Author's Notes: Just to note: I'm not sure at what point exactly I'll post the next one tomorrow, since I'll be busy in the morning but, as soon as I can, "early afternoon I'd say) I'll do it, as this chapter has somewhat of a cliff-hanger too.

Well, I think that this is a satisfying closure to last chapter. I tried to deal with the regeneration as well as I could, even if it does feel a bit rushed to me because I finished it in a hurry. There are three more before the next Big Chapter and I'm trying to do a bit of a build-up for it, so I'm hoping that you'll see it working.

Day Twenty-One: Injured

For the first time in weeks, Jack came back to life alone.

Well, not absolutely so – he could see River trying to remove the remnants of the nearest building from his legs and he sat up clumsily, reaching down to help.

She raised her head, an irritated grimace twisting her features. "You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were dead."

"I was."

"No, properly dead. There are still things that could kill you for good, you know."

At any other moment, Jack would have paid more attention to that out of sheer interest, since last time he knew, the Doctor had told him that he was indestructible, but there were more pressing matters right now.

"Your shoulder." It was somewhere between a statement and a question, but River paid it little mind as she pulled out her communicator out of the pocket of her dress and started clocking things on it, seemingly haphazardly as Jack kept staring at the place where the olive fabric was bloodied.

"It's just a flesh wound. I hope." Her voice was completely calm and business-like and he wondered if she was feeling like him - barely holding together. It seemed like she hadn't been too badly hurt, and yet he couldn't help but notice the slightly frantic look in her eyes as she tried to busy herself with whatever she could find.

"Where's the Doctor?"

"Already inside." Jack rose to his feet next to her and followed her gaze to the pile of cement and marble where the Parliament had been minutes ago. Ah, maybe that was part of the reason for her to worry. Maybe she hadn't found the Doctor yet too, and that was why her eyes were wandering around like those of a trapped animal; she didn't want to give in to panic. He had seen her under pressure before and she had never given in to it, so why would she make an exception now? "Whatever's left of it, anyway. He's looking for Ianto." River's device started beeping urgently. "There! Life signs somewhere there. Two of them, but quite far away from each other." Jack peeked over her shoulder and saw the two dots on the screen. "This one would be Ianto. He's closer to us than he is to the Doctor."

Jack didn't wait to be told twice and started making his way through the wreckage.

The Daleks were gone. Each and every one of them, which meant that it had worked. The people around them seemed unsure if they had to be happy or not, but Jack supposed that on the other end of the same planet – on the other end of the same city – there would be celebrations for days on end.

"There he is!" River was pointing somewhere east from him and Jack immediately spotted him.

Ianto had fallen between two large pieces of marble, his eyes closed and his face and clothes dirty. Jack scrambled through the ruins of the building to get to him just as River fell on her knees right next to him and started checking his pulse. "Speeding up," she said to the unasked question in Jack's eyes. "And his temperature is rising. His body kept together with the power of the regeneration, but it hasn't started yet. We have to get him to the TARDIS."

"I can walk." Both their eyes locked on Ianto's face as he slowly opened his eyes. "It's– Will it be okay if I walk?"

"Of course," River assured and helped him up. "It's better if he manages on his own," she added for Jack who was ready to protest. "He'll need the concentration in a while if he wants to keep the same face. That's what you said, wasn't it?"

Ianto nodded minutely and then smiled at both of them. "I did it," he said. "Can you believe it? I actually did it."

"Yes," Jack's smile was tight and his heart was heavy. "We were there." He was still trying to keep the spirits up, mostly for Ianto's sake – after all, he was the one suffering – but it was hard and, as it usually happened with the Time Lord around, unnecessary.

"Nothing's going to change, Jack," he assured softly. "It's still going to be me. I promised, didn't I?"

"You did," Jack admitted. "But you're not immortal, Ianto. You keep forgetting that. You can't pull that trick forever."

"What would be the point of living if there's nothing to die for?" Ianto wasn't expecting and answer and Jack didn't have one, so he continued. "We do need to get to the TARDIS, though. The energy from a regeneration will bring half the Universe to this planet and the people here've got enough trouble on their hands." The words were getting more and more slurred and he leaned against the door of the TARDIS as they finally reached it. The Doctor was approaching them as he made his way through the fallen buildings, having spotted them already, and Jack got momentarily distracted, only to return his attention back to Ianto when he gasped. "God, this hurts like hell."

"But it's also good, isn't it?" River asked, opening the door and pulling him in. "You can feel your wounds tying up, your body repairing itself. It's like being absolutely new once again. Just like magic, only real."

The Doctor had caught up and Jack glanced at him to find him a little taken aback by River's words.

"Isn't it like that for you?" he asked softly. The Doctor shook his head with a sad smile.

"Once, maybe, but not now. They're young. River's only had three regenerations, let alone Ianto. It's different for them."

"I think it's starting," Ianto said, looking down at his hands, and there it was – the glow Jack remembered seeing that night, so long ago now; the golden shimmer that his skin was letting out. Ianto smiled. "You're right, this is good."

"I told you," River said, returning the smile and looking rather smug. "Now, if you want to keep the same face, you'll have to focus on who you are. On what makes you who you are. Do you understand?" Ianto nodded hastily. "Okay then. Good luck." She squeezed his hand and Ianto returned it, "Thank you."

Jack made to get closer to Ianto, only to try and talk to him before it started, but the Doctor yanked him back quickly as River joined the two of them. "Stand back," he said quietly and Jack could feel the tension coming from him. He wasn't sure what caused it, but the Doctor looked like he was about to go off any second if anyone touched him. "He's going to need the space."

River stood next to the Doctor and Jack saw the Time Lord sneaking his hand into hers and holding it lightly and it was as if ressurance was pouring from her to him and for a moment, Jack longed to have the same thing instead of watching his lover as he leaned against the console, trying to hold back for the Captain's benefit.

"I promised, Jack," he whispered, breathing heavily with the effort of resisting the regeneration. "I'm not going to-"

"Ianto, now!" the Doctor put in sharply, then turned to Jack when the man glared at him. "He's stopped a regeneration once, if he keeps doing that, his body is just going to reject it as an option." The Captain was amazed to see that his eyes were glistening with something that closely resembled anger and turned back to Ianto just in time to see the light intenifying as Ianto finally surrendered to it.

"See you in a bit," he echoed his own words from when he'd been back at the Parliament and before Jack could respond, Ianto threw his head back and the golden light engulfed them.