ARTEFACTS
Jack Harkness had had enough of his day. The mound of papers that had sat on his desk (courtesy of Ianto) at 8am this morning was still just as high at 7pm that evening. Requisitions forms, stationary orders, petty cash receipts and God only knew what else that had to be signed off. Jack couldn't complain really Ianto had already done most of the work; all Jack had to do was check them and sign them. Jack was seriously considering promoting Ianto right about now. Ianto wouldn't mind he could do with the money now he was looking for a flat to buy; the others might not be too impressed though. Owen would accuse Jack of favouritism and torment Ianto relentlessly about shagging the boss for bonuses. Jack had no objection to the shagging bit of course, Jack himself being the obvious bonus.
Did he just think that?
Oh, God he must be getting bored. Jack glanced at his watch 7:15pm; he wondered where his evening coffee was. Tosh, Owen and Gwen had gone home 2 hours ago but Jack knew that Ianto was still in the Hub somewhere. He turned to his computer and searched through the various CCTV links until he found the object of his current desires. Ianto was still working in the archive in the bottom most level of the complex. The young man had been down there all day. In fact now that Jack thought about it he hadn't seen Ianto since 8 o clock that morning. He watched the monitor for a while. Ianto was obviously deeply engrossed in his task running one of Tosh's hand scanner/PDAs over what looked like a jar. Ianto's own body was partially obscuring the view. Jack tapped on the keyboard activating the internal coms.
"Hey, you ready to finish up any time soon?"
Ianto stopped and turned to face the security camera, even through the pixelated image his smile was evident, Ianto looked at his watch.
"Yep, be there in five. You want coffee I gather."
Jack grinned even though Ianto couldn't see him.
"Since when did I become so predictable?"
Ianto tilted his head to one side, one of Jack's favourite gestures.
"Perhaps I should refrain from answering that."
"So how about we go out and get some dinner. I seem to recall you not joining us for lunch."
Ianto nodded. "Ring Luigi's and get us a table then, my treat."
"Your wish…."
"I'll be up there shortly Jack."
"I'll be waiting."
Three quarters of an hour later and Ianto finally appeared in the office doorway. Jack was about to complain at the delay when he noticed that Ianto had stopped via the locker rooms, showered and changed into jeans and a black hoodie under a ratty black jacket. Jack thought he just looked edible and simply leered at him to which he received the infamous Iantonian eye roll in response.
"Did you book?"
Jack nodded grabbing his beloved great coat.
They sat at their customary table by the fireplace. As ever the food was wonderful and they both just ate in contemplative silence. Ianto always loved that about his dates with Jack, being able to eat and not be expected to talk until well after desert. Jack had his usual bottle of water and Ianto had settled for orange juice because he never held alcohol too well. Luigi's had become their favourite place because no one ever looked askance at them when they held hands on top of the table or leaned over it to kiss. On their very first date Jack had nearly decked someone for calling Ianto a puff and whilst Ianto was quietly thrilled at Jack's gallantry he'd made special effort to find them a future venue with a more open attitude to their sexuality and Luigi's fitted the bill in every way. Jack and Ianto had made it their place on the rare times they got to spend out of office hours together.
"So." Said Jack.
"Yes?"
"How's basement level G6?"
Ianto leaned forward with a smile. "Actually it's amazing. There's stuff in there dating back from the 1920s and none of it has been previously catalogued. That's why it's taking so long to go through it all."
Jack arched his eyebrows. "None of it on record at all?"
"Not a single item so far. Most of it looks like was brought over from an archaeological dig in Egypt in 1923 by professor Scarman's team at the Egypt Exploration Society, but there's no paperwork and I could find no records of Scarman's activities after 1925. He certainly wasn't an employee of Torchwood, but was a published historian arguing that Budges translation of Egyptian hieroglyphs were woefully inadequate." Ianto's eyes were sparkling; he was clearly enthralled by all the historical stuff.
"I know the name Scarman from somewhere." Jack replied.
"You would do, he mysteriously vanished along with his brother following a fire on the estate premises shortly after he returned from a dig in Giza. I think that was also tied to an unconfirmed report about your Doctor and a certain Sarah Jane Smith you've been asking me to keep an eye on."
Jack couldn't help but be curious. "How do you know all this?"
