The end of life as we know it.

No more pain.

Katherine Young was clearly insane, and Ianto had offered his allegiance to a madwoman whose goal was more than the murder of the Canary Wharf survivors, more than the end of Torchwood; it was the complete destruction of world. No more pain.

Because if the earth ceased to exist, so would her pain.

The magnitude of it shocked him. For a moment he felt suspended in time, his heart racing as his brain tried to stamp out the primal instinct in his gut that said Run! Run as fast as you can! But he had to stop her, and he couldn't stop her if he ran. He needed to know more.

At this point, Ianto didn't care why, he just needed to know how. Once she had eliminated Torchwood (and he had little doubt she could, with her hired team of hitmen in suits), how would she topple UNIT? And how would that ensure the destruction of the entire planet, since that was apparently her ultimate goal?

Taking a step back, Ianto took a calculated risk and let her see his doubt and confusion. She smiled condescendingly at him, like he was a child who couldn't possibly understand her grand plan—just like he hoped she would.

"What's wrong, Ianto? I thought you wanted it too—no more pain." She spoke softly, almost seductively, and Ianto fought against it; he had to remain in control, because this was his game, and he was playing for the planet now, not just the remaining survivors of Canary Wharf.

"I didn't think you meant…everyone," he offered, his voice equally as soft; he even let it crack at the end. "I had assumed you only meant us." By us he clearly meant the survivors, and she nodded in understanding.

"But the entire world is in pain, Ianto. Whether it's a natural disaster or another terrorist nightmare, the earth suffers. And when the next Canary Wharf happens, she'll just suffer more. We all will. We'll relive it, all over again."

She was scared. She was scared of it happening again and had given up hope. Ianto took a deep breath and went with it, knowing that his best chance was still to remain on her side.

"And Torchwood can't protect us, because they failed before." She nodded, her eyes brightening as he played at understanding. Yet he still needed more. "But why UNIT? Why not let them—" He didn't finish, because she snapped and cut him off.

"Because they will fail too, and they know it! Do you think they could have stopped the Cybermen, the Daleks?" She turned in a sudden fury and stepped away, stopping to stare at a nearby tree before whirling back toward him with an intense light in her eyes, as if she were pleading with him to believe. "You were there, you saw it. We were saved by an alien, by a man who travels through space and time in a big blue box, a man we can't count on to be there next time because how many times has he already let us down?"

Ianto nodded slowly to diffuse her unexpected anger. "So we strip ourselves of all defenses and just let it happen? Let the next Canary Wharf destroy us?"

"Oh, there won't be another Canary Wharf," she said softly. "We'll make sure of it, you and me."

"How?" asked Ianto bluntly, hoping he wasn't pushing her too hard, but taking the chance that blind allegiance wouldn't win her over either.

"Top secret UNIT project. I've been consulting on it for months, fine tuning it since Canary Wharf." She smiled grimly at him. "And I'd love to tell you about it, only I think you've been playing me, haven't you, Ianto Jones?" She took a deep breath and raised her voice. "Or should I say, isn't that right, Captain Harkness?"

Ianto frowned as Katherine turned and shouted into the darkness. "I know you're there, Harkness! Your perception filter doesn't work on me, so you might as well come out where we can all see you!"

And from behind the tree Ianto finally glimpsed the flap of Jack's greatcoat, and then Jack himself as he stepped out, hands raised. Ianto heard Jordan Ford inhale sharply behind him, and Ianto swore to himself, because as glad as he was to see Jack, he also knew things could sometimes end badly when Jack came blustering in without thinking, and it didn't look like he had any back up. Nor did he know anything about Ianto's improvised plan.

"So what's the project?" asked Jack casually, taking another step forward. Katherine pulled out a gun Ianto hadn't even noticed before and aimed it at Jack; the suits followed her lead, and he stopped, hands moving higher with eight weapons trained on him. "Maybe I know it."

"I doubt it," she said. "And I'm not telling you just so you can go swanning in to stop it. It will happen. I will destroy you, Torchwood, UNIT, and anything else standing in my way."

Ianto considered trying to wrestle the gun from her, but knew he'd be shot dead by seven other gunmen before he'd even taken three steps toward her. He needed to keep playing the game then, and he only hoped Jack played along…and forgave him.

