Please note some people will not like the end of this chapter! I am straying away from original Torchwood storylines please remember that and once again please keep an open mind.
Ianto typed again and the computer gave him the archive co-ordinate. He got up and headed down the stairs to the underground archives.
"Not for use on humans?" Gwen looked at Jack concerned.
"Yes the air inside becomes toxic after a few minutes, I'm not sure how or why but humans last about 10 minutes sometimes a little longer." Jack said, in a matter-of-fact tone.
"So how exactly will this work and is it even big enough?" Gwen questioned. At that point, Ianto returned carrying a brown box about the size of a shoe box. He put it on the desk and pulled the lid off. Picking out a small rectangular yet strangely curved item, he handed it to Jack who looked at it.
"Have we got a plan if this doesn't work?" Miles looked at Jack, "or even if we do catch it what the hell are we going to do with it?"
"Anti-energy!" Louise said. This time Jack looked confused. She fished around in the coat pockets pulling out a handful of black sand. That ought to do it! Throw this into the cloud then contain it in your machine and the black cloud turns into a black lump!"
"I really wish it is as easy as you make it sound!" Jack put the device into his pocket.
"So do I." She smiled. Gwen started to call up the rift predictor program, it was going crazy spikes where appearing all over Cardiff. They gathered what they needed and ran out into Cardiff which was now in total darkness. People were screaming and running away from the figure that had formed. Jack started to make his way forward though the crowd. Louise followed closely behind him. Ianto, Gwen and Miles were fighting along behind them. The crowd kept pushing them in the other direction.
"Jack we need to find somewhere high up."
"I know you reckon the top of that building will do?" he pointed to an office block to their right.
"Yes definitely." He pushed through the crowd towards the building; it had a constant flow of people running out of the front doors. They reached it and pushed past into the reception area. They'd lost Gwen and Miles in the crowd but Ianto was still behind them. They ran towards the stairs Jack taking them two at a time Ianto right behind them looking at his PDA.
"We have 3 minutes till that cloud reaches this building." They carried on running up the stairs, Ianto giving them a countdown they had one minute by the time they got out on to the roof. The scene that greeted them was one of terror, the creature seemed to be feeding of the electricity and Cardiff was slowly blacking out. The creature demolished the office block next to the one they where stood on. Jack looked at Ianto.
"You need to get out of here. But Ianto stayed where he was, "Ianto don't be stupid get out of here."
"I'm safer here with you and Louise, I'm not leaving Jack." A silence followed.
"Jack," Louise yelled, "are you ready?" Jack tore his eyes away from Ianto and looked at Louise who was stood on the edge of the building.
"Louise what are you doing?" but instead of answering him she turned to look at the creature.
"Hey," she yelled, "hey I'm talking to you." The monstrous cloud turned to look at her, stopping in its path. Where its eyes should have been there where blank sockets that sparkled with electricity.
"You want energy," it tilted its head towards her, "Well I'm an all you can eat buffet!" it shook its dark dusty head. "Don't believe me? I'm a Time Lord; I have a lot of powerful old regeneration energy and you can have it but you have to let the city go."
"Louise no..." Ianto ran forward but Jack grabbed him holding him back. "you'll never survive." She didn't dare look back at him. The creature advanced towards her and she pulled the handful of sand out of her pocket.
"Louise?" it was almost a question from Jack. She started to talk quickly and quietly.
"I'll never reach it if I throw it but if I jump it'll catch me; you have to activate the device at that point."
"But you'll die." Ianto protested.
"It's a risk but if I save all these people then it's worth it." She looked at Jack and he nodded.
"No." Yelled Ianto, she could hear the distress in his voice. "I lost you once, I don't want that to happen again." She tried to block him out his words reverberating round her head. The creature wasn't far away now she took a few steps back and ran throwing herself off the building. Hearing Iantos yell of horror she released the dust as she went and Jack activated the device and the monster and Louise were trapped inside Ianto ran to the side of the building staring in horror at what was happening below, he turned to Jack.
"You should have done it, you always survive. One day she won't." Gwen and Miles had made it up onto the roof. The creature let out the most horrifying scream. Lanto ran to the edge of the building Staring down at Louise Who had hit the floor after the creature had dropped her the watched in horror as it folded in on itself writhing as the energy flowed out of it and back into Cardiff.
