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Ianto frowned as he tried to get a proper look at himself in the mirror. He had to stand on his toes and even then he couldn't quite see his whole face. At seven years old, Ianto Jones was on the small side, a fact that his fellow students seemed to find amusing. Ianto figured it was just another reason for them to bully him. Not that they needed much of one. It was hard to make friends. He didn't participate in activities, he didn't go out for sports, and his fastidious nature made them all think he was a nancy boy. Being shorter than even most of the girls his age was just the icing on the cake.

He was just finishing washing up from the latest altercation with a group of his classmates during morning break outside. His shirt was dirtied and the seam of his jumper had been torn at the left shoulder. His father would be livid. Always keep up appearances, his father taught him. To be anything less than pristine was unseemly and crying was completely unacceptable. Laughter from out in the hallway made Ianto wipe hastily at his eyes. He turned on the faucet and splashed water on his face, but the voices died away as the others moved on without coming inside. It wasn't even lunchtime yet and already the day was a disaster.

But he'd soldier on without complaint. He always did.

At ten years old, his older sister Rhiannon had it so much easier. She had friends and their father adored her. Ianto sometimes felt rather put out that he had to work so much harder for just the smallest bit of affection. Perhaps it was because she could bat her eyes and turn on the charm when she wanted. Or maybe because she looked so much like their mam. Ianto sighed and tried to think about something else.

Their mother had gotten ill this past spring and it was taking such a long time for her to get better. It made their father cross and he was always telling him and Rhi to keep quiet and let her rest. But when Ianto got home from school there were a couple of precious hours where Rhiannon was busy with clubs and activities and his father wasn't yet home from work. Ianto would go in and sit with his mam to keep her company. She wasn't always awake but he would read her poetry from her favorite book. Sometimes, he'd just hold her hand.

But he'd have some cleaning up to do today before he could spend time with her. There was nothing he could do about the torn jumper but he was going to try his best to wash the stains out of his clothes before he father saw them. Straightening himself to his full, if not overly tall height, he gathered the taters of his dignity and went back to the classroom.

It was lunchtime break when things went from bad to worse. He'd been bumped in the lunch line earlier, making him spill his tray. Fortunately, he escaped getting any additional stains on his uniform but everyone had laughed and he hadn't quite managed to keep the hot flush from creeping up his neck. He'd eaten quickly and retreated to the yard to try and find a rare moment of peace. Most of the teachers assured him that ignoring his antagonists would make them lose interest and leave him alone. He thought they were full of crap. No matter how much he kept to himself and tried to stay out their way, they managed to find amusement in tormenting him. Ianto found himself cornered once again as three other boys boxed him in against the fence in the yard.

"Saw your da behind the counter at Debenham's last night," one of them scoffed. "Master tailor, my arse."

Ianto stiffened but kept his gaze lowered. He wasn't quite sure why he'd lied. He really didn't care that his father worked in a shop. But his tad was just so proud and he knew he didn't like his job so he'd come up with something he thought sounded more dignified. A hand shoved Ianto's shoulder roughly, making him stumble back into the fence.

"Oi. I'm talkin' to you, ya wee nancy."

Ianto lifted his head, his lip curling in anger. One of these days he was going to let himself do something rash. They were all bigger than him and getting into a fight would get him a disciplinary mark. But he was seriously tempted. He didn't even care that they were drawing an audience and everyone would probably laugh. But before he could muster the courage to stand up to them, a sudden gust of wind blew across the yard hard enough to make everyone cover their faces to brace against the dust. Some of the others started screaming and running toward the building. Before they reached the safety of the school, a bright flash of light engulfed them.

And then they were just gone.

The screaming started in earnest as the other children scattered. Even his tormentors turned tail and ran. Ianto watched with a horrid kind of fascination as the beam of light reappeared and swept across the yard, scooping up his classmates and making them disappear. He didn't think to run himself and when one of the beams headed straight for him, all he could do was stand his ground and wait for the end. As the glare surrounded him and became too much, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was surrounding by screaming children once again. But the school was gone.

They were in some kind of darkened room that he didn't recognize. Not even in his wildest fantasies had he imagined something like this ever happening. The others didn't seem to be quite so intrigued by the experience as they continued to cry and wail. There was a sense of panic and fear that saturated the room. Ianto felt the sharp tang of fright himself but chose not to lose his calm completely. That wouldn't solve anything. He felt a surge of petty satisfaction when he saw the boys who'd been picking on him crying in the corner. But that too was pushed aside. He had no idea where they were or why they'd been brought here.

