CHAPTER THREE

Jack sucked up the last of his spaghetti and stared mournfully at his empty plate, looking up at the others, with puppy-dog blue eyes. Ianto rolled his eyes. Gwen sighed and removed Jack's plate from in front of him. "You can't still be hungry?" she asked, incredulous.

"That was only my thirds," he said. "Sailing is hungry work."

"D'you mind?" Owen asked in a strained voice.

Gwen's eyes widened in horror and her hand flew to her mouth. "Owen, I'm sorry! I didn't think."

"Evidently," Ianto murmured, too quiet for anyone to hear.

Owen ignored Gwen's apology and stood up stiffly. "I'm going to go for a walk. Come with me, Tosh?"

Toshiko blushed and nodded, setting down her knife and fork and pushing back her chair. "Of course."

Ianto, Gwen and Jack watched them go in silence. It was only when the door had swung shut behind them did Gwen burst. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think – how could I forget something like that?"

Ianto kept his mouth firmly closed.

"Owen'll get over it, Gwen," Jack said. "Don't beat yourself up over it."

Gwen shook her head. "How can I make it up to him? What could I possibly buy him?"

Ianto felt that it was time to lighten the mood a little. The only problem was, he couldn't think of something funny to say, so he had to settle for sensible instead. "Maybe a DS game?" he suggested tentatively. Gwen frowned.

"Sleep on it," Jack suggested. "It's not that big a deal, anyway."

Gwen's frown didn't get any less, but before she could say anything, her phone rang. "It's Rhys," she explained quickly, before getting up and going to stand outside the door so she could talk to her husband.

Ianto let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Phew."

"My thoughts exactly," Jack agreed. His hand snaked across the table to gently grasp Ianto's. "You okay?"

Ianto nodded. "Fine. Just a little tired."

He almost bit his tongue when he said that. What a stupid thing to say, he chided himself mentally.

Alarm flared in Jack's eyes and his grip on Ianto's hand tightened. "D'you want me to get Owen?"

"No – it's nothing," Ianto tried to calm him down. "I meant, it's tiring when Gwen gets…" he trailed off, not sure how to finish.

Jack nodded, relaxing somewhat. "Right. Okay, then."

Ianto looked down at the table and traced the whorls in the wood with his free hand. "You know the mission…?" he started.

"What about it?" Jack asked, confused.

"Well, I was thinking…"

"Thinking…?"

"Are you sure that that these aliens are hostile? They haven't exactly done anything."

"Yet." Jack's face was stony, his eyes cold. "I know this race."

Ianto frowned. "You do?"

Jack nodded. "I've encountered them before," he admitted. "A long time ago. I forget what they're called, but they're bad news. Really bad news."

He broke off, chewing on his lower lip in indecision. Ianto recognised that look; it was the one Jack used when he was trying to choose how much to reveal. He waited silently. Jack would tell him all he needed to know, in time.

"They don't go around killing people as such, but they prey on the sea-creatures of the planet. They end up starving the other predators. Because of that, those starving predators turn on humans."

"Ah."

Jack nodded. "Exactly. But, because they don't directly harm humans, we can't send them away."

"What happened last time?" Ianto asked, thinking hard. They might not be able to force them away, but maybe, if they could persuade them to go away…

Jack looked down. "It wasn't with Torchwood. It was when I was a Time Agent," he explained. He met Ianto's eyes. "There was nothing we could do."

"We'll fix it, this time," Ianto found himself promising.

Jack blinked sadly. "I'm not sure that there's much we can do."

Ianto felt his heart rip itself into little tiny pieces at the utter despair he heard in his lover's voice. Jack never gave up, ever! "Don't say that!" he said fiercely in a low growl. "There's everything we can do!"

Jack looked at him dully. "Like what?"

"These aliens are intelligent, right? They could ring us – me – from the bottom of the sea! What's more, they spoke a language we understood. That's got to stand for something."

Jack frowned, taken aback. "What are you suggesting?"

"If we can find their base, talk to them, maybe we can persuade them to go away – we don't have to force them!" Ianto explained excitedly, ignoring all the odd looks he was getting from other people sitting in the restaurant.

Understanding lit Jack's eyes, accompanied by a tinge of hope. "But what if they don't want to go? They didn't last time."

