They'd decided to stop by the Hub for the morning before heading out to the appointment. Jack would have been perfectly okay with skipping it, but Ianto had insisted he wanted to finish what he'd started in the archives. Jack had begrudgingly agreed. Ianto gave him a quick kiss, a cup of coffee, and then disappeared down into the tunnels.

Jack settled in behind his desk, sipping his hot drink and smiling to himself. No one could make a better coffee than Ianto Jones, he mused, setting the mug off to the side and turning to his computer. Might as well start on the long-overdue emails he'd been avoiding.

The others arrived within the next couple of hours, greeting Jack and then getting started on their normal morning activities. By lunchtime Gwen and Toshiko had deposited on his desk their reports on a weevil hunt and new program, respectively, and Jack was just signing off on the latter when Ianto appeared at his door, smiling.

"I ordered Chinese," he told Jack, smiling. "Should be here in about twenty."

Jack scribbled his signature on Tosh's paperwork and closed the file, returning Ianto's smile as he placed the paperwork in his out tray. "Good. We can grab a bite to eat before heading off to your appointment."

"Coffee?"

"Actually," Jack said, getting up from his chair and sauntering over to where Ianto stood in the doorway, "I was thinking a coke." He placed his hands on Ianto's hips.

The Welshman gripped his hands and squeezed gently before casually removing them from his body, smile never wavering. "Not certain we have any, but I'd be happy to check, sir."

"Thank you, Ianto."

The other man nodded, turning on his heel and heading for their kitchenette. Jack tucked his hands in his own pockets and watched him go. He was forever trying to get away with touches and kisses at work, but Ianto never allowed it in front of the others. Jack smiled, remembering the kiss in the archives yesterday, before returning to his desk to make a call before lunch.

A couple of hours later found them sitting in the doctor's car park, Ianto fidgeting nervously in the passenger seat of his own car. He'd asked Jack to drive, telling him he was too wound up to be any good behind the wheel.

"If you're not careful you're going to rub the skin right off your fingers," Jack told him, nodding towards the constantly-moving hands folded in the other man's lap.

Ianto grimaced, pulling his hands away from each other and rubbing the palms on his trouser-covered knees. Jack reached over for one of his hands, bringing it up to his lips and leaving a kiss on the knuckles.

"You're going to be fine."

"How can you know that?" Ianto asked, brows furrowing in worry.

"I'd never let anything bad happen to you, that's why," he replied, sandwiching Ianto's hand between his own.

Ianto smiled wearily. "You can't protect me from the world, Jack."

"I can try."

"And I appreciate it." Ianto leaned in, cupping Jack's face with his free hand and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "My hero."

Jack chuckled, kissing Ianto long and hard before dropping his hand and turning off the car. "Time to go," he said, pointing his head toward the building. "Don't want to be late."

Ianto nodded and sighed, opening the passenger door and meeting Jack in front of the car. They walked side by side to the building, Jack opening the front door for Ianto and getting a raised eyebrow for his efforts.

"I'm a gentleman," Jack explained, earning himself a snicker from the other man as they entered the office.

The front room was quaint, Jack thought, much like Dr. Smith's office, but this one somehow felt more welcoming. The walls were pale lavender, with prints of the countryside hanging in tasteful wooden frames. There were large expanses of grass so green they could only be from here in the UK, and flowers of every shade under the rainbow. It was extremely calming.

"Good afternoon," the receptionist greeted them cheerfully. She was an older woman, her gray hair falling in large, soft curls around her face.

Jack moved to the desk and glanced at her nametag. "Good afternoon, Ms. Crowther," he said, turning on his hundred watt smile.

"Eira, please," the woman replied, blushing under Jack's gaze. She pushed up her glasses and gestured to her computer. "Do you have an appointment?"

"That would be for me," Ianto said, stepping forward and smiling shyly. "Jones. Ianto Jones."

Jack grinned beside him. "It's a three o'clock appointment."

"Ah yes, I see it here," Eira told them, handing Ianto a clipboard with several pieces of paper on it. "If you could fill this out. I'll let the doctor know you're here."

