The two men stand across from each other just staring for what seems like hours. Martha quietly sits in the background smiling to herself. This had been her idea, after all Ianto had contacted her a while back wondering if she could get in contact with Jack. Martha had spent the next week or so trying to find out where Jack was. Finally as a last ditch effort Martha had contacted The Doctor.

Martha looks at the two men before her. One is young and eager. The other is older. Whether he was actually over a hundred years old or not, Jack always looked like he was in "midlife" for a normal human. The two men continue to just stare at each other for the next half hour. It is obvious that the younger one is so relieved to find out that the older one actually came back to him. The older one is clearly shocked to see that his lover is in fact alive NOT dead.

"Jack, I can explain." Ianto finally says to his lover as he brings his body right up against Jack's.

Instead of a response, Jack stares at Ianto as if to say, "Then you better". He again reaches out and strokes Ianto's face, as if still not really believing that the man was in fact alive and well. Jack gives a sad smile as he drinks in all that is Ianto: his soft blue eyes that were, and still are, full of eagerness and excitement, his thick dark hair that Jack loves to run his fingers through, and his soft hands and lips always so loving towards Jack.

"I think we should go somewhere else to talk about this." Ianto says a little shyly.

Jack, still unable to find his voice simply nods.

"Martha, we are going to be going. Thanks for all your help." Ianto directs towards his new found friend.

"Oh okay." Martha says as she stands to bid her guests goodbye.

As Ianto and Jack walk out of Martha's apartment, Jack finally finds his voice.

"Where would we go?" Jack asks Ianto as he once again reaches out to touch him, this time on the shoulder.

"I still have my flat you know?" Ianto replies with his usual grin.

Jack returns the smile with his signature cheeky grin and pulls Ianto in for a sideways hug. The two continue their short walk to Ianto's flat in silence. Every so often Jack turns and glances over at Ianto still wondering how he survived. Jack had never experienced something like this before; unless you counted the times the risen mitten was used, but this was different. After all, the risen mitten had been destroyed some time ago.

Suddenly, Jack feels warmth against his hand. He looks down and discovers that Ianto had slipped his hand into Jack's. A gesture that Jack thought he would never get to experience ever again. Jack stops in his tracks and brings Ianto's hand up to his face. He smiles and then places a kiss to the back of Ianto's hand. The touch of Jack's lips elicits a groan from Ianto and the younger man steps closer towards Jack. Now the two men are flush against each other. Jack has no doubt that Ianto is real and not just an optical illusion. Ianto takes his free hand and places it behind Jack's neck, pulling Jack closer still, and then without warning Ianto presses his lips against Jack's.

Jack, feeling the kiss, jumps away from Ianto causing their hands to become untwined. Ianto stares at Jack in utter disbelief. He can't believe that Jack was rejecting him.

As if knowing what Ianto was thinking, Jack responds, "Ianto, we can't just jump back in guns blazing as if nothing has happened. YOU DIED! I watched you die right there in my arms, and now you are standing before me ALIVE! I'm sorry but that is just too weird even for me."

Ianto nods and the two continue their trek. Within minutes they were in front of Ianto's flat. Jack smiled at the memory of the last time the two of them had spent time there. It had been ages ago, but to Jack it was as if it had only been yesterday.

Ianto lets them in and then immediately goes to the kitchen to make coffee. Jack chuckles under his breath when Ianto returns with a cup of coffee, made just the way Jack liked it. The two sit down on the couch and drink their coffees in silence for what seems like days. The silence becomes too intense for Jack so he speaks.

"So how the hell are you alive, Ianto?" Jack asks giving Ianto a rare stern look.

"It's a really long story." Ianto sighs putting down his coffee.

"I have nothing but time." Jack says giving Ianto a meaningful look.

"I will tell you as long as you promise you will think nothing less of me afterwards."

"Ianto, I don't think I could ever think less of you."

"Oh believe me sir, you probably could. You might think that what I did is more reckless than the Lisa fiasco. However, you must understand that I did it because I love you and I wanted to ensure that we had a little more time together. See I knew that working for Torchwood meant early death and therefore a short lived relationship with the only man I have ever loved. I couldn't just let you go Jack so I did something that some might find unethical." Ianto stops to take another sip of coffee.