Ianto wasn't put out. "They said that they were sorry, didn't they? What if they aren't doing this by choice?"

"D'you think they might be stranded here?"

"Exactly! If we could help them get back home—"

"No." Jack shook his head. "How would we get them back home? There isn't a Rift here, remember?"

Ianto paused. He hadn't thought of that. "We'll think of something," he said finally. "We always do."

-T-

Ianto yawned and rolled over in bed, burying his head in the pillow. Beside him, Jack was seated up in bed, reading with the aid of a reading-light. "D'you want me to turn off the light?" he offered quietly.

"Doesn' ma'ar," Ianto replied groggily, still fidgeting to get comfortable. He removed his head from the pillow and glared at the mattress. "God, could they make these beds any more uncomfortable?"

"That reminds me, have I told you about the time—" Jack was cut off by Ianto's hand slapped across his mouth.

"Not the time, Jack," Ianto said firmly, removing his hand and closing his eyes. "I'm trying to sleep."

Jack grinned affectionately and switched off his light, putting his book away. He lay down on his side behind Ianto and draped an arm over him. Ianto grunted and relaxed slightly, the tension in his shoulders vanishing. "Mmmmhuh," he murmured. "Much better."

Jack laughed softly. "I wonder if the others have worked out that you're sleeping in here yet."

Ianto's reply was ruined by the huge yawn that escaped him before he finished.

"You could have just agreed to sleep in here in the first place, y'know," Jack pointed out, kissing Ianto's neck.

"Not as fun," Ianto said, already sounding half-asleep.

Jack chuckled and stared out the porthole at the dark water of the marina, listening to the soft lapping of the waves against the hull of Skookumchuck. His thoughts drifted from topic to topic. He tended to do a lot of thinking at night, especially now that he had taken to just lying in bed, watching Ianto sleep.

The sort of things he thought about ranged from completely random and irrelevant to what he had been thinking about before. One moment he would be thinking about whether he would be able to persuade the Doctor to take Ianto and himself for a short trip somewhere, and the next he would be wondering if he could prise the secret of Ianto's coffee-making skill from the Welshman, for future knowledge. Once a person had tasted Ianto's coffee, there was no going back to the muck the rest of the world likes to pass off as coffee. There was no way Jack was going to spend the rest of his life without coffee.

His gaze flickered down to Ianto's still form. Even after many, many nights of watching him sleep, Jack would never get tired of it. There was something…enchanting about watching another person relax completely and unwind, unaware of being studied. Ianto was no exception – if anything, he was more enchanting. Though that, really, shouldn't have come as a revelation to Jack. Ianto always had to go one better than the norm.

Ianto snuffled slightly and turned over, nestling against Jack's chest with a soft sigh. Jack smiled and closed his eyes, just savouring in the quiet of the small hours.

-T-

Toshiko couldn't sleep. Her head was buzzing and her fingertips were itching to do some work.

Careful not to disturb Gwen, who was snoring like a pig, Tosh grabbed her laptop and scampered into the main cabin to sit at the table.

She could hear Owen moving about in his cabin – probably reading and re-reading the few books he had brought with him. Toshiko briefly considered offering him a couple of her books. Even though they would be unlikely to last him long, they might do something to alleviate the boredom. Then she remembered the last time she had offered him a boredom-buster…Owen hadn't taken it too well.

She sighed and turned the computer on. It took a few minutes to load, and Tosh drummed her fingers against the varnished top as she waited.

When the screen cleared into her familiar background, she opened up a couple of programs and properly relaxed. The comforting whirr of the computer and the quiet of the boat was intoxicating, like a cup of Ianto's coffee freshly brewed.

Apparently she had one new message in her Inbox.

That was weird.

Toshiko frowned and opened it. The frown-lines in her forehead grew deeper as she quickly read it.

-T-

Jack was rudely jolted out of his doze by a frantic Toshiko. "What is it?" he asked, careful not to wake Ianto.

Tosh's eyes were wide, and she was twisting her fingers awkwardly. "I think there's something you ought to see," she said in a low voice. "Just … don't wake Ianto."

"Why?"

"It's about him."

Jack unwrapped his arm from around Ianto, who awoke in an instant.

