Notes: I apologize for the delay in posting. I had many ideas for this chapter. Essentially I went with the comedic relief that seemed rather appropriate after the changes I made to Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and the aftermath. Mostly because SarkyNerd requested more Towen, I wanted to mention that yes, I do ship Towen. I have a few stories in the works specifically for them. In this story, however, I have alluded to a possible relationship. If I do happen to get them together, though, it will only be done in references.

Please be advised that this chapter contains explicit sexual content at the end of the chapter. You have been warned. Also, keep in mind that this is my first time writing male/male sexual encounters. I hope I do Jack and Ianto justice.

Also, milestone! This chapter puts the story word count (which means, not including author notes) over 25,000 words! I haven't written this much in quite some time. But I'm enjoying writing this and I hope you are all enjoying reading it.

Chapter Spoilers: Episodes 2.01 (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang – slight/references) and 2.2 (Sleeper) and Doctor Who 3.12, 3.13 (Sound of Drums, Last of the Time Lords – slight/references)

Ianto agreed to stay the night with me! Jack thought eagerly, though he tried to hide it.

Ianto noticed his eagerness nonetheless. "Jack," Ianto stated hesitantly, not wanting to upset the older man any further, but needing to lay down some ground rules, "I'm just spending the night in case a nightmare comes around. I don't quite trust you enough for anything else yet."

Jack's eagerness dwindled a bit. That's understandable. I just wish winning him back would be easier. "I know, and thank you," he said with a genuine smile. I'm just happy you don't hate me enough to let me suffer through this alone.

They gathered under the covers. Jack rested his head on Ianto's chest. Ianto held Jack close, prepared to offer any protection and solace he needed. He didn't know how bad the nightmares were just yet, I can't even imagine… and I just can't know right now. There's too much left unsaid between us.

Though they were exhausted, neither man could drift off to sleep. "Ianto?" Jack asked quietly, in case the young man fell asleep.

"Yes, Jack?" Ianto responded.

Jack was hesitant. I don't want to push the issue, or my luck, but… "Will you still go on that date with me?" Please say you will.

Ianto felt a bit uneasy. After everything we just went through, he still wants to take me on a date? Does this mean he still cares? What's the worst that could happen? "Yes," he answered, not really wanting to get lost in his thoughts about all that could go wrong. He keeps saying he wants me, and only me. This date could be the proof I need.

Jack smiled his first full smile since the club incident. I have a date with Ianto! I have a date with Ianto! He repeated those thoughts like an excited teenager going on his first date ever.

Ianto could sense how happy he just made Jack and smiled inwardly. I like making him happy. The more he thought of a happy Jack, the more relaxed he became. Without any trepidation, Ianto placed his hand under Jack's chin, lifted his head, looked deeply into Jack's fierce blue eyes, then kissed him. It was soft at first, not wanting to abandon his resolves, but the more Jack relaxed into the kiss, the more settled he became. The longer they kissed, the more care and passion grew between them.

They paused to catch their breaths. Ianto noticed how hard both he and Jack became. I can't let this go any further. Not right now. "Let's get some rest, Jack," he said politely, staging a yawn, feigning exhaustion, though it's not entirely an act.

Jack played along, turning on his side, tightly wrapping Ianto's arms around him. "Good night, Ianto."

"Good night, Jack."

Both men drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

[Flashback.]

The room was red. The air was hot. Jack could feel the sweat running, dripping, all over his body. Where am I? He thought. He took in his surroundings, feeling the pain in his shoulders and up through his wrists. Jack hung from his shackles aboard the Valiant. He came back to life from one of the Master's many torturous deaths.

Suddenly the door to the boiler room opened. The Master made his entrance, followed by two guards dragging along a man with a sack over his head. He noticed the suit and put the pieces together. That's Ianto! The Master removed the sack and confirmed Jack's conclusion.

