Jack came to life with a loud gasp, his body lifting off the ground; then he started to cough from inhaling a mouthful of sand. Immediately he started to panic, thinking he was either buried underground or trapped in a cement block.

"E-easy, y-you're fine," he heard Ianto assure him. The words were meant to put him at ease, but Ianto's voice set Jack into another type of panic.

Immediately he pushed himself to his knees and looked over to find Ianto hunched over on his knees several feet away. He was breathing heavily and gasping, as if in pain. Jack remembered what had happened, how he had ended up dead. The alien beneath him had grown an additional limb, one that had a blade and it went right through his body, slicing through vital organs that rendered him dead in moments. Thankfully it was a clean slice, so he assumed that he was dead for a relatively short amount of time.

His mind worked further and made the connection, especially when his eyes settled on the pools of blood from where he last remembered Ianto had been and trailing to where he currently was. It was as if Ianto had attempted to be next to Jack when the immortal came back to life.

"Ianto!" Jack cried out. "Oh God, no!" He crawled the few feet over to Ianto. "Ianto, please…."

"O-okay, Jack. Give me a…." Ianto cut off his words and doubled over more, gasping loudly in pain.

Tears fell from Jack's eyes. "It's not alright." He grabbed onto Ianto from behind. "You can't die now, Ianto. Please, no!"

Ianto twisted in Jack's hold and gave him a tired smile. "Not time yet," he said softly. "I'm fine, Jack."

"You're…." Jack studied Ianto, looking at the shredded waistcoat and shirt. Even thought the clothes were shades of red, Jack was clearly able to make out the large blood stains. And all the blood still pooled on the ground, under his knees. "How?"

Ianto took another deep breath, closing his eyes. "I don't know. All I know is that I'm okay now. I heal quickly, you know."

Jack realized that was true. Cuts and bruises accumulated in the last five weeks had healed by the end of the day, when there should have been some sort of mark left for days. "Yeah, okay, but this…" he indicated to where there should have been a massive wound fatal enough to kill Ianto, "Don't get me wrong. I'm glad you're alive but…." He carefully moved a tear of shirt to look at Ianto's skin underneath and saw nothing except for dried blood.

"I learned not to question what I don't understand," Ianto stated dryly.

"Since when?"

"Since… I guess since I woke up in the makeshift morgue . At this level of healing, at least. But I started to heal quickly from the little things long before that. Like before we lost Tosh and Owen."

"How come I didn't know this?"

"That I healed quickly? C'mon Jack. You know. You've noticed, but were usually too distracted to really comment on it."

"Fine. Paper cuts and stuff like that, but deeper?"

"I never tested it by shoving a knife into my arm or something, but yeah, deeper. I asked Owen not to say anything until we knew more. Then…." He looked down.

Jack nodded in understanding. Then Owen had no longer been with them.

"But we also knew that if something was really deep enough, that I would need treatment before I bled out. So, my guess was if fatal enough it would kill me before I had a chance to heal."

Jack shrugged, not sure what to say. He studied Ianto again. "You mean like this?"

"Like this. By all rights, I should have been dead by the time you came to, but the bleeding just started to slow down. And it hurt like fuck when suddenly it started to heal."

"You can't die?" Jack asked.

"I'm pretty sure I could," Ianto stated. "But judging from the past three years, I'm pretty certain that it would take quite a bit to get me to that point."

Jack's jaw hung. "Does the Doctor know?" he said, barely above a whisper.

"No. I never had something like this happen in front of him , so I just decided to keep my mouth shut. Sometimes, the way he looks at me… It's creepy. I don't think he ever realizes he's doing it, but it's as if something about me puts him off."

"Like you're wrong?" Jack asked bitterly.

"Well, not wrong, just…not right." Ianto placed his hand on Jack's cheek. "And you're not wrong, Jack. If nothing, you're very right. And I made sure the Doctor knows it." He moved so he could gently kiss Jack's lips. "They're far gone from here, let's hope our little friend is too so they don't catch him again."

Jack looked around. "I'm guessing the Doctor got distracted, because I see no sign of him. Let's get to the hotel. I'm sure you're wanting to get cleaned up."

"I am, but I'm afraid we'll scare people like this." Ianto sighed.

"Which is why it's a good thing we checked in first. We have clean clothes and passcodes. Meaning we can find a back door to sneak in."

Ianto smiled at Jack. "I love how you think. Give me a hand. I'm afraid I'm still feeling a bit depleted from the blood loss. That will take a little longer to recover from."

"In that case," Jack grinned as he got to his feet, helping Ianto, who leaned against him for support. "Allow me." Jack lifted Ianto into his arms.

"Jack! I can walk. Besides, you can't possibly carry me all the way there!" Ianto protested.