"It's my job Jack, the thing you employ me for. Know thyself and every other damn thing that happens to be going on or ever went on." Ianto was grinning cheekily now. "I trust you are impressed."
Jack took a sip of his water. "What else do you do?" Deciding he should make a game of this.
Ianto arched his eyebrows. "What would you have me do?"
"Now there's a question."
Ianto rose from his place. "I think we should take this outside, don't you?"
Jack grabbed his outstretched hand.
"Take me home Ianto."
"Mine or yours?"
Jack leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Your's definitely. Bigger bed and much nicer view."
"That depends on what you'll be looking at."
They arrived back at the Hub just before 6am. Ianto let them in through the tourist office quietly grateful that the Rift had chosen to behave itself overnight. Not that he and Jack did a lot of sleeping.
An hour later, having made the coffee and gotten Jack started on the back log of reports Ianto retreated down to the archive to continue his work on the artefacts in G6. Ianto pulled off his suit jacket and hung it on the random hat stand by the metal door. He removed his cufflinks and stuffed them into his trouser pockets, then rolled up the sleeves of his claret red shirt. He was just starting to unpack the contents of an old tea chest when Jack sauntered into the room.
Ianto straightened up.
"This would be Jack Harkness doing the reports then?"
"This would be Jack Harkness being nosy and wondering what on Earth has gotten you so excited that we had to come in at 6am. I missed early morning sex for this."
"You are unbelievable Jack."
"Mind blowing would be a more appreciated description." Jack responded.
Ianto returned his attention to the crate. "Yes Jack absolutely."
"So what is all this stuff?"
Jack was looking over the various items that Ianto had attached code numbers to and lined up on the makeshift table.
"Those are Canopic Jars. These smaller ones are called Shawabti; and those I'm not sure. I suppose they are votives of some kind. Truth is I have no idea why they are here, they'd be better housed in the British Museum."
Jack picked up a stone jar, which had a lid that looked like a hawks head. He held it up to the light.
"Have you scanned these?"
Ianto nodded. "They're clean, no radiation, no bio contaminants, no Rift energy, no nothing in fact other than an approximate radio carbon date of 1800BCE. Seriously Jack it makes no sense for them to be here."
Jack placed the jar back on the trestle table and picked up another one, this had a lion's head on the top.
"So what's in the jars?"
"Human entrails."
Jack put the jar back down.
"Oh, lovely. How do you know?"
Ianto offered him a long-suffering look it was like being in a classroom with a toddler. "The ancient Egyptians would mummify their dead and place the vital organs in those jars as part of the funerary ritual. I think it was the heart, liver, intestines and brains, four jars and something to do with the passage into the after life. I can't remember exactly I didn't do Egyptian history at university."
"Ok, that's weird."
"Not to them it wasn't. Jack are you here to avoid doing those reports or did you need anything?"
Jack wandered over and slid his arms about Ianto's narrow waist, resting his chin on his shoulder.
"Yes I am avoiding the reports and yes I want something."
"And that would be?"
"Right now that would be you. I was thinking over that table until you told me what was in those jars."
Ianto gently eased Jack's arms away from him and turned to face his lover.
He rested his hands on his hips and gave Jack a stern look.
"Jack, go back upstairs and finish those reports so I can file them and get the copies off to UNIT, please. Some of them are already a month over due and I am getting fed up of fielding Major Henderson's calls. I promise when all the reports are done you can come back down here and do whatever it is your imagination can up come up with, within reason, I will be waiting with breathless anticipation."
Jack's face lit up. "Is that a promise Jones Ianto Jones?"
Ianto nodded, already regretting his choice of words. He shooed Jack away. "Now go, let me work."
"I love it when you go all dominatrix on me."
Ianto couldn't resist his eye roll at that parting comment.
Ten minutes later and all the alarms went off. Ianto immediately abandoned his task and headed up to the main area of the Hub at full pelt. He ran straight out into the control area too late to hear Jack's exclamation of.
"Don't look at the light!"
Ianto froze in his tracks completely paralysed by what was in from of him and totally unaware of the fact that Gwen less than a metre away, was staring, unmoving at the same thing.
BALL OF LIGHT
Jack had watched in horror as the monitors on Tosh's terminal went haywire. Tosh having jammed her glasses on to her face furiously typed at the keypad.
