Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Who-verse. That honour belongs to RTD and the mighty and glorious BBC. The only thing I get out of this is a warm fuzzy feeling knowing I am trying to put right what once was wrong.

Authors Note: I'm sorry for the delay in putting up this chapter. It was supposed to go up yesterday but a nasty migraine got in the way. This chapter wasn't supposed to happen, but I kind of felt this meeting needed to happen. There are stranger things in heaven and earth (and all that jazz) ;0)

Chapter XIII

"Coffee?"

The intense aromatic smell of freshly ground coffee assaulted Donna's nose at about the same time as the quietly worded question permeated into her brain. Donna winced as she tried to open her eyes. God, she hurt. Every muscle in her body ached as if they had individually attempted a marathon. And that included her eyelids. Add to that a head which currently seemed to be a venue for a heavy metal rock festival and she could truthfully say she had never experienced a hangover like it. It must have been one hell of a night.

"Coffee?" The voice repeated, this time with a tinge of impatience. With a exaggerated sigh Donna forced her eyelids up. Looming over her was a young man, handsome in an innocent kind of way but with a devilish glint in the blue eyes which were fixed on her. His expression was half amusement, half irritation. In his hand was a large, steaming purple mug which he waved invitingly under her nose.

"Jesus!" Donna yelped, sitting upright and scooting backwards along what appeared to be a dark brown leather sofa in a single hurried motion. Unfortunately the sudden movement triggered a thunderbolt of pain through her temples and her vision swam. She swayed dangerously. In an instant the young man was beside her an arm around her shoulders supporting her.

"Easy," he said gently. "Sorry to give you such a shock."

"You have no idea." Donna blinked a dozen times trying to right her vision. "It's not polite to creep up on people like that."

"I wasn't creeping," he said sagely. "I was offering you coffee which was incredibly polite of me considering."

"Considering...?" Donna let the question hang as her vision finally righted itself. She looked around her surroundings with interest. She appeared to be in an flat. An extremely tidy flat if truth be told. And just a tad impersonal, as if the occupant was only on a short term let and couldn't be bothered to make it home. In fact it reminded her of somewhere. Jack's old flat. Jack! Where was he? What had happened to her? Frantically trying to cast her mind back to the night before she realised she couldn't remember anything before waking up on the sofa. She could remember her name. Donna Noble. No, Donna Harkness. She was married to Jack Harkness. They lived in Notting Hill. Her mum was called Sylvia, she had a grandad called Wilf and...that was it. She knew there was more, there had to be, but it was all locked away, out of reach. Sheer terror rose in her chest and she stuffed her fist in her mouth trying not to scream because she knew if she did she'd never stop. The room started to spin around her and in panic she grabbed at the man still supporting her and looked directly into his eyes. She knew him, she knew his face. And now Donna knew she was going insane.

"You're...you're...you're..." It took three attempts to dislodge the words from her throat. "I..Ianto."

The young man looked faintly surprised and frowned in confusion. After a moment he smiled, polite and aloof. He disengaged one hand from around Donna shoulders and held it out in front of him.

"Ianto Jones. Pleased to meet you. And you are?"

Donna stared and stared while her brain whirled throwing impossible notion after impossible notion to try and explain why Ianto Jones, who was, let's not beat about the bush here, dead, was sat beside her offering her coffee. And why he was looking at her expectantly waiting for an answer.

"Er...Donna...H" Donna stopped dead. Probably not the best time to announce her full name.

Ianto picked up the coffee mug which he had placed on a coffee table and handed it to her. "Drink this, things will seem a lot clearer."

"Really?" Donna managed taking the cup from his hands, lifting it to her lips and sniffing appreciatively.

"Probably not," Ianto admitted. "But it would be a shame to waste it. It's an excellent blend."

At Ianto's calm tone Donna felt the panic subside. Strangely she felt quite safe. This had to be a dream. A very detailed dream admittedly, nothing like the usual array of disjointed images forgotten on the instance of waking. But intensely surreal nonetheless. She was drinking coffee with a dead man. Her husband's ex. Jerry Springer would have a field day with this one.

She took a big gulp of fortifying coffee, he was right it was excellent, and looked at him appraisingly. More serious than in his photograph, he looked young and unsure. He returned her gaze unblinking for a full minute, then got to his feet and wandered into the kitchen to collect his own cooling mug of coffee. On his return Donna was in exactly in the same position staring at the space he'd previously occupied.

