Author's Note:No spoilers here for CoE. My post-CoE fixits (yes, 6 of them at the moment) will be heading up over the coming weeks. One will be my AugNoWriMo in fact.

Sorry for the delay, I have finally settled on The Plot. Onwards!

Tybalt flicked his tail up so that it hit the girl's ankles and tried to give her his most soulful look, but she barely looked at him, just enough to make sure she stepped over him. He licked his back paw, glad that she was that considerate at least, and gave the corridor up as a bad job. Everyone seemed to be busy today, even busier than usual. Most of the time, he could persuade someone to cuddle him, just for a moment, as they passed. Today though, no one had the time to spare for a small black and white kitten, which wasn't nice, as today he really needed the cuddles. Tybalt had learned that this level of business usually meant that Ianto was going away, again.

From the early days of their friendship, when they had played in Ianto's flat together when they were there, when Tybalt had snuggled in Ianto's jacket on the tube, when Tybalt had been fussed over by everyone who met him, life had changed dramatically when Ianto first went away. Tyablt had gone to stay with Ally, who played with him lots but wouldn't let him snuggle with her in bed. He had slept, cold and scared, on a cushion in the corner. The next day, they had gone back to Ianto's office, and Ianto hadn't been there. He had been missing for three visits to the office, and three more nights of sleeping on the cushion, and then he was back, and Tybalt curled up in his lap, as small as he could, and dug his claws in when Ianto tried to get up. Ianto hadn't seemed to mind, really, had made a fuss of him and cuddled him whenever he could. They had spent a few days together, fussing over each other, Tybalt listening as Ianto spoke to him late into the night, the sounds he didn't understand lulling him to sleep on Ianto's chest and carrying on long after he fell asleep. Then a busy day had come and Ianto had gone again.

The third time, Tybalt had found that if he waited until Ally was asleep, she didn't mind him being there when she woke up. The fifth time, she let him come to bed with her straight away.

That made it almost bearable.

His mind made up, Tybalt turned and headed back to the office, bouncing over the door stop that gave him free reign of the corridors and padded over to Ianto, planting a paw on his foot in an indication that he wanted up. Ianto scooped him into his lap and continued his conversation as if nothing had happened. "You will have to take my calls on Saturday again, Ally. It's been a busy week in Cardiff already, so I've had Tosh send us reports through as it happens, to make it easier. The notes I've got so far are here."

"Who am I speaking to this week?" She asked, picking up the files that Ianto gave her.

"Whoever is available. It's been one of those weeks, Ally. Whoever it is, give them plenty of sympathy. I will be back, if all goes according to plan, on Sunday evening. I'll pop by yours to pick him up, if that's alright?"

"Of course." Tybalt mewled as he was lifted out of Ianto's lap and placed in Ally's arms. He struggled to get back to Ianto. "He doesn't want you to go Ianto!"

Ianto reached over and rubbed the top of Tybalt's head gently, smiling. "Neither do I, really, but these things have to be done. I'll call you when I land." He moved around the room, collecting a gun and the other things he thought he might need, putting a notepad and selection of pens into his bag and pulling his jacket on over the shoulder holster, fitting the gun in afterwards. "Visible?"

"Nope."

"Good. Right, I'd best be off. I want those archives finished up to G by the time I get back."

"Yes sir!" Tybalt mewed again and Ianto took him for one more quick cuddle before turning and leaving with a brief farewell to his team.

Ally scratched behind Tybalt's ear, making him forget his worries for a moment. Her giggle, distracted as it was, let him know that she had, once again, been surprised by the volume he could produce. He nuzzled against her thumb and she hugged him close to her chest, one finger rubbing at the back of his neck as she walked back to her desk. "He'll back back soon, Tybalt." she reassured him. "Until then, you'll just have to cope with me. OK?" He blinked at her and nuzzled at her thumb again. She laughed, "I'll take that as a 'yes', then, shall I? In-tray, come on." He mewled as she put him down and tried to grab her hand again, but she withdrew it too quickly. "Come on, Tyb, some of us have work to do. Oh to be a kitten and have no responsibilities."

Time passed. Tybalt got down from the desk and played with a ball of paper that Martin threw for him. The kitten played happily as his people worked, ignorant of the rising tension and activity. There cane a point, however, when even being six inches tall couldn't keep him from the knowledge that something big was going on. This point came when a large, booted foot narrowly missed him and Ally scooped him up with a squeak. "Watch the kitten!"

"Ms. Craig, I have more important things to worry about than the kitten at the moment."

"Even the little things are important, General. Tybalt is Ianto's kitten, and he's fiercely protective of him."

"I see..."

Ally tucked Tybalt into the crook of her arm and went to sit down again, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk with her free hand and settling Tybalt into her lap to leave both her hands free. "It's certain then?"

"I'm afraid so. The Prime Minister's plane went missing one hour ago. Technically, as it's British soil, the case is Torchwood's jurisdiction, but with Jones on board..."

Ally shifted and leaned forwards to reach for her phone "It's all hands on deck, General. Besides, Captain Harkness is Ianto's listed next-of-kin." She buried her fingers in Tybalt's soft fur. "I hate these calls. Ringing." They waited until, finally, she said, "Captain Harkness, it's Analyn Craig. I work with Ianto. Yeah, there's been a problem, and we need your help."