"Aw, c'mon baby! Don't be that way! I know I ride you hard, but you take it so well…." Jack let out a long, deep sigh as the SUV drifted and he steered into a lay-by. Like it hadn't been a long enough day.
Jack got out, popped the hood, and fished a pen-light out of his pocket. He'd have bet the Hub on it being a shot serpentine belt. An easy enough fix, but unless Ianto stocked the SUV with random spare parts….
Jack sighed again, shaking his head and taking out his mobile. Gwen would have been his automatic first call, if she wasn't in Swansea. There was nothing else for it.
"Jack."
"Ianto…."
"Don't tell me. Another Rift alert?"
"Uh, no. Retrieval's done. No new one."
"Weevil?"
"No, no Weevil either."
"Sociopathic ex?"
"You say that like I've got dozens of them floating around."
"…"
"Never mind. It's not an ex. And, listen, I'm sorry, really. I know I said I'd take care of it and go home and get some rest…."
"What is it, Jack? Just spit it out."
Jack took a deep breath. "It's, uh… the SUV."
"Oh god…," Ianto breathed. "What happened? Are you alright? Please tell me you didn't die?"
"What? No! Nothing like that. I'm fine. It's just, well, the serpentine belt went. Nothing I couldn't manage, but I'm kinda doubting you've got a spare stuck in there. And, if not, I'm kinda stuck."
Ianto sighed, and Jack braced himself for a telling off.
"You're not stuck, Jack. I've got your tracker. I'll be there in… about 7 minutes."
"I'm sorry, Ianto. I know I said no more work today, I just had no idea this -"
"This isn't work. This is… I don't know. Life, I suppose."
"You're incredible, Ianto. We'll have a lie-in tomorrow. I promise. And a nice, hot bath tonight."
Jack could practically see Ianto shaking his head. "You don't have to bribe me, Jack. I'm coming to fetch you because I'd rather not sleep alone tonight."
Jack smiled. Sometimes the intrusion of normality in a Torchwood life could be quite frustrating, but even then it was a rare treasure when you had Ianto Jones to get you through.