Phase Three Begins - Part One.
Ianto goes into the hub the next morning. He arrived just before the rest of the team did and that wasn't Ianto's usual behaviour which let Jack know that something had changed with Ianto. There was a little but noticeable smile on his face and he seemed to have a bounce in his step. Jack thought that Ianto was finally coming out of his dark shell and the old Ianto was coming back. Jack smiles at Ianto and the smile fades. He wasn't back yet.
The team came in and the day went on as usual. Ianto serves the team coffee and Owen spots the smile on his face.
"What's with the smile Ianto?" Owen asks him and Tosh and Gwen turn and see it too.
"None of your business," Ianto replies, the smile a little broader.
"Someone got laid last night," Owen tells everyone in his usual crude manner and Tosh slaps him across the arm.
"I might have," Ianto says quietly but loud enough for them to hear him.
"Who is she?" Gwen asks him, making assumptions.
"That smile isn't from a she, that's from a he," Owen tells her.
"Have you and Jack worked it out?" Tosh asks him and the smile drops from Ianto's mouth.
"It's a new he," Owen deduces and the smile returns.
"Ianto has himself a new fella or bed buddy," Gwen replies, getting a look off of Owen that says, "I just said that didn't I?"
"So who is he?" Tosh asks a little angry at the fact that he didn't tell her about this.
"I'm not saying anything," Ianto tells them and walks off.
Ianto goes back to the kitchenette and the rest of team talk. Ianto begins to smile as things go the way he wanted it to go. He watches as Jack comes to the team while they are talking about what they had just found out.
"Ianto is seeing someone else?" Jack asks the others and they look at each other and no-one answers him.
"Well, is Ianto seeing someone else?" Jack asks them again, sounding like he was ordering them to answer.
"We don't know for sure but you can't tell me that you haven't seen the smile on his face today," Owen dared to reply.
"Did he say he was seeing anyone or not?" Jack asks having a green streak a mile wide.
"You'll have to ask him Jack," Toshiko tells him and then going back to her desk.
The others go back to what they were doing before Ianto had come over with the coffee. Jack goes back into his office. After a few minutes, Jack calls Ianto into his office and he makes his way to Jack's office, goes inside and closes the door, walking to the desk.
"You wanted to see me sir?" Ianto asks him, looking him straight in the eyes.
"I do Ianto. Are you seeing someone else?" Jack asks him, over stepping the line.
"I beg your pardon sir," Ianto replies, acting confused.
"Are you seeing someone else Ianto? It's a simple enough question," Jack asks him again.
"I don't believe that that is any of your business sir who I do or don't see," Ianto replies, the look on his face was cold.
"I want to know if you are sleeping with someone behind my back?" Jack asks him.
"I would have to be your friend or partner in order to cheat on your sir and I am neither and I am becoming uncomfortable with these questions," Ianto tells him.
"I still love you Ianto and it would kill me if you were cheating on me with someone else," Jack tells him.
"I am leaving sir as it really has nothing to do with you what I do in my free time unless you have any complaints about my work sir," Ianto tells him and turns away from him.
"Please don't leave things like this Ianto?" Jack almost begs but Ianto leaves the office.
All day there was tension between Jack and Ianto and the rest of the team didn't want to get involved. Something was brewing but no-one but Ianto knew what. Towards the end of work day, a call came in that Torchwood was being requested as a strange creature had been reported in an area in town.
"Jack. Weevil alert. Weevil has been spotted in town," Tosh shouts to him through the open office door.
"Owen and Ianto with me please. Gwen and Tosh, stay here and track it and liaise with the police. Tell them that we have this one," Jack orders, slipping his coat on and leaving his office.
Owen grabs his Weevil repellent and side arm but Ianto doesn't. They make their way to the garage where the SUV is parked.
"Who's driving?" Owen asks knowing that it would be Jack and his glare tells him so.
"Front or back Ianto?" Owen asks as they reach the SUV.
"Back," Ianto replies sharply opening the back door on the passengers side and getting in, closing the door behind himself.
Everyone belts in and after Toshiko sends the co-ordinates to the SUV, Jack starts the SUV and pulls out of the garage and starts the journey. All the way there, no-one spoke. Owen even suppressed the urge to make a stupid comment or remark. The atmosphere in the SUV was so thick, Owen opened the window. They soon arrived at the co-ordinates and when they arrived, they saw the police officers. Jack arrives at the cordon, waits for it to be raised and then drives under, parking the SUV and everyone gets out. All three of them walk over to the office in charge.
