AN: Let the drama commence. Sorry Ianto – you know I love you really!

Please review x

"Looks like you need that." Owen said, planting a beer down on the table in front of Ianto.

"Cheers." Ianto said picking the glass up and clinking it against Owen's before taking a mouthful. "Works better than tea." He added as he placed it back on a beer mat.

Owen smiled. "If Tosh hadn't got there first, I was going to bring you something a little stronger. Your first meeting with a Blowfish is never easy." He said.

"How do you do it? How do you face Blowfish and Weevils and all the other creatures that seem intent on killing you every day?" Ianto asked.

"It's my job." Owen answered simply.

"Jack said you used to work in a hospital." Ianto said as he took another drink from his beer.

Owen nodded as he replied. "I did. Much prefer Torchwood though. I enjoyed medicine… just hated the patients." He said with a smirk. Ianto laughed softly.

"He's very proud of you. Jack I mean. He thinks you're a great medic… even though he apparently never tells you." Ianto said.

Owen smiled. "Jack never really acknowledges what he's feeling or what he thinks, and he hardly ever vocalises it. You get used to it, figure out other ways to find out what he thinks of you."

Ianto looked down at his pint sadly.

"What did I say?" Owen asked.

Ianto looked back up at Owen. "Nothing." He said taking another drink.

"You know he's crazy about you don't you? I mean seriously, he never shuts up about you, and we have never had this many coffees bought for us before. Any excuse to see you, and Jack's there." Owen said.

Ianto smiled a little. "I'm kinda crazy about him too." He said softly as his smile turned into a grin. His phone beeped with a text. 'I'll be up later if you want to talk. J x'

"Speak of the devil." Ianto said as he tapped a reply. 'I miss you too. I x'

"He okay?" Owen asked. Ianto nodded as his phone sounded again. 'Good. J x' Smirking he put his phone back into his pocket and finished his beer.

"Another?" He asked looking across at Owen.

"Sure." The medic said before Ianto got up and walked to the crowded bar and ordered two more pints. As he stood waiting he heard a commotion behind him and turned to see Owen running out the pub.

"Cancel that." Ianto called before rushing out after Owen. As he stepped into the street he heard a banging noise coming from a nearby alleyway and sprinted over, looking down it to see Owen lying half unconscious against a large commercial bin with a strange animal leaning over him. Ianto crept down the alleyway, picking up a plank of wood that was propped up against the wall as he went. As he raised the plank in the air, ready to strike the animal, Owen spotted him. The medic's attention being distracted made the animal turn round and Ianto flinched. Fanged teeth snarled at him and he dropped the plank.

"Ianto… run." Owen said weakly, but it was too late. The animal leered towards Ianto, striking him hard on the side of the head. The Welshman crumbled to the floor as he was plunged into darkness.

TW

The monotonous beeping noise that was ringing around the bland and sterile hospital room echoed irritatingly in Jack's ear. As he stood at the end of the bed, eyes fixed on the man lying unconscious within it he tried to focus on the words being spoken into his left ear.

"Mr Jones has several large lacerations to his chest and arms and a number of cracked ribs. He received a severe blow to the head when he hit the ground. He has suffered a lot of blood loss, and the best thing he can do now is sleep. We have put him under heavy sedation for the evening, and will wake him up first thing tomorrow to gauge the seriousness of his condition."

Jack nodded and the doctor left, his position taken up by Owen who limped in on crutches.

"I'm sorry Jack." Owen said simply.

"It's not your fault he followed you." Jack said sincerely.

"What did the doctor say?" Owen asked.

"Lacerations… blow to the head… sedation… they're going to wake him up tomorrow." Jack said, his eyes never leaving Ianto as he rounded the bed and settled into the chair that was positioned beside it.

Owen nodded unseen. "He'll be fine." He said.

Jack nodded, his gaze still not shifting from the bruised face of Ianto as he reached out and took hold of his hand, brushing it gently with his thumb.

"Do you want me to stick around?" Owen asked.

Jack shook his head. "Go home and rest that ankle. And can you call Tosh and ask her to transfer the Rift Monitor to her PDA for the night, and tell her I'll be in as soon as I can in the morning." He said dragging his eyes away from Ianto and looking at his medic. Owen nodded. "And stop blaming yourself." Owen nodded again before leaving the room.

Jack looked back at Ianto. "You're going to be just fine Ianto… I promise." He began, reaching up and stroking his fingers through the short brown hair on the Welshman's head, his hand trailing delicately over the bruises that were dotted across his cheeks and jaw, down to the intricate stitching that sealed the cuts on his chest. Taking hold of the hand nearest to him once more he clasped it firmly in his own, lifting it to is face and kissing the back of it gently. As he leant his elbows on the bed and sat with his lips resting on Ianto's soft hand, the room door flew open and a woman Jack half-recognised rushed in.

"Oh my god Ianto." She exclaimed as she ran over to the bed before stopping suddenly in her tracks when she noticed Jack.

