Chapter Seven:

The darkness was suffocating, he whimpered as he tried to pull himself back from the depths of blackness. He felt as though he was trying to claw his way back to reality. And then there it was a gentle caress. It was the simplest thing in the entire world, but it grounded him. He could hear an equally soft voice through the emptiness. "It's time to wake up Jack." soft vowels. "We miss you love."

He'd get out if it was the last thing he did. "Breathe Jack, just breathe." Could he do what the voice was commanding him? Pain shot through his veins, he felt his body fixing itself. Growing, stitching itself back together. Suddenly he felt something slam into his chest, no—wait it wasn't into his chest—something slamming inside his chest. His heart—it was pounding—suddenly he felt his lungs fill up. It hurt; it hurt so bad a horrible loud shuddering breath.

"That's it Jack, that's it, let it out." Ianto whispered as he continued to stroke his lover's head watching as the man's chest fill up. Jack let out a shuddering breath and a small whimper. "I'm here love." Leaning over Ianto pressed a kiss to Jack's clear forehead. All the sores had healed, it was the first sign that Jack was going to wake up. They'd spotted the healing three days ago. It had been the longest seventy-two hours Ianto could ever remember. He'd been dying to see those beautiful sea blue eyes for so many days. And now those beautiful eyes slowly fluttered open. Ianto smiled as the familiar orbs focused on him. "Hello Jack."

"I died?"

Ianto nodded. "Do you remember what happened?"

Jack glanced around slowly; he took a moment to comprehend everything. "Yes—radiation sickness."

"How do you feel?"

"Sore." He offered quietly.

"You've been lying prone for a long time. Do you feel like standing up and getting dressed?"

"Did I see the Doctor?" he asked softly.

"Yes he's here. Would you like to go see him?"

Jack looked back at him again. "You never left me."

"Of course I didn't Jack. You're my captain."

Jack reached out slowly and pressed his hand to Ianto's cheek. "Thank you."

Ianto just nodded. "Come on then, let's get you moving otherwise you'll get stiff." Leaning over he placed his hands under Jack's shoulders and slowly helped the other man sit up.

Jack groaned slightly as he leaned against Ianto. He hated this part, he always felt a little stiff at first and weak. He allowed Ianto to slip an undershirt over his head. "Do you need help with the pants?"

"Only if you're taking them off."

Ianto shook his head chuckling as he pressed a kiss to the back of his lover's head. "We'll do that later, we've got plenty of time. For now let's just get you dressed." His pants were on and soon one of his many blue shirts too. He buttoned the shirt himself; they left the braces off this time. Ianto then stood up and slowly helped Jack up to his feet, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Okay as always, one step at a time."

With Ianto's strength and love, they slowly made their way up the stairs. Jack took a moment to look at everyone in the hub. Owen wasn't around, leading Jack to think he was probably working on someone in the medical bay. Gwen was working with Tosh quietly at her desk. Martha was sitting at Owen's desk working on the computer. The Doctor was nowhere in sight.

Tosh glanced up at the sight of something moving. A warm and beautiful smile spread over her face. Both she and Gwen moved towards their leader. Jack opened his arms wide, taking them both in at once. He held them tight. "Welcome home." Whispered Gwen.

o0o

Jack and Ianto sat in the basement of the hub that night. Everyone else had left after a lot of prodding from Jack. The Doctor was in the TARDIS, no doubt tinkering, and Martha had gone with him to sleep in a real bed. They'd been talking for the past hour quietly about various different things.

"Ianto, don't misunderstand me—I want to spend the rest of your life with you. But I couldn't possibly ask you to make a change like that."

"I understand that Jack, but I want to do this. I want to be with you, this way you just get me longer."

Jack sighed as he shook his head. "Ianto, you'll watch everyone you've ever loved die, your sisters, parents, nieces and nephews, the team. You'll make friends and then watch them die. It's a curse, Ianto."

Ianto looked over at the man he loved. "Would it be as bad a curse if you were with someone you loved?"

