In the club, Gil suddenly slammed his beer down and turned to Owen.

'Jack's in trouble' he said urgently

Owen laughed, 'you saw who he left with,' he said, 'if Jack is in trouble, its trouble he doesn't need our help with.'

'No' Gil was on his feet and struggling to get past Gwen, 'real trouble. Please, we have to help him.'

Tosh and Owen exchanged glances and stood up shrugging into their jackets, only Gwen remained seated.

'Gwen?' Gil asked.

Gwen rolled her eyes, she was still irritated by Gil's comments from earlier in the evening, 'what?' she addressed herself to Tosh and Owen, ' Once again Gil says jump and we all ask "how high" Jack has gone off to shag some meaningless pick up – how much trouble can he be in?'

Gil was climbing over the table top in his desperation to get past her, his pale skin even paler than usual as he picked up on Jack's psychic emanations, 'weevil,' he cried, 'it's a weevil'

'Fuck!' Gwen was on her feet and fumbling for her weapon as Tosh and Owen ran from the pub in hot pursuit of Gil.

Gil skidded round the corner of the dingy alleyway, his headlong rush slowing as he took in the scene before him. The boy from the park was sitting on the filthy ground, covered in blood with the lifeless body of Jack Harkness in his arms, sobbing and screaming his grief to the sky. Some few feet behind the pair was the equally dead body of a weevil which had clearly had its head caved in somehow. Behind him, Gil could hear the rest of the team entering the alleyway at top speed and he signalled them to stay back. The slowing of their footsteps told him they had understood and obeyed. Cautiously he approached the hysterical young man.

'Hello,' said Gil softly, kneeling down next to Ianto, 'my name is Gil, what's yours'

Ianto clasped the limp body tighter and began to rock, kissing Jack's unresponsive face, 'dead' he said hopelessly.

Gil shuffled closer, 'please,' he said, 'can I take him? I may be able to help.'

'He's dead' screamed Ianto suddenly, 'DEAD. That weird faced thing attacked him and ripped out his throat. I pulled it off him and smashed its head in on that dumpster over there,' he waved wildly towards the rear of the alley where a severely dented dumpster testified to the adrenaline fuelled rage that the young man had experienced as a result of the attack on Jack. The original surge of grief left him and he began to cry quietly, 'that thing ripped his throat out; by the time I got it off him he was dead. Oh God he's dead and I never knew him.' He buried his face in Jack's hair and began to sob.

Gil gently stroked the distressed boy's head, 'listen..er'

'Ianto'

'Listen Ianto; please let me hold him, just for a minute. He was my lover and he is still my heartfriend and if he is gone then I need to say goodbye, too. '

Hiccupping slightly, Ianto loosened his grip on Jack's body and looked at Gil properly for the first time. He blushed, 'I remember you, he was caring for you the first time that I saw him in the park and you...you were with him in the library, you looked at me, you...you and he...you were...'

Gil smiled kindly at the discomforted young man, 'that's right, we were'

Another tear slid down Ianto's cheek, 'you were with him earlier, in the pub too, then he left with me. I'm so sorry'

'Don't be, our dance was ending, time for new partners for both of us, but still...' Gil opened his arms, 'please?'

Reluctantly Ianto allowed Gil to pull Jack's body into his arms, looking away as Gil placed a tender and loving kiss onto the cooling lips. Gil smiled at Ianto and then beckoned to Owen and Tosh, 'will you two look after Ianto please, I'm going to take care of Jack.'

He fastened his finger around Jack's wrist strap extruding his micro-tendrils into the sensitive mechanism encapsulated within and the pair of them disappeared in a flash of blinding white light.

Jack revived with a pained gasp and rolling sense of nausea, groaning he tried to raise himself up but was restrained by a pale pair of six fingered hands, 'easy Jack.'

Jack struggled to his feet, fighting a cold queasiness and a disorientating sense of vertigo, he clung to Gil's shoulders, 'wha...what happened' he rasped.

'Weevil' said Gil succinctly

'Oh Gods, Ianto. Is he OK?'

'He's fine, a bit shaken, you died in his arms so you may have some explaining to do when you meet up again but Owen and Tosh are looking after him'

Jack rested his forehead on Gil's shoulder and tried to stop the Hub spinning round, wait..the Hub?

