It didn't take Ianto long to realize on Friday, that getting back to London for his girlfriends birthday, and dinner with her parents, wasn't going to happen. Jack told him to head out early so he could miss the traffic and surprise Lisa. He was about to leave, having waited to collect a parcel from Tosh for her grandfather, when alarms began going off and flashing lights filled the Hub.
'Oh crap.' Tosh began typing furiously as she tried to track the source of the alert while Jack appeared at her side checking his webbly was in his holster.
Ianto was sure Jack had been in his office and it usually took at least eighty-five seconds to cross a distance that the man had all but flown over.

'Talk to me Toshiko.'
'Major rift spike in Splott, effecting several locations and indications of possible space radiation that shouldn't be there.'
'None of this should be there.'
Owen and Suzie arrived with their weapons of choice and began reading the data on the screens surrounding Tosh who shook her head before facing Jack.
'I can't tell you what it is Jack, just that there's half a dozen of them and the local constabulary has been called about some major disturbances in the area.'
Jack wasn't happy. 'I'm going to need you on the ground with this Tosh.'
'But.' She shoved her glasses back as they began sliding down. 'Someone has to monitor things from here.'

Ianto felt four sets of eyes on him and rolled his eyes. 'Fine, I never told her what time I'd be getting to London. What do you need me to do?'
Tosh turned her focus to Ianto and began speaking in rapid Japanese before pushing back from her desk and scooping a gun out of a draw. She clipped the gun to her belt and looked at the team. 'What, I think faster in Japanese.' She nodded as Ianto settled into her chair and began typing. 'See, now lets go before we have a first contact situation on our hands and a lot of upset civilians.'
Jack shook his head. 'You lot aren't ready to know about aliens, Tosh is right, we have to go. I'm sorry Ianto, are you going to be okay here monitoring things?' Dropping his hand on the Welshman's arm as he nodded. 'Come on people, time to go.'

Ianto felt time moving away from him with every keystroke as the distance between Cardiff and London grew. He'd been here almost two weeks and now he was directing the team via his comms unit and Tosh's electronic wizardry. This went so far beyond sorting out the archives and occasionally feeding the resident weevil when Jack forgot. It was exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure, knowing the team were relying on him to provide technical back up. He pushed thoughts of Lisa aside and concentrated on his team.

Jack checked the time and tapped his comms to talk to Ianto. 'We've got them contained, if you leave now you can still get to London at a reasonable hour.'
'Will you be long Sir?'
He shrugged before he remembered that Ianto couldn't really see him even with the CCTV feed. 'It depends on how forthcoming our new friends are.'
Owen looked up from the pile of luminescent purple goo he was currently trying to scoop into a bucket. 'I'm not sure forthcoming is the word I'd use Jack. And why do they always pick bloody Splott.'

Ianto snorted as he heard Owen. 'How long have you been living in Cardiff and you still call it Splott.'
'Well smarty pants.' Owen retorted. 'How do you pronounce it then?'
'Sploe, the tee's would be silent.'
Owen dumped another scoop of goo in his bucket. 'You bloody Welsh and your bloody language, you do know, teaboy, that Wales has been part of England for several hundred years don't you.'
'I am well aware of our history of subjugation at the hands of the English, perhaps a nice celebratory cup of tea or decaf would make you feel better.''
'Steady on mate, I was only kidding.'

It was a little after midnight when the team finally got back to the Hub where Ianto had a pot of fresh coffee at the ready and had even made sandwiches.
'I wasn't sure how long you'd be and pizza would have gotten cold.'
Jack patted him on the arm and nodded. 'You didn't have to stay here Ianto.'
'But how would I be able to make Owen a cup of tea if I left?'
'Oi.' Owen said as he shoved a sandwich in his mouth and chewed. 'I resent that.'

Ianto looked pointedly at the medic. 'Perhaps we could repeat that, when we have finished talking with our mouth full. My six year old nephew has better table manners than you. Come to think of it, even my brother in law's table manners are better than yours.' Ianto raised his eyebrows, a small smirk on his lips. 'And he's Welsh.'