"Jack?" Ianto asked uncertainly. "Where're you going?"

"I'll be right back," Jack promised. "Go back to sleep."

"But what is it?" Ianto persisted, sitting up and seeing Toshiko. "Tosh?"

"I just need to show Jack something," she explained guardedly, unsure of how much to tell him. "Won't be a minute."

Ianto shrugged and started to get up. "I'm already awake, I might as well help," he said.

Toshiko's eyes widened imperceptibly. "No, no – you go back to sleep. You must be exhausted."

Ianto narrowed his eyes at them. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing," Jack and Tosh said simultaneously.

Ianto looked hurt, and Jack could have smacked himself. "Look, it's just that if you get up too, then Owen will join in and get in the way, and eventually Gwen would wake up too."

"Eventually," Ianto muttered.

Jack felt really guilty. But until he knew what the problem was, he was going to do as Tosh said.

"Sorry, Ianto," he said apologetically.

Toshiko was almost hopping from foot to foot with impatience, and Jack barely had time to throw his lover another remorseful look before she was forcibly dragging him out the cabin and pointing at the screen.

"Jack – look at this email," she said quietly.

Jack read it, before looking up at her with a horrified expression. "But – what do we do?"

Toshiko shook her head, speechless. She readjusted her glasses and tapped a couple of keys on the keyboard.

"If I can find where this message was sent from…" she started carefully. "Then— that's odd."

"What is it?"

"It appears to be that this message wasn't sent at all. There's no e-mail address." Tosh tapped another few buttons.

"What can you find?" Jack said, crossing his arms defensively. "Can you find how it got into your Inbox?"

Toshiko shook her head. "There's nothing – the message seemed to have just…appeared."

"But how is that possible?" Jack asked in confusion.

"It isn't. There's no way that any of this is possible," Toshiko said grimly. "Phones shouldn't be able to work from the bottom of the ocean. They shouldn't be able to influence Ianto and make him ill like this. They shouldn't be able to do any of this."

Jack frowned and read the email again:

Torchwood – you might want to stop this investigation before somebody gets hurt. Go away and leave us alone. Mr Jones will be fine if you return to Cardiff – all of you. You won't get out of it by sending him back alone. Stay here much longer and we promise you he'll suffer.

If you value his life in any way, stop this investigation. It's got nothing to do with you or the Rift.

Stay away.

"But surely we can do something," he insisted.

Toshiko met his gaze evenly. "Like what? I can't see any loophole in this."

Jack was silent. Neither could he. He felt helpless, and Jack Harkness was never helpless. Jack Harkness always had a quip or innuendo to make everything better.

But he didn't now.

"Should we tell Ianto?" Tosh asked nervously.

Jack worried his lower lip. If he told him, then Ianto would feel liable for the investigation being called off. On the other hand, he disliked purposely keeping things from him, and he knew that Ianto would feel betrayed if he didn't explain why they were turning around. For, of course, they would be turning around. There was no way he was going to risk Ianto. "Maybe," he said finally. "What do you think?"

"I think you should tell him," Toshiko said instantly. "He would want to know."

"Yeah, I would," Ianto agreed.

Jack and Tosh spun around in surprise, to see Ianto standing in the corner, pale-faced. "I thought I told you to go back to sleep," Jack said sharply. He could have bit off his tongue when he realised how abrupt he sounded.

Ianto's face registered the hurt for a fraction of a second before he had schooled it back into neutral blankness.

"Sorry," Jack apologised. "I didn't mean it to sound like that."

"You don't mean a lot of things," Ianto returned coolly, stepping further into the room to look at the screen of the laptop.

Jack's heart missed a beat. "What do you mean?" he asked in shock.

Ianto ignored him. "I think we should carry on with the investigation," he said after reading the message.

"No way," Jack said instantly. "We're going back home first thing tomorrow."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "I think I should get to choose, don't you? It's me they're threatening, after all."

"Yeah, but—"

"And I say we carry on. They could be bluffing," Ianto interrupted him.

"And they could be serious!" Jack retorted, starting to feel angry at the other man. "Don't you see? They chose you because they knew we wouldn't be able to manage without you!"

"That's true," Toshiko agreed quietly. "They chose the most important member of the team that they could actually hurt in some way."

