Hello, another chapter done, but it does start a bit violent, but, again, nothing too extreme. On a lighter note, see if you recognise bits of Ianto's little speech in this chapter.

Chapter 20

As he was pulled away, Ianto yelled, hoping someone would hear,

"Get off me! HELP!"

Ianto's cry for help sprung John out of his musings. Not wanting to be discovered, John pulled the struggling Welshman flush against his chest, covering his mouth and nose, effectively cutting off his breathing.

"Be quiet! Or you'll attract attention."

Ianto continued to struggle, trying to cry out, but managed nothing but a series of mumbled words. However, he couldn't keep it up for long, the increasing lack of air in his lungs making him feel faint. Unfortunately, he had to admit defeat. Ianto nodded, and Hart let go of his nose, allowing him to breathe once more. Taking several deep breaths, Ianto mustered all his strength and rooted tried to wedge his feet in the sand, hoping to slow John down and give his friends time to help, well he hoped that one of their friends had heard his cry and were coming to help them.

He could feel John pushing against his body, trying to get him to move, and he had to admit, it was making his legs ache, and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

John Hart was getting annoyed; this Welshman was stronger than he initially thought. Oh, he knew he would win in the end, but he hated it when things didn't go the way he planned. Deciding he had wasted enough time with this method, he grabbed the teen, hoisted him into his arms, and proceeded to carry him away. At this, Ianto proceeded to thump John repeatedly in the chest, hoping to cause a reaction, but his efforts proved fruitless. John remained unaffected, but Ianto refused to give up, and continued to hit and kick out as best he could.

Before they could get very far, John felt something heavy collide with his back, forcing him and Ianto to the ground. Ianto groaned as he hit the floor, no doubt he would have a bruise on his side to add to the one that would no doubt appear on his face.

Once the initial shock of the fall wore off, Ianto tried to wriggle free, and was able to crawl away. As he stood and looked for what had caused them to both tumble, he noticed Rhys, Nick and Santi on top of the blonde, holding him down. Reassured he wouldn't move, Ianto made his way over to Jack. He smiled at Owen as he sat next to the American.

"Will he be ok?" he asked, anxiously, noticing that Jack's eyes were closed. He sighed as he reached out and lovingly stroked Jack's hair.

"I don't know, this goes beyond my first aid knowledge. We need an ambulance, now!"

Ianto reached for his phone and surprised everyone by swearing.

"Fuck, no signal!" What do we do now?

Hearing that, Santi got up and ran full pelt down the beach and back to the house. As he burst in the door, Miss Jones scalded him on his heavy-handedness.

"Sorry Miss… but Jack's hurt… Him and Ianto… were attacked… We need an ambulance… and the police," the Spaniard panted, trying to get his breath back. He had never run so fast in his life.

Instantly, the teacher sprang into action, alerting the other teachers and calling 911. Leaving the other teachers temperately in charge, John Smith asked Santi to take him to his adoptive son. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Nick and Rhys perched on the back of the young man who had caused so much pain. Remembering that Jack was still in pain, he quickly made his way over to the teen, kneeling beside Ianto.

"An ambulance is on its way."

Ianto smiled weakly, "Thanks."

Watching the scene before them, Nick pulled Santi down beside him and into a kiss, "Well done love."

"I didn't really do anything special," Santi replied shyly.

"I know, but you acted on instinct and I'm so proud of you. Trust me, your quick thinking makes all the difference… I love you."

"I love you too," Santi replied instantly, still not completely believing that this boy loved him back.

"Oh please," moaned John Hart, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Shut up…," Nick began but was cut off by the sound of sirens getting closer. They didn't know how they managed to get down the vehicles down the cliff, but an ambulance and a police car were speeding towards them. The next few minutes passed in a blur. Men in uniforms were rushing around, taking statements from everyone and assessing Jack's condition. For Ianto it was so much worse, seeing as it was his husband who was the one who, according to the paramedics, was in 'critical condition.'

