Hold Me Till Dawn

[missthingsplace]

Title: Hold Me Till Dawn
Author: missthingsplace
Parings/characters: Jack/Ianto.
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or any of the characters ... unfortunately.
Summary: Jack's visited by a ghost
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Tissues maybe required.
 

A/N This was going to be something flufy for halloween but it didn't turn out like that at all ... no idea how it evolved into this but i'm gonna try and come up with something else for Halloween.

Something had been off all day, Jack was telling himself it was all in the mind as no one else in the hub seemed to be experiencing the same thing. He kept seeing things just out the corner of his eye that was gone when he looked around and the little hairs on the back of his neck could be lying to him, couldn't they when they stood on end?

Once the others had left for the night and Jack was alone the feeling he was being watched grew, he had scoured the whole hub via the CCTV and in person and found nothing. Bloody Halloween he muttered to himself as he turned off the lights and slid down the ladder into his small room beneath his office, not expecting to come face to face with a ghost.

“Ianto?” Jack's voice was barely a whisper, not expecting as answer.

“Jack.”

Ianto looked solid, like he really was sitting cross legged on Jack's small bunk. Jack reached out a hand towards him, wanting to touch him but withdrew his hand before it made contact. Worried it would meet thin air, that it would break the spell.

“I'm dreaming, I must be.” Jack told himself under his breath.

“It's really me Jack.”

“But ... you're ...”

“Dead, yes.”

“Then ... how?”

“Aren't you happy to see me?”

“Of course, it's just ...”

“All Hallows Eve Jack, making the impossible possible. I haven't past over yet. I couldn't before I saw you one last time.”

Jack became aware of the tears slipping slowly down his face, he didn't attempt to brush them away as he knew he wouldn't be able to stop them falling for a while.

“I should have been there.”

“I don't blame you, there was nothing you could have done to prevent it.”

“You died alone, no one should die alone.”

“There was no way you could have known it was going to happen that day.”

“But I knew it was imminent, I should have stayed.”

“You were there day and night Jack, did you ever consider I waited for you to leave before I allowed myself to succumb to death? That I couldn't bare for you to be there when it happened, that I wanted to spare you that actual moment?”

Jack sank down on the small bed beside Ianto, tears now streaming down his face as realised that Ianto was a physical presence next to him. Reaching out his hand his slowly touched Ianto's face, he didn't feel as warm as he should, rather cold in fact but he was able to touch him.

“I miss you so much, why did you have to leave me?”

“My body got old, I died.” Ianto replied shrugging his shoulders.

“You don't seem upset about it.”

“At first I didn't want to die, I wanted to live forever like you. I fought it so hard, the pull of death but I was so tired and as much as I wanted to stay with you I also needed to stop fighting it.”

“You are young again.” Jack allowed a small smile to creep through the tears.

“Thought you'd rather see me like this than as a grey haired wrinkled old man.”

“You were always beautiful to me.”

Ianto laughed lightly. “So you said, even in my last hours.”

“I meant every word, every time.”

“I know.”

“How long are you here for?”

“Till dawn.”

“And then?”

“I'll see where that bright light wants to take me.”

“I only ever see darkness.”

“Maybe because it's not for you.”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

Jack lent forward and kissed his lips softly, Ianto's lips cold against his but responding it the way he would never forget. He pulled back and looked into Ianto's eyes, they were still the same colour as they looked back into his.

“It's been nearly eight months, you waited all this time to see me again?” Jack asked.

“I needed you to hold me, kiss me one last time before I entered the unknown.”

Jack gulped as he tried to stop more tears falling again.

“Anything you want.” Jack told him.

“Lay here with me, hold me till ...” Ianto replied as he lay on his back on the small bunk.

Jack slipped off his boots and lay on his side next to him, one arm under his head the other over Ianto's chest. The absence of Ianto's heart beat evident to his touch, his lack of breathing obvious by  the stillness of his chest.

Ianto rolled over and pressed his chest to Jack's, looking into his eyes before kissing him softly on the lips and then buried his head in Jack's chest as Jack held him tight. Tear fell silently down Jack's face till he slipped into sleep just before dawn.

As Ianto began to fade he whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Jack murmured in his sleep as Ianto vanished.

Jack's eyes shot open with a sudden sense of loss, finding his arms empty he wondered if it had all been a dream.

“I love you” Ianto voice resounded softly around the small room.

Jack pulled his pillow to his chest hugged it tight, wondering where the light was taking his lover.

The End.

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