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Ianto chewed nervously on his lower lip, pacing across the floor of his motel room. Motel, not even hotel. After getting the confirmation that the aliens were dead, he and Gwen and Rhys had bought two motel rooms and crashed for 16 hours apiece. That had been yesterday. Now, Jack was on his way back to Cardiff, and Ianto had called and left him his location, but he also knew what Jack had sacrificed, and god, would he even want to see Ianto-
There was a pounding on the door, and Ianto broke his pacing to run over and throw it open. Jack stood there, and his expression was absolutely broken for all of two seconds before Ianto swept him up into the tightest hug he’d ever given to someone.
Jack just stood there, limp, burying his face in Ianto’s shoulder and sagging. Ianto gently led him inside and laid him down on the single bed in the room, holding him tight while Jack fell apart.
“That was too close,” Jack gasped out between sobs. “If Rhiannon hadn’t called you-”
“I know.”
“You would’ve been-”
“I know, Jack; it’s okay. I didn’t go into Thames House; it’s okay.”
Rhiannon had called him at the last minute, saying the cops had shown up early for the kids, and Jack had shoved the car keys at him. Ianto had broken every law in the UK to get home. Gwen followed him the next day, and if she was surprised to find Ianto throwing Molotov cocktails at the government agents and teaching his high school classmates how to defend a house, she said nothing.
Ianto hadn’t gone into Thames House, and Jack had been all alone when…
“Jack,” Ianto muttered, “Jack, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Jack sobbed brokenly against his chest, clinging to him.
Ianto was here; he wouldn’t be alone for a long, long time.
Jack blinked his bleary eyes open, looking at the empty spot next to him for a long moment just like every morning.
Jack was an old fashioned guy. He believed in sentimentality; really, he did. Which is why he refused to stop using this mattress. This was his - for lack of a better term - marriage bed, and he wouldn’t stop using it while his husband was alive.
With a sigh, Jack patted the empty spot where Ianto should’ve been and rolled out of bed.
Stretching and yawning as the floor warmed under his feet automatically, Jack rose and padded into the bathroom. He kept the house almost Boeshane-warm now that he lived alone. A few years ago, when things were a little better and Ianto had been home some weekends, they’d cuddled in front of the radiators, warm and safe and happy.
Ianto didn’t come home anymore. Which was fine. Jack visited him every day. He was in on sabbatical from Torchwood right now, would be until…
He was on sabbatical.
Jack tapped the smartmirror to wake it as he stepped into the bathroom, yawning and lazily scanning news headlines and emails as he pissed. Aqua Meadows was reminding him that it was payment week, a message from Frankie, and - and three from Mara, each marked urgent. Frowning, Jack quickly washed his hands and went back into the bedroom, grabbing his phone off the charging pad and going down the stairs as he called Rhys.
Rhys Williams the Third was a very serious man, nothing like his parents but oddly like his grandmother. He didn’t even say hello when he answered, just jumped straight in with a curt “There’s been Rift activity near your house. Have you noticed anything weird?”
Jack blinked tiredly. “Rhys, I just woke up.”
“Uncle.”
Jack sighed, groaning and craving coffee, not that he would dare touch the coffee machine. “One sec.”
He went to the security module on the wall, checking it. “I don’t have any alerts; I can check the CCTV, but-“
He noticed movement in the garden, and Jack paused, suddenly alert. “I’m gonna call you back, Rhys.”
“Should I send back up?”
“Not yet, could be some dumb kids. If I don’t call you back in five minutes, send someone.” He hung up the phone and crouched, sneaking over to the French glass doors. He could see something moving in the bushes, and he kinda hoped it was an alien. He could do with killing something. He rolled across the kitchen floor, getting out of the view of the windows. He grabbed a large butcher’s knife out of the drawer. He wished he had his Webley, but it was upstairs in the gun safe in the library.
He crept back over to the French doors, glancing out. No one was on the porch or the walkway. He could see shadows moving in Ianto’s vegetable garden, and that made Jack’s heart clench tightly in his chest. No one messed with Ianto’s vegetable garden.
Jack marched out onto the porch, throwing open the doors and stomping over towards the section of the yard on the east corner. He stopped behind a tree, heard voices, and stepped out, knife raised. “Alright, step away from the rhubarb-“
And then the knife slipped from his fingers with a gasp, because standing there, twenty-five and exactly how Jack remembered him, was Ianto. And next to him was Gwen, and Owen and Tosh.
And him, in that damned coat that Ianto loved so much.
“Fuck,” young him cursed at the same time that Jack did, and Owen let out a snort. Jack groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, okay. It’s too early in the morning for this. Stupid Rift-“
“Jack?” Ianto asked, and Jack felt his throat close up. “Yeah, holy shit. Ianto, look at you..”
“I don’t get it. Where are we?” Gwen asked.
Jack shook his head, gathering himself. “Our - my house. About… god, okay, how old are you people?”
“It’s 2008,” young Jack said, and Jack groaned
“Jesus, it’s 2076. You're sixty-eight years in the future.”
“And Earth isn’t a flaming ball of nuclear waste?” Owen asked, and Jack crouched to pick up his knife.
“Come on, I need - god, I haven’t needed a coffee this much in a while. I gotta call Torchwood back, or they’ll think I got killed by an alien.”
“You don’t still lead Torchwood Three?” Tosh asked, frowning, and Jack shook his head.
“It’s actually Torchwood Central now, we’ve expanded and Cardiff is still the main hub. And no I’m… taking a few years.”
It took everything he had not to glance at Ianto when he said that.
Ianto sighed, stretching languidly on the hotel room bed. The FBI had paid for him and Jack to stay in a hotel for a few days while they recovered from the hell the supposed “miracle” had caused.
Ianto scowled. Fuck Angelo Colasanto for doing any of that to Jack. It was horrible, but Ianto was glad he was dead.
Jack tapped him on the nose. “You’re thinking too loud.”
“I’m very angry at how evil your ex is.”
“Which one?” Jack asked, and Ianto rolled over to give him a look.
“You know you deserve better than that, right? You deserve to have people who are kind and good to you.”
Jack gave him a goofy smile. “Guess that’s why I have you.”
Then Jack kissed him, and Ianto knew a distraction when he saw one, but he let the subject drop. Because Jack did have him, and he was never going to hurt Jack, not as long as he could help it.
It had been a long time since he’d had this many people in his house, and even longer since he had the Torchwood team sitting in his living room.
Bixby was examining the past team, scanning them, comparing their DNA to what was on file. Mara was scanning for Rift frequencies outside (without touching the vegetable garden) and Jack? Well, Jack was on the outskirts, pacing in the kitchen and feeling like he should be offering something to his guests, the way Ianto would have. But he wasn’t going to touch the coffee machine, and he didn’t have enough tea, and -
“Uncle?”
Jack looked up at Rhys, who had a concerned expression that looked so much like Gwen’s. “Are you okay?”
Jack forced himself to smile, although he was sure it came out bitter. “Yeah, kid, I’m okay. How are you?”
“Less okay.” Rhys slid into one of the bar stools at the island, resting his elbows on the counter.
Jack smiled genuinely - this had always been where the kids had come for advice from him or Ianto. Jack turned and got the juice out of the fridge. “Weird seeing your nan, huh?”
“She’s so young,” Rhys muttered, and Jack chuckled, nodding.
“Gwen was a spitfire. Your grandfather was even worse.” He passed Rhys a glass of juice and he immediately took a sip. Jack watched him for a moment. “Have you talked to your mom yet?”
Rhys laughed dryly. “Oh yeah, that’ll go over well. ‘Hey, Mam, have you ever wondered what Nan was like before you existed?’ She’ll love that.”
Jack chuckled - his goddaughter hated aliens, and Rhys (the first one) had been so very proud when she went ahead and got a job as a lawyer. But little Rhys the Third had always loved aliens, just like his uncle (Rhys Junior) and his great uncles (Jack and Ianto).
“Still,” Jack said, accepting the empty glass from his nephew, “you should at least call her. If you don’t, I will.”
Rhys was quiet for a long moment, then said, “I miss her. Nan. My nan, I mean, not the one in the living room.”
