I've been trying, lord, let me tell you, I really did the best I could

In the middle of the Hub, Jack was making a scene arguing with Rhys and generally acting like a jealous arse. Even though the young man could maintain a flawless poker face, Owen could tell Ianto was hurting.

After the mission ended in a universal fiasco, Jack and Gwen were fighting over her refusal to retcon Rhys. When she stormed out, Jack ran up to his office and watched her on the CCTV with a look of devastation. Ianto was pale, not knowing what to do with himself. When Ianto was distressed Owen knew he needed someone to command him. The doctor walked up behind him and put his hand to the small of his back to direct him to the med bay so he could look at his wrists, "I'm sure you have some nasty rope burns and I have some hydrocortisone cream that'll help."

Ianto's body relaxed slightly with Owen's touch and he easily obeyed. While Owen applied the cream to Ianto's wrists, he looked sadly at the existing scars, "What did Jack say when he saw them?" Owen asked quietly.

Ianto turned his head and softly replied, "He's never said anything."

"What? How could he have not noticed?" Owen asked with increasing volume.

Ianto continued to not meet his eyes, "I don't know. He's not always observant."

Something inside Owen snapped. He let go of Ianto's wrists and ran over to his desk. Rifling through the file drawer, he pulled out a manila envelope and raced toward Jack's office. Ianto ran after. Storming into the office, Owen yelled furiously, "What the fuck is wrong with you, Harkness?"

Jack looked up, surprised, "I don't like it either but she's stubborn."

"Not that, you moron, Ianto: how can you treat him like that?" Owen shouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jack answered with bewilderment.

"I bet you don't." Owen growled as he slammed the envelope down in front of Jack, "He nearly died today and you didn't give him a second look."

"Owen, please stop!" Ianto begged from the door but Jack had opened the envelope. Inside were photos of a pair of slashed and bloodied wrists sustaining more cuts than Jack could even decipher.

Owen snarled at him, "Ianto did this to himself a week after you left. Are you so oblivious that you didn't even see the marks?"

Jack looked over at Ianto, distressed and confused. Owen grabbed the young man and pulled him over to Jack. He forced back the sleeves of his shirt to show Jack what he was talking about. Ianto was struggling away and crying, not wanting Jack to see. Owen continued his rant, "You ignore him unless you want coffee, a date for the night, or a quick fuck. You even told him you don't do jealousy and then you're a covetous prat around Gwen. Fuck! You make me sick."

Ianto had wrenched himself out of Owen's hands and was curled up on the floor. Owen suddenly stopped, realizing what he had done and ran out of the room and through the cog door. Jack hesitantly approached Ianto, "Darling, I had no idea."

Ianto continued to sob as Jack sat next to him and pulled him into his arms, "Are you in love with me?"

Ianto still refused to answer, but Jack didn't need him to. He felt disgusted with himself especially considering what he had said the night before. Jack was incredibly fond of Ianto and considering his actions, he realized that he had been unbearably cruel. Softly shushing and petting the young man, he made up his mind that he was going to treat him better.

Once Ianto had calmed down, Jack spoke gently with a trace of desperation, "I don't think I can ever apologize enough. If you'll stay with me, I promise to be a better man for you. I won't sleep around anymore and I'll pay more attention. Please don't leave. You're so important to me."

Ianto gazed deep into Jack's eyes and could see the sincerity in them. Even though he knew he should walk away, he couldn't. He inwardly sighed realizing he never was good at saying goodbye. Gently, he clasped Jack's cheek and placed an achingly sweet kiss to his lips as Jack tightened his grip on Ianto's lean body.

Owen and Ianto watched from a distance as Jack excitedly showed Martha Jones around the Hub. The two hadn't spoken since the incident in Jack's office. The week before, a massive bouquet of flowers with an apology note from Owen arrived addressed to Ianto, but Owen couldn't remember ever sending them. In fact, none of them remembered anything from the previous three days. He wondered just what had happened that he would do something so showy and emotional. Granted, he felt terrible for what he had done the week before but he was never the type to send a giant floral arrangement, especially to a man.

