Epilogue

The hospital stay was relatively straightforward, and perhaps even a much needed respite from the drama of the past few days. Ianto had his wounds cleaned and bandaged again, and was pumped full of fluids to completely flush his system of any lingering drugs and poison. Jack stayed with him, but did actually allow him to rest after fretting over him in an almost unsettling way. Jack then crashed on the small sofa not long after Ianto had been settled in, and he was fairly certain Jack fell asleep first.

Dr. Williamson checked on him first thing in the morning as promised, and Tosh brought him and Jack a change of clothes that was much appreciated. Fortunately, Ianto did not have to stay long and felt much better when he was released later that morning, in spite of Jack fussing over him the entire time, making sure he was all right and certain he wanted to leave.

He was ready—at least, until they arrived at UNIT headquarters for the briefing with General Brightman. Ianto retrieved his belongings, confiscated when Anastasia Morgan had arrested him. It was strange, to be back so soon; it certainly felt like more than a day had passed. He did not particularly want to be there after what had happened in his short-term jail cell—his thigh was still sore from where they had literally ripped out his tracking device—but given his part in matters, including the death of a UNIT employee, he knew his duty. There was also the small matter of someone keeping Jack in line, particularly when it came to demanding the head of the man who had stabbed and drugged Ianto for Katherine Young; for some reason, that man seemed to have disappeared.

Tosh didn't do so well with the briefing, given her history with UNIT, and after three hours, Jack finally stood and said they needed to go; anything else could be done over the phone. Brightman actually nodded in understanding and walked them out, surprisingly contrite given his organization's involvement in the torture and deaths of so many people. Jack swore as they left the building, made sure both Tosh and Ianto were all right, and then took them to the swankiest restaurant he could find in the West End, where they enjoyed a ridiculously expensive dinner that Ianto was fairly sure Jack would somehow charge to UNIT.

When they finally went back to the hotel Tosh had booked for them the night before, she handed them separate room keys, albeit with both an unsure and yet knowing look. Ianto was exhausted, but rather hoped Jack remembered what he had said yesterday about separate rooms; he was glad when there was a knock on the door ten minutes later and he found Jack standing there, looking uncertain. Pulling him inside, Ianto put aside his exhaustion for the time being.

They walked from the hotel to meet Nigel Williamson and Jordan Ford for brunch the next morning after another quick trip for clothing and supplies. Tosh decided to drive back to Cardiff; Ianto rather suspected she wanted to be as far from UNIT as possible after the previous afternoon's debriefing. When she kissed his cheek goodbye, she whispered, "Enjoy the rest of your trip," and Ianto had a strong feeling that she knew something he didn't.

Brunch with the MI5 agents was far more enjoyable than the meeting at UNIT. Jack and Ianto filled them in on the rest of the case, while Nigel Williamson tried to get Ianto to stay in London, and Jack tried to convince the doctor to retire to Cardiff. Ianto ended up talking to Jordan quite a bit while the other two men traded secret government agency banter back and forth. He found her extremely likable in spite of their rather gruff introduction in his hotel room two days earlier and rather wished Torchwood liaised with MI5 more than UNIT.

"How is Fiona Stewart doing?" Ianto asked during a break in the conversation. The doctor turned to him and smiled broadly.

"I spoke with her yesterday, and she's doing very well. She'll be so glad you asked."

"What is she planning on doing? Now that she's safe?"

"Actually, she's going home," said the doctor. "The ghosts of Canary Wharf kept her here, but she's finally ready to put them behind her. She's from Newcastle, so we're going to drive up there this evening."

Ianto felt a wave of relief sweep over him. "That's wonderful!" he exclaimed. It was so encouraging to know someone at least was recovering from the experience of both Canary Wharf and the long aftermath.

"She felt like she could use the extra support when talking with her family about what happened to her," the doctor said. "Obviously she won't be able to tell them everything, but I offered to be there with her, to help."

