Ianto's Last Secret 7/7 + Epilogue
Title: Ianto’s Last Secret
Characters: Jack, Gwen, OC, and Ianto
Rating: 15 - mainly for themes and language.
Synopsis: Most people take their secrets to the grave with them, but not Ianto Jones.
Word count: 629
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Torchwood.
AN: This is a post COE fic (we say euphemistically) and I don’t want to give too much away, but for this to work you do need to ignore the last four minutes of Day Five with Jack and Gwen on the hill. It is set about two-three weeks after the events of COE.
Jack stalked to the other side of the room, anger boiling inside him. But he couldn’t take it out on Carys. She had only said what he felt; what he believed; what kept him awake every night. One of the things that kept him awake at night.
Distracted by his thoughts and his anger Jack failed to notice the red warning sticker on the artefact he was idly turning over in his hands. He barely registered the slight movement of a switch under his finger or the tiny click that came from it.
But he did feel the sting of the dart as it punctured the skin of his neck.
He cried out and stood up, dropping the artefact. He staggered backwards as Gwen and Carys both leapt to their feet at the sound of his cry. Carys moved quicker and caught Jack as he fell. She lowered them both to the floor holding Jack on her lap, cradled in her arms. Carys saw the dart in his neck and quickly pulled it out.
“Poison.” she said.
Gwen ran for the door, “I’ve got a med kit in my car. It’s got universal antidotes.”
“No point.” gasped Jack. “Dying.”
Gwen stopped by the door, but couldn’t bring herself to return to them. Even though she knew Jack would come back she couldn’t bring herself to watch the death of someone else she loved; not again. No matter how temporary.
“He’s going.” said Carys.
“He’ll be back.” answered Gwen.
“No. No, I mean Ianto. He’s going; fading. I can feel it.”
The strength left Gwen and she choked on a sob as she sank to the floor in despair.
Carys grabbed Jack’s face and forced him to look at her. She searched his eyes.
“Jack. What happened when Ianto died?” she said urgently.
Jack shook his head, his eyes filling with tears, the hope of finding Ianto again fading; knowing once again he would come back to life to face a world without him. He just wanted to die and stay dead. But that would never happen.
“Jack, it’s important. In Thames House did you try anything? Did you try to save him like you did from Lisa?”
Jack’s tears came more freely. “Tried. Too late. I was half dead.”
“But you tried?”
“Failed.” Jack shook his head again miserably, getting weaker; breathing getting harder.
“He’s in you Jack. It’s you. When you tried to save him, when he died, the last of his life force went into you. But if you die again now, he’ll die with you. But he won’t come back.”
Gwen put her head in her hands. It was too much. They had been so close. It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair.
“Gwen.” Carys spoke gently, “It’s okay Gwen. It really is.”
Gwen looked up and watched through tear blurred eyes as Carys transformed herself into Ianto’s form, perfect pin-striped suit and all. She was even wearing Ianto’s favourite blood red shirt. Carys smiled with Ianto’s face.
“Goodbye Gwen.”
Carys pulled Jack even closer to her and put her hands back onto his face. She closed her eyes and suddenly her head was thrown back and she started to scream.
Gwen watched mutely as the scream changed pitch from the higher tones of Carys to the lower timber of the cry she had heard too many times from Ianto.
She stared open mouthed and wide eyed as the scream faded and the figure in front her lowered their head and opened their eyes to stare at Jack.
Something flittered across Jack’s face and with a last sigh he died.
Ianto continued to look down at the man in his arms and then turned to look at a stunned Gwen.
“So. It’s business as usual then?”
Epilogue is here.