The Master hoisted Ianto to his feet. Jack studied the features of his lover, taking in all the cuts and bruises afflicted upon him. The Master released Ianto from his restraints, handing him a gun. "Kill him," he ordered Ianto.

Ianto looked at the gun, then to Jack, then back to the gun. "Don't even think about using it on anyone but him," the Master spoke, sensing the inner struggle of the young man. "You either kill Jack and live another day, or have Jack watch you be killed."

Ianto looked back at Jack, whose eyes were pleading for him to take the first option, but he couldn't. He turned away, examined his surroundings, deciphering what course of action to take. He never wanted to cause Jack pain; physically, mentally, or emotionally. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he killed his lover just to live another day. And he knew his death in general would scar him psychologically, but his murder would be much more torturous. Ianto settled upon the only logical solution. Having made his choice, he risked one last glance at Jack, hoping he could portray his decision, make him understand and be able to find peace afterwards.

Jack watched a conflicted Ianto decide his fate. Of course he preferred the first option, not the one he knew Ianto settled on. He's always thinking of others, and I love him for that, Jack thought. His decision won't be in vain. Still staring into Ianto's unforgettably gorgeous blue eyes, he silently watched as Ianto raised the gun in front of him, taking aim at Jack for the Master's benefit. Instantly and simultaneously, both men closed their eyes in support as Ianto repositioned the gun on his temple, pulling the trigger. Ianto Jones was dead.

[End flashback.]

Jack was crying, screaming, flailing. His body was covered in sweat. Tears streamed down his face.

"Jack!" Ianto shouted, attempting to wake the troubled man. "It's just a dream, Jack!" Ianto shook him, but no luck. "Come on, wake up!" He shook again and patted him lightly on the face.

Jack finally snapped awake, taking in his surroundings. Where am I?! What's going on?! He focused on Ianto and remembered. I'm in a hotel in Cardiff, with Ianto. He's alive. The team's alive. That year never happened. He broke down and cried, clinging tighter than ever to Ianto, never wanting to let go.

Ianto offered soothing words in Welsh; even began singing Suo Gân, which his mother sang to him after nightmares. Once Ianto felt Jack calm down, he cautiously asked, "One of your deaths?"

Jack was silent. He thought over his dream, over the events on the Valiant. The memories became too much. Jack began crying again. "No," he finally responded, realizing he never answered Ianto's question.

"Then tell me, Jack," Ianto stated, putting Jack's needs to confess ahead of his own fears and insecurities.

Jack shut his eyes and took a deep breath, like he did when Ianto killed himself. As he exhaled, he opened his eyes and looked into Ianto's. "It was yours," he confessed.

Ianto was shocked. "Mine?" How did I die? What had happened while he was away?

"Yes," Jack said nodding his head. Then remembering their agreement, "But we agreed I won't tell you unless it was my own."

"Then tell me everything, Jack," he stated again. "I can see this will help put your mind at ease." I can't bear to see you in pain.

And so he told Ianto everything about the year that never was.

"But it came at a cost, Ianto," Jack wrapped up. "Everyone aboard the Valiant when time reverted could remember. I remember all the Master did to me," He paused, as the tears that he kept welled up behind his eyes came bursting through.

"But the entire time, Ianto," Jack continued, making sure he chose his words properly. "The entire time I was hanging there, I thought of Torchwood, the team. But most of all," pausing again to stare directly, deeply, into Ianto's eyes, finishing, "I thought about you."

Ianto was quietly processing everything Jack just revealed. He didn't know how to feel, how to act. He knew that Jack was hurting and just wanted to comfort him. But he wasn't sure how he felt about Jack's final confession. He thought about me. Thoughts of me helped him get through the torture even after I killed myself. Ianto grew overwhelmed with affection. Still staring into Jack's eyes, he kissed him even more passionately than before.

Jack had no trouble responding. I think – no I know – I am falling in love with this man.

