Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to the BBC and I make no money from this.

Author's notes: Once again real life got in the way of my submission schedule. I've done very little either in terms of writing or editing this story, but I'm hoping that getting back into some sort of routine will help. On the other hand, during my absence, I have written half a novel.

Thank you, as usual, to everyone who continue to read this story, and especially those among you who leave reviews. They are always much appreciated.

Re-education

As she watched Jack and now suit clad Ianto disappear towards the garage, Gwen sighed. "There they go again."

Tosh rolled her eyes, not looking away from setting up queries on the database of figures they and the sensors had collected. "Jack is allowed to take Ianto out on the field, you know."

"Yes, but have you noticed how often Jack has picked Ianto over the rest of us recently?" Gwen queried with a stubborn tilt of her head.

"Ianto may be the youngest of us, but he's still a damn good field agent. Besides," Tosh directed her words at her keyboard, "he was with Jack at the house this morning, so it makes sense for the two of them to go back now."

"Don't you think it's a little convenient that Ianto was there with Jack at four in the morning?"

Tosh finally looked away from her monitors and when she spoke, her voice conveyed her growing exasperation at Gwen's obsession over the subject matter. "Actually, it makes perfect sense. Ianto left early yesterday, while the rest of us worked till late. It stands to reason, therefore, that Ianto would have had the most sleep and would be a logical choice for investigating the alarm. In fact, I wouldn't have expected Jack to call anyone but Ianto."

"So you think Jack called Ianto, rather than them having spent the night together?" Gwen asked, hedging away from admitting that Tosh's reasoning seemed sound.

Getting up, Tosh faced Gwen and crossed her arms. "And do all the times Jack and I have investigated a Rift alert in the middle of the night lead you to speculate that I'm sleeping with him?"

"What? No, of course not." Gwen looked somewhat baffled by Tosh's question.

"Then why does Jack and Ianto responding to an alert at four a.m. make you immediately think that they're dating? And why are you so obsessed with the possibility anyway?" Although Gwen's response was what Tosh had expected, the vehemence of it still stung a little.

"I just worry about the integrity of the team, that's all," Gwen said, colour high on her cheek.

"Is that so?" Tosh tilted her head to the left as she raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "You wouldn't by any chance be worried about Jack's attention being diverted away from you, now would you?"

"Why would you ever think that?" Gwen protested, flushing further. "I'm with Rhys."

Tosh saw that while they had been talking, Owen had ascended the stairs from the autopsy bay and was now standing a few yards behind Gwen. He answered Gwen's question for Tosh, "Be real, Gwen. None of us are blind to the way you look at Jack; the way you looked at Jack even when you were sleeping with both Rhys and me."

"Why do you have to keep brining up our affair?" Gwen demanded, glaring daggers at Owen. "It's ancient history!"

"It's context, that's why," replied Owen with a smirk. "Besides, you made your bed, now you have to lie in it."

"Jack flirts with everyone," Tosh said, "but the rest of us have never read anything to it. More importantly, he doesn't look at any of us, and that includes you, the way he looks at Ianto. They've both been through a lot in the last year or so. Don't you think they deserve a chance to be happy?"

"Well yes," Gwen conceded, albeit with some reluctance. "I just never figured Jack was gay. Or Ianto for that matter, although it might explain the suits."

Owen snorted and Tosh rolled her eyes. "Just because Ianto dresses smartly doesn't make him gay," she scoffed.

Before she could continue, Owen interrupted her, "Or if it does, you've just labelled London's entire financial district as well. Bet they'd be bloody pleased about that."

"Ianto chooses to wear a suit to work, but that doesn't mean he wears them on his days off," Tosh explained, trying hard to not sound too patronising, before Gwen had a chance to respond to Owen's snark.

"How do you know?" Gwen asked.

It was Tosh's turn to snort. "I've actually spent time with him outside work. You know, as friends."

"And going back to what you said earlier," Owen jumped in, "just because they may be dating doesn't by default make either of them gay. And if it did, so what? I would have thought that you've worked here long enough to realise that you can't label Jack. Perhaps you'll need a little more experience before you understand that there's no need to label anyone. What Jack is interested in is the person, no their gender. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if it turned out that the same also applied to Ianto."

"How do you know all this?" The question slipped past Gwen's lips unbidden.

