Chapter One

Jack walked out of his office and scanned the hub. "Where the hell is Ianto?" he demanded waiting for one of the others to answer.

Gwen looked up and him and shrugged unsure as Owen bellowed up from the autopsy bay "Who the hell cares!"

Tosh scowled at all three of them before turning back to her computer and continuing her work. Jack frowned at her reaction, but he should have expected it, it was becoming a familiar pattern between them since the incident with Ianto's cybernetic girlfriend.

"Toshiko?" Jack pushed walking over and standing behind her chair, resting a hand on her shoulder. She subtly shakes his hand off by turning to face him.

"He's doing what you told him to do; sorting out the archives. You've revoked his security codes Jack it's not like he can leave without one of us letting him out," Tosh snapped trying to glare him down. Jack just stared back at her coolly, ignoring the fact that Owen and Gwen had both moved further into the room to watch them.

"Is there any particular reason you're looking for him sir?" Tosh asked and Jack tried not to flinch at Tosh using that particular term, not only did it sound weird coming from the woman he'd considered a friend for the past four years, but it didn't sound right without that smooth Welsh accent behind it.

"It's almost lunchtime and it's better to feed the rebels before they start getting hungry," Jack said trying to ease the situation with a bit of humour. It didn't work.

Tosh abruptly stood from her desk "I'll go and find him then. God forbid any of you lazy bakas order your own food for a change," She snapped and before anyone could react she had left the room.

"What the bloody hell is up her ass. It's not like he doesn't deserve what he got or has she forgotten that he brought the cyberman in that tried to kill us a few days ago?" Owen growled walking up from where he had been watching the confrontation at the autopsy bay's entrance.

"It was his girlfriend Owen; he was trying to save her. He loved her," Gwen tried to reason but Owen was hearing nothing of it as he flopped into his seat with a snort.

"I'm sorry, now you're on his side too? You've spent long enough on the sidelines, finally decided to pick a side have you? Are Jack and I the only one who see that the traitorous little bastard deserves everything he gets?"

"Enough! Both of you!" Jack snapped and with one final glare he stormed back into his office shutting the door with a little more force than was really necessary.

Slumping down into his chair he rested his head on the desk and tried to figure out just how he was supposed to fix the mess they'd all sunken into after the night that the Cyberwoman was destroyed.

Ianto looked up with a start when he heard someone walking through the archives towards him. The footfalls were definitely female; the sound of heeled boots on the cement gave that away. Listening carefully he determined that it was Tosh's more delicate tread, rather than Gwen's solid, copper stride and breathed a sigh of relief.

Tosh seemed to be the only one who wasn't treating him like a monster. Even if he did deserve it.

Owen was just downright cruel. He'd find or create the nastiest jobs he could for Ianto and deliberately make things harder for him with his work, not to mention the very rough look over he'd received for his injuries after that night.

Gwen avoided him, whether that was because she didn't know what to say or was afraid he'd do something to her he didn't know.

And Jack... God, if he couldn't mend things with Owen or Gwen he really couldn't care less, but Jack. Jack who had treated him like nothing more than a foot soldier who needed to be punished... no hint of what they had been... of what he had betrayed... how was he ever going to fix that.

Tosh walked into the archives running through Ianto's directions in her head knowing she would never find her way to his desk if she didn't.

Finally she turned the last corner and spotted the man she was looking for. He was hunched at his desk working, it almost looked like he just wanted to sink into his work and vanish like he had before the Lisa incident. He'd become so good at hiding and now when he wanted to most of all everyone was very aware of where he was.

His suits and professional mask were the only protection he had now and even they were failing him. Tosh suspected that she was the only one who noticed.

"Ianto are you busy?" Tosh asked softly worried she would startle the younger man; he didn't even flinch, just turned to look at her with a slightly forced smile.

"Not at all Tosh, what can I get for you?"

His mask was firmly in place and Tosh had to bite back a sigh. God she hated this, why did Jack have to be so bloody cruel all of a sudden? Surely he could see that it wasn't entirely Ianto's fault? That he had honestly believed the woman he loved had still been alive. He truly hadn't been able to see that only the body remained with a monster's mind where his girlfriend had once been, a monster that had used his love to manipulate him in one of the worst possible ways.

"Umm, Jack was looking for you, it's was getting close to Lunch..." Tosh watched as Ianto's posture fell just a little as he was once again being degraded to fetch the others food. "...but if you're busy I can go and get some for everyone."

Ianto gave Tosh a smile and she knew he could see through what she was trying to do. "That's alright Tosh, I'll come up and sort something out; I wasn't doing anything important."

The pair made their way back through the archives in silence. Just before they reached the entrance to the main hub Ianto reached a hand out and gently grabbed Tosh's arm, stopping them in the shadows before they would be seen by the others.

"Why?" Ianto whispered not looking at her, his eyes out on the hub before them.

Tosh paused, thinking about just what he was asking before she finally answered. "Because even if they can't see it, I can. You didn't do it on purpose, you didn't do it to hurt anyone; you did it because you thought you were saving the woman you loved."

"But I did hurt people. All of you," Ianto whispered pain lacing his voice.

"No, the monster that had taken Lisa's body hurt everyone. The monster hurt you and manipulated you until it could get free, then it hurt us. Not you," Tosh argued.

Ianto nodded a little his eyes still locked on the hub beyond. Tosh squeezed his arm in support before moving back to her workstation, leaving him a moment to compose himself.

She knew she wasn't supposed to hear it but she couldn't help but catch Ianto's last whisper before he headed towards the tourist office.

"But I did hurt Jack."