V.

Jack is upset. A part of him is angry with himself, for letting it come to this; another part of him is scared, and that part tends to lash out when threatened. He tries to stay calm, but his heart is racing as he takes Ianto's hand and practically drags him through the room and outside into the dark garden. He continues to a far corner, in case things get loud, and not in the fun way; he senses Ianto is as upset as he is.

"Tell me what you want," Jack says, his tone short and desperate, then tries again when Ianto drops his hand and backs up in defense. "Please," he says, lowering his voice. "I need to know."

"I don't know what I want," Ianto says, crossing his arms over his chest. "But sometimes…sometimes I don't want this anymore."

"You mean, us?" Jack asks, and Ianto nods. "Why?"

Ianto shakes his head, laughing bitterly. "Maybe because you have to ask," he says, though he knows it's unfair to expect Jack to read his mind. So he takes a deep breath and plunges forward, determined to finally put to voice all the silent thoughts he's had over the weeks and months since he first met Jack, started sleeping with him, started dating him. It's still a complicated muddle in his mind, but maybe if he can articulate something concrete, they can both move on.

"I don't want to feel like I'm in limbo anymore," he tells Jack, earning both a surprised yet confused look in return. "Everything about this…about us…is a study in mixed signals, right from the very beginning. And I know I'm just as guilty at times, especially at first," he adds, holding up a hand to stop any protest. "After Lisa. But since you've come back…I don't know where I stand."

Jack is silent, so Ianto continues, his shoulders loosening as the words tumble out.

"I won't get into anything that happened right before you left, but when you came back, you asked me on a date. Not one of the others, but me. And we've had some amazing dates, actually leaving work behind and doing something relatively normal," he says, then sighs. "Yet for every date, every moment when things seemed to be going well, when it even seemed like it was more than casual, there was always something that seemed to contradict that. Something that said otherwise—moments with Gwen, with Michael, with others. Things you refused to say or do or share."

"Like what?" Jack asks sharply. He can guess at some of the things Ianto is hinting at, but if he's going to try to make things right between them, he needs to know. And he wants to make things right, even if the outcome isn't the one he's hoping for. It's clear he's hurt Ianto; he needs the Welshman to understand that he never meant to hurt him, and that it will always be one of his biggest regrets that he has.

"What do you want, a list of grievances?" Ianto asks in exasperation, and Jack nods.

"Actually, I do. I want to know. Please." He can tell Ianto is holding back an eye roll; he holds back one of his own.

"I know it was a difficult year for you, but you've not shared much, even when you wake up in the middle of the night because of it. Your ex-partner tries to kill us all, but I don't know anything more about him other than that he's a raging psychopath."

Jack tries not to flinch. "That's about all you need to know, honestly."

"I don't know who Grey is," Ianto continues, gazing away from him into the night. "I don't know what happened to you in Hell. I don't need to know your secrets, not really. I know you have a lot, if only for having lived so long. But I don't think you want to tell me, and I'd like to feel as if you trust me enough to share those sorts of things. I'd even like to be able to share some myself, I think."

He toes the ground, and Jack wishes there wasn't this strange void between them, that he could reach out for comfort, but when he takes a step closer, Ianto tenses and glances up, continuing his almost brutally honest answer.

"I know you like your coffee black, your showers hot, and your sex rough, but how do you really feel about us? Most of the time I know nothing, at least nothing that matters." He sighs and shrugs. "But then, it isn't like that for us is it?"

"It could be," Jack answers. He receives an unexpectedly angry response in return.

"No, it can't," Ianto snaps, unable to hold back his frustration any longer. "Because at this point I'll always wonder whether or not it's real, whether you actually mean it."

Jack looks like he's been slapped and turns away, his mouth open. When he turns around again, his face is blank, though his eyes are unfathomably sad. "You are the one person I have always counted on to believe in me."

Ianto shakes his head. "I didn't say I don't believe in you, Jack. I will always believe in you as our leader, as the man who always knows what to do, and the only one who can do it. I don't think I could ever lose that faith in you. But believing what you say about us? I don't know how I can anymore."

"Why?" Jack grounds out, and Ianto tucks his hands into his pockets. He needs time to think and glances around, notices a low stone wall and nods toward it before walking over. He sits down, and Jack sits beside him, though there is distance between them, as there has been almost all day.

