Set during Miracle Day (This chapter anyway!) This is just an intro, will be many chapters, spoilers for CoE and Miracle Day. Involves 11th Doctor to correspond with the timeline. A very small TV reference as well but just silly.

I dont own Torchwood, Doctor Who or any of the characters.

Jack sat in the dimly lit room next to his former lover, now an old and dying man. Light danced through the heavy curtains bathing the hospital bed in grim sunshine, the cold clinical machinery a stark contrast to the opulence of the room. In the middle of the chaos of the so-called Miracle there was a moment of quiet. Jack's soft voice and the slow beeping of machines the only sounds as Gwen watched from outside the room, unnoticed by Jack who was lost in reminiscing. Gwen looked on at her best friend, the man she loved in so many unexplainable ways. He had changed her life, been her leader, her hero. But the Jack Harkness she was looking at was not that man, not where it counted. The lifetimes he had experienced were visibly weighing on him, and all Gwen could do was try and save her family, save the world, however she could. And if that meant losing Jack, well honestly could she lose any more of him than she already had. It was like he had already given up, drowning in guilt and despair.

A small "Psst" drew Gwen's attention from the two men to the doorway. Hidden from site was a man she had never met, certain she would remember a man with such a clear affection for bow ties, but knowing without a doubt who this mysterious stranger was from the sonic screwdriver in his hand and the look in his eye, young and impossibly old all at the same time,

"Doctor" Gwen nodded warily as he stepped towards her, "What are you doing here? Do we need your help? I mean of course we need your help. Something's happened, no one on the entire planet is dying and Jack is…"

The Doctor shook his head, "No, the events here are fixed, I can't interfere. I'm actually here to ask for your help, Gwen Cooper, oh sorry Williams"

"What? Jack…"

"Jack can't know I'm here, not yet" he followed the woman's gaze to where Jack sat, clutching the old man's hand,

"Did you see him? Did you see Ianto?" Jack's whisper carried out of the room, the emotion seeping out to the two observers,

"It all comes back to Ianto Jones doesn't it" the Doctor sighed, running a hand through his hair wearily,

"He loved him" Gwen smiled sadly, watching on as Jack laughed softly at the thought of Angelo and Ianto, the sound hollow and not reaching his eyes.

"Oh, he loved him" the Doctor agreed, "He will always love him. Jack's timeline was altered irrevocably by Ianto. But it's all gone wrong, he wasn't supposed to have that effect on Jack, then die at only 26 years old. Time is a funny thing, one seemingly small change to one insignificant human"

"Ianto was not insignificant!" Gwen glared at the man, who held up his hands in defence

"In the grand scheme of the universe, he was, until Jack gave him his heart. He gave that man more than he ever had to anyone, his companion in there never came close" the Doctor nodded towards where Jack still sat at the bedside, before looking back to Gwen, those aged eyes boring into hers,

"There was a reason Jack kept people at a distance since he became immortal, even more so since he realised that he couldn't be fixed. Jack has always been very giving with his love but there's always a wall. To lose people over and over again and have to go on alone is enough. But to let someone in so completely only to lose him so soon, its just a step too far. Its broken him, Gwen. You can't fully see it yet, but the fallout from this is… it's catastrophic"

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"We? Glad you're on board" The Doctor smiled, "ordinarily I avoid messing with individual timelines. It goes against the laws of time to interfere. But Jack, as I'm sure you know, isn't ordinary. He's a fixed point in time, he's more important to the fabric of the universe than even I can comprehend. And he needs to be able to play his part. So, if I may paraphrase some 21st century Sci Fi, save the coffee boy, save the world"

Gwen still looked confused, "So…"

A series of frantic beeps and Jack's raised voice called Gwen's attention, as she heard the rest of their entourage heading towards them and the commotion. She moved to join the others in investigating before hesitating, turning back to the Doctor. She looked back and forth, her eyes meeting the Timelord's in silent question. He stepped further into the shadows, waving her off in the direction of Jack.

"Go, this needs to be seen through to the end. Remember, don't tell Jack anything, I was never here! I'll come back and find you soon, it'll be a few minutes for me but for you, ooh, say 3 months, look out for me"

"But Doctor, what are we going to do?!"

The Doctor looked at her, smiling but almost grimly,

"Ianto Jones has to come back"

Please Review - Will try to update quickly, Really hoping this goes somewhere I have a lot of ideas its just getting them out of my head into something that makes sense to anybody else hehe