Jack stood at the doorway to his office, hands in pockets, listening to the life of the hub as it buzzed around him, he smiled to himself, it felt good to be home!

We wandered idly forward, glancing down into the empty autopsy room, stopping beside Toshiko- who looked up at him enquiringly, they smiled at each other, then she turned her attention back to her work.

Jack glanced up at the walkway, he watched Owen as he fussed over one of his plants, then paused to check the time on his watch. A smile tweaked at Jack's lips, so much for the man who avoided grass like the plague!

Turning back towards his office, wondering vaguely where Ianto was, he glanced towards the coffee machine, but there was no sign of him.

Looking up towards the walkway again, in case Ianto was there, he took a more leisurely look at Owen's new domain. It added a splash of greenery, to the tiled coldness surrounding it. Then he stared- Owen was checking his watch yet again! Jack shrugged, he never used to be a clock watcher-seemed times had changed!

Wandering back into his office, he stood by the window, watching for Ianto to put in an appearance. Owen wandered past on his way across the hub, and once again, he was checking his watch, Jack shook his head baffled.

Owen eventually appeared at the office door. Taking a step inside, he stopped, then glanced around, clearly looking for him.

Jack stepped away from the window, then smiled at Owen, "Well, well, if it isn't Torchwood's own, budding, Percy Thrower!" he joked.

Owen gave him a baffled look, "Percy who?" he asked, vaguely.

"Thrower," finished Jack, "Probably a bit before your time," he added, as he walked towards him.

"More than likely," Owen responded, clearly not remotely interested in what he was talking about.

"You looking for me?" Jack queried, stopping in front of him.

"Yeah. I've left everything on automatic up there, so should be alright, and I'll see you all Monday morning," he gave a brief smile, then turned away.

Jack looked baffled, "Whoa, Owen, what do you mean Monday? This is Friday and it's not even mid day."

Owen turned back, "Is this your way of telling me, you don't know?" he said, warily.

Jack frowned back, "Could well be, and this could also be my way of telling you, that you need to listen, to what I'm about to say next."

Marching out of his office, he took half a dozen paces, then stopped and cleared his throat, "Okay people, can I have your attention? I have an announcement to make."

"Ooh goody," murmured Owen, under his breath, while checking his watch for the umpteenth time.

Jack glanced around, waiting as everyone settled themselves ready to listen to him. "And before you ask, Owen, this does include you," he said, giving him a warning look, then turning back to the others.

"I have decided, that what we all need is a little down time," he paused, then added, "And I think, I have the perfect solution."

"Oh bloody hell, not one of those flaming bonding sessions?" Owen grumbled, tapping his watch, then holding it up to his ear, to see if it was still working.

Jack took a deep breath, great! Just what he needed, another battle with Owen! Spinning on his heels, and ready to assert his authority, he found himself wrong footed by Owen, who passed him rapidly heading for the door.

Grabbing his coat from the hook, Owen announced, "Have a nice time, see you on Monday," and was down the steps, and halfway to the door, before Jack could object.

"Where the hell do you think your going?" Jack yelled after him, moving to the top of the stairs, in an effort to gain some kind of psychological advantage, by looking down on him.

Owen turned back, a bored expression on his face, "I am going off on a nice, long, weekend. It's been arranged for months, and there is no way I'm cancelling- definitely not, for some group hugging session down the pub."

Jack smiled briefly back at him, "This is not some..." he paused, "Group hugging session, down the pub, as you so succinctly put it Owen, we," he paused for effect, "Are going paint balling."

He turned slightly, waiting for appreciative noises, only to be greeted by several blank faces, and Toshiko with the strained expression plastered across her face, that she only got when she was trying to think of something to say that wasn't rude.

Owen blinked rapidly back at him, paused as he checked he wasn't imagining what Jack had just said, then clearly deciding he hadn't misheard him, said, "Paint balling?"

Jack nodded cheerfully back at him, "Yep, paint balling."

Owen opened his mouth, and slowly moved his head up and down,"R-ight! sooo, you want me to spend the weekend, in a darkened room, chasing you around with a load of paint," before Jack had a chance to correct him, Owen continued, "In case you hadn't noticed, I spend my life shooting people, with real guns- that have proper grown up bullets in them... but you think, that it would be somehow therapeutic, for me to attack my co- workers with paint."

Owen's eyes narrowed and his stance shifted, "So let me just check I've got this right... this weekend I have a choice of running around in a darkened room, making B & Q shareholders happy. Or, spending my time in an equally darkened room, with a beautiful, passionate and extremely frustrated woman, who I haven't seen in a long time, and who can't get enough of me," he grimaced and shook his head, "Hard decision, but I think... I'll pass on the paint balls if it's all the same to you," he said, turning back towards the door.

"This is not an opt out situation Owen, we all go- including you," Jack yelled back at him, pulling himself up to his full height,"Is that clear?"

Owen spun back furiously, "I am now, officially, on holiday, standing down, you can't..."

Jack interrupted him, shouting him down, "I can, and I will. I own you, body and soul, Owen Harper, and when I say jump, all you need to ask, is how high!"

