Jack dried him off, again he was careful but very efficient. Then he took Ianto's hand and pulled him out onto the landing. He let Ianto dictate the pace, he was the one with the injuries.

However Jack paused on the landing and looked around. Ianto's room was at the back of the house, but it was not the largest of the bedrooms.

"Why didn't you go into the front room?" Jack asked as they paused. The larger room was furnished better. Jack was quite proud of it really. The old furnishings he had bought decades ago had stood the test of time, made in rich teak that almost glowed auburn when the sun hit it.

Ianto glanced at that door and then to the wooden door that led to the room he had chosen, furnished modestly in pine.

"Well, it's your house isn't it?"

Jack shrugged, true, and Ianto was treating it as if he was a guest. Ignoring Jack's orders to do what he liked with the house. The downstairs didn't look much lived in, the kitchen had a few more utensils now but that seemed to be the limit of Ianto's involvement. He spent more time at the hub anyway, where Jack was.

"Fine, but I think we'll go with your home fixtures tonight."

With that Jack led Ianto into the back bedroom. Jack hadn't been in it since Ianto had started to occupy the house. It was neat and tidy, as he expected Ianto to be. On the front of the wardrobe, hooked over the top of the door was a hanger holding a suit, and behind it one with a shirt and tie looped on it. The chest of drawers was covered on top with several of Lisa's items that Sophie had retrieved for him, and in the centre was a framed photograph of Ianto and Lisa together, both laughing, their arms around each other.

The bed was laid neatly, the rich red velvet comforter giving a warm glow to the room. Jack, with his hand holding Ianto's drew him towards the bed. Ianto moved without resistance. His eyes were a little sleepy, exhaustion starting to catch up with him. Jack clambered onto the bed, pulled Ianto with him, but he let Ianto work out getting onto the bed himself since he was the one feeling the pain. He ended up on all fours, his head hanging a little. Jack arranged two pillows and encouraged Ianto to lie down so he was comfortable. The pillows raised his shoulders slightly and he relaxed onto the bed as Jack went for the baby oil.

As he got it out of the bathroom cabinet he glanced around. Not being particularly nosy but just seeing what Ianto had in his cabinet. There was all the basics, razor, shaving foam, aftershave - which Jack already knew he loved the smell of. And tucked away at the bottom of the cabinet was a bottle of pills, sleeping tablets by the look of it. Jack knew for a fact, Ianto had refused anything when Owen offered to give it him. His eyes narrowed slightly as he considered that, then he looked at the date of the prescription. It predated Lisa's death.

Jack didn't spend too much time pondering it. He just made sure he could file the information away for later, if he needed it. Instead he took the baby oil back to the bedroom. Ianto was still lying where Jack had guided him, waiting for him. He looked up as Jack returned. Jack grinned at him, and not by a flicker did he give anything away.

He climbed onto the bed next to Ianto, running his fingers into Ianto's damp hair and he looked down at the bruising.

"Are you all right?" Jack asked. "Do you need any painkillers?"

"I'm fine Jack, it feels fine. I think the water helped."

Jack ran his hands over the smooth skin of Ianto's back. His backbone was a little prominent, and there were signs of his ribs pressing up through his skin, making Ianto look frail. With his haunted face and shadowed eyes he looked almost if he would break into pieces at any moment.

Ianto lay still as Jack ran his hands over him and then he opened the oil bottle. He laced a trail of it over Ianto's shoulders watching it run across his skin, down his back, from his shoulders. Then Jack moved his hand to sweep across the trails of oil, spreading it over Ianto's shoulders, sweeping from his neck outwards. Ianto relaxed deeper into the pillows, putting his head down.

Normally, Jack would have straddled Ianto but there was no way of doing that, with the bruising he had suffered. So instead he sat himself to one side, moving up close to Ianto, brushing his hip against his ribs and settling on the bed.

Then Jack started to work. He began at the nape of Ianto's neck and then worked his way as methodically as he had done when washing Ianto. He started on his shoulders, first the left and then the right. Then he went lower, working on the painful knot that lay just below his left shoulder blade.

Ianto gasped and occasionally moaned when Jack hit a particularly painful patch. At those moments he paused to sooth Ianto, giving his aching arms and fingers a brief rest, gently murmuring soothing words to Ianto and kissing him gently. He could smell the baby oil on his skin, warmed by the contact, his skin radiating heat from the shower. It mingled with Ianto's scent, making him smell all the more enticing. Jack couldn't help but revel in the smell of his skin.