After a while when the shock had worn off and the screaming had mostly died down to quiet whimpers, the lights grew a little brighter and the door opened. That's when they saw that they weren't alone and the screaming started all over again. Several tall people came in and moved into the room, but they didn't look normal. Their faces looked strangely shaped with really wide jaws and a high ridge at the top of their heads that looked like bone. They were making strange noises, almost as if they were speaking another language. But it wasn't anything Ianto recognized. He wasn't entirely sure they were even human.

It was a bit sci-fi, all of this. He'd only ever seen things like this on television or read about them in books. But it was made an almost painful reality as one of them gripped his arm and pulled him forward. He bit back a whimper of pain as the creature's claws pricked his skin. An object was waved in front of his face and it made several beeping sounds. His captor said something that sounded like a question before handing him over to one of the others. A blue tag was attached to Ianto's jumper and he winced as it made a hole in the already damaged fabric.

One by one, the strange beings tagged each one of his classmates with various colors. The ones with red tags disappeared in a flash of light much like the bright beams that brought them here. The ones with green were escorted out of the room with rough hands and even rougher words that they still couldn't understand. That left Ianto and three others with blue tags. There were two of the strange creatures who stood watching them with interest for a few moments before leaving the room and closing the door.

The other students with him were in other classes and Ianto didn't even know their names. They gathered together for comfort while Ianto stood alone off to one side. Part of him wanted to join them, to grasp their hands and press in close to feel like he was a part of something. He'd been alone for so long. But he was afraid. What would they think? Would they push him away or make fun of him like everyone else did?

They all jumped and cried out when the door opened again and four more of the creatures entered the room. They moved forward quickly to grip each one of them and pulled them out of the room. They all went calmly enough, too afraid to do anything else. But when they entered a huge room and were brought up onto a large platform in front of a large group of strange looking creatures, the fear started to return. Ianto started to tremble and he tried to twist out of the creature's grip. The clawed hand on his arm tightened painfully and gave him a sharp shake. It barked something he couldn't understand but the threat was clear. Ianto's calm began to crumble but he was too afraid to make any more fuss.

The crowd started to get louder as one of the creatures on the platform started pointing at each of Ianto's classmates in turn. One by one, they were brought forward and when the furious talking reached its peak, their captors pressed something against their necks. Each child quieted and went limp as they were scooped up and carried out of the room. When it was Ianto's turn, he had to clench is teeth and makes fists with his hands to keep himself from crying. The noise became so loud he could barely hear himself think. Then a huge, concussive bang echoed suddenly in the room and everything became quiet.

"By edict of the Shadow Proclamation, you are ordered to cease and desist." The voice rang in the silence just before the creatures in the audience started to disappear one by one in bright flashes of colored light. Others tried to make a run for it and were caught by people in military uniforms who were blocking the doors. Ianto couldn't hold back the startled cry as he found himself snatched up and carried off the platform. He was being taken away from the only familiar looking thing he'd seen since the schoolyard. Squirming and kicking, he tried to get loose.

They came to an abrupt halt in the middle of a back hallway but not from any effort on Ianto's part. There was a man standing in the way with his long coat swirling around his legs as he aimed a pistol at them. Ianto was pulled back against his captor and held tightly as one of the devices he'd seen earlier was held against his throat.

"I wouldn't do that," the man said quietly.

The creature said something in reply that sounded a lot like a threat.

"You really think so?" The man smiled and cocked the gun. But his expression changed instantly. "No!"

Ianto felt a sharp pinch just under his chin and he got really dizzy before he was shoved forward suddenly. He couldn't catch himself as he fell but he didn't hit the hard cement floor like he expected. His eyes slipped closed and they felt too heavy to open again.

"Brenna! I need you over here right now!" The man sounded angry and scared as he yelled. But his next words were quiet and soft. "Hang in there."

"Are you-" A woman's voice. "Shit, Jack! What happened?"

The man huffed out a tired, angry breath. "London happened. I told you I didn't want them here."

"This was too big for us and you know it." Gentle hands touched the sore spot on Ianto's neck that was steadily growing warmer. She sighed. "I had no idea they were taking children as well."

"Did we get to them all in time?" Jack asked carefully like he was afraid of the answer.

"Yes, they're all accounted for," she said, her voice distracted. "He's the last one."

Ianto didn't quite understand what they meant. He tried to focus on their words but his chest started to ache and felt incredibly heavy.

"Brenna, he's not breathing," Jack said, his voice a sounding desperate.

"A bad reaction to the drug. Here."

