Notes: This is a continuation of Jack's 35-minutes prior to his talk with Ianto. Enjoy part 2 of 7.

Chapter Spoilers: Episodes 2.01 (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang – slight/references) and Doctor Who 3.12, 3.13 (Sound of Drums, Last of the Time Lords – slight/references)

"Gwen?" Jack asked. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Rhys?"

"I never called him, Jack," she replied in her soft, suggestive voice. I don't want to be with him, don't you see that?

"Why not?" Jack asked, playing dumb. He knew why Gwen was there, but didn't want to be interrogated nor have a heated discussion before his talk with Ianto. God only knows what will become of either talk.

"Jack, aren't you going to invite me in?" Gwen asked, waiting until she was no longer in the hallway where anyone could see or hear before she made any more advances.

Jack huffed, but invited her in, shutting the door behind her. It didn't take Gwen long to make herself comfortable on one side of the bed. Jack just leaned against the wall, arms across his chest in his typical defensive manner.

Why won't he join me? I need to get him into bed... I want him.. I need him. "Jack, come join me," she suggested seductively and patted on the open side of the bed.

Without moving an inch, "Gwen, what is it that you want?"

You and me, together in every way. But Gwen took the opportunity to get answers first. I am owed them after all. "To talk... Answers..."

"I already gave you answers," Jack stated trying to wrap this moment up quickly before Ianto would be over. He noticed the time on the clock, that 25 minutes had gone by since they departed in the hallway. Ianto would be over soon and he wanted to save all his time and energy for whatever that conversation had in store.

But Gwen was persistent. "Well, they weren't good enough." How is telling me you saw the end of the world, but not telling me how, a good enough answer? And then tell me you came home to me, but not showing any signs that you care since? She motioned again for him to join her on the bed, hoping that being physically closer would bring comfort and trust. Finally, she thought with a smile as Jack moved away from the wall. But her smiled turned to a frown when he sat in the desk chair instead. Damn him. "I almost died today, Jack.." she began, trying one last time to get him in bed. "..The least you could do is sit with me, comfort me."

Jack shook his head. "No, that's what Rhys is for. Now let's get this over with. What do you want to know?" He knew very well what Gwen's motives were, and he would not give into them no matter how widely she was giving him those brown, powerful, puppy dog eyes.

Realizing that Jack would not concede, Gwen gave up on her seduction plan in order to get her real answers, "Why did you leave and where did you go?"

Jack rolled his eyes in typical Ianto fashion. Here we go again. "I left to find answers to my own questions," Jack vaguely answered. "And now I'm back and not going anywhere." It wasn't the complete truth. He would leave again if the Doctor ever needed him, but hoped that time wouldn't be in the immediate future. And I would always come back so long as Ianto would still be here. Maybe I could even take him along?

Gwen had her own thoughts during the silence. He's never going to give me a straight answer. Why won't he trust me? Talk to me? She turned the focus back to matters of the heart, hoping he'd finally confess his true feelings. "Did you think about us?"

Jack hesitated, thinking about his time aboard the Valiant during the year that never was. He was subjected to daily torture, dying at least once every day. Some deaths took longer to come back from, and the Master was always ready with a new form of death once he was hauled back to life. He thought about what kept him going. Ianto. And the team. But mostly Ianto. "Every day," Jack finally confessed. He did not want to make Gwen feel like she wasn't cared about.

"Did you miss us?..." She asked. "Did you miss me?" She asked in a hush tone, but still loud enough that Jack should hear it.

And he did. Jack could see the discussion of Gwen's confession of love grow nearer, but still desperately wanted to avoid the conversation, despite knowing the talk needed to happen. He still chose to try and avoid it, for now. "I missed all of you."

Why can't he just give me a straight answer? Does he know I love him? I really need to know if he heard my confession. Then I can work out a plan to get him to be with me. "Jack," she finally said after a decent amount of silence lingered between them. "When you're dead and coming back to life, if someone talks to you, can you hear them and remember it?"

Jack hesitated. If I say no, I'll be lying and she'll eventually find out the truth. But if I say yes, she'll expect me to have a response to her confession. He settled for an in between, "Sometimes. It depends on how far gone I was." Please let that be the end of this, Jack thought as he hoped, though knowing deep down it wouldn't be. He glanced at the clock again while Gwen figured out her next question. Thirty total minutes passed since he left Ianto's suites. He should be here soon. I need to get her out of here.

Gwen was so focused on how she would proceed that she never noticed Jack's eagerness to end the conversation. So maybe he just didn't hear me and that's why he won't confess his feeling for me. "And with after Abaddon?" Please tell me you heard that.

Jack was becoming perturbed. He didn't want to lie, but didn't want to answer either. "Gwen, if you have something to say then just say it." He demanded.

He wants me to say it. He wants me to tell him that I love him! Well then, I will. She looked right into her Captain's captivating blue eyes and confessed again, "I love you, Jack."

Jack looked away from Gwen. She knows I'm with Ianto. At least I hope I'm still with Ianto. Why is she doing this? Plus she's engaged! What does she think will happen, that I'll break up her and Rhys and drop Ianto. That will never happen. "I'm sorry, Gwen... but surely you know that I don't love you in that way."

"And why not?!" Gwen snapped. I don't believe this! I don't believe him. He loves me, I know he does!

"Because I love Ianto," Jack confessed. I really need to tell Ianto this and not everyone else, he noted to himself.

"Ianto.. Ianto.. Ianto.." Gwen was becoming infuriated. "It's always about the bloody tea boy. You can have so much more, so much better. He's nothing special."

HOW DARE SHE! "He is special, Gwen! And he's so much more than just a bloody tea boy!" Jack snapped. He was tired of Gwen and the inevitable drama she brought with wherever the team went. "It's time for you to leave, Gwen Cooper." He got up and walked over to the bed, pulling her off. Gwen put up a fight, but Jack held on tight, refusing to let go until she was out of the room and out of his sight. "Go to your suite. Call Rhys. Now!" He demanded as they continued their struggle towards the door.

They finally arrived close enough for Jack to reach out and open the door. When he did, they both froze like deer caught in headlights.