"This is all my fault," Jack said quietly, staring at the ground. "I should have come by myself, instead of dragging you all out."

"And manage a group of unknown aliens all by yourself?" Ianto scoffed. "Fat chance. And you wouldn't last two days without my coffee."

"See?" Jack said. "None of us could manage without you, and not just because of the coffee."

"What are you saying?" Ianto asked quietly, meeting Jack's gaze evenly with calm blue eyes.

Jack dropped his gaze. "I'm saying that I couldn't manage without you, Ianto."

Ianto's lips quirked into the faintest trace of a smile. "I'm well aware of that, sir," he remarked. "But I still think that we should carry on. I'm not a child, Jack, I can look after myself."

Jack stared at him for a moment. "Do you realise what you're suggesting?"

"I'm well aware of what I'm suggesting," Ianto replied. "I know what's at stake."

Jack let his arms fall to his sides. "Okay, then."

Tosh held up a hand. "Jack—"

"Just leave it, Tosh," Jack said, not taking his eyes from Ianto's.

Ianto stifled a yawn and turned back to the cabin door. "Now, I don't know about you two, but I'm going back to bed."

-T-

Gwen yawned and sat up. The morning light was filtering through the porthole, bathing the cabin in a warm glow. She checked her watch and frowned. It must be broken. There was no way that it was nearly eleven o'clock.

Oh well. She would just get Ianto to fix it for her – he was good at that sort of thing.

She pulled on a t-shirt and jeans, slathered on some make-up and ran a brush through her unruly hair and sloped into the main cabin.

It was empty except for Ianto, who was sitting at the table idly sipping at a mug of coffee. Gwen's stomach rumbled loudly and he looked up, greeting her with his customary polite smile. He indicated another mug by the sink. "I made you a latté," he offered. "The others went out to try and find out whether the locals have noticed anything weird going on around here."

Gwen stifled a yawn and took her coffee, tasting it gratefully. Nobody could make coffee quite as well as Ianto Jones could, that was a certain fact. Sometimes Gwen wondered whether Ianto had some sort of super-human powers, for he was always there, offering a coffee just as the thought had crossed Gwen's mind in the first place. He was unnaturally efficient at cleaning up after the rest of the team, and was the only person the pterodactyl wouldn't attempt to de-limb.

"Thanks, love," she said. "What time is it?"

Ianto didn't even need to check. "Four to eleven," he said instantly. "You must have been tired."

"Mmmh," Gwen agreed absentmindedly. She frowned at Ianto, noticing the bruises under his eyes and the paleness of his already ivory features. "Are you okay, Ianto? You look a little off-colour."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine, thank you very much," he replied. He was as polite as ever, but Gwen got the feeling that he was deliberately shutting her out. "Toast?"

"Please." Gwen finished her coffee and sighed in contentment. "What time did the others leave?"

"A couple of hours ago," Ianto said, deftly dropping a couple of slices of bread into the portable toaster. Gwen noticed that he didn't take any for himself.

"Aren't you eating?" she asked, concerned.

Ianto didn't meet her eyes, just showed her a fake smile. "I ate with the others, earlier. Did you sleep well?"

Why did Gwen get the impression he wasn't telling her something, and deflecting the conversation off him to something else? "Oh, I slept fine," she replied brightly. "You? Jack snore much?"

"I wouldn't know."

Gwen gave him a look. "Come on, Ianto – we all know that you slept in Jack's cabin last night."

"Or rather, tried to sleep as he hogged the bed," Ianto said, a flash of humour crossing his face.

Gwen laughed. "Rhys does that too. Does Jack then say that you were hogging it?"

"Yep," Ianto agreed.

"Men," Gwen laughed, then covered her mouth in horror as she realised what she had just said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that you weren't a man, I just meant—"

"It's okay, Gwen," Ianto interrupted. He smiled crookedly. "I'm used to it."

Gwen eyed him curiously. "Doesn't it make you angry?"

Ianto shrugged and set the plate of toast down in front of her. Gwen noticed that he had managed to butter it and spread it with her favourite jam without her even realising that he was doing it. "Like I said, after a while you get used to it." He narrowed his eyes at the table. "I admit, it used to upset me a lot, and I yelled at Jack about it." He picked up her empty coffee cup and put it in the sink. "He promised he'd start helping out more, after that."