"I'd never wish immortality on anyone, friend. Ianto—you've got to be sure, absolutely sure that you want to do this because there is no changing your mind. I—I'm not the type of person who can easily promise you forever and no one else. It's likely that I will still flirt with others. I may not sleep with them, but that's a temptation for me."

"Jack I'm not asking for you to solely devote yourself to me, I don't expect you to. I'm just asking if you'd be willing to come home to me the majority of most nights." Ianto looked at Jack, waiting for those expressive eyes to say no. Waiting for some sign that this would be a bad idea.

", I'll make this promise, as of right now at this very moment, if I could wake up to you every morning, I would. And I promise that as of right now, you're the only person I want to come home to. You beat the Doctor by a mile."

"Then that's all I want. Jack—"

"You're going to do it without my consent, Ianto one way or another. If you're positive that you can live while others die, if you're positive that you can handle the changes and everything, then do it. I'll be here for you every step of the way." Jack didn't say another word as he lay down on the bed, curling up towards the wall.

"You're angry." Ianto offered as he too lay behind Jack, wrapping his arms around the older man.

Jack shook his head. "No, I'm scared, scared by the idea that anyone loves me enough to want to wish themselves into a permanent existence."

"Jack, I'd like to think what we have is special."

Suddenly Jack turned in his arms, his eyes watering softly. "No one has ever loved me that much. And yes, Ianto, what we have is special. But please be sure that you can live with who I am, because I've got so much baggage it couldn't fit in the hub."

Ianto reached up and cupped his lover's face, surprised by the fear there. "Jack I promise you, you're the one for me. There isn't anyone else. Yes, I loved Lisa, just like I love you. Completely and totally. Love is blind and I'd do anything for you."

"If you really want to be stuck with me for the rest of your life—"

Chuckling, Ianto pressed his lips to Jack's. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you one way or another. No matter what."

Jack smirked as he dove back in for the kiss again, lips clashed as they deepened the kiss. Ianto smiled against Jack's lips, he tasted like coffee. "Are you feeling up to this?" Ianto questioned, he could feel the bulge against his thigh and didn't want to rush Jack if he still felt weak.

"Ianto I could be dead and still be ready for sex." stated Jack, as he ran his hands down Ianto's lithe form. He gently ran his hand over Ianto's boxers, causing the man to hiss in passion. Pressing gentle kisses down the man's neck and cheek Jack let himself get lost in the emotions that were running wild through his body. Hands were everywhere as the two men began exploring one another's body, no rush this time; they just slowly enjoyed one another's company and energy.

Jack traced every single curve of Ianto's body, pressing his lips to Ianto's chest, he nipped his way down to a nipple and began to play with it, swiping his tongue across it then nipping at it until it was taut and Ianto was moaning with pleasure. Smirking to himself, Jack moved over to the other one and repeated his actions.

Ianto smiled as he ran his hands over Jack's back, until his fingers came down to tease Jack's entrance. He spent a few moments gently probing the area, avoiding dipping in or Jack's straining need to arch forward. "Lube?" Ianto questioned gently as he continued to play with his lover's puckered entrance.

Jack reached across the bed for the night stand; grabbing the tube he thrust it into Ianto's hand. Ianto chuckled "Eager?"

"Tease," mumbled Jack as he heard the familiar squelch from the tube, he gasped as a moment later he felt a greasy finger enter him. Moments later Ianto was buried deep inside Jack. Both men had frozen, overcome slightly by the lack of activity lately they had to pause before one or both ended it all.

Soon enough a rhythm began, steady and trusting, as Ianto began to thrust and Jack met him equally. Moans of pleasure filled the tiny room as they moved together and steadily. Sweat coursed down their bodies, heat building between them both as their lips met in a passionate kiss. Ianto's hands was on Jack as he pumped with the same rhythm he thrust.

Both men came with a shudder, frozen in one another's arms. Breathing deeply, Ianto removed himself and lay down beside his sweaty lover. "Forever Jack." he whispered through a thick voice.