Owen shrugged as he came forward and rested his hip against Tosh's desk. "I've done my fair share of experimenting over the years. I tried to figure out my own sexuality, tried to label myself, until I finally got it. It doesn't matter. A label isn't going to make me something I'm not, nor will it make me a happier, better person. Either I fancy someone or I don't, simple as that."

"Bravo again," Tosh murmured and Owen executed a semi-serious bow.

"You too, eh?" Gwen's eyes were wide when she turned her attention back to Tosh.

"Let's just say Mary opened my eyes to all sorts of possibilities. That's not the say that I don't exhibit a certain preference towards men, but I'm not going to rule out women as potential partners simply because they are women."

"Wow, you two seem a lot more open minded than I ever realised," Gwen said. "And a lot more open minded that perhaps I am."

The thoughtful look on Gwen's face indicated that they were getting to her, and Tosh and Owen shared a smile.

"Torchwood does that to you," Tosh explained, her voice now gentle, "but you have to be receptive to it. But who knows, you might be all the better for it."

"Who knows," Gwen repeated, largely to herself.

"Which reminds me… Tosh, can I borrow you and that brilliant brain of yours for a moment?" Owen changed the subject.

"Of course, what do you need?"

Owen motioned her to follow him down to the autopsy bay. They left Gwen standing by her desk, chewing on her bottom lip and staring at her hands.

"What do you need me for?" Tosh asked again once they were standing side by side next to the gleaming metal table.

"Oh, I figured we should give Gwen a few moments by herself to digest everything we just told her," Owen answered in a low voice so that they would not be overheard. "That was quite a chapter in her re-education."

"Cunning, Doctor Harper," Tosh said with a small grin.

"I do try, Miss Sato."

"You're certainly trying," she gently teased him and gave his shoulder a nudge.

"And here I am, doing my best, and all I get in return is mockery," he bemoaned, attempting to look sad, but his twitching lips gave him away.

"Your best will always be good enough, Owen," Tosh said, serious all of a sudden. Owen glanced sharply in her direction, but before he had a chance to say anything, Tosh continued, "I still need to continue my data analysis."

Owen pointed towards the computer terminal in the corner of the bay. "You can connect to your desktop remotely from there and pick up where you left off."

"That works," she agreed and did as he suggested, while he watched her with a thoughtful expression.

Across town, Jack and Ianto drove towards the House of Leaves in companionable silence, until Jack glanced over and said, "I liked you in the rugby shirt and jeans."

Ianto met his eyes with a small smile. "I know, but I also know that you like me in suits."

Jack returned his attention to the road before replying, "Well, yeah, of course I do. I mean, how could I not? I've never seen anyone pull off wearing a suit quite like you do. But your earlier outfit, it was…" he trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence.

"I know what you mean, Jack. The suits are me at work. The casual clothes are me outside of work. You see the work me a lot, which is probably why you appreciate the other me more, in terms of appearance."

"That makes me sound all shallow, like all I care about is what you look like," Jack objected.

"Sorry, that wasn't my intention at all. Let me rephrase that. We've only been dating a short while, so neither is yet used to what the other is like outside of work. And that includes the way I prefer to dress when off duty. Does that make more sense?" Ianto twisted in his seat so he was partially facing Jack and allowed his fingers to brush against Jack's knee.

Jack captured Ianto's hand in his before Ianto had a chance to withdraw his fingers. He gave them a quick squeeze. "Yes, that makes sense. Having said that, I tend to dress exactly the same when on and off duty."

Ianto used his thumb to rub circles on the back of Jack's hand. "That may be true, but I love that coat, so you won't hear me complaining."

"Good to know." Jack's smile widened into a grin.

They lapsed back into silence, before Ianto chuckled softly. "I can feel my ears burning."

Jack frowned, clearly puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Just that I have a sneaking suspicion we're being talked about," Ianto said, but he seemed more relaxed about it than Jack had expected.

"You mean the others?"

"Yes."

"I wouldn't be at all surprised. The fact that we went out on the field together is without a doubt a code word for us shagging." Jack watched from the corner of his eye as Ianto's features twisted into a wry grin.

"I imagine Gwen certainly thinks so."

"Probably," Jack said with a shrug. "On the other hand, I know for a fact that Tosh and Owen will defend our right for privacy."

