People seemed to like the first chapter, so here's the next. Hope you like it as much!

Chapter 2

Andy paced up and down the hall, waiting for CSI: Cardiff –they liked to think- to arrive. He'd called Gwen and told her Ianto Jones was in the hospital, but had refused to tell her what exactly had happened over the phone.

It was now seven in the morning. Andy had waited to hear what the doctors had to say before calling Gwen, because he knew that, knowing Torchwood, they'd come barging in and make a load of demands and orders. That would not be good for Ianto, who'd clammed up when he'd awoken and Andy only knew what had happened to him by what the doctors had determined from examinations. Sufficient to say it would be best to prepare them.

"Andy!"

Andy wanted dearly to roll his eyes as he spotted Jack Harkness striding towards him, that bloody coat flapping around his ankles. Gwen was scampering beside him, and behind them were a skinny guy with a scowl that would melt steel and a woman with timid, worried eyes.

"Gwen." Andy deadpanned, fiddling with the bandages on his hand where he'd been given stitches for the cut he'd gotten getting Ianto out of the coffin.

"What's happened? You said that Ianto was-"

"Where is he?" Harkness cut across Gwen's anxious questions. His tone was dark, dangerous, as if not giving him the answer he wanted would result in a lot of pain.

"Safe. He's being taken care of by the doctors and nurses."

"Where? I'm his doctor." The ugly man stepped forward, "What's tea-boy gotten himself into?"

He had to be Owen.

"Come this way. I need to talk to-"

"No! We'll go see Ianto, now." Harkness glared at Andy, as if it was his fault Ianto was here.

"No you will not Captain. Now look! I know you're used to getting your own way and all that, but in this instance, it'll be better for everyone, Ianto included, if you do as I say!"

Andy knew if the boys heard about this, they'd never believe it. No one stood up to Harkness. Most didn't have a chance before they were brushed aside.

"It's bad, isn't it?" the Asian woman murmured, looking terrified. Andy found himself liking her already.

"Yes. I'm afraid it's bad."

"How bad?" asked Harkness, looking a little shaken now.

"Come with me." Andy led them into a side room. The one usually reserved for telling people a loved one has died. Then Gwen, the other woman, and the grumpy man with a broken hand all sat down. Harkness stayed standing. Andy swallowed and cleared his throat, suddenly wishing it wasn't him doing this.

"Ok, at about 3:30 we got a call. A tip off that someone had dumped a body in some woods. We went with some dogs to find it. The dogs led us to a spot and they started digging. As they dug down, my partner and I heard screams." Andy swallowed again, "They were coming from the ground."

The whole team went ridged. Gwen went pale and her eyes widened to massive proportions. The Asian woman clenched her hands together in her lap. Owen twitched. Harkness just stared at Andy like he'd been slapped.

"We helped the dogs to dig down and we found a coffin. The screaming was coming from inside it. We were able to unlock it and get Ianto out of it. We brought him straight to hospital."

"Oh my God." murmured Gwen.

"There's more." Andy grimaced, "The doctors just reported back to me. Whoever did this to Ianto tortured him first. He's been whipped across the back, cut all over his arms and legs, burned on his chest, stabbed through his shoulder, and he's been raped more than once. At the moment he's stable, but he's unconscious and may have a concussion. He may have been tortured in other ways, they're not certain yet."

"Fuck…" murmured Owen. The Asian woman reached out and squeezed his good hand. Gwen's eyes were sparkling with tears. Harkness was staring into space, his hands limp at his sides.

"Where is he?"

"He's in a room upstairs. I'll take you to him when you're ready." Andy could see they were very upset, but he couldn't help but wonder where they'd been when this was happening to one of their own. He couldn't get the way Ianto had cried for them out of his head.

"Let's go." Owen was on his feet at once, "Ok there Tosh?" he looked at the Asian woman, who nodded, but didn't try to dislodge the hand he had on her elbow. Gwen was leaning close to Harkness, who was standing aloof, still in shock it seemed.

"Come on then."

Andy led them through the hospital and up the stairs. As they approached Ianto's room, which had Michael standing guard outside it, a nurse stepped out. She spotted them and walked up to them,

"Good timing, I was about to come tell you he's awake again."

"Already?" Andy was surprised.

"Yes. He's not very responsive, he's in shock of course, poor boy, but he's aware for the most part."

"Good, great." Harkness hurried past the nurse and barged into the room. Andy rolled his eyes as he followed, muttering about 'Bloody Torchwood'. He fell silent as he entered the room.

Ianto was lying in the foetal position, staring at the wall. His young face was puffy and bruised. A cut above his eye stood out against his white skin. His arms were littered with bandages. He looked very small and young in the bed, hands pressed to his mouth, big blue eyes staring hard at the wall.

Andy watched as Harkness approached first, looking tentative and horrified as he took in the visible damage.

"Oh… oh Ianto."

Ianto didn't react. Harkness reached a hand out and held it near Ianto's hand, waiting to see if he would react. He didn't. Harkness took this as a go ahead. He touched Ianto's hand and then covered it with his larger one. Ianto blinked, then whimpered curling up tighter.

"Ianto, it's Jack. I'm here, don't be… don't be scared Ianto. Just, just come back to us, c'mon, come back to us and look at me with those beautiful baby blues."

Ianto closed his eyes and hid his face, not acknowledging anything Harkness was saying.

"Ianto, pet, it's us. We're here now. It'll be ok." cooed Gwen, stepping forwards. Ianto peeped up at her from behind his hands staring at her hard. Then he jerked, almost jumping onto his other side. Putting his back to his teammates.

"I think you're pushing a bit too hard Gwen." said Andy, unable to stop himself as he saw how scared Ianto was. Ianto looked up at Andy and stared at him hard. Andy stared back, trying his damn best to look friendly. Ianto then snapped his eyes to the wall and reverted back to his catatonic state.

