Hey everyone. As promised, here is the next chapter. I would have had it up yesterday, only the weather was nice and I had a leaving do for a work colleague. As for the next chapter, I shall have it up on Wednesday for you and that's a GhostlyBob guarantee.
'Right, let's get this done quick so we're not all shagged out in the morning.' Owen brought the SUV to a stop in the garage as Tosh began to collect herself. Putting away her PDA in Owen's rucksack, she stepped out of the car and headed towards the back to help Owen with the Weevil, the rucksack swinging on her shoulder. She glanced fleetingly at the back seats as she saw Ianto trying to prop Jack into a sitting position. The pang of sadness in her chest grew as she saw Ianto brush away the hair from Jack's forehead, giving a sad smile to his partner.
'Jack,' Ianto said softly as he tried to rouse the sleepy Captain. 'Come on, Jack. Wake up for me now. We have to get you out of the SUV.'
'Home?' Jack sleepily replied as he struggled to maintain eye contact with Ianto. His face fell slightly as Ianto shook his head.
'Not just yet, Jack. I think Owen might need a hand to carry the Weevil down to the cells.' Ianto gave a small smile as he raised Jack's face to his own, in an effort to keep him awake. 'You wouldn't want Tosh breaking her back carrying it down instead, would you?'
As if on cue, the passenger door to Jack's side was swung open by a slightly annoyed Owen. Jack, taken by surprise, gave a small yelp and huddle further into Ianto's shoulder. Rubbing circles across his back, Ianto reassured Jack that nothing was going to happen.
'Jack, come on,' Owen held out a hand to Jack as he looked towards his leader. 'Get out of the car so Ianto can give me a hand.'
'No.' Jack's stubborn reply would have been almost comical at any other time. Clinging to Ianto, he was behaving every inch like a disgruntled three year old child. Any other time, it would have been comical. But at this precise time, Owen was in no laughing mood.
'Dammit, Jack!' The red mist was beginning to descend over the medic's eyes. He really couldn't take anymore of this. 'Get out of the bloody car, right now. That Weevil is gonna wake up real soon, so unless you want him to batter us around like toys, I suggest you deal and let Ianto help me.'
He knew he had gone too far, but the words were already out of his mouth. Ianto, his face like thunder, looked set to beat Owen into a bloody pulp. However, the sudden movement of their leader took all focus off the tension between the two. Jack pulled suddenly out of Ianto's hold and ungracefully scrambled out of the back of the SUV. With his face down, so that the rest of his team could not see the tears forming behind his eyes, he waved to Ianto, signalling for him to get out of the car.
'Thank you, Jack.' Owen gave a quick glance to him, before turning round to face the onslaught of Ianto's wrath. But none came and that was when Owen knew he had really screwed up. An angry Ianto, he'd seen before. Heck, an angry Ianto would shoot him in the shoulder and think nothing more of it. But the silence. The anger controlled and pushed back by the mask Ianto knew all too well how to wear. That was the thing Owen was most afraid of.
Passing the medic without even a second glance, Ianto walked up to Jack and squeezed his shoulders. 'Jack, I want you to listen to me.' Jack's head shot up at the voice, the tears still there as one fell over his flushed cheeks. Wiping it away with his thumb, Ianto continued. 'I'm going with Owen, so I want you to go with Tosh to the Hub, okay. I'll be back as soon as we have Janet's new play mate settled.' He gave Jack a small kiss to his forehead, whilst Tosh looked on with her own tears forming.
'Still here?' Jack managed to say through a hoarse voice. Ianto didn't know how many times it would take for Jack to be told that he was really back in his own world. But he knew he would do anything to get Jack back to the way he was. Back to the man he...the man he cared for.
'Still here,' Ianto reassured Jack as he gave his shoulder one final squeeze before turning back to Owen and removing the Weevil from the back of the SUV. Tosh stepped forward and took Jack's hand lightly in hers, turning him away from the scene and leading him into the Hub. She looked straight ahead of her at all times, but she could tell that Jack was silently crying.
****
Do something. Shout at me, hit me, shoot me, knock me out, cut me in two, just do something. He couldn't control himself. As he carried the Weevil down with Ianto, his thoughts were focused on one thing. This silent treatment was wrong on so many levels and Owen couldn't help but wonder how Ianto would react when it all became too much. He'd bottled up a lot of his feelings; his love and loss for Lisa, Jack's disappearance and Jack's return were just a handful of things Owen could mention. Even when he had taken Ianto out for a drink shortly after Jack had gone, that mask and persona were unshakable, even after the several pints and tequila shots that plagued the night. He hadn't cried, he hadn't shouted, he hadn't called Jack every possible name under the sun. Ianto had just sat, nursing his pint and eventually beat Owen at shots.
Passing Janet, Owen opened up the cell next to her and helped Ianto place the thankfully still sleeping Weevil onto the floor. Both men stepped out, Owen set the lock on the cage and then, without even a missed heartbeat, Ianto grabbed Owen by the throat and pushed him towards the adjacent wall.
'You better give me a really good reason not to keep on squeezing, Owen Harper.' Ianto's face was awash with anger; his face was red and his eyes were dark circle as they peered into the medic's watering eyes. Owen tried to kick out, push Ianto away so he could breathe, but the grip on his throat was so tight, it made his vision blurry. And just for a split second, Owen thought Ianto was really going to kill him.
'Ianto...let go,' Owen managed to choke out before the hand around his throat was quickly drawn away. Coughing to catch his breath, he could see the dark eyes were still on him as he tried to straighten himself. 'Look, I know I went too far back there, but I had no choice.'
Ianto gave a dry laugh as he turned away from Owen, pulling out a handkerchief from his inside pocket and wiping his hand. 'You had no choice?' The mask was back. That fleeting outburst was over and now Ianto straightened his jacket and turned to face Owen. 'He's not coping, Owen. So you think shouting at him will make him snap back to how he was before. Christ, you call yourself a doctor.'
'Yell at me for being an inconsiderate bugger, but don't go slagging off my job.' Owen stood in front of Ianto, preventing him from leaving the cells. Janet began to stir with the sudden rush of activity and gave out a low growl. 'It's obvious to anyone Jack isn't coping. That whole charade in the bar, the confident Captain Jack Harkness. No one goes to a place like that and walks away unharmed. Physically, maybe, but he's still an emotional wreck.'
'So why act like that around him?' Ianto really wanted an explanation. He wanted to know why Owen was so flippant with his remarks and why he had attacked Jack like that.
Owen gave a small sigh, relaxing from his stance. 'We can't all get as close to him as you can. And don't give me all that "well you said I was nothing more than a part time shag to Jack." Whatever it is between you two, your bond with Jack is stronger than any of our ties with him. You can go around with kid gloves if you want, but I need Jack back the way he was as soon as possible.' He sighed again, this time heavier as he put a hand up to the wall to steady himself. 'I've never seen Jack like that before. He's the dashing hero who flies in and saves the day. If I can prevent seeing him like that again by being the heartless one trying to snap him out of it as soon as possible, that's what I'll do. That's what I'll do to get Jack back. I'm just trusting on you to do the rest.' He looked up to Ianto and gave a sad smile.
Ianto stepped forward and was about to apologise for the whole fiasco, when an ear piercing scream echoed down into the cells from above them.
Ha ha ha, return of the evil cliffhanger. So, who was it that screamed? Tosh? Jack? Myfanwy? Let's just say I've finally worked out what the artefact does and am now re-writting a few things. Until Wednesday, folks...