"John, what does he mean?"

"Yeah, John" Jack snarled sarcastically, "Why don't you tell Ianto what I mean."

"It's not like that."

"Yes it is, you forced yourself on him."

"NO!" John yelled, "I can't force someone to fall in love with me. If I could do you think I would ever have let you go."

"What the hell," Ianto sputtered, "Fall in love with you, what are you talking about?"

John sat down on the bed and took the younger man's hand in his, ignoring Jack's angry growl when he did.

"The thing is Ianto," he said, "I'm not 100% human. My grandmother on my mother's side was from Leonis b."

"Never heard of it."

"No, you won't have. It's hundreds of light years from earth and hasn't been discovered in your time. Anyway the thing about Leonis b is its inhabitants are telepathic."

"So you're a telepath?"

"No I'm not, not exactly. Of all my brothers and sisters I was the only one who inherited any psychic ability from our Grandmother, and it wasn't telepathy but empathy. I can detect basic emotions. For example," he smiled humourlessly, "I don't have to turn around to feel Jack's eyes boring a hole in my back."

Jack guffawed roughly.

"and from you" John went on, "I'm getting confusion, and maybe a little fear."

"Maybe a little," Ianto smiled.

"I'm also able to transmit emotions to other people," he continued, "but I have to have physical contact for that and I can't make people feel things against their will. It's more like sending someone positive thoughts, they have to be open to it."

"That's what you were doing," Ianto said, "when you were helping me with the withdrawal symptoms, sending me positive thoughts. I sort of guessed it was something like that anyway. It felt like you were surrounding me in a blanket of....." he struggled to find the right word, "warmth or calm, I suppose. Whatever it was it felt good. But why is Jack angry about that now, he knew what you were doing?"

"Right," John let go of Ianto's hand, "This isn't going to be easy to explain," he said, "Um, my grandmother's people have an unusual mating ritual. When they meet someone they like they send out a sort of telepathic mating call, often it happens subconsciously but if the other person likes them back they emit a response. It's really quite beautiful, like a glorious extrasensory sympathy which resonates in their separate psyches or like two souls......"

Jack curled his lip and snarled loudly.

"Yes, well," John glared at him, "the point is, if the song is allowed to continue to its logical conclusion and it's what both parties want, then a connection is formed. That's what they call the bond."

"Ah," Ianto said. His brow furrowed momentarily before his head shot up and his eyes widened. "Oh!"

"You have to understand," John said, "I'm telling you the truth when I say I didn't mean for it to happen. I can't lie to you now."

"Mmm, Okay."

"No, I mean it. I literally can't lie to you."

"Okay, I get it. You can't lie to me."

"When I started helping you with your treatment, there were a few things I didn't bank on. Firstly, I hadn't realised how much I cared for you. I knew I had a bit of a thing for you, but I hadn't realised how deep it ran. I wasn't consciously sending you the mating signal, it just happened. Even after I knew it was happening, I thought it was okay because I didn't know you were empathic too. It was killing me but I thought I could cope with loving you from afar."

"But I don't have any empathic ability," Ianto interrupted, "I was tested at Torchwood One. We all were. I scored below average in all my psychic tests."

"You still have such faith in one don't you Ianto?" Jack said, "I didn't even need any futile test to let me know you were empathic. It shines out from you in everything you do. Every time you have to deal with a new rift victim on Flat Holm or talk to someone who witnessed a weevil attack or the way you used to bring me a chocolate biscuit with my coffee whenever I thought I was having a bad day."

"But even if we accept that you are empathic," John continued, "it still wouldn't have mattered if it wasn't for the third thing. Despite what Jack said before, I can't force someone to fall in love with me. I've never bonded with him even though he's a bit empathic too because he's never felt the same way about me as I did about him. You do understand what I'm saying Eye-Candy?"

Ianto looked up and caught Jack's eye. The immortal stood stoically at the foot of his bed, arms folded across his chest. He wondered whether it was something in the man's stance or if it was his newly discovered empathic ability that told him how betrayed Jack was feeling.

He looked away, hanging his head in shame.

"Yes," he croaked. "I know what you're saying. I guess I must have feelings for you too." He lifted his eyes to meet John's, catching his breath at what he saw there. Suddenly, as if a veil had been lifted, he realised it had always been there, a love which burned brightly and burned only for him. "'I love you," he whispered.

John wrapped his arms around him, "I love you too," he smiled into Ianto's hair. The Welshman started to sob and Jack moved to the head of the bed, placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"I want you gone John," he growled.

"N..N..no," Ianto hiccupped between sobs.

"Don't worry, Ianto," John said, glaring at Jack. "He can't send me away. His rift manipulator is broken and without me he has no way of getting you home."

"Oh yeah," Jack sneered, "I'll get it fixed. Or we'll hitch a lift. Or we'll settle here. I don't care I just want you out of our lives."

"What if I don't want him to go," Ianto protested.

"I won't share you, Ianto. Not with him or anyone."

"What is you always said, Jack. Monogamy isn't the norm where you're from."

"Oh wait," he continued in mock surprise, "was that just an excuse so you could sleep around?"

"No. I mean. Okay, yes but I'm sorry, I made a mistake. I didn't know how I felt about you then."

"And how do you feel about me Jack."

"I......"

The silence hung heavy. Jack looked away. His voice cracked when he tried to continue, "I........"

Ianto sighed. "I don't want John to go," he announced. His eyes flashed with anger, "I want you to go."

Jack felt his world spin on its axis, he rocked backwards on his heels, pulling his hand away as if he had been stung. He reached out for the bedstead for support and wavered a little, biting his top lip in an effort to rein in his emotions. Finally, he smiled, pulled himself together and nodded sadly. With that he turned and walked away.