"Is that so?" Ianto's eyebrows rose in mild surprise. "Dare I ask how you're so certain about it?"

"I overheard them gossiping about us yesterday," Jack revealed. "What I found rather unexpected was that Owen was the most vocal in defending us. Tosh, although she agreed with him, was pretty much sitting back and enjoying the show."

"Huh," came Ianto's less than articulate response.

"You know as well as I do that Gwen is what she is," Jack glanced over to Ianto, "but as for the others; they're just happy for us."

Ianto said nothing, seeming content to digest Jack's words in silence. Jack wanted to say more, wanted to steer the conversation to the issue that was really hanging between them, but he was not certain how to broach the delicate matter without sounding like he was making an accusation. As a result, he focused on driving and on the feel of Ianto's thumb stroking his skin.

"Alexander bequeathed you quite a mystery," Ianto said, steering the conversation to a new tangent.

"That he did," agreed Jack with a low chuckle. "I'm not sure he ever anticipated just how interested in his house I would be. Or indeed that it would disgorge aliens from the future."

"Makes me wonder whether there's something to all those reports of the house being haunted?"

"Go on," Jack encouraged him.

"Several reports mention sightings of people looking out of the windows when the house is supposed to be empty," Ianto said, staring out of the passenger side window. "What if they weren't ghosts but rather others who had entered the house through a portal? What if they were travellers across time and space?"

"So you think the portal opening is a regular occurrence?" queried Jack, already seeing the sense behind Ianto's words.

"Those four aliens came to the House of Leaves for a reason. They came prepared and they were clearly alarmed when the portal closed. I don't think it's an unrealistic assumption to make." Ianto raised an eyebrow, inviting Jack to confirm or reject his theory.

"I suspect you're onto something. Keep going."

"This is just me thinking out loud now," Ianto warned him and when Jack nodded, he continued, "I also think the leaves have something to do with the portals. Or rather the leaves are somehow a direct result of the portals. Because they're in the house for a reason, even if we don't quite understand that reason right now. But if my gut instinct about the leaves is correct, it does lead to a rather startling implication."

"What's that?" Jack asked, tempted to pull over so he could give his full attention to what Ianto was saying.

"Think about the house, Jack. Remember how many leaves there are in there? How many times do you think a portal needs to have opened to explain the mounds we found in the loft room, as well as the leaves gathered in the other rooms?"

A tremor ran through Jack at Ianto's words and now he did pull over. Once the car was parked on the side of the road and the engine was off, Jack shifted so he was sitting sideways, facing Ianto. "You're assuming all the leaves in the house are psychic."

"I am." Ianto changed position to mirror Jack's. "But even if we say that only half of the leaves are there as a direct result of the Rift activity within the house, that's still an awfully large number of leaves."

"My gods," Jack whispered as the implication sunk in. "Do you think we've had aliens in the house on a regular basis for decades?"

Ianto shrugged. "I really don't know. Maybe. But if that's the case, I don't think they get stranded here very often, which is some sort of relief, I suppose. Again it's just a gut feeling, but the aliens were shocked when the portal closed and they didn't look like they were prepared for getting stranded. That makes me think that they assumed the portal would stay open until they were ready to go home. Plus I should think Torchwood would have been alerted to the mysteries of the house sooner if there was a steady stream of aliens coming through a portal in the loft."

Jack nodded. "I suspect you're right on both counts. All the more reason for us to figure out what the leaves are all about."

"And find the travellers stuck in the past."

"Indeed. It may well be that if we find them and can communicate with them, we'll have a great many of our questions answered."

"You know, I have always wanted to know whether people in the future will zoom around with hover boots and jetpacks," Ianto said. His expression was blank when he looked at Jack, but a slight twitch of the corner of his mouth belied his amusement.

"Nah, people grow wings, so there's no need for hover boots." Jack's tone was also serious, but his eyes were dancing with laughter.

"Something to look forward to, then," Ianto mused, his own eyes alit with mirth. "They must be pretty convenient wings, for the aliens to have been able to hide them inside their survival suits."

"Yep, they fold right down."

They stared at each other for a moment, before their poker faces cracked. They began with a chuckle, which soon changed to a full laughter. It felt good after the tension of the day so far, and they laughed far longer than the conversation warranted. After a while they leaned back in their seats, still wearing matching broad smiles.

