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Chapter Nine

"JACK!!" Gwen's scream filled the hub at seeing his lifeless body hit the ground. Her eyes diverted from the captain and landed on the Welshman. "How could you do that to him Ianto? You…!" She was about to dart forward when a hand gripping her arm stopped her from doing so.

"No, wait." Owen instructed and relaxed his hold as she complied. "Something's not quite as it seems. For a start, Bob's not laughing any more."

Please forgive me Jack. Tears continued to stream down Ianto's face at what he had done but knew that he had no other choice but to do so.

"You lied to me office-boy." The Shinigami hovered closer towards the man who had just murdered the other, all laughter had ceased the moment the captain's heart attack had commenced. "Everything you told me last night, similar to what you told them just a moment ago, about how you had decided to re-shape the world, it was all an act! You and 'Jack' were in this together…"

"He was completely in the dark." The crying stopped and Ianto stared directly into the gawking face; a sign that although he was scared, he wasn't easily pushed around and manipulated. "It was all my doing, Bob."

There was a disgusted sneer from the soul taker. "How did you know that entering his name would render the Death Note unusable from then on?"

"I walked in on you telling him that his aura could rival the power of the book." He saw a look of surprise on Bob's face from having remembered the conversation he had interrupted when entering the office the previous day. "And when two powers like that collide, they're guaranteed to neutralise each other." His view travelled back towards Jack's lifeless body and quietly he mumbled. "Destroying the Death Note came at a price, but it was worth it. This way nobody else will ever have the chance of using it."

There was soft laughter from the Shinigami. "That was one hell of a price you paid, just to get the one up on me, but I can get another book to replace the one you ruined." He eyed the Welshman more closely. "How did you manage to convince him that he had the real deal when it was in your possession all along?"

"I have stealthy fingers." Still clutching the notebook in his hand Ianto continued to stare at the motionless body, waiting for his lover to awaken, believing that if he could survive against Abaddon then he would overcome this also. And if he was wrong? No doubt they'd be reunited together, - in death, - again shortly.

"The old switch-a-rooney trick eh?" Bob chuckled. "Well as much as you've entertained me office-boy, I'm still gonna take your soul as payment for the damage you've done to the 'human-use' Death Note." He pulled out the notebook strapped to his side and chortled. "No hard feelings."

Casually the soul taker's Death Note was opened and there on the page staring up at him at him was the single Welsh word, 'Gwên' followed by a ':P'. His eyes angrily flashed back to the Welshman. "You!"

"Told you I had stealthy fingers." Ianto failed to stop himself from smirking and dropped the notebook he had taken from the desktop in his lover's office to reveal the battered-looking book belonging to the Shinigami which had been concealed inside it. He had taken it last night after ordering the being to spy on the Hoodies outside his flat and had since hid it inside the briefcase in order to carry through the act which provided two completely different outlooks for his motives to either side. "You really shouldn't leave your behind exposed, that's one of the first things I learnt from Jack."

"Very clever, even I didn't see that one coming." Bob sneered. "You went straight for the head of the problem but failed to eradicate it."

"Did I though?"

"All you achieved was stopping me from using my own Death Note to extend my life, but I'll still kill you using the other."

It was the Welshman's turn to laugh. "Better hurry up then, 'cause as soon as Jack wakes up…well, I'm sure you know what'll happen." A smug triumphant grin plastered his face. "And I assure you, he will wake up again."

Indeed the Shinigami was aware that as soon as the immortal human drew breath again it would mean that the power of his personal notebook would not have been neutralise but surpassed, and his own existence would come to an end as a result of it. "I'm taking you down with me!" He roared threateningly and spun around to retrieve the other Death Note from the captain's cold hand only to see Owen sprinting away across the hub with it. "Give me that book!!"

With the Death Note held tightly under his arm, the young doctor ran as quickly as his legs would allow, aware that the pale lanky being was in flight right behind and almost on top of him.

For a moment Ianto watched Bob chase his un-dead colleague before he then rushed to Jack's side. "Wake up." He muttered as he knelt down beside the lifeless form.

"Catch Gwen!" With no other choice now that the bony fingers brushed against his clothing, Owen used all his might and threw the book at her just before he was knocked to one side by the furious soul taker.