"Jack it's right on top of us. Coming through now."
An orb of blue light simply appeared above them right next to the water tower. Gwen instinctively went for her gun but the moment she looked into the light she froze, her weapon clattering to the floor.
"Don't look at the light!"
Then Ianto appeared and like Gwen he was instantly immobilised, frozen rigid to the spot his focus fixated on the intense glowing above them.
"Shit!"
The light just hung there, silent, pulsing very slightly.
"Jack what the hell is it?"
That was Owen calling up from the autopsy bay.
"Just don't look!"
"Too late I already did!"
Jack swung to face the medic. "You're not affected?"
Owen cautiously stepped closer. "Apparently not. Neither are you."
"I wouldn't be, my eyes filter out the signal coming off it."
"Jack?"
He glanced at Tosh.
"Don't take off your glasses, they're protecting you."
"What the hell is it?"
Jack strode over to Gwen. "Owen, your med kit we'll need to monitor Gwen and Ianto." He looked into her wide, vacant eyes and waved his hand across her field of vision. There was no response. Tosh was on her feet scanner in hand studying the light.
"Jack is this a weapon?"
Jack went to Ianto next, gently took his lifeless hand and squeezed it. "I'll fix this, just hang on for me OK?" He whispered into Ianto's ear. Ianto was oblivious. Jack turned away but didn't let go his grasp.
"Yes, Tosh it's a weapon. It's designed to immobilise troops so that they can be captured without offering resistance."
Owen was at his side medical scanner in hand checking over Ianto.
"So what happens when the light goes out?"
Jack gave him a hollow look. "They will get sick with withdrawal symptoms, bad ones. The radiation coming off that light acts like a drug similar to heroine. Exposure causes almost instantaneous addiction. This is a pretty primitive example, some of these weapons come with mind control packages and suggestive messaging to keep prisoners in line, like on a labour camp."
"That's insidious Jack."
Jack couldn't agree more. "Tosh, I need a full analysis of the signals coming off that thing because we can't detach Gwen and Ianto until we know exactly what it's doing."
"Already on it Jack."
"And for God's sake keep your glasses on."
"So how come I am not affected?" Owen demanded moving over to Gwen.
"You wearing contacts?"
Owen shook his head. "Stopped wearing them when the whole dead thing happened."
"Then maybe it's because of that. I really don't know." Jack was still at Ianto's side grasping his fingers.
"How are they Owen?"
"Elevated blood pressure, nothing too serious all other vitals are with in the norms. I take it we can't move them?"
Jack shook his head. "Until they are released we won't be able to help them."
Owen glanced at Tosh then back to Jack.
"What sort of time frame are we looking at here Jack?"
Jack shrugged. "I've seen people held in these trances for weeks on end, eventually they just collapse because they can't stand anymore, but they keep looking at the light. They won't drink, eat anything and then they just die. Whole populations have gone down that way before now. Different devices have differing energy capacity. This one looks like it won't last too long."
"How can you tell?"
"The pulsing means the batteries running low." He couldn't think of a better way to explain it.
"Then I can assume this is a small one designed for a localised assault?" Tosh asked still focussed on her readings. Jack finally released Ianto's hand.
"Yes."
"Ok, if it's designed for that is anything else likely to follow it through?"
Jack cursed.
"Possibly, assuming it didn't just fall through the Rift."
"The targeting of this facility Jack was just a bit too precise for my liking." Tosh added. Jack couldn't agree more and went straight over the monitors to check the readings. Everything was back in the green. Jack hit the lockdown commands anyway.
"Any thing else comes through, this is as far as it gets!"
Owen sighed. "I'm breaking out some weapons Jack, just in case."
Jack nodded and moved over to Tosh to get a look at her PDA.
"Talk to me Tosh."
"Ok, I've got everything in the normal light spectrum coming off that thing except this. " She indicated a line of data on her screen. Jack looked at it and nodded.
"Hix radiation. There's definitely nothing else?"
"Not that I can detect."
"Good, the orb will hopefully run out of energy over the next hour or so and cease to function. Once that happens we'll need to get Ianto and Gwen into the medical bay for treatment."
Owen came back with a couple of semi automatic weapons and handed one to Tosh. Checking the safety was on she stuffed it into the belt of her jeans.
