AN: John was outstanding last night – a fantastic concert in a beautiful setting. Jealous much? :P
Thank you as always for the reviews – sorry if any of you found the end of the last chapter confusing… it made sense to me but some people's reviews implied that it wasn't clear, so I will endeavour to clarify in this chapter. Oh and thanks for all your suggestions – those of you that did understand me came up with some fun ideas for Ianto :)
"What fell through the rift?" Ianto asked confused.
"The fly." Jack said as he pressed the skin around where Ianto had been bitten, causing the Welshman to wince slightly, hissing at the sharp pain.
"Sorry." Jack said gently.
"I take it this means that wasn't a traditional fly?" Ianto said as he put the mug he was still holding down on a nearby tabletop beside Jack's.
Jack shook his head. "No."
"So what happens? Mild itching for a while… am I going to sprout wings and start buzzing about the place… what?" Ianto joked, before his voice fell serious when he saw the look of Jack's face.
"I don't know Ianto… I've never seen anything like this… anything could happen. God I wish we had a med-bay set up. I mean you might be fine… or you might not." Jack explained.
Ianto's eyes widened. "Right. Well. I guess this is where I hit the archives then." He said walking over to a nearby computer. His pace was slow and deliberate, like he had to concentrate intently on where he was putting his feet and how to walk. There was unsteadiness to his walk.
"Ianto? Are you okay?" Jack asked, his voice filled with concern.
"I… I feel… I think I'm gonna…" Ianto's voice was slow and slurred as he swayed heavily to one side before spinning round like a man who'd had too many drinks and slumped to the floor infront of Jack.
TW
Gwen smiled tightly at the woman behind the counter in the patisserie close to the Hub as she took the rather flimsy pink cake box from her and headed out the door. Buying cake had been her pretence for leaving the Hub so quickly, the least she could do was follow through, even after the events that had happened. She raked one hand through her long hair as she carried the box with her other hand, letting out a small sigh as she crossed the Plass. Jack's words had hurt her; they'd cut a little deep, too close to the bone for her liking. In her head she'd expected him to react as he had done. The events of the 456 had changed him and it had been a difficult few days for everyone involved. The guilt he must have felt for his actions in the sixties must have come back to haunt him when the 456 had ordered them to hand over so many more children. Life in Torchwood was always hard, but the team had never endured anything like that. Jack had been right when he'd said how differently it could all have gone. The team had all found themselves in dangerous situations; any one of them could have perished. But even though her head could explain to her that Jack loved Ianto, that the change in him was not completely unfathomable, her heart still ached for him. Still wanted him. She loved Rhys. But not like Jack… in anything like the way she loved Jack… the way she needed Jack. Her head told her she was crazy, that she would never win, that if she did she'd be breaking Ianto's fragile heart, as well as destroying Rhys. But her heart told her something else.
Gwen was nervous as she walking through the cog door – she didn't want another argument, and she needed to apologise to Ianto. Her face fell further when she spotted Ianto led prone on the Hub sofa, Jack sat tapping away at a nearby computer, taking regular glances back to check on Ianto.
"What's happened?" She asked, putting the cake box down on a nearby surface and rushing over to Jack, looking over his shoulder at the screen infront of him.
"Ianto's been bitten by a… well a fly type creature that fell through the rift into the Hub. I have no idea what it is or what its doing to him, but he collapsed within a few minutes. I'm trying to search the online archives to figure out what the hell it is but I can't seem to figure out how to. He designed this thing… I can't operate it." Jack said his voice trying to sound as professional as usual when disaster struck, but even Gwen couldn't ignore that it was tinged with fear.
"Okay let me take a look – you go check on him." She said shoeing him away from the computer as she settled down and began tapping on the keys.
Jack rushed back to Ianto and checked his vitals. His pulse was still strong but his breathing was a little to ragged for Jack's liking. His face was flushed red and his hair was slicked wet with sweat. Jack had already loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar. His eyelids were closed but beneath them his eyes were flickering around restlessly and he was whimpering randomly. Jack took hold of Ianto's left hand and squeezed it gently, playing with the new ring that had been placed upon it a few hours earlier. The bite mark on his neck was larger and more prominent than before, a bright blue disc on the side of his neck, a few inches across, but flat on his skin. At the centre of the disc was a small puncture mark that unlike the rest of the wound was a fierce red colour.
"Jack I think I've found something." Gwen called, shaking Jack from his place beside Ianto as he dashed back to the monitor.
"What?" He asked.
"Based on the symptoms he's displaying… I'd say Ianto was bitten by one of those." She said pointing at the image of the screen.
Jack's eyes widened as he took in the image of a creature that in all features was identical to a normal fly, but was metallic blue in colour, and had a sharp red sting on its base.
"A Raxofig sting immobilises the recipient for several hours with symptoms similar to those of heavy fever. A blue patch appears early on, eventually spreading across the recipient's body. Early medical assistance is needed. Survival rate 50%." Gwen read aloud the information beneath the image.
"What kind of medical assistance?" Jack asked, focusing on that and not the survival rate.
"It doesn't say. The last known attack by a Raxofig on Earth was in the mid-fifties when a small swarm attacked, stinging thirty people, half of whom died. Once a Raxofig has stung someone it dies… like bees." She pointed out.
"So its in here somewhere dead?" Jack said looking around on the floor in the area where Ianto had been standing.
Gwen shook her head. "No… it dies and self-destructs. Pesky." She said.
Jack sighed. "Watch him – yell if there is any change. Any thing at all. I'm gonna ring someone." He said going over to his desk in the far corner of the room as Gwen walked over to Ianto and sat down on the floor beside the sofa.
Gwen sighed as she took hold of Ianto's hand, immediately spotting the ring shining on his finger, a ring that hadn't been there earlier. "I'm sorry Ianto." She said brushing her thumb across his hand as she held it.
AN2: Don't hurt me. You know I love Ianto. And you also know I have written a wedding scene. So you know he won't die. Trust me!
I can't believe this has gone from a one-shot to 10 chapters and counting… you guys are brilliant. Please review x
