Spoiler alert: End Of Days

Beta-ed: Tattooed Librarian

Ianto's point of view. Couple of reviews wouldn't hurt :) thnx for reading.

Ianto wasn't really scared, not until he saw Lisa. He wasn't a superstitious or a religious man, that was something his mother tried to pour into him. She succeeded with Rhiannon, but he was lost for heaven and he was completely indifferent towards that. Reading Daniel was just his way to establish facts about claims that this was The End of Days. He found enough coincidence to make Gwen uncomfortable, but he believed that prophecies were written in a way that could coincide with almost anything. Nevertheless Jack's point of view that the universe was random wasn't more comforting then some deity you could argue with.

He woke up this morning feeling relaxed. He was satisfied that Jack's distraction worked even now. That's why he was in a good humour when he entered Jack's office; it was fun seeing him there alive and present. He wasn't just a figment of his imagination. Or even better, Jack was in control of himself, he wasn't damaged in any way.

Of course that humour withered when he saw how time was splintering. Things hadn't improved by Owen and Jack fighting. But he focused on his tasks. Everyone was out and he was left by himself to handle all incoming Weevil reports. He managed it as best he could but the vaults were filling at an incredible rate. He had to open levels beneath the nine sublevels; he had never even been down there. He looked at the last captured Weevil concerned, while the Weevil growled in his face. Then the Weevil turned showing fear. Ianto turned around and there she was. She stood there intact. She was whole like she was before; she even wore clothes he didn't recognise like it was real. He closed his eyes for a moment and behind his eyelids he could see her covered with steel and then planted into the splintered scull of a dead girl. He could feel all the pain the images caused.

"Hello Ianto" she said in her soft manner like he was still her own. All he wanted for so long was for her to be whole, to be like she was before, but now when she was standing there he didn't go to her. She started to walk slowly towards him.

"What do you want" the harsh tone of his voice surprised him. Too much had happen, he wasn't the same man before, he wasn't so gullible. "Why are you here? This isn't happening." She took his hand to show him that she was real. His hand didn't respond to her touch, he didn't even squeeze her palm. His hand just lay there without desire to hold her. He had mourned for her but now when he looks at her he knows that is over.

"There is only one way to stop this" she said seriously "before things get worse. People will die Ianto, thousands of people" Ianto looked at her while she was talking and he couldn't deny the reality of her, every single detail was in place "unless you open the Rift." Lisa finished convincingly.

Ianto closed his eyes and he could see all those people dead, when he opened them she was gone. He stood there barely breathing, shaken. He had a hard time keeping up with all that Owen and Jack were saying. It became clear that Owen was fired in the end and was complaining about Retcon. Ianto did sympathise but his mind was struggling with all that Lisa said, and the way she looked alive. Maybe he was wrong, maybe there was something beyond and Lisa got the chance to warn him. Maybe it was her way to redeem herself. She would want to do that if she could.

The day after that became blurry row of Weevil capturing and receiving reports all over town. He got a call to pick up Jack, Gwen and Rhys. Rhys was unconscious and Gwen's story about her vision made his fears surface again. When Rhys died it became clear that Gwen's vision came true, did that mean his vision of the dead people was true also. He stood there feeling useless and powerless. So when Owen came and said he would open the Rift Ianto was sure that there wasn't another way.

Jack stood there signalling with his eyes for Ianto to go after Owen. Most of the time that was enough for Ianto to comply, but today he watched Jack closely as he held Gwen. He held her so tightly and desperately. He wasn't the man of the action that he usually was, he was defeated. And the calm look in his eyes when he looked at Owen whom he sent out in such rage told Ianto that he didn't have a clue what to do. Jack was defeated by the Rift, he wasn't a hero today, he was just a man who would watch people suffer and die without a struggle.

"Make sure that you stop him" said Jack but Ianto turned around and all he could say was no; no to Jack and all his defeat. That was much harder to do than to look at Lisa but he wouldn't be a victim of his affection, not again, not over a man who doesn't care enough to fight.

When Jack came up from the autopsy bay, Ianto didn't even turned around, he stood behind Owen and Gwen and gave them system password; it was the same as the one for Jack's private vault. Jack appreciated the simplest passwords, things that meant something to him. Ianto knew them all, and he had just gotten a new one, the one to Jack's personal account for Flat Holm, maybe opening the Rift would help those people too, maybe they would be restored, it would be better for them. Maybe not for Lonnie who would be sent back to the bonfire, or Jacques who would die falling off a cliff, or... but that's not related to this, they already suffer every day.

Then Jack started to insult them all. Ianto stood there ready to stand in contempt and mocking of his secret affection for the man that was so lost in his role of a hero that he didn't consider he might be wrong. This whole day was about his ego and uncontrolled emotions. If he wasn't so angry Jack would see it too.

But then Jack turned towards him and as their eyes met he started talking about Lisa, like that was his most embarrassing moment. Ianto paused confused for a moment by the fact he didn't feel shame or guilt about it. Jack then turned his anger against others how they shot Lisa together, like Ianto could ever forget that. But that made Ianto realise that Jack thought that he was still mad about it, that he still resented them for her death, that he resented Jack after all that they been through. Like he would let him near if he was still mad.

When Gwen punched Jack in his face Ianto stepped forward filled with adrenaline, but he didn't know on which side to jump. His first impulse was to protect Jack, but he wasn't on his side now. Watching Owen pointing Jack's gun against Jack made his conflict even worse, he didn't know what to do with his hands. They will all calm down now, he should say something but then Jack stood up and Owen pulled the trigger. After that bang everything went quiet for Ianto. He watched in slow motion how Jack falls down and how his body twitches under gunfire. Ianto fell on the floor by Jack's side horrified.

"What have you done?" He looked up in Owen from Jack's side not believing he was just standing on the opposite side and let this happen. He lowered his eyes to look at Jack's body. He wasn't there anymore. Jack disappeared in an instant. His eyes stared up without any expression, dead. All was lost, his smile, his posture, there wasn't any grace left in his empty body.

Others turned their back on Jack and continued with the emergency protocol. Ianto couldn't stand the sight of Jack's unmoving body; living Jack was never still, so he got up. Ianto gave them his retina scan but that didn't bother him anymore. Everything had lost its meaning. It was like he wasn't there anymore.