"Shoot him," he said, and Jack's eyes went wide. Katherine turned and glanced at him in surprise.

"He's not here for you?" she asked uncertainly.

Ianto shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm not going back to Cardiff. I offered my services to Collins and I've offered them to you. I see a job through to the end, no matter the cost and sacrifice."

Jack was staring at him in disbelief, and Ianto wasn't sure if he was acting or not; it killed him inside to think that Jack was angry at him, but this was how it had to play out.

Katherine narrowed her eyes at him. He was vaguely aware of Commander Collins finally paying attention nearby, of Jordan Ford watching with a look of disgust on her face, as if she truly believed he had switched sides. He must be good to fool a trained MI5 agent.

"I don't believe you anymore," Katherine finally said. "I tried to have you killed, you have no reason to join me. You're just trying to escape. Or you'll try to stop me."

Ianto stepped forward so that they were closer, making sure he didn't appear threatening since she was still the one with the gun. "I won't. I will admit that you surprised me. My first thought was for my family. And I didn't like getting shot. But you're right. It's only a matter of time."

"Until what?" she asked suspiciously.

"The end of the world," Ianto replied simply. "Until everyone dies, even my family. I've seen so many things in Cardiff, things the Rift spits out and swallows and rips apart. We've stopped the end of the world so many times—alien plagues, beasts from the Void—but what's the point? One day we won't be able to stop it, and then the pain returns."

Her face was a study in confusion: he knew, somehow, that she wanted to believe him because she didn't want to be on her own. And yet he hadn't convinced her, not with his words alone. He chanced a step nearer.

"Shoot him," he whispered in her ear, turning her around so she was facing Jack again. God, he hoped Jack would forgive him…

Jack stepped forward, earning himself a warning from the nearest gunman. "Traitor," he snarled, and Ianto plastered a fake smile on his face, once more silently asking for forgiveness.

"Like you care," he said, his voice low.

"Not anymore," Jack threw back, his lip curled in that same way Ianto remembered from the night they'd found Lisa. Oh god, did Jack really believe Ianto had turned, had betrayed him again? He felt a rush of dizziness and panic that must have shown on his face, because Jack shook his head and repeated himself, and Ianto somehow knew it was all right. "Not anymore."

Katherine was glancing back and forth between them. She turned toward Ianto and must have seen something that convinced her, because she smiled and reached out to touch his cheek before motioning at one of the men in suits, the one Ianto had shot the day before.

"Shoot him," she said. "And this time get it right." The man nodded and turned toward Jack, face blank as he sighted his target and his finger came back to pull the trigger…

Jack's reflexes had always been good. Sometimes Ianto was truly amazed at how quick and how accurate Jack was with a gun, even an old Webley, but then he had been using it for decades, so some skill was bound to develop. Before the man in the suit had even finished nodding, Jack had pulled out a handgun from behind him and shot the man in the leg. He took out two more suits before a single bullet blew through his head, and he fell to the ground in a sight all too familiar to Ianto, dead.

It had taken less than fifteen seconds; there hadn't even been time to go for Katherine's gun.

Ianto had to fight with every fiber of his being not to run to Jack. There were still four guns trained on him and the other three prisoners. Collins and Ford had both ducked down when the shooting started, but Ford now stood and glared at Katherine and Ianto. "He's dead," she breathed, and somehow Ianto knew she was looking to him for confirmation that it wasn't, in fact, true. When Katherine turned to silence her, he gave Ford the tiniest shake of his head, and she closed her eyes.

"Be quiet!" Katherine snapped. She pointed at one of the suits. "This is over. If Harkness escaped, he probably called for backup. They'll be here any minute and it ends now." She waved her own gun at three of the men. "Finish it. Throw them all in the river." Pointing at the fourth man still standing, she motioned toward the van. "Get Jackson into the back. As soon as they're done cleaning up, we're leaving." Finally she turned to Ianto and flashed an almost manic grin. "Including you, Mr. Jones. I'm not sure what to do with you yet, but you're coming with us. I may kill you very slowly later on if you're lying to me."

Ianto simply inclined his head, at a loss to respond. Half an idea was starting to coalesce in his tired, shocked brain, and he idly fingered the cufflinks at his wrists, not daring to believe he could think it, yet alone even do it.