"What sort of symptoms Jack?"
"Well for humans, vomiting, severe headaches, possible blindness, weakened immunity, elevated temperature, shall I go on?"
"You said this was addictive."
Jack nodded checking his Webley was fully loaded. "Yeah. They will both crave the light and I mean that in every sense of the word. It's possible they'll be violent. The cravings can take a long time to go away. They are both going to need serious looking after once that thing powers down."
"You're sure it will power down?"
Jack flashed Tosh a less than confident look. "If it doesn't we take it down with this." He held up his arm showing his mysterious and ever present wrist strap.
"Why not take it down anyway?"
"Sudden disconnection can be fatal, usually is fatal in fact. I don't want to risk killing them obviously."
Owen sighed unhappily. "I'll get the autopsy bay set up with a couple of cots and everything on stand by." He moved away.
"Thank you Owen. Tosh keep monitoring. I'll do another quick check on the others."
Six painfully slow hours later the light was gone, literally switched off as if it never existed. A tiny black sphere dropped to the decking and Tosh retrieved it and sealed it into a containment case.
Gwen sagged to the floor unconscious.
Ianto remained standing, swaying on his feet and blinking in a dazed fashion. Jack was at his side immediately as he yelled for Owen to see to Gwen and the two were taken down to the autopsy bay. Owen picking up Gwen's limp form and shoulder carrying her. Ianto who was completely confused was led forward by Jack and cautiously down the steps when it became evident that the young man couldn't see where he was going.
Owen worked swiftly to get Gwen hooked up to the monitors and Jack flowed suit with Ianto helping him on to the cot and talking comfortingly to him. Ianto remained eerily silent almost rag doll like and Jack was extremely worried.
As soon as Owen was satisfied that Gwen was stable he turned his attention to Ianto who was by now lying down staring up at the ceiling. Jack was still at his side glancing at the monitors then back to his lover.
Owen was examining his vacant eyes.
"It's ok Jack. I think he's just stunned, like a rabbit in the head lights, the blindness should be temporary." Owen assured him.
"Ianto mate, can you hear me?"
"Owen?" It was barely audible.
"Yes mate."
"Feel sick." Ianto lurched upright and threw up.
"Urgh. Thanks mate!"
Jack couldn't help but chuckle as he shoved a bowl under Ianto's chin. Ianto obligingly puked into it as Jack rubbed calming circles over his back.
Finally the retching settled and Ianto lay back down looking around him with saucer sized eyes.
"Where's the light? Where is it?"
Jack's hand was in his hair. "It's gone. It went out."
Ianto gave him a desperate look and burst into heaving sobs. "I need it Jack. Get it back, please get it back. I'm going to die with out it, please."
Ianto pawed at his shirt and gripped on to Jack's braces his fists clenching into tight balls.
"It's ok Ianto. Everything's gonna be ok."
Owen returned his attention to Gwen who was beginning to come round. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around in a frenzy.
"Fuck, fuck. Oh God what happened? Owen? Jack? Where's the light? You took the light! You bastards!" She threw herself at Owen arms flailing, manicured nails reaching out to scratch at his skin. Jack released himself from Ianto and helped Owen hold her down as he injected her with a sedative. Gwen slumped, though not unconscious.
"Need the light, Owen…..need the light."
Owen secured her to the cot.
"Shit!"
RETAIL AND REHABILITATION
Rhys had gone mental when Jack rang him to explain that his wife wouldn't be home for a few days. After almost 30 minutes of arguing down the phone Jack had finally agreed to allow him into the Hub so that he could be with her. Owen was quietly grateful because the moment Rhys arrived, Gwen calmed down considerably. She had been hysterical for nearly ten hours, screaming, biting and scratching at anyone that went near her. Owen had finally resorted to sedation to calm her down. Rhys' arrival appeared to be the reassurance she actually needed as she sobbed into his chest.
Ianto had got off his cot as soon as his vision had cleared. He felt terrible but quietly went about the task of making coffee and trying to pretend nothing had happened. Jack found him crumpled up on the floor of the kitchenette trying to pick up pieces of a broken mug with shaking hands.
Jack knelt beside him.
"Hey, you should be resting."
Ianto just stared blankly at his hands as they trembled.
"Last time I had the shakes, I'd just killed something for the first time. And I can't even remember what it was."
