Ianto recovered quickly from his own meltdown, and quietly excused both Jack and himself, ushering a visibly exhausted Jack th

Ianto recovered quickly from his own meltdown, and quietly excused both Jack and himself, ushering a visibly exhausted Jack through into the bedroom. When he emerged nearly fifteen minutes later, carefully pulling the door closed on the now sleeping Captain, he was surprised to find his father was still there, waiting patiently. He had fully expected his father to take the opportunity and leave, thus avoiding further discomfort between them.

"Will he be all right?" Geraint asked softly.

"I hope so, eventually," Ianto murmured. "But right now he really is a bad way."

"He was raped, wasn't he?"

Ianto froze for just a split second at the unexpected question. He knew, though, that he shouldn't have been surprised. His father was renowned for his attention to detail. It was just one of many things that had won him a reputation as a Master Tailor. Ianto scrubbed his hands over his face. He could feel a headache coming on.

"Yes," he admitted bleakly. "He was. And please don't say he deserved it…"

Geraint frowned, showing the first hints of anger.

"Damn it, Ianto, what do you think I am? Some sort of homophobic lout? I may not agree with same sex relations, but I would never wish harm on anyone because of it."

Ianto reddened again, and looked suitably chastened.

"I'm sorry, Da. I seem to be saying all of the wrong things at the moment."

"Just tell me one thing," Geraint said in a more subdued voice. "You said he was nearly killed… and I remember now that I saw those pictures on the News. But he doesn't have a mark on him!"

Ianto grimaced. That was a question he really didn't need to be confronted with.

"It's… complicated."

Understatement, and then some, Ianto thought grimly. Geraint looked bemused, if anything.

"I imagine it must be. I suppose it falls under the whole Torchwood conspiracy thing, then?"

Ianto picked up on the irony in his father's tone, and couldn't help smiling a little.

"Something like that. I'm sorry, Da. I just can't explain it. Please don't ask me to try."

Geraint conceded without an argument.

"All right, I won't push. Just one more thing to accept, I suppose." He sighed softly. "So this is the path you've chosen for yourself. Working for the agency that killed your girlfriend, and dating your own boss?"

Ianto cringed at the unwanted reminder of Lisa, not to mention the less than subtle rebuke for his current choice of partner, and Geraint had the good grace to look apologetic.

"Sorry. That was unfair, I know. But like I said, this is going to take some getting used to."

"Thankyou for at least trying," Ianto said quietly.

"Mm. Well, I guess I'd better get going. Your mother and I are going to be having a very long talk tonight, I think."

"You're going to tell her?" Ianto asked, not sure whether he should be alarmed or not. Geraint smiled ruefully.

"Unless you'd prefer to break the news yourself?"

Ianto winced again. That was one conversation he was grateful to be able to avoid.

"I suppose not," he murmured.

"I didn't think so. Ianto…"

"Yes, Da?"

Geraint looked towards the closed door of the bedroom.

"Look after him, Ianto. Whether this relationship goes anywhere or not, look after him. He needs someone to watch over him, if he's going to have any chance of surviving what was done to him."

"I know, Da," Ianto agreed.

"And… I'm not reneging on what I said in the hospital on Christmas Day, son. I want you to call if you need anything. Anything at all… for either one of you."

Overcome, Ianto stepped forward and hugged Geraint, quietly grateful when the embrace was returned unflinchingly, and with obvious affection.

"Thankyou, Da."

"Just do your best to take care of each other," Geraint murmured. He gently detached himself from Ianto, and was gone a minute later. Feeling almost light-headed with relief, Ianto headed back to join Jack in the bedroom. Even though it wasn't really even early evening, he suddenly felt absolutely bone-tired.

He stopped just inside the bedroom door. Jack lay on his side, curled up in a ball and sobbing softly in his sleep. Tears stung Ianto's eyes. It had only been five or ten minutes since he'd seen Jack off to sleep, and already he was being plagued by nightmares. He approached the bed, wondering how best to deal with the situation at hand, when Jack suddenly spoke out wretchedly.

"Please come back… Don't leave me here…"

Ianto's heart ached at the grief and despair in those simple words. He didn't understand what trauma they represented, but it most likely had nothing to do with the assault. That year on the Valiant, maybe…?

Jack moaned again, pulling Ianto out of his torpor.

"Come back, Doctor… Don't leave me… Please…"

Somehow, Ianto couldn't find it in himself to be surprised at that. Deciding enough was enough, Ianto climbed into bed behind Jack and slipped his arms around him, cuddling him protectively.