"Because you often say one thing and do another," Ianto says. "After we sent Tommy back, I thought…well, I thought things were different between us, like we'd reached an unsaid understanding about what we were doing, how we felt about it. A few weeks later you're back to your on-again-off-again with Gwen, practically beside yourself at the thought of having to Retcon her."

Jack sucks in a breath. "That's not fair," he says. "I don't want to Retcon any of you. I don't want to lose anyone!"

"You threatened to shoot me," Ianto snapped.

"And you did shoot me!"

"Owen shot you. I watched."

"You betrayed me," Jack says. "Twice."

"And you left," Ianto retorts. The argument stops, both of them breathing deeply to regain a sense of calm.

"I have never wanted to hurt you," Jack tells him, wishing he could convince the man beside him of something, anything.

"And yet you have," Ianto replies softly. "You said you came back for me, but you haven't let me in, so what's the point? We've spent so much time together, so many amazing nights, and yet during the Tretarri case, you turned and left with barely a word instead of asking for support. And for all the things you've whispered in my ear in the heat of the moment, there's always another Idris Hopper, or Michael Bellini, or Gwen Cooper." He blows out a breath. "A man can only take so much of feeling second class, second choice. I don't want to be a casual distraction anymore, Jack. I can't."

Jack tries to hide his reaction, stung by the painful honesty of Ianto's words. He realizes almost immediately that his own determination to remain distant and unattached has made things even worse. Because Ianto is exactly right. Bad enough that Jack has kept his thoughts, his feelings, and his past close; everything else he's done has only solidified the impression of casual, of uncaring. It's a wonder Ianto has stayed with him for so long.

"I don't know what to say," Jack whispers, his eyes closing as he tries to hold back tears. "I don't know what to do."

Ianto shrugs. "I'm not sure what else there is to say, what you can do. If it helps, I get it." Jack turns to look at him, his eyes bright. "I understand not wanting to get close to someone, not wanting to care too much. It hurts less in the end."

"It hurts pretty bad right now," Jack murmurs, and it brings a sad smile to Ianto's face. He tucks his hands under his legs to keep them warm.

"Yes, it does," he replies. He takes a deep breath. "I'll miss a lot of thing about this, about us. And not only the sex," he adds with an eye roll. "I suppose what I'll miss most is the potential for more. I think it could have been great. But I won't miss not knowing and always doubting."

Jack jumps down from the wall and stands in front of Ianto. "Then stop doubting. Let's make it more."

Ianto stares at him as if he's gone mad, and Jack knows it's entirely possible he has. He knows he's setting himself up for another fall, another broken heart, but Owen was right about Jack's happy ending. This could be it, right now. He throws caution to the wind for the first time in years, confidence surging that this is what he wants, this is right. It has everything to do with the man before him, not the woman behind him, and he will fight for it.

"I don't know if I can do that anymore," Ianto says quietly. "If you had asked before…before today, all this, then maybe I could. But now…Jack, it still feels like I'm the convenient, available, second choice."

"You're not," Jack says, smiling because he knows Ianto is wrong, and he will convince him. He'll do whatever it takes.

"We're at a wedding!" Ianto exclaims. "We just watched our coworker get married…a coworker we both know you have some sort of feelings for. You can't expect me to suddenly believe you want more with me now that she's officially off limits." He snorts. "Like that usually stops you anyway."

Jack should be offended, but he's not. Ianto has a point, and while he may be right about Gwen, it's not in the way he suspects, and Ianto is wrong about everything else.

"It probably wouldn't stop me, if that's what I truly wanted," Jack replies, not without some guilt. He's caused his fair share of problems when it comes to such things, and he feels badly about most of them. "But it's not what I want, and it hasn't been for a long time. I need you to believe that."

Ianto frowns and looks away. "The evidence proves otherwise," he points out again, still feeling frustrated. He opens his mouth to say more, then stops. He doesn't want to keep going in circles.

"To you," says Jack, nodding in agreement. "And apparently to a few others who've had their go at me as well. But you see things through your own eyes, your own experiences. You come to conclusions based on your life, your morals, what you see and believe. You—"

"Hang on," Ianto says, holding up a hand and stopping him. "Don't you dare blame me and my 20th century upbringing. Quite frankly, you lived through the entire 20th century. I should think it would have rubbed off on you more!"

