Time for Ianto Jones was not measured in a linear progression like the previous twenty six years of his life, but rather in a series of blood tests, scans and examinations. His, hosts, as they preferred to consider themselves, were charged with the critical mission of saving their entire species. An admirable task that lead them to extract beings of medical interest to examine. They were using a combination of the unpredictable energies of the rift (the first clue this was a fools errand in his mind) and just a little luck fueled by an over abundance of self confidence. Not a combination designed to leave Ianto and his previous experience of such things with any feelings of comfort or confidence in the likely success of their endeavors.

They, being the little grey men of every alien abduction story he'd ever found online or in the tabloids. A race Jack always said where two parts benign and three parts myth, dying out somewhere in the twenty fifth century, earth time equivalent. Having watched them Ianto was hardly surprised as to why. Perhaps instead of abducting American's and him, if they had concentrated on doctors and scientists like Tosh or Owen, they might have stood a better chance at succeeding. But they had saved him, and promised to return him to Jack if he complied with their needs. So he couldn't hold their methods completely against them. Assuming they had comparable anatomy to humans their hearts were in the right place, otherwise this really was a fools errand.

It did cross his mind, as he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun held by a woman who looked almost identical to his memories of Gwen, that perhaps he should have known better than to trust his host's sense of timing. Suspecting that he'd been gone longer than expected. The Hub itself looked largely unchanged, complete with desk covered in post it notes scribbled over with complex mathematical calculations. Although the rather tall man typing away in his a lab coat didn't look like he was having much luck with what Ianto suspected was a rift predictor program. Perhaps it wasn't his usual role. The Gwen look a like was an interesting addition and Ianto could see by the way she held her gun and her stance that she was certainly a good copy but not the original edition.

What hadn't changed was the man descending into the Hub, smelling like sex and coffee. The two things he'd most missed and hadn't had in a time longer than he cared to remember. He straightened his tie and looked at Jack. 'Hello Sir. Did you miss me?'

Ana narrowed her gaze at the intruder, her annoyance bleeding into her tone. 'You don't get to ask the questions.'
'No.' Jack spoke softly. 'That would be my job.'
'In the interrogation room Sir? Or the cell next to Janet?'
With no coffees to hold Jack shoved his hands in his pockets to stop himself reaching out for the man standing before him, ignoring the young woman and her gun. A man who looked exactly like the same man who died in his arms so many years ago. 'Who are you?'
'Jones, Ianto Jones. Employee number two five four seven eight six dash one nine eight, eight three. Archivist, field agent and general support, recruited by Torchwood Institute in London 2005, then employed here in Cardiff in 2007.'

Ana shook her head. 'Ianto Jones died in London. In 2009.'
'I do recall the experience.' Ianto deadpanned. 'I was there you know.'
'That's impossible.' She snapped.
Ianto snapped back. 'You must be new.'

Jack laughed, walking around Ianto he was torn between the need for the man standing there to be who he said he was, and fear in equal measures that he both was and wasn't Ianto Jones. He was a good replica at first glance if he was a fake, down to the suit being identical, minus the jacket, to the one Ianto wore the day he'd died. 'You haven't said anything that isn't a matter of record, you've told me nothing about who you are or why you're here.'
Spinning in place Ianto maintained eye contact with Jack. 'Fifty first century, Boshane Peninsula.'
Jack shrugged. 'Neither of which are essentially secrets.'
Ana lowered her gun. 'Boshane Peninsula?'
'It's where I was born.' His tone dismissive as he focused on the man.
Ianto snickered. 'Now I know she's not Gwen.'
'No but I'm her -.'

Jack cut her off. 'No. Until we assess the risk and who he really is, you tell him nothing.'
'Daughter? Or granddaughter?' Ianto shook his head. 'How long have I been gone?'
Ana's laugh was harsh in the stillness around them. 'What? You don't even know what year it is?'
Ianto rolled his eyes at her petulant tone. 'If I knew I wouldn't have asked.'
'Whatever, look at your clothes, no one dresses like that except the toffs. And no matter how you sound you clearly aren't from around here.'
'I was born in Newport but no one's held that against me before now. And it isn't so much a matter of where I'm from as when, is it.' He looked from the taller man in the white coat to Jack. 'Please tell me she is got the job because she's pretty.'

No longer forgotten where he stood working on the computer at Cora's desk Meric snickered. 'Oh I like you.'
Looking over Ianto nodded. 'Thank you, I take it you are the team's doctor.'
'Aye, and I'd love to know how you could be alive if you're who you really say you are.'
Jack privately agreed. 'I think we all want to know that.'
'We cheated death every day Sir. Well.' He paused. 'Except the last time. As to proving who I am, I don't suppose the code for the secure archives is still the same.'
'It would not be.'
'And my coffee machine got destroyed so I can't make you a cup of coffee to prove it that way.'

