Part Four

Jack could only watch as Ianto moved to the stairs and disappeared around the corner. He frowned. The young man was okay when he left him this morning, wasn't he? Jack thought back to earlier. Sure, he had a slight headache and was sore, but that was to be expected, after what he'd been through. Maybe he should have insisted that Ianto let the paramedics look at him. No, they left with Gwen and Owen before Jack saw Ianto sitting on the SUV's tailgate.

Damn!

Shaking his head, Jack went after the young archivist.

"Ianto, wait up!"

"Too busy!" he called back.

"Ianto!"

Taking the stairs two at a time, Ianto made it down to the archives, unlocked the door, went inside and locked the door behind him.

Jack reached the door just as Ianto turned the key in the lock the other side.

"Open this door! Now!"

"Too much to do. No time for your shinanagines, Jack Harkness!"

"What? Ianto, open this door!"

"Go. Away!"

Jack had another key, but if Ianto had left the key in the lock on the inside, it was useless.

Hitting the door with the palm of his hand, Jack began to get angry.

"Ianto, open this door! That's an order!"

"I'm not buying it, Jack."

"Please, open the door."

Silence.

Jack put his ear to the door.

"Ianto!"

He could now hear items being thrown against the door. That's it! he thought. Walking along to the other end of the corridor, Jack retrieved an axe off the wall, headed back to the archive door and set to work smashing it to pieces.

As the hole got bigger, Jack looked inside. A chair and computer lay inches from the door. Paper and folders littered the floor. Ianto was nowhere to be seen. Frantically, Jack pulled the splintered door apart, got inside and tentively searched for the Welshman.

A voice in his comms caught Jack's attention.

"Okay, Harkness. Where the hell are you?"

"Owen, I'm down in the archives…"

Owen cut him off. "Tell me you and Tea Boy aren't gettin' it on!"

"No! I think he's flipped. The archives is in a mess and I can't see him…Arh, there you are."

"What do you mean, flipped?"

"He had a head wound. I think he has concussion, or maybe worse."

"Jack, don't go near him. I'll be there in a few minutes."

No reply.

"Harkness! Are you listening to me? Jack!"

"Yes, I'm listening."

"Good, then stay out of the archives."

"Put it down, Ianto. You don't wanna hurt me."

"I told you to leave me alone! Would you listen? No!"

"Jack, what's happening?"

"I hate it when you don't listen to me!"

"Put the gun down, Ianto."

"Don't order me around. I'm not you lackey!"

"Please, just put it down."

"Arh!"

There was a single gunshot.

"Jack, are you still there? Jack! Oh, shit!"

As Owen rounded the corner leading to the archives, he saw Ianto standing over Jack's body, gun in hand. As he approached, Ianto raised the gun, aiming it at the medic.

"I warned him! He didn't listen!"

Owen approached slowly.

"Give me the gun, Ianto."

Ianto started to shake the gun and then rested it against his head.

"Why didn't he listen?"

Owen moved closer.

"Let me have the gun and then we'll take care of Jack. He's gonna be okay."

"My…head…hurts!"

Owen watched as Ianto's hand shook and the gun fell to the ground. Then Ianto collapsed.

"Great!" said Owen, looking from Jack to Ianto.

Hurrying back up to the Hub, Owen called Tosh.

"Hello?"

"Tosh, it's Owen. I need you here," he ran a hand through his hair. "Ianto's gone off the rails and shot Jack dead."

"What?"

"They're down in the archives. I need help with Ianto."

"I'm on my way."

"Thanks."

Owen hurried back to the archives. He sidestepped Jack and put a finger to Ianto's neck.

"What is going on in that head of yours, Tea Boy?"

Fifteen minutes later, Jack was still dead and Ianto was still unconscious. Minutes later, Tosh arrived.

"Sorry," said Owen. "Bet you were enjoying your day off."

"Why are you here? I thought Jack gave us all the day off."

"Don't ask me. I need my head examining. As does Ianto Jones. Help me get him up to the autopsy bay."

"What about Jack?"

"He'll be okay."

Putting Ianto's arms around their shoulders and a hand under his knees, they carefully carried the Welshman back up to the main Hub area. Once on the autopsy table, Owen hooked him up to a monitor and scanned his head.

Booting up his computer, Owen looked at the results.

"Shit! This is not good!"

"What?" asked Tosh.

"His brain is swollen. Accounts for his aggression towards Jack."

"Can you help him?"

"No, he needs to go to hospital." Owen frowned. "Best get him up to the tourist office and pretend he came in and then collapsed."

"Jack isn't going to be happy."

Owen rolled his eyes. "He shot him, for Christ sake!"

They got Ianto up to the tourist office and then Tosh called for an ambulance.

TBC