They kissed deeply and passionately for a good hour, only stopping for air when needed. They didn't go any further. They shifted back under the covers and fell asleep. Jack didn't have another nightmare that night.

Ianto awoke at seven o'clock. Curse having an internal clock that never adjusts, he thought, having only caught two more hours of sleep. Last night took a toll on them both. He looked down at Jack, still fast asleep. He never sleeps this long. He caught the smile on Jack's face. At least he's not having a nightmare again.

Ianto stayed in bed holding Jack a while longer, not wanting to disturb him. He thought about Jack's time away on the Valiant, how terrible a year it would have been… was… It didn't happen. But it did happen for Jack. He'll never forget; another curse of immortality.

Eight o'clock came around and Ianto grew antsy. His arms were tingling from lack of movement and blood flow. He extricated himself from under and around Jack, taking extra care not to wake him. He wanted to go back to his suite, clean up, change. But he didn't want to have Jack wake in panic. Ianto found the room's pen and pad of paper, scribbled a note telling him he was heading to his room and that they'll see each other at the hub later that day. He left it on the pillow by Jack's head for when he woke.

Back in his suite, Ianto immediately stripped and took a cold shower. He wanted to forget about Jack's time away, his torture, the suffering. He also wanted to be able to think clearly about his relationship with that broken, immortal man.

What Jack told me was absolutely horrendous. The Master was so cruel, so vicious, Ianto thought, while finally shedding the tears he hid from Jack in order to be strong for him. But to be killed at least once a day, every day, for an entire year? Over 500 deaths. Ianto shuddered at the thought as he felt bile rising in his throat. How could thoughts of me have helped him through all that? He felt his insecurities and doubts quickly rising back into to the forefronts of his mind. He thought about the team. He thought about Tosh and Owen and… his thoughts paused, not really wanting to head down that path.

But he did. He needed to determine what caused him to distrust Jack so much. I know he thought about Gwen. I know he sent her away last night, saying he didn't want her comfort. I trusted him enough to stay the night, but that isn't enough to continue anything with him. Am I just afraid he'll leave again? Is that why I distrust him so much? Is that why I don't believe he came back for me, as he repeatedly stated as fact?

Ianto was at a loss. So lost, in fact, that he never noticed himself go through the motions of washing and drying up, and changing into his clothes. He shook himself from his thoughts and gathered up all of his belongings, then sat, waiting. Come ten o'clock he made his phone calls, making sure his teammates were awake and would be ready to check out.

They gathered at the front desk, checking out, and were out the hotel doors heading back to the hub come eleven.

"Before anyone can go home," Jack began, assuming his authority again, "we need to check on the aftermath of John's departure. Tosh, I'll need you to check the rift alerts, make sure no major damage occurred. Gwen and Owen, take care of damage control for the explosion, retconning if necessary, though I doubt it. Ianto, we'll need cleanup and a cover story."

"And what about you?" Gwen barked, angry both at Jack and at her loss of control of the team, despite never actually having control.

Jack noted the anger, but dismissed it. "I'll be returning the sports car, checking the hub to make sure John didn't get into anything he shouldn't have, and then reading up on what I've missed."

The SUV was silent the rest of their drive, and upon arriving at the hub, they each immediately went into action. Once everything was cleared and taken care of, Jack dismissed the team.

One by one, the team filed out, except for one. "Ianto," Jack called out before he could leave. "Can you come here?"

Ianto nodded and followed Jack, heading into his office. Jack sat in his chair, motioning Ianto to sit across from him. They sat in awkward silence until Jack finally broke in, "Thank you for last night."

"Don't mention it, sir," Ianto said. While he was working on the cleanup and cover story, he thought about his relationship with his Captain. If he wants me back in his good graces, as something more than an employee, he's going to have to prove himself to me. He was determined to stand his ground.

"Back to sir again?" Jack asked with a hint of frustration.

