Story Title: Can Love Conquer All?
Author: kkpsigirl
Beta: none
Story Summary: Jack returns from the year that never was and is set on further developing his relationship with Ianto. But will a onetime mistake change everything? Can love truly conquer all? Turns AU with references to episodes. Owen and Tosh never die. Gwen bashing.
Main Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Other Pairings: Tosh/Owen, Gwen/Rhys, One-sided Gwen/Jack, One-sided Andy/Gwen, and others to come.
Rating: Adult/NC-17 (overall story)
Genre: Romance
Warnings: Explicit sexual situations, adult themes, occasional coarse language, romance, fluff, angst.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created and owned by the BBC. No profit is being made. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Part one of three-part series.

Extra Notes: This is my first fanfic. While some chapters I have written ahead, others I do not. While I hope to keep updates regular, I know life will take its course and fluctuate this. Please just bear with me? I have a great many twists and turns planned, and I hope they will be enjoyed as they come along.

I encourage you all to leave as many comments and reviews as possible. Not only is this useful to me as a writer, but as much as I have things planned out already, I take the reader's thoughts, ideas, and considerations to heart. And I will and do give credit where credit is due.

Chapter Spoilers: Episodes 1.12 (Captain Jack Harknesss) and 1.13 (End of Days)

Ianto woke feeling worse than ever. It was going on four months to the day that Jack disappeared. On that day four months ago, after scanning through the CCTV footage, Ianto and the rest of the team watched as their Captain ran faster than ever across the Plass towards the TARDIS, thus taking his leave with the Doctor.

Owen, Tosh, and Gwen were hurt and frustrated, but mostly confused, wondering why Jack was running towards a police box, which they swore was never there before. Only Ianto knew the truth. Jack had confided in Ianto about the Doctor, how the Time Lord was the only one able to provide answers about his immortality. That still didn't make Jack leaving, without any warning or goodbyes, any easier for the team, especially Ianto.

Ianto's heart ached. His Captain, his mate, his lover was gone, and after four months, Ianto was starting to doubt if Jack would ever bother returning. His eidetic memory played the same images of events over and over in his dreams every night for the past four months. It never made going on without his lover any easier.

[FLASHBACK]

Jack and Tosh returned from 1941 after Owen opened the rift, despite having been shot by Ianto beforehand. However, the Jack and Tosh that returned were different. They were emotionally wrecked. Jack became distant with everyone on the team, excluding Tosh. Ianto knew he needed to ask Tosh what happened.

Tosh walked down to the archives, a bit shaky, knowing that Ianto was going to ask about their time in 1941. While nothing was confirmed, she suspected that her young colleague and Jack were developing a bond that went well beyond an employer/employee relationship. She knew they were at least shagging. Once she reached Ianto's workstation, she quickly sat down, trying to collect herself.

Ianto stopped what he was doing and, seeing how nervous Tosh was, calmly asked what happened to her and Jack in 1941.

Tosh broke under the pressure in an instant. "Jack met the real Captain Jack Harkness while at the Kiss the Boys Goodbye dance. They were chatting and laughing and having a wonderful time. Jack told me that he took the Captain's identity after the man died, which was going to be the next day. That fact made Jack so sad and pained. He wanted to make the Captain's last night a memorable one. Jack tried to convince the Captain to spend it with who Jack thought was the Captain's girlfriend. It turned out that the Captain was more interested in spending it with Jack. The Captain took a huge risk, given the time, and danced with Jack in front of everyone. It was one of the most beautiful moments I have ever witnessed. When the rift opened, I had to plead for Jack to come back with me, but I don't think he wanted to. He turned around, went up to the Captain, and kissed him so passionately. I think Jack fell in love with the Captain. Then, with tears in his eyes, he finally came back with me. I think Jack's heartbroken."

Silence fell between them. Ianto sat as still as a statue, face completely blank. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Tosh realized all she just confessed and how shocked Ianto must be. After gathering her composure, she carefully asked, "Are you okay?"

Ianto was lost in his thoughts with what Tosh just told him. He shook himself back to reality. "Yes, Tosh, and thank you for telling me," he replied, flatly, forcing a half smile, then returned to work.

Later that night, Ianto and Jack had a huge fight over everything, but also nothing. They both loved each other deeply, but neither would confess their feelings to the other man. The only result from the fight was more tension and insecurities than before.

The next morning, Bilis manipulated the team against Jack. Owen saw a vision of Diane and Tosh saw her mother. Ianto saw Lisa in full human form, not as the Cyberwoman she became. And Gwen watched Rhys die in her arms. The team fell for Bilis' trap and opened the rift. Abaddon was set free.

