Jack almost reeled at the words Ianto spat at him; "I love her! Can you understand that, Jack? Haven't you ever loved anyone?"
He stared into Ianto's tear streaked face. Of course he'd loved someone, he'd loved too many people to be normal. Oh, sure he said he loved people, but that was 'love', you know what I mean?
But, there had been true love in his life. The first had been a childhood friend from his home planet; she had been the same age as him, pretty, blonde and familiar. He'd been ready to spend his life with her, but the Time-Agency had called out to him, and he left her, broken-hearted.
He'd checked in on her once, she was married with kids. One of the kids was called Jack, nicknamed Boe. He never went back home after that.
The second was a Time Agent, God he was a looker; Jet-black hair, pretty green eyes, almost feminine in his body structure, and he was young, like Jack.
They had got together after a failed mission, Jack had lost his squad and Matt had lost his big brother. They had both been grieving and had come together in some strange partnership.
The Time Agency had discovered them, and although they persisted to say that they were open to all types of relationship, they split the two men apart.
Jack had been the one keeping Matt sane, a week after he was apart from Jack, despite being under surveillance, he killed himself. The Agency tried to cover up Matt's death, but Jack found out; gossip gets around quickly. The young Jack almost went insane with grief, he went on a mad rampage in the base and now he can't remember two years of his life.
The third had been a woman he'd met while posing as a certain American volunteer in the Second World War. He fell head over heels in love with her, he'd planned on spending his whole life with her, and he'd promised that they'd be together to the end.
But he'd got called out to fight, he was gone for a long time, they sent letters, but they never saw much of each other. He never went back, he met up with some interesting people. By the time he did manage to get back she was old; he still looked young so he explained his appearance as being her Jacks son. He still visited her, and was still fond of the old lady.
The fourth was a beautiful blonde name of Rose Tyler, another war-time-woman; he caught her hanging off of a barrage balloon in the middle of an air raid, with a Union Jack plastered all over her chest.
He'd beamed her down onto his ship, served her champagne and danced with her. Of course, he'd been trying to con her, but he found himself being reeled in. He saved her life, and in return she saved his, with a little help from his fifth love.
His fifth was an extra-ordinary man. An alien called the Doctor who happened to be Rose's travelling companion and a bloody genius. He was the one who had helped save Jack from his impending doom.
That man who criticised and shouted in that Northern accent, that voice that could so easily go from anger to joy and fascination. He wasn't much of a looker; his ears could probably pick up radio signals and his head was a little like a potato, but he had chillingly beautiful blue eyes.
He'd travelled with those two, getting to know them better, falling more and more in love. Until the bloody game station came along, and the Daleks with it. He parted with Rose and the Doctor, giving them a select few words and a kiss each. He died for them; he took a Dalek death ray, straight to the chest, for them.
But then the impossible happened; he came back to life; a sharp shock of life that was still going, it hadn't run out for centuries. Whenever he thought about what happened he would get a faint smell reminiscent of the Doctor and Rose, but predominately Rose. When they left him behind his heart broke, he swore he'd never love again.
He never stopped loving the Doctor and Rose, he couldn't. So when he found Rose's name on the list of the dead after the battle of canary wharf he broke down. Not even his team, only Suzie, Owen and Tosh then, could break him of his melancholy, he was dead to the world.
He wondered if the Doctor had gotten out alright, he had to have, but the Doctor would never have let Rose die! Yet he carried on living his shitty life, believing that the two people he loved the most were gone forever.
His mind focussed back on the here and now, the dim red light, the echoing sounds of the hub, and the gun pointed at Ianto's chest. Of course, Ianto was too angry to notice the flash of hurt in Jacks eyes.
If anything, the thing Jack did best and the thing he hated most, was love.