"Who are you?" She asked, her Welsh accent striking, jogging Jack's memory as to who she was.

"I'm Jack… Ianto's boyfriend. You must be Rhiannon?" He asked rising to his feet, laying Ianto's arm back down on the bed.

The woman nodded. "He's told you about me?" She asked.

Jack nodded. "I recognise you from the photo on his fridge." He said, and she smiled softly.

"Christmas last year. One of the few times you can get Mica and David to sit still – bribed with presents." She spoke fondly of her memory, a smile present on her face throughout.

Jack smiled back. "I'm sorry this is how we're meeting." He said simply.

She nodded as her gaze drifted to her brothers broken body. "How is he?" She asked.

"He's got some superficial injuries… bit of bang on his head… he's sedated at the minute… but they're going to wake him up in the morning." Jack explained.

Rhiannon nodded again. "How are you?" She asked.

"Me?" Jack asked confused.

"They said he was out with a man when they got jumped in the alley – I assumed it was you?" She said.

Jack shook his head. "No he was with a colleague of mine… he's got a broken ankle and a few bruises. From what I hear, Ianto saved his life." He said.

"Sounds like Ianto." She mused.

"Do you want me to leave you two alone?" Jack asked.

Rhiannon nodded as she reached out and brushed her fingers delicately along Ianto's arm.

"I'll be outside if you need me." He said softly before walking out the door. Settling onto the hard plastic seating that was lined up against the wall opposite Ianto's room Jack brought his hands up to his face and rubbed them across it. As his hands settled back onto his lap, he began to cry.

TW

It was just after 8 o'clock the following morning when a doctor joined Jack and Rhiannon in Ianto's hospital room.

"Right. I'm going to administer a drug that will wake Mr Jones up. He's going to be groggy at first… he may not even been lucid… once he's awake we'll be able to gauge the extent of his injuries… whether the bang on his head has caused any major damage." The doctor explained.

The doctor injected a clear drug into Ianto's IV and stepped back a little. Rhiannon stood on the right hand side of Ianto's bed, clutching desperately onto his hand, as Jack stood on the opposite side of the bed, his fingers resting delicately on Ianto's arm. A few silent and tense moments passed before the Welshman began to stir gently and subtly at first, a mere twitch and flinch that almost went unnoticed, before his eyes slowly opened and he croaked his first word.

"Jack?" Ianto's voice was low, the dryness of his mouth and lips adding to the creaky sound.

Jack took a deep steadying breath as he took hold of Ianto's hand and squeezed it fondly. "I'm right here Ianto… I'm right here." He said gently, but with great relief as he locked eyes with Ianto.

"What happened?" Ianto asked slowly, his voice sounding almost like normal.

"You were at the pub with Owen – do you remember?" Jack asked.

Ianto nodded. "Yeah I went to the bar… Owen left… he ran out… so I followed him… that's when I saw…" His voice trailed off.

Jack squeezed his hand. "Owen was being attacked… and you saved him."

"Am I going to be alright?" Ianto asked.

"You're going to be just fine. The doctor's here… so is Rhiannon." Jack said looking up at the other people in the room.

"Rhi?" Ianto said softly, smiling when he felt his sister squeeze his other hand.

"I'm here." She said as her eyes filled with joyful tears.

"Mr Jones? My name is Doctor Pete Saunders. How are you feeling?" The doctor asked.

"Like I've been mugged." Ianto said as he winced slightly.

The doctor nodded. "You have some deep cuts to your torso which have been treated and stitched. You lost quite a lot of blood, so you'll feel slightly weak and light-headed for a day or so. You have two cracked ribs that will heal in time. From the sounds of it though, you haven't suffered any additional trauma or memory loss from the blow to the head you received. We're going to keep you in for a few more hours… just to monitor the situation, but I'd like to expect that you'd be discharged this afternoon. I'll send a nurse in to get your more comfortable." He said simply before leaving.

Ianto squeezed hard on the two hands that were residing in his own. "So… Rhiannon – I'd like you meet my boyfriend Jack. Jack – this is my big sister Rhiannon." He said with a smirk.

"How are you feeling?" Rhiannon asked.

"I'm okay Rhi, I promise. How's Owen?" Ianto asked looking at Jack.

"He has a broken ankle… few bruises. He's going to be fine. Thanks to you." Jack said.

"I don't remember doing much other than getting battered." Ianto pointed out.

"Yeah well I'm proud of you." Rhiannon gushed as Ianto yawned.

"Go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." She said, stroking her hand through his hair.

"Jack?" Ianto said sleepily. "Will you be here later?"

Jack nodded. "I need to nip into work… but I'll be back. I swear." He said bobbing his head down and planting a gentle kiss on Ianto's forehead.

"Stay safe." Ianto said as his eyes fell closed and sleep took him once again.

Jack let out a relieved sigh as he smiled across the bed at Rhiannon, who matched his look.