Owen finished chewing and swallowed. 'Whatever teaboy, bring it.'
Jack shook his head. 'Children, must we?' He turned to Tosh who was trying to hide a yawn. 'Perhaps we should get that alien goo analyzed to make sure it hasn't effected Owen.'
Suzie snorted. 'Fat chance, sorry Jack, I think you have to accept that our good doctor is just a wanker.'
'I'm an optimist.' Jack rubbed his hands together before picking up the mug of coffee Ianto had set before him. 'Anyway, lets get this lot tucked away so we can put our aliens to bed and follow suit ourselves.'
Tosh looked up from her computer. 'The rest of the Hi-Alon ships have left Earth orbit.'

'Good, they really aren't supposed to be this side of the way for another few hundred years. I hate when aliens are early.'
'You're the one who keeps saying it all changes in the twenty first century.' Owen pointed out.
'Yes, but it doesn't happen in Sploe.'
'Now see, that's where your wrong Harkness, I think we both know it's always bloody happening in sodding Sploe.'
'Go, start your tests on your alien goo or I'll get Ianto to brew up that decaf he was talking about.'
'Easy, I said I was just teasing.' Owen grabbed another sandwich and refilled his coffee cup before winking at Suzie and heading towards the autopsy bay.

Jack sighed fondly as he finished his coffee. 'You know, if you ever wanted to throw the girlfriend over, Jones, Ianto Jones. I'd totally take you on.'
Tosh stopped typing, frozen in place until Jack winked and Ianto just laughed as he began clearing the empty plates away.
'Seriously Ianto, you don't have to do that.' Jack swung out of his seat and reached for the plates. 'It isn't in your job description and you are supposed to be heading to London.'
Ianto tried to hide a yawn and shook his head.

'Then head home and get some sleep so you wont crash when you do head to London.'
'I don't think I could sleep now if I tried. I don't mind clearing this lot away first.'
Jack laughed. 'You just want to make sure I don't try and file my report in your archives and stuff up your system.'
Ianto raised a single eyebrow, smiling he took the plates back and walked towards the kitchen.
Tosh watched Jack follow Ianto and shook her head before turning back to her computer.

Owen rubbed the bridge of his nose, pushing away from the microscope as Jack stood beside him. 'Well it's sodium based, probably looking for a midnight dip in the bay and took a wrong turn somewhere to wind up in Sploe. I'm detecting high levels of luciferin, luciferase and oxygen, like in those deep sea fish that glow. Not surprising about that since it sparkles all pretty like.'
'Is that what makes plankton glow?'
'Sometimes, and your wee friends from tonight. Or yesterday since technically it's well after midnight.' Owen yawned as he leaned back in his chair. 'I gave up the prestige of being on call at all hours of the day and night in a hospital for this nice, cozy underground bunker and all the alien goo I could analyze.'
Jack laughed. 'You mean all the alien goo the mass spec can analyze.'
'Whatever Harkness. I've broken the goo down to it's chemical components, can I go home now?'
'Home or clubbing?'

Grinning Owen shrugged. 'I get home eventually.'
'Note your results and file the rest, don't forget to put some of the goo in the freezer.'
'You know.' Owen said, slipping a glove off and reaching for a pen. 'I haven't had anything to actually autopsy for a while now. It's been all, analyze this and freeze that.'
'That's not what you said last time, as I recall.'
'Well, how did I know that whatever the fuck that last one was would explode when exposed to the exact light-wave frequency techno thing of the lights over the autopsy table. You're the alien expert. Or is that only for one's you've shagged?'

Jack shrugged as he grinned at Owen. 'You usually tell me you don't want me to answer questions like that.'
He groaned. 'Fuck me, you're right, I don't. It's nearly two in the morning Jack, I'm done I tell ya.'
'Then get your notes written down and go. And don't come in tomorrow.'
'I wasn't going to.'
Jack turned to walk away. 'You're on call for Sunday.'
'Who's got tomorrow?'
'Suzie and Tosh got their notes sorted and left an hour ago, I'll stay here tonight and I'll call them in if I need anyone.'

