Ianto barely noticed when Martha and the Doctor left. He knew that Jack had asked several questions and was aware that Martha had answered them. But there were so many thoughts swirling around in his brain that he just couldn’t focus. The only thing he could hear was Martha saying they’d found a cure for Jack’s immortality.

The sound of the door closing brought him out of his reverie. He expected Jack to come back to the kitchen. When his lover didn’t return, Ianto stood up and went to find him.

Jack was slumped on the floor next to Eswen’s cot, watching her sleep. Ianto sat down next to him, not sure what he should say.

“You were pretty quiet after Martha’s announcement,” Jack stated, still looking at their daughter.

“I - it’s a lot to take in,” Ianto hedged.

Jack snorted. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

They sat silently, each lost in their own thoughts. After awhile, Jack began to speak.

“I waited for so long for the Doctor to come back and ‘fix’ me. When he finally did show up, I just took off. No thought of anything except going back to him and picking up the life I had before he stranded me on the Game Station. I thought he didn‘t know that I was still alive.”

Ianto knew all this. Jack had told him about his past after the incident with the space whale. Ianto had dragged him out of the Hub and taken him home. They’d talked all night long, or rather Jack talked and Ianto listened.

“Then he told me that he’d known all along and left me there on purpose. Told me there was nothing he could do - that I was going to be this way forever. So I resigned myself to living like this.” He looked up at Ianto. “Resigned myself to outliving everyone I ever loved. Now I…Ianto, you’re the logical one, what should I do?”

“I can’t tell you what to do, Jack,” Ianto replied, ignoring the churning in his stomach. “It’s your life. Your decision. What do you want?”

“What do I want?” Jack asked, choking back a laugh that sounded more like a sob. “I want to have a normal life. I want to share that life with the man I love and watch our daughter grow up. I want to have a house with a white-picket fence and a porch that we can sit on when we’re old and gray and watch our grandkids play at our feet. I want you to have a safe, boring job in a library somewhere while I sell shoes in a department store or teach history or anything but work for Torchwood.”

Tears streamed down Ianto’s face as he pictured the life Jack was painting.

“But we do work for Torchwood, Jack,” Ianto reminded him. “And I don’t think either one of us could do anything else anymore. Our job doesn’t exactly come with a retirement plan. If anything it would be a widows and orphans fund.”

By this time Jack was openly crying. “So you don’t want me to take the cure?”

Ianto’s head snapped up and he wrapped his arms around Jack’s shoulders, pulling the older man into a tight embrace.

“Cariad, no, that’s not what I meant at all. I want to share a life with you more than anything. Grow old together. I’m just afraid, so very afraid of losing you. After Lisa, it felt like my world had ended. You gave me meaning again and I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you now, especially with Essie here. Let’s face it, you have the survival instincts of a lemming, Jack. I know you won’t be able to promise that you’ll never get hurt, but could you at least promise that you’ll be more careful and try not to get yourself killed? For me…for Essie?”

“Yes, I can promise you that, Ianto.” Jack’s voice was husky with tears. “When I found the Doctor again, I wanted him to fix me so I could die. Now I want to be cured so I can live. You’ve given me so much to live for - you and the sprout. I’m not about to throw that away.”

Their lips met instinctively. The taste of their tears mingled as they poured their emotions into the kiss. Finally they broke apart to catch their breath, continuing to press tender kisses to lips, cheeks and along jaw lines.

Jack’s blinding smile lit up his face and he jumped to his feet, dragging Ianto with him. Throwing his arms low around Ianto’s hips, Jack lifted his partner up and spun around in the middle of the room.

“Put me down you daft sod,” Ianto exclaimed, laughing and bracing his hands on Jack’s shoulders.

“Nope, no can do,” Jack stated emphatically. He looked deep into Ianto’s eyes. “My god, Ianto, I’m so happy and excited and nervous. I feel like I could burst.”

A small cry interrupted Jack’s impromptu celebration. Putting Ianto back on his feet, Jack turned towards Eswen’s cot and scooped her up. She stopped crying and snuggled into her daddy’s shoulder. Singing softly, Jack swayed gently, encouraging her to go back to sleep.

Watching his partner comfort their daughter, Ianto took a deep breath and tried to relax. He was still anxious about Jack giving up his immortality, but knew it was what Jack wanted. Stepping closer, he wrapped his arms around Jack and Essie, closing his eyes and swaying with his small family.

Tbc