The Doctor gave Jack and Ianto a few minutes. He'd seen sufficient enough evidence to prove that Ianto's brain was intact. Mostly anyway. He still needed to test motor functions and short term memory (long term seemed fine), but otherwise Ianto was exactly as he had been.

Jack was hit by the biggest wave of emotion he'd ever felt. He'd been through so much in the two hundred odd years he'd been alive, seen people die, left people behind, been left behind, but he had never felt such a strong urge to… well he didn't know what… he couldn't put it into words, but it was so strong, and whatever he felt was all for Ianto.

The four months of pain and anguish he'd put Ianto through struck him ten fold and he realised that the Welshman deserved better. So much more than a stupid ex-time agent who couldn't die, couldn't tell the complete truth.

Jack couldn't let Ianto go. Not that Ianto seemed in any hurry to break the contact. But the rational part of Jack's brain told him that though he would much rather spend the next twenty four hours making things up with Ianto, they had things they needed to sort out first.

"Ianto," Jack pulled back slightly to look at him and found his words were lost when he looked into Ianto's crystal blue eyes.

"I never stopped loving you," Ianto whispered, tears still pouring down his face.

"I know, I know," Jack felt tears start to roll over his own cheeks. "And I truly am sorry."

"Do you know what it's like to never be able to move forward because there's always a small part of you that believes the person you love will come back for you?" Ianto closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Jack's. "Because no matter how much they hurt you, or ignore you, you can't help loving them completely and excusing all the abuse they put you through."

Jack sighed. He knew what it was like to be left behind. He knew what it was like to live through all the shit he piled on Ianto, but he also knew that he couldn't change what had happened.

"Ianto," Jack said again. "I…"

Ianto opened his eyes again and looked at him.

"It doesn't matter anymore," he said quietly. "Because… because I've done the same to other people… because I've done bad things to you… because I know it's not all your fault. It doesn't matter… because I love you."

"I'm so-"

"I know," Ianto smiled slightly and wiped his face. "But we need-"

"We need to sort things out," Jack nodded. "But not now. We have to solve this thing at the alien house."

"Yeah," Ianto ran a hand through his hair. "What happened to me?"

"The Doctor said… it sort of took your mind… like your soul, because although you could still move and breathe, there was no memory or thought," Jack replied standing up and smoothing himself down.

"Right…" Ianto thought back to what he'd read before he passed out. That put the vision in perspective. But it must have been based on his deepest feelings.

There was knock on the door and the Doctor put his head round, glasses perched on his nose.

"Look, I know you two have got… issues… but could we get on with defeating the mind snatching aliens now?" He asked, looking slightly out of place.

"Yeah," Ianto nodded. "We're…"

The Doctor stepped in and Ianto didn't finish.

"Has Jack explained what we need you to do?"

"Uhh… no…" Ianto glanced at Jack.

"I haven't had time Doctor…" Jack replied going bright red. The fact that there was an alien invasion going on had taken a back seat after the emotional reunion with Ianto.

So the Doctor had to explain his plan. All the while he talked he watched Ianto carefully to check his reaction. A few hours previously he would have guessed that Ianto would agree immediately, but now he had made up with Jack, the Doctor had the feeling Ianto would be less inclined to put his life on the line.

"Ok," Ianto said as soon as the Doctor had finished talking.

The Doctor was slightly taken aback. He'd expected silence; he'd expected Ianto to be anxious, to ask questions, to say no. Not once had he expected a simple 'ok'.

"Oh…" the Doctor nodded.

Jack glanced between the two of them, wondering if perhaps Ianto's brain had been addled slightly.

"You do realise what he's asking you to do, don't you?" Jack said.

"Yes," Ianto nodded.

"So… you're fine risking your life?" Jack sounded slightly put out too.

Ianto looked between the two of them and stood up, moving away from the bed

"Ok," he paused looking round as if trying to find the words. "You, Doctor, go round risking your life to save the universe all the time. Half of them you don't know, and half of them you don't like, but you still do it. Jack, you do the same… on slightly smaller scale, but neither of you stop once to think. You don't do it because you think you should. You do it because it's right."

The Doctor and Jack glanced at each other.

"That's why I need to do this."