After a few minutes, even if it felt like a lifetime to Ianto, the paramedics were helping Jack into the ambulance. Ianto followed, telling them that he was family and needed to be with Jack. As they sped away, Ianto looked out of the back window and watched as the policemen were arresting John Hart and talking to their friends.

On route, Ianto was bombarded with questions about Jack and how he ended up in this state. He tried to answer as best he could but his voice was shaking. Luckily, it didn't seem to be hindering their work.

Once they had arrived at the hospital, the doctors rushed Jack away for treatment. Ianto tried to follow but was stopped by a young nurse who told him he had to wait in reception.

Xxxx

The time seemed to pass so slowly for Ianto as he waited for any news about his husband. It was killing him, not being able to help. After waiting for almost 2 hours with no update on Jack, Ianto was relieved when Mr Smith arrived.

"Ianto, how is he?" he asked, giving his adoptive son-in-law a hug. Ianto gripped him tight, needing that bit if comfort, before letting go again.

"I don't know, they wouldn't let me go with him." John nodded and walked to the main desk, Ianto in tow.

"Excuse me. I'd like to see my son please."

"Name?" the receptionist asked, glancing at Ianto before turning to John.

"Jack Harkness-Jones…"

The sound of computer keys tapping was the only sound as they waited for the woman to talk again.

"…Second floor, private room 1"

They both thanked the woman and rushed off to find Jack.

Xxxx

As he entered, Ianto felt tears come to his eyes to see Jack laid there. He didn't seem to have as much wires as Ianto had when in London, but it still broke his heart.

"Can you give me a minute please John?"

"Sure. I'll be outside," John replied, patting the teen on the shoulder, before leaving the room, softly closing the door behind him.

Ianto sighed and walked up to the bed, gently sitting next to his American, and began to softly stroke his hair.

"Hey cariad, I have absolutely no idea whether you can hear me, but if my voice will make you wake up, I guess it's worth a try. Just promise me that if you are hearing this, that when you wake, you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you… Well, except maybe Tosh, she probably knows way more embarrassing things about me anyway right? And I know she won't tell anyone if you asked her not to… Anyway, I guess you want me to get on with it?"

Ianto chuckled nervously, before taking a few calming breaths. Feeling the nerves begin to dissipate, he continued, "This must be the longest I've ever looked at you and not seen you smile. I watch you in your sleep, did you know that, most nights. I know you like to watch me cariad, especially first thing in the morning, but I bet you didn't know I like watching you too. Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I lay there and watch you. I know it sounds strange, but I try to imagine what you're dreaming about. I wondered if you were dreaming about me. I hoped you were dreaming about me. I mean, I am your husband, who else would you be dreaming about, right?"

Ianto chuckled again and paused, thinking about all the things they had done together and hoped they would do in the future. He looked at Jack, unresponsive, surrounded by tubes and monitors, and began to worry his dreams may not come true. He shook his head, trying to dispel some of his negative thoughts. Unable to clear his mind completely, Ianto wasn't surprised to feel tears falling down his cheeks. Determined to finish what he'd started, Ianto wiped his eyes and took Jack's hand in his and resting both over the American's heart, the strong rhythmic beating encouraging him to continue.

"I need to tell you Jack, before I lose my resolve completely, every night I dream about you, you and our future together, growing old in a little cottage somewhere, surrounded by our family… I understand now, why Dr Smith had to force you from my bedside in London… I know now how it feels, not knowing if you'll wake up. But you stayed strong Jack, and I intend to do the same. I know you'll be coming back to me soon."

Xxxx

After 24 hours of Ianto worrying, Jack had woken up, been examined, and given the all clear… He didn't have any internal injuries, other than a sore throat, so was allowed to go home and rest. He had been annoyed, when he had first woken up, to see the deep bruise covering Ianto's face and had asked the doctors if they could do anything about it, but, save for covering it with a bit of make-up, they could do nothing except give him something for the pain.

