A/N: This is for my sister, who wanted more action and a case to solve, and for Cracklin' Rosie, who wanted a specific scene. My most heartfelt thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, and alerted. You guys keep this going!

Disclaimer: I don't own 'Torchwood'. I do this for fun, make no money, and intend no harm.

"It went left!" Tosh yelled into his earpiece. "Ianto, try to cut it off at the next tunnel. Hurry up, it's gaining."

Ianto put on an extra burst of speed and, not for the first time, cursed the fact that he was the fastest of them. Jack was immortal, and he was very fit, so it literally would not kill him to run a little faster sometimes. It was one of his biggest pet peeves about Jack; the man would certainly recuperate much faster than Ianto would, but when it came to 'cutting the alien off at the next tunnel', it was always Ianto ruining his expensive Italian loafers sprinting through sewage. It wasn't fair to feel that way, he knew. Just because he couldn't die, didn't mean Jack was any stronger or faster than he'd been when he was mortal. Still, when you're up to you knees in filth, Ianto figured you could have all the unfair thoughts you liked.

"Where is it, Tosh?" Ianto breathlessly asked. "I'm at the next tunnel and it is not."

"It should be right in front of you," Tosh answered. "Are you sure you don't see it? Have you looked everywhere?"

"Yes, I'm quite positive a six-foot tall purple alien isn't just a bit to my left." He felt something brush his ankle and shivered.

"Tosh," he whispered, holding perfectly still, "can it swim?"

"Probably. It seems to be amphibious in nature. Are you all right?"

Ianto didn't have a chance to answer before something was wrapping itself around his leg, and trying to pull him under the soiled water. Ianto tried to pull his leg free, and when that didn't work, he tried stepping on it with his free foot. Nothing seemed to loosen its' python-like grip, and Ianto kept losing purchase on the slick ground.

He started flailing in the water, no longer caring how dirty it was, just trying to keep his head up long enough to draw breath. He could distantly hear voices shouting his name over his earpiece, Jack's voice chief amongst them, but then his earpiece was gone. Ianto didn't care. The others knew where he was, and he was not going to die this way. Not splashing around in the sewer, drowned by an alien, while his friends and lover were 100 yards away, on a brilliant summer day. To his mind, that was not how Ianto Jones went down.

He finally pulled his gun loose from its' holster, and prayed that his aim would still be accurate, though he couldn't see what he was aiming at. Shooting himself in the leg was a real possibility, and the infection that would surely set in would probably be enough for him to lose his leg, if not his life. That was yet another way Ianto couldn't imagine dieing, so he steadied his hand as much as he could whilst still treading water, and fired.

The good news was that the bullet seemed to hit home, as the pressure on his leg loosened immediately. The bad news was that the sound reverberated off the tunnel walls, seemingly amplified beyond belief, and Ianto went suddenly deaf, and started to pass out. His final thought before the blackness took him was that this - drowning in shit due to firing his weapon in an enclosed space – this seemed like just the way Ianto Jones would die.

xxxXXXxxx

Jack paced back and forth in front of the medical bay, impatiently fiddling with his braces. He'd been there since Ianto'd been brought in, and Owen had unceremoniously kicked out everyone but Gwen. He'd said he needed her to 'assist' him, which Jack felt he could do perfectly well himself.

"You're too close, Jack," Owen had said as he'd pushed him out the door. "Wouldn't do to have you in here cocking it up."

So, Jack was waiting and pacing. He'd only taken one brief break, to quickly shower, and then he'd been right back in front of the med bay doors. He knew what was going on in there, vaguely.

After he'd found Ianto, unconscious and barely alive, he'd heard Owen saying something about clearing Ianto's lungs, pumping his stomach, and positively filling the boy with antibiotics as a precaution. Jack had heard that, but he didn't really listen to it. When he'd pulled Ianto out of the water, it had brought back memories of the last time he'd done that exact thing, but he'd been sure he wouldn't be able to bring Ianto back this time.

Then Owen had been there, and he'd gotten Ianto to breathe, and Jack's head had been filled with white noise. This was a living nightmare, and Jack had been cursing himself for not getting there faster. Still, Jack distinctly remembered Owen saying that Ianto would be all right, that Jack had gotten there on time, just as Jack always did. The dashing hero, that was he, and Jack was holding on to Owen's words tightly.

