A/N: There is one more chapter of this story remaining. Thank you all that have been reading my revised edition of the first series. I have appreciated your feedback and support so much!

Captain Jack Harkness

"We need you, Jack..." Tosh's voice reverberated into his skull as he gave the brave and honorable real Jack Harkness a kiss filled with emotion. It was more of giving a man that innately craved for this moment a glimpse into himself, as Jack realized the man would never be able to act on it in the days to come. This knowledge was all he could give the man that he knew to be fated for death. After meeting this man, he felt he owed him much more, but within this moment in time there was precious little he could offer. As he gave himself completely to the kiss, Jack did so by closing his mind to everything except the determination given to sending a soldier off into battle with that one sweet memory. A battle the soldier would never survive.

He knew the rift had opened and it was time to go back. Part of him wished to stay in this time, learn more about the man whose name he had taken... but there was more that urged his return. Torchwood and Ianto. He wasn't certain anymore which one prioritized over the other. That would have been formerly abhorrent to him... but now, his love for Ianto far superseded his long devotion to Torchwood. He wasn't certain how he felt about that. Jack had always idealized Torchwood. It had been what defined him for so long now. That had changed. Whereas his devotion still centered around Torchwood, now he found himself wondering how Ianto fit into the process – and making sure that his precious Welshman always remained safe. That was a mix he knew would never be easily achieved.

As much as he wanted to leave, he wanted to stay and be a comfort to this man as well. Then, he heard a voice in his head that he hadn't heard for a long time. One that never failed to capture his attention. The Doctor. He was slightly torn in his decision... but as always, The Doctor could put things in perspective. "Jack... Ianto needs you too. And, you have more important work to do than saving this man that cannot be saved."

Pulling away, he gave the Captain one last mournful glance before he reached Tosh waiting for him at the rift. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, quickly observing her staggered sigh of relief. "It's over now, Tosh. Let's go home."

The day had been anything but normal back at Torchwood. For one, they had been minus Jack and Tosh. Gwen was using the opportunity to use her skills to be the heroine and make everything right... and Owen was still in self-destruct mode. Ianto felt as if the pounding forces in his head would never dissipate. In this moment all he wanted to see was Jack striding through the hub door. The battle with Owen had felt more like hours, when in actuality it had been far less than that. Ianto knew precisely why Owen wanted to open the rift. It had precious little to do with bringing Jack and Tosh home, and more about finding Diane again. Ianto wished it would be so easy for Owen to repair his broken heart, but he stood his ground and abided by what he knew Jack would want him to do.

In the end his efforts hadn't really mattered. Owen had managed to open the rift... the results of which wouldn't be revealed immediately. Ianto scowled as he looked around the hub at the chaos Owen's actions had evoked. His attention was only diverted from this internal disaster when Jack walked through the hub, each side flanked by Tosh and a smug looking Gwen. Jack's eyes quickly surveyed the chaos, instant awareness assailing the ever astute leader of Torchwood. "I assume Owen had his own ideas about redecorating?"

Ianto snorted indelicately. "In a manner of speaking, Sir." He moved forward, his relief shining in his eyes. "It's good to have you back." He smiled affectionately at Tosh, giving her a warm, tight hug. He whispered into her ear, "Thank you for taking care of him."

She chuckled. "It wasn't easy... but, we made it." Pulling back she shared a silent glance with Jack, all of them knowing that look carried the memories of an experience they could never understand.

"That we did." Jack looked at Ianto and Owen sternly. "What have I said about opening the rift?"

Ianto lifted his hands in dismay, unable to believe he was being brought into Owen's reprimand.

"You'd still be lost if not for my actions. You should be thanking me..." Owen grumbled, his spirits even lower as he accepted his actions hadn't achieved the desired result.

"Thanking you?" Ianto uncharacteristically roared. "Do you have any idea what you could have pulled through that same rift?"

Jack smirked at Ianto's display of aggression. He'd come so far... and he was enjoying every moment of it. "We'll discuss this later. For now, I'm going to get cleaned up." He surveyed them all closely. "Tosh, I'd like to see you first. The rest of you can go home."

Ianto flickered his gaze to the mess. "What about this chaos?"

Jack winked at him. "It'll keep until morning." A long look passed between them. Jack told him without speaking – he would see him long before morning. He moved his eyes to Gwen who was looking at him expectantly. "Good work, Cooper. Those clues weren't easy to decipher. You did well."

"Thank you, Jack." Gwen proudly beamed. "Just doing my job. I'm glad it all ended well."

Frowning thoughtfully, Jack answered, "It remains to be determined how well it actually ended... and if any complications are a direct result." Jack looked at each of them, a pointed glance leveled on Owen. "Should any arise, we will deal with it – as a team." He didn't give any of them time to dispute it as he nudged Tosh up to his office, leaving all of them to look after him in silence. Whether they agreed or not, they all shared one outlook – Jack was back and in charge. They all knew this wasn't a time to challenge him.