Ianto was just as confused but figured they must have been under some alien influence to make the doctor act so out of character. When the rest of the team asked who the flowers were from, Ianto spared Owen the embarrassment and said the note didn't have a name. Everyone assumed it had to do with the bizarre events they couldn't remember.

Quietly, Owen asked Ianto about Jack, "So you two are working it out?"

Ianto nodded, "He promised to behave."

"And you took him back just like that?" Owen inquired petulantly.

"Is there a reason I should leave him?" Ianto asked as he turned to look at Owen, "Are you prepared to make a better offer? Or are you just asking as my friend?"

Owen met his stare but faltered, "I just want you to be happy." He mumbled, "As a friend."

Ianto's face fell in disappointment, "Yeah, you're a real pal." He replied dryly and then went to join Jack and Martha. Owen hated himself for letting Ianto go and decided to cheer up with some flirting with the beautiful Martha. However, he felt even worse after he tried to show off his singularity scalpel and nearly took Ianto's head off.

The mission had gone terribly, but Owen and Jack were able to save Martha and remove the creature inside of her. The young doctor was attractive and incredibly brave making Owen understand why Jack raved about her so much. He was actually relieved to hear she was engaged saving him the attempt to ask her out and embarrass himself in the bedroom as he had been doing with many men and women over the past two months.

While helping Martha out of the building he froze when he saw a crazed Dr. Copley with his gun pointed at Ianto. He was looking for someone to blame and the Welshman was the first person he found, "You're one of them, aren't you. You people ruined everything."

Without hesitation, Owen ran over and pushed Ianto out of the way just as Copley fired. Jack returned fire and killed the man while Owen fell to the ground with a bullet through his shoulder. Martha ran to Owen's side and began compressing the wound while Jack swept a startled Ianto into his arms. Owen could hear Ianto shouting in panic, "Is he alright? Was he hit? Owen, talk to me!"

Gasping in pain, Owen called out, "I'm fine. It's just my shoulder."

Ianto breathed out a sigh of relief and relaxed into Jack's arms.

Back at the Hub, Martha treated Owen's wound and then went to Jack's office to go over the details of the mission. Ianto snuck down to check on Owen. He gently ran his hand through Owen's hair and softly spoke, "You saved my life again." Ianto leaned in close to Owen's ear and suggestively asked, "Does that mean I'm in your debt?"

Owen fought back the overwhelming desire to reach out and take advantage of the situation. Just the feeling of Ianto's hand in his hair and his breath on his ear caused his cock to swell. He swallowed deeply as he replied unconvincingly, "I was just doing my job. I would have done it for anyone."

Jack called over the coms, "Ianto, I need your notes from yesterday. Can you bring them to my office?"

Ianto answered, "I'll be right there, sir." He cast a longing gaze at Owen and waited for the doctor to say something to make him stay. When Owen wouldn't respond, he looked away sadly and walked upstairs.

Over the next week, Owen sank into a deep depression that included nights full of binge drinking and failed attempts to get laid. His erratic behavior did not escape the team's notice. Late one day when the rift had been agonizingly quiet, Gwen was going over the last minute plans for her wedding with Tosh. Jack listened with obvious annoyance and couldn't help himself by commenting, "People make such a fuss over weddings and even drag their friends and families out to the country where no one can find them. If you ask me that suggests inner conflict."

Owen looked over at Ianto and saw the young man's face fall with the realization that Jack was still pining for Gwen. He groaned loudly, "Well Jack, nobody asked you. If we're done with anything important, I'm calling it a day."

Leaving through the cog door, Owen headed out for a night of drinking. At his third pub, a slutty girl with glittery angel wings approached Owen and began flirting. Soon she had her hand down Owen's jeans but she looked surprised that he had no reaction, "What's the matter, don't like me?"

Owen snarled and pushed her away. "Fuck off." He mumbled and then asked for another pint. However, he was rudely wheeled around to face a concerned looking Jack. The Captain was exactly the last person he wanted to see and, as he clumsily swung his fist, Jack easily dodged it. Instead, his blow landed on another patron and Owen was quickly ejected from the pub. Outside he was approached by a police officer who he insulted and then tried to punch.

