Ianto woke as he did almost every morning these days. He was lying in Jack's bunker, legs entangled with his captain's. He was still wearing his dress shirt from the previous day, which Jack was tightly clinging to. He was confused for a moment by his state of dress, being that he was actually dressed today before he remembered the events of the night before.

He had gone up to Jack's office after Gwen, Tosh, and Owen had gone home for the night, just as he always did, only to find the immortal feeling sick. This worried Ianto beyond belief, but Jack didn't seem to care. Jack still invited Ianto to stay, much to the young man's surprise. Sure, they had gone on a few dates, and Ianto stayed over at The Hub half his nights, but every night he did stay, there was always sex involved.

He smiled at how close they had gotten, while still afraid of how it would eventually turn out. The archivist wasn't stupid; he knew he would die young. He worked for Torchwood, where the life expectancy was under 30, and he was reaching his 26th birthday soon. So, when he died, sometime in the next four years, Jack would be left where he always would. Alone. It's not like it would matter much in the long run. Jack had cared for people much more than he ever cared for Ianto. Give him five years, and he wouldn't even remember his name.

He tried to stretch the sleep away but found that he was held tightly in place by Jack's unyielding grip. Ianto grabbed his hands to try and break himself free. He started at how cold his captain was, and finally looked down at him. His face and hands were grey, with some darker flecks mixed in. He looked like the granite sculpture that his face always seemed to depict. He tried to rouse him awake, finally getting his attention, he woke like nothing was different, until he saw the look of concern on his face. He sat up, looked down and then back at Ianto, a clear look of confusion at seeing his discoloured chest.

"Call Owen" He said, calmer than he felt.

Ten minutes later Owen was in The Hub, half grumbling about being called into work early, half in medic mode. Every few minutes he would scan Jack, read the results, and curse to himself. He had no idea what he was working with, even Jack hadn't come into contact with this. Even with all the confusion over what he had, there was something much more nerve wracking about the whole situation. Why wasn't he just healing? Jack didn't get sick. Jack hardly got injured.

Finally Owen gave up and went to sulk in a corner, leaving Jack to sulk on the med bay examination table. After a few minutes in silence Jack noticed something that chilled his bones. He was slowing down. Every move he made felt like he was wading in pudding. He spun to face Ianto in slow motion.

"Call The Doctor" Ianto turned to call for Owen, before Jack rolled his eyes. "Not Owen, my Doctor."

"Do we even have his number? Does he even have a number? How does one call a time traveling alien?!" Ianto was beginning to panic. Jack pulled out his own mobile and rang the number Martha had given him a few weeks previously. The Doctor answered after a couple of rings, clearly confused.

"Doc, you need to get over here." Jack said, a bit out of breath due to his panic.

"Jack? Where are you what's going on? I was just organizing the TARDIS library." Ianto barely hear over the phone.

"Yeah, as important as that is, Doc, I'm in a bit of trouble." Jack responded, not bothering to hide his sass. The Doctor audibly sighed on the other end of the mobile. "Doctor, I'm sick. I haven't been sick since I last saw Rose."

"I'll be right there." The Doctor said darkly, finally understanding the weight of the situation. A few seconds later a mechanical wheezing filled The Hub and a blue box appeared out of thin air, causing Owen to jump out of his seat and fall into the shallow pool at the base of the sculpture based above them. He and Ianto looked at Jack in bewilderment as Jack smiled slightly. Clearly this wasn't the first time something like this had happened to him.

The door opened with a creak and out popped a man that Ianto recognized from the CCTV footage of Canary Wharf. The Doctor. Jack had spoken of him briefly after he came back from when he was missing. He never went farther than saying who he was. Nothing on where he was from, or any of the places Jack went with him. The Doctor walked out looking around The Hub with wonder, like he had never seen anything like it before. Ianto wondered just how unique their base was against the whole of time and space. After about a millisecond he decided that his wonder was based on someone as amazing as Jack lived in somewhere that was once described as "sewer chic". He was suddenly self conscious about his work place, until Myfanwy flew past, gathering The Doctor's full attention.

"You've got a pterodactyl?!" He yelled ,smiling widely, looking between the three men he had materialized between.

"Pteranodon, actually." Ianto grinned to himself. He loved saying that. The Doctor looked a bit disgruntled before impressed. He hated being corrected, but honestly how many people could do that? Let alone on 21st century earth. His eyes eventually made their way to Jack, and he drew in a large breath in surprise as to what he found there.

