Jack walked briskly down the street. He could hear Ianto talking to the phone with his sister, but he wasn't paying any attention to the conversation. He thought of million different alternatives of how to declare the war with the 456 if it wasn't willing to surrender. One certain phrase came to his mind and he decided to go with that. They would go to a war if they had to, just like Doctor would've done.

When they were about to enter the Thames House, Jack stopped abruptly, causing Ianto to bump into his back.

"Jack, what is it?" Ianto asked and looked at his face.

Jack felt an enormous fear and sense of loss. It overwhelmed all his senses and it seemed to stretch on forever. In reality it lasted only for a couple of seconds and then it was gone, like it was never there.

Jack frowned. "Nothing… Let's go."

Ianto didn't want to go like this. He wanted to go with a bang and take the disgusting species of 456 with him. So he pointed his gun towards the glass tank.

"If there's virus, there must be an antivirus. Release it now or I'll blow a hole in that tank and we all die together." Ianto heard Jack run back by his side and pointed his gun at the same direction as well.

"You've made your point, now stop this and we can talk!" Ianto couldn't remember when had been the last time Jack had sounded so desperate. It still didn't register of why that was.

"You are dying. Even now." The 456 said with that deadpanned voice.

They looked at each other, both agreeing to it. Ianto had always wished that if he died young, he would die fighting with Jack by his side. Jack in other hand hadn't heard Ianto's conversation with the 456. He hadn't thought it through, that if they shot the tank they would all die, Ianto as well. So they pulled the trigger, but the bullets didn't even make a scratch on the glass.

A piercing scream came through the 456's speakers.

"What's that nose?" Jack looked at Ianto in confusion. "What is it doing?"

Then, like a lightning from the sky, Jack realized that they couldn't stop it and Ianto was still inside, dying. He grabbed Ianto from his shoulders.

"We need to get you out of here. I can survive anything but you can't!" He tried to get an eye contact with Ianto.

"It's too late. I've breathed the air." Ianto's voice was weak. He could feel the poison fill his lungs, numbing them. He couldn't fell his arms or legs anymore. Only the steady squeeze from Jack's hands made him feel grounded.

"There's gotta be something, there's gotta be an antidote!" Jack searched Ianto's face for answers, because the man always had those. He knew everything. But there was nothing. Ianto's eyes were only full of fear. Jack felt his stomach drop.

"You said you would fight." The 456 breathed.

"Then I take it back, alright?" Jack let go of Ianto and screamed to the tank: "I take it all back, but not him!"

Jack was pleading. He would do anything to save Ianto. He would let them take all the children if they only let Ianto live.

Jack's arms were gone. Ianto tried to take a step towards him, to be by his side, but his legs gave in and he fell. But Jack was there to catch him, like he always had been. Late, but still there.

"No! No, no, no, no, no." Jack yelled as he reached out to catch Ianto in his arms. "Ianto? No, no…"

Jack gently lowered him to the ground, not strong enough to keep Ianto upright, when the virus was circling through his body as well. Jack's heart was breaking as he finally realized Ianto was dying and there was nothing he could do. It was all his fault. He shouldn't have given the children away all those years ago. He shouldn't have let Ianto come with him to the Thames House, but he had wanted him to be there, to support him at his foolish task to try to be like the Doctor and now Ianto was dying.

"It's all my fault." He whispered to Ianto, at the same time trying to keep him awake.

"No it's not…" Ianto's voice faltered. He felt like suffocating, but he wanted Jack to know.

"Don't speak, save your breath." Jack quickly pleaded, stroking Ianto's cheek.

"I love you." Ianto's voice broke. He felt so much for the captain. Jack had gone through so much in his long life, lost so many people and now Ianto had to leave him too. He didn't want to break Jack's heart.

"Don't." Jack didn't want to say it. He loved Ianto more than anything, but he wasn't going to say it. He wanted for Ianto to save his breath, to keep fighting. Saying it would mean goodbyes and he wasn't going to let Ianto to give up.

So slowly Ianto's eyes started to close, his mind screaming for the sweat release of death.

"Ianto?" Jack said, shaking Ianto's body to keep him awake, repeating his name over again. "Ianto, stay with me. Ianto, stay with me, please."

It took so much effort to open his eyes again, but Ianto managed. Jack's trembling pleading broke his heart.

"Hey." He said, voice hoarse. "It was… good, yeah?"

Ianto tried to smile, make Jack happy again because he couldn't bear to see the man so broken.

"Yeah."

It was more than that. Jack thought.

"Don't forget me." Ianto hated himself for saying that. It was selfish to ask that from an immortal man who could live for centuries. But he wanted to be remembered, he wanted for Jack to remember him when the man would eventually die so if there was an afterlife he could be there waiting for him and Jack would remember him. "A thousand years' time… you won't remember me."

"Yes I will. I promise, I will." Jack chanted knowing that he could never forget.

Ianto wanted to say so much to Jack. That the man had saved him and that he would go through it all if he had the change, but he couldn't quite form those words anymore. His lungs screamed for air, but no matter how hard he tried to gasp it, they wouldn't fill. Ianto closed his eyes for the last time with Jack's broken face as his final image.

"Ianto?" Jack whispered. "Ianto? Don't go, don't leave me, please. Please, don't…"

Ianto could still hear Jack's voice, begging for him to stay, but it sounded so far away. All he wanted to do was to stay but he couldn't, not anymore.

"You will die. And tomorrow, your people will deliver the children."

Jack looked up to the 456, feeling only rage and disgust towards it. Slowly Jack lowered himself and with his last powers he kissed Ianto's lips for the last time. They were still warm against his. Jack wished nothing more to bring Ianto back and he consumed the last of his life-energy to that kiss.

"Number thirteen, fourteen." The soldier said and pointed far to the line of bodies.

For a moment Gwen just stood there. She wanted to drag the feeling of uncertainty just a little bit longer. She was also sure that her legs would give in if she tried to walk right away. So she took a deep breath and carefully started to walk towards the two bodies she had eyesight on.

It felt like eternity had gone by before Gwen finally stood in the middle of her best friends. Slowly she kneeled down and turned towards the number thirteen. So fitting for an immortal man, she thought. She pulled the red cover from his face and gave Jack a tiny smile. He had already color on his cheeks and was soon coming back. He didn't let her down.

Gwen took a deep breath before turning towards the other body. A tiny voice in her mind still told her that there was a mistake. That Ianto had managed to escape somehow and the body would be someone's she had never met. But when she pulled the cover away, that tiny voice was silenced. There was Ianto, pale and cold. Carefully she straightened his tie, like she knew Ianto would've wanted it to be: spot perfect.

Jack came back to life with a silent gasp. He still felt Ianto's presence hovering around him but it soon faded when he opened his eyes, leaving behind only a stab of realization that Ianto had died and he yet again woke up, alone. He had wanted to die with Ianto, to never wake up again, but his wish wasn't fulfilled. Jack saw Gwen sitting next to him. Slowly he sat up; terrified to turn to look at his left and see what he knew he would see. But he did and there he was, his Ianto, lying on the cold floor, dead. Quickly he looked away again before summoning all his strength to drag his body against Gwen's and hold her close. He stared at Ianto's cold body with tears in his eyes and with no strength to do or say anything. And at that very moment he gave up.

"There's nothing we can do." Gwen sobbed and started to cry.