Ianto took the paperwork and nodded, turning back toward a row of chairs against the window. Jack followed close behind, sitting down beside him and leaning over his shoulder.

"General medical questions," Ianto informed him, unclipping a pen from the top of the clipboard.

"Ah," Jack replied. He settled back in his seat and crossed one ankle over the other knee. He glanced around the room, taking in the clock. Twenty till. Lots of time left. He guessed he shouldn't have been so concerned with being late. "Do you remember enough of what Owen's told you to fill it out?"

Ianto nodded, writing in his name. "I've memorized my history."

Jack should have known. Since returning to work Ianto had devoured information, putting his previously eidetic memory to good use once again. It was one of the reasons he knew Torchwood One had hired him. What better quality to have in an archivist and junior researcher?

He looked back down at Ianto's paperwork and smiled, seeing the gentle and neat flow of the Welshman's handwriting. He was meticulous in all he did, and his writing was no different. When he looked back up he found Eira watching him. She glanced at Ianto and then back at him, winking before she turned back to her computer. He smiled. It was nice to know not everyone in the twenty-first century was bigoted.

Jack suddenly felt movement next to him. He opened his eyes, not even realizing he'd closed them, and found Ianto stretching his legs out before him, sans clipboard.

"Done already?"

"Yup. Turned it in a while ago, Jack."

"Wow." Jack looked up at the clock, realizing it was now just a couple minutes before three. He'd been asleep, then. "Didn't realize I'd dozed off."

Ianto smiled. "You looked peaceful. Didn't see a reason to wake you up."

The receptionist's phone rang and she picked it up, speaking softly. She placed the phone back on its cradle and got to her feet. "Mr. Jones?"

"Yes," he replied, standing.

"Dr. Singh is ready to see you now. Right this way, if you please?"

Ianto glanced down at him. "Jack?"

"You want me to come with you?"

"If you would?"

Jack smiled softly, getting to his feet and placing a hand gently on the small of Ianto's back. "After you," he said, following behind the Welshman.

Eira led them back through a hallway with several doors on each side. The building was larger than it appeared, Jack acknowledged. Bigger on the inside. He couldn't help the smirk that crossed his lips.

"Alright, Jack?" Ianto whispered, eyebrow raised again.

"Ignore me," Jack replied, chuckling softly.

The receptionist rapped on the door at the end of the hall, opening it at reply of, "Enter."

They were introduced to Dr. Elizabeth Singh before Eira left them and closed the door. Taking one of the seats across from her desk Jack was struck by exactly how accurate his own doctor's description had been. The woman was indeed good looking. Her dark brown hair bordered on black, and was half-pulled up in a clip behind her head. The rest flowed over her shoulders and back in gentle waves. Her eyes were large and clear, a hazel-brown shade, and they sparkled with hidden depths. Her lips were full but she wasn't wearing lipstick, instead keeping to a soft gloss sheen. She was a natural beauty, her dark complexion appearing flawless.

Ianto cleared his throat and Jack turned his head, smiling apologetically before clasping Ianto's hand in his own. To his surprise, the Welshman didn't pull away.

"As I told you on the phone," Jack began, "you come highly recommended. I know your techniques haven't necessarily worked well on…some of our patients, but we're hoping Ianto is a completely different story."

Dr. Singh nodded, smiling. "I wish I'd had more of an influence on those in your care," she agreed. "However, from what you've told me of Mr. Jones here, I think we may be successful."

"And if we aren't?" Ianto asked her, voice a bit shaky.

"Then we'll keep trying," she assured him. "Shall we begin?"

They moved to another room just down the hall. She indicated it was a treatment room. It was set up much like a psychiatrist's office would look on the television, even though her own had been just chairs and a desk. This room contained a small table in one corner, several chairs with another table between them to one side, and a chaise, taking up residence in the middle of the room.

Ianto looked hesitantly at the chaise, then at Jack, and finally the doctor. "It's alright," she told him, seeing his unease. "We'll start with the chair. I have some initial questions and background to go through before we try anything else."