Jack looked around the Hub for Ianto as Owen put his samples in storage. He found the Welshman sitting on the couch under the Torchwood sign. He watched as the younger man jerked himself awake after starting to nod off. 'You're not used to these hours are you.'
Ianto shook his head. 'It's more a nine to five job in London Sir, I think the adrenaline is wearing off now.'
'Not the same as reading the reports is it, come on, I don't think you should drive home.' He held a hand out to his borrowed archivist.
'I don't fancy a kip on the autopsy table Sir and this sofa isn't that comfortable.'
'It's not. But I have a bed in the bunker under my office, you can sleep there and I'll take old faithful here.' Jack decided it was a measure of how tired the man was as he simply rose to his feet and followed him until they were both standing in the bunker.

Ianto looked around. 'I wasn't sure if I'd find shag-pile carpet and a revolving bed or an old army surplus cot.'
Jack shrugged as he opened a draw and pulled a pair of drawstring cotton pants out which he handed to Ianto. 'It's a double bed, I like to be comfortable. There's a bathroom though that door.' He pointed. 'And you can borrow these since I don't think you'll want to sleep in your suit. But if anyone asks, it is just an old army cot. I don't want anyone sneaking down here for afternoon naps.'

Ianto nodded before striping his tie and jacket off. 'I can do that, but, all innuendo aside, if you promise not to spoon I don't mind sharing the bed. You can't sleep on that sofa, you'll put your back out. I mean, a man of your age.'
Laughing Jack considered what he was being offered as he heard Owen call out before the cog door alarm sounded, leaving them alone. 'Sure, why not. But I can't promise no cuddling.'
'Just, hands to yourself, yeah.' Ianto waited for Jack to nod before taking his shirt off and heading to the bathroom. 'You got a spare toothbrush or do I have to find my overnight bag?'
'Try the cupboard behind the mirror.' He waited for the door to close before stripping to his boxers and taking another pair of cotton pants out and pulling them on.

Teeth brushed Ianto found Jack already under the covers. 'You don't waste time do you Sir.'
'Well, usually I'm strictly a dinner and a movie kind of guy before someone gets me into bed but we do live together already.'
Ianto snorted. 'Hardly how I'd put it.' He climbed into the bed and settled himself down as Jack turned the light off with his wrist strap before setting it beside the bed. 'Night Ianto.'
'Night Jack.' He murmured sleepily as he pulled the pillow closer and lost himself to sleep.

Ianto opened his eyes and tried to remember where he'd gone to bed, and with whom. The body lying wrapped around his wasn't Lisa and he wasn't even in his bed at Jack's. The blue eyes looking back at him blinked as he remembered.
'Morning Ianto.' Jack moved back slightly, bringing his hands back to his side of the bed. 'Sleep well?
Ianto nodded. 'You have a very comfortable bed.'
'Would it surprise you to find out that you're the first one other than me to sleep in it?'
He considered Jack and shook his head. 'Not really. And I see you do like to cuddle.' He was met with a grin. 'But your secrets are safe with me.'

Jack threw the blankets back and said nothing although that was his fervent hope, given how many of them the younger man seemed to know. He looked back at Ianto. 'You could still head back to London for the weekend, come back Monday.'
'How about I make us a coffee and we make sure Owen didn't accidentally set the self destruct instead of turning the lights out when he left.'
'Ye of little faith.' Jack quipped as he climbed out of his bunker, still in the cotton pants and undershirt he'd slept in. He checked the computers and there were no rift spikes they needed to worry about. When he looked around an immaculately dressed Ianto was heading to the kitchen and the coffee machine.

Meeting Jack with a coffee Ianto checked the time. 'When will the girls be in?'
'Little after ten.'
'It's just gone nine now. Have you considered getting a few extra team members? You might actually get more weekends off if you did.'
'That's London talk Ianto Jones. Small team, greater control.'
'And more likely no one will have to worry about saving for retirement.'
Jack smiled. 'The only one I'm trying to convince to join my team is a certain Welsh archivist.'
'Well, if this birthday dinner doesn't go well, I may have to seriously consider doing just that.' Ianto muttered into his coffee, missing Jack's hopeful grin.

