This is the third in my occasional series of stories about Jack and Ianto on holiday. (The others are Friendly Conspiracy and Roman Holiday.) Something a bit different for our boys this time, a visit to North Wales does not turn out quite as free of Torchwood as they had expected.

A Bump in the Night

Chapter One

"We won't need those."

"That's what I thought last time. I'm not leaving them behind again." Ianto straightened up from his case and looked Jack in the eye. "And make sure you pack yours too."

"What's the point? You always repack everything I put in." Jack pulled a face and stood with his hands in his pockets. "At least I'm not having to drag you away kicking and screaming this time."

Ianto calmly resumed his packing, rolling up his swimming shorts and wedging them between his shaving kit and travelling alarm clock. "Do I get the impression you don't want to come?" Socks and underwear were next to go in the case. He looked up when Jack didn't reply. "Jack?"

His boss and lover let out a heavy sigh and leant back against the chest of drawers. They were in Ianto's flat preparing for a three night break, their first since the weekend in Bath. "I want to be with you. It's just, well, it is pretty busy."

"No more than usual. And Gwen can't wait to be rid of us. No, that should be get rid of you. You've been like a bear with a sore head for weeks." Ianto watched Jack carefully but couldn't make eye contact; Jack was finding the light fitting above their heads very interesting. "Besides, they can always call on Rhys to help out."

"Oh throw that back in my face! I thought we'd got over that!" Jack glared at Ianto, tired of the arguments about his decision not to give Retcon to Gwen's fiancé.

"So did I. Is it because the wedding's getting closer?" Ianto went back to his packing, studiously ignoring Jack as he selected T-shirts from the pile he'd got out. He decided on three and added these to the case with a pair of shorts and some tracksuit bottoms.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Whatever you want it to mean." Ianto continued to pack, adding two pairs of jeans – one old and faded and one newer – together with a couple of sweatshirts.

"I'm not in love with her if that's what you think." Jack sounded defensive even to himself. He saw Ianto stop what he was doing and grip the sides of the case while keeping his head down. "I'm not," he added more softly, coming to stand near the Welshman. "I don't know what I feel for her, but it's not love."

"But you feel something." Ianto kept his head down and gazed unseeingly into the case. This was the closest they had come to talking about Jack's edginess and irritability as the date of Gwen and Rhys' wedding drew ever closer. Even Owen's now undead state didn't unsettle him as much as that.

"Yeah. Protective, maybe. Like a brother."

"I don't believe that." Ianto laughed uneasily and risked a look at Jack who was now very close.

"It's true. I don't even want to stop the wedding, not really, I just … wonder if it's right for her. Whether it's a good idea when she's working for Torchwood." Jack reached out a hand and pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen out of place and was over Ianto's eye. "I don't want her to be hurt, same with the rest of you. I want to protect you, all of you. But especially you."

"We're adults, Jack, we can live our own lives and make our own decisions."

"What's the use of all this 'life experience' of mine if I don't get to pass it on?"

Ianto said nothing, just looked into Jack's eyes. They were deep pools of blue that showed the man's uncertainty far more tellingly than his words ever could. Ianto wanted to believe him but he was only human and seeing Jack and Gwen together had been difficult. He had hoped a few days away, just the two of them, would refresh their relationship and bring them closer together again. "We can cancel this holiday if you want," he said finally.

Jack understood that a lot rode on his answer and didn't hesitate. "No way I'm giving up three days alone with you, Ianto Jones. You're not getting rid of me that easily." He looped an arm around Ianto's waist and pulled him even closer until their bodies touched. They kissed tentatively then Jack pressed his tongue into Ianto's mouth and moved his other hand to cradle the back of his head. When they broke apart, he added, "We can have lots of that … and more."

"Sure?" Ianto had his arms round Jack, caressing his back muscles under the braces.

"Positive. That's if we're not worn out with all you've got planned for us! How the heck did you get me to agree to go mountaineering?"

