, cutting his hand on an orange shard lying on the ground. A familiar voice shattered the air. "And I get to kill him again!" He startled at the voice, quickly looked around. Seeing no one, he turned and stared at his hand as it slowly began to heal.

"Try to stay still, Cariad," Ianto said softly. "You are safe now, but the shards from your boxes will cause you pain."

"Where am I?" asked the Captain as he twisted his body to take in the shifting piles of shards, glistening like shattered glass around him. He then looked down at the hospital gown "Why am I dressed like this?"

"You are on the TARDIS," Ianto said as he pushed away the shards, giving Jack more room to move. "Well, your body is on the TARDIS, but your mind, your consciousness is caught here, in the place you went to build your boxes. I don't know…they used to call it the subconscious in my day. Don't know what it's called now."

The Captain drew back. "You're not real!" he said bitterly. "This is a trick. I need to get home." He angrily pushed away a blue shard, cutting himself again as another voice floated in the air. "You're just wrong, Jack. Can't help it!"

"Stop it, Jack!" Ianto quickly stood and began to clear an area around the Captain. "Let me do this! They can't hurt me."

"Why?"

"Because they are your memories, not mine." Ianto cleared a five-foot area around the Captain before kneeling down next to him. "Are you feeling stronger?"

The Immortal moved back again. "Don't touch me."

Ianto stopped, and then patiently sat cross-legged on the ground near him. They sat across from each other in silence while Jack took in the landscape. The light was brighter now, and a soft breeze gently shifted the piles of shattered memory.

"Tell me something," Jack said quietly. "Tell me something you and I shared…something she could not access."

"She never accessed your memories of me, you never put them in a box," Ianto frowned. "She just went after the boxes, ignoring the rest." He looked down. "I'm sorry," he said as he looked up again. "I was there, but I couldn't stop her."

"Tell me something," Jack insisted. "Tell me something only you and I know."

Ianto thought for a moment. "Stopwatches," he smiled and winked. "Lots of things you can do with a stopwatch."

Jack took in a sharp breath, moved forward, placing his hands around the archivist's face. "How?...you're here!" He joyfully drew Ianto into a tight embrace, tipped his face, and slowly kissed him.

Ianto responded then pulled the Captain beside him, resting Jack's head against his shoulder.

"Do you feel stronger?"

"A bit," Jack said as he snuggled against him. "I still don't understand how…"

"Jens said it was something to do with Vortex energy," Ianto said thoughtfully as he pulled the immortal closer.

"Jens?" Jack sat up and turned towards Ianto. "You talked to Jens? Where is he? Why don't I remember…?"

Ianto hesitated. "I don't know where he is, Jack. He came with us into…the void. But he didn't come back…at least he didn't come back with us."

"I don't remember," Jack said miserably.

"You never remember, Cariad," Ianto said softly. "When you cross back, you won't remember this."

"But I'm not crossing back," Jack said as he stared off towards his horizon. "I'm here."

"Your consciousness is here, but your body is alive on the TARDIS," repeated Ianto. "At least that's how Chi explained it to me. What do you remember?"

"You spoke to Chi?" Jack looked confused as he leaned back against the fylgia.

"What do you remember?"

"I was on the bridge of the Adyan ship, and the Commander tried to force me to read the maps of a star system," Jack began. "I knew she would use the knowledge for an attack…I refused. She entered my mind…"

Ianto could feel Jack's body begin to tense, and strengthened his embrace. "And then…?"

"Pain…anguish…" Jack stuttered and began to tremble. "The voices...calling...cursing...taunting..."

"You're safe now," Ianto whispered as he rested the Captain's head against his shoulder, kissing him on the ear. "Let it go."

"I remember…fever…something in me…" Jack whispered in a hoarse voice. "Chi…he tried to help… Gray?... I think he had a gun... Oh gods, I can't remember."

"Let it go, Caraid," Ianto gently as he strengthened his embrace. "You're safe. We just need to help you cross back."

"I don't understand," Jack looked up into the archivist's blue eyes.

"The Doyenne, Chi's mentor," Ianto said. The Doyenne said you will need to rebuild ...this," he pointed to the shifting piles of shards, "but you can't go back to building boxes."

"But that's all I know!" Jack attempted to stand with Ianto's help. "That was my Time Agent training. What do I do?"

"I don't know," said Ianto quietly. "I don't think she knew, but she was adamant that you must rebuild to cross back. The boxes work for mortals, but make you vulnerable. The Commander meant to trap you here." Ianto turned Jack to face him. "You can't let her win."

Jack bent down and picked up a red shard, then dropped it as it cut deeply into his right hand. A woman's voice shrieked "Dad! No! Dad!...Steven!"

"No, no, no, no! "Jack blanched, tightly shutting his eyes and covering his ears.

He could feel Ianto's hands on his shoulders. As he opened his eyes, tears welled at the memories of loss, of regret.

Ianto looked into the Captain's eyes. "I'm here," he said. "I'll help you."

"You don't understand," said the Captain as surveyed the shards, a kaleidoscope of shattered glass. He turned back to the archivist. "The boxes were my only defense. Where do I begin?"