About 20 minutes earlier…

One fine day in the Hub everything was proceeding as normal. The computers were humming in a contented mannter running the latest programs (much to Tosh's satisfaction). Owen was in the autopsy bay, doing some complicated medical thing that no-one understood. And Gwen was the only one who knew that he was actually running tests on Jack's blood sample.

"Oi, Ianto! I need coffee up here."

And then-silence.

That caught some attention. Tosh paused at her keyboard, right in the middle of her project predicting the increase of Weevil migration to the surface. She turned, worried. Usually there would be an irritated "Get it yourself!" floating up from the archives. Or something along those lines.

Tosh had been ridiculously over-protective of Ianto since Jack returned, a fact that she conceded too. He was her best friend- and this silence was alarming.

Owen looked up towards the main Hub too, halting in his work.

A loud crash from the direction of the archives. Tosh and Owen looked at each other in shock, and then sprang up when they was Ianto storming up the stairs and through the Hub; the look on his face murderous.

"Shit!" That was Owen, noticing the red dripping from Ianto's hand.

"Ianto!" Tosh, her face alive with concern. He ignored both of them and stalked towards the upper level staircase. Tosh knew he was probably going to Myfanwy's nest. The pteradon was so loyal to Ianto that she would try attack anyone who approached him unless he called her off. Based on the mood that occupied Ianto, he would likely let her eat the people that tried to bother him right now. Owen and Tosh looked at each other again. They were on the same page so much lately it was scary.

"What the hell happened?"

"Didn't you notice? Jack isn't around here either."

"Damn it-Okay, look, I'll check on Ianto, that hand looked really bad. You talk to Jack. I'm likely to bloody murder him with my bare hands."

"Yeah…you check on Ianto." Myfanwy chose that moment to screech loudly. "Good luck!" Tosh scurried off while Owen looked up towards Myfanwy's nest with renewed apprehension.

"Yeah. Good luck. Thanks a lot Tosh."

He started to climb the stairs, still muttering under his breath. "He's going to bloody kill me."

After Tosh made her escape, she started to wonder where Gwen was. The Hub had more or less regained it's organization and comfort since Jack returned. They'd all fallen back into the same pattern. The only outsider was Jack. The team had changed.

She was walking through the archives, wondering what she could possibly say to him when she rounded a corner and there he was.

He was leaning against the wall just staring into space. His face was haunted. Tosh's eyes flitted over his. It didn't look like Ianto had hit him. It looked like Ianto had decimated him. Whatever Ianto had said to Jack, whatever he'd done; It had obviously been devastating. Jack looked as though he was on the brink of breaking down into a trembling mess. As she watched, he collapsed, sliding to the floor, knees against his chest.

This wasn't the Jack she knew, and it frightened her. Softly, "He doesn't need me any more Tosh." He wasn't looking at her as he spoke. He wasn't looking at anything. She approached him quietly-she had to help, she had to do something. But she didn't know what he needed. Or rather, she did, but the one thing she couldn't do was be Ianto for Jack. Something came to mind. It might not do much good, but… well it sure couldn't get any worse. Jack was trembling against the wall.

She started in a determined tone "You know Jack…when I was 18 I met this guy."

No response. "This crazy wonderful guy. I didn't have the courage to ask him out or even talk to him. I was so damn scared Jack. And after I graduated, I never saw that man again-even though I was still hoplessly, desperately in love with him." Jack looked up blankly.

"Jack, If you just let him go-he'll run. And he won't ever look back, just to save himself from the heartache. He'll leave you. And you're still sitting down here, acting like a coward, letting him go because you can't find the strength to stop him."

She continued, trying just this once to use everything in her power to demand that Jack act. Because he could not just lose Ianto. She'd made those mistakes before, and both of them deserved this speck of happiness before the world caught up.

"The Doctor changed you." Jack's head snapped up again, red-rimmed eyes meeting hers for the first time, really looking at her. She continued soberly.

"He made you a hero Jack. And now you need to prove you have that courage. All relationships are complicated. Don't you dare fall at the first hurdle."

Back at Myfanwy's Nest…

(After a near-death experience involving an over-protective dinosaur)

"Ianto, you have to let me examine your damn hand. You know it's broken."

An unidentifiable noise of exasperation comes from above.

"Fine! But if you pester me, I will reserve the right to release Myfanwy on you."

"Don't even-! God, that bloody chicken has it out for me."

Ianto ignores him

"Okay sweetheart, I'm leaving now but I'll be back- yes, good girl."

"Cooooooo"

"Remember, Owen is not your friend."

"What? You can't just-"

A cheerful voice interrupts.

"Okay, Let's go."

"Damn right. Autopsy bay, now."

Owen sits him down on the table, and for the first time gets a good look at his hand.

"Bloody Hell!"

"Owen."

"Sorry mate, but what in God's name did you do?"…