Last Shadow Puppet

Rating change- Fic is now rated an M

A/N- thank you everyone who has reviewed, favourited and everyone who has read and enjoyed, hope this chapter lives up to expectations... I did struggle with this somewhat so sorry for the late update,

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Chapter eight- It's beginning to get to me,

He can feel the eyes in the back of his head, boring into his skull, searching, prying, he doesn't need to but he glances in the rear-view mirror catches Owen's eyes, see's the slight uncertainty burning in the hazel depths. He feels the need to challenge him, ask why he's judging him, why he's blaming him, he bites his tongue, the doctor returns his gaze to the medical kit in his lap, ensuring that he has everything and more importantly to give his hands something to do, to ease his mind.

Tosh taps away at the keyboard in her lap, her fingers shake a little, the only sign of worry visible, her minds elsewhere but she's focused at the same time, business side of her burning through, the calculating less emotional side that she uses to reign in her concern, hiding it in the very pit of her stomach. She passes a sidelong glance at Jack, the look in her eyes is undecipherable, the captain briefly wonders what it is she's thinking, is she as calloused towards him as Owen or does she pity him, does she see something more, sense the pain slipping from him in thick waves.

Gwen bites at her lip, a nervous habit she thinks the team never notice, she stares out of the window, and Jack merely steels himself against all of the silence, all of the questions in their minds, all of the doubts that they hold over him. He knows them well, he feels the very same doubts over himself most of the time, he's lived for so long, he's been so many different people, what makes this version of himself any more real than the last? He locks the thoughts away, thinks them more of a hindrance than a help, all he cares about now is getting Ianto back, whatever the cost.

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Ianto groans and tries to lift his head, the very weight of it seems impossible, his vision blurs and then focuses, his hearing fades in and out, his senses fail him and he feels impossibly cold. He's scared, shivering which he's hoping is more a result of the cold than the fear that trickles through his veins. There's someone at his side, that creature with its haunting violet eyes, he can feel the smile on those blue tinged lips.

"You know Ianto Jones, you've impressed me," those nails on his flesh, he can barely feel them but he knows that they're scratching, digging into his skin, he doesn't think it matters now, he can feel his time ticking down, like sand through an hourglass. He grips, holds on, in the end it just disappears through the cracks in his fingers and he hopes they're coming for him but he knows they'll be too late. "You've lasted a lot longer than I would have thought," that smirk again, he's glad he can't see it. He'd say something derogatory if the words didn't die in his mouth.

He fights against the dark once again, swears he feels something there, waiting, he struggles against the restraints and knows the slick that makes it easier to move within them is a result of his own blood. He cringes and continues to try to free his hands, the energy slips from him quickly, weakness seeps across his limbs, he wants to scream but his throat is hoarse, it's futile and he knows it but all he can do to keep himself from going insane in these final few minutes is to thrash against the bonds that hold him. To fight even when all hope is gone, the creature chuckles, his feet splash in the blood coating the floor, it makes Ianto's stomach turn and the hand on his shoulder causes him to fall still.

"Don't use up all of that energy now, you don't have much left," he licks his cheek and Ianto clenches his teeth harshly, "your despair tastes so wonderful, do you think this is how Lisa felt, staring at the cybermen clunking towards her? Do you think it's how she felt when your beloved Captain pointed a gun at her head, when your 'friends' pumped bullets into her... what about your mother... what about all those people you've failed Ianto." The tears stream from his eyes despite how hard he felt he fought against them, he's tired, he's so tired, he keeps his eyes open through sheer will.

The creature smirks and laps at his neck, it grips at his shoulder and he hears the bones crunch beneath its grip, his voice is lost to the darkness and his body aches so much he can only just feel it. He prays for Jack, prays to a God he's never really been sure he's believed in, prays that he spares him this once, saves him. He thinks of Rhiannon, wonders what his colleagues will tell her, will she miss him, will Jack miss him, Gwen, Tosh and Owen, will they care, or will they just carry on.

