Previous part of Missing Memories.

***

The day continued slowly, there were no more apparitions and no more threats from Billis, it was as though the last couple of days hadn't happened, everything seemed normal. Except every one was watching Ianto for some sort of sign that he was going to break, but he remained calm and collect, though Jack knew it was just a mask and it broke his heart knowing the younger man was hurting right now because of him.

Jack watched as Ianto made the coffee, he noted the look on Gwen's face as though she wanted to wrap him around in cotton wool, Owen seemed to smile a little more and thank him instead of his normal grunts, Toshiko was the only one who acted normal around him but none the less caring.

"Hey Yan.." Jack called. "Where's my coffee?" Rolling his eyes Ianto pointed to the coffee machine.

"You want it strong don't you sir?" Ianto asked as he slowly walked over to the machine.

"Course." Jack grinned.

"Then you're going to have wait another minute sir." Ianto said with a smile. Jack smiled it seemed as though Ianto was already trying to put everything behind him, which worried him slightly as he hadn't had time to heal from the wounds that were no reopened. As promised, a minute later Ianto walked into Jack's office a cup of coffee in hand.

"Go get yourself a coffee and you can keep me company," Jack smiled, Ianto knew he was just trying to keep an eye on him but he couldn't help but smile, some alone time with Jack is just what he needed.

A few moments later, and Ianto was sat on the small uncomfortable sofa in Jack's office, Jack sitting next to him, one hand holding his and the other on the coffee mug.

"So, are you okay?" Jack asked gently, "And don't lie."

"I'm.. getting there." Ianto said honestly.

"What Billis said earlier, I wont let him hurt you any more." Ianto couldn't help but laugh at that, and was then returned with a funny questioning look from Jack.

"Sir, Billis Manger might as well be time, and as much as I wish you could you can't stop time, you can't even control it."

"I can try can't I?" Jack asked, a slight crack in his hero persona but still confident. Ianto nodded weakly and tried to smile.

"He's going to kill me isn't he." Ianto mumbled.

"I think he'll go to any lengths to make me suffer, and I think he will try but I know he wont succeed." Ianto looked up at Jack and smiled.

"Why me?" Ianto asked, he didn't care that he sounded like a small child and he didn't care the least that he was whining.

"Because you're the only one in this team that I can say if something happened to you I would die." Jack said as he squeezed Ianto's hand tightly.

"Jack.."

"I love you Ianto, you know that right?" Jack whispered, trying to hide the fact that this sounded like a final goodbye between two lovers, or maybe it was.

"I do now." Ianto replied, kissing Jack soundly on the lips. "I love you too."

"I wont let him kill you," Jack said between kisses. "I promise." Ianto nodded and wrapped his arms around Jack, the coffee mugs left untouched on the floor.

"Jack we have rift activity!" Toshiko called from the stairs, Jack and Ianto let go of each other and both made their way down stairs.

"Where?" Jack asked as he stared at the screen.

"Ianto's place." Toshiko replied, sending a comforting look in Ianto's direction.

"Lets go," Jack said and once again the team found themselves heading towards Ianto's house. "Ianto stay with me okay." Ianto merely nodded as he jumped out of the car, noting that they didn't need to kick the door open because it was already opened.

"Ianto thank god you're here!" Ianto turned around to see his neighbour, Mrs Kim standing there looking worried.

"What's going on?" Ianto asked.

"I don't know, I was just watching the television when I heard banging coming from you're place, I thought maybe you and you're special friend were you know home.. but then glass was being thrown and I noticed your car wasn't in the drive.."

"Okay, go back inside there's nothing to worry about." Ianto smiled, or tried to smile convincingly, but the banging in his house was getting louder.

"Special friend?" Jack asked raising an eye brow.

"So not the time," Ianto mumbled and followed Jack inside his house, Gwen, Toshiko and Owen following behind.

Ianto thought that he wasn't in his house, he was standing in some one else's living room he had to be. The furniture was pushed over, the sofa turned upside down, his television smashed, photo's that hung on the wall were now all over the floor.

"Billis." Owen said and they all turned to the doorway.

"You took your time." Billis smiled strangely. "I'm so sorry Ianto, I wish it didn't have to come to this."

"Now what? You brought my past back to haunt me, smashed up my house, what's next?" Ianto shouted, his anger finally releasing.

"I am so sorry." Billis said as he walked closer. "I really wish it didn't have to be you."

"Ianto, stay behind me," Jack said and Ianto nodded. "Stay away from him!" Jack shouted.

"It's beyond my control now Jack." Billis said sincerely. "It was always beyond my control," One more step and he was now face to face with Jack.

"Who is controlling you?" Jack asked. "We can help."

"You can't stop time Jack." Ianto whispered, but every one heard.

