They had come out of nowhere. Out of the rain, just like the legend said. Ianto wasn't sure how it all happened, one minute him and Jack were walking to the SUV to go talk to the theater owner's son and the next there were the carnival people. They ambushed them and Ianto remembered the man in the top hat pinning Jack to the SUV and opening the silver flask. Ianto didn't even think he just knew he had to save Jack. He scrambled up from where he had been pushed down and knocked Jack out of the way, taking his place. The man in the top hat pinned him against the SUV.
"Sacrificing yourself for the other, how poetic," he whispered putting his finger to the side of Ianto's mouth.
As Ianto felt his breath leave him, his last thought was of Jack.
Jack looked up from where he had been knocked down just in time to see the carnival people vanish and Ianto collapse to the ground beside the SUV. He was immediately up and by Ianto's side.
"Ianto?! God no please!"
He picked up Ianto's limp form and held him in his arms. Ianto's unseeing blue eyes stared back at him and his mouth was dried and cracked all around. Jack couldn't feel his lover's chest rise and fall against his. Ianto had just become another victim. Jack quickly clicked on his com.
"Owen, Tosh, Gwen get up to the water tower now! It's Ianto!"
He was thankful they were right outside the hub so Owen could take care of Ianto. Jack looked back down at Ianto. He couldn't believe this happened. He couldn't believe Ianto would sacrifice himself for Jack. Ianto knew Jack could survive anything so why would he do it?
"Why did you do it Yan? Why? Why sacrifice your one life to save me? The man who can't die?"
Ianto offered no response. His eyes just bore into Jack's completely unseeing. Jack put a hand to his lover's pulse point. He could still feel the heartbeat, he could still feel a sign of life in his lover. He sighed and ran a hand across Ianto's cheek as he let the tears come down his face.
"Please don't leave me Ianto. Not yet. I'm not ready to loose you yet."
At that moment Owen, Tosh and Gwen showed up and knelt beside them.
"What happened?" Owen asked immediately going into doctor mode and checking over Ianto.
"We were attacked. It was the Night Travelers. Ianto sacrificed himself for me. I didn't know what was happening or I would have stopped it."
"It's ok Jack, it's not your fault." Gwen comforted.
"He's just like the other victims. It's best we get him to the hospital, I would feel better if he was there while we try to stop this, that way he can be looked after properly." Owen explained.
Jack nodded and gently picked Ianto up. Owen helped him get him in the backseat before everyone else piled in. The ride to the hospital was silent. Jack sat in the very back cradling Ianto against him, gently rocking him while running a hand through his hair.
"Your gonna be ok Yan, I promise."
When they got to the hospital, Owen flashed his Torchwood credentials and arranged a private room for Ianto which would have guards outside of the door. Jack stood in the corner of the room as the doctors and nurses set Ianto up in bed. They dressed him in a hospital gown and hooked him up to countless machines. Once they were finished, Owen double checked everything and was pleased with it. He went up to Jack, who had still not taken his eyes off his lover.
"He's all set up. Not much more we can do except find these people and get his last breath back."
"Get the team ready. Were going after them tonight, I'll be right out."
Owen nodded and went back out to the waiting room. Jack went and stood by the bed and watched Ianto for a moment. Those blue eyes still glazed over not even seeing Jack's presence. Jack finally ran a hand through Ianto's hair and gently pressed a small kiss to his forehead, noticing how Ianto's skin was cold to the touch. He looked straight into those unseeing blue eyes that once held a mischievous twinkle in them.
"I'm going to find them Yan and I'm going to save you. I promise. Just hold on for me. I'll be back soon."
Jack prayed that on some level Ianto could hear him and understand him as he pressed one more soft kiss to Ianto's forehead before walking out of the room. Determined to finish this once and for all.
The team had traced the Night Travelers back to the Electrode. They planned to recapture them on film and then expose it to light ultimately canceling them out. They had managed to capture the others, but the man in the top hat got away. Jack and Gwen gave chase and found him on top of a fire escape. Jack watched in horror as the man in the top hat took off the top of the flask and hurled the flask in the air.
"No!" Jack cried taking off after it.
"Jack wait!" Gwen yelled.
"If that flask smashes Ianto and the other's die!"
Jack wanted to cry as he saw the other breaths escape the flask and vanish into thin air. He just prayed that one of them wasn't Ianto's. He could live with letting the other victims die, but he just couldn't let Ianto die. Not yet. Jack caught the flask and quickly put his hand over the top as Gwen ripped the film from the camera exposing it to light. The man in the top hat vanished. Jack brought the flask up to his ear and listened. Gwen rushed over to him.