"I'm here, Jack," he whispered. "I'm right here. I've got you, cariad, and I'm not going anywhere."

Slowly, Jack responded to the loving touch and reassuring whisper. The tension bled from his body, and he settled into Ianto's embrace with a sigh. The sobs lessened, and finally stopped altogether as a deeper, dreamless sleep took over.

"I love you, cariad," Ianto whispered tearfully, resting his head lightly against Jack's shoulder. "Sleep well, anwylyd."

The next morning, Jack fleetingly seemed more like his old self, and Ianto was gratified to see his smile reach his eyes for the first time in a while. It hadn't lasted long, though, as Ianto had suspected might be the case.

Ianto's first moment of awareness that morning had come with the realisation that something was poking into his thigh. A glance beneath the sheets had confirmed his suspicions – Jack had a very prominent hard-on, and it was all Ianto could do to keep himself from instinctively reaching for it, as he had on so many other mornings.

Instead, he lightly stroked Jack's face until the older man's eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning," Ianto murmured, and was rewarded with a sleepy smile.

"Morning."

Jack started to move, but the movement drew his attention to the very thing that Ianto had been trying to avoid. The reaction was expected, but still startling – Jack went fire engine red, then white, and then he almost fell out of the bed in his panic.

"Jack..." Ianto called out anxiously, and then groaned when Jack fled into the bathroom. The distinct sound of him throwing up could be clearly heard.

He padded into the bathroom to find Jack hunched over the toilet bowl, his entire body trembling. Ianto knew better than to try and make physical contact right then, and so he instead went to the sink to dampen a cloth, and fill a cup with water.

Slowly, the retching eased off into dry heaves, and eventually finished altogether. Jack slid back and landed on his rear on the cold floor with a soft thud, rubbing miserably at his eyes.

"Here," Ianto murmured, handing the cloth to Jack. The Captain accepted it with a trembling hand and murmured thanks. Ianto waited patiently while Jack wiped his face, and a surreptitious glance down reassured him that the offending part of Jack's anatomy had completely subsided. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and was grateful that he had the strength to keep from doing either one.

The irony was enormous, though – and heartbreaking – that the infamous Captain Jack Harkness had lost his sex drive.

Ianto immediately corrected himself. That wasn't an accurate way of putting it, and it certainly was not an important issue right then, either.

"Think you can get up?" he asked lightly after helping Jack to rinse his mouth. "Come to the kitchen, and I'll make you a weak tea."

Jack grimaced as he got awkwardly to his feet with Ianto's help.

"Not coffee?"

"Not coffee," Ianto confirmed firmly, quietly wondering how he was able to stay strong when Jack used that plaintive tone of voice. "Not after youwere just sick."

Jack scowled at Ianto's back.

"That's just cruel."

Ianto smiled. It was a weak attempt at banter, but he was at least trying.

"Tea now," he said placatingly, "and perhaps coffee a bit later when your stomach has settled. Sit down, I'll bring it over."

Jack sank down onto the couch to wait and, while Ianto made tea and toast, he found himself steadily withdrawing into his own thoughts. It wasn't until he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder that he snapped out of it.

"All right?" Ianto asked in concern, and Jack nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry. Just zoned for a minute there."

"Care to share what you were thinking about?"

Jack paused in answering, taking a sip of tea. He was relieved to find that it wasn't too weak.

"I'm going to have to relive it, aren't I? Because I can't remember which pub I went to, we'll have to retrace my path physically."

"Possibly, yes," Ianto said. "But try not to worry about that yet. We'll get Toshiko to search the CCTV footage first, and see if we can't track the path you took."

Jack hesitated, staring at his cup of tea.

"You tried to call me on Christmas Eve," he mumbled. "After I left the Hub..."

"Yes, I did," Ianto confirmed.

"Why?"

Ianto swallowed a desire to avoid the question. If nothing else, he owed Jack honest answers.

"I got the gift that you left in my car. I wanted to tell you that I was sorry, and that I wanted you to come with me, but I was too late. You'd already left the Hub. I tried to call you, but at first you weren't answering. Then, you turned off your phone altogether."

"I thought you'd be angry at me," Jack admitted.

"What? Why?"

"Because of the stopwatch. I left it for you, but then I thought you wouldn't want it. I didn't want to answer a call from you, only to get yelled at."

"I wouldn't have yelled at you, cariad... but then again, I suppose I didn't exactly do anything to help you believe that, did I?"

