As always, thanks for the reviews!

Extra special thanks to my beta IceElf2008 for calling my attention to details that could have caused me some serious trouble and plot holes.

Enjoy the new chapter!

Over the next week, Ianto paid close attention to Jack. It was clear that he was trying to look like nothing was bothering him, but Ianto could clearly see that it wasn't the case. The wariness was back in his eyes, he looked dejected – even if he tried to hide it, and Ianto often saw him looking sad and worried when he thought no one was looking. Ianto wanted to help, but he didn't really know how. Sometimes he thought that the best thing would be to pretend he didn't notice anything, so at least Jack would feel less weak. Not that Ianto agreed with him. As far as he was concerned, Jack had every reason to behave like he was, but as Jack didn't feel the same, he had to respect that, in order not to add to his feelings of inadequacy. But, after a week Ianto had had enough. He had to do something. First he called Gwen, and asked her to call him if she had any news. He'd like to be able to prepare Jack beforehand if anything bad happened. Then he prepared himself to have a good talk with Jack. On Friday night they were having dinner together, and Ianto thought that was as good a time as any to try and talk. He decided that playing along with Jack was the best approach.

"Jack?"

"Hm?"

"I know you're doing fine, but that doesn't change the fact that you're going through a lot right now. I can imagine that hearing from John wasn't easy, and the idea that he might come here, however slim, must be bothering you. I was just thinking..." He paused to take a breath, trying to find the courage to say what he wanted to say next.

"Yes...?"

"Don't you think it would be good if you talked to someone?"

"What do you mean? We talk."

"I mean a professional."

"Oh." Jack went completely rigid. "Why... Why do you say that? Like you said, I'm doing fine." He'd started avoiding Ianto's eyes by then.

"I know you are, love. But lots of people who've been through the same things you have found it helpful to talk to professionals. I just thought... I don't know... maybe it could help you... you know... start to put this behind you..." This wasn't really going how Ianto had planned. He'd wanted to sound confident and reassuring, but he was floundering.

"But I don't need anyone. You always say that I have you now and that you're going to help me. We're good together. I don't need anyone else's help."

"I just don't think I'm enough, Jack. Not for this. Of course I'll support you all the way, and I'll always be here for you, but... John hurt you, a lot. You don't have to carry all that inside you, on your own. I know we talk, but I think it could be really good to talk to a professional, too. It's not the same thing, you know? A professional will be able to help you in ways that I can't. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone who you can talk to freely? Someone who isn't your boyfriend?""

"But you are enough. I tell you everything. You give me everything I need."

But you're nottelling me everything...Fine, time to play dirty, then. "Just try? For me?" Ianto looked at Jack with the best puppy-dog eyes he could muster. "We can call Dr. Harper, and he can refer you to someone who can help."

Jack sighed. He looked at Ianto, trying to think of something else to say.

"Please, Jack. Just humour me, okay? Give it a chance. If you go a few times and feel like it isn't helping you at all you can stop and I'll let it go."

Jack was defeated. "Fine, I'll go," he said finally. Then his expression turned flirtatious. "But I expect you to compensate me somehow."

Ianto laughed. "It's a deal."

Jack scheduled an appointment with Dr. Owen Harper the next Monday, and he referred him to a Dr. Martha Jones, psychiatrist and therapist. Jack was extremely sceptical about the whole thing. For one, he really thought he didn't need any help, and secondly, even if he did, it wouldn't be from a psychiatrist. But he had promised Ianto, so he'd go until Ianto was satisfied that he'd done enough.

After about a month of seeing her twice a week, he was proven wrong. Dr. Jones was excellent, and she was doing wonders for him. He'd immediately developed a profound trust in her, and felt as if he could trust her even if the world was ending. He felt completely at ease with her, and he could talk about everything. A part of him, the stubborn part, hated to admit that Ianto had been right, but the fact of the matter was, it was good to be able to talk about Ianto. How he felt that he was disappointing him, how he felt he couldn't really show Ianto how insecure and scared he was feeling (not that he knew any of that before he started, it was Dr. Jones who helped him realise that it was happening.) And it was so good to let it all out. Every time he left her office, he felt that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It wasn't always easy, she knew how to provoke him as well, and make him think about things, but she also knew how to take it easy, and help him move at his own pace. All in all, he was truly glad Ianto had practically forced him to go, because things were actually getting better. He started feeling more relaxed, he felt more capable of dealing with John's threats, he and Ianto were getting closer again and he slowly started feeling like he could let Ianto know when things got hard for him. Things were good.