The mutinous look on Owen's face was enough to persuade Jack, a shift of tactics might be advisable.

"Look, Owen," he softened his voice, smiled down at him, hand outstretched, "The place is already booked, its beautiful, out in the wilds, ancient woodlands, it's a perfect setting for..."

"Woodlands!" Owen's voice went up an octave, "What, out in the back of beyond? We did that once before, remember? Remember?" He scanned the others, looking for any allies. "You all really want to go prancing about in the undergrowth, with a bloody paint gun?"

"I never prance," Jack said, giving Owen a frosty look.

Ianto raised his eyebrows, and started to say something. Jack glanced over at him and gave him a warning look, Ianto thought better of it and said nothing.

Gwen bit her lip, this wasn't going terribly well, and as usual, Owen was front running the rebellion. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, "Erm, you know it doesn't sound that bad an idea... really... does it?" She asked, looking hopefully round at the others.

Ianto blinked, his expression suggesting he was trying to remember if he'd left the gas on. Toshiko avoided eye contact with her, staring vacantly at one of the screen displays, lips pursed. Gwen blinked nervously at Jack's back.

"Where exactly is this place?" she asked, attempting to sound enthusiastic and failing badly.

Jack turned towards her, grinning, "Oh, it's really beautiful, rolling countryside, little country pub, " he raised his eyebrows enquiringly at her, moving his head slightly in Owen's direction. He needed to know if another explosion was imminent.

Gwen gave him a doleful look and winced. Jack closed his eyes and sighed, okay, only one thing for it, lose the battle but win the war.

"Tell you what I'll do, Owen," Jack said, suddenly making his mind up as he turned away from Gwen.

"You can join up with us tomorrow, we'll go down in the SUV and take all the equipment, and you can follow us later...how's that?"

Owen's face brightened somewhat, clearly feeling that he had won a victory of sorts, then nodded, "Yeah, I suppose," he conceded.

Jack relaxed, relieved that he'd backed down, unfortunately his relief was short lived.

Owen's eyes suddenly narrowed, "What equipment?" he enquired, warily.

Jack's attempts not to look evasive, made Owen even more suspicious. "You said a pub, presume that's where we're staying?" he asked, eyes fixed on Jack's face. Jack licked his lips nervously and coughed quietly, but before he could say anything, Owen was already on the attack.

"Wouldn't happen to include..." he hesitated, as if what he was thinking was too unspeakable for words, then spat out, "Tents," his eyes narrowed, "Would it?"

Jack only got as far as, "Erm," before Owen was in full flow, yet again.

"Bleedin' hell... "he exploded, pacing back and forth rapidly, "Not only have I got to trek to the soddin' outback, armed only with something a two year old would find laughable, but I'm going to have to piss with the bloody bears!"

Toshiko made a spluttering noise, and suddenly ducked under the desk to check something. Gwen held her breath and tried counting backwards, when that didn't work, she bit her lip as hard as she could and hoped fervently that Jack wouldn't require her to provide him with any vocal support!

Ianto contemplated the ceiling, then blinked thoughtfully,"Well I don't think were in the area for bears, the odd cannibal maybe, although the last lot were further north than we're going. They were talking about reintroducing wild boar, mind you..." he trailed off suddenly when he realised everyone was now looking at him, his expression reverting back to its normally neutral blank.

Indeed the only one not, taking any notice of Ianto, was Owen, he suddenly smiled brightly at Jack, seemingly conceding defeat gracefully, "Yeah, well, as long as I get tonight..." he said, turning quickly towards the door.

Jack stared at his retreating back, that wasn't like Owen to give in so suddenly! "Hold on," he yelled after him, "You don't know where we're going yet."

"No problem," he responded waving over his shoulder in Tosh's general direction,"Upload it to my sat nav will you Tosh?"

Jack looked quickly at her, for confirmation that she wouldn't have a problem. She smiled and nodded, "Okay, see you tomorrow."

Owen was already in the lift and heading up towards the daylight.

Jack shrugged, "Right, well, might as well get everything sorted out," he went towards his office, then stopped and turned back again, "Tosh, can you sort out Owen's sat nav now?" He asked, clearly expecting a glitch.

Tosh looked surprised, "Yeah okay, no problem," she began tapping the keyboard, seconds later she sighed and then looked puzzled.

Jack stood beside her looking at the screen, "Problem?" he enquired, his voice suggesting that was exactly what he was expecting.

Toshiko shook her head, "Idiot, he's unplugged it again- he says it drains his battery," she grumbled. " I can't send anything until he powers it up," she looked apologetically at Jack, "Sorry."

"Oh yes, he will be- very!" Jack growled, "Get him on his mobile, and remind him... repeatedly," he marched towards his office. "Ianto get the SUV packed, quick as you can."

Ianto scurried off in the direction of the equipment stores.

"And Toshiko," Jack added, "Tell Owen, if he doesn't co operate, the Torchwood Christmas tree will have some very novel decorations on it this year."