Jack was drinking his sorrows down at the Intergalactic Bar as he hadn't done for many years, mostly because the Doctor had "fixed" his teleport device so he couldn't. Somehow after everything that had just happened with the children and the 456, it was working again and Gwen made him this great new band for it. As he was nearing the end of his drink, he looked up for the bartender. The young man was already headed towards Jack carrying a folded up piece of paper.

The bartender laid the paper on the bar in front of Jack. "From the man, over there," he said as he pointed over his shoulder and walked away. Jack glanced up in that direction to see one of the last people he was expecting. The Doctor was looking at him, hands in the pockets of his pin-striped pants. Jack looked down and opened the note. It said, "His name is Alonso," in the Doctor's familiar scroll.

Jack looked up again at the Doctor who smiled and nodded towards the attractive midshipman sitting to Jack's left. Jack turned to face Alonso for a second and drew in a breath. He wasn't sure a hook-up was quite what he was after, believe it or not. He looked back to the Doctor one last time. The Doctor saluted casually and Jack pulled his right arm into a full military salute. The Doctor nodded as he turned and left without a word.

This was the Doctor's recommendation after all, so it couldn't be too wrong. Jack turned to face Alonso again and got up the courage to speak. "So, Alonso." The man turned to look at Jack. "Goin' my way?" he added forcing a small smile.

"How do you know my name?"

Thinking on his feet when his heart was so far gone wasn't exactly the easiest thing. "I'm kind of psychic," Jack answered. He allowed himself a small laugh for the first time in a long time.

"Really?"

Jack nodded seductively.

"Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

"Oh yeah."

Alonso smiled and nodded. Jack laughed again and downed the last of his drink, slamming the glass to the bar. That night would be one Alonso would never forget, though if Jack hadn't kept the Doctor's note he was sure he would have forgotten the man's name by morning.

Jack had an impressively long list of lovers over his many lifetimes, but none of them were permanent. None of his lovers were more than just that, lovers. They lasted weeks, sometimes months, or even years, but they were only lovers. Jack didn't like the word "couple." It made him feel too tied down. A 51st Century man didn't get tied down in love, at least not unless he wanted to be and that was another story entirely. But no, Jack Harkness would never attach himself to any one person. The word "couple" and the pure notion of a long-term exclusive relationship made him sick to his stomach. But something was different this time.

One of the closest things Jack ever had to a real relationship was with the Italian girl, Lucia Moretti, some 30 years prior. From that romance had sprung his wonderful, beautiful daughter Alice, but he was sure he'd never see her again after what had happened with Steven to defeat the 456. The boy, his grandson, had never known that Jack was his grandfather, no, instead Alice insisted on calling him Uncle Jack. He wasn't going to argue with her over it though, it was enough that he was able to see Steven, watch him growing up and spend time with Alice every now and then, and he wasn't going to jeopardize that over something small like this.

In recent years however, Jack had flirted inconsequentially with too many people to count, but had his real needs met by only one lover. Ianto Jones was something different. Jack knew his flirting and hatred of committed relationships hurt Ianto, but he was still there every time Jack needed or wanted him. Ianto had saved Jack from a concrete tomb a few months ago and then Jack had failed to save Ianto from the poisonous air inside Thames House.

Jack snuck silently around the room, gathering his clothes, and then with one final look at Alonso sprawled across the hotel-room bed, still fast asleep, he opened the door and quickly left. He wandered the small resort planet at the edge of the galaxy for a while before deciding that perhaps it was for the best to just go back to Earth. He wanted to see Gwen and Rhys's child. He didn't want to disappoint Gwen. He'd just disappointed everyone else in his life. He'd held his lover in his arms as he'd breathed his last breath and hours later he'd stood by and watched his own grandson die in front of his eyes to save millions of other children around the world. Tosh and Owen only months before had died while in his command.

When he'd left earth it was with the intention to never return. He intended to start a new life somewhere in the stars and far away from his old one. He'd spent 6 months travelling Earth, trying to find his place there and had failed. He'd now spent 2 weeks travelling the galaxies trying to find his place in them and had failed again. Maybe this was all leading to the answer he was dreading the most. Maybe the life he'd left. The life he'd run away from was the only choice he had.

Jack arrived on the same hillside he'd left. He looked down over Cardiff towards the waterfront, where the remnants of the Torchwood Hub were in the final stages of getting cleared up. It pained Jack to see the place he'd called home for so many years left in such a state. Tears welled up in the corner of Jack's eyes and he blinked rapidly to clear them. Jack sat on the hillside and watched the sun set over Cardiff Bay. The memories were too much. When the sun finally faded into night, Jack got to his feet and looked at the teleport strapped to his wrist.

Jack contemplated the decision for at least an hour before deciding that the only logical choice was to go and find Gwen and Rhys. He climbed back down the hillside and walked the whole way across the city to their flat. It was late and Rhys's car was out front, so hopefully they were in. He knocked on the door and not two seconds later it flew open and a very pregnant Gwen was standing in the frame with her hands on her hips. "Beautiful as always, Gwen," he said with a genuine smile.

"Where have you been, Jack?" He couldn't tell if she sounded more relieved or angry.

"All sorts of places. The Medusa Cascade was brilliant. I ended up at the Intergalactic Bar at the edge of Galaxy Seven. I had more than a few drinks and was about to order another when the Doctor showed up."

"Oh, so the Doctor was just out at a bar while the world was falling to pieces. GREAT!" Angry. She was definitely angry this time.

"Gwen, the Doctor knows what's going to happen in time and space. He can't prevent or fix or cause anything that's a fixed point to change. I've told you that. What happened was supposed to happen and WE saved the world."

"YOU did it. You're the one that saved the world, Jack." Now she sounded proud of him. This woman's emotions really were less predictable than…well…less predictable than pretty much anything. A side-effect of the pregnancy he assumed.

"I might have saved the world, but I lost everyone that was important to me in the process," he mumbled under his breath, but of course Gwen heard him.

"Oi!" she slapped him on the shoulder, "and what are Rhys and I, then?"

"What do you mean? I've upset you, clearly," he said as he rubbed the shoulder she'd slapped.

Gwen hugged Jack out of nowhere. She couldn't be mad at him after everything that just happened. He didn't know what had just happened and he couldn't be sure it would last, but it would seem that at least for the time being he had Gwen back on his side.