"And it has!" Jack exclaims, stepping closer and reaching out. Ianto shakes his head, and Jack sighs. "I'm not blaming you or your times. I'm saying that you and Tosh and Owen may see something and interpret it differently from what I see. From what I feel." Ianto motions him to continue. It's not like he hasn't considered the possibility, that the tension between Jack and Gwen wasn't quite what it seemed. He only hopes Jack isn't spinning him a tale to get him back into bed, then sets aside the thought as unworthy. Jack seems sincere, and deserves his honest consideration.

Jack takes a deep breath and begins talking before he loses courage. "You said inside that you were thinking about the future," he says. "So was I. And the past as well."

"The past?" asks Ianto, and Jack nods sadly.

"Believe it or not, I've been married before," he replies. "A long, long time ago."

Ianto doesn't reply, doesn't even blink in surprise. He is silent, though after a moment he nods. "I see. So today brought back those memories?"

"It did," says Jack. "Of many things—of my wife, of being married, of trying out the normal life. I was such a different person back then. I suspected I'd outlive everyone, but I hadn't yet realized or experienced how much that would hurt. I've had decades since to understand, and after a while I decided I couldn't do it anymore. Fall in love, live happily ever after. Because it always ends."

He sees the sympathy in Ianto's eyes and is grateful for it, that he hasn't hurt the other man so badly that Ianto feels nothing for him anyone.

"I'm sorry," Ianto offers. "It must be even harder for you."

"It's harder than dying, than coming back," Jack admits. "Sometimes I think it will drive me mad one day, outliving everyone I know and love for eternity." His voice cracks as he articulates one of his deepest fears. He's not sure he can continue.

"How does that…" Ianto is trying hard to speak carefully. He has no wish to hurt Jack further; he's not petty and vindictive and never has been, no matter how much he's been hurt. He is, however, somewhat perplexed. "What does that have to do with the future?"

Jack smiles at him, as if he's asked exactly the right question. "I know that you, and probably the others, assume I was thinking about Gwen. And I was, I still am, but not in the sense that I wanted to be up there with her." Ianto's heart almost drops out of his chest as Jack voices his exact fear, that Jack wanted to be standing at the altar with Gwen Cooper. Yet a small voice whispers that if Jack had wanted that, he could have had it a long time ago. Gwen would have come running the moment he crooked his finger at her. Yet he's always held her at arm's length, pressed her to hold on to Rhys Williams and her normal life outside Torchwood. Ianto, not for the first time, wonders why. He doesn't ask, though, because Jack continues.

"I never really wanted that with her," Jack says. His gaze is distant, as if looking at Ianto as he speaks is too difficult. Ianto decides he can't watch Jack's face anyway, and stares at the ground. "I always knew, deep down, that it would never work. She sees me as something I'm not, something better, and to be honest, I liked that. And now…now I feel like I've lost that."

Jack laughs quietly to himself. "Although honestly, I think her vision of me shattered not long after I came back. I know my vision of her changed that day. She…well, she seemed different. Stronger, yet more manipulative. The questioning and pushing was worse than ever. I sometimes wonder if she was angry at me for not pursuing her. But I knew it was wrong, that it would never work. For one, I could never talk to her like I talk to you."

Ianto blows out a breath and looks up at him. "You don't talk to me, Jack. I'm about to go into shock from how much you've said in the last ten minutes."

Jack laughs silently. "I know. But you're wrong—I do talk to you. I keep my secrets, but I've also shared more of them with you than anyone in years. You know my biggest secret, my immortality. And you accepted it. The last person who knew…she left." His voice cracks as he thinks about Lucia and Melissa. "And she didn't just leave me, she ran and hid as far away as she could."

"I'm sorry," Ianto murmurs. "That's a terrible thing to do."

Jack shrugs. "She thought I was wrong. She's not the only one."

"The Doctor." Ianto nods. This, at least, Jack has shared with him. The reason he'd been waiting for so long, why he'd run after the Doctor that day, the hard answers to his desperate questions.

"Yes," Jack replies. "But that's not the point I'm trying to make. It's that I have shared more of myself with you than I have with most people, and I'm ready to share more. To talk about the year I was gone, about my brother and my past, the Time Agency and what they took from me. I don't want you to feel like I don't trust you. You keep me grounded, here and now, and I want to share more of my life with you."

"Why?" Ianto asks. He'd told himself he wasn't going to ask such a direct question, but he can't help it. Though much of what Jack says makes sense, Ianto can't help but question his motives for saying them. Is Jack still mourning Gwen's loss to married life with Rhys Williams? Is he simply feeling lonely? Why does he want to be with Ianto now when he's spent months keeping his distance?