"So..." Jack ventured tentatively, still not making eye contact. "Did you like it? The stopwatch, I mean."

Ianto grinned widely.

"Does this answer your question?"

He slipped a hand into his pocket and removed the item in question – now attached to the inside of his pocket by a fine silver chain.

"I love it, Jack."

A red flush crept over Jack's face, combined with more than a hint of relief and gratitude. Ianto smiled back, and returned his attention to preparing breakfast, so they could both get to the Hub as soon as possible.

Ianto held the door open for Jack to step through, and then turned back to lock up his apartment.

"Will you be all right if I drop you off by the lift? It should be early enough that there won't be anyone around. I just wouldn't put it past Detective Swanson to be waiting either in the tourist office or the garage. We really don't want her to see you."

"Too late."

It took a second for Jack's words to sink in, and when they did he spun around in shock. Sure enough, standing not five metres away from them, was Detective Kathy Swanson.

"Shit," Ianto burst out before he could help it. She spared him just a brief glance before returning her attention to Jack.

"When Andy Davidson told me he'd seen you, and that you didn't have a mark on you, I really didn't believe him. I thought it had to be some sort of trick. But here you are, large as life." She stepped towards him, but stopped when he backed away, a slight flare of panic in his eyes. Her expression softened. Regardless of whatever explanation they had for Jack's phsyical state, she could see clear as day that the emotional trauma remained. When she spoke to him, she took care to keep her voice calm and gentle – her stance non-confrontational.

"I'm guessing this is why your team was so determined to get you out of the hospital, and why they don't want us to investigate," she said quietly.

Jack looked at Ianto, at a loss for what to say, and Ianto bit back a sigh. Jack from before the assault wouldn't have hesitated. He would have taken the woman back into the apartment, told her everything, flirted outrageously and then retconned her without hesitation. This Jack didn't know whether he was coming or going, and it was a disturbing feeling.

Deciding to take charge, he opened his apartment again, and ushered both Jack and Kathy inside.

"Sit down," he told them. "I'll make fresh coffee, and let Owen know that we'll be a bit late."

Ten minutes later, they were sitting in much the same places as they had been the night before when Ianto's father arrived, and experiencing no less discomfort for the change of company.

"I know you didn't fake it. I know that. You may have managed to alter hospital records, and erase all hard evidence you were there, but I know what I saw."

Ianto half-expected Jack to answer back with his standard, patronising line, "And what did you see?". He didn't.

"You didn't imagine anything," he said soberly, firing a slightly sullen look at Ianto when he was handed another cup of tea. "And yes, this is the reason my team got me out of the hospital. To stop anyone from finding out about my... abilities."

"Which are...?"

"I can't die."

She stared at him in utter silence. Ianto could almost hear the gears turning in her mind as he tried to decide whether Jack was having her on, or just plain crazy. Finally, she looked at Ianto incredulously.

"Does he realise how insane he sounds?" she asked. Ianto regarded her seriously.

"Nevertheless, Detective, he is telling you the truth. Although, one minor point, Jack. You can die. You just don't stay dead."

Jack nodded.

"Right. Fair point." He looked back to Kathy. "I really hope I'm not going to have to demonstrate. Ianto hates having to clean up after my deaths."

"Just the particularly bloody ones, sir."

"You're certifiable," she muttered. Jack sighed, and stood up.

"Fine. Come into the kitchen, Kathy."

Ianto shot to his feet, protesting vehemently.

"Jack, no! Don't you dare!"

The Captain eyed him bemusedly.

"You don't even know what I'm planning to do."

"No, but I can guess, and if I have to buy a new kitchen knife just so you can prove your invincibility, I will be most annoyed."

Jack frowned.

"One little cut..."

"No!" Ianto insisted, his mind slipping back briefly to the day before when Jack had literally taunted a weevil into killing him. "No knives, no guns, no throwing yourself in front of cars, or off roofs. You are not to kill yourself purely for demonstrative purposes."

Jack was actually pouting, much to Ianto's incredulity. Kathy, however, shook her head and held her hands up defensively.

"Okay, all right! I believe you. I'll believe anything you want me to believe. Just... don't hurt yourself, all right, Jack?"

"She doesn't believe me," Jack complained to Ianto, who rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"There's a surprise. You couldn't just say you have accelerated healing, could you? No, you had to go the whole way and tell her you can't die! Of course she thinks we're both insane. But that is still no reason to offer a practical demonstration!"

Jack grunted.

