The Doctor walked slowly to the back of the room. His face was friendly enough, but someone who knew him well enough would notice a hint of Oncoming Storm hidden beneath it. And The Face of Boe knew The Doctor. He was sure to notice that he was a little upset.

"So I take it you know me this time." Boe asked, humor coating his voice. The Doctor let his good natured smile show slightly as he replied.

"Hello, Jack."

"I suppose I deserve a slap on the wrist for today. So to speak." He chuckled at his joke. The Doctor stood shifting side to side awkwardly. The immortal always had a comment on his body, even when he didn't have one. His chuckling turned to outright laughing. "How am I to help it? It was a pretty fantastic body."

"I suppose" The Doctor said. Boe raised his eyebrows. Was The Doctor really admitting he was attractive? The Doctor noticed the inquisitive look he was getting. He turned beet red as he realized what he was implying. "I meant… I mean… The slap to the wrist, not the…yeah" The Doctor stammered.

The Face of Boe's grin widened. He never changed, did he? Course, he did change. When he first met his dear Doctor, he flirted back. Back in the good old days with his Doctor, and Rose. Oh, Rose. Rose Tyler. He still remembered the last time he saw her. It was seventeen years ago, though it seemed like shorter. Once he hit a million years all the rest seemed to run together. It was on Platform One, back when they were still using apple as a year. It had taken a lot of will power to not tell her exactly who he was going to be to her and The Doctor. It had taken more will power than he had left now, especially when he had seen Ianto.

"Could you have resisted?" The Doctor let out a deep sigh. He had stormed over here with every intent to scold him, but how could he when he knew just how much pain he was in. The Doctor had only spent a year without the one he loved; Boe was going on five billion. He would have spoken to Rose without a second thought. Especially now, with how lonely he felt after Martha left.

"Has it gotten any easier" The Doctor asked, hopeful that it had. "Losing people you care about, does it ever stop hurting?"

"Never." He answered honestly. The Doctor crossed his arms bitterly and pouted. "But, I think it may be better that way sometimes. If it hurts, you know you still care. I know that isn't any consolation. It wouldn't be for me either, all those years ago."

"And it is now?"

"Yes, I think so. Before, I was so bitter. I hated you Doctor. You didn't save him."

"I'm sorry Jack." Both men jumped a small amount when The Doctor called him Jack. He hadn't done that since he had lost his body. Both knew The Face of Boe and Jack were separate in his mind, even if they were the same person.

"I know. I've had a long time to think about it. I figured the only reason you didn't help us was that it was a fixed point. I remember that entire time, I was just waiting to hear the TARDIS. I just knew you were going to save them. Then you didn't."

"You did." The Doctor said, hoping to bring a little cheer into him. Seeing as the world hadn't imploded, Jack had managed to do it without him. He saved everyone in the world. All the children of Earth, that was something even The Doctor couldn't do. He couldn't save the children of Galifrey.

"All except one" Jack added, solemnly. The Doctor quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "My grandson. Steven. I had to sacrifice him to save the rest." A weight fell into The Doctor's stomach as he heard this. He knew what that felt like as well. "I lost everything that day. And I lived on. It's what we humans do." He finished with a tiny sad laugh. The amount of times he heard that phrase out of both his and The Doctor's mouth was astounding.

"My resilient Captain Jack Harkness" The Doctor said proudly.

"Oh, so I'm yours now?" The Face of Boe remarked, switching back to his previous playful demeanor.

"Well." The Doctor began. "Not mine, but definitely parts of you."

"Ooh, I hope it's the parts I'm thinking of." He teased. The Doctor sputtered once again. "This regeneration, so opposed to… dancing" He added with a grin. The Doctor looked shocked.

"And a different one isn't?!" The Doctor shouted. Please tell him he didn't dance with Captain Jack Harkness. "Jack?!"

"Spoilers." Was all he said in reply. "Don't worry. You never sink so low as to dance with me. Though you could stand to change that." There was The Oncoming Storm again, present on his face. "Come to think of it, you don't use that term yet, do you?"

"What term?" The Doctor asked.

"Guess not, how old are you Doc? What was my last adventure with you, before this one, of course?"

"We just defeated The Master. I really am the last of my kind now." Doctor added a bittersweet smile to hide the pain he felt for both enemy and friend. He tried hard not to show his sorrow, so Jack thought best not to try and bring attention to it.

"Wow. It is soon for him. He has to lose him. So soon. He dies… less than a year from now." Boe went quiet, thinking about his lost lover. One of millions, but remembered fondly all the same. "I really did love him Doc."

"I know. He knows that Jack."

"No. He didn't. When he died, he said I wouldn't remember him. He said he was a blip in time. He actually thought that, Doctor. I was so stupid. I didn't show him. I didn't tell him how much I loved him." The Doctor thought back to Rose. He didn't tell her how he felt.

