Dusk had swept in and Jack could no longer see the SUV parked a few streets away. Cold rain settled in his hair and caused the gel in it to lose all cohesiveness. Jacks toes were damp, and he drew his coat around him. The rain crackled in his other ear as Gwen spoke to him.

"I'm at Cathays cemetery." He told her, knowing he'd have to tell someone before the team started searching for him as well.

"Why have you gone back there?" She asked.

Jack lifted the torch in his hand and shone it into the rain. It turned each drop into light before they exploded into darkness when they hit the ground. "Owen has a lead. If Owens right, of the three places I'm likely to find Ianto, this is the only one he can get to. His place is locked up, the aurora club won't let him in. Also, we found bodies here. That means what took him resides close by. The bodies were dumped here after death, that's why there was no blood on the floor."

"Do you know what took him Jack?"

He didn't reply.

"Jack?"

He paused, he didn't need back up. They were likely to be more of a liability than any help to him. "Toshiko's in the hub by herself. Go back there and wait for me, see if Owen's gotten any further." The call ended before Gwen could tell him to be careful.

The beam of light from the torch hit the raindrops, the puddles, the slick stones of memorials and gravestones. The ground was saturated. He stepped off the path onto the grass between plots, his feet sunk into the ground slightly, it was verging on boggy. Waiting. Waiting with knowledge. Waiting with intent.

Behind Jack something moved, he turned but wasn't in time to witness anything. He heard its footsteps behind him. It didn't reveal itself. They were watching him. Stalking him as much as he did them. He'd known they wouldn't be able to resist.

Again something moved, this time in front. He raised the torch and saw something classified as less than a blur. Under any other circumstances he'd have ignored it as a trick of the light. But these creatures specialised in light tricks, that's how they went un-noticed. That's how they'd lived under his nose in his city.

Another noise behind him, Jack spun on his heel, Torch pointed with intent.

Arms shield from the light. It's too bright. Too bright. Cold, wet. Can't feel his toes. How did he get here? Arms go down as Jack points the torch away. There was blood on his neck, his shirt. He didn't have any shoes and he was soaked to the bone. He was still a beautiful sight to Jack who half smiled as he breathed his name like a sigh of relief. "Ianto."

Stepped towards him, he really didn't look good. The blood flowing from his neck was steady but not serious. His arm was bleeding as well. As Jack reached him his legs buckled and Jack grabbed him. They both landed arse first in the mud.

No eye contact. Had to break the hold. Jack touched his face and rolled his head to face him. "Look at me. Ianto."

It takes a moment. The fall had jolted Ianto, but it took a familiar voice and arms to bring him out of it. He looked at Jack, meaning just beyond his comprehension again. Then it all seemed to fall into place. "Hello?" He greeted in a very small and unsure voice.

The billion dollar smile made an appearance for the first time since yesterday morning. "Hey." There was a near laugh of light relief with it.

Ianto glanced around, trying to place himself again. As he turned his head Jack got a better look at the puncture mark on his neck. "Where are we?"

Digging his hand into his coat, Jack produced his clean handkerchief and held it to Ianto's neck. "Cathays cemetery."

"Right. What are we doing here?"

Fingers reach up to stroke Iantos' cheek. Jack's thumb keeps his neck covered. "Your memory's blanked again. That's a very common side effect. Just your minds way of protecting you."

"From what?"

No reply from Jack, he blanked the question. Ianto saw his eyes shift as he considered it though. The conversation moved along. "They came for you at home. Do you remember?"

Recall was difficult, but that memory wasn't too fuzzy. "I tried to call you. Changed my mind. Didn't want to get you worried."

There was a half smile and Jack shook his head. Of all the reasons not to call. "I wish you had."

"Someone was knocking on the door." He didn't remember anything after that. It wasn't blank, it was just a drunken blur until a few moments ago. "Why am I yer?"

"They must have a nest close by. Most victims are too weak to walk, that'd be how you got out. They wouldn't be watching you. Also they would've had to carry those bodies here." That all sounded very clinical, and very vague an explanation.

"What are they Jack?"

He was going to have to tell him at some point, he wouldn't be able to count on his co-operation if he didn't. Jack hesitated as the words stung his mouth.

"Hemovores. Vampires."

Ianto raised his hand to his own throat and pulled Jacks hand from his neck. He could see the handkerchief was blood soaked. Oh God. He wanted to throw up, pass out. Lie in the mud. "They fed off me." Dizzy. Shaking.

Arms pull him against Jack. He doesn't cry. Buries his head in Jacks shoulder. Arms solid around him. "I've got you. They won't get to you again." Kissed him on the temple. Ianto was so cold, hardly a wonder given his state of dress.

He raised his hand and gripped at Jacks coat, desperate for the warmth of him. Suddenly Jack grabbed at his wrist and held it away so he could see it. Ianto drew back and saw his hand had vanished again.

The look on Jacks face had changed from pure affection to surprise and fear. His voice had quietened. "Has this happened before?"

Nods his head, Jack reached out and touches his face again. "Just after I called you this mornin'."

"That's over twelve hours-." Jack stood suddenly and hauled Ianto to his feet. Suddenly everything was urgent. "I need to get you back to the hub, NOW."

"What is it? What's happening to me?"

No time for vague explanations, he needed Ianto on his side and willing to co-operate, no time for pretence. No time to sugar coat it.

"Hemovores spread themselves through the blood stream and mutate host species. You're taking on their camouflage ability, which means your cells are already mutating. This process kills most victims, and symptoms present as Meningitis. You don't have a fever and rash, so I'm saying you're near end stage."

"What does that mean?" It was a conclusion Ianto had arrived at before he asked, Jack didn't need to reply.

"I need you to trust me."

No. He'd not lived through canary wharf to have this happen. He'd not outlived all his friends in London, not survived losing Lisa to end up the same way. "I'm going to turn into one of them?"

"No." That word was firm, but Ianto couldn't stretch to believe him. "I won't let that happen. We need more time."

More time? What did he mean by that? He knew Jack well enough to guess, things were about to get a lot colder. "I'm not going into Cryo Jack."

"You got any other ideas?"

He did, and Jack wasn't going to like it. "Let me go."

Shakes his head, grips Ianto by the shoulders. "No way. I won't lose you like this."

"I'd rather be dead than in cryo."

Pulls him tighter against him, there's a near angry edge to his voice. "Don't say that. Don't ever say that"

Ianto tried to pull away from Jack, Jack just gripped him harder, their foreheads fell together and Jacks' hands ran through his hair. Their eyes closed.

"You run and I'll come for you."

"You'll let me run. If you had any sense you'd shoot me now. But you won't. You'd rather cut off your own hand than be the one to pull the trigger."

Jack kissed him, then his arms pulled around him. They hold him like they won't ever again. One arm dropped as Jack whispered into Iantos' ear. "You know I can't let you go. They're all around us. They'll just take you again. I'm so sorry."

Chloroform. Hand clamped over his mouth , screaming into the handkerchief. No, no ,no. Not going into Cryo. Not going like this. Screaming, not going down without a fight. Getting tired. Jacks arms like steel cables. Can't throw him off. Reaches into Jacks coat. Jack gambles he won't find what he's looking for, that he'll pass out before then. Stupid gamble. Ianto clamps his jaw onto Jacks palm. Jack cries out but doesn't loosen his grip.

His hand finds Jacks stun gun. Rips it from the holster. Jabs him in the side with it. Jack screamed, and the last thing he saw before he passed out was Ianto's reappeared hand withdrawing from his coat, holding a weapon he let him name.

Black.