Jack was startled to hear a female voice as he opened his eyes. As it happened, he awoke naked and disoriented for the second time in his life. Although, this time, there were no makeover robots. There was a hooded woman, in robes of topaz yellow and haunting red. She giggled just slightly as he didn't try to scurry around and hide himself.

"Where am I?"

"You're awake."

"I certainly am."

"Come now, Jack, this isn't the first time you've woke up naked and not known where you are." She slid the hood down and smiled.

"Rose?" Jack leaped up to give her a big hug.

"You're still naked, although I do appreciate the warm welcome. Here, I've brought you a robe."

"Appreciate that. So, do tell, how have you been?"

"Still not worried about where you are?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me."

"Well, you're right about that. As usual." Her eyes rolled around a bit as they left the cave. Jack took notice of the semi-barren landscape dotted with grass and trees. He thought of the place in terms of a canyon with dark sand. He was about right.

"First thing you should know is that you are in a parallel universe."

"But how?"

"Long story; of course, the Doctor is involved. But we've got time for that later. You'll be allowed to go back, but only after you've done what's necessary here."

"Where is here?"

"A parallel universe. You were paying attention, weren't you?"

"Right. So, the rose thing was actually pretty clever."

"I thought so. You know, the Doctor didn't think I remembered anything about the Time Vortex, but as we left, I thought on it and I came to the conclusion that something had happened staring into the Tardis' heart."

"The Tardis is controlled by the Time Vortex."

"My thoughts exactly. So, much like Bad Wolf, which was a brilliant idea if I may say so."

"You may."

"I created a world here for refugees of Earth. Mostly women, but a few men that want to live dedicated to simple principles and exploration. Kind of a thing I dedicated to the Doctor."

"Another long story?"

"Not as long. Oh, watch your step. You wouldn't want to fall in there."

"Why not?" Jack peered over the edge of the smooth silver lake.

"We call it the Lake of Death."

"Ah. I'll remember that. So, enlighten me as to what I'm doing here?"

"I want to give you a chance to make things right with Ianto. I want to help you get rid of those things on your wrists."

"How'd you know about..."

"The Tardis is quite chatty once you allow it to get over its jealousy phase. It told me a lot about you Jack. I must say, Ianto must be quite a man."

"He is. But how will you help me?"

"The Chamber of Testing. Normally, it's reserved for the beginners learning mediation, but for you it will be the answer."

"I don't fully understand."

"I didn't expect you to right away. Let's just say there are two people you need to learn to trust your love with. Here we are." Jack and Rose stood before a large pagoda, rustling from an invisible breeze.

"You aren't coming with me?"

"Isn't not my test, now is it? You'll be fine, Jack. All you have to remember is to trust two things: love and your instincts."

"That sounds rather cryptic."

"I think there's some rule around here that it has to be." She patted his left bicep. "Well, good luck Jack."

Jack stepped forward alone and entered the pagoda. A steaming pile of coals and a water bag were the only occupants of the elm-lined sanctuary. Jack stood tense before the emptiness and then a thunderous quake came his way.

Menacing eyes bared down on him as more booms followed in rapid succession. The face of a topaz spider bearing thirteen eyes filled the large pagoda and made a beeline for Jack. He reached for his absent pistol and cursed just a bit. He took a hot coal in his hand and screamed as he jetted it towards the eye of the creature. The creature had a scream that could only be described as sonic.

Unfortunately, as Jack dropped to his knees in bone-shattering pain from the scream, the topaz spider turned and another head faced him. This was not good. And then Rose's words came. He had tried trusting his instinct. What else was there to trust in? He thought of Rose, the Doctor (when he first came aboard the Tardis and then after), and then of Ianto. Ianto, who trusted and loved him until he had been strained to snapping. He imagined Ianto physically being snapped into two and shuddered. Then, an idea dawned on him. Trust Rose to leave him a clue by tapping his bicep. He faced the creature on his knees as it came, bearing down upon him. Stingers of pure topaz encapsulated his hands and he did indeed scream, without remorse. The monster shook him and the last thing he remembered was seeing his left arm completely rent of its socket.

"Well, I guess we know the answer to that question."