"Everything's undoing." Gwen shorted over the noise of the wind that was now rushing round them. Lanto was still staring down at Louise's broken body. Jack was watching as the creature crumpled in on itself folding over and compacting into what looked like a small lump of coal. Ianto started to run down the stairs bursting after what felt like an eternity out into the empty street. He ran over to Louise's body as the device flickered and failed. He reached her dropped to his knees. Tears threatened to overwhelm him seeing her lying out on the pavement, he reached forward to check for a pulse. Just then she groaned, rolling over on to her back. Ianto gasped in surprise.
"Oh God, that hurt." Louise bent her hips up and Ianto heard them crack back into place, he flinched at the noise. Jack and the others reached them and stood just behind him. Louise tried to sit up her eyes clenched in pain. She flopped back down.
"Oh that's not good." Ianto moved closer to her.
"Louise." She blinked looking up at him, her eyes only just focusing.
"Hey you." She tried to sound off hand and relaxed but Ianto could hear the strain in her voice. "I've got a problem, can't get up. It's to be expected."
"We had better get you back to the Hub." Jack stepped past Ianto and gathered Louise up easily into his arms. She leant her head on his shoulder wincing as he adjusted her till he had her safely in his arms. Gwen ran and gathered up the two alien artefacts that lay abandoned in the middle of the road. Jack turned and started to walk quickly back towards the Hub his team following in his wake.
"What happened?" Jack asked.
"I died again." She looked up into his eyes.
"Number?" he probed.
"Eight." She whispered.
"Ok, why can't you walk if you've already regenerated?"
"It took a lot of my power and energy before the powder took effect, I'm just going to take longer to heal, I don't think I would have died if it had been stopped quicker." Jack nodded.
"Did Ianto know you died again?"
"I'm not sure, I'm sure I looked pretty dead but I woke up I'm not sure how long he'd been with me, I don't think he'd checked for a pulse or anything." they got to the lift in the plaza and Jack stepped up onto it, Louise activated it from her wrist strap. They headed down into the Hub in silence. As they disappeared below the surface Louise caught a glimpse of Ianto's face. He was ghostly white and shaking. Gwen was talking at him. The decent down seemed to take longer than usual. She lent her head into Jack's neck.
"I'm going to put you down on that sofa this is going to need a major cover up I'll set the others on it straight away." Jack carefully lowered Louise down on to the sofa. She gritted her teeth as her back took the weight. The others entered the Hub and Jack set Gwen to work on calling all the major security services to explain and Miles started to check over the electricity grid and all the power lines. Louise didn't dare move, she started to breath heavily to try and get control of the pain. She closed her eyes. Jack took the lump of alien off of Gwen.
"I'm going to go incinerate this. Gwen, Miles and Ianto finish up then go home." Ianto looked over at Louise, she smiled. She looked so pale, he moved over to her and sat next to her, she lent her head on his shoulder.
"I was so scared." He said quietly.
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
"Louise, why did you do it I mean why couldn't Jack have done it?"
"Jack knew how to activate the cage."
"I knew how to he should have done it."
"Ianto there is no point arguing over this it's over with now." She shuddered.
"What's wrong Lou?" Ianto asked suddenly concerned.
"I'm healing, It...hurts." she closed her eyes again fighting back tears of agony.
"I'll go get Jack." He started to move. She grabbed his arm,
"No please I want you to stay." He was caught between staying and going. He sat back carefully. She carefully turned herself so her feet were firmly against the floor. The pain subsided and she smiled.
"I'm fine, but you know I could really do with a coffee." He smiled still uncertain.
"I'll go make some." He kissed her on the side of the head. He got up and walked over to the other side of the Hub. Louise lent back carefully relaxing into the sofa, she regretted it as soon as she did the pain started to ebb slowly back into her spine. Her feet tingled and she itched to stand up. She tentatively pushed down on both her feet, not too much pain just a tingle it was worth a go. She shifted forward and started to push herself up. She stood up and tried to take a step. She stumbled but was caught. She opened her eyes and Ianto stared right into them.
"Careful." He lowered her back down on to the sofa; she noticed the coffees on the table to her left. Ianto must have come up with them when she was concentrating on her balance. "You know you shouldn't do that." He handed her a coffee. She held it carefully. "You could have hurt yourself."
"Like I'm not hurt enough already, what are a few more cuts and bruises?"
"When you talk like that it scares me. It's like you've given up or something." She sipped her coffee. Ianto took out his keys and looked intrigued at TARDIS key." Why did you give it to me?" he looked at her.
"I wanted you to have one, but I wasn't sure how to give it to you without sounding weird so I just put it on your keys. I knew if anything happened you'd know what it was." she started to try and get up again.
"Hey no way." He stopped her.
"Ianto I need some fresh air. I don't want to stay underground."