"When Time catches up to you, you can't stop it," Billis said sadly. He reached out his hand, and Jack was stunned into silence when he felt his hand reach through him, a loud scream came from Ianto's mouth as Billis touched him, the simple touch burning his skin. "Turn the time back to tomorrow and everything will be healed." Billis said before he disappeared. Leaving Ianto's body cold on the floor.

***

"Jack, he's gone." Owen said sadly as he bent down next to Ianto whose body was already stone cold, and any colour the welsh boy had was drained from his skin as though some one had sucked the life out of him.

"No he can't be." Jack cried, he fell to the floor his eyes not able to control the tears that had started to pour, shaking hands reached out and clasped Ianto's hoping to feel a pulse, to feel anything but there was nothing. Ianto was gone. "He isn't, he can't, he wouldn't leave me." Jack was crying so hard that it had taken the remainder of the team back.

"Jack, he's dead." Gwen said softly. "We couldn't save him."

"I promised him." Jack shouted. "I promised I wouldn't let that bastard hurt him!" His yelling startled the group but at the same time soothed them, the raw emotion told them that Billis was going to pay.

"What did he mean?" Toshiko asked after a few minutes. "Turn time back to tomorrow."

"He's mad it makes no sense." Owen commented quickly. "We should take the body back to the.."

"No!" Jack yelled. "He isn't dead."

"He has no pulse Jack, no heart beat." Even though it saddened the medic to say he had to say them.

"Turn time back to tomorrow and everything will be healed." Jack said quickly. "If we do that then Ianto he'll be okay." Gwen stared at Jack with sad eyes, she knew that her boss had cared deeply for Ianto but she never understood just how much.

"How exactly do we do that?" Owen asked. Jack thought about it, he had no idea what any of it meant, he didn't understand why Ianto had died just by one simple touch, they couldn't touch Billis yet he could touch them, kill them. But his thoughts were pushed aside when a faint sound trickled into his senses.

"Can you hear that?" Jack asked quietly as if any loud, sudden noises would scare the sound away. The others shook their head, the sound was coming from Ianto. Jack looked down, his body was still and limp on the floor, Ianto wasn't making the sound. He moved his head over his body, and found the source of the sound, reaching into Ianto's trousers pocket he pulled out a small silver stopwatch.

"That never ticks." Toshiko stated, alarm in her eyes. The stopwatch in question wasn't the one Ianto normally used, yet one he had on him at all times. It wasn't plain like the other one, it had amazingly captivating carvings on the surface, and although it was ticking – it wouldn't open.

"A clock that never ticks starts ticking," Jack said trying to piece the information together.

"I asked him about it once, it fell from his pocket I noticed the carvings and he told me he always had it on him, he said that when he was twelve his grandfather gave it to him telling him to always have it with him, one day time will be able to.. save him."

"Wait.. turn time back to tomorrow.. this is it!" Jack declared with a smile.

"It doesn't open." Toshiko sighed. "He said he's always tried, it just wouldn't budge. Kept saying it probably didn't have any batteries."

"We should get back to the hub." Jack said, knowing they couldn't do anything else in Ianto's apartment, especially when it was in such a bad condition.

"I'll go get a body bag." Owen said and Jack glared at him. "We can't take him out on the streets like that, his neighbour will probably be looking."

"So walking out with a body bag will what not cause any suspicion." Gwen pointed out.

"We'll carry him, if any one asks he passed out." Jack said as though the thought was so simple he was disappointed in his team for not thinking of it. Delicately he picked Ianto's body and headed to the SUV, as Owen had predicted the neighbours were watching. Not answering any questions Jack just rushed to the SUV, the others following suit.

-x-

An hour later, Ianto's body was lying cold on the autopsy table. Jack sat with him, Toshiko, Gwen and Owen all trying to figure out what the stopwatch did, and how exactly to open it.

"Ianto, I'm so sorry. I promised he wouldn't hurt you and you're.. dead." Jack couldn't help but start crying again, his shields had broken down the minute Billis touched, killed Ianto. "I want you to know that what ever it takes I'm going to bring you back." Jack momentarily thought about the glove, the risen mitten, locked away waiting to be used, he knew if it lead to it he would use it, even if it was just to say goodbye. "I'll even risk time travel again to bring you back, if it causes a paradox I wouldn't care because I need you Yan," Jack sniffed, he never really had a chance to tell Ianto any of this when he was alive and he felt guilty for not saying it sooner. "You're the real hero here Yan, you didn't even realise it. You saved me more times than I could remember, you gave me meaning again Ianto, and I need that meaning back, I need you to wake up for me. You'll know exactly what Billis meant," Jack was falling into hysterics now, he didn't care that he was babbling, half the things he was saying now didn't even make sense, but he kept talking if Ianto could hear him then maybe he would wake up, he couldn't come to terms with the fact that Ianto was dead.