His arrest would have been embarrassing enough but to his dismay, Jack joined him in the holding cell at the police station. Owen scowled and sat in the corner trying to ignore the look of concern coming from the captain. However, Jack had no intention of passing up the opportunity to find out what was bothering Owen. "So why are you drinking yourself to death?" Jack inquired as with an irritating nonchalance.

Owen sighed, "I'm not having this conversation with you."

Jack crossed his arms, "We are going to stay here as long as it takes."

Owen stood angrily, "Fine, you want to know what my problem is? I let someone go who I shouldn't have. I pushed that person right into the arms of an arrogant prick who doesn't realize that he has the love of the most amazing, sexy, gorgeous creature in the world." Owen explained as he paced the cell, "I did it because I'm not good enough. I'm angry, insensitive, and bring nothing but misery to the people around me. I thought by giving up I was doing the right thing, but I just feel like shit."

A sudden wave of understanding passed over Jack's face. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. Jack leaned back on the bench and after a long moment of silence, he spoke, "I understand what you're going through. Believe it or not I'm not as oblivious as you think."

"Really?" Owen asked as he softened and turned to gaze at Jack. He wondered if there was a possibility that Jack knew about his feelings for Ianto.

Jack nodded, "You may feel terrible now, but you really did do the right thing. It's not because you're a bad person or cursed in love, but because when you're in Torchwood trouble is everywhere. Gwen needs a man outside of this life and although Rhys isn't perfect, he makes her happy. I've made my peace with that and eventually you will too. She's better off without either of us."

Owen rolled his eyes and wanted to beat some sense into Jack, but felt his stomach churning violently. Rushing over to the cell toilet, he vomited up the night's alcohol. Jack leapt away. "That's disgusting." He added derisively.

After Owen finally finished, Jack patted his back, "Don't worry, things are going to get better."

Jack then called the guard over and gave his Torchwood get out of jail free code while Owen wondered just how much longer he could survive seeing Ianto with Jack.

"Gwen, sit the fuck down and let me get that thing out of you!" Owen yelled at the very irrational and pregnant bride to be. The previous night, Gwen had been bit by a Nostrovite and was carrying its baby. Jack and Owen had convinced her to come to the Hub for an examination while Rhys stalled things at the wedding site claiming Gwen was having trouble with her dress. Tosh was putting the finishing touches on the mircotron as no one completely trusted the singularity scalpel.

They were trying to get Gwen to calm down and go through with the procedure while she wanted to go on with the wedding, alien baby in tow. Ianto had looked up the archive's information on Nostrovites and discovered their bizarre mating ritual of the male implanting the eggs and the female hunting down the unfortunate creature to tear it to shreds. Gwen insisted she could wait until after the ceremony but Owen believed that would put everyone's lives in danger.

Jack almost seemed to be giving in to her idea of a big, alien impregnation wedding but Ianto placed his hand on Jack's arm and spoke sternly, "Jack, he's right. Torchwood protocol explicitly states that agents compromised by alien threats are under the jurisdiction of the head of the agency's medical department. That would be Owen."

Jack nodded his head and placed a small kiss to Ianto's cheek, "You're right. By the way, ever since Owen took a bullet for you, all you ever do is agree with him."

Ianto rolled his eyes, "It's only polite."

Owen was able to successfully remove the alien and the ceremony was set to begin only two hours behind schedule. Gwen was already on her way to the church and the rest of the team was getting dressed except for Owen. He was finishing the Nostrovite autopsy in the med bay when Tosh approached him. He smiled at her, commenting, "You look stunning. That's a lovely color on you."

Tosh blushed and asked nervously, "What are you wearing?"

"I'm not much of a wedding person." Not anymore, Owen silently added.

"It could be fun." Tosh told him.

Owen saw the hope in her face and felt an incredible swell of pity. He had come to know what it was like to pine for someone, so he decided to at least be a friend, "I'll go but realize this is not a date. Also, I'm a terrible dancer."