"I have my ways. And we won't be climbing Everest, just a gentle stroll up Snowdon."

"I'm exhausted already." Jack rolled his eyes but his lips were quirked into a smile. "Would you mind if I popped back to the Hub now and checked everything was okay? You can pick me up from there when you're ready to leave."

"All right. Be ready by two, no later. It'll take about four hours to get there and I want to be in time for dinner."

"You can be my dinner," growled Jack, leaning in for another kiss. "Gonna stop shaving again? I like a bit of stubble and it would go well with the mountain man look."

"I might. Now go if you're going." Ianto pulled out of the embrace. "Anything special you want me to pack for you?"

Jack laughed. "A tin of liniment?"

"Get out!" Ianto shoved him away with a smile and went back to his packing. "Two o'clock."

"I'll be ready."

Jack grabbed his greatcoat on the way out of the flat and jogged down the stairs. As he'd left the SUV at the base and Ianto would need his car, Jack walked on to the main street looking for a taxi. Five minutes later, when he'd walked a bit further, one appeared and he flagged it down. During the ride to the Bay, he considered what he needed to get done in the Hub. The team had had a busy weekend and Monday had been spent clearing up: Owen doing back to back post-mortems; Toshiko analysing the weapons they'd confiscated; Gwen squaring away the police and doing the rounds with the Retcon; leaving Ianto to dispose of the bodies and house the captured Ropell'oon. Jack's own role had been to write up reports and encourage the others as well as a couple of Weevils hunts, one with Ianto.

It was only late last night that the team and he had discussed the workload and agreed that the short break could go ahead. Gwen had been adamant that the rest could cope, especially as there were no predicted Rift openings, and bullied him into sticking with the plan. It wasn't that he didn't want to go. The thought of spending time with Ianto, to relax and recharge his batteries even if that did mean hiking over all of North Wales, was what had kept him going. However, he did not want to leave the rest of the team in unnecessary danger. Seeing Owen shot before his eyes had been a wake-up call; his team was so very fragile. The taxi drew up by the Millennium Centre and he got out, paid and walked to the water tower. The lift took him down into the Hub and he walked towards the medical bay and the sound of voices.

"Looks medical to me." Gwen was dressed in scrubs standing at the side of the examination table opposite Owen. Between them was a mass of blood and guts that had once been a human being.

"Well I've never seen anything like it," protested the doctor. He was bloody to his elbows and the front of his protective apron was splashed with gore.

"I'm reading cohexidron," put in Toshiko, seated at the desk in the corner. "That makes it alien." She swung round in the chair and spotted Jack standing leaning on the railing. "Hello, Jack. What are you doing here?"

"Teaboy found someone better to go with?" joked Owen. "Can't say I blame him."

"What's going on?" added Gwen who had turned to stare up at him.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Jack walked down the steps to stand beside her. "What have you found?" He peered at the mess on the table, keeping back so his clothes didn't get dirty.

"Some kind of implant in the chest. We were debating whether to remove it or not," said Owen, probing the chest cavity with a long handled scalpel.

"Forget that," interrupted Gwen, hands on hips and facing Jack. "You're supposed to be on holiday."

"I know, I know. Ianto's busy packing and there's nothing for me to do so I thought I'd come in. He's picking me up at two." He was looking at the unexpected find in the body on the table. "Can you scrape some of that tissue away from it?"

"You're going, Jack," continued Gwen, maintaining her authoritative stance. "We are quite capable of coping without you."

"Done it before," added Owen, busy using the scalpel to expose more of the implant. "And for longer than three days."

"You were alive then." Jack shrugged off his greatcoat and hung it over the railing and went back to the body, ignoring Gwen. "Was it swallowed?" he murmured.

"You are going," said Gwen forcefully.

Jack finally turned to face her. "Is there some reason you want me out of the way?"

"Yes. You need a break. More importantly, Ianto needs a break and he won't go without you."