"Fine. What now, then?"

"Might I suggest we head for the Hub?" Ianto suggested in a lighter tone. "We can all sit down together, then, and discuss the situation at hand. Detective Swanson included..."

Jack considered that for a moment before agreeing.

"Good idea, Ianto. Do me a favour and call Owen, let him know that we're coming in, and we're bringing a guest. And Kathy, care to visit our base again? I can give you a personal tour this time?"

He grinned as he spoke, and though there was nothing of his trademark leer in the offer, she could sense that he was at least trying to project an image of normalcy; and for him, normal was to try and flirt the pants off anything that moved.

It had to be so hard, she mused as she followed them out, to be so uncomfortable in his own body right then.

"You may as well come with us," Ianto told her as they walked. "I'll collected your car for you later."

She nodded, easily agreeing. There was no way she was letting these two out of her sight.

"If you don't mind me asking," he said slowly, "exactly how did you know to find us here in the first place?"

An almost embarrassed smile flickered across her lips.

"Well, as much as I'd love to say that it was the result of brilliant deductive skills, the truth is that one of your neighbours is a colleague of mine. He saw you both arrive last night, and called me. I'd been waiting outside your door for over two hours, to make sure I didn't miss you."

She fully expected them to be angry, and wasn't sure whether to be amused or confused when both men threw their heads back and laughed.

Despite that brief moment of good humour, conversation was sparse at best on the way to the Hub. Kathy sat in the back of Ianto's car, watching the interaction between the two men with interest. Few words were actually spoken, and much of their communication came by way of a look, or a subtle brushing of one hand against the other.

Ianto drove, and Kathy noticed the way that Jack avoided looking out – instead keeping his attention focused on the younger man. Whatever tensions had existed that she'd picked up on the last time that she'd seen Jack, they appeared to have been resolved.

Jack seemed to be placing a whole lot of trust in Ianto Jones, and Kathy only hoped that he was up to the challenge. She knew only too well the devastating effects of rape not only on the victim, but on those closest to the victim. It was not an easy road.

"Coming, Kathy?"

She started, realising that the car had come to a halt by the obelisk, and Jack was already out of his seat. She got out quickly, and watched as Ianto drove off.

"Let me guess," she said dryly. "You have a top secret garage to go with the base."

Jack chuckled softly.

"Something like that. So tell me, how did they bring in the last time?"

"Fancy elevator," she said blandly, and Jack pouted.

"Trust Owen to spoil my fun. Oh well, never mind. Maybe I'll take you up to up to the pterodactyl's nest, and introduce you to Myfanwy."

She snorted disbelievingly.

"You don't really have a pterodactyl."

He only smirked as she stepped onto the pavement beside him, and the lift began to descend. They were halfway down when a familiar cry split the air, and Myfanwy's dark shape glided overhead. Kathy gaped in shock, eliciting a genuine laugh from Jack.

"Still so sure, Kathy?"

"You prat."

He laughed agin, and she couldn't help but take quiet pleasure in the sound.

At the bottom, Owen, Gwen and Tosh were waiting, each of them wearing identical looks of suspicion.

"Dectective Swanson is going to be working with us," Jack informed them in a tone that warned against argument. "Go and wait in the conference room. Ianto and I will be there soon."

Owen fired a sharp look at Kathy as they headed for the conference room.

"You're persistent. I'll give you that much."

She smiled coolly, determined not to let the medic intimidate her.

"I wouldn't be a DI if I wasn't, Dr Harper"

"If you don't mind me asking," Gwen ventured, "how exactly did you convince Jack to bring you here?"

"That might have something to do with me waiting outside Mr Jones' apartment for over two hours," she said calmly. "I was there when they came out, and they couldn't exactly avoid me. And I still don't understand how he was able to heal so fast when he had injuries which, by rights, should have crippled him, but for the record, I don't believe that rubbish about not being able to die."

"He told you that, did he?" Owen queried.

"Yes, he did, and I still haven't decided whether he's out of his mind."

The medic snorted.

"Well, of course it's rubbish. He can die. He just doesn't stay dead."

Kathy stared at him darkly.

"I've had just about enough of this. Jones said exactly the same thing."

"Maybe because it's true?" Toshiko suggested quietly. Kathy scowled.

"You're all out of your minds."

"Don't you worry, Detective," Owen said with a smirk. "Hang around here long enough, and you'll be ready to join us on the funny farm."

Ianto found Jack in his office, sitting hunched in his chair. The greatcoat was once more wrapped tightly around his body, like a protective shell, while his fingertips massaged his temples.