"Because I want you," Jack replies, and hurries on as he sees Ianto start to roll his eyes. "Because I like you. Because I'm obviously wildly attracted to you, but I also care about you. I trust you. And I want this to be more." His heart is racing from being so wildly exposed, and he's not sure how Ianto is taking it. The other man's face is mostly a portrait of confusion and doubt. Ianto stands, apparently needing to move, and runs a hand through his hair as he paces.

"Ianto?" Jack asks. "What are you thinking?" He half dreads the answer, imagines the Welshman lashing out at him.

Ianto turns, hands on his hips, the look on his face so very similar to the one months ago, when Jack had nervously asked him on a date. He'd looked as surprised and confused then as he does now. He shrugs his reply. "I don't know what to think."

Jack nods. "Okay. I understand. That was pretty intense, especially for me."

"Intense?" A nervous laugh explodes from the other man's mouth as he turns, walks, turns back. "Jack, it's not intense, it's…it's…"

"It's true," Jack tells him, stepping closer, and this time Ianto does not move away. He is not ready to accept Jack at his word, to believe that he means what he's saying, but Jack's physical presence has always calmed him. If he grounds Jack in this time and place, Jack does the same for him, grounding him in his body when he'd otherwise get lost in his head, in thoughts and dreams.

Ianto wants to believe him—and a part of him does, the part that sees the sincerity in his eyes. But Ianto also realizes that there is more he doesn't know about Jack than what he does, and that part of him can't help but wonder. Even if Jack means what he's saying right now, will he mean it the next day? In a week? A year? It's too much to hope for.

"When you said you were thinking about the future, what we were you thinking about?" he asks.

"To be honest, I usually try not to think of the future," Jack tells him, his voice quiet, laced with pain. Ianto regrets asking, because of course it's hard for Jack. He starts to apologize, but Jack stops him. "No, I don't want you to avoid asking me something like that because of what I am. I'm glad you did. I don't think about the future because otherwise…otherwise I'll break. The idea of an eternity like this is too terrifying to contemplate. But sometimes I think about the more immediate future. Like today." He pauses and inclines his head back toward where they were sitting. They return to the stone wall and Jack reaches out for his hand, squeezes it, and holds tight.

"What do you think about when you think about the future?" Jack asks.

And it strikes him then that he usually avoids thinking about it as well, but for completely different reasons. His future is short, finite, and most likely doomed. Jack will live forever; Ianto will be lucky to see the age of thirty.

"I don't usually think about it much either," he admits. "You see eternity, but I see a short life, and not much reason to look forward to something that might not happen, may not last."

Jack shouldn't be surprised, and he isn't, not really. He avoids looking forward because there is no end; Ianto avoids it because his end will come all too soon. The bitter irony burns, that they are such opposites. He hates it, his never-ending life juxtaposed against Ianto's too short life. It's not fair.

"But when you do?" he asks, wondering what it is that Ianto avoids looking toward in his future. Probably the same thing Jack tries not to think about.

Ianto is silent for a long moment beside him. "I think about finding someone to spend my life with," he admits. "Getting married, buying a house, starting a family. Vacations, pets—all the things normal people do with their normal lives. What the world expects us to do, what we're brought up to believe is everyone's dream of the perfect life." He trails off, bitter sarcasm clear.

"Is that your dream?" Jack asks, and this time Ianto replies much quicker.

"No, not really. When I was young, I didn't think about it that much. It was more the expectation than a goal. And then I started working at Torchwood One, and Torchwood changes the way you see the world. I definitely didn't think it was for me, not when there were aliens and time travel and all sorts of amazing things going on out there. It wasn't until I met Lisa that I started thinking seriously about it all, that maybe it was something I wanted. We talked about it several times, but then every dream we had together collapsed around me, both literally and figuratively."

"So you never considered those things—love, marriage, family— again after Lisa died?" Jack asks. Ianto turns it back on him, which seems to be their pattern this entire conversation: one them asking but refusing to give until the other offers something first. It's more like a game of emotional chess than a conversation. At least it's keeping him honest.

"Did you think about it, after you were married?"

"Yes," Jack replies, nodding. "Several times, but remember – immortal here. I made a conscious decision, for the most part, not to get that involved again. It hurt too much." He bumps Ianto's shoulder. "Your turn."