"I can try." Stubbornly, Jack set off in the direction he knew their hotel would be.

Ianto could not help laughing when he found himself leaning against Jack for support once again when he did not last getting to solid ground from the sandy shore of the beach. He was pleased to hear Jack laugh with him.

Why shouldn't they? After all, they were both alive to laugh about it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They managed to get into the hotel and to their room undetected. Once they were safely behind the locked door of their room, Jack contacted the Doctor, explaining the change of plans. He left out most of the details, simply saying they ended up helping someone and their clothes were ruined in the scuffle. After tsking and commenting that trouble never failed to follow them, the Doctor assured him that he'd be fine on his own, and he already had a few things to amuse himself with. They made plans to meet for breakfast and the Doctor ended the call telling Jack to enjoy their early evening in the hotel.

"At least the part about both of us being okay is true," Ianto said when Jack put his mobile down on a counter.

"I didn't lie," Jack defended. "I just omitted a few facts -- like that I died and you were shredded, but we are okay now."

Ianto moved closer to Jack. He had taken his ruined waistcoat and shirt off and was wearing just his trousers, which were also stained with blood.

"Are we?" Ianto asked softly, his eyes boring into Jack's.

Jack flinched, cursing that he could not hide from Ianto, but he still had to try to give a brave front. "Yeah," he replied, attempting a cocky grin that did not reach his eyes.

"Liar," Ianto said affectionately as he reached out to start unbuttoning Jack's ruined shirt.

As Ianto removed the braces from Jack's shoulders, the older man reached out. He buried his fingers in the furry chest before him, moving hairs aside, eyes watching where his fingers glided, taking in the unmarked skin below as his fingers continued to move along Ianto's chest.

"I thought I'd lost you again," he whispered hoarsely.

"I know, Jack," Ianto said in a soothing tone. With Jack's braces hanging down his sides by his trousers, he pulled the ruined shirt out of his pants.

Jack continued to stroke Ianto's chest as he allowed his lover to take his shirt off.

Ianto moved closer and wrapped his arms around Jack's waist, kissing him gently. "I'm fine, Jack. Still not my time yet."

Jack returned the kiss. The kiss lingered, gentle and loving, with an edge of desperation on Jack's behalf until they parted for air. Drawing a ragged breath, Jack dropped his head in the junction of Ianto's neck and shoulder. Holding his lover tightly, he started to sob quietly.

Ianto held him, bestowing kisses on Jack's head, murmuring words of comfort, until the sobs subsided.

With his head still buried, Jack confessed, "I'm so scared, Ianto. I'm going to lose you one day, but I can't." He started to shake. "I can't live without you."

Ianto kissed the side of Jack's head. With his mouth still next to Jack's face, he murmured, "And yet you can't die." He moved away from Jack enough to cup the upset man's head in his hands. "I wish I could promise you forever, Jack, but what I can promise you is that it'll take a lot more than metal claws, bullets or even laser wounds to kill me. I'm hoping that means we'll have a long time for me to convince you that you will continue without me."

Jack nodded, but the tears didn't stop. "Even if you heal faster than an injury could kill you, you're still going to age. I'll still lose you to natural causes way too soon."

"Oi!" Ianto commented. "Are you seeing gray hairs on me already?"

Jack shook his head. "But when you have forever, like I do, even fifty years seem too soon."

"Stop, Jack. Don't pine on it now before it's time." Ianto moved close enough to kiss Jack briefly, his hands still holding Jack's head. "I'm only 32, for fuck's sake. Don't double the years before they're here."

Jack pulled back from Ianto and stared, his eyes wide. "32?" he asked, confused. You were just barely 27 six months ago."

Ianto chuckled. "Six months for you. Longer for me. Remember?"

"Right. Wait. You said you were with the Time Agency for 3 years."

"If you know about Jim Bond, then you also know that Time Loops are a bitch."

"You're 32?" Jack hardly gave thought to Ianto's age until that moment.

"Yeah." Ianto was grinning, a devilish grin, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"But you hardly look…."

"A day over 27?" Ianto asked, with a knowing look on his face.

"You look exactly as I remember you; well, except for your eyes. They look older. The rest of you, still as you did on that day…." Jack's voice cracked. He took a deep breath, his eyes on Ianto's face. "Okay, minus the cut on your cheek. Even that's gone."

Ianto nodded. "That was one of the deeper, would take a while to heal gashes."

"It should have left a scar."

"Yeah. It should have. Just like having big metal claws tearing open my chest should have."

"True."

Ianto shrugged. "I'm just guessing, but based on experience of the last few years, I heal quickly enough to prevent most injuries from being fatal, and my aging processes has slowed down as well. I've aged a little. Well, enough for me to notice, but yeah, it's not much."

