Later that same evening, Jack stood in the shadows of the roundabout as he watched Ianto Jones. The young man was looking a little broody and skittish when Andy pulled up and offered him a ride. After a short conversation, Ianto got in the car and Andy drove off. Jack knew he wasn't going too far, and so he followed on foot, taking care not to show himself to the other rent boys milling around the roundabout.

Taking a short cut down an alleyway, he came out onto a street and saw Andy's car pull over into a space. After a few moments, he watched the two men get out of the car and go into the pub. Jack slipped around the back and went in through the kitchen. He had already paid off the cook not to say anything, and the man barely glanced at him as he walked in and through the kitchen to the doorway. The back hall was dark and he was able to get to the pub proper without being seen. He looked about and saw that Andy and Ianto were seated at a table. Jack settled himself in the shadows of the back of the pub and watched. He grinned when he saw the way Ianto was playing Andy. He wondered if Andy was falling for it or not. He hoped not, since that would make things a bit messy.

Andy sat back in his seat, drinking a scotch. He was trying to come across as posh, and had dressed in a sports coat and shirt with jeans, trying to imitate one of those young businessmen that he always saw rushing about the Plass at all hours.

"What is it you do again?" Ianto asked him as he took a sip of his drink. He nearly choked on it, never having had anything other than beer before. He tried to mask his cough by ducking his head down to cover the fact. Andy pretended not to notice.

"Stock trading. You know, on the internet," Andy said as he waved his glass in the air. "Buy low, sell high, that sort of thing. Day trading is where it's at, after all." Ianto nodded as if he understood, but it looked clear to Jack that he didn't understand at all. "But enough about me, let's talk about you." Andy said. He leaned forward as he licked the rim of his glass suggestively. Jack tried not to laugh as he watched.

Ianto blinked at him, trying to figure out what it was he was trying to do. He decided not to question it. If the bloke had money and was willing to pay, he was fine with that. He grinned at the curly haired man opposite him. He had a bit of a boyish charm to him, and was cute in his own kind of way. He also came across as very nervous, like he had never picked up another man before. Ianto wondered what his story was. Maybe he was just coming out of the closet. From the way he downed that drink and called for another, it looked like he was going for the liquid courage. That was fine with Ianto. It meant that he wouldn't be too fussed about exactly what he did get. Sometimes with these new guys it was just a grope and a kiss in the back of the car. Sometimes it was a blowjob. Usually, neither was demanding, so Ianto figured it was going to be an easy couple of quid along with the free drink.

"Damn, that barman," Andy muttered, slurring his voice to make Ianto think he was more drunk than he was. "Drink up, I'll get us another round," he urged the other man. Ianto shrugged and tossed back the drink. He felt the burn right down his throat to his stomach and he blinked at the sensation. If this guy wanted to get pissed, it was all right with him.

"Go for it," Ianto said as he put his glass down on the table. Andy picked them up and brought them over to the bar, asking for another round. The barman shrugged and poured him two more glasses. Andy tossed some money at the man before picking up the glasses and weaving back over to where Ianto was seated. He had to pause and put the glasses down at another table and then patted his pockets as if trying to remember where his wallet was. He patted his front pocket and beamed happily, then picked up the glasses. Only Jack noticed him drop the tiny pill into one of the glasses.

Andy took his time staggering back, giving the retcon enough time to dissolve in the glass. He put it down in front of Ianto and sat back down in his seat again. "There! Service with a smile."

"Cheers," Ianto said. He took a sip of the new drink and grinned. He liked this stuff; it gave him a good buzz, much better than what he got from drinking a pint. The two men started making up toasts to things and were soon on their third drink when Ianto started to list sideways.

"What's wrong?" Andy asked his friend. Ianto shook his head feeling a bit fuzzy.

"I think I've had enough," Ianto said as he pushed the glass away. "And if you're going to want something else from me, we better get on with it or else one of us is going to pass out."

"Oh, right," Andy said. "Let's go then," he said as he tossed some large bills on the table. Ianto stared down at the crumpled bills for a moment before dazedly looking up at Andy. He didn't even remember him standing. "C'mon."

"Okies," Ianto said, feeling silly. He let Andy help him out and the two men staggered out of the pub, giggling at one another. Jack waited until they left before slipping out the back. He didn't head out to the street, but went down the alley in the opposite direction. Cutting across several streets he looked up and down. The street was clear. He crossed the street and entered a hotel. He didn't look at the desk clerk but just went into the lift and went upstairs to the fourth floor. He pulled a key out of his pocket and let himself in. The room was dark, so he closed the door behind him, turned on the light and waited. It didn't take very long before he heard a couple of low laughs and the fumbling of the key in the lock. He moved into the bathroom and closed over the door so he wouldn't be seen.

