I am very sorry for the dela in updating this fic, i got distraacted then i could have sworn i'd already posted it.... Anyhoo, Enjoy!
And for those that reviewed and guessed - you were right :D
Home.... jack thought. There was only one place he truly felt like he was home. And standing in front of 44 Heol-y-Gwent Jack was there.
Sorrowfully, he pulled a silver key from his pocket and opened the door to Ianto's flat. He wanted it to feel cold and empty without Ianto, he wanted to walk in and have a cold feeling embrace him, and he expected everything to be in grey and as dark as he was feeling inside... But it wasn't. It was all the same. It felt the same, it looked the same, it smelt the same.... it was still Ianto's flat.
Walking through the thresh hold of the small house there were thousands of little reminders of the man he'd lost. There was a half drunk cup of coffee still sitting on the coffee table. A part of jack thought of heating it up and drinking what could be his last ever cup of Ianto's famous coffee, then another idea came to freeze the coffee and save it.... both of these musings were soon discarded as foolish because Jack was still adamant his Ianto would be back with him shortly... 'He will be back, he will be back,'Jack chanted to himself as he walked deeper into the house. In what was usually an immaculate home, there were small piles of clutter and even dust on some surfaces; Jack had been working Ianto far too hard since they lost Tosh and Owen. Most nights it would be unlikely for the pair of them to make it to Ianto's flat all together and they opted for sleeping in Jack's small quarters beneath his office instead. On the rare occasions the couple took the short drive to the house they only had the energy to eat a small supper together and even then they barely made it up the stairs to sleep after a long day's work chasing after aliens and strange artefacts. But despite the vast amount of work Ianto always muddled through it all without a word of complaint, on top of that he kept the archives in perfect working order and he kept Gwen and Jack fed and watered. He put up with Jack's mysterious past, numerous secrets and flirtatious nature, something Jack would be eternally grateful for...
In the living room there was a single photo on display and it broke jack's heart. It was a present from Gwen to the pair of them. "If you act like a couple you get a single couple present, that's the deal," she laughed as she handed over the frame wrapped in gold foil paper last Christmas. It was a photo neither of the men knew existed. It was of the pair of them sat close together on a meal out they had taken a month before with Gwen and Rhys, the unofficial fourth member of the team. Jack had called the night a 'team boning exercise' when in reality they all knew it was a chance to just relax after several hard day's work in a row. In the snapshot Jack was looking at Ianto with such love that it scared him, only now he realised the true extent of his feelings and was surprised to see the same love and adoration clearly on display several months previously. Ianto was looking down at his plate with a grin and a slight pinkness to his cheeks. Jack had made a suggestive comment to embarrass the Welshman and it saddened him that he could no longer remember exactly what was said. How, he though, can I promise to remember him forever if I can't even remember one sentence from 6 months ago?
Jack continued his way through the house until he reached the small stair way and climbed it. He opened the door to Ianto's bedroom (despite them both sleeping in it and equal amount over the last year, he still couldn't bring himself to call it their bedroom). Almost urgently he undressed into just his tee-shirt and boxer shorts, his exhaustion finally hitting him. He was determined to sleep so that he could wake up early and see what the Doctor had found. The second his head hit the pillow with a soft thud a powerful smell overcome him. Without realising it he had chosen to lay on what was usually Ianto's side of the bed and the unique scent of his lover wrapped around him like a comforting hug. Sleep took him for the first time in days.
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"Gwen, love, where are you taking me?" Rhys asked his wife as she dragged him into the middle of a field.
"I did a scan of alien technology, particularly of that covered in vortex energy, and was led here." She explained as if that cleared up everything.
"But, you know, why!?" Rhys persisted as he struggled to keep up with Gwen who was marching ahead of him. She was clearly a woman on a mission.
"I'm going to find that doctor of jack's and give him a piece of my mind!" She clarified. "And, I'm going to make sure he's doing all he can to bring back Ianto and not screw anything up!" She began screaming and sobbing as she reached the end of her outburst, and she quickly found herself wrapped in her husband's caring arms.
"Sweetheart, I'm sure this Doctor is already doing the best he can, he doesn't need us bothering him..." Rhys soothed as he stroked his wife's back in loving circles.
"We won't be a bother, we can help!" She protested desperately, Ianto meant a great deal to her and so did jack, who she also felt she lost. She knew he wouldn't be the same without Ianto, he at least wouldn't be himself again in her life time.
Without realising it, during the exchanged Rhys had been lead to the door's of the TARIS, "You are a crafty one, aren't you?" he smirked as Gwen knocked on the door to the ship...
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In sleep Jack was haunted by the distant memories of Ianto, small abstract memories filled his mind, small words and sentences that still sounded as clear in him mind as the day Ianto had uttered them.
"Careful. That's harassment, sir."
"Would you like me to do some attacking, sir?"
"I believe estate agents pronounce it 'sploe.'"
It was comforting to jack to hear his lover's voice resonating through his mind; even small trivial moments long before any sort of relationship formed were of some comfort. That wasn't to say jack didn't appreciate their more intimate moments...
"Think about it, plenty of things to do with a stop watch"
"Just us... in this room... for as long as it takes. Terrifying."
"I love you"
He smiled in his sleep thinking of these words coming from his lover's lips. But soon the dreams changed to something much more terrifying, although there were some amazing high's in their relationship there were also drastic lows:
"Like you'd care. I clean up your shit, and that's the way you like it: no questions asked. When's the last time you asked me about my life?"
"You think you're some kind of hero, but you're the biggest monster of them all!"
And then the nightmares turned worse, to the day he wanted to sleep to escape. He's lovers final moments played through his head, taunting him:
"You're not getting one, single, solitary child, deals off"
"If there's a virus, there must be an anti-virus. Release it now or I'll blow a hole in that tank, and we'll all die together"
With that jack found himself wide awake, "That's it!" He shouted, "There's got to be something, there's got to be an antidote!" he found himself saying once more, this time with a plan already half formed in him head...'trust Ianto to be the one to help me think of the plan even after he's dead' thought Jack as he hurriedly got dressed and set off towards the TARDIS.
OOOoooo - are we getting to a cure? I hope so! I have the plan written but havn't even started on Chapter 6 - I could really do with some reviews for inspiration and encouragement!
Thanks a lot already for everyone who's reviewed so far, it makes me soooo happy!