"Hence the doing the washing up for your birthday," Gwen realised, dipping her finger in the jam and licking it off. "We all heard about that for weeks. Does he do it often?"

"Sometimes. To be honest, I prefer my flat intact, so I tend to do most of that sort of stuff myself," Ianto grinned at her, a proper grin this time. "But he can cook. He couldn't have lived so long without picking the odd thing up."

Gwen shook her head in wonder. "Tosh was right," she said quietly. "You really have domesticated him."

"If I remember rightly, both you and Owen owe Tosh ten pounds," Ianto said dryly.

"You knew that we were betting on you?" Gwen asked in surprise.

"I know everything, remember?" Ianto reminded her, picking up both their mugs and running them under the cold tap. "Not much escapes my attention." He shot her a sharp look, and Gwen blushed, remembering the time she had left her desk in a total mess, with the computer still running and a half-eaten pizza lying on some unfinished paperwork. The next morning she had come in to find the computer shut down, the pizza missing, the paperwork completed and the desk tidy. She never had thanked Ianto. "Ianto, about that time—" she started, but was interrupted by a knock on the hatch. She looked up in surprise as a woman with a round face peered down at them.

"Just thought I'd drop by to say hello," she said in a warm voice, beaming down at them. "I'm Julia Applegate."

"Uh…hi," Ianto said politely, blinking in surprise. "Ianto Jones."

Gwen smiled and stood up. "I'm Gwen Cooper – why don't you come down and have a cup of tea?"

Julia Applegate chuckled and shook her head. "I'd love to, as long as I'm not imposing on you," she replied.

"Not at all," Ianto said truthfully. "I'll just put the kettle on – coffee or tea?"

"Ianto's coffee is amazing," Gwen added as Julia climbed down the ladder.

Julia sat on the seat next to Gwen. "I'm more of a tea person myself, I'm afraid."

"No problem," said Ianto, hands deftly whizzing around the counter as he set about making the tea.

Gwen smiled brightly at the newcomer. "So, are you on holiday here too?" she asked curiously.

Julia laughed. "No, we live here – the boat in the berth next to you. Blue Dancer."

"That's a lovely name," Gwen said.

Julia's pale blue eyes were sad as she remembered. "My daughter named her, before—" She broke off, biting her lip.

"Before what?" Gwen pressed gently.

Julia traced a swirl in the wood of the table. "Clara passed away six months ago. Leukaemia."

"I'm sorry," Gwen said softly, squeezing Julia's hand. Ianto placed a mug of tea

Julia took a deep breath. "Anyway, look at me, dropping in on you like this and dumping all m'burdens. I don't know what you must think of me."

"Don't worry – we've all lost people, too," Gwen said, smiling carefully. Ianto's back tensed, as if he thought she was about to share something she shouldn't; she frowned slightly, feeling annoyed that he really thought she couldn't keep a secret. "My husband's aunt passed away a couple of months ago," Gwen said quickly.

Julia looked from her to Ianto. "Oh, so you're married?"

"No, no!" Gwen laughed. "My husband's back home in Cardiff. Ianto and I are here on a working-holiday with some colleagues."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Julia blushed. "Look at me, jumping to conclusions like that. What job do you do?"

Gwen opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. Luckily, Ianto had a cover story already planned out. "We're journalists for a holiday magazine," he jumped in swiftly. "We're working on an issue about the Channel Islands."

"That's lovely," Julia beamed. "You must come around for dinner tonight – I've lived here for long enough to know quite a bit about these Islands."

"That'd be wonderful," Gwen said, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "What time—?"

"Ianto! If Gwen isn't up yet, throw some cold water on her!"

Gwen smiled apologetically at Julia. "That's Jack," she explained.

"American? From Cardiff?"

Gwen shrugged. "He's just stubborn."

Ianto had climbed up into the cockpit to inform Jack about their visitor, and Jack now leapt down into the cabin, all brilliant smiles and flapping coat. "Captain Jack Harkness," he said, holding out his hand. "And who are you?"

Behind him, Owen and Ianto synchronously rolled their eyes.