"I told you the key went in the other way," Ianto told Andy who giggled maniacally. Jack rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall behind the door.

"I guess you know something about which slot it should go in, eh?" Andy said and Ianto laughed. Jack felt the door bump into him as one of the men staggered against it.

"You could say that," Ianto said. He was having trouble focusing. That drink had been stronger than he thought, because he was feeling very foggy. He stumbled again, this time banging into the mirror on the wall next to the wardrobe.

"Whoa there," Andy said as he helped Ianto over to the bed. "Getting a little eager there, aren't you?"

"Yup, that's me," Ianto said as he pulled Andy down with him. "What you want? I can do anything, just pay me the…." Jack listened intently, but Ianto never finished the sentence. The retcon had finally taken hold. Jack opened the door and peered out around the doorframe. Andy was just straightening up and he turned at the sound of the door squeaking open.

"Never thought that was going to kick in," Andy said as he leveraged himself off the bed and sat up. He looked down and patted Ianto's cheek. "He's out of it, at that suggestible stage. Whatever you want to do, you should do it now."

"Yeah, thanks Andy," Jack said as he removed his coat and sat down on the other side of the bed.

"Want me to leave?" Andy asked. He watched as Jack tenderly stroked the hair back from Ianto's forehead.

"No, that's okay," Jack said. "This isn't going to take long." He took something out of his pocket and placed it on Ianto's head. Pressing something on his vortex manipulator, the device started flashing. "This will replace his memories. I thought about creating a whole new identity for him as well, but he needs to find his own way. I can't create it for him. I can help him, though." Jack monitored the device as the flashing lights sped up before stopping abruptly.

"What's that do?" Andy asked, curious.

"It affects both the cerebrum and temporal lobes. One contains thoughts and consciousness, the other memories of sight and speech. What it is doing is blurring what's happened. The brain will fill in the blanks and it will be one of those kinds of things where you feel like you don't know what day it is, just that you've been doing the same sort of things for a while so the details are blurred. Of course it really won't delete anything that happened, but combined with the retcon, it can do some selective obscuring of the edges as it were. This is important because if he ever runs into your Jack, it's not going to trigger any memories that will bring it all back."

"Okay, that makes sense. And how do you explain about the money he's going to come into?" Andy asked, curious.

"Ianto's going to get picked up by Cardiff's finest for some minor transgression," Jack said with a grin. "Nothing that they can keep him on, but enough to run him through the system. And that's when something is going to come up flagged for his name. An uncle that was looking for him wanting to help him, but hadn't been able to find him. Uncle Albert unfortunately died, but left what he had to Ianto to make something of himself. It's not so much that it looked suspicious, but enough to get him off the streets. The will has some stipulations that the solicitor will want to enforce, such as using the money for an education, that sort of thing." He smiled down at the young man who was asleep and removed the device from his forehead. "It's enough to give him a chance to do something with his life without wondering where he's going to sleep or where his next meal is from."

"That should be enough," Andy told him. "From what you've said, he's certainly motivated to learn. This will give him the chance to do so." He looked down at the young man. "It's a good thing you're doing, Jack."

Jack smiled down at the man lying on the bed. "If it helps, yeah." He looked up when Andy reached over and placed a hand on his own, which was resting on Ianto's chest. "Thank you, Andy. You were great tonight." Andy preened a bit at the praise.

"You liked that, yeah?" He asked Jack. Jack grinned and nodded. "Good."

"Let's get him undressed and under the covers," Jack said. Andy helped him get Ianto situated. They made it look like he had been with someone and Jack left some money on the table along with two empty glasses to make it look like Ianto had partied with someone before falling asleep. It would help reinforce the filling in of the gaps when he woke up. Jack scribbled a note, thanking Ianto for a fun evening and that "they" would have to do it again sometime. He left it with the money so that Ianto would see it. When they were finished setting up the room, Jack picked up his coat before he paused and looked at the man in the bed. Ianto had curled up around the pillow.

Andy stood back and knew he was silently saying goodbye to the man who wouldn't even remember him. Jack stood there for the longest time without moving and Andy wondered what he was thinking. When he finally moved, it was towards the bed. He leaned down, stroked his fingers through Ianto's hair again and kissed him gently on the lips.

"Goodbye, Ianto. Be well. Make something of your life here and most of all, be happy," Jack whispered. Andy closed his eyes and willed himself not to cry as he heard Jack speak. He wondered if his Jack would ever feel that way about him, and whether he would do something like this one had done. He shook his head to clear those thoughts as Jack stood up and turned off the bedside lamp.