Jack looked down as he finished washing the glass and put it on the drying rack. Gwen had died a few years ago, just as she became a great-grandmother. She’d gone peacefully, with a smile. Ianto had cried at the funeral. “Yeah. Me too, kid.”
“I sent a message to my sisters,” Rhys said, “and Marla. If you don’t call Mam, someone will.”
“The less Gwen knows about the future, the better.” Jack sighed. “But I also don’t remember meeting my future self, so I think they end up getting Retconned before they leave.”
His voice cracked on the last word, and he braced his hands on the counter, sighing.
Rhys came around the island and rested a hand on his shoulder. “They don’t have to stay here, uncle. We can keep them at the Hub. I can’t imagine how it must feel to see Uncle Ianto-“
“No,” Jack shook his head. “No. They can stay. It’s safer here.”
“So, um-”
Both Jack and Rhys looked up as Bixby walked in. They were a rather timid person, although Jack knew there were Ianto-levels of sass hidden under the nerves. Rhys crossed his arms. “Doctor Rogers, what did you find?”
“It’s Bixby,” the doctor muttered, then sighed. “Their DNA matches the database. And they don’t look like they’re about to die of massive heart attacks. Although Doctor Harper’s attitude would indicate a hormonal imbalance…”
They muttered the last part, and Jack laughed aloud. “Yeah, I should’ve warned you. Owen is like that.”
Bixby nodded, shifting uncomfortably. “They’re asking questions I wasn’t sure how to answer, boss. Figured you’d answer them.”
“That’s fine, Doctor Rogers-“
“Bixby.”
“I’ll call you Bixby when you call me Rhys-“
“Children” Jack interrupted, “stop flirting.”
“We’re not flirting!” they both snapped, and Jack laughed again, then grew serious.
“Rhys, do you want to tell Gwen who you are? If you give her your middle name, I think she won’t ask any questions.”
“Why wouldn’t I tell her my first name?” Rhys frowned. “There are tons of people with my name in Wales.”
Jack raised a very Ianto-esque eyebrow. “Ten credits says Gwen figures it out as soon as you tell her your name.”
Rhys, who was never able to resist a bet, nodded resolutely. “Deal.”
Jack followed him into the living room, where his heart clenched as he noticed Ianto studying the wedding pictures on the wall. The younger him was shifting uncomfortably, noticeably avoiding looking at them.
Rhys stood in front of the group, hands on his hips. “So. Doctor Rogers has decided you’re who you say you are. My name is Rhys Edwards; I’m the current leader of Torchwood Central-“
“Rhys…” Gwen interrupted, squinting. “Rhys like - are you related to me?”
Rhys gaped at her, and Jack snickered.
“Told you. You should know to never bet against Gwen. Pay up, squirt.”
Rhys grumbled, pulling a credit chip out of his pocket and tossing it to Jack. Gwen giggled, and the rest of the young team relaxed a little.
“Anyway, yes, I’m named after my grandfather.”
Gwen’s eyes went wide. “You’re my grandson?”
“Yeah, hi, Nan,” Rhys said, grinning a bit. “Anyway. Uncle - Captain Harkness has invited you to stay here until we can figure out how to get you home.”
Jack shifted his weight between his feet as the team looked at him. “I’ll, uh, I’ll have to go buy groceries on my way back from-”
A lump formed in his throat, and he had to look away from Ianto, the young Ianto who kept looking at him. Jack felt his heart breaking , over and over again. They were all looking at him now, expecting him to finish his sentence. Jack grit his teeth. “From visiting Ianto.”
“I’m still alive?” Ianto asked, eyes widening. “I live to ninety-three?”
Jack laughed bitterly. “Yeah, it isn’t much of a blessing.”
Ianto stared, pieces connecting in his mind. “... shit. I- I’ve got dementia or some shit, don’t I?”
“Perceptive as ever,” Jack replied, staring at the floor and hoping his voice wasn’t cracking. “Fell down the steps one too many times and our- my kids insisted I had to move him into a facility.”
The team was stunned silent, and Jack swallowed again. Suddenly, he felt like he couldn’t breathe - he had to get out of here.
“Yeah, speaking of which, I should go...I don’t have anything to offer you; my hus- Ianto would kill me for being a bad host.”
And with that, Jack fled. He was glad he dressed before the current Torchwood team got there, because after grabbing his wallet and keys on the way out, he just managed to get into his car before he started to cry.
He pressed his forehead to the top of the wheel. It had been a while since the last time he let himself feel anything negative about the situation he’d found himself in, and he was overdue for a good tension-releasing cry.
He started driving, going a few blocks down to a local park before parking, going out to a bench, sitting down, and letting himself sob it all out.
But even as he was feeling awful, he ran his thumb over his wedding ring. And he knew he wouldn’t change anything.
“A rooftop restaurant?” Jack asked with a grin. “We’re celebrating the end of quarantine by going to a rooftop restaurant?”
“Yep,” Ianto replied, popping the ‘p,’ and Jack whooped, planting a wet kiss on his cheek.
“You’re the best.”
Ianto smiled at him and discreetly slipped a hand into his pocket to make sure the ring box was still there. He knew Jack would say yes. They’d been together for over ten years. He hoped to god Jack would say yes.
“Swanky,” Jack commented as they walked up to the maître d’. He led them to their reserved table next to the edge of the balcony. This high up, the streets were silent, and the lights of Cardiff made a perfect backdrop as wine was served.
“How much did you spend on this date?” Jack asked, half-joking.
Ianto shrugged. “God knows you’ve spent outrageous amounts of money on me. Figured it was time to return the favor.”
“You know it’s never been about that, right?” Jack asked, frowning. “I just wanted to make you feel special.”
“I know.” Ianto smiled shyly at him. “I wanted to do the same for you. You make me feel like I can walk on air, Jack. I love you.”
Jack smiled back at him, eyes warm. “Love you more.”
Ianto shook his head. “Mm. Not possible. And as a matter of fact, I intend to prove it.”
He stood up, and Jack frowned at him. “What are you doing?”
“Something that I hope isn’t crazy,” Ianto said, grabbing the edge of the table and slowly crouching down. He glanced at Jack. “You know perfectly well my trick knee won’t let me do this the traditional way, so I’m getting on both knees, and if you make so much as a reference to blow jobs, I will chuck you off this roof.”
“Ianto,” Jack managed, sounding close to tears. Ianto smiled at him, pulling the ring out of his pocket and taking Jack’s hand. Eyes were on him, and once upon a time, he would’ve been nervous. But Jack was looking at him like he’d hung the stars, and Ianto was so in love with him.
“I practiced this stupid speech,” Ianto said, feeling his own tears prickle in his eyes, “but I’m crap with words, and it’s all probably stuff you’ve heard before. I could write novels about how beautiful you look, how kind and selfless you are, how much I love you-“ He swallowed thickly, voice breaking. “But it wouldn’t be enough. If I tried to tell you how much I love you, I’d be here all night. We’re men of action. So-“
He placed the box in Jack’s palm and opened it. Jack sobbed quietly, and Ianto swallowed.
“Jack Harkness, will you-“
“Yes,” Jack choked through his sobs, “yes, yes, yes-“
“You didn’t let me finish-“
“Ianto, if you don’t kiss me this instant, I swear to god-“
Ianto laughed and figured that it was better this way. He let Jack drag him into a kiss, and the whole restaurant applauded.
They got a free bottle of champagne for their troubles, and that night, they stumbled home and made love, wearing matching rings.
Jack’s eyes were still red-rimmed as he pulled into a parking space at Aqua Meadows, the nursing home Ianto had specified in his living will. Jack didn’t quite know why he specified this one, but the fact that Ianto had recognized what was going on early enough to research dementia care facilities broke Jack’s heart.
He walked up to the kiosk at the door, and the computer happily chirped, “Welcome to Aqua Meadows! Visitor or employee?”
“Visitor,” Jack replied and when prompted, said, “Ianto Jones, room three-four-zero.”
“Confirmed. Retrieving file for resident Ianto Jones, one moment please.” Jack watched as the little circle spun on the screen and then smiled when a picture of Ianto popped up, along with his list of visitors allowed in. “Please select your name from the list below and scan your thumbprint.”