"Thank you," said Ianto, grateful to the doctor for his support. He knew the scarred, frail woman who had first spoken to him at the ruins of Canary Wharf needed someone and that the doctor was the right man to help her return to normal life. Maybe Jack had a point about Nigel Williamson retiring to Cardiff. They didn't need a doctor, but a former doctor with strong people skills bordering on therapeutic might be good for them all.

Their meal ended far too soon with promises of meeting again next time Jack and Ianto were in London. Nigel Williamson left to pick up Fiona, while Jordan Ford returned to her job at MI5, claiming it would likely be a bit boring now that she had been kidnapped by an insane secret agent bent on destroying the world. Jack winked and offered her a job in Cardiff with the doctor, telling her she'd get her fill of adventure if she were interested. She laughed him off before thanking them for their help. Ianto watched her leave, then turned to Jack.

"Are we ready, then? To go back home?" He had been aching to return to Cardiff almost since the moment he had left the hospital; it seemed London would only ever be a place full of bad memories, and he was ready to leave them behind once again.

"Tomorrow," Jack said. "We still have a few things to finish here." They headed down the street toward the nearest tube station at St. James's Park. Ianto raised an eyebrow as Jack bought two travel cards. Jack gave him a wink and a grin. "Figured it out, yet?

Ianto tried to guess where they might be going as they boarded the crowded District Line. It occurred to him that they could be going to…no, Jack wouldn't do that. Would he?

His thoughts must have played out on his face. He sat down and stared at Jack as if he could silently wrestle the answer from him. Jack just grinned.

"You didn't," Ianto finally stated.

"Didn't what?" Jack asked so innocently the answer was obvious.

"You did," Ianto sighed. He wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or mortified or something in between. Yet slowly a smile spread across his face, and he felt more relaxed than he had for three days at the thought of the rest of the afternoon playing out the way he now hoped it would.

"I did," said Jack, leaning over to peck him on the cheek, then laying a hand over his. "I hope you don't mind."

"I can't believe you remembered," Ianto murmured, shaking his head. "And after all that's happened over the last few days, why bother?'

"Because I said we would celebrate your birthday properly when this was all over. And you said you were going to ride the Eye for Lisa. So we do both at once." He suddenly looked unsure. "Is that all right? I mean, it's not too morbid or anything, is it?"

Ianto laughed at Jack's rare insecurity. "It might be, but it's fine. It's brilliant. Thank you, Jack."

There was another kiss, this time on the lips. Ianto thought that maybe he should be a bit more discreet—he was on the tube, after all, kissing another man—but he didn't really care, not then. As he had just asked Jack, after the last few days, why bother with something so insignificant as being embarrassed by a kiss when he was in fact feeling quite content?

"I just want you to have a good memory of London to take back to Cardiff," Jack finally said after a long silence. Ianto glanced at him in surprise, and once again Jack looked awkward as he continued. "I mean, it's been a rough trip, and it's the first time you've been back since last year."

"I have good memories of London," Ianto replied, keeping a smile in check so he could have a bit of fun with Jack. "Dragging your numb arse across the car park, the look on your face when I pulled my gun on you in the hotel, the even better look on your face when General Brightman suggested I transfer—"

Jack cut him off with a frown. "That's not what I meant." He paused when he realized he was being played. "And you know it."

Ianto grinned as the train stopped, and they stood to leave. "You're not the only one who can take the piss sometimes, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I just didn't expect it from you," grumbled Jack.

"What, you're still not used to my dry sarcasm, my ironic wit, and my deadpan delivery by now?" He said this all with a single raised eyebrow, which caused Jack to finally burst into laughter.

"Point made. How about, I didn't really anticipate it in the middle of everything else that's happened," he said. He gave Ianto a very serious look as they exited the train and made their way with the crowds to the ground level, finally bursting forth onto a surprisingly clear day. Ianto could see the huge ferris wheel down by the river, a short walk away, and grinned.

"I'm all right, Jack," he said, almost reaching for Jack's hand to reassure him, but stopping at the last minute and increasing his pace instead. "Really. Now come on, I'm excited."

"I didn't think you did excited either," Jack pointed out, hurrying to catch up with him.

