Set just after Countrycide.

'Jack!'

'Yes?'

'Why is there a goldfish in the kitchenette? And why is it sitting right next to my coffee machine?' Ianto's voice had become dangerously low.

Jack sighed and put down his pen. 'Ianto, come over here please.'

Ianto stalked over to Jack, still with that dangerous gleam in his eye. Jack faced him and rose. 'Ianto,' he begun, placing his hands on Ianto's shoulders, 'There is a goldfish in the kitchenette because I decided to give Myfanwy a treat this afternoon. In case you hadn't noticed, it's huge.'

'Yes, Jack, I had noticed it was an above average sized goldfish, but that doesn't explain why you put it next to my coffee machine!' Ianto was becoming more and more keyed up, so Jack tried the placatory tone.

'Ianto, it will be gone in a few hours, just as soon – '

'No, Jack, it will be gone right now. Or would you like to be getting your coffee from Starbucks next week?'

Jack swallowed. And was out the door, Ianto in tow. 'Myfanwy! I've got a treat for you!' The words were still ringing faintly around the Hub 2 minutes later, the massive goldfish long gone. And, as Jack had hoped, forgotten. But it was not to be so.

Half an hour later, while Gwen was busy feeding Janet (Ianto had sustained a nasty cut to his right hand barely 2 days beforehand, and as a result had been ordered not to feed the residents), Ianto delivered Jack his coffee and beat what seemed to Jack a rather hasty retreat to the archives. As Jack took his first sip, he found out why.

'IANTO!!!!!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY COFFEE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? GET UP HERE!!!' Unfortunately, Ianto was far below in the archives and couldn't hear Jack shouting. He sat down, fuming silently. He would have a little talk to Ianto later.

~*~

It was 2 hours later, and Gwen had gone home. Ianto was silently making his way to the kitchenette, hoping that Jack wouldn't notice him. Once he got there, however, he got a rather nasty surprise. Jack was already there, leaning casually against the wall. Ianto froze. Damn. He cautiously made his way through the door, over to his beloved coffee machine. 'Hi, Jack.'

'Ianto.' Jack sounded pissed. Crap. 'So, tell me why exactly did you give me decaf?' Ianto could tell he was trying to remain calm, waiting for an answer. He swallowed.

'Can't you tell, Jack?' he said softly.

'Is it because of the dammed goldfish?' Jack asked.

'No, Jack. It was never about the goldfish.' Ianto sighed. He didn't want to talk about this.

'So what was it?' Jack asked, crossing to Ianto.

'Do we have to talk about it?' Ianto asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

'Well, since it includes putting me on decaf, yes, I think we do.' Jack was still calm, facing Ianto with his hands hooked into the front of his braces. 'So, you going to tell me?'

Ianto sighed and faced the cupboard; even when talking to Jack his hands had been busy, washing and drying that day's coffee mugs. As he reached up to put them away, he sensed Jack move. 'Ianto, leave it.' Jack's voice came from behind him, calm and collected. Ianto turned after closing the cupboard; didn't want to whack his head on it. 'What's wrong?' he asked gently.

'Yesterday, after you asked me out again, I…' Ianto's voice trailed off. He looked down, trying to restrain the tears he knew would come. I… I wanted to stay. I didn't want to be on my own. But you said no. The tears dripped onto the floor, slowly and silently running down Ianto's downcast face.

'Tell me, Ianto.' Jack looked at him; oh, was he crying? It was hard to tell, sometimes. Jack moved to him, and gently lifted his head; meeting resistance, he persevered until he could look into those beautiful blue eyes. 'Tell me, Ianto.'

The tears dried up as quickly as they came as Ianto turned quickly back to the coffee mugs. Seconds later, the klaxons sounded as the cog door opened. Jack whipped his head around and stared out the door, into the Hub proper. 'Ianto… this conversation is not over.' With a final glance back, he hurried out into the workspace to see Gwen struggling with a stunned, very large, and evil looking Weevil. 'Gwen! Why are you here?' Jack asked as he hurried to help.

'Courtesy of our new friend here, I never made it home. He jumped me on the freeway, heading south.' Gwen explained breathlessly as she dragged the unconscious bulk towards the door leading to the cells. Jack jumped to help, wondering what she was doing on the freeway heading south instead of going home. That's a question for later, he decided quickly.

~*~

After quickly dispatching the rouge Weevil to a cell (after a fight; it really was rouge) and watching Gwen leave for a second time, Jack returned to the kitchenette to find it empty and tidy; Ianto had cleared all the mugs and rubbish and turned off the coffee machine. Jack swore; he knew Ianto hadn't left, he would've heard the door. He hurried over to the nearest computer (which happened to be Ianto's) and pulled up the CCTV footage. Frantically scanning the various windows, it was a while before he spotted him, curled up in the corner of the old bathroom no one had used for decades; it was a surprise they still had coverage down there. He hurried down, frequently stopping and making sure he was on the right track. Eventually he found the right door; it was ajar, like Ianto didn't have time to properly close it. He slipped quietly through; but not quietly enough. Ianto jumped, looking up at him through his eyelashes.

'What do you want, Jack?' he asked quietly, raw emotion in his voice; this and the mess of tear tracks across his face made it obvious he had been crying. Jack made his way across the dusty floor, avoiding a free-standing bath and a pipe on the floor as he did so. Crouching down next to Ianto, he put his hand on Ianto's shoulder.

'What is it?' he said quietly, again using his free hand to make Ianto look at him.

Ianto wrenched his head away from Jack's grip. 'Why didn't you want me to stay?' he said, ice evident in his tone.

Jack sat back, surprised, narrowly avoiding a copper pipe running up the wall. This tone was so different to the one Ianto had used before; the rapid transition between broken and icy startling. 'What?'

'You heard me; why did you tell me to go home?' Ianto's eyes bored into Jack's, blue on blue.

'I…'

'I needed you, and you told me to go home!' The last two words were almost whispered; Jack had to strain to hear them over the suddenly loud beating of his heart.

'Ianto, I… I… I thought that was what you wanted. To go home, to shower, to have a good night's sleep! Hell, I expected you to be gone as soon as you could!'

'But I needed you!' Ianto's back hit the wall with a thud. 'Jack, I need you. How could you have not seen that?'

Jack couldn't have been more surprised than if a golden rabbit singing folk songs had suddenly come hopping into the bathroom. 'Ianto, you of all people should know I'm the thickest one around, especially when it comes to things like this!'

'The nightmares, Jack, bloody nightmares! I can't sleep at night for fear of being back at that place, my throat cut and those cannibals digging in!' Ianto dissolved into tears, shaking against the wall. Jack sat there, stunned. 'And you! You never came…' Overcome by a fresh wave of tears, Ianto covered his face and sobbed. Jack reacted; he pulled Ianto into his arms, holding him when he cried out and beat his fists against Jack's chest, trying to get away. Eventually, the struggles and crying stopped. Jack looked down and had to smile; Ianto had cried himself to sleep, holding onto Jack as if he would never let go. He gently gathered him up into his arms; Ianto shifted slightly to accommodate the new position but slept on.