"I just spoke to Tish," he said quietly as he stepped into the office. "She'll be here in twenty minutes."

Jack grunted, not looking up. Slowly, Ianto ventured further into the room.

"Jack, what is it?"

Finally, the Captain looked up. His eyes were red with unshed tears.

"I don't know if I can do this, Ianto. There's a really big part of me right now that's screaming out to forget all about it, retcon Kathy and just get on with business."

"Well, it's ultimately your decision, of course," Ianto conceded carefully. "But you need to be certain that you make a decision that won't haunt you later on."

Jack's face crumpled with misery, and Ianto wanted to kick himself all over again.

"You mean, can I live with this happening to anyone else," he said hoarsely. Ianto said nothing, watching Jack silently. Jack uttered a soft, miserable sob and pressed his face back into his hands.

"It's not fair," he said in a muffled voice. "How did I come to be responsible for everyone else? Even when something like this happens to me, I still have to think about everyone else ahead of me. When will I get to put myself first for once?"

His voice broke and he began to cry softly into his hands.

"Cariad," Ianto whispered, his own heart aching in response to Jack's pain. He walked over and sat down on the edge of the desk, reaching out to draw Jack in against him. The Captain resisted briefly before his resistance crumbled, and he slumped heavily against Ianto.

"Listen to me, Jack," Ianto said as he held him lovingly. "This isn't just about potential future victims. It's about justice and peace of mind for you. I was watching you when we were driving here. You didn't look outside once, and I think you would have just about crawled under the dashboard if you could have. Tell me, love, what were you afraid of?"

Jack's breath hitched in his throat. He spoke, but it was barely audible.

"Them…"

Ianto didn't need to ask him to elaborate. He knew damn well who Jack meant. He teased his fingers lightly through Jack's hair, knowing the sensation tended to calm him.

"Unless I'm mistaken, you're a little bit mad at yourself for being afraid of them, aren't you?"

Jack uttered something unintelligible. Ianto went on quietly, all the time praying he wasn't overstepping some invisible boundary.

"Tell me something, Jack. How do you feel when you think of the Master?"

Jack stiffened against him, and then abruptly pulled back.

"What the hell sort of question is that?"

"Just bear with me, Jack. Please…"

Jack let his breath out in an aggravated rush. He didn't know where this was going, but at the same time he trusted Ianto not to raise such a sensitive subject without good reason. Trying to gather his wits, he forced himself to answer.

"Angry," he admitted. "Bitter… and relieved, too, I guess."

"But not afraid?"

"Well, no. He's dead…"

And suddenly, Jack realised what Ianto had been hinting at.

"I'm afraid because they're still out there," he said softly. "They're still a threat… To me as well as others."

"You're a brave, strong man, Jack, but in the end you are still only human. Immortal or not, those men hurt you terribly. You don't have to pretend like it hasn't affected you."

Tears filled Jack's eyes.

"I hate feeling like this," he choked out. "I hate it, Ianto."

"I know, cariad," Ianto murmured. "I know you do. But don't forget that you're not alone. I'm here, and so is Owen. So are Gwen, Toshiko and Tish… And even Detective Swanson. We're all here for you. Even… Even my father."

Jack looked up at Ianto, startled.

"Your father?"

"That's right. He told me to call him if we needed anything. He said it for the both of us, Jack."

"I thought he didn't approve."

"He doesn't, but he made it pretty clear that he won't turn his back on us, either. I really am a fool, Jack. I utterly underestimated my Da. I was sure he'd condemn me. I never expected the support he's offering us."

"He's a good man," Jack murmured, wiping a hand across his eyes. "You're lucky to have a father like him."

Something in Jack's tone caught his attention, and he rubbed the other man's shoulder gently.

"Your father wasn't like that?"

"My father was my hero," Jack admitted sadly. "I loved him so much, but he was killed in an invasion when I was thirteen. I don't think I ever really got over that loss."

"I'm so sorry, Jack," Ianto murmured. "That is way too soon to lose a parent."

"It was a long time ago," Jack said in an attempt to sound dismissive, but his tone suggested to Ianto that perhaps the past wasn't as far removed as Jack might like him to believe. Now was not the time to pursue it, though. Now, they had another issue to deal with – catching the sick bastards who had hurt their beloved Captain.

"They're waiting, cariad. Let's go and work out what to do together."

Jack conceded, and got wearily to his feet.

"Okay."

tbc...