After taking all the other pupils home, Mr Smith came back for them. As soon as they walked in to door he ordered Jack to go to bed and rest. Not wanting to be by himself, Jack gave Ianto a pleading look, hoping that he would come too. Ianto gave him a loving smile and followed him upstairs.

Once they were in their room, Ianto climbed onto their bed and curled up to Jack.

"I was so worried I was going to lose you," he cried, burying his face in Jack chest, trying to cover his face so Jack didn't see the tears that were beginning to run down his cheeks.

"I'm… ok," Jack croaked, wrapping his arm around his young spouse.

"At least Hart was punished. I do wonder though, who told him where we were."

They had been questioned by the police, while at the hospital, about how Hart could have known their location, but they couldn't come up with an answer. After 10 minutes of cuddling together Ianto said, "You don't think Lisa could've…?"

Jack looked at him, frowning, urging him to explain.

"She said we'd regret it…" He then went on to tell him all about what he'd said to her, and all about the people on the cliff and Lisa not noticing them. Jack sat and listened quietly, it all made sense… She was always on her phone, on the internet or texting. What if it was John she was contacting? He tried to get up, wanting to make the girl pay for hurting his husband, but Ianto pushed him back down.

"What are you doing cariad? You're hurt, just wait. I don't want you to injure yourself further."

"Ok." Inside, he was fuming; no one hurt his Ianto and got away with it.

They lay together for over an hour before John came to check on them. He brought them some food, but Jack didn't eat much, swallowing hurt. He sat on the end of the bed and told them that Jack could be absent from school until he healed. Unfortunately, he wouldn't let Ianto stay with him, insisting his schooling was important. Ianto tried to argue but Jack told him to go. John insisted that River would stay with him and Ianto instantly relaxed, knowing he would be well cared for.

Xxxx

On the Monday morning, Ianto was pottering around the room, changing into his uniform, as Jack slept. He managed to change quickly and walked over to the American. Kissing him softly, he whispered, "Bye cariad, I love you," before heading for the door.

"Ianto." Jack's croaky voice made the Welshman pause in the doorway. He turned and headed back towards the bed.

"I didn't mean to wake you cariad, you need to rest." As he perched by Jack's side, his hand moving to cover Jack's, his partner looked at him, eyes shining with love and adoration. Jack reached up and ran his hand softly against Ianto's bruised face. He had to admit he had forgotten that it existed after it had been covered by the doctors. He just hoped it didn't hurt as bad as it had looked. As if sensing his worries, Ianto smiled and whispered,

"I'm ok cariad. It doesn't hurt much anymore… I have to go or I'll be late." He kissed Jack softly before, regretfully, having to leave.

Upon entering the kitchen, River made him jump as she suddenly announced, "Oh Ianto, you can't go to school like that, let me cover it again."

Taking his hand, she led him to the bathroom and proceeded to re-cover the bruise. It hurt a bit, but after it looked like nothing had happened.

"Thank you, and thanks for agreeing to take care of Jack. I hate having to leave him."

"I know. I'll take care of him, don't worry."

Xxxx

As Ianto boarded the school bus, and sat next to Gwen, he was instantly bombarded by questions about how Jack was. Answering with the bare minimum he needed to, Ianto laid back and closed his eyes, wishing that the American was there to brighten their journey. Around him, Gwen, Owen, Tosh, Rhys, Santi and Nick exchanged worried glances, hoping their friend would be ok. Owen and Gwen were especially concerned as their friend had been becoming more and more outgoing and now he was displaying his old trait, bottling his emotions, like he used to before Jack came into his life.

At school Ianto was very quiet, until his phone would beep. He would smile while he read the message, then revert back to his miserable self. The others tried to talk to him but he kept brushing them off.

"Come on sweetheart, it's only a few hours," Gwen soothed, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

"I know," Ianto sighed, "I just… I hate it when he's not with me. I miss him."

"We know you do, and he misses you, but you're not going to get anything done moping like this," Owen replied, surprising everyone with his caring tone.