"Like I said, I'm just here for a couple of hours. I have nothing else to do until Ianto finishes getting ready and being here is a more productive use of my time. Okay?"

"Okay. But you're out of here on the dot of two." She turned back to the examination table where she had been helping Owen with the examination. "So what is this thing?"

-ooOoo-

Ianto put the packed cases, the bag with their walking boots, two rucksacks, the warm jackets and the wet weather gear in the car boot. They fitted snugly. He kept the directions to their hotel with him and refreshed his memory once he'd programmed the sat-nav. It was a straightforward route, straight up the A470, but he liked to have an idea of the towns they'd be passing through. When he was sure he had everything they would need for their time away, he texted Jack that he was on his way and set off through the lunchtime traffic for the Bay.

He had heard nothing from Jack and hoped he had not found a reason to pull out. They needed this time to themselves, had earned it. Despite working hard, they had managed a patchy social life and were on good terms; they both should have been looking forward to the break. It was Gwen's imminent wedding that was causing Ianto a few concerns. Well, he admitted, that and the visit of Martha Jones. He liked the UNIT doctor very much but was concerned that yet another person had appeared out of Jack's past without warning or explanation. How had they met? What did she mean to him? Ianto hoped to get a few answers when Jack was relaxed and off his guard. Passing the Red Dragon Centre, he halted at the traffic lights and was delighted to spot Jack's unmistakable figure standing by the Millennium Centre with Toshiko at his side. When the lights turned green Ianto drove forward, pulling into a lay-by close to them. He wound down his window.

"I'm making sure he goes," said Toshiko with a chuckle, leaning down to talk to him. "Gwen's orders."

"I told her right from the start I was going." Jack sounded exasperated as he bundled his greatcoat in the back of the car and slipped into the passenger seat. "Didn't need an escort!"

"Thanks, Tosh. I'll make sure he stays away." Ianto grinned up at her. "See you Friday."

"Have a lovely time."

"Don't forget to call me," warned Jack from his seat, leaning across Ianto. "If I don't hear anything I'm coming straight back."

"We will. Now go." She stepped away from the car and waved.

"Gwen really does want rid of you," commented Ianto, pulling into the traffic and heading for the ring road.

"Good job I've got you then." Jack rested his hand on the Welshman's knee and stroked up his thigh. "Now what music shall we have?" The hand was removed to rifle through the CDs in the glove compartment.

-ooOoo-

The road wound through valleys at the foot of the Snowdonian mountains alongside clear blue lakes. Every turning revealed a new vista that was as good as the last, made even more beautiful by the sunlight gilding the green slopes and stony scree on either side. Involuntarily, Ianto slowed to admire the views, grateful the road was almost empty and his meandering pace did not affect other road users. They were nearing the end of their journey. The drive had been without incident, just one hold-up near Builth Wells for some roadworks and a half an hour stop at Rhayader for a breath of fresh air and a drink.

"If you go any slower it'll be quicker to walk."

Ianto checked the speedometer and realised he had dropped to twenty eight miles an hour. "Sorry." He put his foot down on the accelerator and went up to thirty five. "Got distracted by the view."

"It is pretty spectacular." Jack was staring out of his side window at the large lake slightly below them. "Both sides." He turned his head to grin at Ianto.

"You comparing me to a lake?"

"Not you. That mountain." Jack make a show of looking round the other man at the view beyond him.

"Maybe I should drop you here then." Ianto was deadpan and the car slowed once more.

"Don't be daft." Jack's hand came down to caress Ianto's upper thigh, fingers brushing his crotch. "Unless you're coming with me."

"Tempting. But I prefer a soft mattress to hard ground as my bed." He smiled at Jack then turned his attention back to the road. "Not far now."

"Good. We need to find a bed real soon." Jack's fingers continued to explore even though his gaze returned to the road ahead.

They drove on, Ianto squirming slightly but not wanting to stop Jack's explorations. Instead, he concentrated on the dulcet tones of the Nora Jones CD as he turned onto the A4085 as directed by the sat-nav. Fifteen minutes later they were winding their way up the drive that led to the Bryn Eglwys Country House Hotel and pulling up outside the front entrance where four other cars were already parked.

