Spoiler alert: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
Beta-ed: TattoedLibrarian
Ianto couldn't find that damn canister. In the silence he suddenly heard bell of the elevator and he just knew it was trouble, it was too quiet. He pulled out the gun trying to cover every angle. The elevator doors were open and he slowly leaned in just to feel the steel of a gun barrel. He cursed silently at his own mistake. Ianto wasn't surprised when he saw John's ugly face. His fury came back with a burning desire to shoot him.
"Your friends are bleeding" he said coldly. "Maybe even dying" he looked satisfied with that notion.
"Why are you doing this?" Ianto couldn't just leave, he had to ask, to understand why he would betray Jack in such manner.
"Money!" he shouted and pushed Ianto back in the elevator and Ianto knew in that moment that he was completely crazy and hating him was the only option.
When the door closed Ianto banged on the wall feeling helpless, worried about Jack but obligated to the team. He hated the fact that he had to choose, he had to let Jack die again, because for Ianto there was no doubt that John will kill Jack just to see it happen.
There wasn't time to hesitate so he called Jack from the car trying to at least warn him but there was no reply. It was all he could do so he focused on the team, hoping that he would be there in time. The warehouse with Tosh and Owen was closer so he went there first. He feared for Gwen, she went alone with him, who knows what he thought of for her. It was a relief to see the two of them alive, it wasn't relief to find Gwen immobile but luckily they could rely on Owen to find a way; working in the field made Ianto appreciate their doctor a bit more.
As soon as she was on her feet Ianto jumped behind the wheel driving back to office building thinking it was in vain, John had already taken Jack through the Rift. He started to call his phone it rang and rang, but when he was disconnected he dialled again. The rest of them didn't ask where he was going, they were preoccupied by stitching and healing.
"Status?" Ianto heard Jack's firm voice in his ear and almost reeled off the road. He looked in the mirror at their surprised faces and started to count injuries while his mind tried to wrap around feelings that had burst in his chest. He wanted to know everything that happened, where John was, what did he do, was he dead; if he wasn't Ianto wanted to change that.
"Alive" was Jack's short and uninformative answer and Ianto knew he couldn't do anything about that. If he started to shout now everyone would stare at him and he probably wouldn't get any reply so he told Jack he was on his way and hung up. If they ever got to go on that bloody date, Jack Harkness and him, damn Jack would have talk about something real, or he just wouldn't get any. Damn him, if Ianto agreed to have some sort of relation with him and only got his shit of short replies and anecdotes about people long dead. He would rather bring him coffee, call him sir and hold his coat than offer sex and listen to those superficial stories that made him seem invincible.
When he pulled over and saw Jack standing there in his Captain pose with his hands behind his back and chest puffed out Ianto got confirmation that he'd died. He looked perfect and fresh, his hair looked freshly groomed, and his skin looked rested, there were no cuts on him, but his coat was crumpled and his eyes were dark and clouded. As Ianto drove on and the car was filled with the fresh scent of Jack, Ianto wondered how many times Jack had gotten in the car just after he died and none of them knew. Well, maybe Gwen knew. Ianto looked at her in the mirror, she looked exhausted. It wasn't a privilege, Ianto reminded himself, that she knew, she had simply seen it with her own eyes and Jack had to accept that.
Jack's hand moved and brushed Ianto's briefly and then it withdrew. It was a short contact but it was enough to reel Ianto's thoughts in another direction where he didn't bother so much with talking.