Tosh smiled and softly said, "Thank you. It means a lot."

During the reception, Jack approached Gwen and asked her to dance. He held her close and gazed lovingly into her eyes. As she returned the gaze, the two seemed to disappear into their own world. Ianto watched on in misery. He felt sick with a mixture of jealousy, disappointment, anger, and despair. It seemed like a cruel joke, like a cursed genie's wish that bestowed him with what he wanted but with an ironic twist. He had finally gained Jack's affection and dedication but they were both in love with other people.

Owen sat in the back with Tosh and watched Ianto seeing the sorrow written clearly on his face. The casual observer would think nothing was wrong, but Owen could see the slight tension in his jaw and sad anguish in his eyes. Oddly it was Tosh who spoke, "Thank you for coming here with me." She then produced a room key and slid it across the table.

Owen looked at it in surprise and Tosh explained, "Somehow I had deluded myself into thinking that you would finally realize your love for me and we would have the perfect romantic evening." Tosh then sighed and continued, "I know now that's never going to happen because you're in love with Ianto."

Owen tried to deny it but Tosh stopped him, "You are and, even though you don't think so, he's in love with you. I've known this for several weeks now, but I haven't said anything because I thought . . . I thought that if you were heartbroken enough, you would eventually turn to me."

Owen didn't know what to say to her as she continued speaking, "I don't know what kind of weird relationship you two have, but he's waiting for you to claim him. He's waiting for your command and he's not going to do anything until you tell him."

Owen couldn't imagine how Tosh was able to understand that aspect of their relationship but he figured she must have been watching him closer than he thought. Giving Tosh his sincerest thanks and a kiss on the cheek, he took the room key and approached Ianto. He stepped in front of the lonely young man and spoke in a low voice, "Dance with me." It wasn't a request or a question, it was a direct statement.

Ianto's eyes lit up and he took Owen's hand as he followed him onto the dance floor. Owen pulled him in close and danced slowly as he purred into his ear, "You're done with Jack. He's no good for you."

Ianto nodded with rapt attention and Owen continued, "I have two bullet wounds in my shoulder and they're both because of you. For the record, I would have gladly taken that shot through the heart if it meant saving you. You belong to me and I will not share you with anyone ever again." Owen drove home his point by kissing Ianto deeply and possessively with everyone in the room watching. Ianto melted into the kiss and welcomed Owen's tongue into his mouth.

Jack held Gwen close and led the bride in a slow, intimate dance. To him she looked radiant and was like an angel. He knew he would miss her while she was on honeymoon, but he was glad she was able to have a nice trip after a storybook wedding. Gwen smiled up at him and asked in her lovely Welsh accent, "What will you do while I'm away?"

Jack returned the smile, "Pizza, Ianto . . . save the world a couple of times."

Gwen giggled but then suddenly gasped. Jack spun around and his entire body went into shock. With everyone's eyes upon them, Ianto and Owen were dancing without an inch of space between them. There was a passion so strong that it seemed to emanate from their bodies. Jack's gut twisted when Owen leaned in and kissed Ianto with an intense love that Ianto returned just as strongly. When the kiss broke, Owen took Ianto's hand and led him out of the room.

Jack stood, mouth agape, but when the door snapped shut he jumped into action and ran after them. The two were still holding hands as they quickly walked down the hallway. In desperation, Jack called out, "Ianto! Wait, what's going on here?"

Ianto and Owen turned around allowing Jack to catch up to them. Owen wrapped his arm around Ianto's hips and drew him in close. "I'm taking him back." Owen replied sternly.

Jack continued to look on with confusion as he begged, "Back? What's he talking about, Ianto?"

Ianto placed a lingering kiss to the side of Owen's head. "I loved you, Jack, and I would have followed you to my death, but Owen," Ianto paused and tried to think of the right words before continuing, "he gave me a love worth living for."

The two men then turned and left behind a still bewildered Jack.

