Jack watched, filled with pain. Willing Iantos' eyes to open, so desperately wanting to see the chest he knew so well draw breath. He stayed lying there with Ianto in his arms, cursing the 456, cursing himself for standing up to them. So many people had died and he would soon too, poisoned by the gas the 456 had released but he didn't care. The only person Jack had ever managed to fully love with all of his damaged, broken, messed up heart had died and it was all his fault. He hadn't even said that he loved him too.
"You will never be just a blip in time Ianto Jones," he whispered into the dead mans' soft hair, just like he had so many times before. Suddenly filled with grief, Jack sat back on his knees and cried like never before, not even when he was a teenager, when he realised he'd never find his little brother, when he realised that was all his fault as well.
He was sick of it, everyone died around him. He knew how the Doctor felt now, but this was one step too far. This was the first time Jack had cried in so many years, he'd forgotten how it felt, how much pain there was involved in loving someone, the dull ache in his throat and stomach as each tear of the Captains' fell on his dead lovers face. Jack stared into that beautiful Welsh face until he too died from the toxic gases.
Light. That's the thing Jack noticed first. And then he remembered, Ianto was gone because of him. He could die a thousand times and the pain would never leave him, he'd learnt that by now. Another dead man on his conscience.
A sudden noise came from beside him, the sound of a coughing fit, similar to the ones he experienced after coming back to life. Staring with a mixture of horror, surprise and immense joy he watched as Ianto spluttered back to life. Ianto looked as confused as Jack, what had happened? Jack knew he himself could live forever but Ianto had been dead, and he was only a mortal man…
The sound of a door slamming came from the corner of the room and out stepped the Doctor, complete with his suit, long coat and glasses.
"Well Jack, haven't you been busy?" but Jack didn't care and wasn't even aware that the Doctor was there, he only had eyes for Ianto. Kissing him with such passion he thought he'd never be able to stop, he hadn't felt so much in thousands of years.
After a return to Torchwood base (and obviously a coffee) the Doctor explained exactly what had happened and the consequences. When Jacks tears had fallen onto Iantos dead skin the cells had recognised Jacks DNA and after that it all gets very complicated. Only the bond of something as strong as love and a case as unusual as Jacks' could have bought Ianto back to life. And it had. Forever.
When Jack had found out that Ianto too could live forever, he stood up and walked out, slamming the door behind him, waiting a few minutes to give the Captain time to calm down, Ianto followed him to his office and sat on his knee, holding his hand, whispering into Jack's neck,
"It's ok Jack, I don't mind not dying, as long as I can send forever with you," after a pause Jack replied,
"You don't understand what it's like, living forever. You can't die no matter what, you don't change, you watch those you love, your family, friends, lovers, grow old and die around you. You can't see what I've done to you, but you'll end up hating me for this," Ianto took a second to think this through and said quite simply and calmly,
"It doesn't matter, can't you see Jack? I love you," Those three words hung in the air for a moment and Jack remembered how early he hadn't said it back earlier while Ianto had been dying. He hadn't said it because he was cowardly, because he was afraid, he knew he would lose Ianto one day, he had never thought that maybe they could stay together, well… forever. After a few more seconds he responded,
"Ianto, I love you too."