Jack smiled as he pressed a kiss to Ianto's forehead. "Forever." His eyes fluttered closed. Both men wrapped up in each other's arms, cuddling close as they slept soundly for the first time in days.

o0o

"You're really sure you want to do this?" The Doctor questioned as he stood in front of Ianto and Jack. They were all standing in the TARDIS, Martha, the Doctor, Jack and Ianto. The others remained behind in the hub.

"Yes sir." Replied Ianto as he looked between the Doctor and Jack.

The Doctor nodded and suddenly a strange helmet thing descended from the ceiling of the TARDIS. "It's called a Chameleon circuit; it literally rewrites your biology, in your case I'm not completely rewriting I'm just changing certain genes."

"Why can't you do that to Jack?" Ianto questioned.

The Doctor looked over at Jack. "Because what's been done to him can't be undone. And technically I didn't do it to him. Ianto, you know what DNA looks like?" When Ianto nodded the Doctor continued. "Imagine a giant white strand running through the middle of a DNA strand, that's what's happened to Jack's. In your case we're not adding that strand, but rather we're breaking said strand into several pieces and infusing it into your DNA."

"Is it going to hurt?"

The Doctor studied both Jack and Ianto seriously for a minute. "Yes, it's going to hurt a lot."

Jack looked over at Ianto. "You don't have to do this."

Ianto smiled as he pressed a kiss to his lover's cheek. "Yes I do."

Jack cringed at the sounds of Ianto's screams as they filled the air, he'd been strapped in and was practically convulsing as the entire machine changed and rewrote his DNA. Jack felt the tears stinging his eyes, only imagining what his own screams had done to this beautiful young man before him. "Doctor—" Jack began unable to finish, his eyes solely on Ianto.

"It's almost done Jack, I promise I would have never done this to him if he hadn't asked." The Doctor whispered.

What seemed like hours lasted no more than five minutes, the machine stopped and Ianto dropped to the floor, unconscious but breathing. Jack raced over to the figure; he felt tears trailing down his cheeks, as he gently stroked his lover's cheek. "Am I really worth it?" he whimpered.

"Yes," came the weak whisper.

The Doctor glanced at Martha, gently taking her hand he led her outside, leaving Jack and Ianto alone together. Jack gently pulled his lover up in his arms. "I love you." He whimpered.

Ianto managed to wrap his arms around him, and as the past week hit him Ianto lost it. Sobbing, weeping into his lover's shoulder. Letting out all the stress and pain of watching Jack suffer and die a horrible death, never sure if he'd actually come back again. Jack held on, for all that he was worth. He clutched his lover to his body, enjoying the warmth against him, knowing that he was equally as warm. He held fast to his lover, as he too had a few revelations of his own, his team loved him and needed him as deeply as he needed them. He realized they'd fought for him, taken care of him through all the mess he'd created because they loved him.

"I've got you, I'm here." Jack murmured softly as he held his lover.

o0o

Jack and Ianto stepped into the hub twenty minutes later. Ianto had washed his face and was looking more composed. Jack stood beside him, their fingers entwined as they stepped into the man area of the hub. All eyes swiveled towards them. Gwen was the first to get up and walk over to them. She looked at the two men, hands over her mouth, tears in her eyes as she reached out for Jack.

Releasing Ianto's hand, Jack grabbed her in a hug, picking her up of the ground lightly as he swung her gently in his arms. He pressed a kiss to her nose then set her back on her feet. "Thank you." He whispered.

She smiled at him and nodded, before turning to Ianto and giving him an equally big hug. Ianto grinned as well and pressed a kiss to her head. Stepping back, Tosh was next as she gave both men a hug.

Jack gripped his lover's hand again and smiled at his family, as messed up and strange as they were, this was his family. "Thank you."

"Okay enough Disney moments, who's up for a pint?" Owen offered, everyone smiled.

"First pints on me, come on!" Jack called. "Doc, you coming?"

The Doctor grinned manically. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

THE END…perhaps