Author's Notes: Well, I seem to be making these slightly longer than necessary, meeting-the-prompt-at-the-end, mysterious and hurt/comfort-y. Like I said, though, I like to show the way the story progresses through Jack's eyes mostly and – bit of a spoiler – that's also how I'm going to introduce the mentioned woman later.

As for Jack and his abilities to heal - he heals completely when he dies or when he's recieved some minor injury. When it's something big, thought - like a broken leg would be - but he hasn't died, it takes a while. It's in the books if you're looking for proof - Pack Animals and Bay of the Dead, in the first of which he even needed a wheelchair for half the book and in the second of which he was attacked by a zombie. So that's basically how it works - if he hasn't died or it's not something small, it needs time.

P.S.: The song used in the beginning (I couldn't resist, it fitted to well) is Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute Band.

Day Two: Cuddling Somewhere

I can see you there with the city lights

Fourteenth floor, pale blue eyes

I can breathe you in

Two shadows standing by the bedroom door

No, I could not want you more than I did right then

As our heads leaned in

There was the sound of the door unlocking and then Ianto's footsteps coming to a halt in the hallway.

"Power's gone out," Jack said quietly to the unasked question. "I think it's the whole street."

Jack was at Ianto's flat nursing a broken leg – and, since he hadn't died, it would take a while – because it was easier compared to climbing in and out of his room all the time. He also secretly enjoyed the fact that, unlike Jack's own one-person bed, Ianto had a queen-sized one and the heating was way better, but he'd never mention it.

"Oh. Okay." Ianto wandered in dropping his phone and keys on a chair. "There's bound to be a candle somewhere, so I'll just–"

"No," Jack interrupted. "Come here."

Ianto lingered in the doorway to the kitchen, unsure, then nodded briskly and approached the sofa where Jack was sitting, taking his suit jacket off and slipping carefully next to his lover, uncomfortably sitting on the edge of the seat.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Jack asked gently, snaking his hand around Ianto's waist and bringing him closer. Ianto only flinched and the Captain tried to ignore it in favour of continuing the discussion. "You're all off these days. What's going on?"

Ianto turned around and offered him a tight smile. "Nothing, it's just– I'm okay with darkness – God knows I prefer it to sunlight – but when it's completely dark I'm just–"

"Mm?" Jack encouraged. He knew that this couldn't be the only problem, but decided to focus on small things.

Ianto looked at him, eyes dark and anxious in the dark room. The city lights only outlined his features and Jack couldn't help but admire the view while he had the opportunity. Ianto's body was long and lean and his long eyelashes rested on his high cheekbones when he closed his eyes. The eyes that on the light would be gunmetal blue and that last days Jack had only seen wandering frantically around the room as if he were an animal that desperately wanted to escape but couldn't find the way out.

"When I was at Canary Wharf, after the battle had already ended," Ianto began carefully. "the place went into complete lockdown – you know, closing on itself and completely blocking out the world. It was completely dark and I couldn't – I couldn't see a thing. I wanted to find Lisa and I didn't even know what floor I was anymore. My gun was empty – I've used it against the Daleks, not that it did much good – and all I could feel was the horror of the ones that had remained alive in the building." Jack nodded again; he'd always known that Ianto was an empath and other people's emotions had managed to overwhelm him not once or twice. "I felt like I was going to faint when there was a light in my face and I saw that it was a woman holding a torch. She told me to put myself together and when I couldn't, she asked me what I was there for. I told her that I had to find Lisa and she gave me her torch and told me to get going. I've tried to avoid complete darkness since then." Ianto's laughter was weak and rather cynic, and the sound sent chills down Jack's spine.

"Who was she?" He prompted, mostly trying to distract Ianto from the memories that had currently taken over him. "The woman?"

"That's just the thing," Ianto said and the Captain smiled – it had worked. "I never knew. She wasn't among the survivors when we finally got out. I couldn't find her anywhere and by that time there hadn't been a camera working in the building. She was... tall, I think. Blonde. Lots of curly hair, and she acted as if she knew me. I never saw her after that. Sort of wanted to thank her."

I sort of want to thank her too, Jack thought, although he had the nagging feeling that this could mean trouble. Unknown people who showed up out of nowhere and acted as if they knew you nearly always meant trouble and usually came from the future.

"You could go get the candles if you'd like to," Jack suggested half-heartedly. Deep inside he wanted to be the one Ianto went to when he had trouble with such things; he wanted to be the missing light. The Captain squeezed Ianto's hand and–

Something like a half memory passed through his mind, only to disappear moments later. Ianto's cold hand on his face (So cold, too cold for human skin), the faint shimmer his skin seemed to be letting out.

We only see starlight because all the stars are bleeding.

"No, it's fine." Ianto's voice brought him back to reality and the Captain shook his head, as if to chase the not-really-memories away. "I can deal with it."

Without saying anything, Jack threw an arm over Ianto's bony shoulders, brought him closer to himself and closed his eyes, none of them moving a muscle until darkness lulled them to sleep.