Ianto sat in front of the alien's cell, watching it eat. The others had volunteered to take over his feeding duties but he'd waved them away, stating it was his responsibility and he wasn't going to shirk it just because he'd been bitten.

"Getting back on the horse," Toshiko had teased him.

He'd agreed. He knew the creature hadn't meant to hurt him. In fact, when he'd gone back into the vaults with more food that evening he'd noted that the Hobnobs had been devoured. Nothing was left but a mess of wrapper and smeared chocolate. Apparently the Raspotahn had never been given chocolate before, which both agitated and intrigued its sensibilities.

"It's alright," Ianto told it, once he'd replaced the tray of food and water. The alien was watching him closely, evidently unsure how he would react after their last encounter. It was sitting in the back corner, not approaching the tray. "I'm not mad."

The alien tilted its head as if listening closely. After a few moments it inched forward, heading for the tray. It never stood, instead choosing to hunch along. Ianto wasn't sure if that was because it was nervous or because it was giving him respect by not getting to its full height. Either way he found it interesting.

Ianto hadn't yet made his Tesco run, so there were no biscuits on offer. Instead he'd sliced up an apple, wondering how the Raspotahn would feel about fresh fruit. It seemed to be a hit, if the way the alien snatched each piece up and wolfed down it down was any indication.

"That's good, is it?" Ianto asked, smiling. "Plenty more where that came from. Maybe even another chocolate biscuit tomorrow."

The alien gave him what he swore was a grin, but since he wasn't familiar with its race he couldn't say for sure. It looked happy, though, which made him happy as well. He couldn't imagine being a slave. Not that being cooped up in a cell was much better. He hoped they'd be able to find out a little more information so they could make a decision about its fate.

"Can't go having you biting the entire population, can we?" The Raspotahn frowned. Ianto was pretty sure about that one. "I know, you didn't mean to. It's alright."

An alarm sounded to indicate what Ianto assumed was a rift alert, and the alien covered its ears. Ianto hadn't even been sure where its ears were, until now. He got to his feet, hurrying from the vaults and heading up into the Hub proper.

"What do you have, Tosh?" Jack asked as he hurried to her side.

"Looks like a Weevil. No, correction, make that several Weevils."

"How many are we talking about?" Jack and Gwen were already heading to the armory.

"Five. Five Weevils, all in Splott."

Owen groaned. "Seriously? Can't they find another bloody hangout? Say, one with a little more taste? Less…Splottish?"

Jack returned and handed him Weevil spray and a stun gun. "But then where's the fun in that?" he asked, grinning. He turned to Ianto. "You up to hunting some wabbits?"

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "If by wabbits you mean wascally Weevils, then yes, sir, I am."

Gwen stifled a giggle and gave Ianto one of her cans of Weevil spray. "Jack, should the whole team head out on this one?"

"I'm pretty sure the four of us can handle it. What do you think, Tosh? Man the computers or come hunting with us?"

"As much as I love a nice romp through the wet streets of Splott, Jack, these Weevils are moving quickly. Someone's going to need to guide you there."

Jack nodded. "Alright then, we take two cars. We're going to need the SUV, but the Audi has a nice size boot as well. Toshiko, send the coordinates to the SUV and also Ianto's PDA."

Ianto sighed. He hated bringing his car on missions. Somehow it always ended up muddy with two or more unknown substances seeping into the seats. It would take him the better part of the next day to clean both vehicles. He wasn't looking forward to it.

A couple of minutes later and they were headed out. Gwen drove with Ianto while Owen drove with Jack. When the Audi arrived at the first coordinates they found two Weevils ambling along the street, seemingly unconcerned that it was getting dark and people were making their way out of the local businesses to head home for the day. Ianto had to assume these Weevils were young, wanting to play in the damp streets rather than attack unsuspecting passersby.

"They're small," Gwen remarked as they got out of the car. "Adolescents?"

"That was my first thought," Ianto replied, grabbing the cans of spray from the back as well as a couple of black cloaks. He tossed the latter over his shoulder as they inched along behind the Weevils. He handed Gwen her spray and activated his comms. "We've got two on Muirton Road, heading for the park."

"The third is up ahead of you, Ianto," Toshiko said in their ears. "It doesn't seem to be moving very fast. Not like the others."

"We're on it," said Gwen.

"If we follow them we might be able to corner all three in the park," Ianto told her.

"There might be children around, though, Ianto," Gwen argued. "We should try to get these two captured before they reach the third."

He thought for a moment. "Good thinking, Gwen. I've got the one on the left."

Ianto increased his stride, gaining on the Weevil in front of him. When it finally sensed his presence it stopped and hissed, turning around and ambling towards him. After getting a good look at it Ianto knew he and Gwen were correct; these two were young.

"That's it," he said, getting a firm hold on his can of spray. "Just a little closer."

The Weevil in front of him started to blur slightly and Ianto shook his head, trying to clear his vision. It didn't work and he stumbled, barely catching his own fall with his left arm as he went down.

"Ianto!" A hand landed on his shoulder. "Love, are you alright?"