"Two breaths. I hear two of them. One of them is Ianto. I can hear him, he's calling my name, his last breath is my name." Jack almost cried of joy. He allowed Gwen to replace the lid on the flask.
"Come on we need to get to the hospital now." He ordered immediately running back to the SUV.
Jack barged into Ianto's hospital room. The other breath in the flask had belonged to the young boy. After saving him he ran to Ianto's room with Owen on his heels. He sat down on the bed and gently lifted his lovers limp form into his arms. He instructed Owen to hold Ianto's head still while he popped the top off the silver flask. He stared into those unseeing eyes as the breath flowed from the flask into Ianto. What felt like eternity to Jack, was in reality only a couple of seconds before Ianto gasped for breath and started coughing. Jack tightened his hold on Ianto and put a hand to his face.
"Shhh….shhhh….Its ok, its ok. I got you," he coaxed.
Ianto's coughing fit subsided and he took ragged deep breaths.
"That's it, just breathe and relax."
Ianto sluggishly opened his eyes and looked at Jack.
"Jack?"
"Yeah, I'm right here, I got you."
"Water…." Ianto asked hoarsely.
Owen went and poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the other side of the room. He came back over and carefully leaned the edge of the cup to Ianto's lips as Jack cradled him against his chest and held him still. Owen encouraged Ianto to drink slowly and only take small sips. Owen pulled the glass away when Ianto gave a small cough tried to move away from it.
"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.
"Drained. Like I haven't slept in days."
"I'm so glad your okay."
Ianto reached up and held on to him weakly.
"Me too."
Jack smiled softly and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Owen backed off and went about checking the machines.
"Did you stop them?" Ianto asked.
"Yeah we did. They are gone." Jack stated.
"What about the other victims? Did you save them?" Ianto asked weakly before breaking off into another coughing fit.
"Shhhh…shhhh. Don't worry about that now, just rest ok. I'll stay here with you I promise." Jack promised as he slightly rocked Ianto back and forth.
Ianto wanted to press further but being in Jack's arms and having him run his hand through his hair was hard to fight. He soon fell asleep in the arms of his lover. Jack turned his head to Owen.
"Is he doing alright?"
"All his vitals are normal. I would suggest he stay the rest of the night though, and then you can take him home."
"Thank God." Jack focused his attention back to Ianto. He didn't want to let him go, but he figured he would be more comfortable laying down. As he gently laid him back down on the bed and went to sit next to it, Ianto moaned in disappointment and reached out for him. Jack took his hand a pressed a kiss to it.
"I'm right here Yan, I'm not going anywhere." Jack whispered putting his other hand to Ianto's cheek.
Ianto fell back asleep as Jack stroked his thumb across his cheek.
"You, Gwen, and Tosh go home and get some sleep. I'm going to stay here with him and take him home tomorrow."
Owen nodded, knowing better than to argue with Jack on staying the night. He left telling Jack to call if he needed him at all during the night and to call in the morning before they left. Jack watched him leave before turning back to Ianto. He looked so peaceful and the color and warmth was already coming back to his cheeks. He couldn't believe how close he had come to losing him. The thought alone made him want to burst into tears. He gripped his lover's hand tighter and caressed his cheek. He had had many loves during his life, but Ianto was special. He didn't know why yet, he just knew he was special, and he vowed not to let anything happen to him ever again. Jack sat there for a couple hours before dozing off himself. When he woke up again it was night and Ianto was already awake. He found his lover staring down at him and smiling softly.
"You know your beautiful when you sleep?" he whispered.
Jack smiled softly sitting up from where he had laid his head down on the bed.
"So are you and your supposed to be doing that now," Jack stated.
"I can later. You know when I was out of it, I heard everything you said," Ianto made known.
"You did?"
"Yeah I saw you look into my eyes and promise me that you would save me. I remember you asking me why I would sacrifice myself for you. Just so you know if I had to do it again I wouldn't change a thing. I know your immortal, but like you I can't stand by watching someone I love and care about suffer." Ianto explained.
"I love you so much Ianto Jones," Jack whispered as he stood up and gave Ianto a soft kiss which he returned. They sat there for a couple more hours talking before Ianto fell asleep and Jack sat there watching over him for the rest of the night.
