"Do you think you could lift it a bit, Owen?" Ianto panted. "Getting a bit out of shape, are we?"

"No, actually, tea-boy. I'm fairly sure it's the scar tissue around the bullet hole in my shoulder," Owen said pointedly, practically pulling the shrouded deceased alien out of Ianto's grip.

"For the thousandth time, I'm sorry I had to do that, but the fact remains that I did have to do it."

"And yet, I managed not to shoot you when your girlfriend went on a killing spree right here."

"There's nothing to compare," Ianto said coldly. "I genuinely thought the right technologies could reverse the conversion process. You knew damn well what would happen if you opened the Rift. And, furthermore, there's the matter of free choice – it was not Lisa's choice to become one of those."

Owen dropped the half of the alien he was holding up. "And what about Jack?" Owen spat fiercely. "What would you do get him back here, eh?"

"Nothing," Ianto said shortly, anger burning in his eyes.

"Oh, nothing? Yeah, right, keep telling yourself -"

"Nothing," Ianto reiterated. "Because I don't have to like that he left, but I do have to accept his choice. And if there was some way to get him back here… it wouldn't necessarily be the right thing to do. Not if he's happier wherever he is. It would only be selfish. Enough people in his life have been selfish. I won't be."

"Whatever," Owen grumbled, picking up the alien's legs and starting off again.

Ianto glared at the back of Owen's head as they hefted the alien down to the operating theatre. Owen was right about one thing – Ianto did have to keep reminding himself that he couldn't try finding ways to get Jack back to them. Jack would find his own way back… if that was what he wanted.