Thank you so much for the reviews - over 510 now, wow! - and here is your reward, the next chapter of the story. How is Ianto?


Strange Encounter

Chapter Fifty Five

"Ianto, are you okay?"

I heard Toshiko's words and spun round to tell her off. How could he possibly be okay!? And I saw him, struggling out of Owen's arms, trying to stand up, all the while with his gaze trained on me. He was alive! Suzie hadn't shot him!

"I'm sorry, sir," he said in those beautiful Welsh vowels. "I -"

I grabbed him and hugged him tight, ignoring the others and Suzie's dead body behind me. Ianto was alive, that was all that mattered. I kissed him hard and then crushed him into a hug once more. He tried to say something but gave up, holding onto me as fiercely as I was holding him. All I could think about was how close I had come to losing him and the emptiness I had felt when I'd imagined him gone. Over his shoulder, I saw Toshiko kneel by Owen with her hand on his shoulder. She clearly wanted to hold him as I was holding Ianto and, with a little sigh, Owen gave in and leaned into her, his head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms round him, lightly so as not to scare him away, and rested her cheek on the top of his head. I was so pleased for her and when she looked my way, we exchanged smiles and enjoyed a brief respite from the pressures of Torchwood.

But the moment couldn't last. Suzie was dead, Owen was injured - although not badly - and I guessed Ianto was even more traumatised. I had work to do. Easing Ianto out of my embrace, I kept an arm around his waist and looked down at Suzie's dead body. It could only have been suicide, I decided, but why? How?

"What happened?" I asked, keeping my voice low and my tone even. Whatever had gone on couldn't be undone and making accusations would not help.

Owen looked up, moving out of Toshiko's arms without looking at her; embarrassed I suppose. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have rushed down here," he began, wiping at his face where tear streaks still marked his cheeks.

"Jack, he's been hurt," interrupted Toshiko forcefully. She shot a glance into the cell at Suzie. "And do we have to do this here?"

"You're right. Help him to the med bay. Ianto, you go with them."

"What are you going to do?" he asked, his hand clutching mine as I let my arm drop from his waist. His voice wasn't too steady either.

"I won't be long. Just want to make her decent."

They reluctantly left the cell block, Toshiko and Ianto on either side of Owen who was slightly woozy from the head wound. When the door closed behind them I turned to look at Suzie. This was such a waste. I bent and picked up the gun, put the safety on and stuck it in a pocket and then crouched down by her head. The wounds were horrific and yet they had not marred her face. If I concentrated, it was as if she was merely lying down and would speak to me. But she wouldn't, not now. She was dead at her own hand and I had to find out how that had occurred. Reaching out, I gently closed her unseeing eyes and then spread a blanket over her head and upper body. She deserved to have her earthly remains cared for but that could wait, the three people upstairs could not.

In the office, I threw my greatcoat onto a chair and returned my Webley to the drawer where it resided when I was in the Hub. The other gun I had put in the armoury on my way past. I rejoined my team in the medical bay. Ianto was perched on the bottom steps while Owen was sitting on the examination table with Toshiko cleaning his head wound. I joined them, stroking a hand over Ianto's hair as I walked past him. "How bad is it?" I asked.

"It's nothing," said Owen. Like all doctors, he's a lousy patient.

"I don't think there's any serious damage," said Toshiko, ignoring the last comment. "The skull seems to be intact."

"Let's check." I found the Bekaran deep-tissue scanner in a drawer and ran it over Owen's head. This is a wonderful piece of equipment and we use it all the time. The display showed that the wound was only skin deep. Head wounds bleed profusely and could lead to concussion but one had to be particularly unlucky for them to be anything more. "You're right. It's quite a deep gash though. I think it needs a couple of stitches."

"Go on then," said Owen with a deep, resigned sigh. "No need for a local."

"Don't be stupid," retorted Toshiko, moving to the drugs cabinet on the side. She reached in and removed a syringe filled with local anaesthetic. "You'd insist on it for the rest of us."

"She's right. Now, how many fingers?" I asked, holding up three in front of Owen.

"Ninety six." I waited. "All right, three," he said finally.

"Better." I accepted the syringe, took it out of its protective packaging and injected it around the wound. "While we wait for that to take effect, tell me what happened after I left tonight." I deliberately turned away from them, going to the basin to wash my hands and then use an antiseptic cleanser.

It was Toshiko who started the tale. "Owen settled on the sofa to get some sleep and I carried on with the security changes. Ianto stopped by for a chat before he went to his room. I got pretty involved with the work and it must have been more than an hour later that I chanced to look at the screen showing Suzie." Toshiko paused then went on. "She was half-on half-off the bed with something round her neck. It looked like she'd hanged herself."

