Switched

Ianto and Tosh burst into the hub to see Gwen and John surrounded by Weevils. Their weevils. Sharing a look with Tosh, Ianto pulled out his gun and fired, watching with a satisfied feeling as all weevils fell to the floor. Ianto looked at Gwen and the man standing somewhat out of place behind her.

'You don't know how happy I am to see you.' Gwen's thank you was lost on Ianto as he aimed at John. 'Woah!' she cried. 'He's here to help Ianto, to help find Jack.'

'Easy eye candy.' rang out across the hub as Ianto breathed heavily. God he hated that name! He just glared at him.

'Fine then help by getting the weevils down to the cells before they recover it takes more than a bullet to stop them.' John heaved a weevil up and started to drag it off with Gwen and Tosh following suit. Ianto turned around and tapped his comm. 'Where are you Jack?' he murmured more to himself than the com. He did not expect an answer. He ran a hand through his hair sighing. Only Grey and John knew where Jack was and neither was likely to let that information be known to the team - no matter how sweetly John had talked Gwen. He looked around and realised he was useless up here. Cursing he realised he should have helped with the weevils while Tosh did some fancy thing on the computer saving their asses – along with the rest of Cardiff's'.

'Tosh, talk me through this darling – I haven't got a clue what I'm doing.' Owen's voice came through the comms.

'Sorry love, not Tosh, just the Tea boy.'

'Oh great, this justs keeps getting better.'

'Thanks Owen.'

'You're welcome, so go to Tosh's computer and tap some keys. Anything to get info on this place.' Ianto tapped at the keypad in front of him and the plan of the power plant cropped up. Up in the power room – well what Ianto believed to be the power room – a message flashing 'beyond critical' caught his attention.

'It says 'beyond critical' is that bad?'

'Of course it's bad you idiot! Look get her PDA there's got to be some useful shit on it.' Ianto look around and saw her PDA on the table opposite the couch. He went over and bent to pick it up.

'Right I-' He cut off as two clear shots rang through the hub. He looked up when the pain griped him. As he looked down towards his stomach he saw his shirt darkening with blood. Looking up across the hub, he saw Grey holding a gun aimed at him.

'Ianto? Ianto mate don't leave me hanging.' Owen's voice crackled over the comms.

'Help me.' Ianto croaked at Grey, but Grey simply threw the PDA away from Ianto and raised his gun again. 'Bye' ran through Ianto's head as he closed his eyes and braced himself for the next shot. But the bang he heard did not come from the gun. As the bangs continued, Ianto opened his eyes and was relieved to see that Grey had gone – but so had the PDA. Looking around while trying not to cause too much pain, he saw it lying at the bottom of the autopsy bay steps. Groaning he hauled himself along the floor until he reached the top of the steps. Closing his eyes against the pain, he rolled himself over the first step and nearly cried out in pain. He didn't want Grey to come back and finish the job. Eyes widened in fear as he looked at the other steps he had to roll down – this was going to hurt. Gritting his teeth, Ianto set off the journey to the bottom of the stairs.

Eyes watering at the end of his journey, he picked up the PDA and tapped his comm.

'Owen' he muttered.

'Ianto! Where the hell have you been?' He stopped and Ianto could picture him straining his ears to hear something. 'You alright mate? Seem a little out of breath.'

'You have no idea. Look I know what to do....' Ianto took Owen through what to do when he read the remainder of the instructions. 'Owen you need to get out of there.....' Ianto heard Owen's shout as he raced for the door and his curse as he failed to reach it.

'Ianto? I couldn't get there – it was too quick....' A fear crept into his voice 'What's going to happen to me?' When he got no reply he raised his voice 'I need to know.' Ianto sighed.

'The chamber will flood itself with radioactive waste....'

'Slowly decomposing me.' Owen finished off.

'Owen I am so sorry.'

'Sorry? You're sorry? You're safe as fuck at the hub but me? I'm dying- again! But you're sorry. Yes like that's going to help me. Where's Jack? Gwen? Tosh? Tosh. Oh gods I'll never see her again. Never get to tell her how i felt – all these years.' Ianto could hear Owen crying and felt his own tears fall to match his colleagues. 'Tell her Ianto, tell her I love her.'

''Course.'

'Ianto?'

'Owen?'

'I'm sorry mate. For everything. Taking the piss out of you and Jack. I'm sorry for all the names, hitting, teasing and ungratefulness.'

'Me.....too' Ianto closed his eyes as pain took over his senses for a second.

'It's starting.' Owen's voice brought Ianto back and he cursed himself for letting the pain take over.

'I'm here with you Owen.'

'Thank you.' Both men knew it held a deeper meaning but neither mentioned it. The comm went dead and Ianto felt more tears slide down his face as he lost Owen. He blindly reached for some pain killer to relieve some of his pain. Where were the others?

'Down here!' He looked up at Gwen's voice and saw Jack charging down the stairs towards him. It was going to be alright!

'I'm here Yan I'm here.' He vaguely felt himself being pulled into strong arms and felt relaxed – well as relaxed as he could with a gun shot wound. Now if the pain would go away and the wound would heal, then it would be fine. But the team knew that it wouldn't and the wound was deadly; even so, Gwen gave him another shot of pain killer.

'There you go sweetheart.' She smiled through her tears at him.

'That's.......the power plant – but Owen!' Tosh out two and two together as she looked at the image on the wall. She dissolved into tears and Gwen put an arm around her.

