Notes: Thanks to bbmcowgirl and kateg123 for the reviews and thanks everyone else for reading! Hope you enjoyed chapter one.
"Rhys and I were going to have dinner with friends." Gwen said as she plopped down on the large, soft bed.
"Alun and I were going to go to the movies." Tosh said. "And now neither of us can even call to tell them we're okay, let alone why we can't make our dates."
"Just have to love Torchwood sometimes." Gwen groaned as she lay back.
"At least we don't have to share a room with Owen." Tosh said, "Silver lining."
"Thought you had a thing for him?" Gwen asked with a laugh.
"I did. Not anymore." Tosh answered with a shy smile.
"Because of Alun." Gwen teased.
"Yes." Tosh said, blushing. "I wonder if they have anything to eat." she added, trying to steer the conversation away from anything embarassing.
"I hope so." Gwen said. "I'm famished."
"I'll go look for Mrs.Milner." Tosh said, heading for the door. "I'll be back." she called over her shoulder as she shut the door behind her.
Tosh wandered about a bit. She had to since she kept getting lost. The place was huge and all the halls seemed to look alike. At least the scenery was nice. Being lost and trying to find her way back where she wanted to be.
She stopped to look at a watercolor painting of a mother and child. Tilting her head from side to side, she couldn't help but feel she knew the woman from somewhere. She just couldn't figure out where.
Somewhere behind her, she could hear the faint humming of the wedding march. She turned to look around and could see no one. Perhaps she was close to the room she was sharing with Gwen and could hear her humming. Turning back around, she started walking again. The stairs had to be around here somewhere!, she thought.
"Here comes the bride, all dressed in white."
Tosh stopped, spinning on her heel, she found no one there.
"If she tries to run, I'll give her quite a fright."
The last line was sung so quietly, she cold barely hear it, and it was followed by a maniacal laugh. Tosh's heart was beating so fast, she felt it was about to pop out of her chest.
"Owen is that you?" she called. "That's not funny!"
No answer, no sound at all. Taking a deep breath, she took off quickly, hoping to either run into someone, someone she knew hopefully, or find her way back to her room.
"You can't marry him. He's not stable."
Ianto turned and looked around. "Jack, did you say something?" he called from the bathroom.
"No." Jack said, coming to stand in the doorway. "Did you hear something?"
"No, of course not." Ianto said quickly.
"Ianto, last time you heard voices, you ended up with a mildly psychotic flatmate." Jack pointed out.
"Mildly psychotic?" Ianto asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry, I know you two are friends..." Jack began.
"Very good friends, probably best friends." Ianto said. "But, to say Faith is only mildly psychotic, that's put it, well, mildly."
"I'm glad to see that she hasn't convinced you that she's perfect." Jack laughed.
"She doesn't have that much persuasive power." Ianto said.
"Best friend, huh?" Jack asked as he leaned against the doorframe.
"Yes." Ianto said slowly.
"I'll pretend I'm not even a little offended." Jack said as he crossed his arms. "I thought we'd worked things out."
"We have." Ianto said, moving past him. "Just because we're back where we were doesn't make us best friends."
"Ianto..." Jack began as he moved after the younger man.
"Jack, just leave it." Ianto said. "I'm going to go see about something to eat." he said as he left. "Be back soon."
He headed down the hall, looking at some sculptures that adorned beautiful wood tables. The Milner's must have some guests in order to be able to have all this, Ianto thought. Either that or they're very good knock-offs.
"Mama, please, I love him."
"I know you do, darling, but he's not safe."
"You don't know that."
"I do. If you marry him it will only end badly."
"No, we'll be happy."
"Please, Soo-Jin!"
"Mama, please just go."
Ianto stood in place as he listened to the conversation. Slowly turning around, he expected to see someone, anyone, to explain the voices. He was greeted by the sight of an empty hall. No one was around.
"It's been a long day." he muttered to himself. "Very long day."
"I use that excuse when I've lost something." a man's voice said from behind him.
Turning around, he found an old man standing there. Stanley Milner, no doubt.
"Sorry, I didn't realise anyone was here." Ianto said, forcing a smile.
"No worries." the man said. "Stanley Milner." he introduced himself, holding out a hand. "Georgie said I'd probably run into some guests."
"Ianto Jones." he said. "She told us we might run into you and your son." Ianto replied as he shook the older man's hand. He had quite a strong grip, not what Ianto was expecting.
"Yes, Christopher is rattling around here somewhere." Stanley said with a wave of his hand.
"Perhaps you can help me." Ianto said hopefully. "We've not had a chance to get any dinner..."
"Say no more." Stanley said holding up his hand. "Georgie makes the best lamb stew, with fresh bread. Absolutely wonderful."
"We don't want to be any bother." Ianto said, even though the sound of the stew was making him even more hungry.
"No bother at all." he said. "She always makes enough in case we're lucky enough to get some guests."
"How fortunate." Ianto said.
"Come down to the dining room in let's say half an hour, we'll have you all fed." Stanley said as he clapped Ianto on the shoulder, almost with enough force to knock him over.
"Will do." he said as he steadied himself.
"Ianto?" Tosh's voice called.
"Over here." he called back.
"Oh, thank goodness." she said as she rushed up to him. "Oh, hello." she said as she caught sight of the other man.
"Stanley Milner." Ianto explained. "Mr.Milner, this is Toshiko Sato."
Stanley just stared at them both for a second before a smile spread over his face.
"Hello." he said as he took her hand and kissed it.
"Hello." she said as she watched, resisting the urge to pull her hand back.
"Korean?" he asked.
"What?" Tosh muttered. "Oh, no, Japanese." she said, catching on before he had to ask again.
"Close enough." he said. "Close enough." he repeated with another smile. "Dining room, half an hour. Until then, Miss Sato, Mr. Jones."
"Okay, he's just a bit creepy." Tosh said when Stanley had disappeared.
"Oh, just ever so slightly." Ianto said. "Are you all right?" he asked as he looked at her.
"Ianto, have you heard any noises, voices?" she asked, feeling it would be safe. Ianto wouldn't mock her like some of the others might, especially since for a while he had an invisible friend.
"Have you?" he asked.
"Why would I be asking otherwise?" she replied. "I heard someone humming the wedding march, then someone sang a bit, adding some rather disturbing parts."
"No, no wedding march." Ianto answered. "I did hear what sounded like two women arguing about a wedding though."
"This is very odd." Tosh said as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I want to just go home." her stomach growled just then and she blushed a bit. "Maybe something to eat as well."
"Like he said, dining room, half an hour." Ianto repeated.
"Good." she said. "I'm going to try to find my way back to my room." she said. "Gwen's hungry as well."
"If you run into Owen or Faith on the way, tell them." Ianto said as Tosh walked off.
"Okay." she said. "You'll do the same I'm sure."
"Of course, what else would a diligent tea-boy do?" he asked with a smile as he headed back to his own room.