A/N: Just a bit of fun; my take on how Ianto might have reacted when Jack fired that bullet. I don't know about you, but I'm still trying to live in that nice little world where the series 2 finale was just a bad dream...

"Hey, kids. D'you miss me?"

It was Jack. The elusive Captain, who saw it within his rights to disappear for months without a glance to see what he was leaving behind. Who didn't care about leaving a daily struggle to be dealt with by those who had believed he cared.

But he was back.

And he was as cocky as ever.

Ianto dropped his gun to the floor as his arm fell to his side, fingers losing all their strength. The young man ignored the discharge of the bullet that slammed into the base of a television set owing to his failure to initiate the safety on the weapon. The subsequently renewed cries of the hysterical girl fell on deaf ears for the Welshman who registered the existence of only one person.

He marched straight up to Jack and drew him into a desperate, longing kiss. For the first time, it was Ianto in control, taking the other man by surprise. And into that one kiss, the brief exchange, Ianto poured every ounce of the pain he'd been through in Jack's absence. Forceful anger, cautious disbelief, terrified denial, and then passionate joy when the new truth was uncovered. An trapped eternity lay there, captured in a single moment that seemed to be worth a thousand lifetimes.

Drawing away after what felt like a heavenly millennium, Ianto pulled back a fist and sent a fierce punch to Jack's jaw. Several long strides took him to the edge of the room before he exited the house and fiercely slammed the front door behind him.

Jack recovered smoothly, still grinning. "Oh, it's good to be back," he announced to the stunned remainder of his team as the hinges of the door Ianto had so recently left through gave way.