Jack tapped his name at the top of the list and placed his thumb on the scanner. There was a beep, and the computer said, “Thumbprint recognized. Welcome, Jack Harkness-Jones. Do you have any guests?”
“No.”
“Would you like a copy of this month's newsletter?”
“No.”
“Alert - payment due. Client on autopay. Pay now?”
“Sure.” Jack sighed. He punched in his credit information and scanned his thumbprint again. The computer beeped its approval as the funds were transferred. Jack hit the button to continue autopayments, and finally, the doors slid open as the computer cheerfully told him, “Enjoy your visit, and thank you for choosing Aqua Meadows!”
The lobby was all fancy tile and the massive fish tank. A few other residents sat on the fancy couches; one was playing a game with a small child.
Jack went through the archway into the spacious activity room and the main hub of the nursing home. Aubrey was leading bingo, and Evelyn, the activities director, smiled at him as he entered. “Jack! You’re late; we thought you might not be coming.”
Her tone was teasing, knowing that he’d never missed a visit since Ianto had moved here. Jack smiled gently at her. “Hi, Evelyn. Where is he?”
“I saw him at breakfast, but I think he went back to his room.” Evelyn looked almost pitying, “Paula is on his section today.”
Jack’s nose wrinkled - Paula was fairly lazy. Always on her phone, never making the beds. Ianto hated her because when he got food on his shirt and tried to change it, she yelled at him for taking his clothes off. Jack hated her because she always had some choice comments about their supposed “age difference.”
Ha. Jack would love to see her face if she ever found out he was the older one.
Jack sighed, nodding at Evelyn and heading to Ianto’s room. The facility had four sections and was sort of shaped like an X.
On his way, he saw Paula taking a break and then Lyra, his favorite PCA by far. Jack smiled at her, and she waved happily, coming over. “Hi, Jack, how are you today?”
“Rough morning,” Jack replied honestly. “But I’m okay. How are you?”
“Got a hot date with my mum tonight,” Lyra winked, and Jack chuckled. Lyra leaned on her mop for a moment, smile saddening. “Ianto made a bit of a fuss at breakfast, but he seemed to calm down once I walked him back to his room. Not a great day, but I don’t think it’s a horrid one.”
Jack nodded, smiling sadly. He waved as he walked away and approached room 340. The door was open, and despite how much he hated being here, Jack felt himself smile. His heart lightened a little as he saw Ianto sitting in his recliner next to the window. Jack knocked before he walked in, crossing to crouch next to him.
Ianto’s hair looked translucent in the sun, white as snow and thinning. His hands were bony and covered in liver spots. He still loved suits, although his gut made it impossible for his usual waistcoat to fit him. Jack made it very clear to the facility that the PCAs were to put him in a button-up, suit jacket, and tie each morning.
He looked unbearably handsome, and Jack took his hand. “Hey, you, where’s my kiss?”
Ianto blinked slowly, then looked over at him. It was always a guessing game as to how much Ianto remembered-
“... Jack?”
-but he hadn’t forgotten him yet. Jack beamed at him and kissed his cheek. “Hey, beautiful.”
Ianto smiled. “Jack. Cariad.”
“Hiya.” Jack kissed his forehead again, sitting in the other chair next to Ianto’s. “You won’t believe the morning I had.”
“Did you like the coffee?” Ianto asked. He mumbled most of his words now, his accent thicker.
Jack smiled at him, nodding. “As delicious as ever, Ianto. How was your morning?”
“My porridge was burnt,” Ianto scoffed, and Jack squeezed his hand.
“That sucks. We pay way too much to get burnt porridge.”
“I miss bacon.” Ianto sighed.
Jack chuckled, kissing his cheek. “Guess who I saw earlier? Tosh, Owen, Gwen…”
Ianto looked at him, frowning. “You saw them at work?”
“Yep,” Jack lied. “Didn’t you?”
Ianto frowned “... no. I was-“ Then his eyes went abruptly serious, and he grabbed Jack’s hand firmly. He looked Jack directly in the eye and said, “Jack, there’s an alien here.”
Jack’s heart jumped into his throat. Ianto got like this sometimes, so abruptly serious that Jack could imagine that he was with it, was telling the truth.
“Well, then it’s good I’m here,” Jack said, a little hoarse. He leaned forward, cupping the back of Ianto’s head. “I won’t let any aliens get to you.”
Ianto smiled, and Jack kissed him gently. A cold hand-dipped his cheek, and Jack felt dizzy and young and in love.
In his mind's eye, Ianto was twenty-six again. They were sneaking a kiss in the archives, Tosh and Owen and Gwen were upstairs, and they had dinner reservations that night.
And then the kiss ended, and Jack was back with his husband, the man he’d loved for seventy years. Ianto’s hands dropped, and his eyes clouded over a bit. Jack frowned.
“Ianto?”
Ianto blinked at him, frowning. “... Jack? This isn’t the Hub.”
Jack sighed, kissing his forehead. “How about we take a shower, Ianto?”
“Oh.” Ianto nodded. “Okay.”
Jack sighed and went to go tell the PCA. Ianto adamantly refused to let a stranger shower him, so Jack gave him a shower whenever he came, just like he would if Ianto were at home, where he would be, if it wasn’t for the stupid living will and his kids going nuts over a fall…
Jack missed the days when showers meant kisses and flirty banter. Now, Ianto just sat there while Jack washed him, clinical and efficient. But he felt that the alternative was worse - a complete stranger, violating Ianto’s privacy and touching him where only Jack had - yes, much worse.
After his shower, Ianto wanted to walk to lunch. Jack kept a steady hand on his back as Ianto clung to his walker - ready, always ready, to catch him if he fell.
Lyra and Jamie were on the encouragement table today, and they both welcomed Jack with smiles. Lunch consisted of bangers and mash, and Jack only had to coax Ianto into eating a few times. As always, Ianto tried his best to get up and make the coffee himself, only for the PCAs and Jack to quickly sit him back down. The MedTech came around late with the meds, Jack noted, and when he commented under his breath, Jamie had to hide his snort behind his hand. Jenny glared at them both, then stalked back to her cart.
As she left, Kristen came in. Jack smiled as he watched her go around to every table, saying hi to residents and family members. She reached his table and grinned, squeezing Ianto on the shoulder and greeting Jack jovially. She was his favorite nurse of the five that worked here, although all of them were amazing.
“Can I get some help with room 209?” Paula shouted, just as Martha - not Jones, Martha Bishkova - started freaking out and screaming. Kristen quickly went over to her, and Lyra shook her head.
“She’s been getting worse lately.”
Jack nodded, watching Kristen call for Martha’s PRN.
“What’s she screaming for?” Suzanne, the resident seated next to Ianto asked. Jamie shrugged and quickly took the opportunity to feed her some of her purée.
“She’s an alien,” Ianto said idly, taking a bite of his mash. Jack sighed, wishing that she was. Wishing everyone in this room was. If Alzheimer’s was just aliens, his life would be so much easier.
Ianto sat on the Plass, fidgeting with his cufflinks and his wedding ring. He and Jack were supposed to be at dinner tonight, but that certainly wasn’t happening. They’d been run off their feet for two days, trying to solve a double murder. Ever since Torchwood had gone public, things had been absolutely insane.
And now… this.
He heard Jack’s familiar tread walking across the plass, and he silently shifted over on his bench so Jack could sit next to him. He did, and for a long moment, neither spoke.
“I cancelled our reservation,” Ianto finally said, “because while I’m sure a great many good decisions have been made over French wine, I don’t think this should be one of them.”
“That’s fair.” Jack laughed, but there was no humor to it. They fell silent again.
Finally Jack said, “Franklin was my dad’s name.”
Ianto swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. So that's why Jack had grown so attached so quickly. Well, other than just being a dad by nature. Virtue of experience, Ianto supposed. Although he didn’t think that really mattered, considering his own dad.
“You really want this,” Ianto said. It wasn’t a question, so Jack didn’t answer. Ianto sighed, running his hands through his hair. “I dunno why I’m so… weird about this. They’re great kids, they just lost their parents, I don’t want them going in the system-“
“Is it the adoption thing?” Jack asked quietly, and Ianto finally looked at him. Jack held up his hands defensively. “I know you’re not against adoption, but some people really want kids of their own blood and stuff.”