I was back standing before Owen, testing to see if the anaesthetic had taken effect when he carried on the story. "Tosh woke me up. Ow, that hurt." He jerked away from my probing. "Gawd, give it a bit longer."

"Says the man who didn't want a local in the first place," murmured Ianto from behind me. It broke the growing tension and we all smiled, even Owen.

"Yeah, all right, smarty-pants. Anyway, I saw what had happened and went down to the cells," said Owen. "And before you say anything, I know it was stupid. I should have checked the cell's scanners, they'd have shown she was still breathing." He looked disgusted with himself and didn't need me to rub it in.

"I'm not sure I'd have checked either," I ventured. "Go on."

"Right. Well, I wasn't stupid enough to go down there alone. I got Ianto from his room and we went together. He had the gun and covered me."

"Hang on a minute," I said, wanting to clarify a point. "You woke Ianto up?" The area around the wound was numb now and I took the needle and suture from the tray Toshiko held out.

"I wasn't asleep," came from Ianto. "I knew I'd not be able to, so just changed and lay on the bed. I think I'd dozed off but I heard Owen come into the room."

"Okay. Carry on, Owen, and keep still." I was inserting the first stitch of three.

"I am!" he protested. "We got to the cell block and went in. I opened her cell door while Ianto stayed back. I was still convinced Suzie had hanged herself, or tried to, so when she moved and clobbered me it was a total surprise. She pushed me back and I fell, hit me head on the bed and was out of it for a bit." His eyes flickered to the side to where Ianto was sitting. "When I came to, can't have been more than a few minutes later, Suzie had a gun pointed at Ianto."

"I couldn't kill her," said Ianto quietly. I paused what I was doing and looked over at him. he was wringing his hands and staring down at the floor between his feet. "I've never killed anyone and … I knew her, she was … she was a friend. I'm sorry," he muttered.

"It's all right, mate, not sure I could have done it either," agreed Owen immediately.

"Nor me," added Toshiko. She put the tray on the examination table and went to Ianto's side, squeezing in to sit beside him on the step, her hand on his clasped ones.

"What I don't understand," went on Ianto as if he hadn't heard them, "was why she didn't kill me. She could have, easily." He raised his eyes and met mine.

"What did she do?" I gave him a reassuring smile then turned back to Owen and put in the last stitch.

"She backed away from me, towards the cell, 'til she was standing almost in the doorway. The gun was … pointed at me but she didn't fire. She said … she said 'It's this place, it's Torchwood' and then put the gun … under her chin and … fired."

Toshiko had her arm round him when I looked back at them; she was doing what I wanted to do. Instead, I reached for the gauze and tape which Toshiko had left handy and cut a piece to dress Owen's wound.

"That's what I saw when I came to," continued Owen. "She was in the cell doorway. I thought, I really thought, she was going to kill Ianto and then me but she just … The bullet made a right mess." He looked into my eyes. "She knew what she was doing, Jack. She wanted to kill herself."

"Death by Torchwood," I murmured, securing the dressing to Owen's temple. We were silent for a few minutes.

"I don't care what you say, Jack," began Toshiko, "I'm glad. She was a murderer and this way she's saved us having to decide what to do with her."

"Too right," agreed Owen. "Better her than any of us."

"I don't disagree," I said slowly, standing back a pace or two so I could see them all, "but she was our colleague, our friend. And this happened as a result of the Glove, don't forget that. It could have been any of us if we'd been the ones to use it. So, we treat her and her memory with respect. Her dedication to Torchwood and the work she's done as a member of our team were second to none. She's a fallen colleague, let's remember her that way."

I waited and one by one they all looked at me and nodded, accepting what I'd said. These were good people and I was grateful they had come through this night unscathed, physically at least. They would all have mental scars which would take time to heal. I hoped the chat with Duncan Strachan would help us with those.

"Thank you. Now, time to get on. Tosh, the security changes aren't as urgent now."

"I've started so I may as well finish," she said with a rueful grin. "Can't leave the job half done."

"Okay, you're probably right. Owen, no need for you to hang around if you want to get off home."

"I'm all right," he said, hopping down off the examination table. "Besides, there's that Rift opening soon." I glanced at my watch and saw it was half past four. Only a few hours until it was due. "What do you want to do with Suzie? Want a PM?"

I shook my head. "No point, we know what happened and … no need to mutilate her body. I'll see to her, you get some rest."