Julia seemed immune to Jack's charm. "Mrs Julia Applegate," she said, putting specific emphasis on the 'mrs'. "I live on the boat next to you."

"Lovely," Jack grinned. "Have you tasted Ianto's coffee yet?"

"I'm more of a tea person, myself," Julia deferred.

Jack stared at her in disbelief. "Nobody doesn't like Ianto's coffee. Seriously. It's orgasmic."

Ianto blushed slightly and cleared his throat awkwardly, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

"Julia here has just invited us round for dinner tonight," Gwen said, hoping to save Ianto any further embarrassment.

A look of panic flitted over Owen's face, and Jack looked slightly worried for a moment, but he covered it up with a customary, mega-watt Harkness grin. "That'd be fantastic!" he said cheerfully. "It'd be nice to get to know some people around here."

"Research for our articles," Ianto put in.

"What sort of time do you want us?" Gwen asked.

"Six-ish okay?" Julia queried. "None of you are allergic to chilli, I hope?"

Owen obviously saw an opening to get out of eating. "I am, I'm afraid."

Julia's face visibly fell. "Oh. That's a shame. I'll see what else I can do, then."

"No, don't worry about it – I've got an interview with a hotel-manager this afternoon anyway," Owen lied. "I can grab something on the way back."

Julia smiled uncertainly. "If you're sure…"

"Totally." Owen gave her a fake smile.

Julia seemed appeased by this. She stood up, putting her mug on the counter. "I really need to be going," she admitted. "Shopping to do, y'know."

"Thanks for dropping in," Jack said with a beaming smile, reaching out to shake her hand. "Be seeing you."

-T-

Ianto was seated at his laptop, reading through some news on the web, when an e-mail came through.

He opened it, and frowned in confusion. He blinked once, then called over Jack, who came bounding over.

"Yeah?"

Ianto wordlessly pointed at the screen, where the black words stood stark against the back-lit page:

Better get ready, Ianto Jones. For there's one hell of a ride ahead.

-T-

Gwen was sitting in her and Toshiko's shared cabin, reading a book, when she heard Jack yelling for Tosh.

"Toshiko! We need you over here!" the captain called, bursting into the cabin. "Gwen, where's Tosh?"

Gwen looked up and shrugged. "I don't know where she is, sorry. I think she went for a walk with Owen."

Jack growled under his breath and hurried back into the main cabin. Gwen trailed after him, desperate to know what was going on.

"Jack? What's going on?" she asked, seeing Ianto sitting at the computer with an odd look on his face.

Jack turned to look at her. "I don't know, Gwen," he replied. "That's why I need Tosh."

Ianto's face was very pale and his eyes glittering slightly. He looked at them, the odd half-smile still in place. "There's nothing you can do," he said in a dull monotone.

Jack frowned. "Ianto?"

"We are too strong."

"Ianto, stop it," Jack said forcefully. "This is no time for jokes."

Gwen was staring at Ianto, frowning. "Jack, I don't think that he's joking." She swallowed. "I don't think he's himself at all."

Shaking slightly, Ianto stood up, without any trace of his usual grace. "You must desist from this mission," he intoned. "Turn back. Turn back."

Jack swallowed hard. He squared his shoulders and looked Ianto – no, not Ianto. Not his Ianto, an alien – in the eye. "Make me."

As soon as those words left his lips, Jack cursed himself. They were controlling Ianto, the man he— no. Mustn't say it. Mustn't even think about it.

Ianto's pallid face twitched slightly, as if in confusion. The dark, shining eyes, no longer the clear blue Jack adored, blinked. "That was foolish. We are far more powerful than you."

Jack tipped his head back and studied him. "That's what you think."

"We are."

"Prove it." Gwen's voice was timid but determined, and when Jack looked at her in horror her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Shit," she whispered.

Jack ignored her. "There's no need to prove it – nobody need get hurt," he started, holding up his hands, desperately trying to placate. "Let's discuss this sensibly. You let Ianto go, and we'll talk. I can help you."

Ianto, or rather the creature inhabiting the Welshman, was still watching Gwen. He blinked. "You ask us to prove it. We will prove it."

And then, like a puppet with cut strings, Ianto crumpled to the floor.