Ianto felt another sharp stab in his neck and he whimpered softly. The weight on his chest seemed to lift and he took in a painful breath. It came out as a cough that ached all the way down that was only mildly soothed by someone rubbing his chest. He opened his eyes to see the man called Jack staring down at him. He smiled down at Ianto with his blue, blue eyes.

"Hey there," Jack said to him, his voice gentle. "What's your name?"

"Jones," Ianto mumbled. "Ianto Jones." He was wrapped in a great big coat and he felt so comfortably warm. Snuggling into the man who held him, he reveled in the touch of another person. The man smiled again and held him close.

"Let's get you home."

Ianto gripped the wool in his fingers and listened to the man's steady heartbeat where his head rested on his chest. He wasn't really in any hurry. Home meant pain and worry and trying so hard for so very little in return. It hurt and he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand it. Ianto squeezed his eyes shut as they began to sting. A soft hiccup shook him even though he tried to hold it in.

"Shhh. It's alright. It's over." The man rested his cheek on Ianto's hair and rocked him gently. Ianto clung to the warmth and comfort as he tried to hold onto it as long as he could.

. . . . . . .

Eighteen years later, Ianto stared up into Jack's blue eyes and felt his own widen. He remembered everything that happened that day. Jack had settled on the floor held him for quite a while before picking him up carefully like he was something precious and carrying him out of the building. The woman with him, presumably Torchwood's doctor at the time, had followed them out so she could keep an eye on him. They set Ianto in the back of a jeep where he huddled in the depths of the long coat that still held the warmth of the man who had worn it. Jack had sat with him and given him something to drink that made him sleepy. Curling up in the coat, he'd fallen asleep leaning against the man he'd never seen before and might never seen again.

When he'd woken up, he was in the hospital and he couldn't remember where he'd been or what had happened. What little he could recall was so unbelievable that he'd never told anyone. His father had been so angry because he thought that Ianto had run away. He'd been confined to the house for a month which in all honesty wasn't that much different than most days. What had bothered him most was how worried his mother had been. She'd cried when he came home and he'd curled up on the bed at her side and cried with her. For years after that he'd felt like he was missing something. Only when he'd starting working for Torchwood on London did he actually feel like he was getting any closer to what it was.

"Jack." Ianto reached up to touch Jack's face as he blinked through the ice crystals that were rapidly melting from his lashes. He was lying in the other man's arms wrapped up in the coat again.

"Vitals are stabilizing," Owen said where he knelt beside them. He pulled back the coat to bare Ianto's arm so he could swab him for an injection. "Stay put for a while so the meds can take effect. This wasn't exactly a professional job and I want to make sure all your bits and pieces are still working before you try to get on your feet."

Beside them Ianto could see the cobbled together remains of a cryogenics unit. How long had he been trapped inside? He frowned as he tried to flex his numb fingers and toes.

"How long?" he croaked.

A shadow fell across Jack's face. "Three weeks," he said quietly as he shifted his grip and leaned back against the wall so he could hold Ianto closer.

"We found him, Jack," Owen murmured and squeezed Jack's shoulder before leaving them alone. From the tone of his voice and the look on his face, those three weeks hadn't been easy.

"What about Delilah?" Ianto asked after a few minutes.

"Gone." It was said with a certain finality that made Ianto wonder if she was occupying her own cold drawer in the Hub. Jack ran his fingers through Ianto's damp hair. "Did she hurt you?"

"No." Ianto licked his lips and swallowed hard. "She wanted to see how long it would take you to forget me."

Jack hugged him close but didn't reply.

"She said she knew you," Ianto said carefully. "Did you remember her?"

"Yes," Jack sighed. "But I have no interest in revisiting my past. I was trying to get her to leave as soon as possible."

Something in Ianto settled and he let out a long sigh as he snuggled closer. He wished he'd known before all this started and he once again thought that he should have said something when it could have made a difference.

"I try to live my life in the present without dwelling on what happened in the past," Jack told him between comforting kisses that he started to press to Ianto's temple. "You're part of my life and I'm not going to forget you so easily."

Ianto noticed that he didn't say he'd be part of Jack's future. He'd already known that because one way or another, Jack was going to move on some day. But he was here right now and Ianto was going to fight to stay with him as long as he could. It was some time later when Jack helped him to his feet, supporting most of his weight as he guided him out to the SUV. Settling Ianto in the backseat, he sat beside him and tucked the coat around him before securing his seatbelt. Jack leaned in to cup his cheek and nuzzle his neck.

"Let's get you home."

Ianto turned his head and kissed Jack's brow with lips that were still slightly chilled. The phrase had a whole different meaning now than it did all those years ago. It didn't matter if they went back to his flat or to the Hub. Wherever he was with Jack, Ianto was home.