'I was in an alley' he said, 'I was in an alley with Ianto. How did we get back here?'

Gil lifted Jack's arm so that his vortex manipulator was in front of his eyes, 'there is nothing a Time Lord can break that a Crown Prince of the House of Manarthus cannot fix,' he told Jack with a smile.

'We need to get back' said Jack urgently, 'Ianto needs to see I'm OK. I need to see that he is alright.'

'Wait Jack,' Gil looked deep into Jack's eyes, forcing his attention, 'you are not hearing me. There is NOTHING a Time Lord can break that a Crown Price of the House of Manarthus cannot fix. I tried to tell you that day on the plas but the moment passed. Now I can feel my people approaching and that means that my time is very short, so you have a decision to make.'

Jack looked confused, 'I don't understand,' he began, then his face changed as he realised what Gil was trying to say to him, 'you...you can fix ME?' he gasped, ' you can make me mortal?'

'The time vortex in your cells is a part of the Universe Sentient, she can use me as a conduit to return the vortex to its rightful place in her matrix. You have a chance of real and enduring happiness with this boy, Ianto and...you can live a mortal life if you wish it.'

Jack huffed a disbelieving chuckle, 'tonight was the first time I have had any sort of meaningful interaction with the boy, ' he said sadly, 'he is so young, how can you be so sure?'

Gil ran his fingers down Jack's cheek, 'I am the Cultivator Imperator to the Universe Sentient, ' he said proudly, 'she remembers forwards as well as backwards – she...and I...are sure.'

Tears were pouring down Jack's cheeks, 'then, please' he whispered, 'please, fix me if you can.'

Gil leant forward so that their foreheads were resting together; 'this will hurt' he warned softly closing his eyes as Jack began to scream.

Ianto was sitting numbly on the alley floor, the pretty Japanese girl, Toshiko, she said her name was, was trying to coax him onto his feet. A thin weaselly looking man had swept by him barely sparing him a glance and had begun to examine the dead body of the ugly ass creature at the end of the alley.

'Fuck me' he murmured, 'you did a right number on this one didn't you mate?' he threw a friendly glance at Ianto, 'impressive'

Toshiko had managed to get the traumatised man to his feet and he stood soundless and swaying. She cajoled him to walk with her to the end of the alleyway towards the comforting orange glow of the streetlights. As the illumination increased Tosh could see that tears were coursing silently down the young man's face, his lips were moving and Toshiko could see that he was repeating Jack's name over and over. Part of her was anxious to get back to help Owen bag up the dead weevil but she didn't want to abandon the clearly distraught man. She scanned the street before her and was delighted to see Gwen Cooper at the other side of the road leaning against the Torchwood SUV, she guided her bereaved charge across the street all the time murmuring comforting nonsense to him as if he were a distressed child.

'See' she said gently, 'here's Gwen, she will take care of you, OK?' Obediently Ianto sat down on the tailgate of the SUV that Gwen had opened and stared dispiritedly into the distance. Tosh caught Gwen's eye, 'Weevil attack.' she said quietly, 'he saw everything. Jack's dead but Gil got him away somehow. I imagine that Jack will be back as soon as he revives, I need to go and give Owen a hand, can you look after Ianto for a little while?'

Gwen survey the human wreckage before her, 'what's up with him' she said unsympathetically, 'why is he so upset, he only met Jack about half an hour ago surely?'

Tosh shook her head, 'I noticed him in the park the day we rescued Gil, apparently he keeps popping up on the edges of Jack's life. Gil was trying to explain it to me in the pub, it's something to do with his Ka-va'et. It was so loud in there that I couldn't hear him very well but I think he was saying that Jack and Ianto are destined to be together.' She smiled wistfully, 'I saw them leave together and I saw how Jack looked at him...and I think Gil is right'

Gwen looked at the broken man once more; he didn't seem that special; this boy could be a threat; he could stop me getting Jack she thought. She dredged up the most sincere and sweetly sympathetic smile she could, 'leave him to me' she simpered, 'I'll take care of him.'