Finishing his coffee Ianto began looking around, the movement catching Jack's attention as they both heard a loud bang. It echoed though the Hub and sounded quite unlike anything Jack was familiar with based on his expression.
'What was that?' Ianto watched as the older man shook his head before looking down at his feet. 'Yes, perhaps you should put some shoes on Sir.'
'Yeah, I'll be right back, do you know how to use a gun?'
'Standard operating procedure at Torchwood One, even our tea lady is armed.'
'I've never seen you pull out your gun.'
'I'm going to assume that wasn't a flirtation because we really don't have time if that bang was anything other than innocent.'
'So masterful Ianto Jones.'

Ianto rolled his eyes knowing that was exactly Jack flirting. He pointed to the bunker. 'Shoes Jack.'
Treating him to a wink Jack vanished and returned wearing shoes and with his webbly in hand, not even sure where Ianto had gotten the gun he now held but he found it unsurprisingly erotic. Not that this was the time for such thoughts. 'I'm really hoping that the lab rats Owen lost a few months back have just decided to get frisky and it wasn't anything else. The Hub may look old and decrepit but it shouldn't be banging like that.'
'You're not really reassuring me here Sir.'

Jack shrugged as he moved into a point position and began creeping towards the direction of the noise. Unsure if he should be surprised that it was emanating from Owen's lab area or optimistic it was just the escaped rats. He sneaked a look back at Ianto and found him in a similar position, feet balancing his upper body and the gun moving with his eyes as the archivist surveyed the area around them. Quartering the space as he moved with liquid precision. Jack had to remind himself there was an unexpected noise to investigate and he could consider just how homoerotic he found his current predicament, later. When there was time, after establishing that they weren't going to die. And since unlike himself, Ianto wasn't going to come back from that, he had to concentrate to make sure his archivist didn't get killed before he could head back to London.

Stepping into Owen's lab Jack frowned as Ianto moved up beside him. They both looked at the standing freezer with its door bulging outwards like a spoiled can.
'Uh, Jack?' Ianto watched out the corner of his eye as the team leader shrugged.
'Hell if I know what he usually keeps in there. Last thing that went in was the goo sample from yesterday.'
'Is it possible yesterday's goo has some sort of exothermic/endothermic property?'

Jack shrugged. 'Captain not scientist, that's why I have Tosh and Owen on my team.'
'Well as the Captain I vote you open the freezer door, ranking field officer and all.'
'Oh you are a smart arse Ianto Jones.'
Ianto smirked. 'I thought you liked that about me.'
Jack looked at him, wondering if Ianto was flirting with him or if he was always like this in the face of uncertainty and possible death. Giving Jack an encouraging smile Ianto shooed him towards the freezer, his gun never wavering.

Bracing himself he flung the door open and stepping back as a basketball sized ball of goo wobbled out of it's confinement.
'Oh crap.' Ianto looked around and wondered what he could use to try and contain the now moving mass. 'Ah, Sir?'
Jack pushed a button on his wrist strap and barked a command as he too looked around for something, anything they could use to capture the goo. 'The others will be here soon.'
'What do you expect us to do in the meantime, sing it show tunes?'
'Are you panicking Ianto?'

'I'm a bloody archivist, I deal with folders and artifacts and my pervert boss, I'm not a field agent.'
'You are referring to Weggie and not me in that, right?'
'Now is not the time for a crisis of confidence Jack.' Ianto moved back as the goo advanced on him, still maintaining is ball like form. 'The field agents keep asking me out on a trial run and I keep saying no. I like my archives, I don't need to save the world.'

Jack wondered what he'd missed if the field agents kept courting the archivist for their team but he also agreed that this wasn't the time to worry about things like that. It also crossed his mind, and not for the first time, that Yvonne Hartman had no idea of the sort of man her junior archivist really was.
'I'm going to take a stab in the dark Sir and suggest this thing grew in the cold, or did Owen put the entire goo collection in the freezer?'
'Not sure, why? Have you got a hair dryer handy that we can try zapping it with?'
'You don't think my hair is this perfect by accident do you Sir.'
Jack gave Ianto a quick look along with a shrug as the archivist rolled his eyes. 'I'm not sure I want to do any stabbing in the dark, not on a first date at any rate. If it grew in the freezer we don't know what it might do if we shove it in the microwave.'