The only way Jack knew this conflict could be resolved peacefully was to sacrifice himself, or rather his immortality, to Abaddon as feast. Ianto was a little hurt when Jack wanted Gwen to be with him during his sacrifice. Gwen, despite claims of her love for Rhys, was silently happy and inwardly smiled that Jack preferred her company. Even at the worst possible moments, Gwen only thought of herself and her desires when it came to Captain Jack Harkness.

Jack's sacrifice defeated Abaddon and everything was set right, except for one. Jack's return to reality was taking longer than normal. Owen and Tosh only just learned about their Captain's immortality a few hours prior. They were sure he was dead and not coming back this time.

Ianto wanted to stay with Jack's body, as he had done on countless other occasions that the team was not aware of. However, Gwen staked her claim and refused to let anyone be by Jack's side when he eventually woke up. Besides, Jack wanted me with him when he sacrificed himself, so it's me that should be here when he wakes up, she thought.

Days passed and Jack still showed no signs of returning to life. Ianto missed his lover. He picked up Jack's greatcoat and inhaled those wonderful 51st century pheromones. He lost all emotional control and collapsed at Jack's desk to prevent himself from tumbling to the floor, curling into a fetal position, and crying until his body became dehydrated. Curiosity rose within Ianto to check on the CCTV footage of the morgue. After an inward battle over respecting Gwen's privacy with his lover's body, he turned on the computer and brought up the morgue footage.

Gwen was still sitting by Jack's side. Every once in a while she would get up and fix the sheets. After one of her fits, Gwen sat back down on the stool and began talking.

"Jack, I don't even know if you can hear me, but I need to get this off my chest. I don't know why it's taken me so long to say this..." Gwen paused, and then with an anxious sigh, "...I love you, Jack. Always have since the day we met. Don't get me wrong, I love Rhys, but not in the way nor as much as I love you. You need to come back now, Jack. I need you."

Ianto was shocked to hear Gwen's confession and instantly became jealous and infuriated. He angrily shut off the computer and broke into tears. He knew now was not the time for personal controversy. With that thought, more tears streamed down Ianto's face.

More hours passed and Gwen was about to give up on Jack. After she kissed him, something she longed to do, she began exiting the morgue. As she heard a faint, "Thank you," she gasped and turned back to find Jack waking up. They laughed with joy.

Gwen and Jack strolled into the main area of the Hub. Tosh ran over as fast as she could in heels and hugged her Captain. Ianto followed suit, but given everything that happened before Jack died, he didn't know how to greet his lover. To his surprise, Jack pulled him in for a hug and then kissed him in front of the team. Jack and Owen cautiously met face-to-face. With having received Jack's forgiveness, Owen broke into tears in Jack's embrace.

Jack immediately wanted coffee and to see what he missed while he was dead. With the coffee machine broken, Ianto went to retrieve a round for the team. Needing an escape from the Hub to wrap their minds around their boss being immortal, Tosh and Owen tagged along. But Gwen wanted answers so she stayed behind.

Gwen confessed her love to Jack while he was dead. She hoped that when he came back to life that he would remember the confession and they could happily be together. But then she saw Jack kiss Ianto. Though she would never display her hurt, she felt her heart break. While asking about the rift, she found an opportunity. "We all saw people we loved," she began. "What did you see?"

"Nothing...there was nothing." He lied. Jack knew the real Captain Jack Harkness was the first piece in his manipulation. The second was a dream of Ianto dying in his arms. But he was definitely not about to confess this to Gwen Cooper, of all people.

Gwen let out a sigh of relief that his answer wasn't a vision of Ianto. But she wanted to approach her confession of love without being obvious. "What would have tempted you?" She continued carefully. "What visions would have convinced you to open the rift?"

"The right kind of doctor," he responded vaguely once again. It was half true. Had Ianto died in his arms like Rhys did, Jack would have done anything, and I mean anything, to save the young, enigmatic Welshman.

Gwen was getting flustered. She just wanted Jack to open up to her so they could talk about them as a potential couple. "Jack..."

But Jack was already up and out of his office, desperately trying to change the subject. He knew Gwen was trying to trick him into saying something he shouldn't. Then came the beeping noise from the jar with the hand. The Doctor's hand. The Doctor was in.

[PRESENT]

With a heavy sigh, knowing he wouldn't be getting any more sleep, Ianto got out of bed and prepared himself for the day. He just wished that if his lover would be returning that it would be soon.