Contains quotes from various episodes in the Whoverse.
---Quote 1 = Boom Town from Doctor Who
---Quote 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 = Cyberwoman from Torchwood
---Quote 7 = Countrycide from Torchwood

Love. It was something so fragile and so unattainable.

"Look at those two. How come I never get any of that?"

"Buy me a drink first."

"You're such hard work."

Love was a paradox –horrible and wonderful at the same time. Love made you jealous.

"Jack! What are you doing?"

"Resisting the urge to shoot."

Although he was the captain of all innuendos, Jack had never experienced true love being thrown right back at him.

"On your knees! Hand above you head!"

"I'm not giving up on her. I love her. Can you understand that Jack? Haven't you ever loved anyone?"

Of course Jack loved, but every single time it would just end in tragedy. In fact, he was in love now, with a certain Welshman who knew how to make his morning coffee just the way he wanted it.

"You're worse than anything locked up down there! One day, I'll have the chance to save you… and I'll watch you suffer and die."

"It was the only thing that would stop her!"

The last line was more of a plea for forgiveness than anything. It was a plea from Jack to regain some trust in Ianto Jones.

"…Your loyalty is to us now."

"You can't order me to do that."

"You execute her or I'll execute you both!"

"I won't do it. You can't make me. You like to think you're the hero, but you're biggest monster of all."

Monster. Of course. That was exactly what he was. A monster. A curse-bearer. Anything Captain Jack Harkness was connected to inevitably meant destruction, just like the Doctor.

"So have you ever loved anyone that much?"

That was a question better left unanswered.

That night Jack sent everyone home and summoned Ianto in his office. The Welshman could not decipher the unreadable expression in the captain's eyes. Was Jack mad? A little, yes. But that was hardly the reason for how upset the immortal was. He'd seen Ianto's anger and the man's ability to love unconditionally and part of Jack wanted that love directed towards him.

Ianto approached in a calm manner, expecting the worst. Maybe he'd get off easy with just a bit of Retcon. Instead, Jack just blandly stated that he was on suspension for two weeks. With that, Ianto was dismissed. The Welshman could've sworn he saw Jack's eyes in the reflection of the glass as he turned around. It was somewhere in between understanding and longing.

"It was Lisa… Sorry that she's dead or sorry that you mentioned it? …You forgot."

The conversation had immediately reopened a healed wound in Jack. When Jack stormed to his team's rescue with the tractor, he was livid with anger. As he got out, immediately took out the rifle in his hand. When that ran out of ammunition, he had unholstered his Webley, eventually landing the barrel of the revolver on Evan Sherman's chin.

Jack was just so angry that such a man was sadistic enough to do what he did to Ianto Jones. The love inside Jack was flaring up, making him overly protective and uncontrollable.

Gwen hand pleaded for him to not shoot, to which Jack answered that people like his didn't deserve warnings.

That night Jack watched as Ianto cleaned the Hub for the tenth time. The immortal didn't understand why. The Torchwood Three base was spotless by the third time. Maybe it was just a way for Ianto to calm himself down after the traumatic events. But it was 2 AM already. Why did he go to such extremes and overwork himself?

Having enough, Jack got up from his desk and hung his coat on the coat hanger in his office. Slowly, me made his way to the Welshman and took the trash bag from his hand, setting it gently down by Gwen's workstation. A blanket was strewn across the Hub's sofa. Jack pointed and ordered, "Sleep."

The Welshman's eyes flickered in surprise. Ianto made another grab for the trash bag but Jack intervened and led the younger man over to the sofa, throwing the blanket at the man. "Sleep," he ordered again.

"Can't. Nightmares," Ianto replied quietly.

Jack didn't know what came over him next but he cupped Ianto's face in his hands and kissed him hard. He could feel the other man's sudden alarm as he pulled away. "Better?" Jack asked. "Now sleep." He quickly retreated to his bunker, leaving Ianto bewildered with the ghost of Jack's kiss on his lips.

In less than one year, Jack would discover that he would be the recipient of Ianto's unconditional love. And in the several months that followed the year, Jack would come to realize how much it hurt to love Ianto unconditionally.

But the time being, Jack unconditionally surrendered himself to the man called Ianto Jones.