Ianto nodded. 'Perhaps you are right Sir, besides, how we would get it in the microwave is a bit beyond me right now.'
Moving backwards Jack spotted one of the lidded buckets Owen used for medical waste and secured his webbly before grinning as he grabbed the bucket and dumped it over the goo to trap it. 'If we can slide something under the bucket we can invert this thing and put the lid on it.'
Ianto nodded as he moved back. 'Sure, and what was in that bucket?'
'Why do you ask?' Jack looked down as the bucket that had been by his feet rose to waist height and kept growing. 'Oh.'
'That pretty much sums it up.' Ianto nodded as Jack dived out of the way.

Which is the precise moment Owen walked into the Hub with Suzie and Tosh before the lock-down alarms began ringing and the lights flickered.
'Bloody hell Harkness, I leave you alone in the Hub with the teaboy for one night.'
'I've missed you too Owen, what the hell was in that bucket by your desk?'
'Last thing was probably bleach.' He didn't have to look to Tosh to see her move towards her computers or to know Suzie was reaching for her biggest gun. 'What happened Jack?'
'The goo in the freezer grew to basket ball size and began moving towards us.'

Ianto picked himself up from where he'd also dived to one side and joined the conversation. 'The Captain dropped the bucket over it to contain it, and it grew.'
Tosh looked up from the scans she was running. 'Based on Owen's samples the goo reacted to they hydrogen peroxide residue in the bucket.'
'But what made it grow in the freezer?' Jack asked.

Owen shrugged. 'How should I bloody know, it's not like I can google this shit Jack. And we didn't exactly cover alien xenobiology when I was at med school.'
'But you were an intern at Cardiff Infirmary. They deal with aliens all the time.'
'Not on bloody purpose. And not helpful.'
'Well best you check your other samples then, to see if any more of them have grown while Ianto and I go and find a blow torch or a hairdryer or something.'

'That could work if it grew in the cold. No point putting it back in the freezer is there.'
'Jack.' Suzie called out as she tossed him a cylinder. 'I've been working on this, it might help.'
Ianto moved over to stand by Tosh. 'I'm sure I saw this in a movie.'
'Why, have you got any head and shoulders we can try on this thing?' She replied. 'I was thinking the same thing.'
'I don't as it happens. I could have been having breakfast in bed with my girlfriend if I was in London right now.' He sighed as he moved to another computer and began a search of the mainframe archives. 'I'll see if they've encountered this before shall I.'

Tosh watched as he entered a series of passwords until he was accessing the servers of both Torchwood One and Two. 'Okay, I'm a bit jealous now.'
Ianto grinned. 'I'm good at my job, what did you say the aliens were?'
'Jack called them Hi-Alon.'
Ianto typed a number of variations into the Torchwood search engine. 'Who needs google.' Muttered in Welsh as he began scanning the results.

Tosh grinned, even if the only word she understood was google but she'd tried that when they'd arrived back at the Hub the night before and found nothing.
Ianto stepped back from the keyboard and shook his head. 'That's boarder line useless, there's nothing but a note that says, mostly friendly but not to put them in the freezer. The rest of the file is noted as lost in a fire in 1902. Apparently the chaps in Scotland had a choice between saving the rest of the files or the whiskey.'
Tosh giggled. 'I hope the whiskey was worth it.'
Ianto's smile was brief and faded as he turned to the autopsy bay and saw Jack shooting a blue flame at the goo creature. 'Tosh...'
'Yes?'
'Duck.' He pulled her down as the creature seemed to wobble before turning opaque and exploding. They were far enough away from the explosion to avoid flying goo debris but Owen, Jack and Suzie were not.

A scream sounded, which Tosh identified as Owen. The medic was scrubbing at his face while trying to strip his clothes off and run to the bio-hazard shower at the same time. Instead he managed to face plant into even more of the now powdered goo.
Ianto rolled his eyes as he surveyed the scene. 'Should I find the dust buster Sir? And some rubbish bags.'
'Dust buster I think.' Tosh added, smiling at the now purple head of curls surrounding Suzie's stunned face. While Jack just leaned against a railing and grinned. 'And who's going to volunteer to wash my back for me? Toshiko? Ianto?'