"Here we are," said Ianto unnecessarily. The engine noise and the music died and they were suddenly sitting in silence.

"So we are." Jack gave Ianto's thigh a final squeeze and removed his hand. "Looks a good place."

"Umm." Ianto was staring at the solid building in front of him. It was built of local Welsh stone amid established gardens in a fold of the hills on the outskirts of the small village of Beddgelet. The whitewashed walls shone in the sun and the windows gleamed. It wasn't a large hotel, just twelve bedrooms with a restaurant and small bar, but it was ideally situated in the National Park for walking, climbing and visiting other places of local interest. "Let's go in."

They climbed out of the car and stretched, looking all around at the views and marvelling at the quiet. There was no noise here, of traffic or other people, just the rustle of branches and leaves as a breeze blew through the tops of the trees and the occasional bird call. Jack wondered if it was too quiet. Their other breaks had been taken beside the sea and in a city with lots on hand to keep them occupied but here was just countryside. Beautiful yet empty countryside. He joined Ianto at the boot of the car.

"Shouldn't we check in first?" he asked.

Ianto stopped sorting the bags. "Perhaps you're right." He looked at Jack and realised he looked out of place. The 1940s clothes and braces did not sit well with the surroundings. And one thing jarred more than most. "For goodness sake, you're still wearing your gun! Take it off."

Jack looked down, only now noticing the holster at his hip. "Forgot all about it." He reached to unbuckle it. "You didn't say anything when we stopped before."

"No wonder we got those funny looks," admitted Ianto, cringing at the thought of them sitting in a café with Jack obviously armed. "Put it in here." He indicated the bag with the boots.

The two men walked to the entrance and through the open door into a square hallway. An oak staircase in front of them led to the upper floor while four doors opened out onto other rooms downstairs. Immediately inside the door on the right was a reception desk and Ianto went there. He was about to ring the bell when a middle-aged man with a paunch emerged from the room behind it, obviously an office, smiling broadly.

"Noswaith dda," he said moving behind the desk. "Good evening. I saw you draw up. You'll be Mr Jones."

"That's right. How did you know?" Ianto smiled at the man, couldn't help himself in the face of such genuine pleasure at their arrival.

"Not the second sight, don't worry. You're the only guests left to book in." The man chuckled, tapping at the keyboard of a PC on the desk. "I'm Geraint. My wife and I run the place."

Jack had been looking round, peering into the rooms and finding a bar, restaurant and sitting room. He was strolling back to the reception desk when a German shepherd dog emerged from the office and made a beeline for him. "Hello, boy." Jack crouched down and patted the dog whose tail was wagging so hard it was a blur. "Aren't you a beauty."

"That's Caradoc. Looks like you're friends already." Geraint printed out a booking sheet. "You're in room number four. If you'd just fill in this form with your car registration and nationality and then sign it. And I'll need to take a credit card." He sounded and looked apologetic. "Don't like doing it, makes me feel like I don't trust you, but we've had people skip out on us before now so the wife makes me."

"That's quite all right." Ianto handed over his card and completed the form. "Jack, you need to sign this too."

Jack left the dog who padded along behind him to investigate Ianto. As he scribbled a signature where he was told, Jack was amused to see Ianto had again described him as American but let it go. "Thanks," he said, passing the pen back to their host.

"Here are your keys. There's a room key and one to the front door which we lock at ten each evening, security you know, but you're free to come and go as you like. And this was left for you." Geraint handed over a fat A5 envelope to Ianto. "It's from Pete. You'll be going climbing then."

"Yes, we've booked to go with him tomorrow." Ianto was impressed that Pete Bursnall, a local guide, had left details for them; he liked efficiency. "We'd best get our bags."

"Let me help."