For the rest of the day, Ianto's mood gradually improved, until lunch time when something happened that made him want to go home even more.

The Assistant Head, Miss Oswald arrived at their table, "Mr Smith wants to speak to both Angela and Lisa, would you please go to his office now."

The girls exchanged glances before doing as they were asked.

"I wonder what that's all about?" Owen asked. The rest just shrugged, not having any idea either. They were all confused until a young student ran into the hall yelling,

"The police are here! They've arrested one of the Welsh students."

At that the hall erupted in chatter. Ianto gasped, he had been right about Lisa. He needed to go ask John what had happened, figuring he had a right to know considering it was to do with him and Jack, which is exactly what he did.

Xxxx

As soon as he arrived home that evening, he ran up the stairs and climbed into bed with Jack, hugging him gently.

"I missed you."

"You too," Jack croaked back.

"Guess what? Lisa has been arrested and sent back to Wales! I was talking to Tosh about my suspicions and John heard me. He secretly asked a few members of Torchwood into his office and asked them if they'd noticed anything suspicious. Turns out, all those times that she was on her phone she either trying to find Hart or communicating with him… She's finally out of our lives!"

Jack beamed and pulled Ianto into a hug, thankful that the bitch got what she deserved. They could finally breathe easy knowing that no one was going to try to tear them apart.

Xxxx

A week later, Jack was allowed to go back to school. He still hadn't completely healed, but he managed to persuade everyone that he was fine. Plus, he was starting to get on River's nerves by constantly asking when Ianto would be back. Not that he could be blamed for that, he missed his husband when he wasn't there.

As they stepped onto the school bus the following Monday morning, Tosh greeted her best friend with an enormous hug, happy to have him back. The American gave her a smile and settled onto the seat beside his partner. Today was going to be a good day.

Unfortunately, when the bus dropped them off, Jack was nervous to find Angela and Daniella stood waiting for them. Before, this would've been a welcome sight, but the couple hadn't talked to the rest of Torchwood since Lisa was sent home and they knew it probably wasn't going to be good when they did.

"Hello," Angela began, nervously. Once done with the pleasantries, Angela spoke again, "I'm sorry for not talking to you all this last week. I blamed you for the disruption to me and my parents and I should've blamed Lisa. I realised that I wasn't only loosing good friends but I was taking them off Dani too. Can we still be friends? I promise that if I'd known what she was doing I would've said something."

Ianto gave the pair a small smile and nodded, "Of course." The other 4 readily agreed, nodding too.

The two girls thanked them all and stood with them to wait for the others. It didn't take long for the rest of Torchwood to arrive. They had just finished explaining recent developments when the morning bell rang, telling them to go to class.

Xxxx

For the next few weeks the entire senior year were busy, bogged down with revision for their finals. It was so hectic that they barely had time for anything else. They didn't really have much of a choice though; Ianto had taken it upon himself to make revision schedules for all of Torchwood to use, to make sure that they all received the best possible grades.

The only time they took a break was for John and River's wedding, at the end of May. As the couple wanted a low key wedding, only the original Torchwood members were invited, seeing as they had got to know the head better due to the exchange.

The couple had a small ceremony in their local church then headed back to the house for a party. John, being a friendly person, had invited everyone he knew to be there. It was lucky not everyone he invited decided to go, as there wouldn't've been enough room for them. In the end only half turned up, most of which knew John from the school.

As Jack led him around the dancefloor, Ianto was stunned to see his mam and sisters coming towards him.

"Mam," he called, leaving Jack's hold and going to meet them, throwing his arms around the Welshwoman. From across the garden, River whispered to her new husband,

"That was a lovely thing you did for Ianto, sweetie."

"I know he gets homesick sometimes, and the Joneses are my family. They should be here." River nodded and returned her attention to dancing.

