10

The carnage was the first clue and Owen made a noise in the back of his throat as they got to the SUV that had been pulled to the side to allow rescue vehicles through. Gwen was sitting on the running board with an icepack, her face streaked with blood and tears as she let a medic see to the scalp wound.

"Where is he?" Jack said thickly.

"They've laid him behind the SUV I said to leave him. I didn't … I knew you would want to pick him up" she pointed and Owen walked slowly around to look at the body under the blanket, Jack kneeling to crouch with his hands in his knees for a long time before he gathered up the body and he hugged him as he pulled the blanket down to stroke Ianto's face, kissing him as he lamented the short time they had. Owen turned away, unable to watch as he went back to Gwen.

"Christ, my head is killing me" Ianto sighed as he opened his eyes and stared back at Jack, then those lovely stormy eyes widened, "Oh gods, Gwen! Is she OK?"

Jack held him, could only hold him and stare as Ianto blinked.

"Cariad?"

"Hi" Jack whispered as he stoked Ianto's cheek and considered the wonder of it. "Ianto, how do you feel?"

"Like… I just crawled over broken glass .. .but I guess we did to get out. How did we get out? Gods, is that the SUV?" Ianto started to struggle and Jack helped him to his feet, "Oh shit!"

"It's OK. We have another one" Jack said with his mind still whirring, "Just metal. Just a thing."

"Still! I have the bloody radio all sorted on that one, the other one is shit!" Ianto huffed and Jack started to laugh softly.

Owen walked around from Gwen and saw Ianto standing there, relieved as he moved forward. He had expected worse the weird way everyone was acting and why had they done that with the bloody sheet "Bud. You OK?"

"Yeah, banged my head" Ianto frowned as he rubbed at it, "Throbs like a bastard."

Come on then, let's get you home for a quiet afternoon yeah?" Owen suggested and as they walked towards the other SUV Gwen slid from the seat with her mouth open, Ianto walking without help if a little unsteadily, clearly alive.

"Ianto?"

"Thank the Gods, are you OK?" Ianto reached for her, "Man, we got really shaken up, like we were in a pinball machine. Is your brain as mooshed as mine?"

"You died" she said softly as she let him embrace her, her arms seizing him tight, "you were gone. Dead."

"Gwen, do I look dead?" Ianto laughed softly, "Look. I'm fine sweetie."

"Ianto… you … like Jack. You … Resurrected." She said as she looked around with confusion, "You … you came back."

"Come on, he's not Superman" Jack joked as he tried to cover up what was happening,

"Like … Odin or something!" Owen laughed.

Ianto seemed to stall out as he stared at her and Jack felt a tickle in the back of his mind as he said softly, "The Odin Objective!"

"I don't know what you mean" Ianto blinked slowly "I never took part in that project."

"Right. So … what was this Muskrat?" Owen asked as he watched Ianto scrub at his head like rats were scuttling about in there.

"We will talk about it back at Base, let's just give Ianto a chance to settle back into his skin, yeah?" Jack asked as Gwen stepped over to touch Ianto, looking at his face that seemed unblemished without the broken cheekbone she had stroked and wept over before pulling the sheet over his body.

"Are you sure you are OK Gwen?" he asked again, hugging her one more, "Come sit in the back with me I … gods, I am so discombobulated."

"Me and Gwen will sit with you love, Owen can drive, yeah?" Jack cajoled the shaky man into the back and sandwiched him between Gwen and himself, pulling at his hands until they were being rubbed softly, "It's OK. You are OK. All that matters."

"That … Odin. I know what that is but…like … it's on the corner of my vision and I can't quite see it" Ianto sighed, "I want to hold Maxi."

"You will love" Jack assured him, "Gwen, I think Rhys can come into the Hub OK?"

"Thanks, I …. That would be grand. Yes" she nodded as she leaned against Ianto, "I was so sure you were dead."

"Maybe I was" Ianto said with a soft smile, "Maybe Jack is contagious. Not bad, worse things to rub off on I guess … I mean … I don't know what I mean. So…so … messy in here. My brain is having some sort of conniption."

"It's OK. Just sit and breathe yeah? We will all sit and just…breathe. We will go to the Hub, get Max and then go home. Gwen, Rhys, Tosh and Owen can all come to ours for some fish and chips for tea and we will all talk then. We will feel better and safer. Yeah?"

"Yeah" Ianto nodded as he rubbed his face, "I died, didn't I?"

"Yes love" Jack whispered and Ianto said something that made Jack's hair stand up on the back of his head.

"I always hated the coming back bit."