"Yes, sir," Ianto stood his ground, trying to gain some respect and regain some of his dignity. "You are my boss," he immediately began explaining. "And until I can trust you again, that is how you'll stay. I know you have nightmares, and I'll be here for you, but only as comfort, nothing more."

Jack was saddened. I really hurt him, didn't I? He knew he had a lot to prove.

Unfortunately the time to prove himself, his love for Ianto, would not be any time soon. The rift was more active than usual for weeks after John's departure. Thankfully there was nothing dangerous, mostly flotsam and jetsam. Weevil sightings were at an all-time high and even a few hoixes.

Two and a half weeks had passed before everything seemed to settle. That was until they were called to the scene of a murder.

"Tosh, what happened here?" Jack asked as they rolled up to the scene.

Tosh read of the report. "Two IC males; one fatality, one seriously wounded after a fall from a fifth-floor window onto a police vehicle."

After checking the outside scene, Jack sent Gwen and Owen to the hospital with the burglar and also to interview the husband and wife, the victims of the burglary. He and Tosh stayed to investigate in the flat. Having found no weapon or any clues, he tapped his comm to contact Owen. "It's me. Anything?"

"No, nothing. They're completely clear," Owen responds in frustration.

"Well, one of them did it. We just need to figure out how," Jack stated, then laid out orders. "Stay with the burglar all night if you have to, and keep an eye on those two."

In typical Owen fashion, he shirked his responsibilities onto Gwen. She sat with the burglar until he awoke in a panic. "Oh, shh, shh! Oh, you're safe, all right? You're safe, just tell me who did this to you."

The burglar was terrified. "The woman… in the flat… keep her away from me!" He answered before succumbing to his injuries.

They had the wife, Beth Halloran, in the interrogation room. She was truly scared and confused, but Jack saw it only as an act. She continued to declare her innocence and Jack left, frustrated.

Though things weren't resolved between him and Jack, their banter and flirtation was still ever present. Having seen how frustrated Jack was becoming, Ianto seized an opportunity to ruffle the older man and lighten the mood.

Jack walked through the workstations and joined Ianto at the window of the interrogation room. "Just us… in this room… for as long as it takes…" Ianto mimics Jack, feigning fear. "Terrifying."

"Really?" Jack asks.

"Absolutely. Shivers down my spine," Ianto stated composedly.

"You don't look scared."

"Oh, it… passed."

Jack growls with disappointment but appreciated Ianto's lightness of the situation.

No significant results came from the body scan. They were at a standstill once they discovered Owen couldn't break Beth's skin barrier in order to take blood samples. That just leaves the mind probe, Jack thought as Beth continued to plead for a way to prove she wasn't a threat, yet alone an alien threat.

Jack received the contempt he expected once he announced his decision.

"You said we weren't allowed to use that again," Tosh spoke out.

"It's just a mind probe," Jack defended. I knew they'd protest. If only Ianto would back me up.

But he didn't. Instead he piped in, "Remember what happened last time you used it?"

Of course I remember, Jack thought. "That was different. That species has extremely high blood pressure."

"Oh, right, their heads must explode all the time," Ianto chimed back.

Gwen grew concerned for Beth. "You can't do this! What if you're wrong? If she is human, it'll kill her!"

Jack stood by his convictions. "I'm not wrong. We have to find out what she is."

"Take it easy, Jack," Tosh voiced. "Stop at the first sight of trouble."

Ianto, seated in the metal chair, grabbing the metal armrests, straps over his wrists, "Or the first sign of exploding," deadpans.

"Gwen, bring her up," Jack orders. As she leaves to retrieve Beth from the vaults, Ianto shudders, imitating being electrocuted, complete with sound effects. Jack, though amused by Ianto's antics knew this was not the time and place. "Hey!" he exclaims and Ianto quickly gets up off the chair.

They strap a very frightened Beth into the chair and place the mind probe on her head. "Will it hurt?" She asks.