'He....loved you....you know.' The attention was back on Ianto ho lay in Jack's arms. Another wave of pain took hold of him and he clutched Jack's hand harder. 'Jack...I....I'm'

'Don't you dare.' Jack growled. 'I just found you and you'll be damned if you go again. I love you Ianto Jones and you are going to recover so I can have my wicked way with you.' This earned a painful chuckle from Ianto. Then his eyes widened as what Jack said set in.

''You love me?'

'Yes I do.' Jack looked up at the two women gazing down at them. 'I love this man.' He claimed proudly.

'Ditto Captain.' Ianto felt the darkness start to seep in. Wait! This wasn't fair! He was supposed to stay now that he had earned the heart of the Captain. He had to! 'Kiss me?' Both men knew this would be the last one and both men knew they needed to share one last kiss before they were parted. Jack smiled and laced his fingers through Ianto's and placed a kiss on the lips he had grown to love. The kiss wasn't a battle nor an invitation for sex. It was a goodbye kiss – a kiss where all that had not been said was said. Jack pulled back to see Ianto smiling up at him and found himself smiling back through the tears that clouded his vision. Then the form in his arms went limp – the smile staying in place.

Jack cradled the body close to him and let the tears flow. Ianto had gone – left him in this cruel world. Because that's what it was now – cruel. Cruel without Ianto's coffee, cruel without his smile and doubly cruel without his kisses. His beautiful Yan, gone. Jack would give anything to have him back but he couldn't do anything and it killed him. Jack picked up the form in his arms and placed it on the medical bed.

'Grey?' The women nodded at his question and he turned and walked away leaving Tosh and Gwen to clean Ianto – he wasn't strong enough and he had something to do. He reached the morgue where he had stored his brother and pulled out the casket. He looked down at the unconscious form of his brother feeling anger and hatred build up in him.

'I can forgive you for anything you do to me. Anything. But I cannot forgive you for what you did t my team – especially Ianto. You killed him Grey! He wouldn't have killed you – injured you,but not killed you. But you killed him. I can never forgive you for that – never Grey.' Wiping the tears from his face, Jack reached over the casket and cut the power – taking Grey's lifeline away from him as he had done to Jack.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sitting in the autopsy bay, Jack held onto Ianto's clean hand.

'Oh Yan, I am so sorry. I should be in your place. Its my fault Grey came here and you paid the price. I wish you were here now but you're not and that's killing me Yan. The girls are great Ianto, but they're not you. No one could compare to you and I'm expected o replace you. How can I do that? I need you back Yan no one but you. But I'm never going to see you again. Never see you smile, never hear you laugh. Never kiss you again. I am so sorry Yan – so sorry. I love you.' The last bit was whispered and Jack leaned over and kissed the motionless lips and left the autopsy bay. Tosh passed him on her way in and he knew she would store the body away for him. He just wasn't strong enough. He walked past Gwen putting Ianto's stuff away and felt fresh tears brimming in his eyes. He blinked rapidly and walked swiftly into his office.

Sat on his desk were two buts of paper. He picked the shorter one up first and felt his heart break as he read it.

Jack

Table's reserved for seven. Maybe we could go back to my place for 'desert'

Yours

Ianto

xxx

Their date. They had never got it – now they never will. Jack reached over and picked up the longer note.

My Dearest Jack,

If you are reading this then that means I am dead as I haven't had chance to remove it. When I found you were gone I decided to write this in case I died saving you. That's all I ever wanted to do – save you. You always act like the hero and I wanted it to be my turn. I also wanted you to know how I felt about you. I love you Captain Jack Harkness from the bottom of my heart. Don' cry for me Cariad I will see you soon – I mean your Doctor has to cure you sometime right? Don't be mad at me dying – it's for the greater good isn't it? Saving Cardiff and all that? I just hope you're there when I leave.

Tell Gwen to stay strong and not to neglect Rhys. I know what being in love feels like and she needs to let Rhys that he's the reason she lives. He's the one who steals her breath, he's the one who makes her feel as if she can defeat anything. Tell her he needs to know – needs to hear it from her. Tell her I'm sorry – I'm sorry for leaving.

Tosh. Isn't she one to treasure. Tell her not to blame herself (she's bound to, even if it has nothing to do with her). Tell her not to worry about Owen- he'll realise he's in love with her soon. Tell her I'm sorry for leaving her behind.

Owen – if he touches my coffee machine I will hunt him down and haunt him. Seriously though, I will miss him. I'm sorry for our arguments and that I got to leave the world whereas he has to stick behind. God Owen I am sorry.

And you....my sweet Captain who taught me to love again. You showed me so much joy and love and I will be eternally grateful for. I love you Captain Jack Harkness – more than you or I ever knew. My flat Jack, I want you to have it. To preserve memories? To live in? Or just to stop other people living where I've lived? It's for what you want to do with. I don't want you staying at the hub and excluding yourself though. A dead man's wish – don't shut people out.

Don't cry for me guys. Keep going forward – fight for the future, everyone has one.

Goodbye

Ianto

Jack wiped his tears and stared ahead. He would do it. He would keep going forward. Not for the future. Not for Cardiff or Tosh or Gwen. Not even for himself. He would do it for Ianto. His sweet Ianto who had died to protect this city. Jack owed him that.

A/N Don't kill me but please review :)