A/N: Thank you to my wonderful beta jlinarjackson. This story wouldn't be what it is without you! On that note, I've been a bad girl and added a few things after my beta saw this chapter so all mistakes are mine.

Thank you for all the support, alerts, and comments! Can't believe I am already posting chapter ten already. This chapter will also begin to answer some of those burning questions so I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10 – Saturday Noon

Light streamed through the stained glass windows, illuminating Ianto's pale complexion with swirls of colors; red, blue, yellow, green, purple painted mosaics on his pale skin, causing him to look positively gorgeous (more gorgeous than usual). Jack would have been mesmerized by the beautiful sight in front of him if it wasn't for the violent trembling and shudders emanating from the man's body.

Ianto looked nervous, terrified actually, and all Jack could think to help was to slip a hand into his and give a brief squeeze; an appropriate type of support for his friend… merely friend.

Lisa appeared at the church entrance and even Jack had to admit she was looking picturesque; dark skin glowing, framed by a barely off-white dress hugging the curves on her torso perfectly with a long flowing skit swaying behind in the breeze.

As music played as she walked down the aisle, a bouquet of white roses cradled in her hands, Jack's body began to shiver. He'd been able to keep himself steady and calm so far, but at this moment his world crumbled. A single tear trickled from his eye, he'd lost Ianto.

As Lisa neared the altar, he could feel the nervous energy pulsing from the man next to him increase. He managed a peak to his left to gauge Ianto's state and almost gasped at the dear in the headlights look.

When Lisa walked up and her father lifted her veil and kissed her, he felt Ianto's tension coil through his body.

She walked up next to her husband-to-be and that's when everything happened faster than he could comprehend.

Tosh sat in the fourth row on the groom's side next to Owen, thankful that her friend had the decency to be sober. She was still aggravated at her friends about last night but at the same time, she understood both men were grieving.

She remembered how long it took her to mourn what could have been with Owen. And even then, she didn't fully come to terms with it until she met Tommy (or even until she saw Owen wasted in the hotel room, if she was going to be completely honest with herself).

Gazing up at the altar, she saw the two men appearing terribly miserable, a look incongruent with what was expected of them.

She understood Jack's sorrow; this was it, concrete proof that Ianto was lost forever. Her friend had to pretend to be happy as his insides twisted in misery, and her heart clenched as she felt his pain.

However, she couldn't understand the look on Ianto's face. He looked dejected, part panicky and part resigned. This was supposed to be the happiest day of his life but…

The wedding march played and she stood up with everyone else, eyes turned toward the bride, Lisa. The lucky woman looked beautiful and Tosh hoped that one day she'd look half as beautiful in a wedding dress. With the old, beautiful church surrounding her, Lisa looked like a princess out of a fairytale (and she'd never admit it out loud but she always wanted at least a moment in her life where she could feel like that).

Tears misted her eyes as the bride's father lifted the beautifully embroidered veil over her head and kissed a cheek, giving his only daughter away.

Lisa stood next to Ianto and then Tosh gasped from shock.

Ianto ran.

He literally ran down the aisle and out the door (she'd never seen him run as fast in his life).

Her mouth gaped open as silence saturated the atmosphere and everyone stared, shocked. It was almost like the guests' brains hadn't caught up with the events yet.

Lisa, the first to seemingly shrug off the stupor, ran after him and out the church's heavy wooden door.

Suddenly, everyone seemed to snap out of it as chaos ensued.

Owen would have liked to thank his doctor instincts for being the first to act in an emergency. However, when Ianto ran and everyone stood in shock, he made his move purely from adrenaline pumping in fear for Ianto's life.

Running to the door right behind the bride, he hoped he wasn't followed by any angry villagers (although knowing that was wishful thinking). Ianto and his girl needed to talk in private. It seemed like it was going to be up to him to block the door and keep the furious families and friends at bay.

He felt Jack following and hoped the bloody git could follow instructions for once and not make a scene. Owen stood at the door, firm, solid, sober.

Too sober.

Shite, for once he wished he wasn't sober.

Jack stood next to him looked shell shocked, like he needed a drink as well.

A woman, Lisa's mother he guessed, stomped through the aisle, fury etched into her face. He stiffened as she screamed in his face, "Let me through. My daughter's out there, hurting..."

In his even, calm, and gentle tone (again that of a doctor's bedside manner he used to be so shitty at doing) he soothed, "Mrs. Hallett, they need to talk. And after they talk, they will either return here together or you can go comfort your daughter. Until then, they need privacy."

"I know what my daughter needs, and it is not taking to that worthless bastard. Now, move!"

He stood like a statue, like the Royal Guard, unmoving, protecting his silly twat of a friend. He felt almost like he was a totally new, better person... oh, he wasn't going to kid himself, he was still a prick. "Please, Mrs. Hallett, just a few..." He didn't get to even finish his sentence before the bloody woman started to smack him with her tiny purse. But damn, that purse hurt with its metal clasps and reinforced sides. Did that woman carry weights in there? Arms moved to protect his gorgeous face as Owen took the beating. He owed Ianto that much. After all, he was still his bloody friend.

