A limp breeze stirred the room and lifted the oppressive, dry heat, pushing the mosquito net against the bed and brushing it against his hand. He turned his head to the side and peered through the gauze at the figure sitting in the chair. "Jack?" His voice came out as a croak, but it drew the man's attention. When he pulled the curtains aside he realised that it wasn't Jack. "Oh..."

"Hello, Ianto." The man tucked his hands into the pockets of his entirely inappropriate Tweed jacket and smiled down at him. "You gave us quite a scare."

He nodded cautiously and decided that it was best to lie still. "I thought I'd died," he admitted.

"Only nearly." The stranger pulled the chair closer and sat down again. "The Nereids brought you to safety, but it was still a very close thing. If we'd found you much later than we did, you probably wouldn't have made it."

Ianto studied him again, taking in the Tweed and the bow tie and the hair, and made an educated guess. "Doctor?"

"Yes?" He peered at him, and then realisation dawned. "Oh yes, new face! Everyone else is used to it by now. New me - less grumpy, mostly. Well, I can be very grumpy, but I try not to be more. Am I making sense?"

"Nothing is making much sense," he admitted. "You especially."

"Wait here," the Doctor ordered. "I'll go find someone to make sense."

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the momentary peace and quiet. It was broken all too soon by hurrying feet and raised voices. Tosh and Owen piled into the doorway, crashing into each other in their haste to get to him. "You're awake!" Tosh cried, hurrying over to squeeze his hand. "We were so worried."

Owen took his other hand and raised it so he could take his pulse, counting it against his watch. "Heart rate's slightly elevated, but at least your fever's gone down. I take it you knew about the malnutrition, dehydration, near drowning..."

"He was there, Owen," Rick told him as he entered. "And we've all heard it several times." He reached past Tosh to squeeze Ianto's shoulder. "Welcome back."

He smiled up at him and over to Orlando and Martin. "You all made it, then?"

"All but Anton," Tosh confirmed quietly.

The silence settled over them, comfortable and thoughtful. Tosh's hand was warm in his, more calloused than he remembered, and her bare shoulders were peeling from sunburn. He squeezed it gently and picked at the blanket with the other hand. "It's a miracle any of us made it this far."

"Yeah."

There were more footsteps down the corridor, and they turned as one to face the door. Jack leaned against the doorframe casually, holding the mosquito net aside with one hand. "Nice of you to join us," he said, and the tightness of his voice gave him away.

The mood broke, and people shifted aside to let him get to the bed. As Tosh stepped back against the wall Jack took her spot, hauling Ianto towards him and kissing him fiercely. Ianto clung to him, running his hands up his back to his shoulders, and kissed back. He shook in Jack's arms, cradled securely and safely, and the tears came at last. Jack gentled, and he moved to kiss away Ianto's tears. "I've got you," Jack told him, crying himself. "I'll always have you."

# # #

"We remember today those who gave their lives to defend us and the safety of this world," Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart intoned solemnly, looking around the gathered crowd. The flat, cracked and stained concrete outside the Marsam UNIT base was crowded with canopies that shaded the packed tables and staved off the burning sun. Ianto held Jack's hand under the table, tracing a thumb along his palm. The eulogy continued, the Brigadier's measured tones rumbling across them and down towards the distant sea, where sunlight sparkled on the waves.

Jack squeezed his hand and he lifted his head again to smile tiredly. He was still recovering, they both were, and the dry heat was sapping his energy, making it hard to concentrate on the Brigadier's deep, steady voice. "Still here," he murmured, quietly enough that only Jack would hear. "Just."

"You zoned out," Jack told him. "Thought you'd want to hear this, though."

"We are entering a new era," the Brigadier was saying. "A new age of understanding and communication could be here, if we reach out and take it. The world's eyes are upon us, and the hidden peoples of the world finally have their moment to join us. We must not waste this opportunity; there is no going back, but there are many ways we could go forwards. Some will lead us into darkness and division. Some may lead us to the stars. Wherever we go, we must make this journey together.

"We will rely on our guides and those who have gone before us. The Doctor, who came in our hour of need as he so often does; Captain Jack Harkness, without whose courage and strength our fight may have had a very different outcome; and Ianto Jones, without whom Jack surely wouldn't have made it; their companions on the journey that brought them here and brought us through the greatest threat we have ever faced. Their leadership has brought us this far, and will take us on." He looked around at them and his eyes landed on Rick. "And so I would like to introduce Brigadier Richard Rant, whose duty it is to lead us forwards from this point, united and strong with all the peoples of this world."

Rick stood to loud applause and leaned on the back of his chair, looking out at them. His hair was clean and brushed, at last, but he'd kept it long as a reminder of what they'd done - or so he insisted. Gone were the scruffy slacks and grimy T shirts, replaced by a pristine officer's uniform. He waited for the applause to die down before he spoke. "It only took a night for our safe little world to be shattered. It took a month for us to be able to begin putting it back together. Our lives will never be the same again. From now on, we operate in the public eye - not just witnessed by humans, but by the hidden people whose time has come. We must remember where we've come from, but we can never return there. We must never want to." He raised his glass in a toast. "To the future."

