Thanks to Tosh's lecture, Jack thinks he knows what's going on with Ianto. He's wrong.

CHAPTER 1

Jack Harkness has had worse weeks. A lot of them, actually, though that doesn't take the sting out of this particular bad week. They hadn't even finished cleanup on that poor creature in the warehouse when Gwen came in demanding that Rhys not be retconned. Too emotionally worn down to argue, he let her get away with it, and the rest of the team gave him the silent treatment until he sent everyone home with instructions to take the morning off. They all need a little distance, Jack thinks, and he needs time to figure out what the hell he's going to do about Gwen. He knows giving in was a mistake, and he wonders how he'll get her under control before she gets someone killed. It's a mess.

He's surprised when the door alarm sounds and Ianto strolls in at his usual early hour—in a brand new suit, no less—but he's not disappointed. Ianto's close call was part of the reason he'd reacted so strongly to Gwen's threat to leave, and he wants more than anything to hold Ianto, to reassure himself that his young lover is all right. Also, Ianto is generally extremely affectionate after missions, so when he walks past Jack's office with barely a nod before heading down into the archives, Jack is left with his mouth hanging open in shock. It takes him almost thirty minutes to decide how to handle this unexpected reception. In the end, he goes with the time-honored tactic of pretend nothing's wrong and see what happens.

Down in the archives, Jack leans against a file cabinet near Ianto's work station. "I didn't expect you in this early," he says casually.

Ianto shrugs, barely looking up from the screen he's staring at. "Things to do, sir."

They've used 'work to do' as a private joke for months, but this… it's not the same phrasing, and there's no playfulness in Ianto's voice. Jack tries again. "I'm glad you're here. Come up and have coffee with me?"

Now Ianto looks at him, irritation clear on his features. "I'm assured, Captain, that you can manage the machine on your own. I'm far too busy today to play servant for you."

Ianto pushes himself away from the desk, shooting a glare at Jack before disappearing into the file stacks. Jack knows better than to follow him when he's in a mood like this, but he has no idea what's caused it. While the mission yesterday was horrific, Ianto's never reacted this badly before, and the suggestion that Jack should attempt to make his own coffee with Ianto's beloved machine is unprecedented. He leaves the man to his work and returns to his desk to write the report and wait for the others. He hopes they're not all this out of sorts. If they are, it's going to be a very long day.

Of the rest of the team, Owen comes in first. He's sober, which surprises Jack a little, and doesn't seem to have much to say, which is a bit of a relief. He knows Owen considers the space creature's death to be a personal failure, though having seen the extent of the damage, Jack isn't sure there was any alternative. They haven't decided yet what to do with the men involved, they just threw them in the cell next to Janet and left them there overnight. After what they did to that poor creature, Jack would be perfectly content to leave them there until they rot. Maybe putting Owen in charge of their eventual fate would help him cope? Put his vindictive streak to a constructive use, for a change.

When Tosh comes in 30 minutes later, Ianto finally comes up from the archives to make coffee, and Jack knows things are even worse than he realized. His coffee is terrible. Not only that, it's in the wrong mug. Jack tries to tell himself that it doesn't matter what mug his coffee's in, except that Ianto is a creature of habit and always serves them in their own mugs. That he's switched is a deliberate and pointed 'fuck you'. Jack can barely drink it, it's so horrid, but he refuses to concede whatever point Ianto is trying to make, so he chokes it down, the bitter acid leaving his stomach roiling. Tosh sets her mug aside after the first sip makes her gag, though Owen drinks his with no sign of distaste. Jack isn't sure if he really can't tell the difference, or if he's a better actor that Jack has given him credit for.

Gwen arrives shortly after in a flurry of self-righteous apologies and excuses. Jack notes absently that she's come prepared with a cup of take-away coffee and wishes he'd thought to call her and ask for enough for the whole team. He's so busy watching Gwen, coveting her coffee, and wondering how to discipline her that he doesn't notice that Ianto's disappeared again. Whatever it is he's done wrong, Jack knows there's one person who can tell him and won't pull any punches.

"Toshiko?" Jack asks, trying to phrase his question.

She smirks and keeps tapping her pen against her lip. "What do you want, Jack?"

"What, I can't just start a conversation with a beautiful woman?"

"You only call me Toshiko when you want something that isn't related to my job, when you're trying to flatter me. Otherwise it's just Tosh. What do you want?" She sets the pen down, turns to face him, and leans back in her chair.

He edges over to perch on the side of her work station. "Have you spoken to Ianto today? He's not his usual self. I'm… worried. It's not just the coffee, either. He's been out of sorts all day." He tries to think of a way to explain it that doesn't involve the words 'didn't bring me coffee' or 'wouldn't make out in the archives'. "It's just, he usually calls out a good morning, at least."

Tosh sighs. "Oh, Jack. Did you really expect him to ignore yesterday?" " The look she gives him is a mix of pity and frustration.