The mood turned serious once more when Ianto ran his hand down Jack's arm. "Jack, are you okay? I mean really okay?"

"I'm fine," Jack said, frowning slightly at the unexpected question.

"It was clear from Alexander's letter that he cared a great deal about you and given the way you speak of him, I don't think I'm wrong in saying that the feeling was mutual." Jack was about to speak, but Ianto indicated that he should wait. "I know you and Alexander went your separate ways a long time ago, but that doesn't mean that finding out that he has died shouldn't affect you."

Jack sat in silence for a long while, considering the truth in Ianto's words. Ianto watched him the whole time, equal measures of empathy and understanding in his eyes.

"The principal emotion I feel is regret," Jack finally confessed. Each word was slow, the sentence drawn out, as if he spoke as much to himself as to Ianto. "I regret losing touch with him all those years ago. I don't mind admitting to you of all the people that perhaps I was a little hurt that he chose someone else over me. I was jealous too, of this woman who had all of him, when I never did."

He paused to stare at his hands. Ianto waited, sensing there was more Jack wanted to say.

"I know we were never together officially, so technically I had no reason to be jealous, but I was. We never spoke about feelings, but I cared about him a great deal, as you rightly said. I didn't want the relationship to end when it did. I think a part of him didn't either. I used that as an excuse to stay away, so I wouldn't get in the way of his marriage, or so I could nurse my wounded pride, whichever explanation you want to go with. In many ways it was easier to try to forget about what we'd had than to be his friend and not be able to hold him and kiss him. And that was my mistake."

"He stayed away too," Ianto said, neither agreeing with nor denying Jack's words.

"I know. It would have taken two to maintain a friendship and I can only assume we were both waiting for the other to take the first step. And neither of us did. Eventually we both moved on, although I don't think either of us ever forgot the other one."

Jack looked away from Ianto, through the front windshield down the road they had been driving along. He ran a hand through his hair before letting it drop back onto his lap.

"I should have made an effort to be there as his friend. It sounds as thought there were plenty of moments when he could really have done with one. And who knows, perhaps a Torchwood doctor could have done something about the paralysis. I should have been there for him. I should have done more."

"You didn't know, Jack. And he may not have welcomed your help. People react to becoming disabled in very different ways. For some their life becomes about wrestling control back from the illness or injury, and about being independent at any cost."

"I can actually see Alexander being stubborn and fiercely independent. But I should still have liked to have been there, even if it was just for moral support. I think he would have appreciated a friend by his side."

"I imagine he would have done."

Jack flashed Ianto a rueful smile. "So yeah, I regret many things when it comes to Alexander. And it's too late to do anything about those regrets now."

"You can still honour the last request he made," Ianto said in a soft tone.

"And I intend to do just that." Jack nodded. "No developer is going to get their hands on the House of Leaves for as long as I live. And we both know I'm going to outlive every single property developer on this planet."

The smile Ianto offered Jack was full of quiet empathy. "I didn't know Alexander, but I think he would be more than happy with that."

"I hope so. I really, truly hope so." The undertones of their conversation hung unspoken between them. There were things Jack wanted to say, but the words refused to form coherent sentences in his mind. "Ianto, I…"

"There's a traffic warden approaching the car," Ianto cut across him, looking at the rear view mirror. "We better move on if we don't want him to give us a parking ticket. You are parked on double yellow lines, after all."

Jack started the engine and eased the SUV into the flow of traffic with a certain amount of reluctance. "I'm sure we could have persuaded him to waive the ticket," he said.

"No, what would have happened is that I'd have to hack into the police database and delete it from their records. "Ianto gave Jack a pointed glance. "Again."

"For the record, I have no idea what you're implying," Jack said straight away, careful to keep his eyes on the road ahead.

"I had a feeling you'd say that, Sir," came the dry response.

"I'm fairly sure Gwen said something about getting a parking ticket the other day," Jack offered, attempting to deflect the blame away from himself.

"That's interesting, because the most recent ticket was issued on Gwen's day off." Ianto let his words sink in for a moment, before continuing, "And you were the only one who used the SUV that day."

"Maybe I'm mistaken, then."

"It would appear so, Sir."

"I apologise for my appalling parking habits. And for you having to get rid of the tickets for me."

"Part of my job description." Ianto shrugged. "And it does beat scrubbing the Weevil cells any time of the day."

