Here it is. The last chapter. Thank you to everyone who followed and/or reviewed.

Can I get you another drink?" Ianto offered Gwen.

"No thank you Ianto," she declined. "I should get back to your flat. It feels weird saying that. Are you sure you won't come too?"

"I can't."

Gwen could have cried at the look of despair in Ianto's eyes. She could understand his pain though, knowing she would feel the same had it been Rhys.

"Okay sweetheart. Will you be alright on your own?

"I'll be okay when all of this is over."

Gwen stood up. "I'll call you if there are any developments."

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Ianto returned to the hub twenty minutes later and found Owen in the autopsy bay.

"How's Jack?" He asked the medic.

"He's gonna die mate," Owen told him, a little too bluntly. "They both will if we can't get Barang out of him. Unfortunately, Jack has to die for the Commander to be released."

Ianto nodded his acceptance of the information and asked what Owen was planning on doing.

"I'm trying to re-amalgamate the orange gloopy stuff," he told the Welshman. "I've analysed the structure of it and I think I can synthesise some more. It needs to be stable enough for Barang to occupy."

"What can I do?"

Owen carefully assessed the man in front of him.

"Are you up to it?" he questioned. "And I don't just mean physically."

"Just tell me what you need."

The medic shrugged resignedly. When Ianto was in one of his stubborn frames of mind, there was little point in arguing.

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All was quiet when Gwen arrived back at the flat. Tosh was leafing through a book on the history of Cardiff, next to the still unconscious Jack.

"Did you find him?"

"Yeah," the other woman told her. "Still couldn't get him to come back. Is Owen not here?"

Tosh explained that he'd left in a hurry with an apparent idea for a solution.

"I hope he comes back soon," she continued. "Jack and Barang have both remained unconscious the whole time he's been gone."

"I'll put the kettle on," Gwen said. Mainly just for something to do.

Commander Barang came to around twenty five minutes later. It was very obvious he wasn't going to last for much longer.

"May I speak to the man I attacked?"

"He's not here." Tosh informed him.

"Will he survive?"

"You did some serious damage, but it isn't life threatening," Gwen assured him.

"Please give him my most profound apologies. I believed I had been taken prisoner. Had I been aware of the situation, I would never have committed such an atrocity."

"Apology accepted."

Tosh and Gwen turned at the sound of Ianto's voice and saw him standing just outside the door. He gave them a weak smile.

"You came back." Tosh stated.

"Owen said he couldn't do this without Jack dying," Ianto explained softly. "I promised him I would always try to be there when he revived."

"I don't understand," Barang said with confusion. "How can someone revive from death?"

"Let us just say, Jack is special." Owen told him. "Ok let's get on shall we."

The medic told them all about the synthesised gloop. He'd managed to successfully mix the artificial stuff with the original.

"I'm hoping that when you leave Jack," Owen continued. "You'll be able to back to the state you were in when you first arrived."

"Thank you for trying," Barang said gratefully. "Especially after the hurt I've caused. If this fails, please know that I am extremely appreciative of what you're doing for me."

Tosh asked the Commander what they should do with him if all went to plan. He told her he would need to be put somewhere cool and dark. When the time was right, he would transform into energy and leave. His strength ran out and he once again lapsed into unconsciousness.

"Final question," Owen broke in. "Do we wait for death to occur naturally or do I help it along?"

"Owen!" Gwen exclaimed. "I thought that, as a doctor, you weren't supposed to do any harm."

"I carry and use a gun, in case you haven't noticed," he shot back. "Besides, you and I both know that all bets are off when it comes to Jack."

"I think you should ask Ianto," Tosh remarked quietly.

They all turned back to the Welshman, who looked completely panicked.

"Why me?" He asked, his voice a little too high.

"Because we can't ask Jack," Tosh told him. "You know him better than anyone. What would he say?"

Ianto stared at them all aghast, and then went through to sit heavily on the sofa. For all intents and purposes, he was being asked to give an execution order for Jack. Yes, he was going to die anyway, and yes, he would be fine, but it was still one hell of an ask. Tosh, Owen and Gwen watched him without saying a word. They all knew how much of a toll the whole situation was taking on him.

"Do it quickly." Ianto finally announced. "He'd want us to do it quickly."

Okay," Owen acknowledged and swung into action.

He opened the rucksack he'd brought with him and extracted a large jar containing the gloop. He placed it on the bedside table and removed the lid.

"Can you remove the handcuffs before you do it?" Ianto asked as he entered the bedroom. "Let him die with some dignity?"

Owen undid the cuffs and gently laid Jack's arms by his sides. Ianto carefully unwound the bandages, before climbing onto the bed. With the medic's help, he got into a position which enabled him to hold Jack, making sure his injured arm was out of the way. Once Ianto was settled; Owen injected Jack with a lethal cocktail of drugs.

Everyone held their breaths as they waited to see how things would play out. For what seemed like the longest time, nothing happened. Suddenly, Jack's back arched and a faint glow burst from his chest. Owen held up the jar and watched as the glow merged with the gloop. On the bed, Jack's body fell back heavily. All life had gone from it. Ianto instantly started fussing over him. It was a habit he'd unconsciously developed. He teased Jack's hair back into place and smoothed out his clothing. None of the others noticed any of this as they were too busy looking at the jar containing Commander Barang.

Something was going very wrong. Even though he was in uncharted territory, Owen knew in his gut that it wasn't going to work. The gloop was losing cohesion and the lumps which were breaking off were solidifying.

"Can't you do anything Owen?" Gwen pleaded.

"No," said Owen, as the glow in the jar dissipated. "He's gone."

At that moment, Jack gasped back into life. Ianto held tightly onto him as the older man came through the initial confused panic.

"Ianto?" Jack whispered as soon as he'd got his bearings. "You're here?"

The Welshman said nothing. He simply offered Jack a shy smile; one of the ones which always got Jack's heart beating a little faster. The Captain returned the smile then turned his attention to Owen.

"Did you save him?

The Londoner shook his head. "Afraid not. I think he was simply too weak."

Jack hung his head sadly. He silently cursed the rift for taking the life of yet another person.

"Ok," he said eventually. "We've imposed in Ianto's space for too long. You three tidy up here then go back to the hub. Tosh and Gwen start the paper work. Owen, place the good Commander in the morgue."

When the others had gone, Jack and Ianto stood facing each other in the living room. The older man reached out and stroked his lover's battered face. It tore at his heart when he felt Ianto flinch at his touch.

"How can I even begin to ask you to forgive the unforgivable?

"You didn't do this Jack," the younger man assured him softly. "Commander Barang did this and I fully understand his reasons. You just need to be patient with me though. My heart knows the truth but my head is confused."

Jack's hand moved to the back of Ianto's head and he gently pulled him in for a kiss. In deference to Ianto's injuries, it wasn't one of their passionate, lip crushing kisses. Jack's lips lightly brushed those of the younger man. Ianto brought his good hand round to stroke Jack's back. The touch was enough to let the Captain know that he and his Welshman were going to be fine.

"Can I write on your cast?" Jack asked when they finally pulled apart.

Ianto laughed. The sound made Jack's soul soar.

"As long as it isn't X-rated."

Jack rooted around in one of Ianto's drawers and found a marker pen. He instructed his lover to look away while he got to work. Eventually, he proudly revealed his handiwork. Ianto couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw what had been done.

Jack had drawn a large heart. Within it he'd written, 'JH & IJ 4 EVER'.