"It was a Cyberman, at Canary Wharf. Come on, let me help you with this."
"When will the light come back?"
"It's not coming back. It's bad for you."
Ianto lurched to his feet and started pacing the confines of the room and rubbing furiously at his eyes.
"Jack…..Help me."
Jack stood up and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Come on, back to bed. That's an order."
Ianto allowed himself to be steered back to the autopsy bay. He vaguely took in the sight of Rhys holding Gwen in much the same way that Jack was holding him. Jack got him settled onto the cot and Owen gave him a sedative. Ianto didn't get as far as counting to five.
Rhys sat on the old couch behind Tosh's workstation, face buried in his hands. Owen couldn't help but feel for the man. It was hard enough for him knowing and accepting what his wife did for a living, but times like this……Owen knew just how tough it could get. Jack had tried to assure Rhys that Gwen would recover over the next couple of weeks; at worst she'd be a bit hormonal for maybe a month. Rhys had snorted at him unhappily until he realised that Jack was just as distressed as he was and not about Gwen.
Jack sat next to Rhys. Finally the two patients were asleep and hopefully settled for a couple of hours.
Rhys sighed and leant back.
"I'm sorry I lost my temper Jack."
Jack smiled to himself. "It's ok. Truth is I'm just glad you didn't punch me or something."
"I wanted to, but then I saw your Ianto…..You and he? I mean like are you two er?"
Jack wanted to laugh at Rhys' obvious reluctance to voice taboo words like gay. Damn the 21st century!
"We're in a relationship, yes. I'm surprised Gwen didn't tell you, she caught us making out in the hot house a few weeks ago."
"Oh she did, but she said it was just casual like. You have a bit of a reputation."
"There's nothing casual about Ianto. He's a good man. I'm lucky to have him."
Rhys seemed very relieved about this. "I'm lucky to have Gwenny Jack. I couldn't stand to lose her like. I understand though. That she has to do this. It's just that whenever my phone rings I'm scared it's going to be that call, that final one."
"I know you are. Bottom line. I can't change that. All I can tell you is that she loves you, more than anything else and she would fall apart with out you."
"And what about you Jack? Would you fall apart with out Ianto?"
Jack met his kind, enquiring look with one of almost utter despair.
"One day I will, yes."
Rhys frowned puzzled by the answer.
Gwen shifted uncomfortably on the bed. Her eyes snapped open and the first thing she saw looking down at her was Owen. Owen? What the…..? The she remembered.
"It's dark!" And she lunged upright and reached for the overhead surgical lights and turned them all on. She lay back gazed into the brightness and fidgeted.
"It's not the same Owen, crap why do I feel like this?" She began rubbing at pulsing temples feeling as though she a years worth of PMT dumped on her all at once.
"What happened to me?"
Owen reached up and turned the lights back off.
"You really won't help yourself staring up at that. How do you feel?" He waved a scanner over her.
"Like shit. What happened?"
Owen put down the device and grabbed Gwen's wrist to double check her pulse, machines didn't always get such things right and he also wanted to check the feel of it anyway. It was strong and a little too fast. Not unexpected then.
"You were exposed to an alien weapon. Don't worry you'll be fine in no time. In fact you're well on the mend already. I think I can let you go home."
Gwen did not look in the least reassured. "You sure I'm ok?"
Owen nodded. "You'll have head aches, nausea and an obsession with light for a few days, but I think that's the worst of it. I'll keep you here for another eight hours then Rhys can take you home."
"Rhys is here?"
"He is, Jack called him, they had a row on the phone, then he came in, that was this evening. It's been just over 24 hours since the incident so I think you are going to be fine now."
Gwen squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then opened then looking rather dozy.
"Anyone else hurt?"
"Ianto was exposed as well, he's still asleep."
Gwen looked to her left and sure enough Ianto was curled up into a tight ball on the cot, still in his suit trousers and red shirt from the day before. Jack was by the far side of the cot sitting on a chair his head resting next to Ianto's on the pillow and one of Ianto's hands tightly gripped in one of his. They were both sound asleep. Gwen just gaped at them.
"Oh my, Owen look at them."
"Yes, quite. You able to get up and try to eat something?"
Gwen had to think about this, her stomach felt rather queasy. "I'll give it a go."