'Oh my god, what was it with the legendary Ianto Jones and his bloody coffee?' Ana looked at Jack. 'That's all Gwen ever wanted, one more bloody cup of coffee.' She turned back to the man claiming to be Ianto Jones. 'I don't care how wizard you were at making coffee, no one's that good.'
'You really are a petulant child. Someone needs to send you to your room to calm down.'
Ana snarled. 'You can't tell me what to do, no matter who you are.'
Jack shook his head. 'Enough!' He pointed to Ana. 'Go away, find something to do that doesn't involve disobeying me and sniping at him like someone stole your Christmas presents.' He considered the look on her face. 'Before I do send you to your room.'

'And where will you send me, Sir?'
Jack sighed. 'That sort of depends on how much of you is Ianto Jones.'
Ignoring that remark Ianto asked the next obvious question. 'How long have I been gone?'
'Thames House was fifty years ago.'
Ianto sank in to a chair. 'Oh Jack.'
'So convince me that I should believe you are who you say you are.'
'I'm not sure what I can say to prove who I am.'

Meric wondered forward. 'I can run some blood tests, compare it to your old file.'
'Ah,' Ianto responded. 'You do that and I rather think I'll end up in next to Janet after all.'
'Now why would you say that?'
Ianto recognized the danger in Jack's tone. 'Take your sample and get your medic to tell you, I'm not sure you'd believe me otherwise.' He rolled his sleeve up.
'Step into my office.'
'Said the spider to the fly.' Ianto muttered as he rose to his feet and followed the doctor.

Jack pulled a chair over and sat opposite the man now sitting in the Hub's medlab, claiming
to be back from the dead. 'Pretending I believe you, how are you alive, where were you and how long were you there?'
'I don't understand all the details, but apparently I was snatched because of you.' He watched Jack's eyes narrow and continued. 'In Thames House, you kissed me. I hoped it was because of your affection for me, even if you didn't want me to tell you I love you. Then I started to wonder if you were trying to pass some of your energy to me.'
'Go on.'

Ianto took that as confirmation and continued. 'That energy caught the attention of a group of little grey men.'
Jack scoffed. 'They're an urban legend.'
'Like fairies?' Ianto ignored the look now painted across his face. 'They used their knowledge and technology to counter the gas the 456 released. Between that and the energy you did impart in me, I came back.'
'What technology?'
'Run your blood tests, I believe that should tell you.'
'I want to believe you Ianto I do, but I have to know, you have to understand that.'
'I understand standard Torchwood procedures mean we should be having this conversation in a cell, so I do appreciate the discretion you are showing me, Sir.'
Jack sighed, he wanted so desperately to believe this was Ianto but he couldn't let his heart break again if it turned out he wasn't. It then occurred to him that there might be another reason for the faint aura of hostility the man was radiating.

'How long ago was your last cup of coffee?'
'That would have been in the abandoned Torchwood One warehouse in London. About twenty minutes after the last time we shagged, if memory serves. Which according to my personal time line, was about two years ago.'
'That must have been a challenge.'
'I'd been dead for several weeks by the time they revived me, it was the least of my concerns as I recall.'

'Tell me what you know he's going to find.' Jack indicated Meric working behind them. 'When he finishes analyzing your blood.'
'My DNA should be mostly unchanged but there is a nano component to my blood chemistry that wasn't there before.'
'Nanotechnology?'
'Apparently they got their hands on a Chula hospital ship at some point but the nanogenes were unable to stop the grey alien's wasting disease.'

'If everyone was already contaminated then Chula nanogenes wouldn't be able to help without a clean sample.' Jack grinned. 'I was still mortal when I last encountered them, that's how I met the Doctor.'
'Yes, dancing during the London Blitz whilst running a con that nearly destroyed the city, very romantic Sir.'
'Don't knock it, that version of the Doctor could really move, and I'm not the same man I was then.'
'No, I don't believe you are.'

Interrupting the two men Meric handed a print out to Jack. 'Sorry to cut in, but according to these results, this man here is your long lost tea boy according to his file.' He laughed. 'It's actually labelled "tea boy". But there's something in his blood I've not seen before.'
Ianto gave the doctor a faint smile. 'I believe I know where you are about to go with this and I would have to strongly protest at being used as a lab rat once more.'
'I don't fancy it would make any difference anyway, I'm running a few tests on the sample I took but
it looks like whatever the aliens did you to, it's not transferable in vitro.'
'That I suspect, was the only reason the little grey men kept their promise to send me home. I was no further use to them if I was unrepeatable.'
Meric shrugged. 'First rule of scientific research is to replicate the results.'