Suddenly tired of doing nothing but waiting, Jack decided to find Tosh, and see if she'd learned anything about the alien from the sewer. Normally, they wouldn't even have noticed the creature since it had been here for quite some time, and hadn't come through the rift recently, but it had been carrying something that registered rift spikes. Something it had almost killed Ianto for, and Jack was very curious to see what could be that important.

xxxXXXxxx

The only more annoying to Tosh than a box that was almost impossible to open, was a box that was almost impossible to open, and contained nothing. It had made a soft moaning noise when she'd arrived at the right combination, but that was all. The sound had been so soft she wasn't even sure she'd heard it.

"Anything?" Jack said behind her, making her jump.

"No," she said irritably. "Empty. All of that for an empty lump of metal, it's senseless. How's Ianto?"

"Still in with Owen," Jack said with a shrug. "Are you sure it doesn't do anything? Let me see it."

"Oh, right," Tosh said, tossing him the box, "because you know everything. Sometimes I wonder why you keep me here at all, if you're so much better at my job than I am."

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Jack asked, turning the box over in his hands. "Where did that come from?"

Tosh shook her head, trying to clear it. She felt like she'd had about four pints too many, and all of her inhibitions had suddenly been turned off.

"I don't know," she said. "Jack, I'm so sorry. Just worried about Ianto I guess. I'm going to check on him. Not that Owen will let me in, not with her around."

Tosh practically stormed away from her desk, and headed for the medical bay. Not with her around, why on Earth had she said that? She'd certainly thought it enough, but it wasn't something she would ever say aloud, and certainly not to Jack. Jack had a habit of ignoring rules and people when it came to Gwen too, and that was a thought she'd never had before.

If she was actually allowed in to see Ianto, and if he was awake, she was going to have to be very careful about what she said.

"Whoa," Owen said, coming out of the med bay as Tosh got there, "where do you think you're going, darlin'?"

"I wanted to check on Ianto."

"He's sleeping," Gwen said, coming out behind Owen, "but he's just fine, sweetheart. Where's Jack? I thought he was waiting out here."

"He got tired of waiting, I guess, since you wouldn't let him in," Tosh said, inexplicably unable to keep a sharp tone out of her voice. "He's looking at the device that alien had on him. Waste of time if you ask me. Well, if I can't see Ianto, and I can't do my job, I guess I'll go do the coffee then."

There was a small, sane voice in her head that was screaming at her to just shut it, but she couldn't. It was strange, that, but the part of her brain that registered that something was very, very wrong, was immediately locked away.

Feeling unaccountably angry with everyone but Ianto, Tosh went off to make the coffee.

xxxXXXxxx

"Good news," Owen said, slapping Jack on the shoulder. "Ianto's gonna be fine. He'll have to stay in bed for a while, and he's gonna wake up feeling like shit. I wouldn't want to be him in the morning, mate. You can see him now, if you like. I'm going to take a shower."

He clapped Jack on the back again and started to walk away. "By the way," he said, pausing in mid-stride, "Tosh been acting odd to you?"

"A little," Jack said, voice dreamy. "She was working on this. Do you recognise it?" He tossed the box to Owen, who caught it deftly.

"Yeah," Owen said, "it looks just like a candy dish my Gran had. I'm off to the shower, then, and then I'm gonna find Tosh. I can't stand it when she's cross with me."

He tossed the box to Gwen, and then left the two of them alone.

"Owen's right," Gwen said. "It does look like a candy dish, or a jewellery box. Just space junk."

"That space junk almost got Ianto killed," Jack said, taking the box back. "It has to be important."

"Perhaps the alien only thought it was important. Doesn't matter now. No one died, but the creature. Fancy a drink after I shower? I think we could all use one, after today."

"I don't know. I think I'm going to sit with Ianto. I don't want him to wake up alone."

"Oh, he'll be out all night," Gwen said, with a winning smile. "Owen had to anaesthetise him. Just one drink, Jack. I thought you'd always wanted a date with me."

xxxXXXxxx

Owen found Tosh by the coffee machine, seven cappuccinos all ready made, and more on the way.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, turning the machine off.

"Well," Tosh said, "everyone's always clamouring for their coffee, and with Ianto out, I didn't want to be at this all night. If you want a cup, you can re-heat it."

"I don't think Gwen and Jack can drink that by themselves, love. And, as much as I'd love to try your coffee, I can't. Dead, remember?"

"Oh, right. Like I could forget. It's all you go on about."

"What the hell have I done to piss you off, Tosh? Tell me, what did I do?"

"Nothing!" Tosh yelled. "I just can't seem to stop talking. I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't want to mean anything I'm saying, but I can't stop!"

She burst into tears, and Owen wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay, darlin'" he said soothingly, "don't cry. It breaks my heart when you cry."

Tosh pushed away from him, furiously wiping her face.

"Don't touch me," she said. "You never wanted to touch me before, don't start now."

