When the moon on a cloud cast night

Hung above the tree tops' height

You sang me of some distant past

That made my heart beat strong and fast

Now I know I'm home at last

In the cold afternoon air Ianto shivered. He had paused in his chase for a moment to catch his breath. A good look into the woodlands around him made Ianto realise Cardiff was long since left behind. Where was he? Well, he supposed it did not matter much. He had wanted to get away from the Hub and all the bad memories, away from Jack…

Ianto sighed as he walked on. How had the argument gotten so heated? It had all started when Jack wanted to get back to what they did best, hunt aliens. Gwen had protested she was not ready and Ianto had agreed. But there was no stopping Jack when he made up his mind, not now… and not ever.

More than once lately Ianto wished he had not fallen for the man so deeply. In so many ways Jack was still a stranger to them, for he kept far too much to himself. Even now when night after night his lover woke up in a cold sweat he kept silent about his nightmares. What horrors plagued the immortal man who had seen too much in his many life times? And how come he sometimes caught his lover talking to Gwen in ways that made him feel jealous?

Each time Ianto tried to talk about how they lost their two friends and about what happened to Jack to have him return to them covered in layers of dirt he was pushed away. It made him feel like he wasn't trusted, or loved back in the way he wanted to. He knew Jack didn't commit to one lover, but Ianto had hoped for at least some trust and understanding. Sadly his efforts got smashed and his heart broke as it blew up in his face in an argument to end all arguments.

Ianto had to get out of the stifling air of the Hub then, so he ran, not even taking the time to put on his suit jacket. The sleeves of his shirt were still rolled up and the weapon he'd been cleaning was still in his hands. The irony of that wasn't lost on Ianto. The tea boy, as Owen had always called him, had ran off with a weapon and scared half of the people that he passed as he continued his flight through the streets of Cardiff.

It was only when he had stopped running that Ianto had seen the woman he missed so much. Her face was pale and her deep, tear filled brown eyes looked sad when she called his name. The one person he'd always been able to talk to. The one person who was kind and far more intelligent than anyone else he knew. "Toshiko?"

She had gestured for him to follow and he had done so. Silly sod he was he had begun chasing a ghost. Was she really here? Ianto did not know, but after seeing so many strange and impossible things in his life with Torchwood he had to find out if maybe there was a chance she was real. Anything was better than returning to the Hub anyway.

But now he was lost. Beyond the trees Ianto heard her giggle and once more he ran after the playful sound. At least it made him stop thinking and stop hurting. The chase after an illusion offered him a distraction from his life gone wrong.

He took the left fork of the path and ran on, not sure why he needed to hope so badly Toshiko had come to show him something. Onwards and onwards he ran, his breath coming in harsh pants. A mile had passed when a tree root had him stumble and falter. He stopped dead in his tracks. In silence he stood in the middle of the dirt road to stop and listen for her giggle. There it was! Once more he ran towards the sound.

The light of the sun faded further, painting the trees in a purple and orange glow. Ianto barely noticed the beauty of the ancient woodlands around him. As he ran he did not realise how he had crossed into a far different realm; a world where ageless spirits drew him close towards the after life.

They sensed his grief and cackled with glee. Happily they fed on his deep pain, felt how it darkened his heart and with a smile they piled more sad memories on top of it. The loss of his father, the man who never saw the worth of him. The childhood pushed to the back of his mind, because no one ever wanted to play with him. And the boy who had grown into a man who hid behind a polite mask out of fear to let people close again, only because he lost the woman he lost to the man he loved even more.

Pain, they feasted on it and they used it to their advantage. They slowed down time around him. This Samhain Night would fall upon the man slowly, so they could take him without mercy and no one was around to stop them. No, they were ready to claim this one soul for he was as haunted as they were.

The man in his suit, they had sensed the darkness around his heart and how sometimes he wanted to hurt others just to stop his own pain. A lover's heart had broken and they lived of that hurt, for nothing tasted quite like it. In silence they thanked this Jack person for his anger and frustrations, and how he threw them back into the face of the man who had walked into their world.

"Don't fear." One of the beings whispered into his ears. Her sweet voice sung a melody of the distant past as she promised him he would live forever. "Come join us and never feel loss again. Come…" The others' voices joined in the siren song.

Ianto reached a clearing in the forest just when he heard her sing. It was a beautiful voice that warmed his heart and touched his soul. He could only stop and listen as others joined the first being, with fresh tears rolling over his face. This life had brought him nothing but pain and sadness. No one had understood him and no one had wanted to even try. How come he had stayed? Maybe he should just walk on and never return. There seemed to be no point in going back.

