Author's Note: For the record, I want to say that I am a fanfic author and I am not ashamed of myself, Gareth David-Lloyd! I am very proud of me. **puffs chest** And, if I had a naked icon of you (which I would never...shut up, candybree...lol) I would attach it to this post! So there. I revel in my fangirly-ness.

The knock on the wooden door frame woke Jack with a start. A small hand clutched at his shirt and he opened his eyes to see that Henry had fallen between his body and the back of the couch. Easing the boy up, he heard the knocking again. "Yes?" Jack called, moving so that he was sitting, noticing that Henry was now trying to wake up, but not doing so well.

"Here to fix your door, Mr...Jones?" The male voice called back. "Is now a bad time?"

"No, uh, it's fine." Jack pulled himself together the best he could and tried to smooth his hair down a little. "Come on in."

The man pushed the rigged-up door as best he could and stepped inside, smiling when he saw Jack sitting on the couch with Henry. "Your boy – how old is he?"

Jack blinked at the question before answering. "Two – two and a half."

The handyman winked. "I can see where he got his looks from."

"Thank you." Jack stood, hefting Henry in his arms as he walked toward the kitchen, unable to contain his smirk.

The handyman cleared his throat. "I'll just see what I can do to fix this." He looked over it for a moment. "It looks like someone kicked this in..."

"I'll be in here if you need me," Jack said, disappearing into the room. "What do you eat, kid?" He looked down at the blank look on the toddler's face. "Great, no help there." Jack rooted around in the cupboard and found a box of cereal. "Looks like we're having this." The boy smiled as they walked back into the living room and took up their spots on the couch from the other night. "So, Hank, let's see what's on."

Jack flipped through the channels before finding a cartoon that looked interesting to him that he thought Henry would watch. "Have some cereal," he passed the box to the boy, taking a handful for himself.

Henry put his arm into the box, the whole time looking at Jack. When he was sure that he was doing what the man had told him, he smiled and dug in, his eyes going to the screen.

"Okay, so, as far as I can gather, this 'Prince Speed' has these things called 'Commando Frogs'..." Jack tried to explain to the boy. "Though, I'm not sure why."

The handyman laughed. "My nephew watches that show," he volunteered. "Be careful, or you'll be singing that damn theme song."

"Duly noted," Jack said back. He watched Henry watching the screen with confused interest. "What is going on up there, kid?"

"My guess would be that those frogs are on motorbikes for a reason..." Ianto said, his voice still tinged with sleep, as he shuffled into the kitchen, not noticing the handyman fixed the door. "Jack, what are you feeding Henry?"

"Cereal," Jack said back, looking over the back of the couch in the direction of his voice.

"I don't want milk on the couch," Ianto called back, over the sound of the grinder.

"We don't have milk. Only cereal."

"You aren't eating out of the box are you?"

"No."

"Are you lying?"

"Maybe."

Ianto let out an exasperated sigh that Jack could hear from the living room, knowing that it also had an accompanying eyeroll.

"Sounds like Ianto is mad at us, kid." Jack said, digging his hand into the box again with a shrug.

The man fixing the door cleared his throat. "Okay Mr. Jones, about done here....if I can just get you to sign this invoice for me?"

"Hang on!" Ianto called from the kitchen, where Jack could smell coffee beginning to brew.

"He's Mr. Jones," Jack explained when the handyman gave him a questioning look. "I'm Mr. Harkness."

"Knock it off, Jack," Ianto said as he came into the room and took the clipboard to sign. "And thank you so much for coming on such short notice."

"No problem," the man said, picking up his tool kit and leaving, glancing in Jack's direction before doing so.

Ianto glanced at the paper he held. "You can take this in when you go to work."

"I have to go to work?" Jack whined. "I'm not there now and they're fine."

Ianto folded the paper and stuck it in the pocket of the greatcoat. "About that – can you make sure you bring your cell in here next time? I had two of them going off in the bedroom early this morning."

"Oops."

"That's right. Not a picnic to wake up to Gwen screeching in your ear about how you aren't there and why aren't you there." He took the cell in question from his pocket and tossed it to Jack. "I don't know how Rhys does it."

The phone landed on the couch. Jack chuckled a little, tilting the box for Henry to get more cereal. The boy's eyes were glued to the screen still. "She's not that bad."

Ianto gave him a look that indicated that he thought otherwise. "And, Jack, stop watching 'Prince Speed and the Commando Frogs' – last time, neither of us could get that theme out of our heads for weeks!"

**--**--**

Jack parked the SUV and used the tourist entrance, locking the door behind him. He had a thermos of coffee with him that Ianto had made and pushed into his hands as he left. Jack smiled at the thought of how happy Ianto was that morning. He figured it had something to do with the fact that Henry's furniture was being delivered and they would have their room back. That was enough to put a giant smile on Jack's face.