"It was hard on all of us. He was almost shot! I want to make sure he's all right, but he's barely speaking to me."

"It's not the mission, it's Gwen," she says, pursing her lips to show her distaste. "The way you acted, we're none of us very happy with you."

"The way I acted? She's the one who can't follow orders!"

"And you let her get away with it, no consequences. She decides to tell Rhys about Torchwood, you bring him on the case. She jeopardizes the mission by breaking cover, you don't say a word. She refuses to retcon Rhys, you let her manipulate you until you admit that you can't live without her. Bad enough for us, but for Ianto? After that moment you and Gwen had when we first scoped the warehouse?"

"Ianto wasn't there!" Jack protests.

"Owen was. Do you really think he'd keep it to himself when he had the chance to give Ianto a bollocking? Owen also pulled the CCTV of Rhys and Gwen kissing while you watched longingly, so you can bet Ianto's seen that, too. So when you sent us all home so you could brood over Gwen, how do you think that looked to him?"

"Ianto understands— "

"No he doesn't, Jack!" Tosh interrupts. "He'll never say anything, but he thinks you're in love with Gwen and just making time with him. And he's willing to accept it just to be with you! Every time you give in to Gwen's demands it looks like you care more for her than the rest of us."

"I'd make allowances for any of you," he protests. "I have. Ianto never asks."

"Because he thinks you'll say no. God, how can you be so stupid? There's Gwen parading around how special she is, and how she's the heart of Torchwood, and all Ianto can see is you smiling and giving in."

Jack covers his mouth with his hand. "Shit," he murmurs into his palm. "I hadn't thought of that."

"You never do. Yes, you bend the rules occasionally for all of us, but you'll let Gwen get away with anything. And Ianto's still so loyal to you that when you ordered him to follow Dale yesterday he did it without a thought. He'd die for you, Jack. He'll lay down his life on your word, and Gwen can't even be bothered to follow protocol!"

"Shit," Jack repeats. "I'll speak to Gwen today."

"And to Ianto," reminds Tosh. She gestures at the full mug of vile coffee. "I can't take another day of this." Her expression becomes serious, and she reaches out to place her hand over his. "You hurt him, Jack. Make it right."

As much as Jack wishes he could put it off, he calls Gwen into his office and closes the door. She leans casually against the edge of his desk, as if she owns the place. She's forgotten who is in charge, and he somehow never noticed. Jack takes his chair, gesturing for her to sit.

"Gwen…" he begins.

"I won't," Gwen states flatly. "I need him, and you need me, and I won't retcon him. You can't make me."

He sees now what Tosh was saying. "I could make you, actually; I don't need you as much as you think. Yes, you're important here, but not so much that you're indispensable. I've given you a lot of leeway. That stops now. Rhys can keep his memories, we'll have him sign the NDA and all the rest of it, but I expect you to follow orders from this point forward."

"What about when they're wrong?" She says, still defiant.

"That's not your decision. You're part of a team, and I'm in charge. I make the decisions, I deal with the consequences. I can't have you endangering us all like you did yesterday, and I can't have you violating security protocol. I'm letting you have this last thing, letting Rhys know, because he did well yesterday and he may be useful in the future. We'll pull him for missions when necessary."

"You can't! Jack, it's too dangerous, he was almost killed!"

"That's Torchwood, and you chose to involve him. You can't have it both ways." He sees her gearing up for an argument, as if all she has to do it stand her ground long enough and he'll back down. Looking back, he sees that it's been true, every time. Until now. "I'm serious about this, Gwen; I'll retcon you both and settle you separately so you won't trigger each other. Do. Not. Test. Me. I will let you go."

"But what about us? Me and you? Won't you miss me?"

"There is no us. There's you and Rhys, and there's me and Ianto; we may not be flaunting it, but the way we live in each other's pockets around here you couldn't possibly have missed it," Jack snaps. "And just last night you told me, told all of us, that Rhys matters so much. That none of us understand. Yet you keep throwing yourself at me as if you expect me to sweep you off your feet. That's over. You've made your point about needing someone outside of Torchwood, you've chosen Rhys. You can't have it both ways."

"You can't be serious. All the looks, the touches? All the things you've shared, the time spent in your office going over cases. You can't tell me you don't love me!" Gwen leans forward as if daring him to deny it.

"I don't love you," Jack says, realizing the truth of it. "I'm attracted to you, and I care for you very much, and maybe that would be enough if it weren't for Ianto, but I need him in my life. I can't lose him to some passing fancy. There is nothing between you and me that even comes close."

"But why? We'd be so good together! And we work together, Rhys would never know! Ianto would never know!"

"Do you even hear yourself? Going behind Rhys' back, when you claim to love him so much? And hiding it from Ianto? Even if it were possible to hide anything from Ianto around here, how can you think I'd do that? I've let myself get carried away, given you the wrong impression. The looks, the touches, that all stops too. We're co-workers, nothing more. That's all we'll ever be."

