15.

When Ianto entered the school grounds, he saw Tosh standing with Bernie and Carys, agitatedly talking to them while they hung their heads in shame. The moment she saw Ianto, she waved him over. "Ianto, can you believe it? These two idiots actually dug a tunnel underneath our school!"

Ianto stared at her. "What? No, I can assure you-"

"We were looking for Nazi gold," Bernie said, interrupting Ianto with a firm stare. Carys was looking at him beseechingly as well, her face pleading.

"Nazi gold," Tosh said in disbelief. "In Wales?!"

Carys shrugged. "They invaded, didn't they?"

Tosh huffed a breath and put her hands on her hips. "I can't believe it."

Bernie crossed his arms. "Well, we weren't wrong."

Tosh handed Ianto a bag and now he recognised it as the one Jack and John had been going through the night before. The one with the money. His heart skipped a beat. "Where did you get this?" he asked, his fingers brushing over the damaged nylon and leather.

Tosh scoffed. "By some pure stroke of luck, the two went digging for Nazi gold and found a bag full of British pounds." She glared at the students. "Which we will use of course to repair the damage." She looked at Ianto. "Where's Jack?"

"He won't come," Ianto said, pressing the bag against his chest.

Tosh's eyes widened. "What?"

"He won't come. I think he's feeling sick."

Tosh massaged her forehead, breathing a deep sigh. "Well, it's your class for the day then." With that, she grabbed the bag out of Ianto's hands and left.

Ianto waited until she was a safe distance away, then he glared at the teenagers. "Where did you get the money?"

Bernie shrugged. "Mr. Harkness waited for us at the corner this morning. Gave it to us. Said there was damage in the basement."

"He asked you to take the blame?" Ianto asked, incredulous.

"No!" Carys answered. "He only said to put the money next to the tunnel for someone to find."

Bernie scuffed his sneakers against the asphalt, seeming almost embarrassed when he added, "We knew he'd get the blame if he didn't come in today, though. He would never be allowed to come back."

"We want him back," Carys finished.

Ianto stared at them, swallowed. Then the fight went out of him and he let his shoulders slump. "Well, he won't be back."

Carys bit her lip. "Why not?"

"It's complicated."

Bernie cursed softly. "He dug that tunnel, yeah? 'Cos he's a bank robber and this was what he last robbed."

"How did you-"

"Internet," Carys said. "It was easy, really. Jonah did some digging, he's a class A hacker. Almost got into the Parliament once."

Bernie nodded. "We wanted to blackmail Mr. Harkness, but then he was so cool."

Ianto closed his eyes. "I didn't need to hear all of that." He sighed and looked at the both of them, putting his hands on their shoulders. "He left and he's not coming back, and what he did in that basement is exactly what he was supposed to teach you is wrong. Believe me, it's for the better he's gone."

Carys looked close to tears. "But you were cute together."

"And he understood us," Bernie added. "Had real street credit. Even though he's a poof."

Ianto glared at him.

"Sorry," Bernie muttered.

"It doesn't matter," Ianto said. "Let's go inside. You've got that test today, yeah? Hopefully, he prepared you for that."

xxx

"Okay, everyone," Ianto said loudly when he entered the room. He paused when he noticed that it was silent, the 10b looking at him expectantly already. "Okay," Ianto repeated and set his bag on the desk with a smile. "We're going to kick off today with an English Lit test. The topic is Romeo & Juliet." He'd found the test in his letterbox this morning, no note or explanation. He took as what it was – a goodbye. "I hope you practised spelling Shakespeare's name."

The students chuckled. When Ianto gave the test to Annie who started to hand it out, he noticed a piece of paper on her table. It was folded in the middle and had the word Why written on it. "What's that?"

"My motivation card," Annie said.

Ianto frowned quizzically. "Your what?"

"Mr. Harkness showed them to us. It's pictures of the people we want to make proud, or the things we want to achieve."

Ianto swallowed, a knot settling into his belly. "Like what?"

They all held their motivation pictures up for Ianto to see. While Bernie's showed the picture of a garage advertising to fix old-timers, Annie had a picture of ballet dancers, Carys a picture of a university degree, Jonah had one of himself and a man who seemed to be his older brother …

Jonah said, "Mr. Harkness has one, too."

Ianto suppressed the impulse to ask where it was or to inquire whether they knew what was on it. Instead, he cleared his throat, trying to convince himself he was just touched by how easily Jack had connected to these kids and that it had changed them for the better. It wasn't about Ianto's feelings. Only the students.

Always the students.

He took a deep breath. "Okay, you can keep the pictures on your tables. Start with the test, yeah?" He went back to his desk and settled into the chair, stunned.

The students started to work quietly and with a focus that had been unheard of in this room until about two weeks ago. Then Carys raised her hand.

"Yes?" Ianto asked.

"It's in the desk, top drawer," she said and then focused on her test again.

Ianto swallowed. He couldn't stop himself. He slid open the drawer slowly.

A folded sheet of paper with the word Why scribbled on it was lying there. He took it out and opened it, staring at a picture of himself when he'd still been going to school.

"Fuck," he muttered.

"Ha!" Bernie yelled gleefully. "You used the f-word!"

Ianto glared at him but before he could answer, the door opened and Gwen strode in, earning herself wolf whistles from some of the boys in the room for the hot pants and the tight, low-cut top.

"Hey!" Ianto said, pointing a finger at the group in general in reprimand. "Quiet!" He shook his head at Gwen and motioned her outside, leaving the door half-open to keep an eye on the class, even though he had the feeling it wasn't necessary. "You shouldn't be here," he said.

Gwen whirled around to him. "I've known him for fifteen years," she said angrily, "and he's a stubborn, proud son of a bitch. He never called a girlfriend or a boyfriend after things ended. Never. Where do you get off ignoring him?"

"Well, he lied to me for starters," Ianto answered, just as angry. Rory walked past, staring at Gwen. She gave him a smile and a wink. Ianto urged him onwards with a glare and waited until he was out of ear-shot before he hissed, "He's a criminal."

"He's a good bloke," Gwen said, putting her hands on her hips. "So he messed up – he did his time for that. He was trying to clear his act even before he came here and he really wanted to do it when he got close to you. I thought you were so big on giving second chances."

Ianto ducked his head, feeling like the wind had been taking out of his sail. "What does it matter now?"

"It matters because he gave you the money from the tunnel. It matters because he's got no reserves, nowhere to go and a persuasive friend who enjoys the thrill of a bank robbery a bit too much."

Alarmed, Ianto stepped closer to her. "What are you saying?"

Gwen looked close to tears. "He's going to do it again. They both are. Jack and John. Today."

"Oh shit!" Ianto said, fumbling for his phone.

"He wouldn't listen to me. But he might listen to you."

Ianto nodded at her, even though he wasn't quite so sure. The dial tone seemed to go on forever, then voicemail picked up.

"No," Ianto said and hung up. He looked at Gwen. "Where are they?"

"I don't know."

Ianto dialled again. "Pick up," he muttered. "Please." The call went to voicemail again. Ianto swallowed. "What do we do?"