Stopping to get a mug from the kitchen, he noticed that Gwen and Martha were not at their desks, but there was a familiar white pastry box on the table in the conference room. Jack headed up there and found that there were a dozen donuts in the box, and that two of them were his favorite jelly-filled. He grabbed one and sat in the chair at the head of the table, pulling a legal pad and pen over that was sitting in Ianto's usual spot.

Gwen dropped two heavy folders on the conference table as she walked by Jack to her usual spot.

"What's this?" Jack looked up from the memo he was composing for Ianto to look over.

"All the info on Roderick Delany and Johnson Pruitt I could find in the databases." Gwen beamed at him as she fell into the chair. "Go on, look at it."

Jack looked impressed as he opened the first folder – the one labeled 'Roderick Delany'. Gwen had included a few pictures that she had tracked down from CCTV surveillance all over the city. From what she had gathered, Jack found that the man was of a slender build, and possibly younger than he looked. The thing that made him stand out was his wardrobe, though. While Jack had to admit that it was flattering, it was also on the side of bizarre, with a mostly gray color scheme. He shook his head, thinking that he had seen the man somewhere before, but he couldn't be sure. "Wow, Gwen, you really did your leg work."

Gwen smiled again. "Yeah, well, with Ianto out, I thought I would need to help out a bit more."

"Do you make coffee?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"I can try," Gwen was out the door and at the machine when Martha came from the archives.

"What are you doing?" She looked over to where Gwen was stirring sugar into a mug – Jack's mug.

Gwen stopped, pointing to the coffee machine. "Making Jack coffee?"

Martha dropped the file box she was holding and covered her mouth. "Gwen! You don't try to mess with the man's machine AND his well....man!"

Gwen innocently stirred. "What do you mean?"

"Listen, sister, that wide-eyed doe look may have everyone else fooled, but not me. I'm watching you."

"What do you mean?" Gwen was holding the mug in both hands now.

"You can't do that." Martha was waving her hands at the steaming beverage.

"Do what? All I did was make Jack coffee." She flipped her hair. "He asked me to!"

"Gwen, think." Martha went back to the box and bent to pick it up. "Think what Jack associates coffee with..."

"Martha, I know you love Jack – and Ianto – but..." She went to walk toward her, but got her heel caught in the grating and she had to yank it free. Gwen began to pitch forward, and before she knew what was happening, Martha was covered in scalding liquid.

She looked down at the light brown stain that was spreading across her white lab coat and back up at Gwen with a look of shock. Her mouth was opening and closing as if she wanted to say something but the words would not come out.

The only thing the Welshwoman could do was stand there, her hand covering her mouth, eyes wide and scared. She looked momentarily up at the conference room; Jack hadn't heard anything.

"You...you...you...do something!!" Martha wailed, looking down at the mess covering her again. "This is hot!"

"I didn't mean...it was an..." Gwen looked close to tears.

"Problem, ladies?" Jack was in the doorway.

"None," Martha answered, death in her eyes. Eyes that were fixed on Gwen.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Nothing going on?"

Gwen caught the warning look that Martha was giving her. "No, we're good."

"Am I ever going to get that coffee?" Jack joked, leaning on the doorway now. If he saw the mess that Martha was, he didn't say anything. Likewise, the twitch that Gwen had.

"Coming right up," Gwen called back brightly, but her face did not match her voice at all. Martha glared at her still.

"I don't have all day." Jack disappeared back into the conference room with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Martha." Gwen stepped forward and started to help the doctor take off her lab coat and the jacket underneath. "That was a complete accident – you have to believe me."

Martha took a deep breath and sighed as she let it out, composing her thoughts. "I know." She motioned to the front of her. "But it was hot and...Truce?"

Gwen nodded, "Truce." She leaned to shake hands, but found that her heel was still stuck. "Help?"

Martha helped her pry the heel out of the grating and, together, they looked at the damage. "Do you have another pair of shoes? These are done."

Gwen smiled as she took the other one off and tossed both in the bin. "Yeah, in my locker, I'll get them later." She shrugged and started back for the coffee machine.

Martha stopped her with a hand to her arm and a shake of her head.

"What?" Confusion twisted Gwen's face. "We used to joke about what we were doing wrong to make us the last two people in the world that hadn't shagged Jack."

"That was different. I thought we were just having a laugh, but what you're doing is serious and wrong and I can't stand for it." She was trying not to raise her voice.

Gwen was taken aback. "What? I..."