At some point during the purse tirade, Mr. Hallett's hand found its way to his wife's shoulder. "Darling, he's right. It's their life and they need to talk. Just give them five minutes."

The disgruntled woman huffed and walked off.

Suddenly, Owen realized everyone in the church was staring at him and his barricade. Well, shite, now he'd be famous among the sheep-shaggers. He wondered when he had become the voice of reason in this Hell hole.

Flickering his eyes around, trying not to stare back, he moved them around randomly until they fell and then lingered on Jack. He looked... guilty?

Oh shite, Owen hoped that the bloody American wanker had nothing to do with all this. Harkness' love sick advances have been ignored for years by the sodding teaboy. And it seemed until a few days ago, that Jack was resigned to let things be and just deal with his heartbreak. But if Jack did something to Ianto that had caused this, he was going to have a talk with the man later, preferably with his fists.

He felt Tosh sneak up on his other side silently. He whispered to her, "Just in case, Toshie, have a car ready so we can sneak Ianto away quickly if shite goes down. These people do not look happy."

She nodded, and then just as stealthily snuck out through a side door.

Ianto kept running like the coward he was. Out through the church doors until he stopped in shock: he'd just ran out on his own wedding! His own wedding to Lisa! He'd hurt Lisa!

His chest was tightened; every breath felt like fire, his body trembled.

"Ianto!"Lisa's voice broke through the silence stabbing him like a thousand daggers. He turned red-rimmed eyes toward her; she deserved so much more, someone better. She deserved an explanation. Not that he knew exactly what was going on inside him anyway, but he'd be as honest as possible and give her all he could.

She deserved so much more.

"Ianto?"

He looked at her, the beautiful, confused face marred by red eyes and mascara-colored tears streaking down her cheeks. His heart shattered.

He did this to her, he broke her.

"Lisa..." He wanted to speak, he really did, but words failed him. There was nothing he could say to spare her the pain. Nothing he could do to make things right. They were broken. No, he was broken.

"Did you just... just run out on our wedding?" Pain, sorrow, anger seeped into every word that fell out of her perfectly shaped red lips.

There was only one word, an honest, rubbed raw word that formed the answer, "Yes."

Lisa watched him, shocked, her mouth open as if the words died a moment before she had a chance to utter them. He watched as his actions smashed her world, her heart, into a million little pieces; all of it reflected in her gorgeous brown eyes.

He pulled himself together, this wasn't about him. He'd already made up his mind and ran, there was no going back. He'd already decided, he'd stand tall and take her anger, her hate, whatever she needed to feel better. And then he'd run and hide, curl up in a fetal position with a bottle of whiskey... but no, he wouldn't think of that now.

"Are we breaking up?" Her voice trembled.

"Yes." Again, that terrible, awful word left his lips.

"Is there no… no hope? For us I mean?"

He could tell her he just wasn't sure. He could tell her he was broken and confused. He could tell her he just needed a little time.

And then he could break her heart all over again in the future.

"No." A different word left his lips but just as painful to utter as the last one.

Sobs wracked Lisa's body. It was painful to watch the beautiful, strong woman fall apart, especially knowing he'd caused it. He'd caused all this.

"Why?" The word eventually rolled out of her mouth in a whisper.

"I... I'm..." He stuttered, stumbling over his words like child on his first day of a new school. His mind was blank, wishing she would yell at him, hit him, anything but this raw pain emanating from her gaze.

"Tell me the truth!" she shouted. Finally, she shouted.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you but I know I did. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm broken, Lisa. I'm just broken."

She looked at him, anger pouring from her eyes. "We can work it out."

"No! I feel stuck, Lisa. I hate my job. I have no friends and always only hang out with yours. I hate that mam doesn't remember me from day to day. I hate tad's new wife. I hate tad berating me, never being good enough. I hate..."

Lisa stopped his tirade of words by throwing a solid right hook straight into his face. He felt a stab of pain followed by a buzzing ache; white spots filled his vision and he had to sit down on the ground.

Her voice was now a whisper, "Do you hate me as well, Ianto?"

He looked up at her; he needed her to see the honesty on his face. He needed her to know... "Never. I... I love you. I hate me. I'm sorry."

"Ianto..."

He got up promptly and grabbed her hands, thankful she let him hold them for the last time. Staring straight into her beautiful brown eyes, he trembled as he tried to keep his composure. He'd hurt her enough, he wouldn't anymore. "You did nothing wrong. I'm sorry…"

She dislodged herself from his grip and, with one last look, ran into a side room of the church.

Ianto kept looking at the door long after her white dress disappeared. A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his reverie. He expected Jack but disappointingly found Owen. "Come on, mate. Let's get you out of here before the mob comes for you with pitchforks."

The comment was sarcastic but his tone was gentle, almost understanding. Ianto let himself be led away from the church into a car. He didn't even notice Tosh at the wheel, his mind in a haze, not caring where they went. He just wanted to stop existing, not die but just sink into oblivion for awhile.

He hoped that, wherever they were going, there was whiskey there.