The crowd stood as one and joined him in the toast. Ianto let Jack wrap an arm around his waist and glanced to the side to smile at him. They held each other's eyes as they drank, and when they sat down again he leaned his head on Jack's shoulder.

Only one person remained standing. She was dressed in a simple summer dress rather than a uniform, and had been sitting with the delegation from CERN. All eyes were on her as she strode to the top table and dropped to one knee in front of Rick. "Brigadier Rant," she started, her clear voice carrying over the surprised murmurs. "Will you marry me?"

He looked over at Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who covered his eyes with one hand, failing to hide a smile, and waved the other one in a 'go on' gesture. Their audience broke into applause and cheers as Rick pulled to her feet and kissed her. "Alistair's granddaughter and Perdita's daughter," Jack explained to Ianto quietly. "They were childhood sweethearts, and Alastair made the mistake of telling Rick that he could only marry her when he became Brigadier."

"That's a bit harsh."

Jack shrugged and wrapped his arms around Ianto again. "He was thirteen." He turned his head and kissed Ianto's cheek. "That is going to be one hell of a wedding party."

# # #

Ianto woke to an empty bed again and reached out for the cold pillow beside him. The first time it happened after they returned he'd flown into a panic and spent the rest of the night curled in Jack's arms, once he found him. Two weeks later, after it had happened every night since, he clung to the warm cocoon he'd created for a moment before he dragged himself out of bed, pulled Jack's discarded shirt on and shuffled through to the living room, where Jack was sitting by the window, resting his temple against it and staring out across the bay.

He shifted when Ianto arrived; settling down with one leg outstretched and his shoulder to the window so that Ianto could curl against him rather than the cold glass, and wrapped himself around Ianto as soon as he sat down. "It's cold," he whispered. "I can't get warm, no matter where I am."

Ianto smothered a yawn and raised his head from Jack's shoulder. "You'd be warmer if you stayed in bed." He got no response, so he tightened his arm around Jack's waist and settled down again. "It'll get better."

"Really?" His voice shook with tiredness and distress. "How?"

He had no answer to that, so he let Jack get up and pull him to his feet, then lead him back to the bedroom. They dressed in silence, and Ianto held still whilst Jack fastened his own shirt up over Ianto's chest. It was still dark when Jack closed and locked the front door behind them and took his hand to lead him down the wooden boardwalk towards the Hub. The night was warm and still, and the waves lapped gently at the supports below them whilst their slow footsteps echoed eerily off the walls.

They went past the silent shops and restaurants, up through Mermaid Quay and down the steps onto the Plass. The pillar lights lit up ahead of them and curved around to the water tower. It shouldn't have been running but it was, casting a faint mist over the tall blue box in front of it. Ianto tightened his grip on Jack's hand and forced himself to keep up, keep walking towards the golden light that spilled out across the pavement from the open door.

"Jack?" They'd come to a stop in front of the TARDIS and Ianto couldn't force himself to let go of his grip on Jack's hand. "What's he doing here?"

"I asked him to come. We saved the world, but who saves us?" He turned to Ianto and shook his head. "I can't bear the silence anymore. Being here, it's like I'm hollow and empty."

Ianto swallowed hard and reached out for him, but dropped his hand before it touched him. His other hand still clung to Jack's. "When... will you come back?" he asked, choking on emotion.

Jack shook his head, but when Ianto tried to pull away he grabbed him and held him close. "Please come with me," he begged. "He'll take us wherever you want to go, and he can bring us back so no one notices we've been gone..."

"What?"

"You didn't think the invitation was one person only, did you?" River Song was leaning in the TARDIS doorway, grinning at them, and she laughed at his shocked expression. "I wouldn't let him leave you behind, even if he wanted to."

Ianto turned back to Jack and swallowed. "I never thought..."

"I couldn't go without you," Jack promised, pulling into a tight embrace. "I wouldn't want to. Please come with us."

He tangled his hands in Jack's coat and kissed him hard. "Wherever you go," he promised breathlessly. "Don't scare me like that again."

The Doctor's voice drifted out of the open door, asking River if they were 'being cute again'. She merely laughed and disappeared back into the TARDIS, leaving Jack and Ianto clinging to each other in the empty Plass.

"Is that a yes?" Jack asked at last. "Will you come?"

"Yes! Yes, I'll come." He kissed Jack again and laughed. "Where else would I want to be if I'm not with you?"

"Come on, you two!" the Doctor yelled. "We have relaxing to do."

Ianto laughed and wiped the tears off his cheeks. "That's us told." He looked back down the Plass and pressed closer to Jack. "Will we ever come back?"

"I don't know. Not alone." He slid his hand down Ianto's arm and laced their fingers together. "Shall we?"

"Yeah." He turned to face the TARDIS and smiled. "Let's."

The dark, empty Plass rang with the sound of time and space rearranging themselves, and then silence filled it once more.