"What's that?" He groaned groggily.

"That you don't exactly die when dismembered."

"Did I just pass out? And why am I so cold?"

"That was Rina. She has become a master of some healing properties and stopping the bleeding with the snow flower that grows wild on this planet. Her poultices should be world-famous. We are glad its not."

"Some test."

"You did well. Now, it's time for you to head back."

"What about all that I've seen in the gem?"

"Those visions either were or shall come."

"Then Ianto will grow old and I'll be alone again."

"Will that stop you from loving him today?"

"No."

"Good. Because imagine how he must of felt having to think about you having a baby with someone else. A baby that you would love, but that he almost certainly could not. A daily reminder of all the risks of loving someone like the Doctor, or Capt. Jack Harkness."

"Point well taken. What are we doing here?"

"This is your way home."

"The Lake of Death is my way home?"

"We can only be reborn with what we acquire here."

"What about my arms?"

"Patience, Jack. And trust. What, you haven't learned anything?"

Jack jumped into the pool and found the water only came up to his waist. "What now?" He shrugged his invisible arms.

"Just wait. And good look Jack."

Jack noticed an increase in his breathing. It was becoming more erratic as well. The pool of liquid silver began to surge and tide around him. The silver began to crawl up his sides and encompass him in streams up to his neck. His eyes searched for Rose in panic.

She tossed the topaz slowly and it came to a halt in front of him. There was a flash of light and suddenly Rose became translucent and green. The world around him turned into what could only be described as a flying saucer. Outside his window was the Milky Way. She spoke a language he did not understand, but he knew. They meant him no harm. The gem must have shown him a world he could comprehend.

That flash ended and more of the silver had covered him, but still only to his neck. The sheen of silver grew around his muscles tight and began to drip from his soldered sockets. They began to extend and grow; twist like sinewy tissue does. Silver biceps and fingers began to grow. The topaz rose showered the water with sparks and soon again the arms were human in nature and the water dissipated around him. Everything fell away but the glow of the gem. Jack reached for it, intrigued once more, and found himself atop Cardiff Bay.

He crawled down through the hatch and nearly hit Tosh with the bottom of his foot as she set off to investigate the noise.

"Jack!"

"Tosh, how long have I been gone?"

"Two weeks."

"Jack, what's happened to you?" Gwen had joined the conversation.

"Send him over to Ianto first. The man hasn't eaten in two weeks." Owen piped in, still not bothering to tear his eyes from his console.

"Jack, answer me."

"I'm not sure, Tosh, but this I do know." He turned over his bare wrist to show Tosh. The glowing was gone and he just knew that something inside him had been changed.

"But how, Jack?"

"The gem; is the gem still working?"

"No, the glowing stopped a minute before you came down that hatch." Ianto stood at the doorway; looking skinnier than ever. Jack ran for him.

"Ianto!"

"No Jack, Ianto raised his arm and braced himself. Just stop. We can't do this anymore?"

"But, but I just got myself cured for you, for us."

"You pushed me away Jack. You went off, again, without me. Why?"

"Because of the..."

"Because you don't think I'm strong enough. I get it. Damn it all, I finally get it."

"Ianto, what do you think you get? That I wouldn't have done anything to save you, to save us?"

"No, that I'll love you for the rest of my life. But that it's not enough. That whatever this thing we have is; that it's tearing me up on the inside in an unholy way. And I can't make this decision because I love you." Ianto's tears were raking and visible. Jack just stood above him, speechless. "You have to decide how much you want me. "

"I saw you old, Ianto, and I looked as though nothing had changed for me."

"And I saw it too! I saw you being tortured by the Master. I saw you thinking of me to get you through that. But its all rubbish."

"No, it's not! Look! This isn't rubbish. I'm free. We're free."

"How do you know? How do you know something more extraordinary and more painful won't come up? How do you know?"

"I can't know. What I do know is this." He took Ianto's cheeks into his hands and massaged gently, and he brought Ianto into a firm kiss. Ianto lost all thought and all he could feel was Jack's firm lips pressing his cracked ones and him needing Jack's lips and Jack's hands. Damn it, Ianto thought. Just damn it.