AN: If you have just clicked on this, please read 'Spiral' first, other this won't mean much... well it might... but...And thank you for taking a look.

This is for Quiet Time, who continues to enthrall me with her tales (I hope you are a she, if not sorry! :-). And Darque I'm still missing you and glad that you and kitty cat are well.

THE CROWDED ROOM

YESTERDAY

The young man at the bar looked bored and Mitch had to admire his ability to maximise his look of discomfort over the apparent abandonment by his boyfriend. Emma had warned him that Torchwood were searching for him. Who the fuck were they? His police lady friend had been scant with the details. So this abandoned lamb at the bar was clearly ready for the slaughter to send this Torchwood a message. No one messed with him, this was his patch and the stuff he was selling was high class shit that was in hot demand. He didn't care about the bodies or the ones who were left broken into pieces. That was part of the thrill, committing murder without even touching them. Everyone had a choice, blue or red pill. He chuckled at the comparison, half wondering if Morpheus should be his name now, so much control and yet so little, like cards or dice. Torchwood was impacting on his sales and his appetite. They had to go. Mitch kept a watch, as the boy stood there holding a pint he wouldn't touch with his lips and looking frigid. Shame really, he was quite the pretty thing and too young to be doing the work of….. whatever it was Torchwood did. He'd heard fanciful rumours. The movie idol man that the boy had come in with was lost to the throng of hot willing bodies that coalesced into a pot boil of sex pheromones and grasping hands. Time for the kill.

TODAY

Mitch rose unsteadily to his feet, his hand going to the back of his head automatically, his other hand searching out a wall to balance himself. He was met with cold, damp stone. He raised his head, rubbing away the pain and lifted his blurry gaze to the man who was watching him through dirty glass. There was an acidic stench of piss and sweat that hung thickly in the air. Cold eyes met his gaze and Mitch straightened up, pulling himself together calmly as he recognised the man watching him.

"You didn't read me my rights."

The man behind the glass would have killed him stone dead with his gaze, if he could.

"You are under the illusion that you have rights?"

Mitch was erect now, pulling his shoulders back and staring down the exotic looking man. He stepped forwards to the glass.

"Who are you?"

"Torchwood." Came the succinct reply. As if that would explain everything. Mitch kept on staring.

"I want my phone call." He responded, calmly.

"Really, well that's a shame. We don't always get what we want."

Mitch suddenly realised he was speaking to an American, though how that made any difference….

"How's the boyfriend?"

That got a reaction, the eyes narrowed and the arms were crossed over a broad chest.

"If he dies, then so do you. So you just better hope that he doesn't, because if I have to kill you, I'm gonna take my time over it, and enjoy it."

Mitch could only watch as the man turned and strode away. Something roared loudly and Mitch swung his gaze to another cell opposite his, and he backed off in horror when he saw what was housed there.

YESTERDAY

Jack melted into the thrum of bodies, positioning himself so he could see the bar and Ianto at all times. It didn't take long for a young woman, who was dressed in very little to move in beside him, sliding into his personal space and the two of them moulded together, moving with the music. Jack could sense Ianto's narrowed gaze upon him and part of him enjoyed watching the jealousy play over Ianto's features for the briefest of moments before his blank mask slid back into place. Not caring where his hands wandered Jack watched as his Torchwood agent scanned the club, looking out of place and abandoned. Jack hated doing it to him, but Ianto was never comfortable on these surveillance jobs and he needed to look the part. Ianto would forgive his enthusiasm for the feel of skin under his hands and the scent of sex in his nostrils. Their feelings had to go on hold, Ianto knew this, did his best to live by it when they working. Ianto knew that Jack would never play favourites, except where Gwen was concerned. Jack had justified it by explaining once that she had a life outside the HUB. Jack was distracted by the look on Ianto's face, insecurity, exposure that only Jack could feel. Their eyes met and they exchanged fleeting smiles. The woman in his arms turned to look and got an eyeful.

"Wow, your friend is hot." She laughed, turning back to her new found dance partner.

Jack grinned down at her. "Yeah, and he's all mine."

They talked, laughed and smiled and then her friends joined them and Jack danced some more. He looked to Ianto again, who was talking to someone stood too close beside him. Another distraction, laughter and…

"Jack, where are you, Ianto's out in the car park!" Tosh was yelling down the com in his left ear.

Jack looked and Ianto was gone.

TODAY

"You disobeyed my orders."

Ianto heaved out a tired sigh and turned his head on the pillow.

"I know. I thought I could handle it."

Jack knew straight away that it was a lie. Sometimes Ianto's lies were as plain as the nose on his face. Jack folded his arms across his chest and chewed at his lower lip.

"You know better than that. I can usually trust you of all people Ianto, what was different this time?"

Ianto appeared to sink himself further under the blanket that Owen had spread over him. Jack glanced at the monitors for a moment, but Ianto seemed to be stable now, so he decided to push.

"Ianto, answer the question."

Ianto blinked away the water in his eyes and steadfastly kept his face turned away. "I was angry and I wanted to kill that man. I still want to kill him. I thought I was capable of taking him down. I was angry at you and it got in the way, my pathetic insecurities got in the way Jack." Ianto sincerely hoped that Owen wasn't in ear shot, but he dare not look for fear of meeting Jack's iron hard gaze.

Jack dropped his arms to his sides. "I don't understand." Though in truth he did, he just didn't want to.

"No, I don't suppose you do." Ianto replied quietly. He felt terrible, sick to his core, weak and afraid. The effects of the drug in his system were still lingering.

Jack strode around the exam bed on which Ianto lay and Ianto felt obligated to look up at him, his vision fuzzy with tears. Jack perched his arse on the stool and reached a tentative hand out, resting it against the covers.

"Explain it to me." Jack instructed, trying not to let his irritation shine through the command. It was weird the way his fear of losing Ianto had turned to this to this sense of claustrophobia.

Ianto shuddered. "I shouldn't have to. You said that drug makes you face your fears. I thought I would see Cybermen or half reconstructed bio mechanical monsters, but I didn't."

Jack frowned. Now he was confused. "Are you telling me you wanted to try the dust?"

Ianto nodded. "It didn't turn out quite the way I expected. Guess I've seen too many detective shows on the tv. I thought he'd give me a pouch of the stuff and then I'd take him down afterwards." He felt stupid admitting to it. "I wasn't expecting the needle in my arm like that. I know I should've been prepared, but I was too distracted because I was annoyed with you and the way you casually threw yourself out there to be groped and mauled by a bunch of strangers. It was revolting Jack."

Jack couldn't sum up the effort to even look slightly apologetic. "I was doing the job we set out to do."

"And doing it so well." Ianto sighed and closed his eyes again.

Jack pulled his hand away from the side of the bed, withdrawing into himself a little.

"So, what did you see? What fears did you seek to conquer Ianto?" He asked with a bitter edge.

The tears came back and Ianto wiped them away with his hand. He looked past Jack into some unfathomable middle distance. "I didn't see anything. There was nothing, no one. I was alone and yet all around me there were people, looking straight through me as though I was glass. I was shouting at the top of my voice and no one answered me, I reached out and no one touched me. I was alone Jack, in a crowded room I was alone."