She caught it and although she wanted to check on the fragile doctor's condition from the tumble he'd taken, Gwen turned to exit the hub in an attempt to get the Death Note as far from the Shinigami as she possibly could. Ianto's life depended on her from keeping it out of Bob's reach, but the circular door took too long to roll to one side and she felt the book yanked upwards.

"Please wake up." The Welshman whispered as he leant closer to the head now cradled in his arms and placed his lips on the captain's.

"Let go!" The order was screamed in an enraged snarl. "Otherwise when I pry this book from you, I'm going to enter both yours and that idiot husband's names right after the office-boy's!"

"Over my dead body!" There was no way Gwen was going to give up the Death Note without a fight as she clung onto it, even when she felt herself lifted up from the ground as the soul taker spread his wings to fly up higher in the space beside the water tower.

"That can be arranged!" A huge leathery foot struck her hard and the pain caused her to release the hold she had been fighting to maintain, her arms and legs flailing as she fell and hit the ground with an almighty thud.

"Gwen!" Owen, - who had escaped injury from his fall, - was quick to rush to her side after hearing her cry out upon impact with the concrete floor.

A thunderous cackle filled the hub as the Death Note was opened. "You humans are such pathetic creatures." From out of nowhere a twisted looking pen materialised in Bob's hand and he began to write his short list of names.

There was a rush of air drawn into Jack's lungs as he gasped and broke free from his lover's kiss. His eyes displayed the shaken sensation he felt and searched for explanations. "Yantie?" He never got his answer though as both of their views were then snagged in the direction of the Shinigami's scream.

"Nooo!!" The flying form of the soul taker howled as it disintegrated into nothingness along with the battered book which the captain's name had been entered in. Gravity claimed the notebook which he had been holding and it landed beside Gwen and Owen.

The screaming stopped and there was a brief moment of silence before it was vanquished by whimpering. "Gwen?!" Both men hurried back up on to their feet and raced towards the other two team members.

"Oh god, what happened? Are you both okay?" Ianto asked shakily as he watched Owen help Gwen to stand up, supporting her weight as she struggled to be able to do it on her own.

"Yeah, there doesn't seem to be anything broken between either of us." The doctor assured and the woman unexpectedly leapt from his side as she flung herself at the Welshman and sobbed her relief while hugging him tightly.

"Hey, don't I get one of those too?" Jack laughed. "Obviously not." He sighed as he still remained on his own watching the tight embrace.

"I guess that's one of the downsides to being immortal; no-one really worries 'too much' about you since your survival chances are always guaranteed." Owen told his captain as he bent down to pick up the fallen Death Note. He opened the pages to find what the Shinigami had written and turned towards Ianto. "Oi, if you didn't already need a change of underwear, you will once you've seen this, check out Bob's handwriting."

The book was held open to display, 'Ianto Jone', and a faint mark were he had started to write the S but hadn't had time to complete before he was destroyed.

"Shit, that was close!" The Welshman gasped as he eased Gwen away from him and she winced at the discomfort in her side.

"Owen, I want you to thoroughly check her over…"

"I'm fine Jack."

"No you're not." He told her as she argued with him and then ordered the young doctor to get a move on.

"Aye-aye boss." Owen used the black book in his hand to carry out the mocking salute.

"I'll take that." Jack snatched the Death Note from the other man. "Ianto, my office, now."

All four of them gradually moved off towards their destinations. The captain watched the two colleagues descend down into the medical bay before he followed on behind the Welshman into his office. He made sure that the door was closed and then turned on his lover. "I want explanations and I want them now."

Ianto fidgeted slightly as he watched the notebook slammed down on the desk. He'd been mentally preparing himself for this moment but still he was nervous as he looked back into the displeased look he received from those deep blue eyes. "I'm s-sorry, b-but it was the only way to defeat Bob. It was immensely hard for me to write your name in the Death Note…"

"But you did."

"I know." He shamefully looked away. "I was scared, my life was on the line, and I figured out that entering your name would cancel out the book's effects and destroy him once you awoke…"

"Forget about that Yantie, I don't blame you for anything." Jack assured as he sensed the uneasiness the younger man had. "But I would like to know how you were able to write my name, - my true name, - inside those pages? I've shared a lot of things and personal information with you, but I know for a fact that my name hasn't been one of them."