He hesitated, staring at me, then nodded. "Okay. I'll crash on the sofa again. Ianto," he continued, turning to face him, "you need some sleep. Want a pill?"

The boy shook his head and stood up, his hand thrust into his jeans pockets. "No, thanks, I'll be all right." He looked across at me and I could see the plea in his eyes. If I was interpreting it correctly, he wanted some company.

"I'll walk you down to your room," I offered and Ianto's features softened into a smile; I had been right. "Tosh, up to you if you carry on or get some rest."

"I'll carry on and keep an eye on things. Leave you free to …" She didn't need to complete the thought.

"Good. Come on then."

I urged them out of the medical bay and saw Owen settled on the sofa and Toshiko back at her desk before walking with Ianto down to the lower levels. When we were out of sight of the others, Ianto's hand crept into mine and clung on; I got as much reassurance from the contact as he did. The horror of thinking him dead would remain with me for some time. In his room, I made him undress down to his Calvin Kleins and get into bed, tucking the duvet round him.

"Don't leave me, Jack." His pale face looked up at me from the pillow.

"I'm not going to." I lay on top of the bed clothes, resting against the headboard, and gathered him to me. His head rested on my chest and I had both arms round him. "You need sleep, Ianto. I'll stay here 'til you drop off."

"Then you'll leave? I don't want you to go." He sounded petulant and unlike his normal self as he snuggled closer, his arm tight round my waist.

"I have to see to Suzie. I owe her that much." I stroked his hair, so soft under my fingers. "She could have killed you but didn't. I am so grateful."

"Really?"

"Of course. We've only just started to get to know one another."

"Yes." He paused. "I think it would take a very long time to get to know you, if anyone ever could." His hand was playing with my waistcoat buttons. "I'd like to try."

"Give it your best shot, Ianto." I meant it. We were quiet for a while, I thought he might be beginning to get sleepy but then he spoke.

"I'm sorry … about Suzie. I'm sorry it ended like that for her."

"I know. Don't dwell on it too much. Get some sleep," I encouraged.

Half an hour later, I was able to gently ease him onto his own side of the bed and slip away. He looked peaceful lying there as I stooped to put on my boots. Walking to the cells, I wondered if I was right to encourage him; getting closer to me would only lead to him being hurt when I left with The Doctor. But I had to go, when I finally got the chance, or lose any possibility of being cured. I had a brief vision of Ianto in the TARDIS with me, travelling with The Doctor around the universe; I wonder ….

I cleared my mind of all thoughts of the future when I reached the cells. I had to give my full attention to Suzie, as I had said earlier, she deserved that from me. If I had been here, got back sooner, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Ruthlessly suppressing this thought – what was done was done - I stripped and washed the body where it lay, cleaning the head wounds a little but they still gaped when I'd finished. When she was dressed in a short surgical gown, I carried her to the morgue and placed her in a body bag in one of the drawers. She would remain here, frozen forever, along with all the others who had died in the line of duty while working for Torchwood. There would be many memories of her around the place – good and bad – and I determined not to forget the operative she had been and the invaluable contribution she had made to our work keeping Cardiff and the rest of the world safe from alien threat. I bent and kissed her forehead before zipping up the body bag and closing the drawer.

It took me an hour to swab the cell out, removing the blood and other matter from the walls and floor. When the last traces were gone, I took Suzie's clothes and incinerated them. The blankets were soiled but would be useable again after a wash; these went into the pile of other stuff for the laundry. On my way to the office, I stopped to check on Ianto. He was lying on his side, curled up and sleeping peacefully. He looked so very young and innocent.

"Everything all right?" asked Toshiko as I walked slowly up to the work area. She was at her desk and spoke quietly so as not to disturb Owen. He was asleep on the sofa, snoring. Even in sleep he was complete contrast to Ianto; there was nothing young or innocent about the Londoner.

"Yeah. How are things coming on?" I sat in Owen's chair and stretched out my legs.

"Okay. Security changes are almost all done." She paused, looked down and over at me. "I looked at Suzie's file, for a next-of-kin. Couldn't find one. Was there anything at her flat?"

"No. Nothing personal at all. There was a snap of her with a man - her father, maybe - but it was old. I always assumed her family were dead. She ever say anything to you?"

"No."

"There was a laptop. What did I do with it?" I looked into the office as if it would suddenly appear. Maybe I was more tired than I imagined. "Must have left it in the car. I'll go and get it."

I levered myself up and went to get it, one of my last links with the enigma that was Suzie Costello.