"I didn't think about it after Lisa died, no," Ianto replies. "I suspect people dwell on those things when they either have nothing else and hope it will fill the hole in their life, or they have someone they'd like to spend it with. I had no one, but I had Torchwood, and so I set it aside. Then Gwen got engaged, and yes, I started thinking about it. More and more."

"Did you think about it today?" Jack asks.

"Of course I did," Ianto replies. "Didn't you?"

"Yeah," Jack admits with a smile. "You're right that it's the norm, the expectation here. And having tried it, I can see why. It's amazing, knowing someone is there for you, waiting for you, wanting you. Wouldn't mind doing it again someday…" He trails off, but refuses to give in to regrets.

"Jack, where is this going?" Ianto asks after a moment. He sounds exasperated, and Jack has to admit the conversation has definitely rambled through many different topics.

"Us or this conversation?" he asks, to be sure.

"This conversation," Ianto replies, the frustration evident. Jack smiles to himself, turns toward him and moves closer.

"I think one of the reasons I was so distant today, why I've been such a…a…"

"Arsehole?" Ianto supplies, and Jack swallows and nods. It's true.

"Yes. It's because a lot of the time I was thinking of you. Really," he adds when Ianto rolls his eyes in protest yet again. "I was thinking about us, and what things could be like for us one day."

Ianto actually scoots away, eyes wide. "You're not asking me to think about marrying you, are you?" he asks, his voice high, panic radiating from his voice and body. Jack laughs and moves closer again.

"No, I'm not. Relax," he says. "Neither of us is ready for that. What I'm trying to say is…I realized something a while ago, around the time I went to Hell and you saved me. I realized how much I care about you, only I also thought it was because I was in Hell that I felt that way, so I put it aside and forgot about it. Or I tried to, anyway. It's hard for me, Ianto, because no matter what, it always ends."

Ianto looks stunned, and Jack is running out of words, but knows he must finish or this time Ianto might be the one to turn and leave.

"And today was harder than most. I watched Gwen get married, and I'm happy for her, I am. But sometimes I wish I could be with someone, fall in love, and grow old with them, like her and Rhys. Then I watched you dancing, looking so happy and normal, and I want that for you, because you deserve it too. Only I don't want to give you up either. I can't," Jack says, his voice breaking. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want a happy ending for once in my many lives, and you're my happy ending. If you wanted to be," he adds, then falls silent, letting the other man think and hopefully respond.

Ianto doesn't know what to think, what to say. He's too dumbfounded, struck speechless by everything Jack has said. His first impulse is to stand up and walk away as fast as he can. It's too much to face, and he doesn't want to even try to reply. He wants to run, though for different reasons than when they'd first come outside, when he'd been certain it was over and it hurt so much it had been hard to breathe. Now he's terrified, because there is hope in his chest, and he wants to embrace it, but still can't quite let himself. Squeezing his hands tight to keep them from shaking, he takes several deep breaths to center himself before responding. He has no idea what will come out of his mouth, but he begins to talk anyway.

"You've really surprised me," he starts, shaking his head. "I have no idea how to respond. It's hard to set aside everything leading up to this."

"And I understand if you can't," Jack murmurs. Ianto turns his head to gaze into Jack's eyes, once again seeing the sincerity there, as well as understanding touched with the same hope Ianto feels deep inside. He nods.

"I want to," he says Jack. "I really want to. I liked what we had, when I didn't doubt and question it. If you're offering more…" He trails off, unsure how to end that sentence.

"I am," Jack insists. "It won't be easy, I know that. I'll be a bastard some days and I hate that about myself. I hope you understand. It's not you, it's me and my own thoughts and fears."

"I understand," Ianto replies, because he does, more than he expected. "I have them, too, Jack." Another deep breath, and he commits himself to a path he didn't expect to walk that night. "I suppose we'll have to work through them together."

The look on Jack's face is one of such profound relief and happiness that Ianto grins, then exclaims in surprise when Jack surges forward to kiss him. It is deep and passionate, filled with potential. He ends the kiss quickly, however, right hand caressing Ianto's face in a such new, tender way that it sends shivers down his spine.

"Together," Jack murmurs. He'd sincerely believed Ianto would not want him anymore, would reject the second chance Jack so desperately wanted. "I like the sound of that."

"Maybe we could start over, together," Ianto continues quietly. "When this is over… dinner and a movie?"