Ianto nodded, taking a seat. Jack sat down beside him. Surprisingly, it was Ianto who initiated contact this time, slipping his hand into Jack's and squeezing it for support. Jack was more than happy to oblige.

"I've gone over the information Dr. Harper sent over," Dr. Singh advised, sitting down in her chair and facing them. Seeing the surprised looks on their faces she chuckled. "He's extremely thorough."

"I had no idea he'd already done that," Jack advised, smiling. "We were going to ask him to do so."

"He wanted to ensure Mr. Jones was given the best care," she replied, smiling back and turning to look at Ianto. "I'm sure you're aware that Dr. Williams has shared all his records with Dr. Harper, and he's been given Dr. Smith's notes as well."

Ianto nodded. "Yes."

Jack was aware as well. He knew that Owen had updated paperwork from Dr. Williams sent to him on a regular basis, and Dr. Smith had needed to share his findings with Dr. Williams' office too. All three doctors needed to be on the same page, if they were going to take care of their patient properly. It was understandable that the information would then be provided to Dr. Singh.

"I've also spoken with Dr. Williams, and we've both agreed to move all further treatment here. Dr. Harper will, of course, remain your immediate doctor, but I will take over your post-accident care."

"That makes sense," Ianto replied. "The fewer hands in the proverbial pot, the better."

"I'm quite in agreement," she said, picking up a notepad and pen. "Now, I'm assuming that you can only remember back as far as the accident."

"Several days afterward, actually," Ianto corrected. "I was in a coma."

"Ah, yes," she said, scribbling something on her pad of paper. "A week, I believe."

"Nine days," Jack supplied, feeling Ianto squeeze his hand.

Dr. Singh looked up, nodded, then looked back at her paper. "And during those nine days in a coma, do you remember anything, Mr. Jones?"

"Please, call me Ianto," he said, smiling when she glanced back up at him.

Dr. Singh returned his smile. "Ianto, I apologize."

"It's alright," he replied, blushing. "I suppose it just makes me feel a little more comfortable."

"Absolutely understandable," she said. "And do you remember anything of your coma, Ianto?"

"Bits and pieces," he said, looking off into space as if trying to remember. "Flashes of light and…and voices."

"Voices," she noted, writing it down. "Any voices in particular?"

"Jack's," he said, looking at the man beside him. Jack squeezed the Welshman's hand. "I could hear him, but I didn't know what he was saying. Or who he was, exactly."

Dr. Singh scratched out a few things on her notepad. "What did it sound like?"

Ianto frowned. "Reassurances, sometimes. And lots of chatter. I think Jack was using me as a sounding board."

"Best way to gossip," Jack teased, winking at Ianto. "I wasn't convinced you could hear me, but you know I like to talk. Figured you wouldn't spread it around."

"Do you remember any of the conversation?"

Ianto shook his head. "No. I couldn't make out the words. But when I was awake and heard Jack speak, I knew it had been him there with me. He stayed almost the entire time I was in the coma."

"And did you recognize his face?"

"No."

More writing on the pad of paper. Dr. Singh looked up. "Mr. Jo…Ianto, have you ever had memory issues before? Any cases of forgetting or misplacing a memory? Before this accident, I mean."

Ianto looked flummoxed. "I wouldn't remember," he said slowly, cautiously.

"Of course," she replied, shaking her head. "Silly question. Forget I asked that."

"If it's any help, Ianto has a photographic memory," Jack supplied. "He works as our archivist, and I'm not sure he's ever even walked into a room and forgotten why he was there. Unlike the rest of us."

Dr. Singh chuckled, looking between the two of them. "I do that myself from time to time. I believe it's the curse of getting older." She tapped her pen on the pad of paper and was quiet for a moment. "Ianto, any incidents like that since the accident? Any moments of sudden memory loss? Placed an object somewhere and forgotten where, for instance?"

"I don't believe so," Ianto replied, pursing his lips. "I've a habit of memorizing everything. Rooms, people… Jack and the others, our coworkers, told me that I was like that before as well. That I knew how they each took their coffees, what their preferences were for different takeaways, that sort of thing."