"I'm not good enough for you," Owen shot back, disbelieving the words were actually coming out of his mouth. "I never was. You're kind, and clever, and gorgeous, and even when I was alive, you deserved so much better than me. It hurts me when you're angry with me. Please don't be angry any more."

There was a whine to Owen's voice now, a begging tone, and he wished he could grab the words out of the ether and destroy them. He wasn't even sure that he meant them, but he couldn't stop himself saying them. From the look on Tosh's face, she wasn't sure he meant them either.

"Just leave me alone," she said. "Don't patronise me. Go check on your patient. Isn't that your job?"

Owen stood in disbelief for a moment, then turned to do as Tosh said, and check on Ianto. He was confused and disoriented, and somewhat ashamed. He knew he was leaving Tosh feeling the same way, but there was nothing he could do about it.

xxxXXXxxx

"What?" Jack asked, stunned and unable to process what Gwen had said.

"A date," she repeated. "A drink, just you and me. I always thought that you and I… if it weren't for Rhys…"

"If it weren't for Rhys, there would still be Ianto. He almost died today, Gwen, and you want a date? What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I thought Ianto was just a fling-"

"You thought wrong. I love him, and you love Rhys. I love him so much; I would sacrifice any of you for him. What the hell is happening to you? This isn't like you at all."

Gwen looked stunned, and then she looked as if she was going to be sick.

"You love Ianto," she said. "I love Ianto, and Rhys. Jack, what are we doing? Oh, my God, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I said those things."

"Me either," Jack said. "And Tosh was acting weird… we have to find Owen and see if he's acting strangely. It could be some sort of alien thing."

They left Tosh's desk, with the empty alien box laying on top of it.

xxxXXXxxx

They found Owen in the medical bay, reading a medical journal.

"He's still not awake," Owen said without looking up. "I anaesthetised him. Don't worry; your precious tea-boy isn't feeling any pain. Stupid git can't be arsed to keep himself out of trouble for one bleeding day, and I'm stuck here baby-sitting him. It's shit, Jack."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jack said. "And it's amazing how often I've had to say that today."

"I don't know," Owen replied. "Ianto kept a killer robot in the basement, and he got a slap on the wrist. I opened the rift to save your ass, and I got fired. If I started shagging you, would I get a free pass like Ianto? Or Gwen? Do you base employee rankings on how attractive someone is? It's bullshit."

"Do you want to fight?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, maybe I do. Someone oughta teach you."

"It'll never be you-"

"Stop it!" Gwen yelled, stepping between them. "You're acting like children, as if that's something new. Something is very wrong here. It's like I know what it is, but every time I try to think of it, it just slips away. Owen, go get Tosh and tell her to meet us in the conference room in five minutes. We have to figure this out before we kill each other."

"Fine," Owen growled, stalking out.

"Come on, Jack," Gwen said. "We have to stop this before it gets worse. I feel like I got incredibly drunk, and it's getting harder to stop myself."

"I'll be there in a minute," Jack said. "I want to stay with Ianto alone for a second."

"Jack-"

"Just go," he all but yelled, and Gwen left quietly.

Jack sat down on the edge of the medical gurney Ianto was lying on, and took the man's hand. He was quiet for a moment, just looking at him, and it occurred to Jack that he'd meant it when he'd said he would sacrifice any of the rest of them, if it meant saving Ianto's life. He wasn't aware of when that had happened, but now that he knew it, he couldn't take the knowledge back.

He kissed Ianto's head, and brushed his hair back.

"I love you," he whispered, and then left to meet the others.

xxxXXXxxx

Jack walked into the conference room to find everyone looking at anything else but each other. He wasn't sure what had been said in his absence, but he knew it couldn't have been good.

"Right," he said, taking his place at the head of the table, "something's affecting all of us, something bad, and we have to figure out what it is. Tosh, has any alien tech come into the hub recently? Anything you haven't catalogued yet?"

"No," she said. "Just the…" she trailed off, and placed her hands on her temples as if her head suddenly hurt.

"Just the what, Tosh," Jack persisted. "Think. What have we brought in besides the-" It felt like his skull was being cracked in two, like someone had filled his head with carpet tacks and shaken it around, as if his brain had been impaled with a railroad spike. Jack had felt worse.

"The box," he said through gritted teeth, and everyone winced and grabbed their heads. "It's the… box. We all touched it, and none of us could even think about it, right? Tosh, I need you to run a scan, find out what it is."

"I tried," Tosh said, holding her head with tears streaming down her face. "My head started splitting, like I was dieing."

"Don't make her do it, Jack" Owen said.