-x-

It had been a day. Tomorrow had come and Jack hadn't moved, the team still hadn't thought of a way to open the watch which now lay in his hands as he had told them to go home, which reluctantly they all did. He held the stopwatch close to him, and then held Ianto's hands.

"I love you Ianto.." Jack cried, hitting him hard that it was the first time he had said it, and Ianto was dead. A weird sensation ran through his hand, he stared as the stopwatch slowly heated up. Small yellow lights had started to glow around the designs on the watch, with a small hissing sound the face of the watch opened, more yellow lights spilled beautifully from the watch and Jack felt the energy run through him. The yellow lights hovered around Ianto for a few seconds before they slowly flowed through his lips and nose. Once all the lights were gone, the arms of the clock started moving, backwards. It stopped and Jack noted that it was at the time that Ianto had died, he turned his face to Ianto who was still cold. "Yan.." Jack said slowly, and watched with wide eyes as Ianto inhaled a deep breath, his body sitting up in cold panic.

"Jack?" Ianto asked pleadingly, his voice was weak and scared but Jack didn't care, Ianto was alive and that was all that mattered.

***

"

Its me, you're okay Yan." Jack said softly, he stared at the watch with wide eyes, he then looked up at the clock on the wall; two completely different times.

"I was dead." Ianto said softly.

"But you're back now." Jack said soothingly.

"But how? Please tell me you didn't use the glove." Ianto said, his tone deadly serious, which oddly comforted Jack.

"I didn't use the glove Yan." Jack said with a smile, he held the stopwatch and Ianto looked at it fondly.

"Its just a watch, how did that bring me back?" Ianto asked. Yes the watch was special to him, but it was just a watch, it wasn't magic.

"Turn time back to tomorrow and everything will be healed." Jack said and received a very confused expression from Ianto. "Its what Billis said right after he killed you, then he was gone." Ianto couldn't concentrate on anything, all he could think about was the never ending darkness. He always thought when you died there was a white light, maybe a pearly gate, but now he knew the reality of dying; nothing but darkness.

"What has that got to do with my Grandfathers watch?" Ianto asked sitting up slightly, his body regaining the energy it had lost.

"You were dead, and then it just started ticking." Jack said as he pulled Ianto closer to him. Ianto inhaled deeply, taking in everything Jack. He clung to him desperately as tears started to mock his body. "I thought I lost you." Jack mumbled, as he started to cry.

"I was so scared Jack." Ianto whispered. They held onto each other as if it would be the last and first time, both crying as they let their emotions take control. They pulled apart from each other when they heard the cog door roll open. A loud shriek filled the air as Toshiko ran over to Ianto.

"Hey." Ianto smiled weakly. "Miss me?" Instead of answering she wrapped her small arms around him pulling him in so tightly he was sure he was going to die again of oxygen starvation, yet he couldn't bring himself to care.

"What? How?" Toshiko asked and then looked over at Jack. "Please tell me you didn't use the glove." This made Ianto laugh, Jack grinned it was good to see the man smiling and laughing.

"It was the stopwatch." Jack said, and handed it over to Ianto who smiled at it and then put it in his pocket. "When Gwen and Owen come, you're going to have to tell us everything you know about the watch." Jack said and Ianto simply nodded.

"I'm going to go and get changed first." Ianto said, and wondered of to his locker where he kept clean clothes.

"What happened Jack?" Toshiko asked and sat next to Jack.

"He was dead, and I sat with him all night talking to him. I had the watch in one hand, his hand in the other and I told him, I said I loved him. Then all these yellow lights came from the watch, and then it opened. It was so beautiful Tosh. The lights went into him, and he woke up." Toshiko smiled, she knew that the two had a very intimate relationship but she had always thought the Captain had grown too old and too tired of love. She was glad she was wrong.

"Does he know you said it?" Toshiko asked as the cog door rolled open once more and Owen and Gwen walked in.

"I don't think so." Jack smiled and then stood up to greet the rest of the team. Just as Ianto walked in wearing a pair of faded jeans and a black hooded jumper; obviously all that was left in his locker.

"Ianto?" Gwen shrieked. Owen stood silently staring with wide eyes. Gwen hugged Ianto awkwardly, they weren't exactly friends, though he didn't really hate her.

"Board room people." Jack grinned.

"I'll make the coffee." Ianto smiled, surprised when he saw Jack follow.

"Did you see Owen's face?" Jack smiled as he wrapped his arms around Ianto once more. Ianto smiled and pressed a soft kiss to Jack's lips. Jack deepened the kiss as he moved Ianto's body closer. Ianto broke the kiss but stayed close to Jack.

Five minutes later they were sat in the board room, Ianto handing out coffee to every one. "How are you feeling?" Owen asked, he still couldn't get his head around the fact that Ianto was alive, he had done the examination himself – the man was dead; but here is he alive.