"So, have you come to any conclusions?" he said finally.

"You're dead," she accused him disbelievingly, just stopping short of raising a melodramatic finger and pointing at the spectre which stood before her.

Ianto inclined his head seemingly unconcerned by her reply. "Apparently," he concurred with a flicker of a smile.

Donna considered his answer as, remembering the very real touch of his hands on her arms, another possibility occurred to her.

"Does this mean I'm dead?" Curiously she didn't feel any distress in asking the question, just a sense of overwhelming curiosity. Another point in favour of this being a dream, she thought with satisfaction.

Ianto appeared to ponder for a moment, his brow crinkling in a manner Donna recognised from Jack's descriptions. He'd described it as adorable. Looking at the young man, Donna had to agree. It was easy to see why Jack had fallen so hard. She became aware that Ianto had still not answered.

"Well?" she prompted.

"You're," Ianto struggled for the right word. "Complicated," he allowed again with just a glimmer of a smile raising the corners of his mouth.

"Complicated? That's not exactly a helpful description. Complicated dead or complicated alive?" Donna pushed, her voice high pitched with impatience.

Ianto shrugged helplessly. "Sorry. That's the best I can do at the moment."

Donna gave an inarticulate snort which left Ianto in no doubt that she was not happy with his answer.

"So where's this then? Heaven?"

The words had barely left Donnas' lips when Ianto said sharply, "No! Definitely not heaven!"

"Hell, then?"

Donna thought she heard the word "Sometimes" muttered under Ianto's breath but he said confidently, "Not if we're working to the strict biblical definition of hell. Fiery pit and all that. Actually your presence here rather suggests it isn't. I've always believed everyone has their own personal hell…" He refrained from saying that he actually had some proof that was the case. He'd once rescued Jack from his own personal hell after all. "…and I can't imagine we're both likely to have the exact same definition of hell, can you?"

Actually Donna could. Losing Jack would catapult her straight into her own personal hell. Why not Ianto? But, she conceded, Ianto had a point. Hell was a solitary thing. And she hadn't missed the inference in Ianto's last statement. Whatever Ianto was saying out loud, this was hell. At least for him. And there was nothing she could do about it.

"OK, so not hell. Not hell is good," she said falling back onto her customary brusqueness to fight the overwhelming sense of helplessness which was threatening to engulf her. This is a dream, she told herself desperately, only a dream. She forced herself to continue.

"So that leaves purgatory then. Playing the waiting game. Unfinished business and all that?"

"Seems reasonable," Ianto agreed with a meditative nod of the head. He looked sideways at her.

"Look, don't take this the wrong way but now we've established that I'm dead, this may or may not be purgatory or hell, and you may or may not be dead, can I just ask? Who are you really and what are you doing in my flat? Do I know you? Because you look familiar and you clearly seem to know who I am?"

His tone wasn't threatening, but Donna could see by the stiff set of his features that he wasn't going to accept silence as an answer. She was going to have to tell him the truth.

"I'm Donna Harkness. I'm Jack's wife," her voice gentle. She watched as the colour drained from Ianto's shocked face. He stumbled and put his hand on the back of the sofa to steady himself.

"For God's sake, sit down before you fall down," Donna urged.

Ianto sank onto the sofa beside her, ashen and shaking.

"I know this is a shock…" Donna began but fell silent as Ianto shot her an angry look.

"Jack's married?" he asked disbelievingly. "How long have I been gone?"

"Just over two years. We've been married a year." Donna confessed knowing every word would be a knife blow to Ianto's heart.

"He only waited a year. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Ianto's face crumpled, the last word lost in a stifled sob which broke Donna's heart. For the first time Donna could see how young he really was. He looked utterly bereft, a lost little boy. Impulsively she grabbed both his hands.

"It's not what you think. He hasn't forgotten you. He grieves for you everyday. He still wears your wedding ring…"

Ianto froze. "What?"

"When you died it almost killed him. He told me about you, about the car accident when we first met. He still loves you very much." Donna explained, desperate to ease the hurt in the young mans' eyes.

"But he married you." Ianto's voice was stubborn.