"A brilliant memory then," Dr. Singh commented, writing it down.

"That's our Ianto," Jack murmured, almost without thinking.

"And your family," Dr. Singh asked, barely acknowledging that Jack had spoken, "how have they handled your condition?"

Ianto stiffened beside him and Jack winced. "My sister is extremely…clingy," Ianto answered, glancing up at Jack before down at their joined fingers. "I'm not actually talking to her at the moment."

Dr. Singh seemed to consider that for a moment and licked her lips. "She's clingy, but is she being supportive?"

"Not exactly."

"How so?"

Ianto sighed. "Before my accident, according to Jack and the others, she and I were never very close. I loved her, of course, and my nephew and niece as well, but…it'd been strained for a long time."

"And so the clinging feels awkward?" Dr. Singh asked.

"It does. At first I didn't know any better," he explained, "but there's a tension in the air each time I speak with her, and she's been less than happy about…"

He broke off and Dr. Singh looked up, expectantly. "About?"

Ianto looked at Jack and Jack nodded, rubbing his other hand over the one tucked inside his own. "About Jack and me."

"Your…relationship?" the doctor inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"She doesn't accept the two of you, or she doesn't accept Mr. Harkness?"

"I'm not sure she really accepts either or," Ianto said, shrugging. "She wasn't very supportive of Jack helping me through my amnesia."

"He's putting it nicely," Jack added, all traces of a smile gone. "She told me in no uncertain terms that I was bad news, and that Ianto should be staying with his family while he recovered. She wanted me to leave him."

"That's not what you want, I'm assuming," Dr. Singh said, glancing between the two of them.

"No," Ianto said emphatically, and Jack shook his head. "Jack is good for me. There was an immediate connection when I first awoke. I knew before he'd even told me that we had shared something prior to my accident. My family, apparently, hadn't known that."

"I see," the doctor said softly, writing that down. "Ianto, I'd like to try something. It's just a basic technique used to measure your natural responses."

"Not hypnosis?" the Welshman asked, looking puzzled.

"Not yet," she replied, setting her notepad down on the desk behind her. "It's word association. It'll help me understand where your memory stands at this time."

"Alright," Ianto replied, nodding. "What do I need to do?"

"Just sit back and get comfortable. Close your eyes, relax, and tell me the first word that comes to your mind after I say one."

Ianto removed his hand from Jack's and placed both hands on the arms of his chair. He cleared his throat, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Singh asked.

"Yes."

"Okay. The first word is…strong."

"Coffee," Ianto replied, a smile crossing his lips.

Dr. Singh wrote it down. "Weak."

"Tea," he said, wrinkling his nose. Jack smirked.

"Life."

"Fragile," Ianto answered, sighing.

"Death," Dr. Singh supplied.

"Inevitable."

Dr. Singh made a few scratches across her paper and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Passion," she said a moment later, pen poised.

"Jack."

Jack's eyebrows shot up and he grinned, remaining silent and motionless beside the Welshman, even though he wanted to take him in his arms and show him that passion right now. They were there to help Ianto, and his interference wouldn't likely be welcome.

"Loss."

"Lisa," Ianto answered, swallowing hard.

Jack studied the man, grin turning into a frown. He'd hoped that the CCTV Ianto had watched would trigger his memory. Seeing who he thought was his girlfriend being murdered, however, had nearly driven him and Ianto apart. He hated to think it was still sticking with the man.

"Past."

"Painful." This was said through gritted teeth.

"Future."

Ianto hesitated. "Scary."

The doctor jotted down the answer and then put down her pad of paper. "You can open your eyes now, Ianto."

The Welshman slowly did as he was told, sitting up straighter and blinking at the doctor. Jack reached for his hand again and found that Ianto was shaking.

"Are we going to try the hypnosis now?" Ianto asked, looking uncertain.

The doctor shook her head. "We're going to save that for later, Ianto," she said, looking down at her notes. "First I'd like to go over a couple of your answers."

Ianto nodded, turning his hand over and entwining his fingers with Jack's. Jack squeezed.

"According to your records, Lisa is a past girlfriend, is that correct?"

