Did You Ever Care Or Was I Just There?

A/N Anyone who knows me at all knows that I hated CoE and will not watch Miracle Day. Sorry but my loyalty is to Ianto, Owen and Tosh. I have never liked Jack or Gwen. This story came about as a result of recent TW news.

Summary: The end of Miracle Day. Jack and Gwen learn the horrifying truth and then lose everything. Not a happy fic, very dark, maybe even a bit sadistic. Not for Jack or Gwen lovers.

Spoilers: Let's just say Yes. If you like Jack and/or Gwen, probably not a good idea for you to read this.

O_O_O_O

Jack groaned and rolled to his feet.

"Gwen?" he called.

"Here! Jack, what's going on?"

He saw her in a cell that was just like the one he was in. She looked scared but otherwise fine.

"I don't know. Last I remember was talking to Rex. Then it got dark."

He looked around.

"Have you seen anyone?" he asked.

"No. Jack, what's going on?"

"I don't know."

"But before you said-"

A door opened and Gwen fell silent. They both looked towards the sound of footsteps. A figure, a man, walked slowly towards them. It was dim so they couldn't see his face.

"Who are you?" Jack demanded.

"Forgot me already, Jack?"

Jack reeled back in shock.

"Ianto?"

The Welshman stepped into the space between their cells. He wore a long black trench coat over a black suit. A red shirt peeked out from beneath.

"Hello Jack, Gwen. Are you comfortable?"

Jack slammed his hand against the glass of his cell.

"Damn you! Have dare you use our memory of Ianto against us!"

"I'm not a memory."

"You are. He... Ianto died. In my arms."

"Yes, in your arms. And you still couldn't say that you loved me."

Ianto turned cold blue eyes onto the other man.

"I said that you would forget me and I was right."

"I never forgot..." Jack began.

"Really? You know," Ianto said in a conversational tone. "I would never begrudge a person the right to seek comfort in sex. Nor would I be angry at someone I loved moving on. But tell me Jack, all those times you were fucking someone else, did I ever cross your mind? All those morning afters did you ever once think of how you and I used to wake up together?"

The former Time Agent swallowed hard. No he hadn't. Everytime he had lain with another he had forced all thoughts of Ianto from his mind. He had actively tried to forget the younger man. It was only after returning to Earth, to Gwen...

"See Gwen," Ianto said. "Even now his thoughts are filled with you."

"That's not true! I loved you!" cried Jack.

"Yet you couldn't tell me that when I was alive." Ianto stepped up and placed his hand on the glass. "Captain, my Captain, I allowed myself to believe that I mattered to you. That got me killed. Just as it did Owen and Toshiko."

"What do you want?" Gwen demanded. It hurt seeing the way this man was affecting Jack.

"Ah, Gwen... Sweet, perfect Gwen." Ianto turned towards her. "Did you know that I thought you were the heart of Torchwood when you first joined? Eveytime anything bad happened to you, I wanted to protect you. You see, the rest of us were so jaded but you... You were innocent. At least, that's what you wanted us to believe." His eyes darkened. "But I know the truth. I know all of your ugly secrets. Tell me, since you swore to not keep secrets from your beloved husband, does Rhys know that you slept with Owen?"

Tears trickled from her eyes as she looked at the face that she had once known. He seemed so cold, so angry now. Could it really be him?

"Ianto..."

"I wonder... is that child really Rhys' or is it someone else's?"

"Shut up!" Gwen said. "What do you want with us?"

Ianto said, "Do you know what it was like, loving and losing everyone I loved? No, because you've got the perfect life. And Jack, you had so much given to you but you spent all your time moaning about how hard it was. You both took so much for granted. I shouldn't be doing you this favor but I still care."

"Favor?" Jack asked. "What favor?"

"Why, ending this cursed miracle of course."

Gwen thought of the horrors she'd witnessed, people dying but never dead.

"You can do that?" she whispered. "You can save us?"

"You already know what's caused this but what you didn't know was that so many have been a part of it. Myself included."

"No," Jack said. "Ianto Jones knew how painful it was for me to be immortal. He would never help make the world like that!"

Ianto flicked his eyes at him then looked back at Gwen.

"Gwen, the humanity of Torchwood, would you be willing to make a personal sacrifice to save the world?"

She ignored Jack's cries. Owen and Tosh had died saving them from Gray. Ianto died taking a stand against the 456. Jack had sacrificed so much so many times. It was her turn. She realized that now. In order for her family, Jack and the world to be safe, Gwen Cooper had to die.

"If that's what it takes," she said. She didn't want to die but how could she wish her baby to suffer through all this?

"I have your word that you will make this sacrifice?"

"Yes!"

Ianto's face twisted into a dark parody of a smile. Never had they seen him looking so evil.

"Tell me why you're doing this?" Jack asked. "Is it because I couldn't say it?"