"He needed someone," Donna reasoned honestly, pushing down the bubble of hurt tightening her chest. "He needed me and I needed him. But he still loves you. How could he not? You were his life."

Ianto took a shaky intake of breath and gave Donna a crooked smile. "I don't want you to think I begrudge Jack happiness, it's just…"

"You love him and it hurts." Donna stated kindly. Ianto nodded unable to speak.

They sat side by side in silence on the sofa. Donna stroking Ianto's hands in what she could only describe as a motherly way. Finally Ianto pulled himself straight and carefully extracted his hands from Donna's. He was still pale, but the crushing defeat in his blue eyes had been replaced by resignation and a calm acceptance.

"I still don't know what you are doing here, but I've at least worked out who you are. You're Donna Noble. You travel with the Doctor. Is that what happened? Jack ran back to the Doctor after I died and you got it together." His voice was tinged with bitterness.

Donna ignored it. She was too busy gaping at Ianto in confusion.

"Er, what are you talking about? What doctor?"

Now it was Ianto's turn to blink in confusion.

"You know. The Doctor, Daleks, saving all reality?" Ianto seemed incredulous. "How can you not remember?"

"Now I know you're winding me up. I know there's a lot of stuff I don't seem to be able to remember, now I come to think of it. But I hardly think a temp from Chiswick would be able to save all reality. I think you might have got me confused with Wonder Woman." She'd loved that show when she was young, invisible planes and the lasso of truth. "Look," she held her arms up crossed in front of her. "No bullet-deflecting armbands." Despite himself Ianto chuckled.

"Shame. They'd look good on you. And Jack would love them. He was always up for a bit of role play."

Donna raised her eyebrows. Where had that comment come from? Then she remembered the devilish glint she'd seen in his eyes when she'd first laid eyes on him. Clearly there was more to Ianto Jones than met the eye.

"Oi, behave yourself." she scolded.

Ianto bowed an apology. "You were better than Wonder Woman apparently. Saw off a Dalek invasion, saved all reality using your ability to type a hundred words a minute."

Honestly, this dream was becoming more and more surreal, she decided. Where was the damn alarm clock when you needed it. Determined to set Ianto straight Donna closed her eyes and cast about in her mind for the offending memories. Nothing. Only something which in her mind's eye resembled a heavy metal door secured with a very sturdy padlock. I bet that's deadlocked sealed, she thought idly. Not even a sonic screwdriver could open that. Sonic screwdriver! Where the hell had that come from.

Donna could swear she heard the clunk of a door unlocking inside her head. In that instant a deluge of buried memories washed over her. The Doctor, the TARDIS, Huon particles, robot Santas, Adipose, the Doctor, Pompeii, Agatha Christie, Ood, the Library, the Doctor cradling his dying daughter in his arms, Martha, Sontarans, the sky on fire, Daleks, lost planets, the Doctor and his Rose sprinting towards each other down the road, Jack, a glowing hand, another Doctor naked on the floor, knowledge of the Time Lords burning her mind; the Doctor, his hands on her face, his face so sad and damp with tears as he stripped her mind bare.

"Doctor!" she screamed.

"Donna!" Ianto's worried cry intruded into her mind, her eyes flickered open. Still in the flat. Still talking to a dead man.

"I'm alright," she managed her voice trembling. "Honestly. Just give me a minute."

He looked at her in consternation.

"You've remembered? About the Doctor and Jack."

Unable to put her chaotic thoughts into words she just nodded, taking deep calming breaths.

"It was all hidden. I don't think I'm supposed to remember. The Doctor tried to wipe it all away but he couldn't so he just locked it all behind a big door I couldn't access. He did it…?" Donna tried to sort though the fragments of memory tumbling over in her mind. "He did it to protect me. The Time Lord knowledge in my head was killing me so he took it away."

Ianto was now looking at her with undisguised interest,

"So if you weren't supposed to be reminded about the Doctor how come you ended up with Jack. Isn't that dangerous?"

The pieces finally slotted into place,

"The devious conniving bastard," she flared angrily. "He played me."

Ianto looked genuinely confused again. "Who did?"

"The Doctor…Jack…Both of them. Captain Jack 'Bloody' Harkness. No wonder I kept feeling I was Jack's pet project. I was. The Doctor sent him to keep an eye on me. He must have." Donna's temper was now in full flow. Ianto grinned despite his confusion. Donna Noble was formidable. He almost felt sorry for Jack.