"Hands in front, where I can see them," she said. "Now walk." Raising the gun to his back, Katherine Young prodded him toward the van. He moved slowly, palming one of the cufflinks as he walked.

"In the front, with me," she snapped. "You're driving." Her hand was shaking, and Ianto knew she was either very angry or very frightened; either way, she could snap at any moment, and he would be dead. He climbed in the front seat and slipped the cufflink into his mouth under the pretense of a cough, tucking it into his cheek.

Through the side view mirror, Ianto saw the other man climb into the back, dragging his injured comrade with him; Jack had apparently killed the other two and they would be left behind. The last three suits were standing behind Collins, Ford, and Anastasia Harmon, who still hadn't regained consciousness. Jack had not revived and would not be saving them.

"I'm sorry," said Katherine as she took the passenger seat next to him, and she looked at him with bright eyes that did, indeed, appear regretful. He took a breath and reached out for her free hand, squeezing it gently. Her mouth opened in surprise.

"I know," he said, turning toward her. "Me too." He swallowed hard so that his mouth was dry, popped open the cufflink with his tongue, and leaned toward her. She moved closer as well, drawn to him, he knew, in the desperate hope that maybe he really did believe in her. As he raised his hand to her face and brought his head down to kiss her, she closed her eyes, and he cursed himself for what he was about to do.

They kissed, and with one strong thrust of his tongue, Ianto slipped the open cufflink into her mouth, forcing it in deep. He watched as her eyes widened, and she tried to pull away, but he moved his hand behind her head and held her there. When she started to lift her gun, he slapped it down, hoping it didn't go off and shoot him. She shook her head in panic, and he finally let up on the kiss, covering her mouth until she swallowed. He reached for the gun as he let go of her, spitting out as much of their shared saliva as he could, and she fell back, gasping with terror in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but I can't let you do this." And he was sorry, he truly was. He wanted to stay with her, to help her through it, but there was the violent crack of a gunshot outside, and he threw open the door and moved quickly to the back of the van, gun ready.

Commander Collins was sprawled on the pavement, dead, and Jordan Ford was next.

As if in a dream, Ianto very calmly shot the man standing behind her. The first man turned, and Ianto caught him with two bullets before putting down the third. And just like that, it was over.

Ianto dropped the gun and fell to his knees. He was tempted to laugh, but his breathing was becoming labored. There was a strange buzzing in his ears, which was probably why he didn't hear the back of the van open. He knew the last suit was likely stepping out to kill him, but his limbs were too heavy to reach for the gun again. He wanted to save Jordan, save Anastasia, but he couldn't find the ability to move his limbs, yet alone the energy. At least he had stopped Katherine Young and saved the planet yet again, and with that thought, Ianto managed a short, dry laugh as he braced for the killing shot.

He toppled over when it came, but strangely enough, he didn't feel anything like he had felt back at the hotel. And then there was a second shot, but he didn't feel that one either. He wondered if he'd actually been shot, or if maybe the last suit had taken out Ford and Harmon first. Which didn't really make sense since they were still bound, and he could, potentially, still be a threat…if only he could think straight and actually pick up the damn gun to stop the man and defend himself before he was next…

It was too hard. His vision was fading to black as his body refused to work for him, and he gave in to it, too exhausted and weak to fight it any longer. Someone grabbed him, picked him up, and held him, murmuring words he couldn't really hear yet alone understand. It felt familiar somehow, and he hoped it was Jack, even if he had only revived just in time to watch Ianto die.

At least they were together, and the nightmare of the last two days was over at last.

Author's Note

I can't believe I wrote that.

Seriously, my heart is pounding as I post this. I have no idea what the reaction will be. Did it surprise you? Did you anticipate something similar? Did you like Ianto's badass moment, darcy 58? Thanks again to Cerih for helping me with this a bit by letting me bounce my crazy idea off her. Death by poison cufflinks may be one of the strangest things I've ever written. Death being a flexible term in fiction, of course. ;) I hope Ian Fleming would be proud.

Also, any thoughts on Katherine's secret consulting project? It's canon. :)

Thank you again for all the amazing reviews! Just need to wrap up the details now.