“You said you never wanted to get pregnant again,” Ianto said with a squint. They’d had that conversation years ago, when their one-night stand was just becoming something more.
“For you,” Jack said seriously, “I would do anything. Give up anything. Even things I said I would never give up again.”
Ianto shivered, as blown away by Jack’s devotion as ever.
“They’re four-years-old,” Ianto said softly. “They’re gonna know we’re not their real parents. And someday you're gonna have to explain to them why I’m getting older and you aren’t.”
“I’m not saying it’ll be easy.” Jack shrugged. “It never is. But you- I want everything with you. I want to be able to look back someday and say we did it all - the kids, the house, the dog, all of it.”
“Is this your way of saying we should invest in real estate?”
“Ianto.”
“Sorry, sorry.” Ianto sighed, and tried to picture it - Jack attending PTA meetings, Ianto going to football games. Two kids running underfoot.
Nights curled up in front of a fireplace, Ianto making hot chocolate, and Jack making soup when the flu went around. Laughter. Joy.
“Ask me,” Ianto said softly, and Jack placed a hand on his arm.
“Ianto, those two boys down there just lost everything. Do you want to adopt them with me?”
Ianto smiled, and said, “Yes.”
Jack said goodbye to Ianto with a long kiss - in the hub, so that he could freak people out and watched as Aubrey led Ianto off to the side for some M&M.
He sighed, scanning his thumbprint to leave the building and heading out to his car and taking the long route home.
He found Rhys and Bixby sitting on his porch, arguing quietly about something or other. Jack rolled his eyes as he walked past them with the first half of the groceries. He gave it a month, tops, before one of them acted on the sexual tension. He suspected it would be Rhys, because Bixby was very smart but they were quite possibly one of the most oblivious people Jack had ever met when it came to romance.
He found the team gathered in the kitchen and froze in the doorway, closing his eyes and inhaling the first scent of coffee made by Ianto Jones to grace his house in years. His mouth watered, and he cleared his throat.
Ianto glanced at him, and Jack’s voice came out thick as he asked, “Got one for me?”
Ianto nodded, turning back to the machine. Jack went out to the car to get the next load of groceries, kicking the door shut behind him and wincing when it slammed. He set the bags on the counter and started unloading them.
“So you,” Owen started after a long moment. Then he frowned. “He's in a home?”
Jack sighed, nodding and putting away the milk. “Yeah. Why?”
“It’s just.” Owen hesitated a moment. “I mean, a few people told me… with Katie. And I know how… it’s shit. It’s-“
“Aw, Owen,” Jack couldn’t help but tease. He paused in the groceries to turn and smile at him, hoping to god it didn’t look too forced. “You do care.”
Owen blanched, then scowled. “Forget it. See if I try to help you.”
Gwen and Tosh rolled their eyes while the other Jack just stared at the wall resolutely.
Stupid, Jack wanted to scream at his younger self, stop wasting time. Grab him and love him like the sun is about to explode. You don’t have forever, so stop wasting time!
Ianto placed a coffee in front of him, saying, “I made it the usual way; I hope that’s-“
“Ianto, I haven’t changed my coffee order in a hundred years.” Jack took a sip, closing his eyes and savoring it. “It’s perfect.”
Ianto smiled hesitantly, nodding. Jack beamed at him and then turned back to his groceries. “I called to order Indian food on the way in. It should be here soon.”
“Did you get some for us?” Rhys asked, walking in with Bixby on his heels.
Jack snorted. “Have I ever not? Veggie curry for you, yellow for Bixby.”
“Gross,” Bixby muttered, and Rhys glared.
“Vegetarian curry is the healthier option-“
“Kids, please stop,” Jack interrupted. “Rhys, come help with groceries.”
“Yes, Uncle.” Rhys sighed, and Gwen choked on her coffee.
“Uncle?” she asked as Tosh thumped her on the back. “Jack, please tell me you didn’t-“
“Oh, ew.” Jack’s nose wrinkled. “God, no. Your kids are great but no. Besides, I wouldn’t do that to-“
He looked at Ianto, then away. “I practically helped raise your kids, so.”
“What about me and Owen?” Tosh asked. “Did we ever…” Owen glanced at her, and she squeaked. “I mean - not together! I mean, maybe, um, no, I just mean in general-“
“Tosh,” Jack interrupted gently, feeling his heart tighten at his friend, who he’d missed so much. “Tosh, you know I can’t tell you that.”
“But we all get Retconned, right?” younger Jack asked. “We won’t- you wouldn’t have told us about-“
He looked pointedly at Ianto, and Jack cringed, nodding. “Yeah, I don’t remember… any of this. So you must get Retconned.”
He wasn’t cruel; he wouldn’t have told himself about Ianto. He couldn’t risk their life together. Not for anything.
The comm unit on the counter started to ring, and Jack frowned at it.
“Oh yeah, Uncle Frankie’s called like three times today,” Rhys said, frowning.
“Who’s Frankie?” Ianto asked, and Jack shook his head.
“One of our- my sons.”
“Jack, I saw the wedding photos.” Ianto flushed. “You can say our. I’m not an idiot.”
“I have to go call him back. Rhys-“
“I’ll finish the groceries. Go.”
Jack transferred the call and then went upstairs to the study. The study was full of books, comfy armchairs, and a fireplace. Ianto had loved this room, and Jack had never felt quite so comfortable in it. He slid into the chair behind the large desk and tapped the comm unit to answer the call.
Frankie was the younger of the twins. His hair was shaggier than his brother, and he had dimples and big green eyes. He answered the phone, smiling brightly. “Dad!”
Jack smiled at him. “Hey kiddo, everything okay? You called like three times today.”
“Everything’s fantastic, Dad,” - he smirked - “or should I say Gramps?”
Jack’s eyes widened, and he broke out into a happy grin. “Laura had the baby! Oh, congratulations, Frankie; that’s amazing! Everything went okay?”
“Yes, yes, they're both fine-“ Frankie shifted his camera, revealing his wife holding a pink bundle. Laura looked up, waving. “Hi, Dad!”
“Hi Laura, congratulations!” Jack laughed, swiping at his eyes. His first grandkid since Steven. The baby had her mother’s dark hair, from the looks of it, and was a large thing.
“Her name is Minnie,” Frankie said off-camera, “but we like Mina for short.”
“Hi Mina,” Jack said softly, “welcome to the world.”
The camera flipped back to Frankie. “So the doctors want Laura here overnight, but I figure in a week or so maybe I can borrow her from Laura and come visit-“
Jack must’ve flinched visibly, because Frankie instantly grew panicked. “Dad? What’s wrong, did something happen? Is Tad okay?”
“You know that if something happened to your tad, I’d call you both.” Jack shook his head. “But it’s not… not your tad. Well, not exactly.”
“One sec, let me go outside.”
“Yeah, sure. I’m gonna add your brother to the call too. What time is it in Hong Kong, think he’s awake?”
“It’s Nick, Dad. I don’t think he sleeps.”
“Be nice to your brother,” Jack said on instinct, waiting for Nick to answer. Frankie got outside and sat on a bench just as Nick answered. Jack’s elder son had a buzz cut and was sitting up in bed, rubbing his eye.
“Dad, Frank, sup?” Nick yawned, and Frankie snorted.
“Morning, Nick.”
“Yo.” Nick blinked, looking between the two of them. “Wait, what’s with the double call? Are Minnie and Laura okay?”
“They're both fine,” Frankie said. “It's Tad.”
“Tad?” Nick shouted, and Jack held up his hands.
“Calm down, both of you. Tad is fine. Your version of him at least. But earlier today, a Rift storm… it delivered a younger version of him. And me. And our team from 2008.”
The boys stared at him, identical faces of shock.
“Holy shit, are you okay?” Nick finally asked, and Jack nodded, then shook his head, then nodded again.
“It’s okay if you're not,” Frankie said. “I can’t imagine how hard that must be for you. Seriously.”
“I’m getting the next transport to Cardiff.” Nick shook his head. “I was gonna finish out the work week and come visit the baby, but I’m coming today; screw my boss.”
“Don’t get yourself in trouble, Nick.” Jack sighed, shaking his head. “You can’t see him anyway.”