As the night wore on, the guests started to head home, leaving only Torchwood, Amy, Rory, Star and Jessica who were all talking together about their hoped exam results and Uni places. An outsider would've been able to see the growing friendships between the students. It was easy to see that the 4 non-Torchwood teens didn't usually talk to the others much, as they were still sat together but a bit separate from the main group. The rest were sitting closer, a clear sign of a solid friendship. If you looked again, you would know that love was in the air for this group, since only 4 out of the 18 were not sat in couples. It was also nice to see that this group didn't care about sexuality, as there were both straight and homosexual couples, and not one teen looked uncomfortable. John was contemplating his observations when the Joneses and Gray came over to him, and his new wife, commenting on the group themselves.

By midnight, only family remained. Being too tired to do anything, they all retired to bed. They would leave the cleaning until tomorrow morning.

Xxxx

All too soon, the day that the Welsh students were due to leave arrived. It was a beautiful June day, hot and sunny. Unfortunately, the nice weather didn't raise the students' moods. They would be saying goodbye to people they'd known for 2 years, and most were undoubtedly upset. For Torchwood, it did feel a bit strange too, the reason being that Owen was staying behind and Jack was leaving. As Jack hugged his best friend, the Japanese girl couldn't help but shed a tear. She knew that they would see each other in 3 months, but that was a long time to be away from her best friend. The only positive was that she would have Owen, the man she loved. She only wished that she could have both, but Jack belonged with Ianto, and she had to let him go.

Across the way, Owen talked to Ianto and Gwen. This would be the first summer since they were children that they wouldn't be together.

"…I guess I'll see you both in September. You are both still going to Cardiff Uni, right?"

"Yep."

"It'll be great having the 6 of us together again," Ianto replied, as Jack came over and curled his arms around him.

"Hey guys," interrupted Nick. "You will stay in touch? I expect you all at our partnership."

"Yes, we would love you to be there, but it won't be for a few years yet," Santi added, blushing as Nick wrapped his arms around him.

"We shall see," Nick whispered in his ear.

They all agreed to stay in contact and proceeded to say their final goodbyes. After a few quick hugs and kisses, the 10 departing students boarded the coach, ready to return to Wales.

As he sat down, Jack's phone beeped.

'Borrowed Auntie River's phone. See you in a few weeks brother. Love you x'

Jack smiled as he showed his husband Grey's message, before putting his phone away and waving to his friends outside. He would miss Tosh the most, obviously, but he knew she would be happy with Owen. Plus, she had more friends than ever now to keep her company. He was brought from his musings by Ianto's arms around his neck and his lips against his cheek.

"It won't be long cariad, we'll all be at Uni together before we know it," Ianto whispered, not sure if he was comforting Jack or himself for leaving Owen. Jack just smiled and leaned back into the embrace.

As they pulled away, Ianto and Jack Harkness-Jones reflected on the past 2 years and thought to themselves, I wouldn't have changed things for the world.

10 years later…

"Why did we ever agree to this?" huffed Jack Harkness-Jones as he struggled to strap 2 year old Dillon into his seat. The child was squirming like he had ants in his pants, so Jack was finding it increasingly difficult to fix the belt strap. When he looked to his left, he saw that Ianto had successfully got Milly into her seat, and was now looking at Jack with his eyebrow raised, trying not to giggle at the American's struggling. How was it that Ianto had managed to be in charge of the 4 year old? He was older; he should have got first choice. No, he would not start favouring his children; he loved them both, even though Dillon was a fidget. As the minutes ticked by, and all the other passengers were settling into their seats, Ianto, taking pity on his husband, leaned over and helped.

"Thanks, baby."

"You're welcome, cariad." Ianto smiled and settled into his seat. "And we agreed to come because they are our friends."

"I know," Jack sighed, sitting between Milly and Dillon. They had organised themselves so that Ianto was on the end and Dillon was near the window. That way the children wouldn't be able to go wondering without their parents knowing first.

