As Jens stepped inside the landscape of Jack's mind, the light was dim and the wind icy. He could barely see Jack's still body as he walked towards it. A figure rose by the Captain side, the fylgia, a young man in an old-fashioned suit.

"Stop!"

Jens halted.

"Ianto!" He held his hands so the fylgia could see he came unarmed. "Ianto, it's Jens."

"I know who you are," said Ianto cautiously. "Why are you here?"

"To protect him," Jens said pointing to Jack. "To help you."

"You cannot cross into death without dying," Ianto was incredulous. "Jack and I have already made this journey." He peered closely at Jens as he came nearer. "Do you know what this can do to you? The risk you take?"

"I know" Jens said quietly as he knelt next to the Captain checking for signs of consciousness. He looked up at Ianto. "I know."

Ianto stared a long moment into Jens' eyes, and then nodded in silent understanding.

The sky was darkening as the wind picked up with a roar. Shards from the Time Agent boxes pushed by the gale began to cut into their bodies. Images flickered on contact: the eyes of the 4-5-6 imprisoned child, the flash of the bomb that torn him apart in the Hub. Fragmented voices sifted through the air. "Freak…your fault…Stephen!..."

"The Doyenne explained to me that if I…if we stay with him, protect him, he has a chance to come through this sane." Ianto shouted as he returned to his position in front of Jack, protecting his face from the shards in the wind. Jen curled around the back, and together they embraced to form a shield for the man between them. The light dissolved into night while the wind began to swirl the shards into the air.

"Brace yourself, Jens." Ianto shouted above the noise. "I've never seen this…devastation before, but when he dies we will enter a void before returning, if we do return this time." He looked into that Time Lord's eyes. "Are you afraid?"

Jens tried to respond, but the wind was too loud. He nodded and pulled the Captain closer. Jack was so cold, so still. Ianto pulled closer and together they tightened their shield around the immortal man. The wind battered their bodies as the whirlwind pulled the shards high in the air, smashing them together, pulverizing into smaller and smaller bits. And then the world went black.

TWTWTWTWTW

Several hours passed as the Doctor continued his briefing with the Colonel pouring over every detail. The Adyan Commander and her team were still at large, and it was certain that she would not rest until she had the child or the Conservancy imprisoned her. He wanted to keep his promise to the Doyenne, but it was important that she knew the circumstances. The Conservancy did not approve of the prisoners' transfer to the planet Adya for rehabilitation, but only yielded to the plan in deference to the Time Lord. However, for them, the use of force was on the table.

The TARDIS was quiet now. Kira kept all systems humming. It was a challenge to create so many rooms for the wounded and the Conservancy medics, but the sentient ship had come through for them.

"A chip of the old block," smiled the Doctor remembering his own TARDIS. He patted her walls in appreciation as he walked back to sickbay. The room was dark with only the Doyenne sitting in the reflected light of the monitors. As he drew nearer, he frowned as he saw his son lying next to the dead Captain in an embrace.

"What is this?" he whispered to the Doyenne. "Why is Jens here next to Jack?"

"He is with him. He and the fylgia are protecting him in the journey."

"No, no, no, no!" cried the Doctor wringing his hands as his anxiety mounted as he circled the cot. He moved closer to the two men on the bed. "What have you done?!"

The Doyenne rose from her chair in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"You sent him to die with Jack!" The Doctor's eyes were wide with fear. "He is a Time Lord! We don't die, we regenerate!"

"But isn't that a good thing?"

"You don't understand! Jens and Jack, and possibly this fylgia are all saturated in Vortex Energy." He placed both hands on her shoulders. "Don't you see? The possible interactions are infinite…time…space. I don't know what will happen! They may not come back here… or at all!"

TWTWTWTWTWTW

"It's cold," whispered Jens as he held on to Jack. "Ianto?"

"Sh-h-h." whispered Ianto. "You'll attract attention."

The Time Lord felt as if he was suspended in the black void. No light. No scent. No sound. He could feel Jack's body in his arms and Ianto's interlocking grip but nothing else. Their bodies molded into a shield around the immortal, but Jack was still cold, lifeless.

"How long…"

"Depends," Ianto said in a low whisper. "It depends on how much…damage."

Something moved in the distance. They stayed silent and utterly still. Finally, silence returned.

"Does he know?" asked Jens. "Does he know we are with him?"

"At some level," said Ianto. "Probably not conscious."

"How many times have you…?"

"Too many."

Jens shifted his position and placed his fingers on Jack's neck, searching for a pulse. Nothing.

"How are you feeling?" asked Ianto.

"Off," Jens replied. "Dizzy." He drew Jack closer. "A bit scared."