He could hear Gwen calling to him but it sounded fuzzy. "The Weevils," he mumbled, his hand clenching around the spray to keep it from rolling away. "Got to…"

"Jack, Ianto's down. I don't know what's wrong."

He couldn't hear the other side of the conversation and realized the fall had dislodged his earpiece. He fumbled for it but couldn't seem to coordinate his movements. He groaned, trying to get his hands under him. A searing pain shot up his left arm and he dropped back down.

There was a thud beside him and he came face to face with one of the Weevils, its teeth bared in a grimace. For a moment he wondered if it had suffered whatever fate had been dealt to him before its head was covered with a cloth.

"It's okay, Ianto," Gwen said soothingly, dropping to her knees beside him and the Weevil. Her hand was back on his shoulder again. "Jack and Owen are on their way."

"M'fine."

"No, love, you're not. Owen will take you back to the Hub and Jack and I will get the rest of these Weevils."

Ianto thought he nodded but really couldn't be sure. His head was swimming and his vision wasn't much better. His arm hurt worse than he could ever remember and he couldn't be certain which way was up. He moaned, feeling completely useless.

The body beside him was dragged away several minutes later. Or it could have been an hour. All Ianto knew was that the alien with the foul breath and long fangs was no longer lying beside him, which made him much more comfortable. When he felt a sharp prick to his right arm he yelped, mumbling threats to whoever had dared to assault him.

"Yeah, yeah. You and what army, Tea Boy? Help me get him up, Harkness."

He felt arms around his back and then someone tugged him closer. Jack. He'd know that smell anywhere. He smiled, leaning into the body beside him and taking a long sniff.

"Smell good…" he mumbled, letting himself be moved along the street and then up onto the sidewalk.

"Save it for the bedroom," Owen growled, draping one of the Weevil cloaks around him. "Help me get him into the car and then you and Gwen can go do what you need to do."

"Is he going to be okay?" Jack asked, tightening his grip on Ianto's waist when the Welshman stumbled.

"Looks like it's a sprain, luckily. Nothing's broken. As for why he fell, I've no idea. I'll have to run tests."

The door to the car was opened and the next thing Ianto knew he was seated in the passenger side. He turned his head groggily. "Kiss?"

"Oi."

"Just a quick one," Jack told him, leaning in to place a soft kiss to his lips. "Let Owen get you back to the Hub. I'll be back to check on you when I can."

Ianto attempted a nod and then let his head rest against the seat. He was so very tired.

When he awoke again he was laying on the Hub sofa, one arm in a sling and the doctor sitting on the table facing him. He frowned. That wasn't a face he wanted to see when he opened his eyes.

"Welcome back," said Owen, lifting a hand to Ianto's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been run over by a lorry," Ianto replied. "What happened?"

"According to Gwen you were both in pursuit of two Weevils; you started slurring your speech, stumbled, and the next thing she knew you were crumpled in the street. That's where we found you, by the way."

Ianto tried to shift on the couch and felt a pain slam through him. "Ow."

"You sprained your arm, Ianto," Owen said, prodding at the arm in question. "You must have fallen on it. How's the pain on a level of one to ten?"

"An eight, I suppose," answered Ianto, grimacing.

"I'll get you another dose of pain meds."

The doctor got up and headed across the Hub towards his medical bay. Ianto sighed. It wasn't like him to get injured so easily. He was always so careful. He couldn't imagine what had caused him to stumble. And slurring his speech? What was that about?

When the medic returned Ianto eyed the needle in his hand. He really couldn't stand the things. But who was he to argue when it would help him feel better in the long run?"

"It's a smaller dose," Owen advised, tapping the needle before inserting it into the skin of Ianto's forearm. His jacket had been removed and his shirt cuff was rolled up. "Just gave you the other one a few hours ago so we don't want to overdo it."

"A few hours ago?" Ianto asked. "How long have I been here?"

"A little over three hours," Owen replied. "The others are off chasing the Weevils we had to abandon when you took your fall."

"Sorry."

Toshiko stepped into Ianto's vision and smiled down at him. "I brought you some water, Ianto. I thought you might be thirsty."

He returned her smile and reached up with his right hand, taking the glass. Drinking quickly he closed his eyes. Water just shouldn't taste this good. He must be thirstier than he'd even realized.

"Wow," she said, taking the empty glass from him. "Would you like some more?"

Before he could answer in the affirmative Owen shook his head. "You're going to have to take it slow, Jones. We don't know what's going on in that body of yours."

Ianto frowned. "Thanks anyway, Tosh."

"My pleasure."

She walked away and Ianto turned his head to look at Owen again. "What do you think happened?"

"It's too soon to know for sure, but I'm taking bets on the Raspotahn's bite."

"You think I'm getting sick like the others from Torchwood One?"

"It's a good bet. I drew some blood when we got back to the Hub but I'm still waiting for the results."

"At least it's my left arm that I injured. I do far too much with my right hand to have it out of commission."

Owen's face wrinkled in disgust. "There are some things I just don't need to know."

Ianto smiled, shifting on the couch. He wasn't very comfortable, but it was either the couch or the metal table in Owen's lair. He didn't suppose the good doctor would be very keen on him attempting to climb down into Jack's bunker.

