The Doctor was chatting away completely unaware that his two companions were standing five foot from each other, studiously not making eye contact. It had been the Doctor's request that Ianto join him and Jack, after all, who better to lead them round Cardiff than a Welshman and at least they knew they could trust Ianto.
So the three of them had set of intent on examining the 'haunted house'. According to Ianto the house was located not far from the city centre, but it had been cordoned off by the police and was crawling with reporters. So objective one was getting in unnoticed before finding out what exactly was tempting all those children there.
"Of course there's no such thing as a haunted house," Jack scoffed as they walked.
"Yeah and of course you'd know because you've been monitoring the house for the past four months," Ianto hissed.
This was when the Doctor finally stopped and looked between the pair of them. He narrowed his eyes slightly and Jack and Ianto looked down at their feet like naughty children.
"Now I know you two have had a fight, but we're going to be nice to each other while we sort this out, ok?" The Doctor said sounding very much like a father scolding his children. Ianto nodded and Jack rolled his eyes. "I need you both so you're just going to have to put up with it."
"Ok," Ianto mumbled.
Jack just folded his arms and huffed. The Doctor had the feeling he have done much the same thing as a boy had his mother told him off for dragging mud through the house.
They continued down the street, the Doctor explaining how they were going to get in, Ianto listening intently, Jack too busy pining over Ianto. People stared t them curiously as they passed. Well a tall man in a brown trench coat discussing perception filters and TARDISes with an American who looked like he'd stepped out of 1941 and a Welshman who stuck out like a sore thumb was hardly the norm in Cardiff.
Having said that, after the past few years they'd had the Welsh inhabitants of Cardiff were beginning to wonder if they'd ever have such a thing as a normal day again. Those who weren't native just kind of assumed the Cardiff was always that mad.
When they finally reached the house, which the Doctor had found out from Ianto was called the Radley House, they stood some way down the street watching the throng of reporters, police and missing children's parents all fight for control.
"Right," the Doctor began pulling out three TARDIS keys on string. He hadn't used them in a while but he was pretty sure they still worked. "These are Portable Perception Filters. They work on a simple premise-"
"They stay in your peripheral vision, if you wear one people can sort of see you but you don't quite register," Ianto cut in.
"Yes…" the Doctor frowned. "How did you-?"
"We've got our own at Torchwood," Jack filled in this time. "Remember the Slitheen problem a few years back? Well… it was more than a few years for me, but anyway. The TARDIS melded its perception properties to one of the stones on the Plass. So we made an invisible lift."
The Doctor looked slightly bemused, almost as though he found the idea of humans using a perception filter for their own means funny.
"Ok then," he said finally handing Jack and Ianto one of the keys. "Don't make any sudden movements or loud noises. These aren't as strong as the filters you're used to. Keep walking, and just follow me."
They draped the keys round their necks and together, walked quietly up the street unseen and unheard. Weaving their way in and out of the reporters Jack almost got caught when a reporter was sent flying into him, but he dodged quickly and the reporter fell to the ground instead.
The Doctor ushered him and Ianto up the path to the old house, used his Sonic Screwdriver on the lock and opened the door, gently pushing the pair of them inside. It was quite dark and musty inside the house and the door had obviously unsettled hundred year old dust. Jack and Ianto struggled not to cough, but the Doctor appeared unaffected.
"Well, we know they didn't come in through the front," he said quietly, walking forward cautiously.
"We gathered that much from the locked door," Jack spluttered. "So any ideas?"
Ianto had paused glancing about, looking grim. There was something about this place he didn't like. After working for more than five years at Torchwood (well if he counted the two at Torchwood one) he'd developed a sense for certain activity. Along with the basic psychic training all employees at Torchwood one had an assessment to test exactly how telepathic they were. Apparently Ianto had averaged that test, but the empathy readings had been through the roof.
There was just something about old houses that set Ianto off. He'd never believed in ghosts as such, but after finding that machine all those months ago, he did believe that it was possible for a specific moment in time to imprint itself into its surroundings.
"Well… I'm not getting any readings as yet," the Doctor replied, hitting his Sonic Screwdriver a few times as it began to make a high pitched whine. "Stupid batteries."
"I didn't think the Screwdriver ran off batteries?" Jack frowned slightly, following the Doctor up the hallway.
"Well not normally," the Doctor whacked it again. "I usually run it off the huon energy from the TARDIS, but I didn't want your guys detecting us and ruining the time line, so I swapped it a few months back. Only problem is, the Sonic Screwdriver hasn't taken to it very well. I had to botch them together with a couple of spare zeuss plugs."
Jack gave a slightly bemused chuckle as he watched the Doctor fight with the Sonic Screwdriver.
"Right," he said. He glanced behind him expecting to be able to send a small smile Ianto's way. Only Ianto wasn't there to receive it. "Ianto?"
The Doctor didn't notice Jack wander off as well in search of his ex-lover.
"See the thing is, it misses the connection I think," the Doctor continued, still rambling on about his Sonic Screwdriver.
Jack headed back the way they'd come glancing into rooms as he went. He found Ianto standing in one looking at a wall. The room was almost completely bare apart from a fire place against the back wall and a chair in one corner.
"Ianto?" Jack stepped in heading towards the other man who was obviously fixated by something.
Ianto made a small noise to let Jack know he'd heard, but didn't turn around or say anything.
"Ianto what are you doing?" Jack asked.
"Reading," Ianto replied briefly, eyes moving from one side of the wall to the other as though reading something.
"Reading what?" Jack asked staring at the blank wall. Ianto gave him an odd look and pointed at the wall.
"Reading that," he said carefully as though he thought Jack was being intentionally stupid.
"Ianto, there's nothing there," Jack said carefully.
Ianto glanced between Jack and the wall, frowning slightly and attempting to make sense of what the American had said. He didn't get that far though. After a few seconds of opening and closing his mouth he suddenly found he couldn't breath and collapsed. Jack was kneeling by his side in an instant.
"Ianto? Ianto!"
The Doctor stood in the doorway watching Jack lift the Welshman up into his arms. He caught Jack's gaze as the other man turned.
"We have to get him back to the TARDIS," Jack said firmly.
"Oh I know," the Doctor agreed gravely.