Ianto shook his head before disappearing. He returned wearing yellow washing up gloves and a plastic apron, carrying his bucket of cleaning supplies and a mop. 'I'll start on the clean up then Sir, and might I suggest we incinerate the remains.'
Jack nodded before sauntering towards the showers. 'Just as well I wasn't wearing my coat.'
'No, I rather like your coat Sir.'
Jack looked over his shoulder and grinned. 'Do you?' He winked at Ianto before looking at Tosh. 'Perhaps you can find everyone's spare clothes and bring a few bio-hazard bags with you. We shouldn't take any chances.'
She nodded before moving towards the lockers.

Ianto lost himself in cleaning every speck of powdered goo up from the Hub. He wasn't willing to risk it melting back together or getting into the drains when they didn't know what reaction introducing it to either the sewers or the Bay would have on it's biology. It may be totally harmless. Or they could wind up with some sort of mutated weevil-shark hybrid to terrorize locals and tourists alike. He couldn't see that going over well with the Cardiff Tourism Board. He wasn't even close to finishing when the others finally joined him. Having scrubbed themselves pink they too donned gloves and aprons and began cleaning.

Ianto leaned a number of things on that Saturday spent cleaning the Hub. Chiefly among them being that a hung over Owen was not a sparkly member of the human race. He was even more caustic and rude than usual. Mainlining Ianto's coffee and stuffing a greasy bacon sandwich into his mouth hadn't improved his mood. Personally Ianto wondered if he had inhaled his food so quickly it had given him indigestion.

Jack tried to send Ianto home so he could still get to London, but looking at the time Ianto shook his head.
'I called Lisa when I got us some lunch, she wasn't happy but she understood.' Thinking it was just as well he'd posted her present a few days previously so she'd at least opened it when they had spoken. He suspected he was going to be buying her something extra, and possibly shiny to make up for it.

Tossing his gloves into the trash bag Jack decided they had the place cleaner than when it was new. 'She should come down here for a weekend. See how we do it Cardiff styles.'
Suzie laughed. 'Cardiff styles? I thought Owen was the one who fell over this morning and hit his head, not you.'
'Oi, I didn't hit my head thank you very much.'
'I happen to be very hip and up with the play.' Jack pointed out. He knew his second and his medic had a somewhat hot and cold relationship but he didn't have the energy to deal with it right now. 'Besides, we're just about ready to set this lot on fire and then we're done for the day I think.' He watched his team nod as gloves and aprons were dumped into the bag and cleaning supplies were put away.

With the last bag thrown into the incinerator Jack turned to Ianto. 'If you wanted to take off for London, you could come back Monday. I know you'd miss dinner but you could still see Lisa.'
Yawning Ianto shook his head. 'Even if I caught the train I'd be too tired to pay her any kind of attention and she's booked herself a spa day tomorrow, she does it every year for her birthday.'
'You know what that means.'
Ianto shook his head.

'It means, if the others haven't left yet, we might be able to talk them into karaoke.'
'I'd ask if you were being serious but I'm not sure I want to know.'
'You'll think about it?'
Ianto shook his head. 'I just want to go home, have a bath and do some online shopping to try and get out of the bollocking I'm going to get for missing not only Lisa's birthday, but meeting her parents. Again.'
'I thought you said she understood.'

'You haven't lived with a woman for a while have you Sir.'
'Well no, it's probably been thirty years truth be told.' Recalling the year he'd spent with Sophia before she'd kicked him out and kept him from his daughter.
'There's always a cost to a woman's understanding.'
'And Lisa's?'
'Shoes and jewellery.'

Jack watched his archivist walk away, shoulders dropped a little, looking tired and rumpled. He may not have lived with anyone for some time, not aging made relationships difficult after a while but even when he'd been married, his wife had understood. What he didn't remember, was if there had ever been a cost to that understanding.

AN: Sorry about the re-post if you've already read this, I noticed a few errors I needed to fix, blame pride for that one. And thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and apologies if I haven't responded to your comments. I'm in the middle of moving house at the moment so please don't think I don't appreciate your kind thoughts and comments if I haven't emailed you back. :)