"You know, if you were looking for something else to do, I'm sure I could think of a task or two." Jack wagged his eyebrows.

"I have no doubt about that. But as diverting as your extracurricular activities tend to be, they are rather time consuming and the work in the Hub is never ending." He paused to flash Jack a quick grin. "But I'll take it under consideration, Sir."

Jack cleared his throat, the air in the car feeling much warmer than it had a few moments before. "I'd be interested to find out more about your thought processes as you consider my suggestion."

"I'm sure you would be," Ianto said, his voice dropping low, "and should an opportunity present itself, I may indeed explain them to you in exquisite detail."

Jack swallowed and glanced at Ianto with a hopeful expression. "We're pretty close to your flat. We could take an early lunch break."

"Oh, I'm not sure a lunch break would be anywhere near long enough for the sort of detail I had in mind." Ianto shifted in his seat and Jack could not help feeling a little pleased that Ianto was not unaffected by their flirting either.

"I'm sure your boss would agree to an extended lunch in view of the early start to the day," he offered, trying not to sound too eager.

"Wouldn't that be unprofessional on both of our parts?" Ianto countered with an entirely too innocent look. "My boss would be showing favouritism and I would be taking a personal advantage of my position."

"No one would have to know, so it wouldn't be unprofessional. But hold that thought on positions," Jack tried with a sinking feeling that there would be no extended lunch for them. It occurred to him that sometimes Ianto was too smart for his own good.

"I'd know, and so would you," Ianto said with a slight shake of his head.

"Maybe you could give me an abridged version on the back seat?" Jack asked as the last effort, even though he already knew what Ianto would say.

"Please. What are we, fifteen?"

"Nothing wrong with being fifteen."

"So you say. I prefer being an adult, seeing as how one of us ought to be."

"One of these days I'm going to figure out how I can make myself irresistible to you," Jack muttered as they turned to Springwood Lane.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Ianto asked as Jack parked on the drive way and he opened the door to get out. "I already know you're irresistible."

Jack was left sitting alone in the car with his mouth hanging open. It took him a good minute to get his brain in gear before he scrambled out of the car and after Ianto.

"I figured we should do a sweep inside the house first, check all the equipment and that the makeshift lock we put on the back door this morning hasn't been tampered with," Ianto said when Jack caught up with him on the front porch.

"Good idea," Jack agreed and fished the keys from his pocket. He tested several on the front door and found that the key ring contained four duplicates. He detached one of them and offered it to Ianto. "Here. You should also have the means to get in."

"Thanks." Ianto added the key to his own set.

Jack unlocked the front door and once they were through, flipped the lock back on. Out of practised habit, they pulled out their weapons as they checked the downstairs room by room, ending up at the back door.

"It doesn't look like anyone has tampered with this lock," Ianto said, testing the door, which held firm.

"Good."

In a similar, practised fashion they searched the upstairs, leaving the loft last, before concluding that the house was indeed empty. Ianto switched on the laptop he had brought with him and went through each sensor and camera in the house to make sure they were all working correctly. While he was thus occupied, Jack did a more thorough search of the loft room. Neither found anything unusual, beyond the mounds of psychic leaves.

They had just returned to the ground floor, when there was a knock on the door.

"Are we expecting anyone from the team?" Jack asked, immediately on his guard.

"They would have called first rather than driving all the way across town, I should think," Ianto said even as they moved towards the front door. Both had loosened their guns in the holsters, but had not drawn them.

Ianto looked through the peep hole in the door and his shoulders relaxed. "Human."

"Only one way to find out what they want." Jack opened the door, making sure his coat was covering his holster.

On the door step stood a tall, wiry man in his late sixties. He had a shock of white hair and pale blue eyes that held a friendly twinkle. Wearing only shorts and a t-shirt due to the warm weather, his limbs were tanned from hours spent outside. He was carrying a black documents case.

"Ah, good afternoon. I noticed the car on the drive way and thought I'd come to introduce myself," he said with a smile. "My name is David Llewellyn and I'm the Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator for Springwood Lane."

"Pleased to meet you." Jack offered his hand and he was impressed by the firm handshake he received. "I'm Jack Harkness."

"Ianto Jones," Ianto introduced himself as he too shook hands with David.