"Yeah." Ianto whispered. "Think of how many times he's done this alone alone. Thousands of times, alone." He quietly kissed the immortal on the lips. Still cold.

"I'm glad you're with him, even though I feel a bit…"

"Jealous?"

"Yeah," Jens admitted. "Jealous."

"He doesn't remember I am with him," Ianto said softly. "When he revives the memory disappears."

"But you are…with him," whispered Jens. "Always. More than me."

"Now Jack would say this is a bit of a threesome," Ianto chuckled.

Jens smiled. "Yes he would." He nuzzled the Captain's ear. Still cold. "Come on Jack, come back to me…to us."

"Does he speak of me?" Ianto asked tentatively.

"Yes." Jens said softly. "Whenever we return to Earth, he returns to you…to your grave, and places a spray of orchid." He paused. "What you two had, Ianto was singular…and rare. He still grieves for you."

Ianto shifted his position and pulled Jack closer. "Cariad, I'm here." He stroked the Captain's face and kissed him. "We are with you. You're not alone."

TWTWTWTW

The Doctor insisted that the bodies of the Captain and his son be moved to another room, a more secure room than the infirmary and away from the other sleeping quarters. Chi and Adjit was assigned to take care of the Adyan infant, while the Doyenne instructed Toshi, Gray, Mara, and the Doctor on the next step.

"When he starts to revive, I should hear a heart beat and breath, but he probably will not return to consciousness," she said soberly. "The Vortex will heal the body, but the Commander meant to destroy his mind. Jack must rebuild this himself."

"How?" asked Toshi.

"What worked for him before, the boxes, won't work again," said the Doyenne. He has to find a new way."

"What do you want us to do?" asked Toshi.

"Just be with him. Talk to him," replied the Doyenne. "He's strong, but he needs to know you are there, that he's loved." She looked around the room. "By all of you. Talk to him about what you share. Help him get past the horrors, and remember."

"My father has lived a long time," mused Toshi. "What about those memories? The ones we are not part of."

"Tell him the stories he told you," replied the Doyenne. "Everything helps."

"And the bad ones?" asked Gray, his eyes on the floor.

"Those will always come to him without prompting," she said softly. "Pain is strong. Stay with the good ones you remember."

The Doctor stayed quiet. Gray may have been the cause of Jack's current suffering, but he had deeply hurt the former Time Agent many times. Abandonment on Game Station 5. Flying to the ends of the universe to escape him. Not there for the 4-5-6, not there to fight the Miracle. Doubting Jack's intentions. He knew Jack loved him, but he was a significant part of Jack's pain. What could he offer?

"Take turns sitting with them," the Doyenne said. "Touch him as you speak to him." She got up from the chair by the bed and turned to the Doctor. "I will go to rest now. Will you take the next watch?"

The Doctor nodded and slipped into the chair beside Jack. The Doyenne placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort, then left to retire for the night. Mara returned to her quarters taking small monitoring devise to alert her when the Captain revived.

"Toshi, will you take the next watch after me?" asked the Doctor.

She nodded as she continued to gaze at her father's pale face.

"Gray?"

"I'll follow Toshi" Gray said as he stood over his lifeless brother for a moment, then slowly walked back to his room.

"Toshi," the Doctor said gently. "You need your rest."

Toshi continued to gaze at both her parents as they lay in a tight embrace on the cot.

"Are they together?" she asked. "You know… on the other side?"

The Doctor nodded and repeated, "You need your rest."

"I know…" she said thoughtfully. "But first I need to get something."

She bent down and kissed Jack on the cheek just like she had when she was a little girl, and did the same to Jens. Toshi then turned and wrapped her arms around her grandfather as he sat by the bedside, and kissed him on the forehead. The Doctor reached up and touched her cheek, before she turned and left the room.

Toshi continued down the hall of the TARDIS towards her room, but made a detour into the room her parents shared. She remembered once Jack had showed her an tarnished metal box filled with fading pictures and letters from the lives he lived long before her birth. She started to systematically search the shelves of the room. As she came to the closet, she gently gathered his military coat in her arms, breathing in his scent. Tears glistened as she carefully smoothed the fabric and hung it up again. She found the box hidden behind a small stack of antique books. She smiled as she pushed aside the small library; her father treasured books. She carefully pulled out the battered metal box, its yellow paint chipped and dulled with age. As she opened it, she was pleased the faded photographs and letters were still there. As she pulled out the letters she noticed a worn leather bound notebook tied with as strap. As she opened it, a memory stick fell out. She opened the book and puzzled over the dates and codes, before replacing the memory stick and strap. Quietly closing the lid, she took the box back to her room.