"What do we have here?" Jack asks, snapping at the officer even though he hadn't done anything wrong.
"We have an unidentified creature and when ever one of these are reported, we are ordered to call you in and you have control. There are none of our officers in there and we have a mile wide cordon around the area. No-one has gone in and no-one has come out. The scene is all yours Torchwood," The officer tells Jack and backs away.
Jack sets off further into the area with Owen behind him and Ianto behind Owen. Jack drawers his Webley just in case and Owen drawers his side arm and spray. Ianto doesn't do anything but walk, watching for signs of the Weevil as they walk. Jack puts his hand up and signals that he can see the Weevil in an alleyway. Through hand gestures, he tells Owen to go round the back and for Ianto to stay with him.
Owen follows Jack's instructions and goes round the back to the other end of the alleyway and tells Jack when he gets there over the earpiece. On Jack's mark, Owen and Jack close in on the Weevil from both ends with Ianto coming up behind Jack but leaving some distance between them. The Weevil sees Jack closing in and then Owen and tries to make a run for it but Owen and Jack close it on it.
Owen sprays the Weevil with the spray as they try and grapple with it and the Weevil manages to knock Owens gun out of his hand and across the alleyway. Ianto watches as Jack and Owen have problems containing the Weevil.
"A hand Ianto," Owen asks him and then being shoved by the Weevil knocking him down.
Ianto walks over to the gun, picks it up, walks over to Jack, Owen and the Weevil and puts the mussel to the Weevils head and pulls the trigger, the bullet entering the Weevils head and then exiting again. The Weevil slumps to the ground and Jack and Owen look at Ianto with horror at what he had just done.
"There, dealt with. I'll get the SUV," Ianto tells them, shrugging off what he had just done and walks back to the SUV and drives it to the alleyway.
He gets out opening the back as Owen and Jack put the Weevil in the back and Ianto closes the door. Ianto them hands Owen his side arm back and gets into the back of the SUV without a word. Owen and Jack get in, each looking at Ianto who was looking out of the window as though nothing had happened. Jack briefly stops at the officer in charge and tells him that the area is safe and then Jack sets off back to the hub.
"Gwen. Can you meet us in the garage. Owen is going to need some help bringing in a dead Weevil," Jack tells her over the earpiece.
"What happened?" Toshiko asks in reply and Jack doesn't answer her.
"Ianto shot it dead at point blank range. One to the head," Owen tells her over the earpiece.
"I'll be waiting in the garage," Gwen tells him.
They arrive back at the hub. Owen and Gwen deal with the dead Weevil, taking it into the hub. Ianto is about to follow them in when Jack stops him and turns to Owen and Gwen.
"We will be in in a minute," Jack tells them and they carry on.
Once they are out of ears shot, Jack turns to Ianto.
"What the hell was that out there?" Jack asks him knowing that Ianto would never do that unless it was a life or death situation and that wasn't.
"The Weevil was proving difficult to deal with, it wasn't being affected by the spray and it was over powering you and Owen so I dealt with it sir," Ianto replies, very matter of fact.
"This isn't like you Ianto. You wouldn't have done that before," Jack tells him, putting his hand on his shoulder, trailing off.
"Before what sir? Before I nearly died?" Ianto asks him, Jacking knowing that that was what he meant.
"I think you should go home and think about what you did tonight and then make the choice to come back and start a fresh or not come back," Jack tells him, not wanting to say it but he felt he had to.
"If you insist sir," Ianto tells him blankly.
Ianto walks past him and back into the main hub. He could feel everyone's eyes on him as he gets his coat.
"Is everything alright Ianto?" Toshiko asks him as he puts his coat on.
"Jack wants to fire me but hasn't the balls to do it himself. He's sending me home and told me to think about whether I want to come back tomorrow with a fresh start or if I shouldn't come back at all. Either way, he is getting rid of me. Pushed or jump, it's up to me. This is what happens when you don't do what Jack wants and all because I would sleep with him again," Ianto tells them and walks out of the hub, passing Jack on his way out.
He reaches the lift and as he gets in, a smile appears on his face.
"Phase three, part one, complete."