12

Ianto was stumbling, his head full of hornets that were biting and clawing at him. His hand slid along the wall as he clutched the teapot in the other, the concentration as he put one foot in front of the other immense and more than once a sob escaped as the pain became unbearable.

He had suffered migraines before, but not like this. His skull was splitting in two. He could practically hear the tearing, honestly. Almost there, he had a promise to keep and he ever forgot those, never. He slid down the wall, finally there in the safety of the secure archives as he knew she searched for him.

They probably all searched for him, the fucking klaxons so loud as the alarms sounded to say he had escaped. But then … that might just be his brain doing that, making that sound as it swelled in his skull like the others. His handler Lisa said he was melodramatic, even as she smiled and patted his hand all the time. If not for the fact she was one of Yvonne's he might have had a go at that ya know. Nice legs.

They were dead, he had lain there strapped down as he watched two interns convulse and die, blood pouring from their ears, mouth, nose … even eyes like they were crying blood. It was horrific to watch knowing they were all on the same trial. Christ one had been a good friend he was flatting with. Shit, that will bugger up the lease. Watching the doctors run about screaming 'not again' as they tried to save them was no comfort either ya know. Then he had blacked out he thought he was gone too.

He had woken alone, silent and cold in a room by himself.

He remembered his promise.

"Ralf" his voice rasped, "Buddy. This might be the last time I can do this … she really fucked things up this time. Here ya go … you be careful. You are important ya know"

He tipped the tea into the grating that sat by his desk, watching it swirl away. As he leaned over the grating he was struck with a scent, like … green apples mixed with cinnamon. Sweet, yummy. Ya know?

Then there was this brilliant golden glow… came like tendrils, like some alien was loose down there but he was not afraid. He was dying, he knew whatever she had done, it was working and this was just a hallucination or something. It had happened slower than the others but he was weeping, his hand wiping blood from his cheek. He was dying.

"Yvonne, what did you do" he sighed, letting himself fold over the grate. "Goodbye Ralf, I will miss you. You are probably the only friend I have here apart from Lisa and I think she is just crafty enough to handle me."

Ianto let his eyes slide shut as he hoped Lisa would be OK.

Funny.

He thought dying would be a bright light, sort of a whooshing feeling then ... a room or something.

Funny.

Looks just like the secure archives.

Ianto watched Yvonne and several of the medical team running towards him as he sighed softly as he realised he had just woken from a fugue not died damn it all, those lovely warm fingers that had stroked the back if his neck disappearing back down the grating as Ralf released him.

"What happened, what do we do?" the doctor asked as she shakily reached out for Ianto, "Looks like he has survived."

"Retcon" Yvonne barked, "Retcon the survivors and put them back at their desks. Monitor them and if they have any more side effects we will look at closing it down all together."

The last thing Ianto saw as the needle plunged into his vein was the doctor staring at Yvonne, "Really? After all this? Eradication?"

"If any of them show abilities…yes."

.

.

.

.

Ianto lay next to Jack blinking fiercely as he tried to comprehend what that had been.

A dream? A memory? Ianto turned his head to Jack and considered waking him but sleep is rare when you are someone the Crystals have loved enough to show their hearts to. He knows this so instead he rolled to face away and stare at the clock.

Three hours.

Jack will probably sleep one more.

Ianto pondered and knew he had broken the Retcon maybe because he had died and reset or something, probably would remember more if he pushed but he didn't want to push. He didn't like what had just been shown and anything more was going to freak him the fuck out. He knew this with all his heart.

Max was in the doorway.

"Taddy?"

Ianto rose and went to him, knowing before he got to him that he had wet the bed and he knelt, pulling him against him and ignoring the cold slap of soiled clothing. "It's OK. Come on, a hot shower and fresh Jimjams. Maybe some hot chocolate and a book, yeah?"

"I had a bad dream" Max whimpered, "I saw you runned over by the truck."

Ianto did not correct the grammar as he might have in the daytime, Max allowed to be a little boy here when he wanted to still be loved as much too. Soon they were settled on the sofa with a blanket and matching cups, Ianto reading softly as the clock ticked over.

When Jack came out they were both sleep, holding one another for grim life as if something evil stalked them.

Jack stood for a long time just looking at them as his hands clenched and unclenched.

He knew he was in this one deep.

For life.