The proximity alarm went off, announcing the return of their other teammates. Owen went off to help bring in the captured Weevils and Ianto took the moment to think. What kind of alien bug could have caused him to lose complete control the way he had? And was it going to happen again? He couldn't risk being out in the field again if he was a danger to himself and to others. Not that he'd likely be there for at least several weeks, he realized, glaring down at his sprained arm. Perhaps whatever he'd contracted from the Raspotahn would be gone by then.

It was quite some time later before Jack bounded over to him, coat billowing behind him. "Hey there."

"Hey yourself," Ianto replied, smiling.

"Gave us quite a scare earlier," said Jack, sitting down in the same spot the medic had vacated.

"Sorry, sir."

"No need to be sorry, Ianto. We're just worried about you, that's all. It's not like you to have a flair for the dramatic."

Ianto chuckled. "I suppose not."

"Owen thinks this is related to the bite," Jack told him, face suddenly serious. "How were you feeling before we headed out to Splott?"

"Fine, actually. I didn't notice anything wrong until we were tracking the Weevils."

"What happened?"

"My vision went blurry, and I think I remember falling." He frowned. "Not much else I can recall. Gwen's voice was a bit fuzzy though. I remember that."

"Owen's going to be monitoring you for a while. Are the pain meds working?"

"Yes," Ianto replied. "He just gave me another dose. Felt much better immediately."

"That's good." Jack leaned forward and placed a hand on his knee. "We're going to have to keep you out of the field until your arm heals."

"I'd figured that," Ianto assured him.

"And you won't be able to stay the night here at the Hub."

"Climbing ladders one handed seems just a bit treacherous, sir."

Jack smiled. "I'm not going to keep you away from work, though, Ianto. I know you'd go stir crazy at home. I was thinking we could just cut down your duties. Narrow it down to some paperwork, coffee, the small things."

"There won't be any amazing back flips and trapeze work, I'm afraid."

Jack grinned, squeezing his knee before getting to his feet. "You rest for a while, and when you're ready I'll drive you home."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "Still coming to mine tonight, then?"

"I told you I would, didn't I?" Jack asked. "Besides, I'm not sticking you in a cab."

"Perhaps we could stop by the shop on the way home? I've not yet made the Tesco run and we're low on supplies."

"Not a problem." Jack turned to leave and then paused, turning back around. "You're going to be alright, Ianto."

The Welshman took in the concerned look on the captain's face. "Of course I will, sir."

Jack nodded and headed for his office. Ianto watched him go, brow furrowing. He'd seen Jack upset before. He'd even seen him angry. But it was very rare to see him looking so worried. He didn't like putting that look on his face and he'd do anything to take it away. He hoped that Owen would be able to give him some good news once the results of his blood work were back.

According to his watch it was an hour or so before Owen returned to check on him. He'd apparently fallen asleep again as the doctor had to wake him.

"Alright, mate? I've got your blood work back."

"That was quick."

Owen smirked. "Jack told me what you told him in regards to your symptoms. You've a fever, which I'm guessing could be the culprit. Nothing in your blood is any different than the sample I ran this morning, however, so if there's a virus or bacteria at work here it's taking its time to manifest."

"But it's still a possibility the bite is responsible?"

"It's a possibility, but you also may have contracted something before the incident and it's just been dormant. We'll know more after a few days."

Ianto nodded. "Not putting me on bed rest, then?"

Owen scoffed. "For a sprained arm and a fever? If I gave bed rest to every patient with a boo boo, Tea Boy, I'd be the laughing stock of the medical world."

"And we wouldn't want that."

"No, we bloody wouldn't."

Ianto watched the doctor as he walked toward the captain's office, evidently going to fill him in on the results. Ianto wanted to be glad that there was nothing apparently wrong with him, but he couldn't help the nagging feeling that they were missing something. What if the effects were just beginning to show? Would the rest be more severe?

A few moments later Jack appeared at his side once more as Owen headed back across the Hub. "Ready to go?"

"If you are," Ianto replied, trying to sit up. He found it much harder than expected.

"Here, let me," said Jack, reaching a hand out so Ianto could grab it.

Getting to his feet, Ianto smiled. "Thank you."

"I can bring the car around if it's easier."

Ianto scowled. "I'm not an invalid, sir. I'm quite sure I can walk down to the garage."

Jack held his hands up. "Sorry, sorry! Just trying to make things simpler for you."

"I know," said Ianto, sighing. "And I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm not sure where that came from."

"It's probably the fever talking," Jack replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We do and say strange things when we're sick."

"And when was the last time you were sick, sir?"

"It's been a while."

They collected Ianto's things from his workstation and headed for the exit to the garage. Ianto nodded in Toshiko's and Gwen's direction and they each gave him a smile.

"Owen gave me your pain meds," said Jack, pulling a bottle from his trousers pocket and shaking it gently. "He was going to give you them to take home for the bite anyway, and now there's just one more reason to take them."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "He loves giving out medication. I think it's a power thing."

Jack laughed, helping into the passenger side of the Audi. "I think you may be right."

Jack got into the driver's side, started the car, and they were off.