Jack had never felt pain like it, it felt as if every cell in his body was being rinsed with acid and scoured with wire wool; it was only the press of Gil's forehead against his own that kept him conscious and aware. Through tightly closed lids the gold light of the time vortex imprinted itself on his retina. He was vaguely aware that someone was screaming and it was only the raw pain in his throat that made him realise that the screaming was coming from him. Just as he thought that his first act as a mortal man would be to die of the agony of the process, it stopped. Jack collapsed into Gil's warm embrace; both men were trembling. Jack raised a shaking hand and cupped Gil's face, swiping away the Valerian's tears with his thumb as Gil did the same to him.

'Wow' he rasped

Gil managed a shaky grin, 'I warned you' he said

'That you did.' Jack paused, 'so, is that it? Am I mortal now?'

'One way to check' replied Gil, pulling a knife from his boot

'Whoa!' Jack backed away in alarm

Gil laughed, 'relax Jack.' He took hold of Jack's hand and turning it so that it was palm up, gently drew the knife blade across it. Jack hissed in pain, watching as the bright blood welled up from the shallow cut Gil had inflicted. 'How long would it take a cut like that to heal usually?' asked Gil.

Jack shrugged, 'couple of minutes, tops'

The two men stood staring into Jack's palm for several long minutes as if the future could be read in it – as indeed it could. When Jack's palm was so full of blood that it was beginning to spill onto the Hub floor, they looked into each other's eyes and smiled. Gil offered him a clean handkerchief, 'you'd better wrap that up' he suggested

'I owe you a debt I can never repay' said Jack, as he bound up his wounded hand, gratitude making his voice unsteady

'My Ka-va'et is completed thanks to you so my debt to you is, likewise, incalculable' whispered Gil, his mouth hovering close to Jack's, then he stiffened, a look of fear flashing across his face. 'Jack! My people are here' he said urgently, 'They will take me, remember how I loved you Jack, my beautiful Jack. Think of me fondly, although my actions seemed sometimes inconsistent they were always with this aim in mind...to leave you loved and happy...' he began to fade into translucency as the Valerian transport technology locked on him.

'Gil' desperately Jack reached for the young alien but he was rapidly becoming incorporeal. The last thing Jack saw were Gil's bright green eyes shining even brighter with tears, then he was gone and only an echo of his voice remained

'Jack, watch out for Gwen Cooper, she wants Torchwood and she wants you for her own and will poison things for you if she can't have what she wants. Love your Ianto and be happy my sweet'

Then he was really gone and Jack was alone in the Hub

Owen and Tosh had just managed to manoeuvre the dead body of the weevil into one of their heavy duty body bags that they kept stored in the boot of the SUV when the alleyway was flooded with a clear white light that blinded them. When the light faded and they could finally see again, Jack Harkness was leaning against a wall with a smile that was almost as blinding.

Tosh took a step towards him, 'Jack? What's happened? Where's Gil?'

Jack stepped forward and swung her off her feet, 'many things have happened, wonderful things, amazing things, Toshiko Sato'

Owen moved up to gently and possessively disentangle Tosh from Jack's embrace, 'and Gil?'

Jack's smile slithered away, 'his people took him' he said soberly

'We'll miss him' said Tosh tearfully

Jack nodded, 'yes we will' he looked around the alleyway and frowned, 'where's Ianto?'

Tosh wiped her eyes and gestured, 'Gwen is looking after him.'

Turning in his heel, Jack charged out of the alley and over to the SUV where Gwen was sitting sipping a coffee that she had scrounged from a nearby cafe. She looked up and gave Jack a soft smile, wriggling to show her cleavage to the best advantage. 'Jack, you're back' she exclaimed, 'are you alright'

'Never mind that' snapped Jack looking around wildly, 'where's Ianto?'

'Gone' said Gwen succinctly

'Gone? Gone where?'

Gwen looked surprised, 'how should I know? Tosh asked me to look after him so I did and then I sent him on his way.'

Jack thought about Gil's final warning and felt himself grow cold with fear,' what have you done?' he ground out in a low and dangerous tone

Gwen made her large eyes even wider, 'I followed procedure' she pouted, moving closer into Jack's personal space

'I repeat' said Jack ignoring all Gwen's attempts to draw his attention away from the beautiful man who had captured his heart so quickly, 'what did you do to Ianto?'

Gwen smiled, it was not a nice smile, 'I Retconned him'

Jack looked at her, matched her unpleasant smile with a far more terrifying one of his own, pulled out his Webley and shot her.