Jack takes this lull in the conversation as a moment to speak up. "I still don't understand how this is possible."

"It's all thanks to Owen really." Ianto says simply.

Saying Owen's name brings back the memory of the day Ianto did the deed, so to speak.

"Owen, could I get you to do me a favor," Ianto asks as he brings the doctor his coffee.

"Maybe, teaboy as long as it isn't illegal." Owen responds with a tight lipped smile.

"I want you to infuse some of Jack's blood into my body," Ianto ventures.

"Why the bloody hell would you want that? It's not like you don't already get enough of him in you." Owen incredulously responds, still ending with a jab at Ianto's sex life with the Captain.

"Owen we all die young, it's always been that way with Torchwood. You know it, I know it. We all bloody know it!"

"Still not seeing why you would want an infusion of Jack's blood."

"I don't want to have to say goodbye to him yet. I need more time with him."

"You're puppy love for the man makes me sick. You do realize that even if you lived forever he wouldn't stay with you that whole time. You are always going to be nothing more than part-time shag to him."

"I just want more time with him. I want my life to mean something more than what it does right now."

"And you think that becoming like him you can do that? What the hell is this world coming to?"

"So will you help me?"

"Well my question for you now is, would you really want to live forever?"

"I guess I hadn't really thought of that. Jack has seen so much negative in his lifetime. I don't know if I could handle all the pain."

"You can't believe me mate I know. You are way too vulnerable for that."

"So you're not going to do it are you?"

"No I will do you one better."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I have a pill of sorts, I invented it myself. It allows the taker one do over. If they die it will bring them back to life one time and one time only."

"I wouldn't mind that."

"One catch though."

"What's that?"

"You have to promise me that once you have died and brought back to life you will leave Torchwood. That way your second life will have a chance to last." Owen explains to Ianto as he pulls out a pill canister.

"Deal, now give me the pill." Ianto agrees putting his hand out as he gazes up towards Jack's office.

"Don't take it now though; wait until you go out on a super dangerous mission that way you can ensure it will last long enough to save you. If you were to take it now you would have to die within six months." Owen responds as he hands Ianto the pill canister.

"Thanks" Ianto replies as he steps past Owen and out of the lab.

"How does Owen play into all this?" Jack asks, placing his hand on Ianto's forearm, bringing the young man out of his memories.

"He gave me second life. He invented this pill that can bring back the taker from death. However, it only works once. I got the only pill in existence. We didn't even know if it would work really, but it was better than the alternative." Ianto replies, looking deep into Jack's eyes.

"What was the alternative?" Jack tilts his head slightly to the left, in question.

"Owen infusing your blood into my body," Ianto deadpans.

"OH GOD NO!" Jack looks at Ianto with horror.

"Relax; I just said I took a pill didn't I? Why would I have taken a pill if Owen had infused me?" Ianto reassures Jack with a touch of his hand.

"So did you take the pill right when Owen gave it to you?"

"No, he told me I had to take it right before a really dangerous mission one where I would most likely die because he said the pill only lasts six months." Ianto says as he caresses Jack's face.

"Well that settles things then. I am relieving you of your Torchwood duties immediately. No point wasting this so called second life of yours." Jack says with a sigh as he stands up from the couch.

Ianto smiles and stands up next to Jack. He takes Jack's face into his hands and the two men exchange a kiss. It is a kiss like none either man had ever experienced before, not even Jack who had experienced many a kiss. Ianto ran his fingers through Jack's hair as he pulled the man in tighter. He hungrily forced his tongue into Jack's mouth. After what seemed like hours the two men come up for air.

"Don't worry, Owen made me promise not to go back to Torchwood after death or else he wouldn't give me the pill." Ianto says to Jack breathlessly.

Jack pulls the man back into a warm embrace. With Ianto's head on his shoulder, Jack whispers into the young man's ear "So glad to have you back. Let's make it last."