The three men and Caradoc, who stayed close to Jack until he scented a rabbit and went to investigate, went out and retrieved the bags, carrying them and the various coats and jackets up the creaky stairs to the first floor. Turning left they walked to the end of the corridor and Jack, who had all the coats and a rucksack in his arms, unlocked the door to room four. It was a large room with a double bed against the back wall opposite the door. Light came from windows on either side of the room. On the wall to the left of the bed was a large heavy wardrobe while a chest of drawers faced it on the right. The bathroom was behind the door on the left. To the right of the door by the window was a small seating area with two easy chairs and a table with tea and coffee things. A TV was mounted on the wall.

"This is lovely," exclaimed Ianto, meaning it. The room was flooded with sunlight and the double aspect meant it would also catch the morning light. The chintz covered furnishings went a bit overboard for his taste but everywhere was clean and neat.

"I'll leave you to settle in," said Geraint, putting down the case he had brought up. "Dinner starts at seven thirty in the restaurant downstairs. I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," said Jack, watching as the door closed behind the man.

Ianto had gone to the window facing west and opened it, breathing in the fresh air that made the curtain billow just a little. He was not surprised when Jack came up behind him and arms snaked round to meet on his belt buckle. A chin rested on his shoulder and Jack's unique scent assailed his nostrils, overpowering all else. Ianto let his head go back to rest on Jack's shoulder and closed his eyes. The two men stood like this for several minutes until Jack's hands started to undo the belt and creep inside the loosened fabric.

"Let's unpack first," said Ianto, not moving from the embrace. "Then we can use the bed." Their jackets and one case were currently covering it.

Jack considered this then withdrew his hand turning Ianto in one practiced movement. "I guess it would be more comfortable." He kissed the other man lightly then released him. "Let's unpack together, be quicker that way."

"Anything's quicker than you unpacking."

"Hey, be nice."

It took them just ten minutes. Jack unpacked the bags and passed the contents to Ianto who distributed them in drawers and the wardrobe. Boots were placed on the floor in a neat row and toiletries made their way to the bathroom which was large with a bath and separate shower. Then they came together, a little shyly almost, and kissed and held one another before hands reached underneath clothes and discarded them. Naked, they flung back the duvet and scrambled onto the bed their passion overcoming the unfamiliarity of their surroundings. Ianto was on top, tongue and mouth hard at work, while Jack writhed beneath him. They were on the point of moving to the next stage of their lovemaking when Ianto reared backwards and looked round wildly. His sudden movement overbalanced him and he slipped off the end of the bed in an untidy heap.

"Ow!"

"Ianto?" Jack, breathing hard, raised himself on his elbows. He had heard the thud and Ianto's exclamation but had not seen what had happened. "Where are you?" The tousled dark head of his lover appeared slowly as Ianto sat up. Jack started laughing, flopping backwards onto the bed.

"It's not funny," complained Ianto, levering himself upright painfully. He had landed on his coccyx.

"How did you manage that?" asked Jack through his giggles. He was propped up again, a pillow behind his shoulders.

"Didn't you feel it?" Ianto checked the bathroom and looked all around.

"Feel what? The earth move?" Jack was wiping his eyes which had teared up with laughter. "You didn't get that far." More giggles.

"Oh shut up! It's not that funny." Ianto was pacing, with a slight limp, round the room and opened the wardrobe door to peer inside.

"It is from where I'm sitting."

"I felt something, something here in the room with us." Ianto stood beside the bed, hands on his hips and brow furrowed. "It brushed against me."

Jack finally stopped laughing though he still had a big grin on his face. "There was nothing. Must have been me. Come back to bed." He patted the space beside him. "You have work to do."

Reluctantly, and gingerly, Ianto sat on the bed easing his legs up to lie in front of him. "I'm not in the mood, Jack. There was something here, I tell you." His face settled into a stubborn pout with his bottom lip protruding. "And my bottom hurts."

Jack collapsed with laughter yet again.

What happened to Ianto? Find out more in the next chapter ...