"Yes," Ianto replied.

"And she's no longer with us?"

"No, she…died."

"Okay," she acknowledged, writing that down. "You indicated that death was inevitable."

"It is for everyone."

"And especially Torchwood, correct?"

Ianto looked up at Jack and received a nod. "Yes. Usually sooner rather than later."

"Is this possibly the reason for your sister's reluctance?"

"No," Ianto denied, shaking his head. "She doesn't know what I do for a living."

"I see." She paused. "When I said past, you said painful," she pointed out. "Why?"

"B-because of the accident," he said, stuttering slightly. "Right?"

"I'm asking you."

"I-I don't remember anything before that," he insisted, swallowing hard as he had when he'd mentioned Lisa.

"And you remember the accident?"

Ianto furrowed his eyebrows. "No, actually."

"Yet you said that was your past, and it was painful."

Ianto licked his lips. "I-I don't know why I said that," he admitted. "It…it was just the first thing that came to my mind."

The doctor nodded, writing down that latest bit of information. "Ianto, I think there is more here than what meets the eye."

Ianto and Jack exchanged a glance. "Like what?" Jack asked her when Ianto didn't reply, and he felt the man tremble slightly beside him.

"I'm inclined to believe that there may be some memories lingering just under the surface, trying to get out."

"Repressed memories?" Ianto asked, the tremble extending to his voice.

"Quite possibly."

Jack's hand was squeezed hard and he squeezed right back, lending Ianto as much strength as he could. He was starting to understand that what Dr. Smith had said wasn't necessarily off base, even though it could have been presented in a more kindly manner. If Ianto was repressing his memories, that could be what was keeping him from breaking through the amnesia.

"And are you going to hypnotize me?"

"I think that's our best chance at unlocking what's been tucked away," she replied, smiling reassuringly when he shuddered. "You can trust me, Ianto. I won't hurt you."

"I know," he said, taking a calming breath. "Should we start now?"

"No," she replied, folding her hands in her lap over the notepad. "I think we've actually done enough work for today."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Dr. Singh smiled, nodding. "You respond well to therapy," she advised. "Surprising, as Dr. Harper's notes indicated you're the quiet, private type."

Ianto blushed. "I think I am."

"It's your manner," Jack said. "Pretty sure it's a lot easier to be open and willing to talk when someone's not being abrasive in return."

"Yes, he's right," Ianto agreed. "Thank you."

"Abrasive has its uses," she replied, getting up from her chair and tucking the pad of paper under her arm, "but this isn't one of them. I want to see you back here in a week, Ianto. For now, I want you to relax. You might even want to try some meditation."

Ianto looked surprised. "You're kidding."

"Absolutely not," she said, picking up a pamphlet off the table behind her and handing it to him. "Here. This will give you some simple techniques for self meditation. I'll go through my calendar to set your appointment and give you a call with the time and date."

She walked them out of the office, shaking both of their hands before leaving them in the front room. Ianto looked up at Jack and Jack smiled at him.

"You okay?"

"I think so."

They walked out of the building, Jack turning to give Eira a small wave and a smile before they exited the door. When they got to the car, Ianto indicated that Jack should drive them back as well. Slipping into the driver's seat, Jack waited until Ianto had seated himself and closed the door before turning to him.

"Back to the flat?"

Ianto looked confused. "Shouldn't we head to the Hub, Jack? Lots of work to do."

"I was thinking we could settle in for the night, maybe order in later."

Ianto thought for a moment. "How about a compromise? A few more hours at work, and then pick up a takeaway on the way to the flat."

Jack smiled. "Alright," he said, starting the car. "A compromise it is."

He backed the car out of their parking space and then exited the car park, pointing the vehicle in the direction of the Hub. What had happened during the session was fresh on his mind, and he really wanted to discuss it with Ianto. The Welshman, on the other hand, seemed like he'd prefer to think on it himself for a while, and Jack didn't want to push him.

Ianto's hand settled on his knee when they got to a red light and Jack turned to look at him. "Thank you, Jack," Ianto said, squeezing his knee.

"You're welcome."

TBC…