Pieces Of Me

Prologue

My Dearest Ianto

Know that no matter how far from you I find myself, I will always be with you. It kills me to leave you but I have no choice. I've been called away to war. A war that I do not believe in, and a war in which I do not wish to fight. I've lived a thousand life times and with you it felt like the first. A cliché I know you'd roll your eyes at, but one that's true. I love you. I've never told you to your face. Every night when you fall asleep on my chest, I whisper it to you. You always hold on a little bit harder when I do. I'd give anything and everything a thousand times over if I could to stay with you. But a life time in prison is what I'd get if I don't go. A life time in prison would be worse then time away from you. I have faith that I'll come back to you. I can't ask you to wait for me. That would be selfish. I want you to be happy. I want you to have the normal life I know you long for. The normal life I know you could never have with me.

Know that I love you. Know that I will always love you. I don't know when I'll be back; months, years. But I will be back. I'll find you, and if you've moved on, then I'll accept that. Just know that I'll be back... Please don't give up on the memories of what we had, of what we could have had.

Explain to the team that I am sorry. I want to leave you in charge. I know that you will be the best person to look after Torchwood for me. You're the most capable person I know for the job.

I love you.

Yours forever.

Jack

x

Ianto bit back sobs as he read the letter again. It had been two years since Jack had left for the war that he knew nothing about. When he saw news clips from the war in Iraq and how many soldiers die every day, his heart ached. He'd never know if Jack was dead. Though his lover could never die, there was no knowing what his opponents could do to him given the chance. Ianto didn't want to think about it. He couldn't think about it. He had to be strong. Jack was coming back; he was waiting for him. He had to.

Ianto was about to settle in bed for the night, but when he heard the screams of a scared child coming from the next room he shot out of bed as though it was burning him, and raced to the nursery where he heard his little boy call for his daddy. He bent over the small cot and picked him up, bright blue eyes; scared, looked up at him, messy brown hair sticking up cutely. "Daddy." He sobbed as he held onto him tight.

Ianto held onto him tighter, singing to him softly as he tried to calm him down. He had to be strong, not just for him, but for their son.