"Petrifold Regression." He said, barely audible. He cleared his throat, and continued a bit louder. "You have Petrifold Regression, Jack. It shouldn't exist for another four billion years." Ianto's eyes widened as he looked at Jack. How was he supposed to be treated?

"And why is it affecting me?" Jack asked, solemn.

"Because it doesn't kill you. Because... it turns you to stone. You'll be a statue in two days, unless you get treatment." Ianto felt like there was definitely something in his throat. Two days, with no treatment for four billion years? No. Jack was supposed to stay. He was supposed to be around until Ianto died. Ianto was supposed to leave him, not the other way around. As fast as it would take Jack to get over him, he would never get over his perfect, dashing captain. If Jack died now... part of Ianto was sure to follow.

The Doctor saw the look on Ianto was giving him and his face melted with empathy. Empathy and pity, Ianto realized bitterly. The Doctor noticed how Ianto felt about Jack. More than he noticed himself. Certainly more than Jack noticed. The Doctor deflated and gave in, doing something he knew he shouldn't do, for so many reasons.

"We should get going." He said, giving Jack a start. " I'd say you only have about a day left, and it's difficult getting the date right. I've really got to be exact with this one." No one moved "Well? Get up, lets get going! Ianto, was it? You should probably come, too. You've been exposed as well."

Ianto didn't remember telling him his name, but helped the man up the med bay stairs and into the box, not looking up until he was halfway in. Jack held onto the rail by the walkway as Ianto's grip relaxed. His mouth gaped open and he turned around to walk back to make sure he saw the outside right. His path was blocked by The Doctor who had a knowing smile but didn't get out of his way.

"No time for that, Ianto Jones. Got to get a move on!" He ran past them and spun Ianto around in the process.

"It's..." Started Ianto

"Bigger on the inside" The Doctor and Jack finished for him. Ianto lightly nodded still staring at the console that The Doctor was currently toying with. The room jolted to the side and shook violently knocking Ianto to the floor immediately followed by Jack, right on top of him. Ianto flushed as Jack slowly grinned.

" Oh, Come on!" The Doctor called out just as Jack kissed Ianto. "We're in a bit of a hurry!" Jack reluctantly got up and and helped up Ianto, who was nudged toward the door.

Ianto couldn't believe his eyes. The room was large and white and clean. There were people of different shape and sizes. Species he had never seen in Cardiff. Must be too good to just fall through the rift. It was amazing.

"New Earth, the year five billion and seventeen. The cure will have been lost for another hundred years in five billion twenty three. After I show up anyway."

"Sorry, did you say New Earth?" Ianto said.

"Yup" The doctor supplied, popping the p sound. " The year five billion, the earth expands and your Earth is burned up, the humans scattered amongst the stars get nostalgic and find this place. Here they are. Thriving" He finished grin taking up more than half his face.

Ianto knew that look. Jack got it all the time. It was his humanity look. A look he got when he realized how amazing the human race was. Ianto never got it, but apparently The Doctor did. Maybe it took seeing all this. Humans living billions of years into the future. Humans growing and thriving and having a place in the stars with the Weevils and Hoix. And so much more. So much better. Just in this room alone he saw so many things. A humanoid with tentacles coming out of it's face and a white orb attached to the front of it's shirt. A man with the face of a rhino. Little tiny white creatures that looked like marshmallows. Ianto smiled with wonder. And he thought he knew everything.

In his staring he hadn't noticed The Doctor walk away, followed slowly by Jack, to the front desk. The woman behind the desk looked up at them and started at Jack, immediately ushering a wheelchair forward to take him into a ward. Ianto also marveled at her. A cat. A big cat. He could get used to the future. Once again he had to be called for by The Doctor who had gotten into a lift. He hurried to catch up just as the doors closed. Just as they did, however, a woman spoke from the speakers and a shower started overhead The Doctor whooped in enjoyment which Jack joined in with as Ianto yelled in surprise and shivered. The water soon stopped and air blasted at them from all sides.

They finally got to their ward and got a cot by the door. Ianto looked around and noticed The Doctor had gone. He was outside the glass doors, speaking to one of the cats. He looked like he was outraged, shouting something about getting into another room, how the consequences were dire. Ianto rose his eyebrows. There was nothing wrong with being in here it was quiet. Quiet enough for Jack to sleep. He didn't do that much.

It was so quiet in fact, the only thing he heard was a small voice in the back of his head. The thing that startled him, was, it wasn't his own. The voice was tiny, and breathless, in disbelief. It said just two words, with a reverence that Ianto would never use when saying what the voice said.

"Ianto Jones"