"I know the feeling." The Doctor said, voice cracking.

"But she'll always be there Doctor. You'll always love her. Even when you love someone else, you'll always love her."

"I know."

"The pain just helps you remember that."

"I don't want the pain. I want her." He could feel the telepathic head trying to calm him down. He didn't want any of it. He was bitter and upset and he just wanted his Rose back.

"She's alive, Doctor. I know you want to be with her, but she's with her family. And she is so, so alive." A stray tear fell from The Doctor's eye. She was happy. She had to be, didn't she? She had Mickey, and her parents. She even had a new sibling. She could live her life, full and without him. She didn't have to worry about being killed every other day. She was safe there.

The Doctor heard shouting outside the ward and turned to see a cat nun running in his direction yelling about a patient in the lobby causing a ruckus by hitting on one of the nuns. Of course, thought The Doctor, leave it to Jack. The Face of Boe sent a roar of laughter into The Doctor's head as he too realized who was causing all the trouble.

"Go on, then." The Face said to The Doctor. "Ought to get them home."

"You'll be alright? Alone?"

"I've got Novice. She'll keep me company. And Doctor?" The Doctor raised his eyebrow to prod him into continuing his sentence. "Don't be alone."

The Doctor turned only to grin at his only lifetime friend before running towards the lifts. He exited into the lobby only to see Ianto sitting ashamedly in the corner while Jack was being ushered out by a deeply embarrassed cat. The Doctor ran up to Jack with a stern look on his face. Jack saw him and his grin grew wider, if possible.

"You do realize these are nuns, right Jack?"

"No one can resist Captain Jack Harkness!" He said, rising up out of his wheelchair and immediately falling back down. The Doctor looked to Ianto for help, and the young man looked hopelessly at the Time Lord.

"They gave him a bit more painkillers, I think." The archivist explained to The Doctor. He rolled his eyes as he took the handles of Jack's wheelchair and lead him out the doors and into the TARDIS. The doors creaked shut behind Ianto, who stayed behind a coral column, trying to avoid the captain's drugged gaze.

By the time they had arrived in twenty-first century Cardiff, Jack had calmed down considerably. He was completely healed and the drugs were wearing off. Though not soon enough, thought Ianto, whom Jack had noticed hiding halfway through the trip. Ianto pushed Jack off of him and gently out of the TARDIS to the Plass, shutting the door behind him as he went to speak to The Doctor. He could just hear Jack's protests as the box shut behind him.

The Doctor looked up from the console that he was lovingly stroking and talking to as he heard Ianto approaching up the metal walkway. Ianto found it a bit strange, but didn't question it as he also had strange affection for his coffee machine, and that wasn't a time machine.

"Still here?" The Doctor asked, somewhat bewilderedly. From what he saw of Ianto, he quite liked him. But one had to watch someone who spent so much time shagging Jack Harkness.

"Yes, I just wanted to ask, about him. How?" He had been racking his brain since he left the ward as to how his dashing captain could end up a head in a jar.

"Don't know, actually. He's certainly never told me. Bit self-conscious about it, I think." The Doctor joked. Ianto smiled a little.

"He is very proud of his body, sir."

"Oh, don't 'sir' me." He said to the young man. Hardly even a man, The Doctor thought. He tried hard not to think about Ianto dying within the next year. He was just so young. Ianto caught his look.

"Doctor?" He began wearily. "Does he ever die? I won't tell him."

"Yes. The year five billion and fifty three. Only a few years after you'd been there. You got to see him in one of his last years. Surely made him happy." Ianto smiled a small amount. "He died saving the entire lower half of New New York. Millions of lives, including Martha Jones. I understand you've met her?" He nodded a bit. Of course he saved them. Who hadn't he saved? The man was brilliant.

Though he didn't sound like it much the way he was banging on the TARDIS doors. Ianto heaved out one of his heavy sighs and went to open the door. Jack stumbled in, not expecting the door to open. He hugged Ianto forcefully.

"I thought you were going to take him" Jack said breathlessly. The Doctor grinned.

"Though I'd love to really, he's brilliant; I think he can stay with you." Jack swung his arm around Ianto, possessively Ianto realized. That wasn't like him. Jack was pretty much fine with everything. They weren't really even in an exclusive relationship, though they both treated it as one. Jack began to steer Ianto out the door. Ianto only just managed to look back as he was shoved out of the box and kissed senseless.

"Painkillers not completely worn off then?" Ianto deadpanned after he had wrangled his way out of Jack's grip.

"Just happy to be back, is all." Jack added.

"You've gone for a day, and I was with you." Ianto pointed out.

"Shut up and enjoy it" Jack said, pulling him in for another kiss.