AN: i FINISHED MY DISSERTATION TODAY... YIPPEE SO HERE i AM WRITING AGAIN...WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? STILL MAD ABOUT IANTO! THANK YOU TO ALL YOU LOVELY FELLOW FAN FICKERS FOR READING, REVIEWING AND SOME OF YOU BECOMING MY FRIENDS... GOTTA LOVE THE INTERNET REALLY.
THE CROWDED ROOM : PART TWO
"It's done."
Ianto's subdued announcement cut through the oppressive silence in a way that made Jack's skin crawl with apprehension. They were the first words Ianto had spoken all day and were uttered with the finality of death itself. Jack quietly reflected on that, realising that it was a stupid analogy. He wandered over to where Ianto was sat at Toshiko's station.
"I've emailed the files to your account, but Mitchell Webster effectively no longer exists, on paper at least." Ianto was wholly unsatisfied with the situation, the man was still in their cells having refused to tell them from where or from whom he had obtained the dust he was pedalling. Ianto was still feeling like shit and Owen had ordered him to stay in the Hub for the next few days so that the internal sensors could keep him monitored. A precaution, perhaps a little over the top but Ianto didn't much care, he was just grateful that Owen was a bloody good doctor. He hitched a stuttering breath when Jack sat himself on the edge of Tosh's desk, making it judder with the added weight.
"Thank you Ianto." Jack had been trying very hard, too hard in Ianto's view.
"It's my job Jack." He got to his feet and had to steady himself by gripping the back of the chair as the head rush took a moment to clear. Owen had warned him about that, his blood pressure was still too low. Ianto wondered if he looked as bad as he felt because Jack reached out to steady him with lightning speed, his large hand warm around his wrist.
"Take it easy."
Ianto forced a smile.
"I'm fine." He insisted rather firmly. Jack released him, sensing he was missing something important, but unable to decide what exactly it was. Ianto was certainly not going to tell him if couldn't work it out. He watched the smartly suited man as he made his way toward the kitchen unit and the shiny coffee machine that probably received more love and attention than anything else in the entire Hub. Ianto began to work his coffee magic and Jack turned away heading toward the relative shelter of his office. He was a little perplexed when Ianto didn't come in a few minutes later with a mug of his special brew. When he looked out of the window Ianto was nowhere to be seen. Jack sighed, wondering what he had done to piss the Welshman off so spectacularly. Shaking his head he settled on starting on the pile of paperwork in his 'in' tray.
Some indeterminate time later and the cog door, with its usual fanfare of sirens and flashing lights rolled open and Tosh, Owen and Gwen came in. All three of them were arguing loudly with one another, but it didn't sound too serious, so Jack ignored them. The argument ended in laughter, Owen's raucous guffaws and Tosh and Gwen squealing delightedly at something. Jack's curiosity finally got the better of him and he got up to see what was going on. He stood in the doorway, arms folded across his chest, watching as both Gwen and Toshiko were still laughing as Owen disappeared down into his domain. It was a wonderful sound and it succeeded in lifting his darkening mood. Eventually the noise died down and Gwen noticed him standing there, smiling down at them.
"That was a complete waste of time, I'm sure that weevil was waiting for us to arrive before heading down into the sewer." She complained, still grinning. "I suppose I should be grateful for that really."
Tosh was nodding in agreement. "I just want to know where it got the florescent jacket from."
Jack arched his eyebrows. "It was wearing one?"
The women nodded. "Perhaps boiler suits are no longer in Vogue, maybe they want Ianto to give them some fashion tips." Gwen added, "Talking of which, where is he?"
Jack could only shrug. "If he's not in the tourist office then he'll be skulking in the archive somewhere."
Tosh and Gwen exchanged bemused looks.
"What have you done?" Owen demanded coming up from the autopsy bay and looking around. "He's supposed to stay in the main Hub, where you were supposed to be keeping an eye on him."
"Owen, he's fine." Jack retorted.
Owen was shaking his head as he made his way down to the archive to check on his teammate. Jack could be such a twat sometimes.
He found Ianto, as expected with his head down in a filing cabinet drawer and a surprising pair of earphones on his head.
"Oi, Tea Boy!"
Ianto straightened up and sighed as he pulled out his ipod and turned it off. "How was the weevil hunt?"