"A pleasure, pleasure," David replied with a smile. He opened the case he was carrying and pulled out a pack of documents in a clear plastic sleeve. "Here is the standard Neighbourhood Watch introduction pack. Obviously if you have any questions at all, please let me know. I live at number sixteen, but the green sheet of paper includes both my landline and my mobile numbers. There are also contact details there for the local emergency services as well as information about a new scheme the fire department is running in this area regarding smoke alarms. I would highly recommend that you take them up on the free fire assessment they offer, especially given that this house is made of wood."

"Thank you, we'll certainly bear that in mind," Jack said, matching David's friendly expression, and took the offered papers.

"The Neighbourhood Watch around here doesn't have anything as formal as patrols, it's more about people along this street knowing the other residents and keeping an eye on one another's properties when the owners are away, that sort of things," David explained. "You'll find people here very friendly and welcoming."

"I'm glad to hear that." Jack felt like there was a subtext he was missing. Next to him, Ianto shifted from one foot to another.

"I must say, it is lovely to see people in this house again. I always said to my wife Linda that it's a damn shame that it's been empty for such a long time. Then again, it's perfectly understandable that Alexander didn't want to stay after his partner passed away and he had the accident. This house needs life and laughter inside it again, and I dare say the two of you will bring some much needed diversity to our street."

"Ah," Jack started, finally understanding what David implied.

"Umm," Ianto said at the same time.

"If you don't mind my asking, did you purchase the house from the estate?" David asked. "I'm just wondering, because I hadn't noticed a 'For Sale' sign going up."

"No, Alexander left this house to me in his will." Jack was glad to steer the conversation away from the awkward assumption of him and Ianto being a gay couple.

"Oh, so you knew him then?"

"A long time ago. We had lost touch in recent years, but we were close once." Jack looked away, guessing correctly what conclusion David would draw from his words.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said, as Jack had predicted.

Ianto, sensing Jack's discomfort, took a step closer and asked, "Have you lived on Springwood Lane long? We understand Oaken Home has some interesting stories associated with it and we would be very interested to find out more about them."

"My wife and I have lived here close to thirteen years now, so I suspect I'm not the best person to speak to about this place. However, Mrs Rosalie Gilbert at number twenty-six has lived here since these houses were built. If anyone knows the full history of Oaken Home, it'll be her. Besides," David paused to flash them an indulgent smile, "she very much enjoys all things spooky."

"We'll be sure to pay her a visit, then." Ianto nodded his thanks.

"She'll appreciate you calling. Her arthritis is pretty bad these days, poor dear, and as a result she doesn't get out of the house as much as she used to. Her children all live far away, so she doesn't have many visitors. The only danger of going to see her is that you won't be able to get away for quite some time. And make sure you're hungry when you visit her. Rosalie seems to think it's her duty to stop people from certain starvation."

"So reserve plenty of time and appetite, got it," Ianto chuckled.

David leaned a little closer. "You didn't hear this from me, but if you want to make sure she'll fall in love with you straight away, take her a box of chocolate truffles. If you do, she'll be putty in your hands."

Jack smiled. "Thanks for the tip."

"As I said, I haven't told you anything." David laughed and tapped the side of his nose. "Well, I better leave you to it. No doubt you have plenty of matters to organise without my taking up your time. As I said, welcome to the area and if you have any questions at all, and not just about security but about things such as bin collection dates, please do pop around or give me a call."

"Thank you, David," Jack said and shook his hand once more. "We very much appreciate you coming round and introducing yourself."

"Pleasure is all mine. You take care now." With a final wave, David turned and left them standing by the front door.

"We're not actually going to live in this house," Ianto said in a low voice as Jack shut the front door.

"I didn't see any point in telling him that, at least not at this stage." Jack handed the plastic wallet of documents to Ianto, who looked through them with mild interest. "It's far easier to explain our continued presence in the house if the neighbours think that we're measuring the rooms for furniture and redecorating before moving in. That way they're also less likely to question the team coming and going with large crates of equipment."

"Fair point," Ianto conceded. He led Jack into the kitchen and dropped the Neighbourhood Watch papers in one of the empty drawers. For a moment he looked like he wanted to say something more, but instead he gave his head a minute shake and walked to the back door. "We should go check out the garden."

"Agreed."