“We know that, Dad.” Frankie raised an eyebrow the same way Ianto did. “We just want to make sure you’re okay. Besides, we haven’t visited Tad in way too long.”
Jack smiled tearfully, nodding. “Yeah, I know. I can’t offer you guys your rooms though. I’ve got my old team living in my house.”
“I’ll sleep at the Torchwood barracks.” Nick shrugged. “I don’t care.”
“Oh, yes, you would, you rich fucker,” Frankie said, and Nick glared at him.
“Oi, I’m not rich, and it isn’t my fault I have a nice job-“
“Boys,” Jack chastised, and they sighed and said, “sorry, Dad” in sync, the same way they did as kids.
Jack chuckled. Yeah, it would be good to see his boys.
When they’d bought their Victorian style, Ianto had a feeling Jack liked the fact that their roof had a flat edge at one point. Sure enough, he found Jack out there when he needed to think. But he’d never crawled out there himself.
Well, until tonight.
Jack watched him carefully as he scooched his butt down the roof to sit on the edge with him. “What are you doing?”
“You first,” Ianto said, stopping with his feet hanging off the edge and Jack next to him. “I don’t know how you enjoy this; this is horrible.”
“Ianto.”
“Jack,” Ianto replied, mimicking Jack’s tone. “How long are you going to sit out here and brood?”
“As long as I damn well please,” Jack grumbled, and Ianto rolled his eyes.
“Well, can you make it quick? We have two nine-year-olds who want kisses goodnight.”
“Why don’t you do it? Since you're apparently a stay-at-home-parent now.”
“Jack.” Ianto sighed, looking up at the sky. “Come on, you can’t seriously be pissed at me for leaving.”
“I absolutely can!” Jack exploded. “You’re leaving me all alone!”
“So that I can stay with you longer!” Ianto shouted right back. “God, Jack, do you want me to die before I hit middle age?"
“No!” Jack huffed, trying to control himself. “No. But you- you’ve been fine doing admin so far! I need you!”
“If this is about my duties, I told you in my resignation I’ll hand-pick my replacement.”
“Fuck your resignation,” Jack said, squeezing his eyes shut. “I don’t want a replacement for you.”
Ianto’s eyes softened, and he squeezed Jack’s knee. “Not a replacement for me, just my job.”
Jack didn’t say anything, so Ianto kept going. “Jack, I’m not really going anywhere. I just can’t work for Torchwood. I’m not that young twenty-something who you used to fuck over your desk anymore - I’m almost fifty. The next time someone gets into the Hub, I might not be able to fend them off.”
“I know,” Jack mumbled bitterly. Ianto fell quiet.
“When I was first recruited for Torchwood, I was nineteen,” Ianto finally said, voice wistful. “Yvonne told me I’d save the world. To an estate kid who came from nothing, that was a pretty great deal.”
“All you had to do was die,” Jack muttered, and Ianto nodded.
“But now? Now, I’m older. I’m more mature. And I have new goals! I want to get a degree; I want to see our sons graduate. I want to stay with you, for as long as I can.”
“I know.” Jack sighed. “I know. That doesn’t make it any easier.”
“Of course not.” Ianto wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “This isn’t easy for me either, y’know.”
Jack leaned on him, nodding. “I know.”
They stayed like that for a few minutes, basking in each other. And then, Untitled started barking in the house, and twin voices shrieked, “Daaaaaad!”
Jack chuckled, sitting up and wiping his eyes. “Ready to face the beasts?”
“With you? Always.” Ianto chuckled. “Now, how the fuck do we get down?”
Two days later, the boys still hadn’t managed to get away from their lives, Torchwood still hadn’t found how to get their guests home, and Jack still hadn’t had a non-awkward interaction with the younger team.
In addition, Ianto had been having a string of bad days. He’d taken a fall, fought against being toileted, refused to do his usual ADLs, and even thrown his cup at someone one day.
Jack hated it. He hated the knowledge that Ianto was having a bad streak, and he couldn’t be there. He hated that his attention was divided; he hated that Ianto couldn’t be in their home, with him. He hated that he couldn’t care for him.
Needless to say, Jack was angry and getting pretty snippy with both the younger team and the team at Torchwood Central. Rhys was getting sick of his calls, and yesterday, he’d snapped and said that if Jack wanted to know information so badly, he should’ve forced Ianto to find a replacement or hired a new archivist before he went on sabbatical.
Jack had hung upon him. Rhys knew perfectly well that he was crossing a line.
He just wanted these people out of his house. He wanted to go to sleep knowing the team was home and that his marriage and family weren’t about to disappear in a paradox.
Sighing, Jack hoped he would feel better after seeing his husband. As he threw on his raincoat to head out, he was cornered by Gwen, Tosh, and Owen.
Jack looked at them curiously, blinking at them for a long minute before saying, “Yes? You need something?”
“We want to come to see Ianto,” Tosh said firmly, and Owen and Gwen nodded. Jack snorted, shaking his head and looking away, his eyes darkening with grief.
“Trust me. No, you don’t.”
“We do,” Gwen insisted. “Ianto is our friend. Let us go see him.”
Jack looked back at them. He knew that look in Gwen’s eye, and he sighed again. “If I don’t, you're going to get a cab and follow me, aren’t you?”
“I learned how to order one on your counsel yesterday,” Tosh said, sounding proud.
“I’m his doctor,” Owen said, crossing his arms. “And I don’t care if I’m dead or whatever the fuck, that isn’t changing. I’m seeing him.”
Jack sighed again. He wasn’t going to dissuade them.
“Oi, you two!” Jack shouted, and the younger him and younger Ianto both poked their heads out of the living room. Jack gave them what he hoped was a threatening look. “Don’t break my house.”
And then he headed out into the rain with his friends on his tail.
Right around when the boys graduated high school, Ianto broke his knee.
It was a bad break, caused by Ianto getting dragged by Untitled as the dog ran after a squirrel.
While he was in the hospital, he made a ton of jokes about how old he was getting. Jack didn’t find them very amusing, and neither did the boys.
Ianto didn’t mind so much. Frankie was going to build airplanes for the army while going to engineering school, Nicholas was going to travel around the world building hospitals. His boys were going to be just fine. Gwen’s daughter was getting married in a few months, and she told Ianto that if he didn’t get better so he could dance with his goddaughter, she would kill him.
None of them acknowledged that it was the beginning of the end.
As Jack led his guests through the lobby of Aqua Meadows, he was pleased to find Ianto seated at the craft table, albeit in his wheelchair.
He went to head over but was stopped by Kristen making a beeline for him. Jack frowned as she reached him, looking concerned. “Is everything okay?”
“Health-wise? Yes.” Kristen shifted her weight, looking exhausted. “But it’s been a bad morning. He managed to elope earlier today-“
“He got out of the building?” Jack asked, eyes widening. Ianto hadn’t tried to get out, not once in the three years he’d been here. Kristen nodded nervously.
“And he’s been in a state all morning. He’s only quiet now, because Aubrey let him do the button organizing he wanted to do.”
“I’m sorry,” Jack shook his head “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what has him so out of sorts lately. You’re sure nothing’s changed here? No new detergents or whatever?”
“Nothing at all.” She hesitated. “Jack, have you told a doctor yet? He might need new meds.”
Jack winced at the idea of sedating Ianto but nodded. “Tomorrow’s Monday. I’ll call.”
She looked relieved. “Thank you, really.”
“Of course.” Jack left her to go over to Ianto, who had made a hexagon out of his buttons. “Hey you, where’s my kiss?”
“Jack,” Ianto said immediately, looking up at him. “Jack, we have to leave.”
Jack sighed, kissing his forehead. “No, sweetheart, you need to stay here. We’ve been over this.”
“I have to go to work!” Ianto half-shouted, throwing a button across the room. A PCA stepped forward to intervene, but Jack just waved them off, taking Ianto’s hands and crouching to his level.
“Hey, c’mon Ianto. I got some guests here to see you. Can we talk about this in your room?”
Ianto stared at him, then nodded. Jack nodded back, kissing his cheek and giving poor Aubrey an apologetic smile. She smiled back, nodding. “You guys go have fun. Hey, Ianto, wanna join us for bingo later? This week's prizes include some awesome granola bars.”