Jack handed the paper back to the doctor and grinned at Ianto, reaching for his hand. 'So, according to that print out, you really are, you.' Allowing himself to touch as their fingers met.
'Yep.'
'Back from the dead.'
'Apparently so.' Ianto echoed Jack's grin with a smile of his own until realization struck him. 'Oh bugger.'
The grin faded. 'What?'
'Do you have any idea how much paperwork this is going to generate?'
'Think of the back pay.'
Ianto rolled his eyes. 'Yes Sir, there is that to take into consideration.' He sighed. 'Do you think I could I get an advance on my wages? I don't really fancy spending any more time than I have to wearing the same clothes I died in.'

Jack's face flushed with colour. 'I ah, may have kept some of your clothes, here.'
'As opposed to the storage unit by the docks?'
'It was more convenient?'
'To keep my clothes?'
Jack nodded. 'I packed most of them so they should be fine, air them out maybe first. You could be a bit retro not that I'd know if suits have changed much.'
'I'm not worried about being retro Jack.'

Pulling Ianto into his arms Jack finally let himself believe this might actually be real. 'I couldn't let you go. I never got to say how much I.' He buried his face in Ianto's shoulder, afraid to speak least his voice betray him. Melting as he felt arms wrap around him and hold him close.
'I understand Jack, really I do. But if you think you will get away without saying it, eventually, then you will just wish I'd put you on decaf.'
'I love you Ianto Jones.' Jack whispered. 'And I hope it isn't creepy that I have one or two of your suits here, in my wardrobe.' He looked at Ianto though his lowered eyelashes, waiting.
'Just as well really, it will take weeks to sort the bloody paperwork out and get a new credit card. Never mind finding a new flat.'
'Oh, I ah, may have sort of brought the building your old flat was in.'

Ianto stepped back and groaned at just how sheepish Jack looked, hands dropped to his side as he stared at his shoes. 'Please tell me I'm not going to find some creepy shrine.'
'No.' Jack shook his head as he began moving towards his office.
Ianto followed. 'But you emptied the fridge, right?'
Jack scratched his head. 'Well yeah, I'm not totally incompetent.'
'Never said you were. Why did you buy the building?'
'I already had a key?' Jack grinned, meeting Ianto's eyes. 'I didn't realize you owned the building your flat was in.'
'What else was I going to spend my money on.'

'Your sister put it up for sale so I brought it, contents included. Or the ones I hadn't already liberated. Moving on. It's a good location and it seemed like a sound investment opportunity.' He moved to close his office door. 'But I've got those clothes in my room, or you can wear some of mine if you want to get out of that suit.'
'Is this you trying to get me naked Sir?'
He shrugged. 'Could be.'

The office door closed and Ianto watched as the glass went opaque after the lock was snibbed.
'I have missed you, so, so much.' Pulling Ianto into his arms once more.
'I think I have an idea of just how much, unless you've taken to keeping more than your phone in that pocket, Sir.'
'Oh that's not my phone. But come on, when we rebuilt the place I had a few changes made, bunker's a bit bigger and I had the plumbing upgraded.'

Ianto pulled out of Jack's reach. 'Are you seeing anyone Jack?' Watching as the man shook his head.
'I haven't been a monk, I am Captain Jack Harkness, but you're not interrupting anything.' He stepped closer to Ianto, reaching out to brush his fingertips across the younger man's cheekbones. 'You were sort of, a hard act to follow.'
'Well, we better see if we both remember how this works.'
Jack grinned. 'I think I can still remember what goes where.'
'Good.' Ianto pulled away and climbed down into Jack's room. 'If you think you can keep up, that is.'

He stopped when his feet hit the floor of the bunker. 'A few changes?' He moved around the room and tried not to remember how many times they'd fallen out of the army cot Jack used to sleep in.
Jack shrugged. 'I got used to your bed, it was a bit bigger than mine. But wait until you check the shower out.' He pulled Ianto towards the bathroom. 'It's got jets and everything.'
Ianto laughed. 'You really think I care about the shower right now?' Dropping Jack's hand he began working on the buttons of his waist coat. 'We've got more important things to catch up about than your water pressure.' Letting the cloth fall to the floor he stepped forward as he began working on the buttons of his shirt. His smile soft in the half light of the bunker, watching Jack palm his crotch and swallow sharply.
'Oh, well, when you put it like that...' His voice trailed off as Ianto revealed the perfection of his skin with each shirt button he snapped open.

Clothes soon discarded Jack and Ianto leaped on each other as they tumbled onto the bed.
'What are these pillows made of Jack, they are amazing.'
'Bamboo and flax fibre or something. Mattress too, I thought I could use a treat.'
Ianto grinned as he reached for the lube he'd spotted on the bedside table. 'Oh I think we both know you're in for that all right.'
'Too much talk Jones, why don't you shut up and.' His breath hitched as lubed fingers breached his entrance. 'That's good.'
Soft laughter mingled with hungry kisses as Ianto worked Jack open, judging the man ready he slid home with a muted cry.