"Let us take your pain, my child."

Startled at hearing her speak Ianto opened his eyes and turned to meet her. No one was there and so he asked, "Is anyone there? Who are you?"

A giggle behind him made Ianto turn around, only to find there was no one there.

"We are The Haunted", once more the voice came from behind him. And once more when he turned around there was nothing to see but the forest.

"We can not be seen to those who are not ready."

Deciding to play along, even if only to figure out the mystery of the strange appearance and the image of Toshiko, Ianto closed his eyes and laid his weapon back to rest on his shoulder again. "What are you? Did you come through the rift?"

"We have always been here."

Annoyed by the lack of sensible answers Ianto opened his eyes and startled he realised he saw her for all that she was. "I thought… where is Toshiko?"

As she lay on the thick tree branch she shook her head, "I am sorry. I came to you in the shape you knew, but this is what I am."

Ianto nodded, half upset she had cheated him, but at the same time far too intrigued about this strange being to object. "Why me?"

"Because you are haunted too."

With a frown Ianto stared at her ethereal shape and he shook his head. "I am not of your kind."

"Yet. You are not of our kind… yet. But don't you worry, you can be if you wish it so."

Ianto stepped back, "Why would I?"

He watched as she slipped out of the tree and glided over to him. Awed by her feminine shape Ianto stared shyly at her beautiful nakedness as she stood a few inches away from him and offered, "Have you ever wished to hurt those who hurt you? Have you ever wanted to end your own suffering by inflicting pain? I can give you the freedom to take whatever you need… and more. Join us and you shall be forever, my child."

The offer was tempting. Could it really be that she understood the darkness on his soul?

She giggled, an eerie and even sweeter sound than before. Her soft touch on his cheek made him smile. "I promise you, we accept everything you are. Join us and there shall be no holding back on living the life you deserve."

His gun slid off his shoulder as Ianto let go of it. Unaware of how he let down his guard it thudded onto the forest floor and was soon left forgotten. Her hand slipped into his and as she slid up against him he sighed in content.

"You can have everything you want, be anything you want. There is no one who can stop you from taking what your heart desires."

Ianto shivered. Was he ready to embrace the darkness around his heart? Could he really abandon the need to do good?

"Come forth, Ianto Jones." Her whisper against his ear spoke to his pain that had grabbed a strong hold of his heart in these last few weeks. Toshiko… Owen… even Lisa… they had died in the name of Torchwood. Everyone he knew, they died too young. What if he was next? Would Jack even care?

His hesitation had her grab his other hand too. "You are haunted already, my child. In truth you are one of us already, so why deny yourself?"

Her words made sense, more than anyone else ever had. If he were honest it felt like he was coming home here in this ancient place. The Haunted did not need him to change, for in their realm he could be who he was. With sudden clarity Ianto knew this was what he wanted. "Yes, I will come with you."

With a lighter heart he followed her into the forest. Each step he took made him feel more at one with her. They were going home, where a new adventure awaited him. No people to frown at the choices he made, no more pretending he was alright when he wished to hurt himself or others just to feel alive. Nothing would stop him now and no one would stand in his way. The thought alone made him smile as he walked onwards.

In his euphoria that he found home he did not sense how the Haunted filtered out the voices of those who called for him to come back, "Ianto… no!" Jack and Gwen had picked up the rift distress call when the ageless spirits tinkered with time to draw him in. They had come run worried sick to their stomachs for him. Had he looked back he would have understood their despair, for his lifeless body laid on the forest floor with his own eyes staring up into the sky still lost in wonder. He did not feel their sorrow, nor did he hear their cries to please return to them and that they were sorry.

As Ianto stepped over threshold into their realm he was lost to the life he left behind and his soul was lost to the darkness he found within himself in his grief. He was at peace now, for this new existence brought no regrets, no heartache…

Or at least that was what Ianto told himself until the next Samhain Night. For where his brethren and sisters haunted the forests he watched over a Cardiff cemetery that night instead. With tears in his eyes he watched as Jack and Gwen stood by his grave.

"I miss him."

"So do I", Jack sighed.

"You still love him."

It wasn't even a question, but when Jack swallowed back his emotions and nodded his answer Ianto understood the depth of the mistake he made a year ago. He shouted out in anguish at his own stupidity, but it wasn't until the sound came out as an eerie giggle and neither of his friends heard him that he truly understood what it meant to be one of The Haunted…