He hisses at the feel of the cold hand in the small of his back, the creature lapping at the sweat covered blood soaked skin. He wants to get away, to inch his body as far into the darkness as possible to try and get away from the touch but he knows he can't escape this thing there, this creature comes from the darkness, feels at home there, Ianto fights to keep his eyes open, to keep his consciousness, he loses the battle the creature chuckles once again and Ianto hopes and prays that it's not the last thing he'll ever hear.

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They don't speak as they move in unison, guns drawn and held low as they run towards the run down warehouse, keeping as low as they could. Jack and Owen take the back, Gwen and Tosh the front, Jack covers Owen as the younger male breaks open the door, slipping into the darkness, Jack follows soon after, closing the door silently behind him. They navigate their way through the darkness more through trial and error than an ingrained knowledge of the blueprints.

They find nothing in their search, an empty warehouse that seems to have been empty for years, they're beginning to lose hope, Jack bites his lip to suppress the feeling of utter uselessness, he's just about to lash out at the wall when Owen breaks into a run, gun dropped as he falls to his knees and skids across the floor, Jack watches the gun clatter to the floor, watching it bounce briefly before falling lifelessly onto its side. When he glances up again Owen's crouched over a figure lying on the cold of the floor, his heart stops as he watches the medic all but rip supplies out of his back pack, he's screaming at him, he knows he is but he can't get himself to move, despite the urgency burning in his mind, his body just won't respond.

He's not sure when but at some point it registers in Owen's mind that he isn't kneeling in a puddle next to his unconscious friend, for starters the liquid seeping through his jeans, coating his hands, is far denser than water, it doesn't run away from his skin as he lifts his hands, it stays covering his palms. He comes to realise quite quickly that he's kneeling in a pool of Ianto's blood and that it's a lot of blood. He breathes and starts barking orders at Jack who merely stands with a horrified look on his face, Owen moves quickly, he checks the younger's pulse and upon finding one, albeit incredibly weak he injects him with something akin to a cocktail of drugs to stabalise him,

"Jack move it!" Owen demands as he quickly patches up the wounds he can see, "come on he's lost a lot of blood we've got to move now!" he wraps him in an aluminium blanket, checks the response of his pupils, Jack's at his side now and he doesn't acknowledge the way the elders hands are shaking.

"Is he going to be ok?" The doctor seems lost uncertain, "Owen," hazel eyes glance up at him, "is he going to be ok?" he repeats, trying his best not to break himself, he clenches his teeth and stares at Owen and only Owen because it's too hard to look anywhere else. His blood freezes in his veins and he can hear Gwen and Tosh run into the room, stopping when they reach the door, "did you find it?" Jack demands, Gwen shakes her head,

"He must have been long gone, he knew we were coming," Tosh explains,

"He needs blood Jack, he's got a pulse but it's weak, he might just make it back to the hub but we have to hurry," Owen explains and the urgency in his voice makes everyone spring into action, Jack helps him lift Ianto, Tosh grabs Owen's supplies and Gwen runs to the SUV, she's in and ready to go by the time they get there, in gear and everything, Tosh jumps into the front, Owen and Jack manoeuvring themselves into the back with Ianto lying across them. Jack grabs his hand, squeezing gently, willing him to be ok.

They make it back to the hub quicker than ever before, Tosh having hacked into all the traffic notifications on the way and telling everyone in no uncertain terms to get the fuck out of their way. They're down in the medical bay even faster, Owen moving quicker than he's had to in years,

"What do you need us to do?" Gwen asks as the three of them stand round whilst Owen rushes around, he stops for a minute and looks at them with a half smile.

"Anyone fancy donating blood?" Jack steps forward before anyone's really had a chance to think about it, rolling up his sleeve and sitting down in the seat Owen sets out for him.

"Take as much as you need," he says with a smile, unconsciously entwining his fingers with Ianto's where he's lying on the table, if anyone notices they don't comment. Silence falls over them all as Owen gets to work...

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I'm ending it there, sorry it's short, but I felt it was time I updated even though I struggled with this chapter, worse case of writers block ever, next chapter will be better I promise! Thank you all for your support and I hope this chapter doesn't put you off too much,