Jack peered suspiciously at Ianto. "Are you sure you really would stay dead?"

Ianto sighed dramatically. "I don't know, Jack. I really haven't died lately to take note." He rolled his eyes.

"You died twice," Jack pointed out.

"A long time ago," Ianto reminded him. "The time you brought me back was even longer. And the second time, remember I wasn't really dead. The pill made it only look like I was dead. When I took it, I knew I was going to wake up again."

"And you admitted when the virus infected you that it felt as if you really were."

Ianto leaned over to kiss Jack softly. "I'll test it, if you really want. How do you think I should kill myself?"

Jack crushed Ianto to him. "No, that's not necessary. Besides, I think if you were immortal you'd get some sign from the Doctor more than just being…'not right'." He frowned. "He'd have let you know right off that you were wrong."

"Stop it, Jack. You're not wrong. Don't let that still get to you."

Jack sighed and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. "I'm dangerous," he said, his voice low. "Even my own daughter said as much, just like my ex-wife – Alice's mom -- said the same." He twisted his hands nervously. "Everyone I let near me ends up dead."

Ianto crawled onto the bed behind Jack and placed his arms around Jack's waist, pulling him close. "Jack, that's not true. I don't believe anyone we lost was your fault any more than anyone you lost before then was. And besides, I believe you said Gwen seems to be doing fine. She has Rhys and they're looking forward to having a baby. If nothing, you nurtured her." He kissed the side of his head.

"You may be right," Jack said slowly, "but I still killed Stephen. My own grandson, who trusted me. I killed him."

Ianto rested his head against Jack's. "Because he was the closest child. And they really did not give you too much of a choice. I blame Frobisher for your grandson's death. He's the one who had Alice and Stephen taken. It was because of the government that you were both taken to the same building. Jack, I know that if there had been any other choice, if there was any chance of saving him, you would have."

Jack nodded. "I demanded another option, but there just wasn't…." He choked up, tears falling from his eyes again. "And I had… it was either him or all those other children. Including your family." He hung his head. "I only wish there had been another way."

Ianto held Jack tightly. "You gave life, Jack. You were given a responsibility, and in the end you proved yourself a bigger person than all those officials we watched in that room."

Jack said nothing, but allowed Ianto to hold him and give him comfort.

As Ianto held Jack, he thought one thing he did not dare say aloud. That the moment Jack realized what had happened and that his life was threatened, the Captain had offered up all the children the 456 were requesting. Ten percent of the Earth's children did not seem to be so high a price to pay to keep Ianto safe.

It scared Ianto to be loved that much, and yet he hoped he might be able to show Jack he was loved equally in return – in a less threatening to any population, hopefully.

Ianto finally managed to get Jack into the bathroom and finished stripping them down. Thankfully, they got a hotel with running water instead of the new-fangled cleaning areas that were popular across the universe. More than it making Ianto feel cleaner to have the dirt and blood rinse away, there was something soothing about a warm shower, and thankfully it was working its magic on Jack.

What started off as gentle and comforting turned into more as soft kisses grew more insistent, hands went from comforting to leaving behind a trail of passion. Jack ended up begging Ianto to take him in the shower, even if there was no lube. There were times when Jack did want it that rough, and it would make Ianto nervous, even knowing there would be no lasting damage. He hated the thought of inflicting injury on Jack, but with Jack's encouragement, he had learned how to not leave any lasting injury after they were done. Ianto was faced with the same nerves again, being that for him it had been years since he last did it that way with Jack, but one look in Jack's eyes and there was nothing he wouldn't do that Jack asked for. Especially when the older man begged.

While Jack tried to hide it, it did not escape Ianto that he did not sleep much that night. Ianto decided to give up on sleep midway through the night when Jack woke him because of a nightmare. Once again in his sleep, Jack relived what he thought were the last minutes of Ianto Jones' life.

As Ianto held Jack, soothing him and assuring that he was alive, once again, he was reminded of the bastard he was for willingly allowing Jack to go through any amount of time believing he was alone.

Ianto had also known back then that Jack loved him. The immortal did not have to say those words, it really did not seem necessary between them. It was the little things they would do for each other, the looks and touches that told Ianto that Jack loved him, and he was certain that Jack knew he was loved back. Ianto had still felt it necessary to say those words in those last moments. Particularly since even though he was told he would survive in the end, those last few moments he found himself truly believing he was not going to make it, and needed to finally say the words that were left hanging between them. He wanted Jack to find some comfort in them; instead it seemed to have torn Jack apart, especially when Jack's denial of the situation left him unable to return them. Jack went on for six months thinking that Ianto had died without hearing him return those words.

It only added to Ianto's guilt.