"I usually don't. It's part of my mysterious charm."

"You're stealing my lines again," Jack laughed. "I'm supposed to be the mysterious one."

Ianto stopped and turned so quickly that Jack actually bumped into him. "Look, this was my trip, my case, my moment. And now my birthday. So let me enjoy it the way I want to, which includes stealing your lines and giving you a hard time."

And that was when he knew he really had him: Jack stared at him openmouthed, struck speechless. Ianto laughed, and this time he did take Jack's hand with a broad grin and pulled him forward, toward the pier and the grand ferris wheel waiting for them there.

"I'm sorry," Jack murmured into his ear, and Ianto gave him a curious look.

"What for?"

"For everything," Jack shrugged.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," said Ianto, wondering where Jack's sudden melancholy was coming from when they had been joking just a moment before.

"I'm sorry for not being there for you, that you had to go through so much alone, and then have me fuss over you. I didn't even ask if you wanted to do this, if you're up for it."

Ianto shook his head, somewhat amazed at Jack's confession. "Nothing that happened was your fault, Jack. You're here with me now, that's all that matters. And of course I'm up for it." He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Ask me again later, and I might be up for even more."

"Always thinking ahead, aren't you?" Jack teased, a bit of his normal demeanor returning.

"Better than thinking about the past," Ianto returned. Because it was in the past, and he couldn't let it hold him back. He had survived Canary Wharf not once, but twice now, and had seen what it could do to someone who was unable to move on.

"Let's just focus on today," Jack said, interrupting his thoughts. "An afternoon on the pier, dinner at Orsino's, and a night at the Proms, okay?"

Ianto nodded, trying not to get choked up over all the effort Jack had taken to plan something special for him, but Jack saw through it and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Happy birthday, Ianto," he whispered with a kiss against his temple.

Ianto sighed with contentment, living the present exactly as he wanted and looking forward to the future even more now that he did not need to look back at the past any longer.

A stocky man with black hair rubbed a hand against his beard and sighed. It was fairly obvious the two Torchwood agents walking so close together across the pier were more than coworkers, yet that was not what struck him about the men. Instead, he saw two strong soldiers, loyal to Torchwood, the Crown, and the planet. They were exactly what was needed, what the world needed, if it was going to survive.

Because he knew there would always be another Sycorax ship, another Canary Wharf, another Katherine Young desperate to destroy it all for the chance to escape the inevitable. Yet with men like Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones, there was hope—hope that the earth might survive the coming catastrophes in her future.

And though he had not intended to stay, perhaps he would, in order to keep the promise he had made to the two men about improving relations between Torchwood and UNIT. It would be a damn shame, after all, if the earth survived countless alien threats only to fall to internal warfare between the two organizations tasked with protecting the planet.

The man smiled to himself as Jack Harkness wrapped an arm around the shoulders of Ianto Jones, who smiled and leaned his head on the shoulder of the former Time Agent. The man nodded to himself and pulled his sleeves down over his wrist strap before turning away from the river. He headed toward the tube station to catch the next train to Tower Hill and what he affectionately thought of as his day job. He'd file his report on Harkness and Jones with his superiors later that night and hope that they let him stay on a bit longer. He liked this planet, this time; Torchwood might need him one day, and he wanted be there for them.

It was what he did, after all: watch over the past to safeguard the future, so that the present could be all that it was meant to be.

The End!

Thank you so much for reading this story—for all the reviews and comments and support. It has been amazing. A huge thank you to darcy58 for all his comments and Cerish for all hers, especially on this short epilogue. Any mistakes getting around London are my own. From the first chapter I had always seen Jack and Ianto finishing their adventure at the Eye, and with a few other things to mention and wrap up, I had to go for it. If you are scratching your head over the last few paragraphs, please don't. It's just that once I realized who this particular character might be, I did want to leave him a bit more so I could bring him back if I wanted to. Who is he? Well, he's a concerned party. And while there is no sequel for this story, I'd like to think he may very well show up in another someday. :)

Thank you again!