Ianto wasn't the least bit surprised when the knock sounded at his door a couple of hours later. He moved forward, looking through the peephole to identify his visitor. Smiling he opened the door, gesturing Jack inside. "Come in, Sir. I was kind of expecting you."

Jack sighed, moving forward to slump down on Ianto's sofa, not even bothering to remove his greatcoat. "Yeah. I end up here a lot. Don't I?"

Chuckling, Ianto asked, "It's good though, right?"

"Very good." Jack couldn't agree more with that statement. He patted the empty spot next to him. "Have a seat, Yan. We need to talk."

Ianto's eyes narrowed in concern. He hedged slightly by asking, "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Not right now," Jack answered, barely able to look Ianto in the eye.

Eyeing him dubiously, Ianto asked, "Am I going to need one?"

Jack laughed. "I hope not."

Ianto sat down next to Jack, eyeing him warily, having learned long ago that those ominous words of – we need to talk – generally never led to good tidings. "It's about your time with Tosh in the rift, isn't it?"

Nodding wearily, Jack answered, "Yes. It was such a long ago time... and in this instance, it was one that I made a surprising discovery."

"You met someone from your past," Ianto assumed. "Someone that meant something to you." Ianto laughed shakily. "It's okay, Sir. I'm a big boy. I know nothing lasts forever."

Jack looked at Ianto in stunned disbelief. It was unimaginable to him that Ianto could be so insecure in their relationship. Didn't he ever look in the mirror? He was fucking gorgeous. Not only that... he was kind, strong, and had a genuine integrity that few men had possessed out of the numerous he had known over his long lifetime. "Yan, look at me." Jack's voice was firm and controlling. The exact tone he would use when issuing a directive at Torchwood.

Ianto lifted his confused and pained eyes to meet Jack's, stunned by the fire he found in them. "You're not dumping me?"

"Hell no." Jack shook his head incredulously. "I thought I made it more than clear both last night and this morning how I feel about you, Ianto Jones. This talk is about my actions back in 1941... ones I felt compelled to take."

A sigh of relief whooshed from Ianto's lips. "Jack, it doesn't matter if you did something with someone while you were lost in that time. You didn't know if you'd ever return... and I didn't even exist for you then."

"What I did I did because of who that man was, and what he was about to face." Jack had to look away from the hurt in Ianto's eyes, the pain in them belying the words he had just spoken. "It was only a dance and a kiss goodbye. Nothing more."

"But, you wanted more, didn't you?" Ianto probed, feeling that this faceless man had meant something to Jack. "Who was he, Jack?"

"I won't lie to you, Ianto. He was very attractive. If not for my feelings for you I would have fucked him. Despite knowing I could have been trapped there forever, a part of me held back from pushing for it." He reached over to clasp Ianto's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "It was almost like meeting myself. In fact, I did. The man I got to know during those hours was none other than the man who's identity I claimed."

Ianto's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean you met the real Captain Jack Harkness?"

Jack nodded. "Yes. He was everything I would want to be... and more. It was a meeting I'll never forget. But, what was so unsettling was realizing how conflicted he had become and that I was there on the eve of the flight that would end his life."

A smile of understanding crossed Ianto's lips. "That had to have been so difficult for you. Of course, you couldn't tell him the particulars... but you could give him a meeting to remember. I understand how you would reach out to him. I'm glad you met him, Jack... but, I'm even more glad you found your way back."

Jack cupped his free hand behind Ianto's neck, pulling him forward until their foreheads rested against the other. "He was an incredible man, Ianto... but nothing was more important than coming back to you. I heard The Doctor's voice in my head imploring my return. He isn't one to interfere in my life. That he did so had to be significant."

"Your doctor, eh?" Ianto asked as he pulled his head back to look at Jack closely. "From what you've told me, he has very discerning tastes. Does that mean he approves?"

"I'd say that's a very good assumption." Jack quickly closed the distance between their lips, capturing the Welshman's lips beneath his own... the temptation too great for him to resist any longer. God, he loved this beautiful and sensitive man so much.

Jack had felt better about his future with Ianto once he heard The Doctor's voice in his head. That told him a couple things. One, he was watching... and if he was watching so closely, he found Ianto important in his life. Ianto might not be immortal... but who knew what the future might bring. Where this special doctor was involved... anything was impossible.

TBC

A/N: There is one chapter of this story remaining – unless I can't fit it into one. I wouldn't rule out that option as I do want to manage a portion of fluff for them to close this out. One wonders, though, will Ianto become immortal? I guess we'll see.