"Fine. You'll change your mind, but fine." Gwen whirls and stomps out of his office. As he watches her go, Tosh looks up at him with a crooked half-smile. He's willing to bet that she recorded the entire thing, and he finds he doesn't mind. This time he's willing to stand by his words in front of them all. It feels good. He stood up to Gwen, he defended his relationship with Ianto, maybe now things will get better.

Ianto is still refusing to speak to him, claiming to be busy in that dry, disinterested voice he uses to hide behind. Owen's not happy with Jack either, but it's a lot easier to ignore the surly medic. Jack expects him to be a pain in the arse.

When the Rift alert sounds, it's almost a relief. Something to cut the tension, at last. It's a large enough breach that he really ought to take the entire team, and it's organic, which is always more dangerous, but Tosh had been reverse engineering the implants they recovered from Beth Halloran before the lorry accident that started the shit show of the previous day, and he really needs her to catch up on it; there may still be other sleepers. She stays behind while Jack, Gwen, Owen, and Ianto pile into the SUV with the boot loaded full of traps, restraints, and medical equipment. Owen, in the front seat, carries on a running monologue complaining about the upkeep of Cardiff's roads while Gwen sulks. Ianto seems entirely unaffected.

They follow the signal until it dumps them at an old abandoned primary school. Parking the SUV around the back, out of sight of the main road, they break in. The place is a maze of broken walls, torn wiring, and stuck doors. What Jack means when he says, "We should split up," is that Gwen and Owen should piss off so he can talk to Ianto alone, but what actually happens is that Ianto starts giving orders:

"I'll stay on the main floor, the records and administrative offices. Harper can check the basement and utilities, while Cooper checks the classrooms. You take the upper storage and the roof, Captain."

Splitting up? Jack doesn't like the plan, but he's not willing to call Ianto out on it, not with things as fragile as they are right now. So he nods. "Comms on. Call in anything unusual. Anything at all."

Jack's been digging through moldy athletic gear for twenty minutes, which is not as much fun as it sounds, when he hears a crash and a scrabbling from the lower levels.

"Everything OK? Check in," he calls over the comms.

"Sorry, that was me," Ianto responds a little breathlessly, "rotten floorboards. Almost went through."

"Gwen?"

"Fine, Jack. Nothing here but old desks and graffiti."

"Owen, what about you?" Silence. "Owen, check in!"

"He's in the basement, there may be interference. Shall I go check on him?" Ianto offers.

"Please."

Jack goes back to shifting crates of school supplies, shoving a little harder than is actually necessary. He hates having one of his team out of communication, but something about this situation is bothering him more than usual, and he can't stop thinking about it. Something about the way Ianto was suddenly engaged and helpful after being cold and distant reminds him of—

Gwen screams, high and sharp. Jack is already rushing to her when he hears Ianto shouting, then a scuffle, then the crack of a gunshot—Gwen's Beretta—a struggle, short and brutal, then silence.

"REPORT!" he orders over the comms.

"We're fine, Gwen found the alien. Her earpiece is broken, though. We're in the library, second floor. Just need you to help tag it and bag it. Owen is on his way."

Caught up in relief that Ianto wasn't harmed, it takes Jack a moment to remember that Ianto had said he was going to check on Owen. In the basement, not on the upper floors with Gwen. Something is definitely not right here. He rushes to the library, Webley cocked and raised, to find Gwen kneeling on the ground with Ianto's hand in her hair forcing her head back, the barrel of a gun grinding into her temple. Her gun is on the ground, and Ianto's got a graze on his arm, but his hand and voice are steady. Jack stares, unable to process this betrayal. Could things really have gotten this bad? How could he not have noticed again? And where the hell is Owen? Jacks heart sinks; that's Owen's Sig Sauer in Ianto's hand. The crash he heard earlier must have been Ianto and Owen. Ianto's betrayed them all, and it's Jack's fault.

"Too easy, Captain," Ianto says, a cruel smirk Jack's never seen before spreading across his features. "Now set down your weapon and slide it to me. I'll shoot her if I have to."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! It's been–checks history–over a year since I posted anything, and this story has been sitting in my WIP folder for–checks file properties–almost three years. Thing is, I had intended to post it for Gmariam's birthday, but after rushing to get it ready and coming in with like 15 minutes to spare before midnight, I realized that I had neither title nor summary. Shit. I'm kinda glad it happened that way now; I've taken the time to tighten it a little and to plot out the rest of the story. This is the 'another post-Meat' I was referring to in Choices, and, um… I was particularly not happy with Gwen when I was writing it. Sorry, not sorry. So, since this was a birthday story all along, I'll post it for Ianto's 35th. As always, all the gratitude to Gmariam, who says "Are you writing anything?" even when she knows the answer. I know where this story is going, and I'm dedicated to getting it there at last. Come along with me? And… trust me?