"Adam."

Jack thought a good long while before giving in. Not only had he thought a long while, he also prepared. He was armed with a pistol and two full clips, and he had a large dose of Retcon in his pocket just in case it really came to that. He hoped with all of his being that it never came to that. In another pocket was that weird force-field device they'd used to trap a sex-gas alien once.

He also made a video for himself and Gwen, just in case he did end up waking up from a Retcon coma later with no idea where the last twenty-four hours went.

The video was difficult to make, since he had to assume that if he ever needed it, he wouldn't remember Ianto anymore. The video, consisting of him simply sitting in front of a webcam and giving instructions to his possible future self, also included stories of the best times he and Ianto had together. He never wanted those memories to die, even if they merely existed as stories, never to be remembered as his own memories.

And now Jack felt a little silly, speaking to an empty room. According to Adam, all he needed was to remember, and to say his name. So he said it again, just to be sure.

"Adam…. Ianto… Anybody…?"

There was nothing. Jack felt foolish.

"You know…." A painfully familiar voice came from behind Jack, and he instantly whirled around to see Adam, the smug bastard who had strung him along like a fish on a line.

"For being so corporeally ordinary, you really do have an amazing mind, Jack. It's been fun traipsing around in here."

"Here?" Jack's stomach tied into a knot. Would this vicious cycle of waking up never end? Would he ever know what was really real?

"Yes, here. I found it hard to believe myself." Adam sounded a little impressed. That smug smile was still permanently stretched across his face. "I tried to let you wake in the real world, but your subconscious isn't letting you. You don't want to have to Retcon yourself and lose the memory of Ianto. So you're living out this virtual reality; dreams within dreams, hoping you can live with Ianto forever just inside your pretty little head."

"And can I?"

"No. Eventually someone will find you lying passed out somewhere, in the real world, and they will wake you. Then you will have to make your choice, Jack. Either take the Retcon to forget everything, or… let Ianto live."

"But then you will live too; in the real world."

"Yes."

"And that is what you want."

Jack realized just then that he and Adam were standing dangerously close. It was almost as if Adam was trying to…

He kissed him. Adam kissed Jack.

It was not sexual, nor was it romantic. It was… neutral; like an empty gesture.

When Adam pulled back, he looked bitter; a little nostalgic. "I wish I could feel, Jack. That kiss? I felt nothing. I can feel… nothing. I want to exist. Is that too much to ask?"

Jack was still a little speechless at the sudden openness and honesty of the mysterious man. But was it all an act?

"I don't trust you."

"Obviously. You're Torchwood."

"I want to talk to Ianto."

"What? So you can say goodbye? I don't think so. I'm not going to let you. You don't seem to get it, Jack. I want you to wake up. Now that you've remembered me, once you return to real life, I will get what I want. And you! You will get what you want."

Jack nodded, realizing that he had no other choice. He obviously could not choose the option to erase all memory of Ianto. How could he even think about it? He could never…

"Jack?!" The Captain heard Gwen Cooper's voice somewhere in his head. She wasn't anywhere in the room; the dream room. He deduced that she must have been trying to wake him.

"Jack, are you alright?" She sounded gravely concerned. Jack wondered briefly how long he'd been out. Days? Hours? Minutes?

Jack opened his eyes. For real this time, he thinks.

"Oh, God… Jack I was worried." Gwen was perched on her knees above Jack, who just realized he was lying on the floor in his office. He bolted upright.

Awake. Jack was finally awake. He knew it because somehow gravity seemed to be a more significant factor then in dream world. He felt heavier here.

"What day is it? What time is it?"

"Monday. It's about quarter past nine AM."

Jack shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair in contemplation. He'd only been out for twelve hours.

"What's going on? Are you alright?"

"It's… It's Ianto."

Gwen's brow furrowed. She looked sympathetic. "Look Jack, it's been almost nine years…"

She must have thought Jack had been on a bender or something; or maybe just a pity party. And truthfully Jack didn't even know where to begin. How could he explain what had just happened? The weird dream-within-a-dream trip he'd been on, and the memories of Adam…

"Gwen I don't know how to explain it but Ianto-"

Jack didn't even get a chance to finish. Before he could even try to explain the very shocking return that was bound to occur, a voice called out from the Hub's main room.

"Jack?"

Gwen was immediately alarmed, since there was no one else on the planet who had access to the Hub, and yet there was definitely an intruder present.

She got up from the floor and rushed out of the office, Jack following closely on her tail.

The moment Gwen reached the small set of stairs overlooking the main room she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Ianto?! "