Ianto’s nose wrinkled, and Jack laughed. “Oh no, you want him to play? Dark chocolate, that’s the key. Oh!”
Jack reached into his pocket to pull out a picture of Mina. “Hey, Ianto! Wanna see our grandbaby?”
There was a round of applause for that, and Ianto took the picture, studying it intently as Jack wheeled Ianto to his room. They all got there without incident, and Jack locked Ianto’s chair into place next to the window before kissing his forehead.
Ianto looked up at him, then over his shoulder. He frowned, blinked for a minute. And then he smiled, and said, “Tosh, you look lovely today.”
Tosh’s beam could’ve lit up an entire country. “Oh, thank you, Ianto, really.”
“Oi, no, hello? Christ, Teaboy, rude,” Owen joked, and Ianto laughed, genuinely laughed for the first time in months.
Jack smiled at them, taking the picture and setting it on the nightstand. He let them talk as he went into the bathroom to check on the supplies. Ianto needed more briefs soon and shampoo. As he walked out, he noticed a blue sleeve hanging out of the hamper, and he scowled.
“For Christ’s sake-“ Jack went over and pulled his coat out of the dirty laundry pile. “How many times do I have to tell them that I dry clean this?”
“Is that the same coat?” Gwen asked, giggling, and Jack shook his head.
“Nah, but this one’s seen just as much action. And just as much TLC from Ianto.”
“Love the coat,” Ianto said, eyes sparkling, and Jack winked at him.
“Like the suit," he responded, and Ianto smiled at him.
Then he looked back at Tosh, and his eyes went dark. “There’s an alien here. There is. I promise this time.”
Jack sighed, shaking his head. “I hate that part. For a few moments, he’s here. Then he’s gone again. That’s the worst part.”
“There’s an alien!” Ianto shrieked, suddenly angry. “Jack, please!”
And then, to Jack’s horror, Ianto threw himself out of his chair. His head slammed against the window frame, and Ianto hit the floor, still shrieking. “There’s an alien! There’s an alien!”
“Go get a PCA!” Jack snapped at Gwen and Tosh. Owen immediately crouched next to him, attempting to access the wound.
“Ianto, mate, lay still-“ Owen started, but Ianto’s hand swung up to grab him.
“You’re dead!” Ianto yelled. “They’re gonna die; it’s gonna kill me!”
A PCA ran in, and Jack and the others were ushered back out to the activity room.
Aubrey gave him a sad look, and Jack immediately ran outside. He couldn’t stand her pity.
He heard Gwen shouting after him, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to run far away, so far away that he forgot about Ianto, about the horror he felt when Ianto got hurt.
But that couldn’t happen. He’d sworn it wouldn’t.
The first time Ianto fell down the stairs, it was because he was looking for his shoes.
He’d been planning to meet up with Jack for lunch, and he was almost completely dressed when he realized he forgot his tie clip upstairs. Cursing his seventy-five-year-old brain, he set his shoes down and went upstairs, fetching the tie clip, only to realize he was in his socks.
He searched his whole room for his black loafers, then checked the bathroom to see if he’d left them in there somehow. He even checked the boys’ rooms and guest rooms. When he finally admitted they weren’t up there, he figured they were downstairs.
He was half-way down when he tripped and fell, dislocating his shoulder and breaking his clavicle.
Jack had worried like a mother hen and spent weeks tearing up the carpeting on their steps.
Ianto didn’t know how to tell him that he hadn’t tripped on the carpet - he’d tripped on the very shoes he’d been looking for.
Ianto was sent out to the hospital, but Kristen reassured him that the wound was shallow and he would probably be back before bedtime tonight.
Jack drove home in silence, arriving to find that the younger versions of him and Ianto were having a lovers’ spat.
The rain had let up into a light drizzle, so Jack was unsurprised to find his younger self on the roof and only marginally more surprised to find Ianto in the vegetable garden.
The sheer number of passion projects Ianto had taken on after his retirement had been fascinating. He’d built their screened-in porch, become a legendary sponsor for a local library, and founded a program that helped disadvantaged youth get off the streets. He’d won awards for his vegetable garden, and Jack had spent many a day sitting outside watching Ianto learn to tenderly care for his plants.
Young Ianto was carefully pulling weeds from the wet soil, clearly grumpy. He looked up when Jack approached and said, “Sorry, I just kinda… needed to do something. With my hands.”
“It’s fine; it’s your garden,” Jack said, settling on his knees next to him and tugging a few out himself. They worked in silence for a few minutes. “So, are you gonna tell me what has baby me in such a snit?”
“I told him I didn’t want to live long enough to get old,” Ianto muttered darkly. “He didn’t take it well.”
Jack stared at him, frozen. Ianto sighed, sitting back on his heels. “Look, I understand you and… me… had a long and happy life together, but I watched stuff like this happen to family members. It’s hell. I never want to tie you - tie Jack down like that.”
“I’m not tied down,” Jack protested, but Ianto interrupted him.
“Oh sure, so you like living this way? Going to visit my old arse in a nursing home every day? Not being able to do whatever and whoever you want?”
“Yeah,” Jack replied, honestly and without hesitation. Ianto stared at him, and Jack sighed.
“Ianto, every day I get to visit you is a day that you’re still alive. You’re still breathing, still existing on this planet. That alone makes everything worth it.”
“How?” Ianto whispered. “How are you doing it? How’d you let me get so old?”
“You wanted me to,” Jack said simply. It was as easy as that.
Ianto knew it was time to see the doctor the day he left the oven on.
He was always cautious in the kitchen, always keeping an eye on the stove or on his coffee machine.
He hadn’t made a cup of coffee in months, and that alone was a reason to go.
Gwen passed away on a cold winter day, and Ianto cried at her funeral, not just because she was gone, but because when he gave his eulogy, he almost forgot her middle name.
Jack drove him to the doctor, still young and beautiful and wise. He was sure nothing would be wrong.
Ianto knew otherwise.
Later that night, Jack got a call from Rhys as he was scouring the study for information. Ianto had filled the study with as much alien knowledge as he could sneak out of the archives.
It was a last-ditch effort, but he was out of options.
The comm unit rang with Rhys’ number, and Jack answered. “Hey kiddo, listen, I’m sorry about yesterday-“
“Uncle,” Rhys said, his voice deadly serious, and Jack looked at the camera, at his terrified face.
He paled. “What is it?”
“Rift storm, big one.” Rhys swallowed. “At Aqua Meadows.”
Jack’s heart stopped in his chest. No.
“We’re en-route, but you’re closer, and I know that I couldn’t stop you if I tried-“
Jack was already going for the gun safe. He pulled out his Webley and ran out of the study without hanging up the phone. He heard the younger team following him, and he didn’t even wait for everyone to close their doors before peeling out of his driveway like a drag racer
He reached Aqua Meadows in a record five minutes and felt his heart drop when he saw the doors were gone.
“Guns are under the seat,” he said grimly and then he climbed out of the car and ran inside.
Kristen was dead in the lobby, a large puncture wound through her head and blood spilling in a pool around her, blonde hair splayed out like a halo. Jack stepped over her silently, gun drawn. He heard residents screaming far off in the building, but the path of destruction led into Ianto’s wing. He saw PCAs and medtechs evacuating residents in the other three wings and saw the young Torchwood team take up his flank.
Jenny ran at them, terrified. “You can’t be here; we’re-“
“Torchwood,” Jack snapped, pulling his badge from his pocket. He was wearing the greatcoat, making sure it smelled like him before he returned it to Ianto.
Jenny blinked, then nodded. “It went that way.”
Jack nodded and ran down the hall into wing three. He smelled blood and saw several rooms broken into.
“Jack?”
Jack turned to see Lyra, tying a tourniquet around a bleeding leg wound. Owen was at her side immediately, and Jack crouched in front of her. “What does it look like, Lyra?”
“A giant worm,” she groaned, “with no eyes. And a scorpion stinger. And a mouth full of teeth.”
“Some sort of tardigrade,” Jack said, glancing back. “Tosh, run out to the car and update Rhys. He’s the first contact on the comm unit.”
