Title: Gone
Author: emeraldsage85
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: This popped into my head last night while I was trying to do homework.
Disclaimer: I don't make any money from this. Torchwood belongs to RTD and the BBC.
Summary: Jack is gone and the team thinks he won't come back. Ianto still holds out hope.

***

Jack is gone. There is no explanation for it. Just that he's gone and no one knows what happened to him, not even Gwen, who was the last person to see him.

Tosh and Gwen think that someone has taken him. Owen and Ianto aren't so sure. All they have to go one is a very strange noise that Tosh managed to isolate. None of the CCTV cameras have captured anything, which is frustrating.

Ianto wonders, if Jack left because he wanted to, why didn't he say good-bye?

Ianto wonders a lot. He lies in bed at night for hours thinking about that kiss, remembering the feel of Jack's lips on his. Jack has kissed him twice now. Both times were heavenly, even if he only barely remembers the first. Did either of them mean anything to Jack?

Ianto finds that his heart feels heavy now. There's a piece missing and that piece is Jack. But there's nothing he can do about it so he goes about his business. The coffee still needs to be made, the filing is always waiting for him, and someone needs to feed the pterodactyl. The Hub would fall apart without him.

Owen does a reasonably good job being first in command but he's no Jack. Still, they manage. They chase Weevils, investigate strange happenings around Cardiff, check out bits of alien tech, and proceed as usual. They give up looking for Jack. Gwen, Tosh, and Owen now figure he's not coming back. Ianto still holds out hope.

Then one day Ianto arrives for work and finds Jack sitting in his office like he's never been gone.

"Hello Ianto," he says.

Ianto stares.

"Is it really you?" he asks.

"Of course it is," Jack says, coming around the desk. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I haven't seen you for months," Ianto accuses.

"Yeah, well, I had some... things to sort out."

"How could you just up and leave?"

Jack grips Ianto's shoulders and brings his face in so that they are nose to nose.

"I came back though."

He presses his lips to Ianto's in a tender kiss. Ianto pulls away.

"Don't think you can just kiss me and all will be forgiven," Ianto says.

He's trying to frown but the corners of his mouth are turning up in a tiny smile.

"Oh but it will," Jack murmurs, brushing his lips once more against Ianto's. "You can't stay mad at me you know."

Ianto chuckles.

"See?" Jack says.

"Tell me why I shouldn't stay mad at you," Ianto demands.

"Well, because in two minutes I'm going to kiss you again. Then I'm going to have to get you out of that suit and into my bed. And then you're going to scream my name," Jack breathes in Ianto's ear.

"And what makes you so sure?" Ianto asks.

"This," Jack says, cupping the bulge in Ianto's trousers, "Tells me everything I need to know."

Ianto smiles.

"Think we can manage all that before the others get here?"

"Sure thing. Have you still got that stop watch?"

THE END

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