Jack's heart swells in his chest as Ianto throws back his own line—and a pathetic, nervous one at that. Only it works for them, and he reaches out for Ianto's hand again, and the Welshman takes it, watching their fingers intertwine with a look on his face that Jack can only label as trepidation.

"Are you sure?" he asks softly. "Because I am. I want to try again."

The other man nods, still looking at their hands. "I want what you're offering," he says. "But I worry about the reality of it. For us, in this job." He shakes his head. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be negative, I'm—"

"Trying to protect yourself," Jack replies. "I get it, because I've done the same thing. And I'm a little worried myself. So maybe…maybe we talk more?" When Ianto gives him a skeptical look, he laughs, which at least earns a smile. "I know, we're not like that, right? But if I mess up, maybe you should tell me instead of adding it to the list."

Ianto nods slowly. "Okay. And you'll do the same? If I do something stupid?" He smirks. "Not that I can think of much."

Jack wraps his arms around Ianto's shoulder. "How about spending the night laughing and dancing with someone else?"

Ianto twists his head to look at Jack in surprise. He appears embarrassed, and Ianto sighs, feeling bad that his actions that night may have hurt the other man, even if Jack's actions hurt him.

"I would have preferred to dance with you," he admits. "So maybe next time we can both keep our heads on a bit straighter?"

"Next time?" Jack teases. "You mean, next time a team member gets married?"

"Well, Tosh deserves it," Ianto points out. "Although Martha might end up sending out invitations first."

Jack smiles broadly. "Then I hope you'll be my date."

"I'd like that," Ianto replies.

"We can always go dancing before then," Jack says. "And not the standing around kind, or the ridiculous club kind, but real dancing, back when people actually held each other and moved together."

Ianto shakes his head at Jack's enthusiasm. "I might need some practice."

"You looked great out there," Jack tells him honestly. "But I like practicing," he adds with a wag of his eyebrows, and Ianto feels things finally settling back to normal between them. Flirting and innuendo and affectionate teasing.

"Dinner and a movie first," he reminds Jack.

"Right," Jack says. He stands and holds out his hand, pulling him into what feels like a dancing position. "Are you busy tomorrow night?" he asks.

"Depends on whether or not my boss gives me the night off," Ianto replies, letting himself relax this time. Jack presses his cheek against Ianto's, and he can feel the smile on the other man's face. In his mind, he can almost hear the silent music as Jack begins moving.

"Absolutely," Jack murmurs. "Take the day, in fact."

Ianto smiles as well. "We could do an early movie, dinner after, perhaps?"

"It's a date," Jack says. He's humming as they turn, and Ianto senses a rare happiness in Jack, lets it wash over him, fill him. Though it is fragile and hard-won, he could get used to this.

It is sappy, sentimental, and schmaltzy, dancing alone in the dark with only the sounds of the night as their soundtrack. And yet Jack can't imagine a more fitting and perfect way to end the night. He feels lighter than he has all day, like a burden has been lifted from his shoulders for the first time in weeks.

Things between him and Ianto aren't perfect, and Jack knows they're taking a big risk in terms of trying for something more. He's not done it for ages and is quite frankly terrified, and he knows Ianto is nervous as well, for his own very different reasons. Yet standing there swaying in time together feels right, and Jack can't imagine what it would feel like to be walking away, alone, instead.

"We should go back in and help with the Retcon," Ianto says quietly, though he doesn't move away, doesn't stop the dance. Jack sighs. As usual, Torchwood steps in to ruin the moment. Yet when he starts to slow down and pull away, it is Ianto who resists, who holds him tight. Whose left hand comes up to Jack's face, caressing his cheek. Who tilts his head and captures Jack's lips in a simple kiss, then brings his other arm up to cup Jack's face between his hands as the kiss deepens. Full of emotion, it is a kiss that is new and exciting, passionate and longing, hopeful with the promise of more.

It is a kiss Jack could lose himself in forever, and he hopes it never ends. Yet all too soon they rest their foreheads together, eyes closed as they catch their breath. It is time to return to the real world, to ensure that world remains safe. To move on to the next day, the next dance, the next date.

Together.

Author's Note:

The end! I'm too exhausted by this to say much other than I hope it lived up to expectations. I never expected it to grow so large, but I wanted to keep it real, and their reality was often a hard, complicated one. I hope that you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading! Cocktail Hour will continue back with the other, much shorter chapters.