She nodded, leaving Gwen and young him and Ianto standing there, guns drawn.
“Jack.” Lyra coughed. “Jack, it went towards…”
Jack was moving before she finished her sentence. An alien was here. He should’ve listened to his husband. But it was okay, he was going to get there in time, he was going to get there, and he was going to-
Jack reached his room.
The creature did look like a worm. Eyeless, mouth full of sharp teeth. And there, hanging off its stinger, Ianto.
The creature shrieked, and the wall next to Jack exploded. It slithered away like a snake, and Ianto and Gwen ran after it.
Jack - neither Jack - didn’t move.
The thing had dropped Ianto when it moved, and now he was laying, crumpled on the floor, so still-
“No,” Jack croaked, stumbling forward and dropping his gun, falling to his knees beside Ianto and grabbing him. “No, no, nononono - Ianto? Can you hear me? Ianto?”
Jack shook him furiously, and a warm hand came to rest on his shoulder.
“That thing was through his chest,” young him said. “I’m sorry, but he’s-“
“No!” Jack shrieked, pulling Ianto closer and burying his nose in his hair. He wanted Ianto to hold him, wanted him to move, wanted him to breathe-
“No.” Jack rocked back and forth between his knees and his heels, clutching Ianto to him like a teddy bear. “No. I’m not ready, this - he wanted to die of old age, not aliens, no, no no-“
He threw the brat’s hand off his shoulder, and heard young him sigh and run off. He heard the alien scream again in the distance and forced himself to pull it together.
He laid Ianto back down, gingerly, and sobbed as he looked at him. Between his hearing going in his old age and how heavy a sleeper Ianto was, he probably hadn’t woken up. He’d probably been dreaming and then, boom, stinger through the chest.
Jack exhaled shakily and took off his coat, carefully sliding Ianto’s arms through the holes and settling him so Ianto was wearing the coat.
“I’ll come back,” Jack sobbed, kissing Ianto on the forehead. “I’ll come back for you.”
And then he picked up his gun and ran.
The young team had cornered the worm outside the laundry room, and Jack snarled when he saw it. He fired, but the worm just screamed, tossing him back with a wave of sound that hit him like a brick.
It slithered closer, probably smelling the blood. He heard more gunshots but saw it take the younger team out with a flick of the tail.
A laser shot appeared over his head, and Jack craned his neck to see Rhys run in, flanked by Bixby and Mara. The alien wailed, and Bixby shoved Rhys out of the way before getting thrown through a window, screaming.
Rhys shouted their name, firing again, but the alien was too busy looking down at Jack, opening its gigantic mouth, ready to devour him whole-
A single bullet flew directly over Jack’s head and into the creature's throat. There was a cut-off shriek, an explosion of viscera as the bullet pierced the alien’s throat, and the worm collapsed, dead.
Jack looked up, trying to figure out who shot it, but the entire young team was still on the ground. Including the young Ianto, who was staring at-
At another Ianto Jones. A thirty-six-year-old Ianto Jones. Wearing plaid pajama pants and a white sleep shirt with a hole in it, and Jack’s greatcoat and Jack’s wedding ring and-
Ianto lowered his gun, glaring down at Jack. “You and I are going to have words, mister. Look at these pants! How fat did you let me get?”
Ianto found Jack at the Millennium Center.
Jack rarely came up here anymore, but he figured this was a special occasion, and that Jack was particularly vexed.
The doctor they'd visited had said the word, and given them pamphlets about Dementia vs Alzheimer's.
He hadn’t had to use his Torchwood ID to get past a guard in some time; it was a refreshing change of pace.
As he carefully walked across the roof, clinging to his cane, Jack said, “I told Rhys I’m taking sabbatical. And I called the Doctor. There are a few treatment options in the future. I got the voicemail, but who knows, maybe he’ll call me back.”
Never mind that the Doctor hadn’t been seen in almost fifty years or that she hadn’t called Jack in even longer.
“You’re really gonna make your octogenarian husband sit on the edge of a roof?” Ianto asked instead, and Jack clambered to his feet to stand next to him.
Ianto sighed, watching him. “Jack…”
“No, we can fix this,” Jack insisted. “I can- I can find a way, I can call John, or-“
“John is dead, Jack,” Ianto said. “Come on now; I’m the one who’s losing his mind.”
“That’s not funny,” Jack snapped, running his hands through his already ruffled hair. “You can’t stop me, Ianto. Not yet, not like this-“
“Jack.”
“No, you’ve been panicking about me forgetting you; it can’t be the other way around. It can’t. I won’t let it.”
Ianto pulled Jack into a hug, wondering when he’d gotten shorter than him.
He’d let Jack try. It would make him feel better.
It was fruitless.
Bixby was still unconscious, so Owen was conducting the scans of the second Ianto while Jack watched, anxiously fidgeting. The rest of both Torchwood teams were Retconning people who needed to be and cleaning up bodies. Even with aliens being public knowledge, this incident didn’t need to be put on the news.
“I keep telling you, it’s me,” Ianto insisted as Owen’s scanner beeped for the third time. Owen swallowed, looking at the results and nodding.
“But how?” Rhys asked from where he was sitting next to Bixby. He hadn’t moved from the doctor’s side the entire time.
“The alien is called a duevide,” Ianto explained. “We have a file on them in the archives. They’re a genetic experiment created in 3400 to solve the problem of casualty in war. You fight a battle, you release the duevide, it stabs a live or dead body, and then someone else touches the body and the person comes back to life having inherited certain traits - health conditions, gender, age, etc.”
Rhys quickly got on the comms, warning no one to touch a dead body, while Owen shook his head. “That makes no sense. Sure the age thing I can buy, but that wouldn’t fix the brain deterioration caused by the Alzhimer’s.”
“You’re right.” Ianto nodded, then looked directly at Jack. “Unless, of course, I inherited a certain healing factor.”
Jack’s eyes widened, and Owen tapped a few buttons on his scanner before running another scan of Ianto. He stared, then looked at Jack.
“According to this thing, not only is that Ianto Jones,” Owen explained, “It’s Ianto Jones young, and perfectly healthy… and radiating the same energy you do.”
Jack stared at Owen, then at Ianto, daring to hope-
Ianto smiled, tilting his head. “Hey, you, where’s my kiss?”
Jack surged forward to gather Ianto in his arms, to hold him tight and sob into his shoulder. And for the first time in years, Ianto’s arms came up and held him back , clutching him with all the strength of a healthy adult.
“You’re not upset?” Ianto asked quietly. “I know you wouldn’t wish this on your worst enemy.”
“You’re alive.” Jack sobbed, “I’ll never be upset about that. I’m sure we’ll probably try and kill one another in about fifty years.”
“Why’s Jack hugging the Riftugee?” Bixby asked quietly, and Rhys looked at them, then scowled. “You crazy fucking idiot, you shoved me out of the way!”
“I saved your life, you militant lugnut-“
“Children,” Ianto interrupted. “Could you please just kiss?”
Bixby blinked. “I’m sorry, what-“
And then, Rhys grabbed them and kissed them, square on the mouth. Bixby’s eyes widened and then fluttered closed. They made a soft little noise in their throat.
The pair pulled apart, and Rhys sniffled, wiping away a stray tear. “Don’t you ever- god, I thought you were dead-“
Owen left the two couples alone, and Jack led Ianto away from all the chaos, still clinging to his hand.
He saw Lyra being loaded into an ambulance and Ianto quickly gasped and ran over. “Lyra!”
Lyra looked at him, frowning. “Sorry, do I know you?”
“Lyra,” Jack said, joining Ianto’s side. “Hey, you doing okay?”
“Freaked the fuck out, but fine.” She looked sad. “I’m so sorry about Ianto.”
Jack chuckled. “Don’t you worry; we have so much to tell you. Someone’s gonna be by your hospital room tomorrow with a job offer; you should hear them out.”
Lyra gave him a strange look at the doors closed, and the ambulance drove away. Ianto nudged him. “Are you gonna hire her?”
“Bixby is going to have new distractions and deserves a nurse.” Jack shrugged. As the ambulance pulled out, another car peeled into the parking lot, and Nicholas and Franklin clambered out, charging for the scene and getting stopped short by police. Jack and Ianto shared a grin.