Ianto sighed very unhappily and leant against the tiled bathroom wall in his little flat. Another meal down the toilet and his gut just ached so much he wanted to cry. He hated vomiting, who wouldn't, but this was the fourth day straight and it was getting to the point where he could no longer hide how ill he actually felt. This was mostly due to the fact that last night a worried Jack had insisted on staying with him and Ianto had hauled himself out of bed three times to throw up. Everything hurt, every fibre of his body was screaming a protest and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. Jack had warned him about the symptoms and Ianto really hadn't taken him seriously until the first night he had got home alone. Truth was he'd lied through his teeth and told Owen and Jack that he really wasn't feeling that bad, he'd given Jack his best puppy eyes and agreed to take a couple of days off to rest. That first night the vomiting had started and since then it hadn't stopped. Jack was at his side now towelling at his sweaty face with a cool damp cloth, Ianto didn't even have the energy to bat his hands away he just wanted to die on the spot. He leaned heavily into Jack and closed his eyes.
"Sorry Jack."
"Don't start that again, this is hardly your fault. Come on we need you back in bed, then I am calling Owen, see if he can give you something and get you hydrated." Jack gathered up his Welshman and carried him back to bed. Ianto was asleep before his head hit the pillows.
Gwen pulled absolutely everything out from the under kitchen sink, dish cloths were tossed aside, the washing up liquid ended all over the floor in her haste to get it out of her way.
"Damn it!"
Rhys stood back leaning on the counter top a bemused and extremely patient smile on his face.
"What is it lovely, what are you looking for?"
"The torch, the big red one we keep for emergencies."
"Oh, that's in the boot of the car, remember we took it with us the other day? When we had to rescue Dav."
Gwen got to her feet. "Right, yes of course. Ok we're going to B&Q." She snatched up her car keys and handbag. Rhys was right behind her as she practically ran out of their flat.
"What we going there for?"
"We need more lights Rhys the flat is too dark. You don't mind do you?"
Rhys shrugged and smiled deciding to humour her at least now she'd stopped setting fire to things.
"Right then, lovely. I'll drive though shall I?"
Owen let himself in through Ianto's front door and Jack found himself wondering why the medic had a key to Ianto's flat in the first place. Owen crouched beside Ianto's bed slinging his medical bag down beside the sleeping man and pulling out a scanner and his stethoscope. He carefully rolled Ianto onto his back, taking in the whiter than normal appearance and damp skin.
"Geez mate, not looking so good. Jack, why wasn't I called earlier?"
"I didn't realise how bad he was. He told me yesterday he was feeling fine. He was puking up all night and again this morning and apparently has been ever since he got home."
Owen cursed. "Bloody idiot, why is it so hard for him to ask for help?"
Jack shrugged he had no answers.
"Not the time Owen. Just sort him out would you?"
"Jack he's not a broken piece of machinery or a tax audit. He's very sick, needs a lot of attention and probably should be in hospital."
"You know if you send him to hospital he'll put you on decaf for a year."
"Hardly a problem for me now is it Jack?"
Jack swallowed guiltily. "Sorry, I forgot."
Owen offered him a kind look. "Thank you. It's nice to know that I am still human, I like it when people forget that I am dead." He looked back to Ianto. "I'll give him fluids. When he wakes up try to get him to eat a banana sandwich, lots of potassium and bread will cushion his stomach a bit. He's to have no caffeine, just diluted fruit juice or water."
Owen got to work with the IV line.
"Gwen's not having any of these symptoms Jack."
Jack had sat down on the other side of the bed. "Is she OK?"
Owen nodded. "Rhys told me they just spent £500 on new light fittings for the house for which Torchwood would get the bill, and that she's stopped trying to burn the flat down to make it brighter. Sounds like she's over the worst of it, physically at least."
"Good, that's something. Do you really think we should take Ianto to Hospital?"
Owen looped the tag of the IV bag over the bedstead and checked the line was working properly. Ianto had slept through the whole thing. Owen was grateful because Ianto hated needles.
"I'll give him a stemetil shot now to stop the throwing up and review how he is doing this evening. Once that bag has run through, there are two more. Next one at mid day and the last one at 3pm, you can manage that?"
Jack nodded. "I need to stay with him then?"