"Let's go," he said in a quiet voice, not looking in Andy's direction. Andy nodded and opened the door. Together the two men left the room, Andy shutting the light off as they closed the door behind them. They were silent as they walked down the hall to the lift and out of the hotel. Andy hesitated as Jack stopped and looked back the way they had come.

"I'll keep an eye on him for you," he promised. Jack turned back, surprised by his offer. "He'll be okay. I'll make sure of it."

"Thank you, Andy. You don't have to, though. I know how hard this has to be for you," Jack told him. They began walking down the street. Jack had his hands in his coat pockets, his shoulders hunched as he walked beside Andy.

"It's the least I can do," Andy informed him. "After all, you won't be here to watch over him, so someone should. Might as well be me."

Jack smiled and shook his head to clear the sad thoughts. They weren't too far from the Hub so Andy left the rental car where it was. It was obvious that Jack needed to walk it out. They were quiet as they made their way along the city streets towards the Bay.

"You're going to leave," Andy said. It wasn't a question. Jack nodded. "I wish…" he stopped. There was no possibility for what he wished.

"I can't stay. I need to either go back home, or keep on looking," Jack said, looking up and giving Andy a tired smile.

"Think you'll give up?" Andy asked him. He couldn't imagine what was going through Jack's mind after what had happened here. Jack sighed and shrugged.

"Sometimes I wonder whether that would be the right thing to do," Jack said as they turned the corner. It was late, and there were only a few people wandering about, now that the clubs were closed. They continued to walk along until they got to the Bay and Jack leaned on the railing. The night was clear and there was some light from the moon above. Andy was quiet as he waited for Jack to continue. The only other sound other than the scrape of his shoe against the edge of the railing as he put his foot on it was the water lapping up against the dock. "I've met so many men. All different versions of Ianto. Some, not even on this planet," Jack told him. "And each of them, somehow were not right. Maybe he was unique in the universe and that I only got that one shot. Maybe I'll never find him. When I think of what happened here, and how hurt he was when he found out what I was doing…" Jack trailed off and shook his head. Andy peered at him and could see he had his eyes closed. "I shouldn't be doing that."

"Maybe not," Andy said, feeling like he owed him a reply. "But maybe if something is worth having, it's worth the effort you have to make in finding it. Or him, as the case may be." Jack turned his head to look at him, but his face was in shadow, so Andy couldn't really see his expression.

"Maybe," Jack said. It gave him something to think about. He sighed and turned back to the Bay. "I've always loved it here. Even when I felt trapped here, this place always pulled me back. It's the people. The Welsh are an amazing people. They have a lot of strength. Like you," Jack told Andy. "Thank you for helping tonight. You were amazing."

"Yeah, I was, wasn't I?" Andy asked and it made Jack smile.

"See, that's what I mean," Jack said. "Did I also mention modest?" Andy laughed and was happy to see that Jack answered him with a broader smile. "Don't ever change, Andy."

"Don't plan on it. Despite all of the spooky do stuff," he amended. Jack put an arm around him and hugged his shoulders.

"Good. That's what I'm counting on."

"So," Andy said as Jack finally pulled back. "You're going now."

"Yeah, I am." Jack said with a nod. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the device which would take him onto the next dimension. Despite what had happened here, he still felt that the tarot girl had made him a promise, and he had to see it through for as long as he could. "I'm keeping you up."

"Not a problem," Andy said. He stuck his hands in his coat pockets. "Take care of yourself, Jack."

"Thanks," Jack said. "And you take care of yourself, and your Jack. He needs you, Andy. More than he'll ever admit to himself." Andy nodded. He knew that already. "Well, this is it, then."

Andy impulsively leaned forward and gave Jack a peck on the lips. "Here's a kiss for luck." Jack looked surprised for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"That's not a kiss. This," he said as he reached out and pulled Andy up against him, "is a kiss." He tilted his head and gave Andy a passionate kiss that made the younger man tremble. When Jack pulled back he held Andy for a moment until he was sure the ex-PC was steady. "Thanks, I needed that."

"Wow," Andy said. He stared at Jack for a moment. "Wow."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Jack said, keeping things light. "Be well, Andy. And thank you again."

"Thank you, Jack. Safe travels," Andy told him. Jack stepped back and gave him a jaunty wave. He took one last look around the Bay before turning back to Andy. Saluting, he lowered his hand onto the boxlike device and he pointed it away from where they were standing. A bright light shot out of the end of the tube fixed to the end and formed the doorway. Jack gave Andy one last wave, and walked into the light. The doorway closed with an audible pop. Andy could feel his ears ringing and he could taste the ozone in the air in the aftermath of the passageway closing. Licking his lips he turned and headed to the Hub. He knew that his Jack was there, waiting for him. And they had a reunion to celebrate…

~FIN~