About five weeks after he'd started treatment, Ianto went to meet him at his house right after his appointment. Jack was cooking dinner for them, and he felt incredibly good about himself.

"Honey, I'm home," Ianto called jokingly from the door.

"Hey, Yan." Jack left the cooker to come towards Ianto, pulling him into a tight hug, and kissing him deeply. They pulled apart after a long moment.

"I missed you," Jack said softly.

"Jack, we were together two hours ago," Ianto said, chuckling.

"So? What if I don't like being away from you, even if it isn't for long?"

Ianto laughed. "I missed you, too, sweetheart." Ianto kissed Jack again, a soft but intimate kiss. "Hey, aren't you burning something?" Ianto said when they pulled apart.

"Oh, right." Jack rushed back to the cooker.

"So, how was your appointment with Dr Jones?" Ianto asked, following Jack into the kitchen.

"Great, as always. I feel like we're making really good progress. I'm very hopeful, it feels like I'll finally be able to get over all this – even if I never wanted to admit how much it was really bothering me in the first place."

"That's wonderful, Jack. I'm so happy for you," Ianto said, as his phone started ringing in the living room, where he'd left it. He went to get it, and Jack stayed in the kitchen minding the dinner, which was almost ready.

"Hello?"

"Ianto, it's Gwen."

"Oh, hi," Ianto replied. The tense note in her voice told him not to say her name.

"I'm afraid I have some really bad news."

"What happened?" Ianto asked looking over to the kitchen to see if Jack was paying any attention, and trying to keep his voice down.

"Hart is coming here." She paused, as if afraid to go on.

"Um... When?... How do you...?"

"Well, I was right about the fact that he would make it easy for us. He bought a plane ticket this afternoon. He didn't even bother using a fake name or anything, so the alert popped up immediately." Gwen paused again, waiting to see if Ianto was going to say anything. "He's scheduled to arrive next week."

"Oh." That's the only thing he could say. He was panicking, he had no idea how to react to this, and even worse, how Jack would react.

"We'll keep our original plan, okay?" Gwen said, trying to sound reassuring. "Whenever either of you leave your houses we'll have officers following you and we'll track his phone so we can know where he is 24/7."

"Okay." Ianto let out the breath he'd been holding since the beginning of the conversation. He was trying to calm down, not wanting to alarm Jack.

"Um... the officers that are going to be with us... how..."

"We should schedule for you to meet before Hart gets here, and then you two can give them your schedule. They'll be rotating, as much as possible, to make it harder for Hart to notice that you're under protection. I want you to meet the entire team beforehand. We'll also put cameras on the perimeter of both your houses, so we'll have eyes on the surrounding areas at all times. Other than that, you should go about your lives as if nothing's changed. Hart shouldn't know that you're protected, or even that he's affecting your routine. Don't give him that satisfaction."

"Okay... Okay." Ianto was still trying to wrap his head around it all. He still couldn't believe this was happening. He never thought John would actually go through with his threat. He truly believed John was just trying to scare Jack, keep him on his toes, under his control. "Um... I'll have to talk to Jack about this. I'll call you tomorrow to schedule the meeting, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." She paused again. "Ianto, I'm so sorry. But believe me, we'll make sure nothing happens to any of you. All we need is to keep him under surveillance long enough to prove that he's harassing Jack, get more evidence, and it will make it easier to get rid of him."

"Yeah, okay," he replied, only half paying attention. "Thanks, Gwen."

"Good night, Ianto."

"Good night, Gwen."

Ianto hung up the phone and just stood there. He was shocked, in panic, and trying to figure out how the hell he'd give Jack the bad news. He was breathing deeply, in and out, trying to calm himself down, trying to appear in control and reassuring, for Jack's sake.

"Iantoooo," Jack called in a sing-song voice from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready."

Okay, just breathe. You can do it. For Jack, you can do it. Ianto turned towards the kitchen.

"Who was it?" Jack asked when he heard Ianto approaching.