"No!" Jack bellowed, crossing the room in one stride and kneeling down on the floor, searching frantically for a pulse in Ianto's neck. "Gwen, phone Owen."

"But—"

"Just do it!"

Gwen nodded and scuttled away.

Jack's fingers couldn't find that steady throb of life under Ianto's skin. "C'mon, Ianto, don't let me down," he whispered. "I've still got to take you on that holiday, remember? And your sister and her kids are visiting when we get back – what will I tell them? Please, Ianto, don't leave me now."

Still no sign of life. Jack gently kissed Ianto, hoping that the vortex would work its magic, bring Ianto gasping back into life in his arms.

Still nothing.

"No," Jack muttered determinedly. "No, Ianto, you promised!"

Mouth to mouth didn't work either. Nothing was working. Why wasn't it working? "C'mon, Ianto, don't leave me. Don't leave me, please." He stroked Ianto's cheek, still desperately hoping that it wasn't true, that Ianto wasn't— "Please, Ianto. Don't go. Don't leave me, please."

Jack didn't want to admit it to himself, but he knew, deep down inside, that his Ianto was gone.

But it didn't make it any easier when he heard Owen say the words.

"Jack, I…" Owen shook his head, still kneeling beside them. "Ianto's gone."

Jack staggered to his feet. He didn't say anything, although he wanted to scream to the skies about how it was so unfair. He ignored the terrified faces of Tosh and Gwen, and walked up the steps, into the cockpit.

The water looked so inviting, so black and cold. Jack looked up at the stars overhead and—

Sinking down into the frigid darkness was a welcome relief from the burning pain the captain felt ripping through his torso, the pain of his heart tearing in two.

Jack opened his eyes, gazed around into the water, and breathed out, feeling the burn and ache in his chest as he allowed the water to gush into his lungs, clouding his brain and dragging him down, down, down…

-T-

Toshiko was crying softly, sitting at the table. Gwen was standing by the door of Owen's cabin, unable to take it in. Owen was still kneeling on the floor by Ianto, head bowed in despair. He had failed. His team-mate, his friend, had died because he hadn't been there to save him. And now Jack had…well, Jack had drowned himself. Alright, Jack would come back, gasping his way into life, but Owen felt as if he had doubly failed for that. In startling clarity, he could remember every misdeed he had done Ianto, every insult he had so casually tossed Ianto's way. And now he was gone, and there was no way that Owen could ever make it up to him.

The coffee machine on the counter gave a beep and started to turn off, as if it too realised that its owner had gone. Owen didn't look around as it began to drain and grind to a halt.

Toshiko gave a muted sob and Owen automatically stood up and reached out to envelop her in a hug. She sniffled against his chest, head tucked under his chin. Somewhere, deep in Owen's subconscious, he knew that they'd have to deal with the body, get it back to Cardiff and into the morgue. But he didn't act on it. He just stood there with his Toshiko in his arms and listened to the sounds of Jack pulling himself out of the water and lie on the pontoon in the silence that only comes from deep, gut-tearing grief.

Jack lurched down the steps into the cabin and fell to his knees beside the still corpse. Water was dripping from his clothes and hair, but he just reached out a wet hand and stroked Ianto's cheek with the back of it. "They all die…" he murmured.

Tears blurring her vision, Gwen stepped forward and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Jack," she whispered.

Jack looked up at her, blue eyes burning. "You're sorry?" he asked incredulously. "If you hadn't provoked it—" He broke off, choking on his own grief. "You're fired."

Toshiko, Owen and Gwen froze.

"Jack, you can't—" Owen started.

Jack cut him off. "I can and I have. Because of her, Ianto's…" His face was stricken, his hand still touching Ianto's chest. "Go, Gwen. You're no longer a member of Torchwood."

Gwen's face creased up in pain and anger. "It isn't my entire fault!" she argued. "I didn't force us to come out here, you did! I didn't make us stay here even when we'd been warned and Ianto's life was at risk!"

Jack reacted as if he'd been slapped. "Get out," he growled through clenched teeth. "How dare you say that this is my fault!"

"It is!" Gwen threw back.

"You're wrong," Jack said quietly. "Completely wrong." He took a step back, his raw gaze tearing into all of them. "I'm getting Ianto back."