Knock knock. Who could that be? Jack looked up and saw Gwen peek in.
- Hello Jack, can I come in?
- Please, make youself comfortable.
Jack sat straighter up and grinned at Gwen. Gwen went to the chair opposite of Jack and sat down. She looked around a little, she couldn't help it. It was something fascinating about his office, all the things that was in it, the alien stuff even if the most fascinating stuff was locked away. She finally locked her eyes on Jack, who looked straight at her and waited for her to start. She was a bit caught by the strong blue eyes. It was something about them that made you lose your breath.
- Eh… Jack I'm here because I want to ask you about the recent low rift activity.
Jack looked surprised but kept quiet to let Gwen continue.
- I know that it's good that it hasn't been any in a time but isn't it a little bit strange. Under my time here, it has never been like this and I'm just a bit worried…
- Oh, Gwen. If it's not so active it's a good thing but I have thought about it too and I have a theory…
- Oh, go on?
Jack stood up and walked to the big window that had a big clear view of the space downstairs. Gwen had under several occasion looked up to Jacks office and found him looking down at them. He didn't look away when anyone saw him he just smiled. Then now he did again, looked down at people who worked with their own projects and he just smiled. Then he started again but he kept looking down and Gwen watch Jacks back and listened to him as he continued.
- I'm not sure it has happened before but I think maybe the rift is… like…eh… saving up for something big.
- So you think that's why nothing is happening is because something even bigger is going to happen?
- Maybe… not sure thou but it can be.
- Hm… I don't hope so.
Gwen had looked down a little on her hands because she became a little nervous about what was going to happen. Even if Jack wasn't sure it sounded believable. It's just like a balloon, it collects air until it's too much and then it explodes. Gwen didn't think that it was a good metaphor and she surely didn't want anything to blow up. Gwen looked up at Jack again. He still stood by the window and looked down. Gwen stood up and walked to stand next to Jack. She was curious what he looked at and if he was worried about what they had discussed. Jack had a smile on his face, and then he couldn't be too worried. Gwen followed his gaze to the coffee machine where a young welsh man stood and cleaned the coffee machine. It was Ianto, our tea-boy as Owen called him. He wasn't that, he did coffee, not tea and occasionally Jack. Ianto didn't seem to notice that his boss and Gwen were looking at him or maybe he tried to avoid looking up because he knows they were looking.
Gwen looked around on the main floor. Owen sat by his desk and it seemed like he was busy with something important on his laptop but everybody know that he played a game. It was weird, most of the time he just goofed around but he always had his paperwork done in time. By the desk that had four computer screens sat Toshito, Tosh. Gwen could never really understand how she manages to control four of them at the same time, one was hard enough. Tosh also looked concentrated on her computer but Gwen knew that she was not playing games. This was the same little team (apart from Suzie) that Gwen had joined a couple of months ago. Gwen looked towards the coffee machine again and Ianto was now making coffee for everybody.
The clock showed 11:30 and like always it was the time when Ianto came around with that lovely cup of coffee. Jack still looked straight at Ianto and followed him around when he went to Tosh, Owen and served their cup. Then Ianto headed for Jacks office with only two cups of coffee left. Then we heard. Knock knock. The door open slightly and Ianto looked inside and said.
- Your coffee Sir.
Jack turned around and fire one of his big smiles. He met Ianto halfway.
- Thank you, on time as always.
- I try my best Sir
- I bet you do
Jack said that with a flirty smile. Ianto ignored it and just smiled and turned to Gwen. Gwen took her coffee and then Ianto turned around and made is way out. Gwen noticed that Jack didn't take his eyes of him until the door closed. It was something different about Jack, the latest couple of days Jack had not flirted with Gwen so much and he had looked at Ianto with a new look on his face and eyes. Maybe it could be… but could Jack really feel that way? Jack went to sit in his chair again and it seemed like he had forgotten that Gwen was still there. But begin talking about the man who found out how to make coffee out of beans. Gwen didn't listen so much. Gwen sat down in the chair opposite Jack and observed Jack when he drank his coffee. She wanted to know if it was a possibility that Jack was… oh, he was.
- Jack…?
- Yes, Gwen?
Jack continued drinking his coffee but he looked little at Gwen just to let her know that he listened. Gwen breathed in and said:
- You love him, don't you?
- Who? The man who makes these beans, pretty much yes. I mean to come up with coffee beans that are…
- No… more like the man who makes your coffee out of the beans.
Jack put down his cup of coffee and looked to the window, like he was a little afraid of answering the question. Jack didn't answer right away. Gwen almost thought that he was going to ignore the question.
- I think… I do or… I know I do.
Gwen thought Jack had more feelings for Ianto but it was still weird to hear Jack confess them to her. Jack, the man that only had part time shags and didn't do relationships. What made Ianto so different? Jack had obviously not said this to Ianto. Gwen opened to say something but… PANG! The whole room started to shake. Jack stood up and grabbed Gwen and pulled her under the desk. They heard how things smashed into the floor, screams and they felt the vibration of the earth quake. Then it suddenly stopped. Gwen and Jack released their arms from each other and Jack went out and Gwen followed. The office was a mess, paper everywhere, things on the floor which was broken and lay everywhere.
- Watch out.
-Gwen looked down, it was the cups that lay on the floor and they had broken into a hundred pieces. Gwen and Jack carefully stepped over it. Jack looked to the main floor and things were lying everywhere. Tosh looked up from under her desk. They went and opened the door and went down the stairs.
- Tosh are you okay? Owen? Ianto?
Jack called out. Tosh was the first to answer, she was standing by her desk and trying to organize it again and checking the computers.
I'm fine Jack. Owen is fine too, his looking if his corpse survived without getting a hit.
It did, but it was close. It nearly fell to the floor.
Ianto?!
Jack looked around the hub but didn't see him. Tosh also started looking around but nobody saw him.
- Owen where were Ianto when the earth quake started?
- I think he went down to the archives.
Jack where on his way. He run down the stairs that's luckily wasn't that long. The rest of the team followed him. But when Jack got to the last steps on the stair and were about to continue his walk through the corridor, he stopped. His eyes widen and he just stared on what was in front of him.
- Jack why are you stopping? Did you found…
Owen stopped talking and just stared at the massive wall of rocks that blocked the way. The earth quake had made rocks fell down and was now blocking the way. Tosh was the last to join the team in staring on the wall.
- Oh my… what… is Ianto under…?
Tosh couldn't finish the sentence. Jack woke up from the shock and started shouting. Jack was now terrified, what if Ianto was…
- IANTO?!