"Forgive me," he said calmly, "but that doesn't make much sense. If knowledge of the Doctor was so dangerous then why send Jack to you. You'd met him while you were with the Doctor, the sight of him might have been enough to trigger your memories."

"The Doctor must have thought it was worth the risk. I don't flatter myself that me being on the receiving end of Captain Harkness' full charm offensive was Jack's idea. It's that devious Martian I'll bet money on it"

In her head Donna could hear the Doctor's familiar indignant refrain that he was not a Martian. She noted that he didn't deny the devious part.

"So the fact you can remember now. Does that mean you are dead?" Ianto asked.

"I have no bloody idea. Frankly I'm still convinced that you are just a figment of my imagination and I'm making this all up. A really, really weird dream. That's what you are Ianto Jones." Falling silent, Donna regarded him thoughtfully for several long moments and then a slow smile spread across her face. "No! No way! Of course…oh yes, now that would be very clever. I like that. You clever little Time Lord," she said to no one in particular. She turned and beamed at Ianto. "Ripples in a pond, Ianto. Oh God I'm even starting to sound like him now."

Ianto raised his eyebrows at that one. "Am I supposed to understand that?"

"No. Can I just ask how did you die? Really. Not the death Jack made up for me. A car crash...honestly!"

"Deadly alien virus engineered by a species called the 456. They wanted to take one tenth of all the children on Earth to feed their habit. Jack and I went charging in to face them, full of big words. We were convinced if we just stood up to them they would back down. We were naïve. I died." He replied matter-of-factly but with a twisted smile. "Then I woke up here. My flat in Cardiff with an endless supply of my favourite coffee blend and the complete series of James Bond films on DVD. Go figure." He shrugged in resignation.

Donna bobbed her head as if her suspicions had been confirmed. "And Jack?" she probed.

"Jack died along side me and came back to life I suppose. Just like he always does."

Donna looked grave. "Ah yes, it comes back to me now. Immortality. A fixed point in time. And you were prepared to take that on, knowing that one day he'd leave you behind?"

"He's Jack," Ianto said simply. "He was worth it."

"You won't get any argument from me." Donna twisted a strand of hair round her finger as she contemplated. "I understand now. The burden of guilt he must be carrying. He got you killed."

"No!" Ianto said quickly, shaking his head emphatically. "I got me killed. I followed Jack. Even if he'd asked me to stay behind I would have followed him. Short of knocking me unconscious and tying me up there wasn't anything he could have done. I wasn't going to let him face the 456 alone."

"It doesn't matter. Jack would feel responsible for your death no matter what. He's a lot like the Doctor in that respect. They know just being around them is dangerous. All they see are the people they allow themselves to care for getting hurt in their name. You're not the first person Jack has lost are you?" Ianto shook his head. "No, and the Doctor has lived for 900 years and lost his family, his planet, his entire race. So they push us away, try to keep their distance and when something goes wrong they take the blame and shoulder the guilt. They see it as their punishment for going on."

"But that's wrong." Ianto protested.

"Yes it is. And that's why we stay. People like the Doctor and Jack should never be alone, Ianto. Being alone with their guilt would drive them insane." Donna sighed.

"So what happens now?" Ianto said curiously. "Do we sit here for the next million years discussing what we've lost? I'm not exactly relishing the prospect. No offence."

Donna gave him a tight smile. "None taken. I can think of better things to do than sit on your sofa drinking coffee. Even good coffee. Besides I don't think that is part of the plan."

"Ah yes, the plan. This would be the clever little Time Lord plan? Can you let me in on the secret."

"No," Donna held her hands up in a defensive gesture as Ianto growled in annoyance. "I'm only guessing but even if I knew for sure I wouldn't tell you. As the Doctor was so fond of telling me. Spoilers!"

"So what do you think my role in the plan is, assuming you've guessed right." Ianto's voice was heavily laced with sarcasm. "Assuming there is in fact a purpose to all this and it's not just some elaborate dream of yours."

"Stop sulking. It doesn't suit you. Not to mention you'll get one of those deep little furrows in the middle of your forehead. You want to be looking your best next time you see Jack, and I'm not sure you can get hold of Botox here." Donna scolded him. She ignored Ianto as he spluttered indignantly. "You wait."

