Title: I Remember You
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating: FRM
Pairing: Ianto/OMC, mentions of Ianto/Jack
Summary: A missing scene from 'Remember Me'...
Warning: Mentions of character death
Spoilers: 2x06 - Reset
Author's note: 'Remember Me' (see profile)needs to have been read first for this to make sense.

x

The door to the conservatory was open as Ianto stepped into the building. Music was playing from the small stereo in the corner and he rolled his eyes when he realised Brad was listening to songs from various musicals.

The blond man was sitting in an overstuffed armchair, which hadn’t matched anything in their sitting room after they redecorated so it had been given a new home in the conservatory.

Brad was so engrossed in the book he was reading that it took him a moment to realise Ianto had returned home. He only looked up when he heard the other man’s shoes collide with the chair opposite as they were kicked to the side.

Ianto offered him a tired smile as he closed the door, shutting out the rest of the world. Brad grinned back at him and got to his feet, crossing the room and sliding his arms around the Welshman.

“About time,” Brad whispered, running his fingers through Ianto’s damp hair. “I thought you’d turned right instead of left and ended up in the ocean or something.”

He laughed and kissed Brad softly. “Sorry,” he murmured, resting his forehead against his husband’s. “I guess I was walking slower than I thought.” They were silent for a second before Ianto continued, “Did Jack get off to bed okay?”

Brad nodded his head, running this thumb over Ianto’s cheekbone. “He wondered where you were and got a bit panicked, but I eventually managed to calm him down enough to read him a bedtime story."

Ianto lowered his gaze and blushed bashfully. “I’m sorry I disappeared like that. I just…”

The other man’s lips on his silenced his apologies before Brad pulled back. “You know you don’t need to apologise,” he told him firmly. “I understand. I really do.”

He grinned and stepped out of Brad’s arms, locking the door he had just entered through. “Come on, then,” he instructed, holding his hand out of the other man. “Time for this old man to go to bed as well.”

x

The dark blue curtains hanging over the window were open just a little in the centre. Not too much, just enough to let a small sliver of light shine through and dance across their bedroom floor.

It was approaching two am and Ianto was wide-awake. He had been trying to fall asleep for hours and every time he tried, he kept seeing familiar blue eyes and a warm smile.

With a quiet sigh, he carefully detached himself from Brad’s arms and climbed out of bed. The room wasn’t cold, the temperature on the central heating was set to just the right degree. Yet he still found himself shivering as he crossed the room.

He hooked a finger around the curtain and pulled it away from the window a little more so he could see the garden below. The figure he had been seeing for days was still sitting in his backyard.

Ianto couldn’t understand why he had never seen Jack’s ghost until now. He had seen Owen a lot: the other man liked to appear at random intervals when they were least expecting it. To see if he could still get a reaction from scaring people, no doubt.

Ianto had become so accustomed to the random visits that he wasn’t startled anymore by the sudden appearance of his long dead friend. Even Gwen had claimed Owen kept appearing with his usual perfect timing, usually when she and Rhys were alone together.

He had merely replied that at least Owen didn’t keep rearranging the letter magnets on the fridge to spell dirty words he thought young Jack should learn from Uncle Owen. Ianto had actually lost count of how many times he had opened the cupboard to find a jar of instant coffee in place of his regular coffee beans. Brad was never happy about that, as he was not a nice person without a cup of Ianto’s special blend in the morning. At least, the Welshman thought, some things would never change.

Behind him in the bed, he heard Brad beginning to stir as he realised there was no one next to him. When Ianto looked back down at the garden, Jack was on his feet and crossing the lawn.

“Where’d you go?” Brad asked sleepily, burrowing his face in the pillow as he slung one arm back over Ianto as the other man returned to the bed.

He just shook his head and whispered, “Nowhere,” before closing his eyes and falling into a sleep filled with dreams of dinosaurs and RAF fighter pilots.

x

All of his life Ianto had been an early riser, it wasn’t something that developed due to long hours at Torchwood: it was something he had always done and couldn’t seem to grow out of.

Needless to say when Brad emerged from the bedroom, showered and dressed ready for work, Ianto was already busy in the kitchen making Jack’s packed lunch for him to take to school.

“Morning,” Brad greeted, kissing Ianto on the cheek and ruffling Jack’s hair as the young boy continued to eat his cereal.

Ianto rolled his eyes when Brad grabbed his arse as he passed, pulling the fridge open in an attempt to find his usual orange juice. “Don’t bother,” Ianto muttered, buttering a slice of toast and taking a bite. “Either you drank it all yesterday, or Owen’s visited again.”

Jack laughed and clapped his hands at the mention of Owen. “Is Uncle Owen coming to visit?” he asked eagerly.

Brad glared pointedly at Ianto for mentioning the doctor. “Maybe later, kid. Why don’t you go get your coat on ready for when Amanda gets here to take you to school?”

With a nod of his head, Jack jumped down from his chair and tore out of the kitchen in search of his coat. “Is it normal that our son’s favourite uncle is a ghost?” Brad asked, fastening his tie in between bites of his own breakfast.

Ianto shrugged his shoulders. “Probably not, but at least we know he’s open minded and we’re not imaging things moving behind our backs.”

“Well, as long as your dead friend knows when not to appear in our bedroom I don’t mind,” Brad smirked, pressing his lips against Ianto’s forehead.

It wasn’t long before Amanda arrived at the conservatory door looking for Jack and it was just the two of them. Not that they had much time to be alone together since Brad had an early meeting to be at in less than half an hour.

Both men left the house at the same time, Ianto carrying Brad’s briefcase as the other man tried to straighten his suit and slip his jacket on at the same time.

Brad’s lip curled upwards in a grin as he leant closer, pressing his lips against Ianto’s. When he tried to deepen the kiss Ianto took a step back, shaking his head and laughing. “If you keep doing that you’re never going to get to your meeting on time.”

“So?” Brad pouted.

“You’re the boss, you have to be there on time,” he reminded him, placing a hand in the centre of Brad’s chest, urging him the direction of his car. “You’re still picking Jack up from school?”

Brad confirmed that he did intend to do that and the pair said their goodbyes; Ianto setting off walking the opposite direction to the one Brad drove off in.

The Captain’s ghost hadn’t disappeared overnight, Ianto had spotted him over Brad’s shoulder, leaning on the railings with his back to the sea and watching the couple.

He didn’t acknowledge the ghost’s presence until he had pushed open the large gates to the cemetery. It had been a few weeks since he had visited his former lover’s grave and there were a few weeds growing out from the bottom of the stone which would have to be taken out soon, but otherwise it still looked perfectly maintained.

Ianto thrust his hands into his pockets and took a deep breath as he began to address Jack. “You didn’t have to follow me, you know? I would have noticed you eventually.”

x