"I'm not complaining," Ianto said, stretching out, spread-eagled on the king size bed, "I'm just wondering how you can afford this place."

John smiled at him.

"You worry too much," he said, "It's not that expensive."

Ianto looked around the luxury hotel room, raising an eye-brow doubtfully.

"Okay," John grinned, sheepishly, "It is quite expensive, but trust me, I can afford it."

The Welshman rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a child you know. I know you spent most of your money finding me."

"We did spend a lot but I invested what I had left in this kid Jack and I met on Terellian 5. I made a killing, plus I get a nice warm feeling from knowing I did my bit for the abolitionist movement, long story I tell you about it sometime. Anyway all I had to do was skip forward in time, pick up my profits, convert them into 21st Century earth currency, and....hey presto, we're rich, Ianto."

Ianto pulled himself up to a seated position, trying not to think about the fact that John had just offered to share his wealth with him. He crossed his legs in front of himself and rested his hands in his lap, chewing nervously on his bottom lip .

John sighed.

"But that's not the only problem is it?" he said, "You think I'm going to want something in return."

The younger man looked up and smiled apologetically, giving the former Time Agent a small shrug.

"It's fine," John said, "I just thought we could, ya know, order room service? make a duvet den? watch a movie? Whatever you want, just relax a bit. If it will make you more comfortable I can go book into another room."

Ianto shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry, you don't have to do that," he said, "Come on, come and lie down."

The former Time Agent, bounded over to the bed and leapt on it, lying on his back next to the seated Welshman. He lay back, clasping his hands behind his head.

Ianto grinned down at him.

"John," he began hesitantly.

"Hhmmm?"

"It's not........" he paused, "it's not that I don't want to, you know. I just don't want to feel.....obliged, like I'm bought and paid for, like.....before...."

John pouted.

"I just wanted you to have a bit of a treat."

He took one of the younger man's hands and gave it a small tug. The Welshman rolled his eyes but lay down next to him, stiffening a little and keeping a respectable distance between them. John sighed, and shifted his weight around so that he was lying on his side.

"You know," he said, "I was thinking, we don't have to stay here if you don't want to, if you wanted we could travel the universe, I could show you the stars."

Ianto let his head fall lazily to one side so he was facing the older man.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah," John sighed gloomily, "but we won't will we? We'll stay here on the off chance Jack turns up again."

Ianto looked away, he pursed his lips, chewing the inside of his mouth.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"S'okay."

Ianto felt a tightening in his chest but couldn't tell if it was something he was experiencing himself or if he was picking up on the other man's emotions through the empathic bond. He turned on his side, resting his head in one of his hands. He licked his lips and inched his face forward, John chose that moment to pounce on him, using his body weight to pin the younger man to the bed and kissing him fiercely.

Later, as they lay, their arms and legs tangled together in the crisp, white sheets, Ianto found he could justify what they'd done by reminding himself that when it came to it, Jack had left and John had stayed. Jack was always going to leave and the young Welshman wondered if John would always stay.

"John?" he asked.

"Mmmmm?" the older man replied sleepily.

"Why did you lie?"

John lifted his head a little.

"About what?"

"Your wrist strap, why did you say it malfunctioned."

"It did. That's why we were a year late, remember?"

"No," Ianto shook his head, "that's what you said, but it's not true. You brought us to this time on purpose didn't you?"

John rolled over on to his back and stared at the ceiling. He sighed.

"Fuck. It's the whole can't lie to you thing, isn't it? Why didn't you say something before."

Ianto shrugged.

"Wasn't sure...not until just now."

John gave him a wry smile.

"Ah."

"Thing is, I don't get it. Why would you deliberately bring us back a year late?"

John sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and turning his back on the other man. He stared out the window.

"Jack's forgotten many things from his former life," he began, "I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the sheer weight of all those memories. But whatever it is, he's forgotten that we all learn about the 456 in history. It's one of those defining moments, like the birth of Jesus or the fall of Atlantis."

"Erm, that's a myth."

"Yeah, of course it is," John replied cryptically, "the point is the 21st Century is when everything changes, and it all starts with the events of last year. It's a date human children throughout the Universe can recite even centuries from now."

"So you knew the 456 were coming? Why didn't you want to come back before it happened. We might have been able to help."

"Because I know Jack. He wouldn't have been able to help himself. He'd have done something stupid like go up against them in some pointless pissing competition that would have only succeeded in getting people killed." He turned his head to face the younger man, his gaze flicking up the meet his eyes, "And I know you, you would have been standing right by his side when it happened, only you wouldn't have walked away from it."

Ianto gasped.

"But what if I was supposed to be here. What if I was supposed to do something and because I wasn't here the 456 were able to get away with the children."

John looked away again, dropping his gaze to his feet.

"Then I would have damned the world for you," he murmured.

Ianto felt tears in his eyes.

"You had no right.." he said.

John sighed heavily. He clapped his hands on knees and stood up.

"Look, you're here, I'm here, the world's still here. How about we clean up first, then order room service. If you're still angry with me in the morning we can talk about it then."

Ianto hesitated but after a while, he stood up and holding out his hand to the other man, he pulled him into the bathroom.