Ianto froze. Jack was so happy, so carefree, and he would have to destroy all that. He kept hoping that this was just a nightmare; that he'd wake up in Jack's arms, warm and comfortable, living the life of their dreams. Jack turned around when he didn't get a response from Ianto.

"Who was it, Yan-" Jack looked at Ianto and saw how scared and pale he looked. "Ianto, what is it?" So much for preparing Jack beforehand.

"Jack, I... I..." Ianto couldn't find his voice. He didn't have the courage to break Jack like that.

"What is it, Yan? Tell me, you're scaring me." Jack said, moving closer.

Ianto took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let the air out. "That... That was Gwen on the phone..." Ianto saw fear quickly pass through Jack's eyes. "Um... John... I'm sorry, but John is coming here." Ianto saw Jack go into shock. Again. His heart broke at the sight. He wanted to help, but now even he felt completely hopeless. He wasn't one to give up on anything, though. He'd try to be there for Jack, no matter what. He directed Jack towards a chair and helped him sit down. He sat beside him, keeping him close and told Jack everything Gwen had told him, as calmly and slowly as he could.

When he was done, he couldn't even be sure how much Jack had heard or understood. He hadn't moved the whole time Ianto was talking, eyes unfocused, as if he weren't really there.

"Jack?" Ianto tried to get his attention. "Jack, sweetheart, talk to me." Ianto stared at Jack for a long time, stroking his cheek, trying to get him to focus on him again. "Talk to me, Jack. I'm here for you. Just talk to me."

"Why..." Jack blinked, slowly starting to talk. "Why did Gwen call you and not me?"

"Because I asked her to. I wanted to be the one to talk to you if anything happened."

"Goddamn it, Ianto!" Jack yelled, getting up from the chair. Ianto jumped back, startled by the sudden reaction. "What the hell were you thinking?! Can't you trust me?! Do you think I'm a child who has to be mothered all the time?! I can take care of myself, you know." Jack was pacing around the kitchen, shouting.

"Jack, I..." Ianto was stunned. He had no idea what to say, he never expected Jack to react like that. "I didn't mean to..."

"No, you always have the best intentions," Jack said, voice full of sarcasm. "Perfect Ianto, always there, always helpful, treating me like I'm useless, worthless."

"Jack, no, that's not what I-"

"Oh, of course not! Because you always know what's best for me – you think you're better than me!"

"Jack!" Ianto was completely exasperated. "You know I don't think any of that!" He'd tried getting up, too, tried getting closer to Jack, get Jack closer to him. "I love you, Jack, you know that."

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit." Jack turned around, and for a moment Ianto was afraid Jack might hit him, he seemed so angry. "That's only what you tell yourself, because it makes you feel better. It helps you feel like the perfect saint, come to Earth just to help poor, miserable Jack. He'd be completely defenceless if it weren't for you."

"Jack..." Ianto felt like he was being punched in the stomach. Repeatedly. He was trying really hard to swallow down the lump that was forming in his throat, to bite back the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Deep down he knew Jack didn't mean anything that he said, he was just lashing out because he was scared and he didn't know how to deal with it. But it all sounded so real, so hurtful. It was almost as if Jack was trying to...

"Jack..." Ianto started slowly. "Are you thinking that if you push me away I'll be safer?" he said softly. Jack was about to start another loud rant, and stopped short. He was just staring at Ianto. Ianto tried moving closer to Jack again. "You think that if we're not together, John won't try to get to me? Are you trying to protect me?" Jack was still staring, not moving, not even blinking. Ianto got closer, and dared put his arms around Jack, pulling him into a hug. Jack hesitated, trying to push Ianto back. Ianto just pulled him in closer and held him tighter. "I love you, Jack. I'm here for you."

Jack broke. He hugged Ianto back, and started sobbing, head buried into his shoulder.

"Oh, Jack," Ianto whispered in Jack's ear. "I don't care what happens, I'm not leaving you. You can yell at me all you want, I'm not letting you deal with this on your own."

"I'm sorry," Jack said between sobs. "I didn't-"

"I know, love, I know. It's okay." Ianto was holding Jack close, running one hand through his hair, in an attempt to comfort him.

"I can't lose you, Ianto," Jack whispered, barely audible through the hoarseness of his voice.

"You won't, Jack. We'll get through this. Everything will be okay."