"Does that feel better?" Jack asked as Ianto squirmed, flinching a little as he worked on his shoulder blade. But the muscle had most definitely eased, Jack could feel that.

"Much," Ianto said, sounding very relaxed. Jack felt glad about that, even if he got kicked out of the bed somewhere along the way. Which was something he was still expecting. At least he knew he had eased Ianto physically. He had been though a lot, and not just the events of the previous day and night. Jack couldn't help but shudder with horror as he thought about what Ianto had suffered.

What he wanted to do now was swear, to himself, completely and utterly that Ianto would never be out in the field like that again. But he couldn't. If Ianto wanted to stay, in Cardiff, with him, and in Torchwood, then that couldn't be possible. Jack wanted him to stay. He hadn't really felt as strongly about anyone, as he did now about Ianto, for a long time. Jack wanted him around in Cardiff, he really did.

But that was the disadvantage of a small team, jobs overlapped, when a job required all the team, they were used. He couldn't keep Ianto safe. Ianto probably knew that and accepted it, because he wanted to stay with Jack.

In response Jack wanted Ianto with him, but it would be safer to send him back to London. He'd be hurt but surely his being safe was better than that. Jack wasn't honestly sure he would be safe there. As events had unfolded, in such a peculiar manner, Jack kept getting the spooky feeling Ianto was exactly where he was meant to be.

Jack ran his hands down Ianto's back to his waist, then he started working on his lower back. Ianto gave a murmur of pleasure and squirmed a little on the bed. There was a flicker of a frown as he moved his legs, brushing against the rich velvet but he settled again. Jack leant forward and kissed the back of his neck.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," Ianto said, settling deeper down onto the pillows. "You are very good at this."

Jack laughed pressing deep into Ianto's muscles.

"That's down to lots of practice."

"Yes, I've heard all about it."

Jack's movements slowed slightly, "are you saying I've got a reputation?"

Ianto tensed under the touch of his hands. Jack ran his hands up to Ianto's shoulder blades again, stroking gently. Ianto moved his head so Jack couldn't see his face, only the back of his head. Jack solved that by moving further up the bed and lying on his side, facing Ianto. He propped his head in one hand and left the other on Ianto's back. Ianto flinched as he glanced at him.

"Kind of."

"Only kind of?" Jack smirked at him. Ianto looked worried but he took a deep breath and carried on.

"In the file…." Ianto paused as Jack frowned. He ran his hand down Ianto's back and moved closer. Ianto felt very acutely aware of Jack's hand in the small of his back, and his closeness.

"It's all right, what…?"

"There's some information in the file, about… you and…" Ianto tailed off. He felt ashamed admitting that he had read it, details of Jack's sex life. And the fact that he had been reported about to officials at Torchwood was hardly very endearing. Ianto kept his eyes down on the pillow, the burgundy cotton that he had chosen, since he had needed bedding when he moved in.

He felt Jack's hand gently brush his cheek, feeling it slightly slick with oil. Then his hands moved back to his shoulders, pushing him down back down onto to the bed and carrying on with the massage.

"It doesn't matter," Jack said gently. It didn't really. Jack knew what he had done, and how he had felt. On some levels he knew the betrayals that had been coming, sometimes they hurt, probably more so because he knew they were there, lingering in the background. But he pushed that aside as he again started to work over the muscles and smooth skin of Ianto's back. He would have liked to have moved lower, working his way down over his backside and legs.

However there was no chance of that. It would be just too painful for him to massage the badly bruised skin. They didn't talk for a while, Jack just worked carefully and underneath his touch Ianto relaxed completely, his shoulders slumped slightly and his breathing deepened.

It took Jack a moment or two to realise what had happened but as he leant up slightly he looked at Ianto's peaceful face, his eyes closed and face relaxed. He had gone to sleep.

"Well, I don't know if that's how good I am or how boring," Jack commented.

Ianto didn't react. He stirred as Jack slid a hand up into his hair, and he settled down again without waking. Jack smiled gently, it was probably the best thing for him. Despite trying to fight it, Ianto was exhausted, physically and emotionally.

Jack stretched himself out on the bed next to him, lying on his side facing Ianto so he could watch him as he slept. He leant over and kissed Ianto gently on the cheek. This time Ianto didn't stir. Jack settled down, propping his head in one hand to watch him.

"Pleasant dreams."