Owen, meanwhile, picked up the chart and read through it quick, his knuckles visibly tightening on the clipboard as his eyes flicked over the paper, muttering to himself.

"No signs of infection, thank God. Running an STD test, ok, signs of water exposure? What?" his brow furrowed as he read the results, confusion obvious, then he shook it off. "Lots of stitches, shoulder will need to be kept an eye on… fuck." He set down the clipboard looking ill.

Harkness walked around the bed and crouched down so his eyes were level with Ianto's. "Ianto? Listen, I know you're scared, but you have to tell me who did this to you so I can catch them. Who were they? Have we seen them before? What were they?"

Ianto didn't react. Harkness reached out and gripped Ianto's shoulder,

"Ianto, we have to know!"

"Hey! Back off Captain!" snapped Andy, as Ianto whimpered, coming back, but recoiling from Harkness. Harkness let go in a flash, looking as if Ianto had burned him. Andy stepped closer, putting himself between Harkness and Ianto. "Yelling and upsetting him is not going to help anyone, especially Ianto. Now if you don't take a step back and take it easy, I'm throwing you out, Torchwood or no Torchwood."

Harkness glared at him, "Stay out of this! It's nothing to do with you."

"The hell it doesn't! Now you listen to me Harkness! I will not have you yelling and roughing up Ianto just because something's happened out of your control and your reign. Now if you don't calm down right now and start acting like an adult, I'll have you escorted out."

Harkness stepped closer and Andy fought not to flinch, matching Harkness' gaze with a firm one of his own.

"Jack…" Gwen's voice was wary.

Andy swallowed hard, trying not to let his nerves get the better of him. Then Harkness spoke in a low tone,

"Now you listen to me, Ianto is our team mate, and our responsibility. We can take care of him. He doesn't need you around."

Andy opened his mouth to argue back, when a hand snapped around his wrist. Jumping, Andy looked down to see Ianto was clutching onto his wrist like a life preserver, and was staring up at him with wide eyes.

"I don't want you to leave." he murmured, sounding like a little boy. If Andy had looked, he'd have seen Harkness flinch and shift backwards. Instead he just smiled down at Ianto reassuringly and said,

"Then I won't go anywhere."

Ianto didn't let go. His fingers were holding on tight, although not painful. Just needy. He needed him. And that was quite incredible. Andy had had people need comfort from him before, because they were scared, because they were lonely, but he never quite got over the humbling feeling it gave him. That someone needed him to care for them, to save them even, was hard to fathom.

Andy stepped closer, so Ianto could keep a hold of him without straining his arm.

"Ianto… pet, we're here for you." Gwen took over when Harkness just stared at Ianto, looking like he'd been slapped.

"I don't want you." Ianto's voice was soft, and he was looking down at his sheets, free fingers pulling at a loose thread. The words seemed to ring through the small room.

"Ianto…" murmured Tosh, shaking as she stepped forward, a hand reaching out. Ianto curled up tighter.

"I don't want you! It's your fault!"

"Ianto, c'mon mate, it's us. We'll catch the bastards and make them pay." Owen's voice left Andy in no doubt that they would. Ianto's hand tightened on Andy's wrist.

"Go away." Ianto's voice had a pout in it, but he was shaking.

"Ianto… please. Let us help." Tosh's voice was choked with tears. Ianto closed his eyes, as if her voice was hurting him.

"Go away. I don't want you here. Just please go away."

There was silence again. Then Harkness sighed,

"All right. If that's what you want… we'll leave."

Ianto nodded, his eyes focused on the thread his fingers were still pulling at.

"But…" Harkness gave Gwen a sharp look as he put his hand on the small of her back, a little to familiar for a married woman in Andy's opinion, guiding her out of the room. Owen tugged Tosh out, her eyes were fixed on Ianto, tears starting to spill over her eyelashes. Harkness held the door open and hovered at it. His eyes, bright blue and very intense, were focused on Ianto, who shifted, as if he could feel Harkness' gaze on him.

Harkness drew himself up, lifting his head and swallowing hard, his eyes shifting to Andy, whose wrist was still being clung to.

"Take care of him while we're gone."

Andy could only nod. Harkness walked out of the room.

As the door slid shut, Andy looked at Ianto who blinked slowly, then tilted his head back, looking up at Andy, who smiled down at him.

"It's ok, I'm not leaving."

"Promise?"

"Of course, I already promised, and I keep my promises."

"You do?" Ianto's head moved to the side, as if this idea was alien to him. Andy managed to keep the frown off his face.

"Yeah, of course."

Ianto's hand slid down so his fingers were pressed into Andy's palm. "Me too… I always keep my promises."

"Good, then you promise me that you'll take it easy and let us help you."

Ianto stared up at him, scrutinising him, before nodding his head. Andy grinned,

"Good. Now, best get some rest. I'll stick around, don't worry."

Ianto sighed, snuggling into his pillow, wincing a little as he pressed against a bruise. Very quickly, Andy knew he was asleep, and he carefully pulled his hand free. Then he walked to the door and opened it.

"Michael, could you get me a cup of coffee? I said I'd stay with him."

"Sure, no bother. Torchwood looked pretty upset when they left. Think they'll cause any trouble?"

"I hope not. Harkness is hard to go against."

"And yet you managed it. The boy's'll be impressed."

"Glad to hear it. Coffee."

"Rightyoh!" Michael walked away, and Andy ducked back into the room, grabbing a chair and setting it beside Ianto's bed, so he could be around if and when Ianto woke up.

How many saw the reaction to Torchwood coming? C'mon? Honestly! mischievous grin

Night's Darkness