The next week was hectic. The rift wasn't being more active than usual, but between that and helping Daria recover, the team felt swamped. Tosh, Gwen, and Jack had to take on more field work to cover for the fact that Owen stayed either at his flat or at the hub. They were all glad when Owen declared that Daria should start hanging around the hub, getting used to walking and talking in her human body. Jack took to staying in his office more. Ianto went to talk to him, taking a deep breath before knocking and entering.

"Coffee?" Jack asked hopefully. Ianto smiled and handed over the cup. Ianto waited for the Captain to take a few sips before asking him the question on everybody's mind.

"Why are you avoiding her?"

"Who?" Ianto raised an eyebrow, clearly indicating that Jack shouldn't play dumb. "Fine. She left me. And I want to know why. It was a long time ago, I thought I had buried all those questions. But seeing her again makes me want to ask. And I don't want to start any confrontation with her until she's feeling better."

"Well it looks like she should be fine within the next week. Apparently she heals rather quickly. Do you need anything else, sir?"

"No, I think I'll be fine for a bit." Ianto nodded and slipped out with hardly a sound. Jack sighed and stood up. He stretched before he walked over to the glass walls to stare out at the team below. He promptly started laughing at the sight of Gwen trying to teach Daria how to dance. It looked like some mangled form of swing dancing, but Gwen was trying to do the leading part, which she obviously didn't know. Jack started downstairs without even thinking about it. The sounds of the girls' laughter was contagious. At least they were getting a kick out of their horrible dancing.

"May I cut in?" He asked politely, holding his hand out to Daria. His smile was forced, and she of all people would know, but she had loved to dance. And he loved dancing with her. He needed something to lighten his mood. And maybe, just maybe, it would break the ice between them. Gwen smiled at them and went to sit on the couch with Owen, still giggling. Owen was smirking but kept a critical eye on his patient.

"Owen says dancing will help my coordination," she explained as she took his hand. He had missed that musical sound. Her accent was something so different from anything on this planet.

"Good thing I remember how to dance. Do you?"

"I'm sure I can manage," she replied cheekily. He grinned at her for real this time, and he started out slowly guided her through the motions. She quickly fell back into the pattern that she knew so well and they were flying around each other before they knew it. Their movements were fluid, honed to perfection, even after so long apart. As they slowed to an end, he realized that they hadn't asked how long she had been gone from Earth. It had been a good eighty years for him. Not that he would let the team know. Keeping secrets was his specialty after all.

Daria tried to step away from him but collapsed before she could get far. He caught her and swung her into his arms, carrying her to the couch and setting her down.

"Guess that was too much exertion, eh?" She said sheepishly.

"Well you weren't injured, so I'll call it good. Probably good that you got outta breath," Owen observed, taking her pulse and listening to her lungs. "Look at you. Barely breathing hard. Sore anywhere? Feel any broken bones re-asserting themselves?"

"I'm fine. I feel much better. Rest assured, my arm and ribs are healed. I told you I heal much faster than humans."

"Miraculously quickly if you ask me," he muttered before wandering off to the autopsy bay. Jack and Daria shared a look. Ianto caught it out of the corner of his eye and thought that maybe Daria's healing wasn't a natural thing, even for her species. He wasn't going to pry though. No need to draw too much attention to himself by being nosy.

"Rift spike!" Tosh called from her computer. Jack went over to look over her shoulder while everyone else awaited instructions.

"Owen! Let's give Tosh a break and have you out in the filed with us! You must be sick of being cooped up!"

Owen looked like he was going to protest but Daria cut in. "I'll be fine. Really. Go on, get some fresh air." He nodded and followed Gwen and Jack out of the base.

Nobody noticed Ianto slip down to the lower levels. He hadn't had time to check on Lisa before work this morning, and he was worried about her. He scurried down to the levels that no one but he ventured to. He was happy when she didn't stir when he came in. He must have finally given her a high enough dosage of painkillers. He held her hand for a moment, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end as he registered just how cold she was. She always said she didn't feel it, and that both worried and comforted him. He decided to head back upstairs, seeing that she wasn't going to regain conscious for a while. He would come back tonight, like he always did. Maybe he'd be able to stay with her tonight so she wouldn't be so alone. He decided to organize the archives a bit since he was in the vicinity.

He heard quite a commotion as he headed up the stairs. It seemed there was an argument over some object they had found. He hadn't realized how long he had been downstairs. He caught something about ghosts and Jack scolding Gwen and Owen for using the object in question. He busied himself with coffee, setting them down quietly by each person once they were done. No one paid him any mind. Not until he came to Daria.