Once outside, they spotted two outbuildings a short distance from the house. By some silent agreement, they walked to inspect them. The first looked like a regular garden shed and unlocking the door revealed that to be the case. It held a lawn mower, a wheelbarrow and a number of other gardening tools and supplies, all dusty and rusted from years of disuse. Annexed to the shed was a wood storage, which was accessed through a separate door. Fire wood in various sizes had been stacked along the walls in neat piles and in the middle of the dark, narrow space sat a tall, round section of a tree trunk. Judging by the chipped and uneven top of it, it had been used for chopping wood. On the wall hung an axe and two saws, but the blades were again rusted and in serious need of sharpening. Next to the door was a wooden basket of kindling twigs and birch bark.

The second building resembled a very small house, complete with a short black chimney. It was painted red, although the paint had long ago faded and peeled in places, with white window edges. The door was sturdy and had a polished bit of gnarled wood as a door handle. It took Jack a while to find the right key for the door, but once he did, they stepped into a small room with wooden benches and hooks on the wall. The curtains were faded and dusty. There was a distinct smell of wood smoke in the air and a full basket of firewood sat in the corner.

"Is this what I think it is?" Ianto asked, an edge of excitement in his voice.

"If you think what I think it is, then yes, I think so," Jack replied and then laughed. "Why don't we just find out?"

"That might be best, otherwise this will get confusing," Ianto said with a grin.

From the dressing room, another sturdy door led them to a small shower room. The narrow windows high on the walls had no curtains, but they were made of frosted glass and distorted the rays of sun shining in. The space was simple, with a single shower and a wooden bench in the corner. The floor was tiled and pale grey in colour. The walls were panelled with wood. From there, a further door, this time one made almost entirely of glass, led them to a sauna, just as they had expected. There were three tiers of wooden benches for sitting on and immediately opposite the door was a wood burning sauna stove.

"Wow," was all Ianto managed.

"You certainly don't see many saunas in Wales."

"It stands to reason that Jaakko would have built one, since they were a Finnish family. As far as I know, sauna is like a religion in Finland."

"I want to try it," Jack said with a glint in his eyes.

"You would," Ianto chuckled. "But don't forget that electricity and water has been switched off for some time now. It would be pretty dark in there with just the stove providing light and you'd definitely want to take a shower after some time in a sauna."

"So the next step is to get the power and water reconnected and then we can try it."

"Ah, now it's gone from you trying it to we trying it?"

"I might get lonely by myself," Jack said, trying to keep a straight face.

"I'm sure you would," Ianto remarked as he walked out of the building. Jack followed him, locking the door behind them. "Do you even know how to use a wood burning sauna?"

"Please, I've been living on Earth long enough to pick up a few essential sauna skills along the way."

"Good to know."

Having investigated the buildings, they split up to cover more ground, with Ianto going left and Jack right. They searched the garden in a methodical fashion, disturbing several rabbits and pheasants in the process. Ianto paused for a moment to watch the koi swim around in the small pond, fascinated by their bright colours and graceful movements. He was aware of the whispering all around him. It was calling to him, offering peace and serenity if he would lower his mental barriers and surrender himself to the music. It was tempting, but for the time being he resisted the call of the melody, mindful of the reason why he was searching the garden.

Ianto was heading back to find Jack, having come up empty handed on his exploration, when he head Jack calling his name. He hurried around the house and found Jack approximately twenty yards from the front porch, standing next to two large lilac bushes.

"Did you find something?"

"Yes, take a look at this." Jack pointed at the space between the bushes. Ianto crouched down next to the spot and immediately saw what Jack was talking about.

On the ground were four sets of vague shoe impressions and from the way the grass had been trampled, it was clear that whoever had been there had stood on the spot for quite some time.

"There's also this," Jack said and showed him a clear plastic specimen bag. Inside was a single electric blue hair. "This was caught on one of the branches."

"Owen will want to analyse that," Ianto remarked as he stood up. A quick scan of the area around them confirmed his suspicions.

The spot had been carefully chosen. It was beyond the reach of the nearby streetlights and the lilac bushes themselves provided additional cover. Someone, or several someones, standing there during the hours of darkness would be nigh impossible to spot. At the same time, the view to the front door and the drive way was unobstructed.

"This morning when we came here," Ianto turned to Jack, "we were being watched."

More notes: The next chapter is called Alien World.