"Yeah," Jack answered honestly.

"Your bedside manner's rubbish," she quipped.

Gwen, trying to find some humor and bring ease to Beth's mind, remembered a time she overheard Ianto discussing Jack's manners in bed with Tosh. She was so irritated with Jack's behavior that she resorted to embarrassment as her revenge. "You should see his manners in bed," she began, nervously. "They're atrocious, apparently, so I've heard."

Ianto remembered his drunken conversation with Tosh in the hub one night and figured Gwen just overheard. He couldn't resist the moment to poke fun at Jack again, but also wanted to mark his claim on the man, even if I don't know where we stand, or what we are. "Oh, they are," he quipped. "I remember this one time…"

Jack cleared his throat loudly, cutting Ianto off. My work here is done, Ianto thought.

The probe dug deep into Beth's subconscious and triggered a buried compartment that was locked away. "She couldn't have been aware of it," Tosh threw out.

Beth repeated, over and over, regardless of the question, "Kayehla janees, putaak graszh, ish nin fas du hap vac nal."

They removed Beth from the probe and placed her back in the vaults. The team gathered into the conference room to determine a course of action.

Jack began explaining what they were up against, while answering the team's questions. "She's a sleeper agent. They infiltrate planets, adapting their bodies, gathering intelligence, sometimes for years, watching, until they're ready to take over. If we're lucky, she's the first. They send an advance guard to gather intel. Give them false memories so they blend in. Her real self must have taken over briefly, killed the burglars; self preservation. By the time they attack, they know every single thing about the planet."

They constructed a plan to freeze her and deactivate her implant so she couldn't be activated, nor could she send anymore information back to her planet. But that plan was thwarted when she tricked the medical readouts and escaped back to the hospital in order to say goodbye to her husband.

That's when all hell broke loose. Three other sleeper agents were activated and sent on their missions to blow up essential personnel, buildings, and escape routes used in case of emergencies by the military.

The sleeper agents knocked out the telephone lines. All means of contact were lost. Owen and Tosh were griping about phones not working. Ianto, always ready to be a right arse and put Owen in his place, began "Mobiles, landlines, tin cans with bits of string. Everything. Absolutely everything. No phones, phones all broken." He holds his hand up to his face as if he were talking on a phone. "Hello? Anyone there?" he quipped. "No, 'cause the phones aren't working!"

Thankfully, though, Jack found a CB radio, and after finding the right frequency, got through to the hub. The team pieced together that the last agent was headed after the nuclear warheads secured at an abandoned farm outside the city.

"Please tell me you can stop this," Tosh pleaded.

"Going as fast as we can," Jack responded. "If we don't, we won't feel a thing. We're at the center of the blast radius."

"That's comforting," Tosh responded sarcastically.

"Come on!" Jack chimed back in. "Have a little faith! With a dashing hero like me on the case, how can we fail?"

"He is dashing, you have to give him that," Ianto stated, the words out of his mouth before he could take them back. But if this is the end of the world, I'm not going to deny anything.

Owen and Tosh bickered once more over what would happen if they couldn't stop it. Owen, in his typical fashion, in spite of impending doom, suggested, "Let's all have sex."

"And I thought the end of the world couldn't get any worse," Ianto responded sarcastically. But it got him thinking. What if I'm never able to spend time with Jack again? I'm letting my anger, my resentment, my fear, cloud my judgment. I still don't trust him, but if we get through this. I want him. No, I need him.

The world didn't end. Torchwood saved the day. Jack sent the team home after they could safely pass the cleanup job over to UNIT and local police.

Ianto stayed. He proceeded to Jack's office where the older man sat, tired and worn, attempting to appear busy. Jack didn't even initially register Ianto's presence.

Ianto removed his suit jacket and waistcoat and neatly hung them on the coat rack before proceeding over to Jack. He pulled Jack around in his chair and straddled him while leaning in, kissing him so hungrily, yet so passionately.