There was a lump forming at the back of the Welshman's throat and he gulped it back as he looked up at his lover. "Y-you have a tendency to talk in your sleep."

"No I don't."

"You do." Ianto nodded. "Most of the time you're shouting for Gray, about how much you love him, how you're sorry and that you'll find him again one day." He witnessed a startled looking expression from having made the revelation.

Jack was speechless, what was he supposed to say now? He had no idea that he sleep-talked and was easily unsettled to learn that he had a loose tongue during the vulnerable state of semi-consciousness. He'd quit his alcohol consumption to stop such a trait and although sleep wasn't always necessary for him, he still couldn't avoid it altogether. How much and what else had he said that he wasn't aware of? Thankfully it was only the Welshman who would know the facts, - he knew they would go no further, - but still they were secrets that he didn't want to share, not even with his lover.

"If you ever want to talk about him, I'll listen." Ianto offered to lend an ear to hear the older man's woes. "You now know everything that ever was between me and Lisa. When John turned up I handled the spark of jealousy, and since you sent him packing again I realise that there's nothing to be envious about your exes. Gray seems to be one of the more memorable ones to you …"

"No, really, it's not like that." Jack gave an extremely faint heart-hearted laugh at just how wrong the other man had gotten it. If he hadn't laughed at his lover's misunderstanding then he would only have wept for the lost brother instead.

"Then what is it like?"

Their eyes met again. "I can't tell you." The captain whined and then struggled to stop his mouth from silently flapping as he searched for the right way to word his explanation so that it would be least likely to cause offence. "I'm not ready to share that part of myself with you just yet."

"Of course, I completely understand." The Welshman forced a smile to cover his disappointment of not being confided in, and the bitter feelings he had about the fact that secrets were still kept from him. At least now he didn't have to feel so guilty about the secret which he was keeping.

"Do you wanna do the honours of writing my name inside this thing so that we can destroy it too?" Jack held up the book which had started their troubles the previous day and watched as his lover was about to argue that murdering him once had been a difficult enough task. "Well in that case, I guess it's to be locked away for the rest of time." He crossed over to the containment unit and placed the Death Note inside.

Looking through the office windows, Ianto saw the huge door roll open to the side and the female colleague walk in. "Tosh!" His mouth gapped in shock of the sight he saw.

"Oh, is she here? Just wait until she finds out that she's missed all of the action." The captain chuckled to himself as he reset the safe lock and then hurried out of his office. "Hey girl, where've you been? It's not like you to be late …" His voice trailed off at seeing the inconsolable woman. "Tosh? Tosh what's wrong?"

"It's Bob." She replied shakily through her tears that seemed to refuse to dry. "Last night he came to my apartment and…" There was another wave of sobs.

"And what?" The Welshman asked nervously with the build-up of guilt for having ordered the Shinigami to pester someone else during his bathing time.

"He showed me my death."

"Bob's gone now so whatever it was that you saw, you take no notice of it." Jack instructed as he gave her the handkerchief from his pocket.

"But it was so real." Toshiko stated before blowing her nose. She let herself be steered by the two men over to the tattered thread-baring settee and sat down. "The sights, the sounds, the feelings, - emotionally and physically, - everything!"

"It was just a trick, like Bilis, remember what he did?"

"No Jack, this was so much more…"

"I'm going to make some drinks." Ianto scurried off in the direction of his coffee machine.

The distraught woman dried her tears and blew her nose again. "Just what exactly did you see?" Jack asked her.

"I was here. Working. When do I ever stop working?" She gave a smirk that sent another tear to sliver down her cheek. "That's when he attacked." Her eyes glazed as though lost in a trance.

"Who?" The captain pushed for further answers. "What did he do?"

"I don't know who he is." Toshiko replied as she shook her head. "He's young, American, not dressed like anyone from this time period, and has a huge scar on the right side of his face." A hand indicated the area on her own jaw. "He shot me." Her other hand now rested on her abdomen. "Right here."

Jack made a mental note to keep an eye out for anyone fitting the description. That way, if this was true, then he would stop it from happening. Oh how the Doctor would disapprove of his actions, but he wasn't just going to stand by and watch it come about.