"Yes Jack, you do. I will be back at 4pm to see how he's doing. Keep him warm and try to get him to ingest something." Owen prepared a syringe and gave Ianto an injection in the thigh. Ianto didn't flinch, but he did turn over and groan in his sleep.
"Poor sod must be feeling lousy."
Jack nodded. "He certainly was earlier."
Owen finally gathered his things together. "Look after him Jack, and I mean look after him. He'll need you around when he wakes up, be there for him for once would you?"
Jack frowned at the chastisement. "Anyone would think……"
"That you treat him like shit? They'd be right, because you do."
For once Jack was at a loss. "Do you really think I'm that bad?"
Owen nodded. "Sorry Jack, I know it's just you and you don't mean to be so…flippant or casual, but Ianto loves you and right now you need to be there for him."
The medic was quietly surprised to receive a nod from Jack and a look of resounding guilt in the older man's azure eyes. Feeling like he'd done his good deed for the day Owen got up.
"Tosh and I will the man the Hub. I will call if there is an emergency, but only if it's really urgent."
Gwen sighed and looked unhappily around her flat.
"Rhys, exactly how many lamps did I buy last week?"
He handed her a cup of tea with a big grin on his face, smiling his way through the last 10 days had been his only method of dealing with the madness.
"On Tuesday you bought seven, Wednesday six more, Wednesday evening another eight, Thursday twelve and two sets of Christmas fairy lights and Friday four more sets of fairly lights and those posh LED things in the bathroom."
"Oh God. Why didn't you hide the credit card? Or better still tie me up or lock me in the bathroom?"
"Well as Torchwood are footing the bill, I figured we could put them all back in their boxes and give them as Christmas presents."
Gwen's eyes widened mischievously.
"Rhys Williams, I like your way of thinking…Can we keep the LEDs though, they're really quite tasteful."
"I think we can, you have excellent taste my lovely. I was thinking we could give Jack and Ianto the fairy lights."
"I'd love to see Jack's face if you did that."
Rhys was delighted to have his beautiful Gwen smiling again. "You know, Gwen?"
"What?"
"Your Jack, he's not a bad bloke really. He's rung everyday to make sure you're ok. It must be tough for him especially with Ianto having been so ill."
Gwen nodded. "I had no idea they were THAT much of an item you know. I really thought…I mean they don't exactly act all lovely at work."
"Yeah, but it wouldn't be right would it? Jack being the boss and all, I mean he couldn't show favouritism could he?"
"I just hope he isn't stringing Ianto along."
Rhys snuggled up to Gwen.
"Got the impression that Jack is pretty serious, he was very upset."
"Jack gets upset about a lot of things. He's run out on Ianto before, he ran out on all of us." Gwen wasn't sure about whether she felt a degree of jealousy or not, she'd always thought that Jack was hers, ridiculous really.
Ianto was just damn happy to be out of hospital, all be it a stone in weight lighter and slightly paler than normal. Jack took him home in comfortable silence, steeling glances at his rather fragile looking lover as he drove the SUV.
Once back at Ianto's flat Ianto went straight to the bathroom for a long hot shower, because he hated smelling of hospital. Jack thought about joining him but decided he wouldn't behave himself if he did and Ianto wasn't really well enough for those kind of distractions, just yet. Ianto wandered out of his bathroom towelling at wet hair and yawning like mad. He hadn't slept much under the care of the NHS and all he wanted to do was to fall into bed and sleep. It took him a moment to register the fact that his flat had been cleaned, the windows opened and copious numbers of vases of flowers had been placed around his bedroom. Throwing the towel into the laundry basket he padded through to the kitchen to find Jack.
"The flowers are lovely, thank you."
Jack was grinning. "I'd like to take full credit for that impossibly romantic gesture, but the flowers are a get well present from Tosh. I did clean up for you though." He was unashamedly admiring the view of Ianto standing there naked and Jack half wondered if Ianto actually realised he wasn't dressed.
"I'm going to bed, can you stay?"
"Try keeping me away. I've got to make a couple of calls first though. I'll bring you something to drink."
Ianto yawned again and nodded as he went off to bed.
AN: Hope this isn't too fluffy…..thought I'd try something not too angsty…… I'd welcome feed back on this one because I'm not sure about it myself…..THANK YOU FOR READING.