"Fine." Ianto smiled and sat down in his normal seat next to Jack and opposite Owen who still didn't look to convinced. "When we're finished here would you like to do a check on me?" Ianto asked with a small smile.

"Actually I would." Owen said and Ianto just nodded, knowing once Owen had done the examination he would stop looking at him like he was a freak.

"So tell us about the watch." Jack smiled.

"My grandfather gave it to me when I was fourteen, he said his father had given it to him, and so on. Told me to keep it with me at all times, that one day it will be able to save me. When he gave it to me it closed and stopped ticking. He just smiled at me, told me he loved me and to go to bed. The next day he was dead." Ianto mumbled. "That's all there is."

"So it worked before you had it?" Toshiko asked.

"Yes, I remember a few weeks before he gave it to me it ticked louder than normal, and he'd always look at it. He never went any where without it, and told me to do the same."

"Yan, how did he die?" Owen asked softly.

"They never found a cause." Ianto said. "Just he went to sleep one night, didn't wake up the next. It was as though his heart just stopped, he was healthy never had anything wrong with him that's why the doctors were so confused."

"When you died, we couldn't find a cause for it. It was like your heart just stopped." Owen said looking over at Jack.

"How did you come back Ianto?" Gwen asked.

"I held the watch and his hand at the same time, and then these lights glowed and went into him, then he woke up." Jack said looking over at Toshiko who smiled slightly.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Owen stated. "What were the lights?"

"Time." Ianto said simply.

"Well done Mr Jones." They all turned around to see Billis Manger staring at them. "I knew it would be you to put the riddle together."

"You killed my grandfather." Ianto said sadly.

"Yes." Billis nodded. "Though, it was a shame he was a great man and a great friend."

"Why did you do it?" Ianto asked there was no venom in his voice it was emotionless as though he wasn't killing to the man who killed the one person in the world who looked after him, but a stranger in the street.

"His time was up." Billis said. "Like yours was yesterday. I didn't know it was you who held the watch."

"So why kill him if you didn't know?" Jack said standing up to face Billis, his eyes full of anger.

"To make you suffer. I didn't know who Ianto was at the time, though I had a fair idea."

"What do you mean who he was?" Gwen asked,

"Your grandfather was like me, as was his father and his father before that, and as you will be," Billis said with a small smile. "We keep time." Billis watched as Ianto's face told him he understood before continuing. "There are thousands of us, all over the world, past present and future. All with an important role in the universe. We stop time from moving too quickly."

"Why Ianto?" Jack asked strongly.

"Its in his blood." Billis said. "Your Grandfather broke the rules giving you that watch at such a young age, you were meant to get it after he died the watch was meant to find you. It being given to you so early on means it has grown to you."

"What the hell does that mean?" Owen asked loudly.

"In simple terms the watch has grown to like Ianto. It sounds weird but there is no other way to say this that will help you to understand." Owen looked offended at that comment but kept his mouth shut. "The watch has given you a second chance. If it was given after the death of your grandfather than you would be dead and you would be with us right now. But you've got another chance. But when it stops ticking, you'll pass it on and you will join us."

"I still don't understand." Gwen mumbled.

"Its not your place to understand, Ianto does and that right now is what is important."

"What happens now?" Jack asked the anger slowly leaving his eyes.

"Time will always pass us Captain. Like you've pass us so many times, you shouldn't be here. You're a man from the future stuck in the past. A fixed point. We keep the time, make sure people belong in the right times. I will see you soon Ianto Jones." The figure of Billis Manger slowly faded away in the yellow lights.

"That man seriously freaks me out." Owen mumbled.

"You're not the only one." Ianto smiled.

"What happens now Jack?" Gwen asked looking past Ianto as though he wasn't really there.

"We carry on." Jack said simply and smiled at Ianto, just as the rift monitor started beeping. Toshiko, Gwen and Owen ran down to have a look, Ianto went to move but was pulled back by Jack.

"Jack we got a weevil sighting." Gwen called.

"You three go!" Jack shouted. "Be careful."

"Jack. Maybe you should go too.."

"I don't fancy going on a wild goose chase. This little wrist strap does more than it says on the package." Jack smiled and Ianto just shook his head though he was still smiling. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Ianto smiled. "Its been a really long week,"

"I know. With everything that happened, us seeing your past. I know you didn't want any of us to know, so if you want them to forget, me to forget."

"No." Ianto said quickly. "Its all part of who I am, if it didn't happen then I don't think I'd be here today."

"Okay." Jack smiled. "Everything that Billis said, its a life time away. I know you'll be thinking about it a lot, but I want you to know that right now, right here that's what matters. This life, not the next."

"I know." Ianto said as he slipped his hands into Jacks. "And for the record. I love you too,"

***