"I was bleeding to death." The account continued. "Scared. Alone. In pain. But then you came and made it all stop." She smiled at the man who had saved her so many times. Knowing that she would never get the chance to say otherwise, she took his hand and squeezed it tightly as she now told him, "Thank you, for everything."

There was laughter as Gwen and Owen ascended the stairwell together, "Sorry to disappoint you Cooper, but bruises are all you've acquired from that fall."

"But I could always fake an injury to get Rhys to …" The laughter stopped as they saw the upset woman. "My god, what's wrong?!"

"Nothing." Jack assured as he pulled his hand free and forced back the tearful overwhelming feeling that threatened to take control of him.

"Just a bit of sad family news." Toshiko smiled to create the illusion that she would be okay. "I'll be fine in a moment or two."

"Right now, who wants what?" Ianto shouted from his kitchenette corner.

"Nothing for me thanks, I'm just on my way to meet up with Andy." Gwen answered and she began to make her way across the hub.

"Do I still need to remind you that I can no longer eat or drink?" Sarcasm oozed from Owen's question in response to the Welshman's inquiry.

"You know what I'll have." Jack chuckled, his reply not relating to the hot beverage in any way whatsoever and he turned to sombrely ask Toshiko. "The usual?" He received a nod and relayed her choice back to Ianto in a raised voice. "The usual for Tosh, black and three sugars!"

"She has two sugars Jack, not three." Gwen taunted the forgetful memory that her captain had when it came to remembering food and drink orders, as she left through the huge circular entrance to rendezvous with the PC.

"Of course, my mistake." He smiled dopily and then heard the phone ringing in his office. "Excuse me kiddies but that'll be Martha again." He got up from where he sat on the settee and went to take the call.

Ianto watched him leave as he stirred the dark coloured liquid. He didn't need reminding how Toshiko took her coffee, - he'd been making it for her for two years now, - and neither did Jack. All that the three sugars comment told him was that his assumptions were correct and that a dose of Retcon was to be added also. Soon she'd have no memory of the vision she had been shown by the Shinigami.

"Are you sure you're okay Tosh?" Owen asked curiously.

"Fine thanks." She nodded not looking at him as the thought of his life ending just before hers upset her greatly.

"As long as you're sure." The young doctor proceeded to retreat back to his medical bay.

She listened to the footsteps disappear down the stairwell, each one fainter than the last until he couldn't be heard anymore. Not able to keep back the surge of tears any longer as she was reminded of the vision by his disappearance through sound, she brought the handkerchief back up to her face and muffled the sobs that forced their way out.

"I knew it!" Owen mumbled to himself. He had been stood on the top few steps of the stairwell all along, unsure about leaving his colleague in such a mournful state. But why did he care? Could it possibly be because she still cared for him? Was it really too late to make a go of things with her? The answers to his questions didn't matter right now as all he wanted to do was sit there and comfort her as best as he could, an arm wrapped over her shoulders and pulling her closer to him.

"Here you are, get that down you, you'll feel a lot better." Ianto said as he handed Toshiko the steaming hot cup. There was a sad smile present on his face as he watched her take a couple of sips. His friend had barely a month to live and when the time came he'd make sure that he was with her so that she didn't have to spend her last moments alone.

Glancing up from the couple seated on the settee, he then looked in through the windows of Jack's office to see the captain leaning back in his chair whilst chatting on the phone. The smile on the Welshman's face broadened at the sight he saw once more.

One of the things that constantly worried his lover was the thought that because of his immortality he would never be able to find a peaceful ending to his life and was scared that he would have to keep on living the tired, tormented routine which death never liked to conquer for very long. But now Ianto knew the answer to that query as the digits dancing above 'Jack's' head revealed that he was destined to meet his final end one day. At some point in the far off future his lover would be able to blissfully rest without a care in the world and he'd be there waiting. His captain was everything to him and now the Welshman was even more determined to live each moment that they shared as though it was their last.

Life, - especially his, after bargaining with the Shinigami, - was too short, and five billion years was one hell of a long time to wait before being reunited with the man he loved.

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A/N: And there you have it, the end of this story.

Hope it was enjoyed,

KG