The Doctor walked away from the breach wearing nothing more than his pinstriped suit smeared with the blood from his broken heart.
He tried desperately to make his way towards the exit but every step he took, everywhere he looked just served to remind him of what he had lost mere minutes ago and so he cried, he cried for himself, he cried for her and he cried for the things that could have been. The life he so desperately wanted but could never have though just thinking that wasn't strictly true because; for a while he had lived that life that he had dreamt of for so long even though he knew from the start that it wouldn't be perfect; and it wasn't, not by a long shot but he was happy, because for that short while the universe had sent him his own star, his guardian angel.
-x-
Ianto Jones clambered up the stairwell desperate to find someone. Anyone who was able to help him, he knew the chances were slim but there had to be someone else who survived, someone who would be able to help Lisa. In addition, he honestly did not care who or even what they were, as long as they could help her, Ianto would not care if they were the invaders or not just, so long as they could help. It was then that he happened to reach the fourteenth floor.
-x-
The Doctor looked up from his position on the floor, he could hear footsteps; human footsteps, someone must have survived but question was, were they his friend or foe?
As the man approached, the Doctor got to his feet so as not to appear the weak heartbroken fool that he thought himself to be.
Though it was of little use as he saw in the man's face the very things that he himself had been so desperate to hide mere moments ago and he knew almost instantly that he had to help because no one should be feeling the way he did, no one should have that sort of pain thrown upon them.
-x-
Ianto stood staring in silence, he wanted more than anything to ask this man for help but found it impossibly hard to articulate his words, so thankfully it was the man who spoke first even though his words were barely audible.
"You're lost, aren't you?"
It was then that Ianto found the words spilling from his mouth like water from a tap.
"I'm sorry sir but I don't know what you mean."
"Of course you do, I can see it written all over your face you've lost someone. Someone close, a friend, a lover even?"
"I'm right aren't I?" The man replied
"No, I'm afraid you're not, that may be the situation you find yourself in but it's not mine." Ianto said calmly, almost callously but he soon followed those words up.
"I need help, or rather Lisa needs help; she needs your help."
"And why specifically mine?" The Doctor asked, stubbornly.
"Because you're the only one left." Ianto answered.
-x-
The Doctor found it increasingly difficult to look Ianto in eye, for he knew something of which this man was not aware, what ever he did to help wouldn't be enough Lisa was too far gone for that, she would turn fully cyber in a matter of months at the most and minutes at the least. However, he did what he could because he knew that if it were he in Ianto's position and Rose in Lisa's, he would savour every precious moment that they had left together.
With that in mind, the Doctor did as much as he could to sustain Lisa's life force and buy Ianto at least a few more minutes with his beloved.
When everything had been finished, he and Ianto carried Lisa into the Tardis, placing her against one of its supporting beams.
He had asked Ianto previously, if there was a safe place, he could bring the two of them.
"My flat, in Cardiff." Ianto had replied, not expecting anything to come of it but here he was in his old flat overlooking the bay.
In addition, he thanked the Doctor for it, for giving him a little more time with the one he loved and for taking pity on him when he could have left to grieve for his own loss.
"It's all part of the healing process." The Doctor had said just before vanishing back into the Tardis and leaving a very confused looking Ianto behind.
The End