Jack sensed the change in Ianto's mood and asked about it. It caused Ianto to blurt out repeatedly how sorry he was.

"It's okay," Jack said, now holding Ianto and kissing the side of his head. "It's not your fault. It could have been worse, you know. You really could have died that day."

"But look what it did to you, Jack. For six months you thought I was dead."

"That was definitely not your fault. I know you were led to believe you'd come back to me soon after."

Ianto nodded slowly, but lifted his head to stare at Jack with pain filled, glistening eyes. "True. But I also allowed myself to be used into making you…" Ianto's voice cracked and he shook his head, unable to go on.

"Ianto," Jack said softly. "I hate myself for it, but there's no need for you to join in my guilt. You had no idea. And I'm only realizing now that we were both played as pawns to destroy the 456. I also know who played us."

"Sometimes I hate him, you know," Ianto snapped. "But then I look at him sometimes when he thinks no one is looking and I can see what the toll of making those decisions costs him." He ran his fingers through Jack's hair. "Is that what it's like you for you? Over a century of making decisions that no one else could – all to save a planet that really isn't yours? Is that your curse forever?"

Jack nodded slowly. "Yeah," he said his voice so low Ianto barely heard him. "But, I like to think Earth was home. At least it was for so long, much longer than I expected to live, and definitely longer than any time I spent on my native planet or time. I made it my planet. And for the Doctor, I think it's worse. For now. Check with me in 100,000 years or so."

Ianto pulled Jack to him, stroking his back. "I'll find a way, Jack. I don't know how, but I will. If for nothing else but to hope you could find some comfort in leaning on me, even for a little while."

Jack's fingers were running along Ianto's chest again, still marveling at the unblemished flesh that should have been cut open, shredded and leaving Ianto most likely dead. At the very least he should have serious scarring. "The more you talk about it, the more I'm starting to believe that there was a greater reason that Stephen was chosen somehow." He started to cry quietly as he remembered the little boy he loved, the grandson he was forced to sacrifice. "They're probably going to cover up everything, allow people to go back into denial on the truth. And no one will ever know that one little boy named Stephen Carter saved the world and prevented ten percent of the children from dying."

"I think when we're ready, we should go back and do something about that," Ianto said. "After all, we're both ex-Time Agents. That shouldn't be too hard."

"Would you?" Jack asked.

"I think…I think all it would really take is a call from you to Gwen, and telling her. I know she'll get all self-righteous over it at first, but then she'll make sure Stephen is remembered for what he did."

"I can't talk to her yet. I still need some distance"

"Why, Jack?"

"Because…." Jack drew a ragged breath. "Because I'm not ready to go back. And I know if I contact her, I will. We will." He moved their heads so he could kiss Ianto. "I mean, here we both are, across the universe on some other world. We have the ability to see and do so much, travel the universe. It's something I wished we would be able to do, and for a while I thought that dream had died with you in Thames House. Now…I want us to have time alone. Just me and you. At some point even break away from the Doctor."

"We can do that, Jack. I know I want it too. But we can always go back, you know. Even if the Doctor won't." Ianto grinned and his eyes rested on the black leather wristband that was set on an end table next to Jack's brown one. "Mine still works as it should."

"You mean the Doctor let you…."

"I didn't allow him near it. Once I promised him that as tempted as I was otherwise, I would not cross our timelines and go back to change what I couldn't, he gave up on trying."

Jack pulled Ianto to him, nuzzling the side of Ianto's head. "We can't go back and fix things, no matter how much we want to. If we change something we shouldn't it could be bad for not only us but the world."

"Even the universe," Ianto agreed, brushing his lips along Jack's finely chiseled jaw.

"So we travel with the Doctor for now, but whenever it feels like time, we break away, agreed?"

Ianto nodded. "And maybe one day we'll feel up to going back to Torchwood. But only if and when we're ready."

"And we both have to be. Not just one of us. Agreed?"

"Definitely." Ianto sighed and rested his head on Jack's shoulder. "I still do feel guilty about leaving Gwen in the dark about us."

"What about your sister?"

"Well, yeah. Her too."

"If it makes you feel better…."

"No. It won't. Just because I feel bad about it at times doesn't mean it's the best thing for us both. Right now it's not. Maybe one day it might be, or maybe it never will be. Only time will tell for us, Jack. The only thing I can promise you is that we do have time. I'm going to die one day while you live on forever, but I'm different now. It will take a lot more to kill me than before. And I'll still be careful whenever we can afford the opportunity," Ianto said.

There was a time when Ianto was a man of few words, while Jack had enough for the two of them. But after all Ianto said to Jack, the only reply Jack had was to hold Ianto close. With his lips close to his lover's, he simply said, "Thank you."