A/N - check Chapter 10 first in case you missed it - for some reason when I updated the story didn't go to the top of the page on fanficnet and I think it got missed by some readers.
Chapter 11
"Ianto! Ianto! Owen - he's not responding!"
"They've just coshed him on the head, Jack - he's probably out cold."
"He hasn't been moved. He's still in the pub toilets." Tosh had the tracker working and displaying Ianto's position on the screen of her lap top.
"We need to –"
"We need to do nothing, Jack. Someone's bound to find him soon. Gwen's on standby, he'll be OK." Owen watched as Jack tried to compose himself. Hearing what Morgan had to say had unnerved all of them, but especially Jack.
Over the speakers they could hear sounds of the door to the gents opening and someone shouting for help.
"Ianto? Can you hear me? Talk to me … come on…" Jack pleaded.
Jack?
There's no Jack here mate – come on, let's get you out of here.
It had been agreed beforehand that Gwen should go looking for Ianto after he ran off. Her concern was genuine and after all that had been said in the Plas it would not look amiss for her to go looking for her colleague. In fact it would have appeared odd if she hadn't gone after him.
"Excuse me – has anyone seen my friend in here? Tall, wearing a dark suit, red shirt? He was very upset and I wanted to check he'd not got into a fight or anything stupid." Gwen flashed a smile at the barman, who pointed towards the smoking shelter in the back yard of the pub.
"Out back love, couple of locals found him out for the count on the floor of the gents. One too many I reckon. Bashed his head on the sink by the sounds of it. You going to look after him then?"
"Yes, I'll call my husband and we'll get him home, sober him up. Thanks love."
Gwen called Rhys and told him that whatever he was doing he had to drop it and meet her at the pub. She told him that there had been a fight between Ianto and Jack, and that they had to look after Ianto. She'd explain later she decided, knowing that what she'd said in public would serve its purpose if anyone came snooping around later.
She also sent a quick text to Jack, letting him know that she was going to take Ianto home with her. She figured he'd be angry with her for possibly divulging her own home address should she be followed, but she couldn't just abandon Ianto. If he felt anything like Jack did he shouldn't be left alone.
"Gwen, what the fuck is going on? Ianto looks like shit! Did Jack hit him?"
Gwen had made it clear to Rhys in the pub that they wouldn't discuss anything until they'd got back to their flat. Then as soon as they got through the door, Gwen had fussed over Ianto, putting a cold compress on the back of his head and generally smothering the poor lad until Rhys suggested that he might like to use their shower. Ianto had seemed particularly grateful for the opportunity to make a break from Gwen's mother hen antics.
"Rhys, what you don't know can't hurt you." Gwen was torn between protecting her husband and involving him in all aspects of her life, including Torchwood.
"Don't keep me in the dark, Gwen love, I can't help if I don't know what's happening."
Gwen explained, in outline, the undercover mission that Ianto was embarking on. Rhys had been initially appalled, despite his relief that it wasn't Gwen that was to be put in harm's way. She then told Rhys about the mock fight in the Plas and how Ianto had been approached and then attacked in the pub.
"OK love, what can I do to help?"
"Cook dinner and let him have a night of normality. I think that would do him good."
"I can do that." Rhys grinned.
By the time Ianto staggered out of the bathroom, wearing a loose T shirt and a pair of Rhys' jogging bottoms that were hanging off his hips in a way that Gwen found rather distracting, he was welcomed by the aroma of garlic and onion.
"Spag bol all right for you mate?" Rhys pointed at the bubbling pot, from which spatters of tomato sauce were splashing out aggressively.
Ianto nodded enthusiastically. He genuinely couldn't remember the last home cooked meal he'd eaten.
"Great, I'm starving."
"Beer?" Rhys was already opening a bottle of cold beer, the condensation running down the glass.
"I'm dreaming aren't I? I'm still out cold on the floor of the gents toilets under the condom machine. Next thing you'll be asking if I want to watch the rugby."
"Well, at the risk of convincing you that you're in the middle of some sort of weird fantasy, Wales are playing tonight. Where have you been that you didn't know that?"
"Food, beer and rugby – my God, Rhys – if this is a dream it's a fucking good one."
Hey – remember that he's married to Gwen before you go getting ideas, Ianto Jones. Jack's affronted outburst made Ianto smile. He took the bottle from Rhys and took a large swig from it, welcoming the way it soothed his parched throat.
"You could learn a lot from him, Jack," Ianto whispered quietly.
"What was that, mate?"
"Nothing, Rhys, just talking to myself…"
Gwen's text had calmed Jack – at least Ianto would be safe for the night. He knew that he couldn't risk going anywhere near him now, that if he did he could be signing Ianto's death warrant. That didn't stop him wanting desperately to go to him, to make sure for himself that he was OK.
"Jack – did you know those bastards were watching Ianto?" Owen's accusation brought Jack out of his thoughts with a thud.
"No, but I should have known." That had bothered him, Morgan's admission that they'd been watching Ianto since the battle of Canary Wharf. Just how much did they know about him? And Lisa?
"Fuck – he's in a deeper pile of shit than we thought, isn't he, Jack?"