"The usual, full of weevils. I thought I told you to stay up in the main Hub so that Harkness could keep an eye on you?" He reached and grabbed Ianto's wrist and got little resistance once Ianto figured out that Owen was checking his pulse.
"You look pale, how are you feeling?"
There was no point in lying. "Light headed, irritable and depressed." Ianto replied, uncomfortable with the admission.
"So why did you come down here?" Owen was watching his colleague's face closely.
Ianto huffed out a breath and then gazed about the darkened dank room in which he often worked. "Jack was being his usual sensitive self, I just needed some time alone and it isn't like I don't have plenty to do down here."
Owen arched an eyebrow and dropped his hand to his side. "He's been in twat mode for days. What's he going to do with our prisoner?"
Ianto shrugged. "He wants to use the mind probe, but we know how dangerous that piece of kit is. Personally I'd cut him up and feed him to Janet."
"You sick fuck, mind you I think in this instance I am inclined to agree with you. That bastard isn't likely to tell us anything, otherwise I think he would've squealed by now." Owen realised that Ianto was staring at him. "What?"
"You agreed with me, that's one for the records."
Owen shook his head. "Don't you dare tell the others, I have a reputation to uphold."
Ianto actually smiled at that. "Your dirty little secret is safe with me."
"Good, right then, now we've got that out of the way, can you PLEASE make some coffee, I'm gasping!"
"Of course, just give me a few minutes to finish what I was doing."
Owen nodded and strode away.
Ianto watched his departing back, the smile dropping from his face.
Half an hour later and Ianto stepped down into the autopsy bay with a mug of coffee and a plate of biscuits for Owen. The medic grunted his thanks and gestured for Ianto to sit on the exam couch.
"Sit, I'll give you a quick check over."
Ianto rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. He tolerated Owen at best most of the time, but he could see that Owen really felt he needed to do his job.
"Jacket and shirt off, I'll do a blood sample."
As Owen worked Gwen appeared on the upper level, clearly not expecting to see Ianto there. "Is everything alright?" She leaned on the railing and smiled at Ianto.
Ianto nodded and managed a faint upcurve of his lips. "Owen's being a mother hen." He replied.
"Get knotted Tea Boy. Gwen love, could you go and fetch Jack for me?"
Gwen's eyebrows shot up. "Does that constitute sexual harassment?"
Ianto nodded. "Absolutely, should I sort out the paperwork for you?"
Smiling even more and flicking her hair behind her ear Gwen chuckled as she did as Owen asked.
Owen was shaking his head but smiling none the less. "You Welshies ganging up on me now?"
Ianto was about to nod, then he saw the needle and swallowed. Owen rolled his eyes. "Oh for goodness sake it's just a little prick, you should be right at home with that."
Ianto couldn't decide whether or not he was being insulted.
"You wanted to see me Owen?" Jack drawled from the upper level. Owen and Ianto both looked up to see Jack leaning on the rail, Gwen at his side. They were both smiling.
"I'm just gonna do these tests Jack and then Tea Boy is going home and he is staying there until I say he is fit to be back at work….."
Ianto swung his head and glared at the medic he was about to respond….
"Shut it Tea Boy. Jack can you drive him home and then you two are going to have a chat, because I'm getting very fed up with the pair of you skulking around the place and avoiding each other like you have the plague."
Jack opened his mouth to protest.
"A a a a. No Jack, I haven't finished yet. I'm on duty tonight anyway and since neither you or the Tea Boy have taken any days off recently consider yourselves on medical leave, Doctors orders!"
Jack closed his mouth, well and truly told off. Ianto dipped his chin, trying to stifle a smirk which turned into a grimace as Owen stuck the needle in.
"Ow!"
"Ooops sorry, you'll feel a small prick, or should I say you feel like one. Now, as I was saying. Jack I want obs on Ianto done overnight every hour and you're to make sure he eats something more healthy than a pizza, and no coffee."
Ianto's glare returned. "Now that's just cruel."
Owen finished with the blood sample and taped a cotton wad to the crook of Ianto's arm. He flashed Ianto a wicked grin.
"I shall be blood testing you in the morning when I stop by at the end of my shift."
"Vampire."
"Git."
"Boys!" Gwen was laughing.