With a deep sigh of contentment, Jack Harkness shrugged his greatcoat on and, with one more hug for The Doctor and Martha, stepped out into the weak sunshine of a spring Cardiff evening. He took a deep breath savouring the taste and smells of the city that he now called home. He turned to face The Doctor, who was lounging in the doorway of the Tardis with a wistful smile on his face,

'You don't have to go, you know Jack' he said, 'I'd be proud and happy if you would agree to travel with me again.'

Jack gave him a sweet smile, 'thanks, Doc but I know where I need to be' the smile deepened, 'and I know who I need to be with.'

The Doctor nodded, 'Good luck, Jack. I hope everything works out for you.'

'As long as he is still willing to have me, it will.' Jack threw The Doctor a salute and ran to the invisible lift.

The Doctor watched sadly as Jack disappeared from view, 'Be happy Jack,' he whispered softly, 'after everything I have put you through, all the sacrifices I have asked of you, no-one deserves happiness more.'

A snort came from behind him, 'you couldn't have said that to his face?' asked Martha, 'you never even acknowledged what he did for us, for you. Tish told me what Jack suffered at the hands of that maniac, torture, rape and death, day after day, hour after hour. He saved us all, he saved your Tardis and cared for her whilst you were too busy grieving over the man who caused so much misery and suffering and you haven't even told him how much of a debt you owe him.'

'Jack makes me uncomfortable' said The Doctor defensively.

'Oh, well, by all means we must make sure that you are comfortable,' snapped Martha. She turned away from the Timelord and moved back into the Tardis. 'I'd like you to take me home now, please'

The Doctor raised a puzzled eyebrow, 'I thought you wanted to travel with me?'

Martha stood at the central control panel of the Tardis, running her hands gently over the smooth console, 'I thought I wanted that too,' she said sadly, 'but then I also thought you were the most wonderful man I had ever met, I thought I loved you until I saw how carelessly and unkindly you treated a really wonderful man, how selfishly you viewed his sacrifice for you. You knew he would turn down the chance to travel with you because after everything he has been though he needs to be with his Ianto, you offered him what he longed for at the precise moment he no longer wanted it. You are a hollow man, Doctor. You have no substance, no personality.' She faced the stunned Timelord and waved an illustrative hand towards him, 'this character, this image – it's all a charade. Jack doesn't make you uncomfortable because he is a fixed point in time, he makes you uncomfortable because he is a hundred, a thousand times the man you are.'

The Doctor scowled, he was hurt he couldn't deny it. 'So, in love with Jack now are you? A little fickle aren't we?'

'Jack is a very loveable man' retorted Martha, 'his love and his loyalty to his friends is a lesson it would do you good to learn. I'm not in love with Jack and he would never fall in love with me; his love is reserved for you for some reason and for Ianto Jones, more for him than you, now, I think if I'm honest. Jack and I spent a lot of time talking and sharing our stories with each other in the aftermath of The Valiant, putting ourselves back together whilst you were moping around over The Master. I saw the look in his eyes when he spoke of Ianto and the pain in them when he spoke of you. I'm not in love with you either, seeing you as you really are, that was a real wake up call for me. I'm not going to waste my time mooning around after someone who is not capable of loving me the way I deserve, I'm going to find someone who will make me look like Jack does when he talks about Ianto.'

'Well' said The Doctor, coldly 'you certainly have made your feelings crystal clear.'

'Good'

The short journey through the time vortex back to Martha's home was carried out in cold silence.

Jack could feel his heart rate accelerate as he descended into the hub on the invisible lift. He was less sure of his reception than his cocky demeanour suggested. He wished he had asked The Doctor how much time had elapsed since he had left his team without a word of explanation or a backward glance. He had kissed Ianto in front of everyone, effectively outing both Ianto and their relationship with one simple action, but he had not had the opportunity to speak to the young man, to reassure him that he was not a plaything but something much more important and enduring. Please, please thought Jack, let him be happy to see me. A delighted shriek from below him let him know that someone, at least, was glad to see him back.

'Jack!' Gwen Cooper was staring upwards a look if total disbelief on her face. She was quickly joined by a broadly smiling Toshiko Sato and a highly confused looking Owen Harper. A small frown crossed Jack's face as two total strangers joined the group, both of them training their guns on Jack until Tosh gently lowered their arms with a shake of her head.

Jack bounced from the paving stone when it was still a couple of feet from the Hub floor, showtime, he told himself. 'Hi kids,' big smile, 'did ya miss me?'

Gwen launched herself into his arms, covering his face in kisses 'God Jack, it's so good to see you. Where the hell have you been?'

Tosh was standing beside him, stroking his arm as if she could hardly believe he was real, 'are you back to stay?' she asked softly.

Jack carefully disentangled himself from Gwen's determined embrace and pulled Tosh in for a hug, 'I'm back to stay.' He murmured into her hair, smiling as he felt her relax against him

Over Tosh's shoulder, Jack could see Owen throw him a semi-serious salute, 'Good to have you back, Captain. I'll expect you in the med bay at your earlier convenience for a full medical check.'

Jack gave a short nod; a full medical was standard procedure when an operative returned from a prolonged absence. Must have been gone a while, he thought to himself. He turned his attention to the two strangers who were hovering uncertainly at the edges of the reunion, he gave them the full effect of the Captain Jack Harkness smile and stuck his hand out, 'Jack Harkness' he smirked, 'and you are?'

Gwen jumped in with introductions, 'this is Susan Finlay, she's a field intelligence operative.' The plump non-descript woman gave Jack a tentative smile, Jack raised an eye-brow and Gwen clarified, 'Sue is amazing at intelligence gathering, she has informants all over the city, it makes tech retrieval much more efficient.'

Jack stepped forward and took hold of Susan's hand and placed a delicate kiss on the back of it, 'delighted to meet you' he murmured smoothly. Susan blushed and Gwen smacked Jack lightly.

'Jack, stop it,' she scolded, 'you don't change do you?'

'Stop what?' asked Jack, his face innocent, 'I was just saying hello'

'Hmm' Gwen was oozing disbelief. 'This is Steve Baxter, he...er...he...' she trailed off.

Steve stepped forward, he was tall and slim with carefully dishevelled brown hair and large soulful brown eyes that he ran up and down Jack's body as he took his hand in a warm firm clasp, 'I'm the archivist' he said, 'I also act as P.A to the Director, so I'm always in the Hub and...available' He looked up at Jack from under his long thick eye-lashes as he stroked the back of Jack's hand with his thumb.

'Archivist?' Jack frowned, 'But, what about...'

'The role of Director of Torchwood Three is complex, as I'm sure you recall' interjected Steve smoothly, as if Jack had not spoken, 'I'm here to make the Director's life easier.'

'I bet you are' Jack's dislike for the ever helpful Steve Baxter dripped from every syllable.

Jack looked at his team, Gwen had distress written all over her face, Tosh was staring at her shoes and Owen was looking anywhere but at Jack. Susan was looking uncomfortable, as if she wished she was anywhere but where she was.

'So which of you is having their lives made easier by the apparently efficient Mr Baxter?' asked Jack more harshly than he intended. 'Which of you took my job?' None of the team could meet his eye and no-one offered a response. Jack heaved a large sigh, 'never mind' he said, 'I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. For the moment it's enough that I'm back.'

With a renewed sense of homecoming he looked around the Hub, then asked the one question that he had been trying not to ask from the moment his team had gathered to welcome him

'Where's Ianto?'