"Ok, I'll help you then you're not trying it on your own." She pushed herself up and Ianto supported her. They carefully made their way to the lift. Ianto stepped up easily onto the step practically lifting Louise up onto the step. She wrapped her arms around Ianto's waist and as the step started to move up towards the opening in the plass Ianto wrapped his arms around her tightly and she felt so safe just for those few moments, safe from everything. She took a deep breath sucking in the cool fresh air and the step clicked into place. She started to step off and staggered, Ianto used the movement to swing her up into his arms. She smiled and laughed. He walked over to a seat that looked out on to the bay. They sat down.
"You know if I have a key to your place then it only seems fair that you have one to mine." Ianto said pulling a key out of the small pocket in his waistcoat.
"Ianto you don't have too..." he cut her off.
"I want you to have one." She smiled and took it from him.
"Thank you." She lent in towards him and flinched. Ianto looked at her concerned. She smiled. "You know I really want to see if this key works." She kissed him.
"Not tonight, you're not strong enough."
"Ianto, half an hour and I'll be fine."
"You'll never make it to the flat your already exhausted, but you know I'll always walk you home." She smiled.
"Will you stay?" she looked at him.
"No I don't think so..."
"Please Ianto, Your right I'm in for a rough night. This is really going to hurt."
"I don't think I can, I know you died Lou." She froze.
"Please Ianto let me explain."
"Look we all know you die and come back to life, you're just like Jack I get it."
"No I'm not like Jack, Not at all." Ianto looked confused.
"I have a limit on my life I can only come back 13 times."
"And what number was that?"
"Eight." She watched his face carefully.
"So one day we will lose you."
"Yes but that will be a long way away, also I am different to other Time Lords we don't know if the same rules apply to me yet."
"So that's why you were arguing with Jack."
"Yes. I don't know how different though. I suppose today I was being reckless." He didn't say anything. She sat waiting for him to talk.
"I know Louise; I knew all that you haven't told me anything new just confirmed what I sort of knew. I saw inside your head. I know about the 13 deaths and everything. I just...I just can't lose you." He hung his head in defeat.
"You won't." She put her hand on his arm.
"Then stop this, stop being so reckless. Jack is the same, seeing how many times he could die; how far he could push himself thing is he can't die. One day you will. You will die and not wake up."
"I know Ianto I'm not a child I understand. I've died before twice before in fact."
"No you don't understand you've forgotten what it's like to die. I don't want to go back into the darkness; I don't want anyone to go into the darkness. I don't want you to go into the darkness." He stared into her eyes scared.
"Ok, I'll be less reckless." He looked at her, "if you want me to be less reckless then I will be."
"I just want you to live."
"I know I'm sorry." They sat in silence a moment.
"What's been bothering you lately?" Ianto broke the silence.
"Not much more than the usual." She smiled unconvincingly at him. As the breeze pulled her hair out from behind her ears she pulled it back tucking it behind her ear again. She felt herself healing all the nerves in her body tingled and they fixed and reformed.
"Why don't I believe you?" he asked smiling.
"I don't know. Why don't you?"
"Whenever you try to lie to me you tuck your hair behind your left ear not your right which you normally tuck it behind." She laughed
"stalker." He smiled.
"I pride myself on being accurate."
"I know you do."
"So stop trying to change the subject, what's been bothering you?"
"You know the whole Sam debacle well the men that attacked us the Time Lords; I think they were looking for me. I think my time has come; I keep looking over my shoulder because I don't know what's going to happen next. I mean yes I can cope with a few Time Lords sent to get me once but they will go back and tell the President and then they will be back and prepared. I just don't know when they are going to come or even if they are going to come at all. Or if it'll be to late will I have lost control? There are so many variables I can't work it out."
"So not much than the usual then." Ianto said sarcastically. "I knew something was up, you know, I can't say I'm surprised. I was way too much of a coincidence in you being there and them looking for a Time Lord. I knew there was something you weren't telling me. Well I suppose you had good reason."
"Yes, I was trying to protect you."
"Well don't, I ... I want to help you. Protect you and I know you'll laugh at that..."
"No I won't." Ianto carried on.
"I want to help you...to...I want to love you, I want you to let me love you." He turned to look at her, "Don't be like Jack, he wouldn't let me...couldn't let me." he put his hand on the side of her face and she leant into it.
"I'll let you." She couldn't quite believe she'd said it. Neither could Ianto. "I want to I just find it hard. Strange almost, I'd hate to hurt you, see you get hurt."
"You won't." he moved her face to she was looking into his eyes. "Just trust me." He whispered.
"I will." And he kissed her.