"Has Owen raised the ban on caffeine for you yet?"

"Nope, not yet. Tomorrow probably. So he says." He gave her a small smile and sat beside her on the couch, watching Tosh join the discussion about the little metal thing. He was glad to see that they all seemed to have calmed and were sipping coffee as they listened to each other. Ianto sat back with Daria and they watched the show of the team discussing rather animatedly. The discussion ended with a rather pissed off Owen heading home on his own, seemingly forgetting about Daria, and an equally pissed Jack locking himself in his office. Tosh and Gwen looked exasperated and looked at each other. Daria cleared her throat and their heads snapped towards her, as if they had forgotten about the two on the couch.

"I guess I'm staying here tonight then," Daria started conversationally.

"Don't be silly. You can come home with me," Tosh said brightly. Daria smiled and followed her out the door.

"Day over then?" Ianto asked Gwen.

"It would seem so," she replied tiredly.

"Go home then. You have that boyfriend of yours waiting for you." Gwen beamed at him and headed out the door. Ianto headed up to Jack's office. He knocked and found the door locked.

"Jack?" The man in question came and opened the door for him. "What happened out there?"

"This machine we found. It shows people ghost memories when they press the button. And it's not just seeing, it's feeling. Owen and Gwen both used it and now they both want to find the people they saw. Owen seems to be aiming for vengeance. The scene he saw was a girl being raped and murdered. I told him to let it go, it's in the past. But..."

"But Owen is Owen and we just have to pray he doesn't do anything stupid?" Ianto suggested.

"That sums it up."

"He'll come to terms with it, in time. Daria went home with Tosh, since Owen seems to have forgotten about her."

"That's not good. She's gonna sulk about that tomorrow."

"She seemed fine."

"But Owen wasn't around. She'll put on a show so that he'll know that he hurt her feelings. I think she's bonded to him, like a pack member. I doubt that will end well, but I can't stop it either."

"Was she bonded to you when you were together?" Ianto took a chance, trying to get some little bit of information from Jack.

"Yes," was the definitive answer in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Do you need anything before I leave, sir?"

"A coffee refill would be great," he answered with a hopeful smile.

"Of course sir."

TWTWTWTWTWTWTW

The incident with what had been named the ghost machine turned into a disaster in Jack's mind. Owen admitted it was messy, but thought that Ed Morgan really had it coming. Gwen was, of course, traumatized, still staring at her hands after the blood was washed off. Everyone trudged back to the hub after the immediate mess was cleaned up.

"Ianto! Dispose of the body for us, would you? Well, after a coffee," Jack asked, making a small pleading gesture. Ianto rolled his eyes but replied with a "Yes, sir."

In the main hub, Daria was studiously ignoring Owen. He had been ignoring her in his obsession with making Ed Morgan pay. Not spending time with her was one thing, but he hadn't so much as spoken to her. She busied herself listening to Tosh explain exactly what happened.

"Apparently Gwen hadn't learned after accidentally letting that sex crazed alien out last month," she finished. Daria's eyes near nearly popped out of her head.

"Sex crazed?"

"Well, it fed on orgasmic energy, killing the man in the process."

"What an interesting creature." Daria was quiet for a moment, marveling at all the things that she had never seen in her travels across space. And her accidental travel across time. Then again, she had never met Jack's Doctor either. She sighed and looked over to see Owen walking over to her.

"I'm going home. You coming?" He seemed tired. Daria though about rejecting the offer, but she wanted to be there for him. She could feel his emotions at the edge of her consciousness. Part of her wanted to finish the bond and be able to share feelings mentally, but a bigger part of her thought that neither was ready for that. She wouldn't let her longing for a pack cloud her judgment. She had bonded Jack and that had been disastrous in the end, for her at least. Humans didn't feel the bond break, but she remembered the mental agony.

"Yeah." She stood and followed him out of the door. Jack watched them leave and decided that he would talk to her tomorrow. He hoped to finally get some answers.

TWTWTWTWTW

"Tomorrow," Ianto told Lisa down in the basement, "Dr. Tanazaki will be here tomorrow, and he will make you better. Then we can be together again, no more hiding."

"And nobody suspects anything?"

"Not that I've noticed."

"Good. I'm so happy Ianto." She gave him a small, pained smile. They would both be glad when she was free of the pain.