A Galaxy Apart

How Long?

Ianto sits exhausted down at the floor in the middle of the hub taking deep breaths and tries to keep himself together. Gwen crunched down next to him and puts one hand on his shoulder moving it soothingly along it. She doesn't know what to say until Ianto takes it over for her.
"Gwen" he says in a low voice "how long was I...gone?"
She sighs "Two months, Ianto"
He nods a bit absent repeating the words a few times.
Gwen puts one hand under Ianto's chin to make him look up
"Ianto, look at me. Tell me what happened to you?"
"Did I have a funeral?"
"What?"
"You heard me...did I have a funeral?"
After a moment she nods.
"Yes, I organized one. Your..."ashes"...were buried at the graveyard in Cardiff."
"Did he come? Jack"
Gwen shakes her head with a sad smile. "It was too much for him. He wasn't...you should have seen him. I've never seen him like that before. I saw how red his eyes were from the crying. His breath smelled like alcohol. His thoughts were always somewhere else when I started talking to him and you could almost feel the his suffering"
Ianto swallows. "But he didn't come to my funeral..."
"Did you listen to me?"
He nods. The feeling of disappointment and anger flame up in his chest but on the other hand he knew exactly that Gwen was right. He remembered how he felt whenever Jack had died. He knew the pain. Without noticing a tear runs eine his cheek and he crunches down even more curling up and hugging his knees.
"Ianto? What happened to you?" but the Welshman doesn't answer. Suddenly some memories crawl up into his mind. Dark and painful memories ... He keeps staring at the floor. Gwen's eyes start glowing on worry so she stops interrogating him and snips with her fingers to get his attention.
"Ianto, you can't stay here. You know what? I'll take you home and you'll sleep on my couch. Rhys will surely be okay with it and I just don't want you to be alone."
"I get along"
"We both know that's a lie. Now come on" she gets up and offers her hand. Ianto takes it and gets up but still holding it on their way to the car.

The next morning Ianto wakes up a bit confused until he realizes where he is. Gwen walks into the living room dressed in some comfortable clothes and smiles a bit. "Morning. Slept well?"
"Not really. Restless sleep."
"Bad dreams?"
He nods. "I don't want to talk about it. Not now"
"Okay.
He keeps sitting on the couch staring at the blank wall adn seems lost in thoughts. Without looking up he says in a cold tone "It was horrible, Gwen"
She doesn't answer. Even though he's trying to not sound like it the pain in his voice is unmissable.
"I died...and went to the other side. It was dark. So dark. Colder than deepest night. But there were the voices. These many many voices calling me. Wanting me to join them." his voice cracks "and then there was my father. I could see him, Gwen. He was right there. He opened his mouth and wanted to say something to me and reached out with his hand for me. And it was so cold and I shuddered. And more...ghosts came and put their hands on me pulling me away...until there was a light and pulled me away. Back to life." his face turns into a grimace caused by the pain of the memory.
Gwen puts her arm around him as she sits closer. "Shh...it's okay. You're back."
"And then I woke up. Alone. Gasping for air with a pacing heart. It was cold. An empty room. I was...was lying on a cold surgery table. I was locked in that room. Too tired to move. My body was aching. I don't know how much time had passed but after a while a doctor came in. Looking Japanese or Chinese I don't know...and then I noticed I was tied up to the table..."
Ianto swallows hard and keeps staring at the floor as he talks. Gwen puts an arm around him and runs with her hand soothingly along his arm.
"He said...that I was dead for five days. I was supposed to get turned into ashes and buried but I somehow didn't decay so they took me away and buried someone else instead"
He closes his eyes. A little tear runs done his cheek.
"It was horrible, Gwen. They made test...painful tests. I don't.. I don't want to talk about it..."
"You don't have to...shhh. I'm here"
Ianto leans into Gwen's touch imagining it were Jack's strong arms around him.
"And then one day...they gave me my suit back. I put it on. They gave me a retcon and I don't remember how long I've been there, Gwen!" he starts to sob. "I don't remember what they did to me, how long I was kept there. All that made me come through the day was the hope that Jack and you would come through that door and save me. Free me from my ties and...and all that helped me to not go insane was the memory of..."
"Jack?"
He nods. Ianto remembers the soft touch of Jack's lips on his. His strong arms. His smile. How he smelled and, God, this laugh.
"And then I come back and he just isn't here. He just left me."
"Oh, Ianto." Gwen hugs him. "He'll come back. I know it."
"And how can you know?!" Ianto keeps sobbing.
"He came back last time. And he'll come back this time too. And if not then I'll kick his ass"
Ianto chuckles a bit. Gwen gave him a bit of hope. Maybe Jack will come back. He wished he could give him a sign that he was still alive. At least some sort of signal. But what could he do. What could he do. With a faint smile and tired eyes he curls up at the sofa and keeps lying there while Gwen keeps sitting next to him and turns on the telly to distract him...but no matter what the new speaker was talking about...the Welshman couldn't stop thinking about a certain Captain with an American accent.

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This part is a bit more of angst and drama but I hope you enjoyed my story so far...