Frankie tried frantically to explain that their parents were in there while Nick just screamed that they were Torchwood, and they needed to be let in immediately. Jack went over and cleared his throat. When the officer turned, Jack held up his badge and said, “They’re good, officer; let ‘em through.”
The officer opened the barricades enough for the boys to bustle through, and they swarmed Jack instantly.
“Dad! Rhys called us; we landed earlier-”
“-is Tad okay? Oh, god, please tell us he’s okay-”
“-crazy alien thing, and we just got so-”
“Boys!” Ianto interrupted, having come up behind Jack. The twins froze, staring at him.
“... is that the young one?” Nick asked in a hushed voice. “The one you told us about?”
“Nope,” Jack said, popping the ‘p.’ Ianto grinned at them.
“Alien made me young and immortal.” He shrugged, then looked expectantly at Frankie. “Where’s the baby and Laura? This one didn’t give me any details, just a picture.”
“You freaked the fuck out on me before I could tell you anything!” Jack whined, and Ianto rolled his eyes.
“Oh, please. That wasn’t a freak-out. Beating you up, now that would’ve been a freak- out!” Ianto’s voice rose to a surprised squeak as the boys charged at him and wrapped him in a three-way hug, clinging to him like they were little kids again. Ianto blinked, then chuckled, wrapping his arms around them both and holding them tighter. “My boys…”
Jack was dragged into the family hug, and for a little bit, they just stayed that way, clinging to one another and never letting go.
Ianto was tired.
He was tired all the time now. He was pretty much living on the couch when he wasn’t in bed. It was a side effect of the new medication, and Ianto was… honestly? Done with it.
Jack had tried every treatment under the sun. Experimental trials, heavy prescriptions, natural remedies - anything that could buy Ianto more time until the Doctor called him back, until Jack found a way to go to the future and fix this.
Ianto was more realistic. He knew when it was time to call it quits.
He forced himself to stay awake, waiting for Jack to come home from the grocery store. Sure enough, he soon heard a cheerful “Honey, I'm home!”
Part of Ianto felt a pang of sadness. Jack was in a good mood. Ianto was about to ruin it.
“Hey, you, where’s my kiss!” he called back. Once they’d started living together, ‘Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes’ became pretty stupid-sounding. Ianto loved that little tradition. He hated what he was about to do.
Jack came into the sitting room and kissed him, long and slow. He pulled back and smiled. “How do you feel?”
This was it. The moment of truth.
“Tired.”
Jack sighed. “Yeah, sorry. I know you hate that side effect-”
“I want it to stop,” Ianto interrupted. Jack stared at him.
“Ianto, you know that while you’re on the medicine-”
“I want the medicine to stop too.” Suddenly, the words were spilling out of him. “And I want you to stop calling the Doctor when you think I can’t hear, and I want you to stop looking up articles that just make you sad, and I just want you to stop. I want you to stop trying. I want you to stop looking. I want you to stop trying to fix me, and I want you to be my husband.”
Ianto was out of breath at the end of his tirade, and Jack stared at him.
“... No.”
Ianto sighed .“Jack-”
“No! No, you can’t make me stop trying. You can’t make me just give up on you!”
“I’m not asking you to give up,” Ianto said. “I just want you to stop looking for a miracle that won’t come.”
“You can’t give up!” Jack snapped. “You can’t! I won’t let you!”
“Jack-”
“No! No. Not like this, I won’t lose you like this!” Jack was sobbing, and he collapsed against the couch. Ianto reached out, stroking his hair.
“Oh Jack, I’m so sorry,” Ianto whispered, and Jack just pressed his face to Ianto’s thigh.
“We said as long as we both shall live.” Jack sobbed. “Not like this, please not like this…”
Ianto just held him and let him cry it out.
Three weeks later, he fell down the stairs again and almost broke his neck.
He moved into Aqua Meadows a week after that
The solution to getting the young team home was embarrassingly simple, because of course, it was.
Frankie was always happy to play around with alien tech, and once Ianto explained what they needed, he made the device within the night. It had to be activated in the garden where they’d landed, so in the early hours of the morning, Jack, Ianto, and the young team went back to the house. Ianto made a round of coffees and carried them out to the back garden.
“This Retcon will wipe the last three days,” Ianto said. “This device is very precise - you’ll go to sleep, and wake up at home, with nothing having happened.”
“It was good to see you all again,” Jack said, “really.”
“Thanks for letting us stay here, Jack,” Gwen said, smiling as she downed her coffee. Owen and Tosh nodded before drinking theirs. The younger Jack just gave him a salute and then chugged it. Young Ianto just sipped his coffee, wordlessly.
But then, as the young team started to lay down in the grass, going to sleep… young Ianto just stood there, frowning.
“I’m not tired,” he said, and the older Ianto shrugged, pulling a small baggie of Retcon out of his pocket.
“That’s because your Retcon dose is right here.”
And suddenly, it clicked.
“You little shit,” Jack breathed. “You remembered this whole time! That’s how you knew there was an alien in-”
“That’s why I picked Aqua Meadows.” Ianto nodded. “If I hadn’t, that thing would’ve killed everyone there, and I would’ve never gotten my second chance.”
Jack was about to yell at him about maybe telling him some of this, but the younger Ianto spoke first.
“So that’s it then,” he snapped, angry. “Destiny decided, make sure you don’t fuck it up! All of this is predetermined, so why bother living at all?”
“Not necessarily,” Ianto said, holding out the baggie of Retcon. “You can take this. Now or when you get home, whichever. This is less of a causal time loop and more a favor, from one Ianto to another.”
Younger Ianto stared. “So… I can still forget all this?”
“If you want to, yes.” Ianto shrugged. “Or, you go back to your time, you love Jack as best you can, and hope for the same result. It's that simple, really.”
He shook the baggie again, and the young Ianto took it.
Ianto smiled at him, holding up the device. “Oh - one more thing. When Rhiannon calls, answer. Save the kids. In general but in reference to one very specific moment, you’ll know when.” Younger Ianto looked confused, but Ianto just smirked. “Click your heels three times and say there’s no place like home.”
And with that, they were gone.
Ianto did answer when Rhiannon called. And now, he’d survived Thames House.
He finished his will with an e-signature and saved the document to the deepest recesses of his computer. He didn’t know it, but in twenty years, he would send it to Anwen Cooper, the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed executor of his will, fresh out of law school.
As he closed the document, he looked over to where Jack was sleeping next to him. He looked so beautiful, and Ianto closed his eyes.
Love Jack Harkness as best you can.
Ianto hoped this worked. He never wanted Jack to be alone again.
Jack blinked his bleary eyes open, looking at the empty spot next to him for a long moment. For several terrifying moments, he thought that the last twenty-four hours had been a dream, that Ianto was either still in his nursing home or worse, dead by an alien stinger.
Cautiously, he patted the spot. It was warm.
He heard a clanging noise in the kitchen, and he sprung out of bed in his boxers to run down the stairs like a kid on Christmas morning.
Ianto was standing in the kitchen, coffee in one hand and spatula in the other. A plate of pancakes and a large mixing bowl of batter was on the counter. He set down his cup and turned when Jack entered, smiling.
“Hey, you ruined breakfast in bed.”
Jack stared, feeling emotions well up in his throat. Ianto was young and beautiful and framed by sunlight. Suddenly Jack was around the island, and Ianto was in his arms and Jack kissed him, frantic and hard, like he’d slip away. Ianto let out a surprised grunt that turned into a bit of a whimper as Jack pinned him against the counter, flicking off the stove with one hand and trying his best to lift Ianto up so Jack could-
Ianto smacked him on the arm with the spatula, and Jack jumped back with a yelp. Ianto waggled a finger at him. “Oi, none of that now! Mina and Laura and the boys will be here soon, and I am not missing out on my granddaughter because you can’t keep it in your pants.”
Jack burst out laughing, grabbing the spatula and trying to draw Ianto into another kiss. Ianto kept resisting him, but he was smiling and laughing.
“Jack, come on! We have an eternity to have sex, quit it!” Ianto giggled as Jack nibbled at his neck, and Jack grinned, holding him tighter.
An eternity.
He liked the sound of that.