"Wait. You want me to wait? What for?"

"The same thing you've been waiting for until now. Jack." Donna said sympathetically. "That's what you're here for isn't it?"

Ianto gulped, his eyes blinded by sudden tears. "I thought if I just waited...But I'm just deluding myself. Jack won't ever come. He can't die."

"Everything dies eventually Ianto. It's the order of the universe." An image from the Doctor's memories flashed in front of Donnas' eyes, the Face of Boe, dying in the dead city of New New York five billion years in the future.

"I should let him go. He's moved on. I should do the same."

"But you won't will you. You'll wait here till the end of time if you have to. Won't you?"

Ianto nodded, keeping his eyes downcast to avoid Donna's sympathetic scrutiny . Donna leaned over and hugged him tight. "You're a very brave man Ianto. Jack doesn't deserve you. Or me for that matter. We are much too good for him."

Ianto pulled away. "So what are you going to do while I'm waiting?"

"I thought I might have another cup of your excellent coffee, find out a bit more about you and Jack and then have a kip on your sofa if you don't mind."

He looked at her askance, "That's the plan?"

"It's a plan. I never said it was THE plan." Donna said defensively. "Didn't you ever just wing it?"

"On occasion," Ianto admitted with a reluctant smile. "Of course the last time it killed me. Literally."

"Yes well. I'm hoping to have better luck." Donna held up crossed fingers in front of her face. "See."

"Indeed." Ianto couldn't think of anything else to say.

"So tell me about yourself Ianto. Any family? How did you meet Jack anyway?"

Ianto got to his feet and headed into the kitchen to make fresh coffee.

"Are you always this nosy?" he enquired as he disappeared through the doorway.

"Always," Donna retorted with a smirk as she admired his departing backside encased in a pair of worn Levi jeans. You had to give it to Captain Harkness. He had excellent taste.

They talked long into what Donna presumed was the night. The light behind the closed curtains never seemed to change. It was strange, listening to Ianto talk about Jack and Torchwood. She supposed she ought to feel jealousy at the life they had shared together. It was clear from Ianto's words that loving Jack was not easy. That the older man had done his best to hold his lover at arms length, pretending that everything was casual, when in truth it was clear to everyone but him, that he belonged to the young man sat beside her as surely as Ianto belonged to Jack. But there was no jealousy. She loved Jack. She was as sure that she loved Jack as much as Ianto did, but Jack and Ianto belonged to each other in a way that she and Jack never would. For the first time she understood her purpose. She had to keep Jack safe and sane, and give Ianto the faith to wait for him so that one day they could be together again.

Donna yawned and stretched. "Sorry."

"Don't apologise. I could use some sleep myself," Ianto lied. He didn't sleep now, he simply lay on the bed trying to capture a trace of Jack's scent on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. "Let me get you a pillow and a blanket." He vanished into the bedroom and returned a minute later with a pillow and quilt both encased in snowy white, perfectly pressed Egyptian cotton. He held them out to Donna who took them with a smile.

"How did you ever cope with Jack's slovenly lifestyle?" she joked.

"It was very trying," Ianto allowed returning the smile, "The threat of punishment was very effective." Then he gave Donna a sly wink.

Donna felt herself flush. "Too much information Ianto Jones." She put the bedding down on the sofa. As she looked up Ianto held out his hand. She took it and to her surprise he lifted hers to his lips and kissed the back of her hand.

"I'm glad I met you Donna. I'm glad Jack met you. I don't want him to be alone."

"You're going to feel really silly if I'm here in the morning," Donna commented. "But just in case, I'm glad I met you too. I'll keep him safe for you, until it's time." At Ianto's sceptical look she grabbed his hand and looked deep into his eyes. "He will come Ianto. I'm sure of it." Releasing his hand she leant over and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Ianto. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight." Ianto crossed the room and pausing at the bedroom door looked back at Donna shaking out the duvet and spreading it on the sofa. Then he closed the door behind him knowing that when he opened it again Donna Noble would be gone and he would be alone once more. Waiting.

So what do you think? Deliberately ambiguous? Dream, vision or meddling Time Lord? Suggestions in a review please *wink, wink* To be continued...