Xxxx

As they stepped out of the airport, they were pleasantly greeted by John and Gray. As the children saw their Uncle and Grandad they instantly ran into their arms, Milly to John and Dillon to Gray. Jack and Ianto smiled at the closeness of their family, even when they don't see each other as often as they'd like. For that reason alone they'd planned to stay the week with John and River. That way, they could spend time with family and go to the ceremony.

When they got back to the house, Jack and Ianto settled the kids into their room. When Milly was born, John and, the then 14 year old, Gray spent a week changing one of the guest rooms into a Nursery for her. Once Dillon arrived, the pair spent another week changing it into a room that would accommodate both children.

When both children were both occupied with their toys, Jack and Ianto headed to their old bedroom. Not much had really changed for the last decade, the only thing that had were the photos, most of which showed the new additions to the Harkness-Jones clan.

After unpacking, the family decided to go to the park. They had been cooped up on the plane for hours and the kids needed fresh air. While Ianto took the children on the swings, Jack spotted a familiar trio in the distance.

"Uncle Jack!" cried the child with them, as she ran into his arms.

"Hey Anwen," Jack replied, hugging the youngster and directing her off to find Ianto. As the 3 year old ran off, her parents, Gwen and Rhys sat with him on a nearby bench.

"You going tomorrow as well?"

"Yep, my husband is the best man."

They talked, and played with the kids, for a while before deciding to go home. They needed to rest; they all had a big day tomorrow.

Xxxx

Watching the couple about to pledge their lives to each other, Ianto was pleasantly reminded of his own wedding day, all those years ago. Although, this was very different, at his and Jack's wedding they had filled the room they were in, but here it was half empty, even though it was a smaller venue. He felt sorry for the couple. They only had a dozen or so relatives here and from what he could tell were all from the same family. He sighed and turned back to the front. At least they had each other.

"Are you ready to say your vows?" The couple nodded and turned to look at all their friends. Everyone was there, everyone who had been there at the start of their relationship, already married and living happily. Now it was their turn. They turned back to each other and smiled, before beginning their vows.

"My love, I have waited for this day for 10 years. I had hoped that you would marry me after we finished Uni, but I knew you weren't ready. I don't regret that wait, it only made me love you more, knowing that you didn't want to rush into marriage just because I wanted to. That day, when you told me you were ready, I was so happy. I can't wait 'till I can call you mine. I love you so much."

"I love you too, more than anything in the world. I wish that my family were here to witness this, but I don't need them, not when I have you. You are the only family I will ever need. Well, you and our children, if you want any that is. I can't believe that in 5 minutes you will be mine and I will be yours, forever."

They exchanged rings and smiled at each other as those special words were said,

"By the power vested in me by my brother, I am happy to declare you married. You may now kiss."

Nick beamed as he pulled his new husband closer and connected their lips, for a passionate love filled kiss. Everyone clapped and cheered as the couple sealed their vows.

After the kiss ended, Nick turned to their guests and shouted, "Party at our place," before grabbing Santi's hand and running from the room.

Xxxx

After seeing off the last of his family, Nick led Santi over to their friends.

"Thanks for being here guys," Nick said, sitting down on a nearby chair and pulling his new husband onto his knees.

"That's ok Nicky mate, wouldn't've missed it," Owen replied, stroking the hair of his sleeping 2 year old daughter Sophie, who was laid across his and Tosh's laps.

"Can you believe we're still with our high school boyfriends?" sighed Tosh, leaning into Owen's embrace.

"Or girlfriends," added Rhys, kissing Gwen's cheek.

"And we owe it all to the exchange…," began Jack, smiling at his own children playing with Anwen Williams, throwing the glittery confetti at each other.

"Hang on," interrupted Nick, raising his glass. "A toast, to the exchange, and to Torchwood, for bringing us together."

"To Torchwood!" the 8 friends shouted, chinking their glasses together.

The End

Thank you for reading and sticking with this story even though it took me so long to update. This is the end of the exchange but I may do some one shots, depending on if readers are interested. Let me know.