"Gwen, I know Jack – and before you tell me that you have been around him longer, I have to ask you this: Have you ever really watched them? Both of them? Not just Jack." Martha looked lost in a memory for a moment before turning back to the present. "Anyway, need to get cleaned up. I'll grab your shoes while I am down there if you want."

Gwen smiled, still a bit in thought. "Yeah, thanks, that would be great." She pointed to the coffee machine. "I'll just..."

Martha started down to the lockers before turning back. "Gwen, can you do me a favor in return?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Tell Jack you couldn't figure out the coffee machine. Back off."

"Right." Gwen agreed, nodding. "I'm just clean this up and go tell him."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you."

**--**--**

When Martha got back to the conference room, Jack and Gwen were laughing over the fact that Gwen couldn't figure out Ianto's coffee station. Martha smiled warmly as she took her seat. "Problem?"

"We'll have to keep getting our coffee from that cute little shop around the corner, I'm afraid," Jack said, looking sadly at his empty mug. He had no more of the coffee Ianto sent with him left.

"No shame in that," Martha smiled over at Gwen with a small nod.

"None at all," Gwen agreed. "In fact, maybe I should go and get..." She was cut off by the Rift Monitor going off.

"Our work here is never done," Jack sighed, pushing his chair from the table and standing. "Shall we, ladies?" He offered an arm to both.

**--**--**

"Jack!" Gwen called over the comms, "We can't find anything."

"Then meet me back at the SUV. I just want to check over here by the..." Jack's voice faded when he saw the gun pointed at him.

"Now, old man, here's what you're gonna do." The youth was backing Jack to the wall with the gun he held. "You are going to give me all your money. Then, I am going to shoot you."

Jack reached for his comm to warn Gwen and Martha, but the unknown assailant hit at his head and knocked it from his ear. He could hear Gwen's voice calling to him, but stepped back to crush it, not wanting them to give away their location. "I don't have any money on me..." Jack searched imaginary pockets.

The gunman relaxed his stance, never moving the gun itself from Jack. "Why do your type always say that?"

"My type?" He knew if he kept the boy talking that he could reverse the situation quickly.

The boy lunged forward, pushing at Jack with his free hand. "Shut up, old man!"

Jack's coat fluttered to the side just enough for the boy to see he had a gun of his own. Holding his hands up, his eyes flicked to the holster and then back to the youth. He wasn't sure what he thought he could do, but he never got the chance.

"This is better than that plastic piece of shit!" The boy threw the one he was holding and reached for Jack's holster.

The older man would have been fine, had it not been for the empty soup can that got caught under his foot. Jack's arms windmilled as the boy tried to pull the Webley from it's secured spot. The strap that Jack used to secure it was tight, and no matter how hard he pulled, the younger man couldn't get it free. He could, however, fire it.

Jack heard the noise, but didn't realize what had happened until he felt the wetness spreading down his side. The boy took one look at him and, realizing what he had done, ran. Jack felt his legs give way underneath him and he wished that Ianto were there. Ianto would have known what to do; Ianto would have assured him that was everything was all right, even though he would have known that Jack had been shot in the lung. Ianto would have held him as he felt himself slipping under – but Ianto wasn't here, only Jack.

"Kaget!" A familiar voice cut through the haze and a hand reached out to it. "Kaget! Can you hear me?"

Jack shook his head, trying to focus. He knew that voice from somewhere. His brain tried to get a fix on where it was from, even as the being it belonged to moved closer. "Who's there?"

"I'm sad you don't remember me; I remember you..."

Jack's vision cleared and he found himself looking at the calico face of his dreams. "You're..."

"Real?" She reached out for him with one hand. "Yes."

Jack sat slowly. "Why don't I remember you? Have I met you yet?"

The look on her face was enough to break Jack's heart. "Oh, Kaget, what did they do to you?" She stood in front of him and took his face in her hands. "My beautiful beautiful human..."

Jack looked at her for a long moment before closing his eyes. "Hessa..." he whispered, feeling her begin to shake. He opened his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Tears were disappearing into the fur on her face as they formed in her eyes. "You shouldn't be here." She shook her head. "You...you are made for better things. You will save so many people..."

Jack brought his hands up to her shoulders, drawing her closer. He didn't know what to say; he only knew who she was because of the dreams, and even then, he still didn't know why he knew her – or if she had ever been real. He felt a tug in his mind and she released him.

"You have to go now," she ran a finger down his cheek slowly. "They need you."

Jack nodded and kissed her gently before laying back down. She held his hand as he felt himself leaving wherever this place was. But he didn't miss the last words she said to him. "Of all of the things I missed about you, I missed your kind face the most..."

Jack gasped back to life - his first thought of Ianto. The second however, was the vision he had seen. What was going on?