Jack prowled round his office, glancing every now and then down at his team below.
They were so... human. Funny that he thought that, but there was no accounting for his emotions now. They all had their own inane problems, all had their own worries for the next day. How they got by, he'd never know. United, they were amazing. Gwen, so persistent; Owen, so brave; Tosh, so smart; Ianto, so willing. All of them unique.
He was lucky to have them, really.
But so often he distanced himself from them, emotionally and physically. He kept pulling back. From what, he had only a vague idea. Getting close to them, only for them to be pulled away roughly, savagely... he couldn't go through that again and again. What would he have to live for after they were gone? Of course, he would meet new people, maybe even come to love them, but it wouldn't be the same. But that was just how life worked. He should know.
You meet people, you start to like them. Get to know them, then they die. And you're alone.
Again.