Jack was caught off guard, but he certainly wasn't going to resist. What's gotten into Ianto? He wondered. But as quickly as the thought arose, it dwindled. Their hands frantically moving, loosening each other's clothing.

Ianto dropped Jack's braces over his shoulders and made quick work of unbuttoning his shirt. He removed Jack's shirt and undershirt in one swift motion. Ianto caressed Jack's chest while kissing, sucking, nipping his neck.

Jack was coming undone, having missed Ianto's presence for so long, and never wanting to be rid of the younger man. He loosened and removed Ianto's tie, and continued removing his shirts. He moaned as Ianto sucked on his pulse point and rubbed his thumbs over his nipples. He lifted Ianto's shirts off and immediately pulled the younger man closer, savoring the touch of his bare chest and back, and continuing to lose himself in their kiss.

Ianto drifted his hands toward Jack's hips making sure to stroke all of Jack's more tender, arousing spots. He unbuckled Jack's belt and unzipped his trousers. Jack followed Ianto's lead.

Ianto slipped his hand into Jack's briefs, massaging the more sensitive areas around Jack's cock, teasing him mercilessly. He lifted himself from Jack's lap while simultaneously lowering Jack's trousers and pants. He dropped to his knees, and while removing Jack's shoes and socks, he sucked and nipped his thighs.

Jack squirmed in pleasure. I want Ianto to take me. I want to take Ianto. He wanted to feel the warmth, the passion, the hunger inside them come undone.

Ianto finished relieving Jack of his trousers, and finished stripping himself of his remaining clothes. He stared at Jack's naked body, taking in his beauty. Let's give him a show, Ianto thought as he came up with a plan to arouse Jack even more.

Jack was in awe of the man before him. He's so beautiful; absolutely gorgeous. "Oh my god!" he exclaimed.

Ianto had retrieved the bottle of lube from Jack's desk drawer. He poured some in his hand, running it through his fingers, then bent over to provide a better view for Jack and so he could watch Jack's reaction. He inserted a finger into his entrance and began preparing himself up for Jack, who couldn't have dropped his jaw any lower in shock.

Jack watched in utter awe and amazement as Ianto prepared himself, inserting one, then two, then three fingers. Also teasing and torturing himself, rubbing against his prostate just the way he liked in order to moan, loudly, and get Jack even more turned on.

When Ianto was ready, he stood back up and faced Jack. He poured some more lube in his hand and spread it over Jack's cock while kissing him. Ianto pulled away once Jack's climax was near, wanting them to cum together. He raised himself above Jack, never breaking eye contact, and lowered himself onto Jack's raging hard-on.

"Fuck!" Jack cried out as Ianto lowered himself onto his cock. He is so amazing.

Ianto took a moment to adjust to Jack's presence, then began riding him, slow at first, but quickening as they both completely let go. And always at the same angle to hit his prostate, resulting in them both moaning and writhing in pure pleasure.

Jack kept his arms around Ianto's waist, holding him close. He brought one arm back around, teasing Ianto's nipple while Jack sucked, bit, licked, and pulled at the other. Ianto moaned and screamed at the pleasurable pain.

Ianto began stroking himself, knowing he wasn't going last much longer. Jack joined him, lacing their fingers together. Jack could feel himself close to climax, but he held on until Ianto came first.

Ianto leaned into Jack, kissing him fiercely. He knew he was getting close. He pulled away, gazing straight into Jack's eyes as he quickened his pace, ready to cum. "Jack!" he cried out, as he came over Jack's chest.

Jack lost control hearing Ianto shout his name when he came. He pulled Ianto down hard onto him as he came deep inside him.

Ianto collapsed on top of Jack, burying his head in the crook of his neck, as they both caught their breaths.

Having relaxed, Ianto stood up and wiped them off. He outstretched his hand to Jack, "Come on, let's go to bed."