When they found the room, Owen opened the door and escorted Ianto inside. After setting out the Do Not Disturb sign and checking the locks, Owen turned to face Ianto who was waiting for his first instruction. Instead of launching right into it, Owen looked up and down the young man finally smirking at his shirt, "Pink?"

"I'm a man of bold taste." Ianto returned with a wry smile.

Owen approached him and carefully slid off his jacket then folded it neatly over an armchair. He then started on the waistcoat giving it the same respectful treatment. The careful movements were torture for Ianto who craved Owen's touch. Inwardly he laughed, realizing that only Owen made him not care about the condition of his suits. Once he was completely stripped, Owen gently shoved him backwards onto the bed.

Ianto watched as Owen then carefully removed his own suit and placed it next to Ianto's. When he was finished undressing, Owen climbed onto the bed while he spread Ianto's legs and kneeled between them. With slow, drawn out motions, he kissed the inside of Ianto's thigh. After that kiss, he moved up an inch and kissed again.

Ianto was trembling madly by the time Owen reached his stiff cock. While running his tongue along the length, Owen also brought a finger up to Ianto's entrance and traced the stiff muscle teasingly. As he began to suck, he pushed the finger in slowly causing Ianto to arch his back and rub his leg along Owen's body. Owen's increased sucking and licking began to lubricate his hand allowing him to insert another finger. When he brushed against Ianto's prostate, the young man moaned out sweetly.

Ianto panted breathlessly, "Take me, Owen. I can't hold out much longer."

Owen wrapped his fingers around the base of Ianto's cock and told him in a mocking tone, "You have to ask nicely."

Ianto gasped, "Please, Owen; I need you!"

Owen rose to his knees and moved Ianto's legs far apart as he lined up his achingly hard dick. In one swift motion, he plunged in eliciting a strangled whimper and flutter of shivers from his lover. With every thrust he made sure to brush Ianto's prostate, practically bringing the man tears of pleasure. After several minutes, he wrapped his arms around Ianto's back and pulled them both upwards so that Ianto was seated on his lap. Ianto ran his hands through Owen's hair, kissing him roughly while he used his weight to impale himself deeply making his mind swim in ecstasy. Increasing his speed, Ianto held Owen close and could feel the other man approaching his breaking point. Their intense orgasms peaked right as they came simultaneously, Owen buried inside Ianto and Ianto spurting on their abdomens.

Lying with his head on Owen's chest, Ianto sighed contentedly. Owen took Ianto's wrist that was draped over his chest and placed a lingering kiss on the pink ribbon scars. Without moving, Ianto said quietly, "I've been wondering for awhile now, why were you at the Hub that night?"

Owen sighed and placed Ianto's compliant arm back over his torso. "When Diane left me I threw myself into a cage with a live weevil. So when Jack left, I started keeping watch for any signs you were looking for a way out. You would never do something as public as I did, so I watched carefully. All week you seemed lost and desperate, but that day you seemed oddly . . . determined. I knew there was a good chance I was going to find you cleaning or filing, but I couldn't risk not knowing."

Ianto was silent as he processed the story but then asked, "What would you have done if I was cleaning or filing? Would we still hate each other?"

It was then Owen's turn to quietly ponder until he responded, "I know it's wrong, but I was slightly pleased about the whole thing. It made me feel a little less lonesome. If I would have seen you bravely soldiering on, I probably would have still been jealous of your composure and then made fun of your being in the Hub in the middle of the night."

At that, Ianto looked up at Owen, "You're jealous of my composure?"

Owen smiled slightly, "Of course. I can't keep a straight face to save my life." Owen's smiled widened, "But little did I know you were so crazy in bed; actually, the contrast makes it that much sexier."

Ianto returned the smile and then quickly sat up to straddle Owen's waist. The doctor started to move his hands to caress Ianto's thighs but Ianto halted their progress by pinning Owen's wrists above his head. Ianto's wild blue eyes, blown with lust caused Owen's cock to harden instantly; laughing softly, Owen whispered, "See what I mean?" Ianto responded by capturing his lips in a searing kiss.