"She has too."

"She can't," Gwen chimed in. "Just the thought of it is hurting her. You do it."

"Fine," Jack said. "Everyone, just stay here. Tosh, did you figure out what the alien was?"

"A Cocaxathin. We've seen them before, once. They aren't usually dangerous."

"Cocaxathin. Good place to start. Just stay here, and try not to talk to each other."

xxxXXXxxx

Jack was sifting through all the information they had on the Cocaxathin race, and every keystroke felt like he was shooting himself. Whatever the box was, it was dangerous, and he had to figure out how to get rid of it.

Before starting his search, he'd tried closing the thing, breaking it, even setting it on fire, but it seemed indestructible, and nothing worked. So, it was down to research, and he hadn't found anything useful yet. His nose was bleeding, and he was pretty sure he'd had an aneurysm. It didn't matter. The answer had to be there. It had no other choice.

xxxXXXxxx

"Do you think he'll actually find something?" Owen asked idly.

"Jack told us not to talk," Tosh said, refusing to look at him.

"What, and you always do what you're told? Don't you ever have any fun?"

"Shut up, the both of you," Gwen said. "You'll end up saying something you regret. Trust me."

"Why? What did you say? Come on, sweetheart, it's share time." Owen said this with a smirk, and Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Nothing I meant, all right?" she said. "Let's just be quiet and try to get through this, okay?"

They sat silently for about fifteen minutes, each passing second making it harder not to say something.

"You know what I've always hated about you-" Owen started, and then they all jolted forward as what felt like a bolt of lightning went through them.

"Oh, Jesus," Gwen said.

"Owen, oh, I'm so sorry. I'm so embarrassed." This came from Tosh, who'd turned a shade of bright red.

"It's all right," Owen said, and then Jack stumbled into the room. He looked like he'd been in a bar fight, and lost badly.

"What happened?" Gwen asked. "What was it?"

"The Cocaxathin version of truth serum," Jack replied, falling into his seat. "They use it for trials. After it's been opened, anyone who touches it is forced to tell their deepest, darkest secrets. But, it also makes you tell your most evil thoughts and buried desires. You don't even have to mean it. If you think it, you say it, even if you're just afraid of saying it, and it's not true. Ridiculous system, out of date now. My best guess is that our alien was carrying it to sell it to a collector. The migraines are a security measure to keep the prisoner from shutting it down."

"How did you shut it down?" Owen asked.

"It takes a drop of the DNA of the person who originally opened it to seal it again. I got some of Tosh's blood from the medical bay. Then, I locked the box inside my safe. We should be fine now."

"I don't feel fine," Gwen said. "The things I said, Jack, I didn't mean them…"

"I'm sure none of us did. Go home, all of you. We've had a hell of a day. Gwen, could you stay for just a minute?"

Jack waited until the others were gone, and then said, "Just so we're on the same page, I did mean what I said. Ianto is it for me. When you first started here, I thought… but, it's Ianto, and it always will be. Okay?"

"Of course," Gwen replied. "I didn't mean anything, Jack. I have Rhys, and he's it for me. Okay?"

"Of course," Jack parroted, and left Gwen standing as he headed back to Ianto.

xxxXXXxxx

Owen was walking Tosh to her car, and the silence between them was palpable and awkward. He had to break it.

"Tosh…" he said, "I… I just want you to know that I didn't mean everything I said."

"I know," she said, with a forced smile. "It's like Jack said, it doesn't have to be true."

"But, I did mean some of it," Owen said, and kissed her on the cheek. "Have a good night, Tosh."

xxxXXXxxx

Jack sat with Ianto until the young man awoke. Unsurprisingly, Ianto's first words were, "What the hell happened to you?"

Jack looked down at his shirt and saw it was still covered with his blood, though his wounds had, of course, healed.

"Long story," Jack said. "How are you?"

"Well, I'm not big on dignity today, but I'm alive, so that's good. What happened?"

"I found you."

"You always find me.

"I always will."

"Tell me your long story," Ianto said. "What happened while I was out?"

"Well, it started with the box that alien was smuggling…" Jack said, and proceeded to tell him a much-abridged version of the story, leaving out the parts with Gwen and Owen, as much for their sakes as for Ianto's.

When he was done, Ianto looked ready to pass out again.

"I'm going to let you get some sleep," Jack said, giving him a kiss. "I'll be upstairs doing some paperwork, but I'll check on you soon."

"Okay," Ianto said, closing his eyes. He was all ready drifting off when he said, "Jack? I love you."

There was nothing but silence that followed, and when he opened his eyes, Jack was all ready gone.