"Believe it or not, Jack, the world does not revolve around you." Ianto looked his lover full in the face. "You want to know? Humans are stupid creatures. They let their prejudices and curiosity control them. Too many times too many people have suffered because of that. So a select few, chosen carefully over the years, were granted the power of forever. But in order for it to work we needed the life energies of everyone. So we found a way to make everyone immortal. Now all that's left is to take that energy away from everyone again. Once that's done, myself and the others will be as you were Jack. Fixed Points in Time and Space. Not even your Doctor will be able to change us back."

"Humanity will be restored?" Jack asked. He loathed the very idea that Ianto had a hand in this chaos but at least it would soon be over.

"Yes. Though any injury sustained right before the change will still be there. But it will be over."

Ianto looked from one to the other.

"It's time for your sacrifice, Gwen."

She squared her shoulders and nodded.

"I'm ready," she said bravely.

His laughter startled her.

"Oh Gwen! What do you think is going to happen? Do you think that you're going to die?"

She frowned and glanced at Jack.

"No Gwen. You don't get out of it that easily." Ianto turned away from Jack and pressed her hands against the glass between him and Gwen. "Owen was neglected by his family, he lost his fiancee to aliens, he lost Diane. He died twice. Toshiko was imprisoned, branded a traitor, because she loved her mother so much. She was forced to send a man she loved to his death. She died protecting us from a psychotic child. I survived Canary Wharf. I watched as you all gunned down Lisa. I watched as you and Jack, the man I love, made love with your eyes at every turn. And Jack... How many times did he die for us? He gave up his own flesh and blood to save this world's children. But you..." he looked at her in disgust. "You spent your time telling us that we have forgotten what being human feels like. You were never satisfied with what you had so you had to have more. At my funeral you ignored your husband in favor of my lover. You don't know the meaning of the word 'sacrifice'." He smiled. "But you will."

He snapped his fingers and a door opened.

Two people, a man and a woman, stepped out. The woman held a small child, a baby, in her arms.

"Owen! Tosh!"

"They were chosen as I was. All three of us will live forever."

Ianto walked over and took the baby from Tosh.

"Anwen!" Gwen gasped. They had her baby. Oh god they had her baby...

"Your sacrifice Gwen," said Ianto. "Your father, I'm sorry to say, will not recover. Your baby is now mine."

"No!" Gwen shouted. She banged on the glass. "Anwen! Ianto no!"

"Ianto!" Jack cried.

His lover, his Welshman, turned towards him. "I said I was doing you a favor, remember?" He looked sad now. "You saw your immortality as a curse. It's only a curse if you're alone. But don't you see, we can be together now. Forever."

"No," Jack said. Pain filled his very soul. "Not like this. Gwen-"

Ianto eyes hardened again. "So, I offer you myself forever and yet it's still her you think of?"

"That's not it!"

"It is! Did you ever care about me or was I just there? A piece of movable furniture?" Ianto's eyes were filled with pain. "I love you. I love you enough to suffer through this to be with you. But all you can think about is her. She'll never leave Rhys, she needs him because he can't find true fault within her."

"Ianto, don't do this!"

Now Ianto's smile was full of sorrow. "You see, Jack?" he whispered. "You can't even deny that you love her."

He lifted Anwen to his shoulder. "You will now go back to sleep. When you wake up, you will remember nothing. Then you will 'save the world' and carry on with your lives. But in the back of your minds, you'll know the truth."

Ianto started to walk away, Owen and Tosh with him. He paused and looked back at Jack. The love he felt for the man was clear on his face.

"Maybe one day we can be together Jack. I'll be waiting for you to realize that all she will ever bring you is pain. I'll always wait for you. Come and find me, Jack."

Gwen screamed for him to stop and Jack slid down to the floor.

The darkness overcame them and they slept.

Some time later, days, maybe weeks, Gwen was exhausted as she readied Anwen for bed. She smiled as she lifted her little girl up and carried her through to the nursery.

As she placed her baby in the crib she wondered why she felt out of sorts. The crisis was over, the world saved. Everything would be back to normal soon enough. She missed her father but at least he had died peacefully.

So why did she feel like she was missing something?

She looked down as Anwen fussed. She started to smile but then froze.

"Anwen..."

No. No it couldn't... No. It didn't happen.

But as she looked down at the baby that looked back at her she knew.

This was not her baby. He had taken her.

Ianto had taken her baby.

"Rhys!" she screamed.

As her husband ran into the room, Gwen collapsed onto the floor and sobbed.

She now understood the pain of loss as Owen, Tosh and Ianto did.

Jack stood in the doorway, tears streaming down his face, watching Gwen. He looked over at the crib. It looked like Anwen but it was not Anwen. Anwen was with Ianto. Ianto who had cursed himself to be with Jack.

"He took her!" Gwen screamed. "He took her!"

Jack closed his eyes. There was nothing he could do. He had no idea where Ianto might be and besides, Ianto was immortal now.

"Anwen!"

Gwen's screams tore through the night.

But there was nothing he could do to help her.

Fin.