Once again, Jack had ejected most of the Torchwood team from the Hub while Miranda had conducted the autopsy on the two Wilson children. This time, there hadn't been any leisurely sightseeing for them. Instead, a few rift spikes had run the team all across Cardiff. To protect the rest of the team, Jack left the autopsies for Miranda to handle alone. Gwen and Fish were on the other side of town for an odd daytime Weevil call while Jack, Ianto and Donovan were seeing to a spike in Splott Park. Jack had been reluctant to allow the two mortal team members to handle the Weevil call alone but a sinkhole appearing out of nowhere was more pressing and potentially more dangerous.

Jack was walking around the sinkhole's perimeter, surveying the situation, while Ianto and Donovan waited by the SUV. Not a word passed between the two of them. Ianto was leaned against the SUV, staring at his shoes while Donovan did pretty much the same. Donovan was surprised that Ianto hadn't taken this opportunity to corner him about Miranda. His surprise was short lived.

Without any preamble and a bit snappish, Ianto asked, "What's going on with you and Mandy?"

"First Joe and now you…" Donovan muttered. Jesus Christ, am I going to have to go through this with all of them?!

"We're just-"

"Worried about her, yeah I got that from Joe," Donovan interrupted, snapping a bit himself. "She's a big girl, you know."

Ianto said, a little hotly, "You think the rest of us are giving you a hard time? You haven't had to deal with Jack yet."

Donovan had learned very quickly over the past week that the Torchwood team was more like a family than a workforce. There were no secrets between any of the team members, no privacy. He'd also noticed the deeper friendship that existed between Torchwood's second and the Captain's PA. He sighed. He and Miranda were adults. He felt a bit like a teenager being scolded. If they wanted some no strings attached sex, how was that anyone else's business? Donovan disliked it all and found it remarkably unprofessional.

"Listen, I'm not out to break her heart," Donovan said, impatiently. He shrugged. "We're just having some fun."

Ianto crossed his legs at the ankles and shoved his hands into his pockets. "The ink's barely dry on your divorce, Ethan."

Now that made Donovan angry. He practically snarled, "You know, you people are really too far up in shit that is none of your business."

"Ease off. We had to do a background check on you," Ianto said and then his voice turned snappish again. "And as for it being none of our business, she doesn't have anyone else. We're all she has. We're her family and, yes, we're all protective of her. And no, there's nothing wrong with having some fun. Just make sure the two of you are on the same page, Ethan, that's all I'm asking."

"You think I'm leading her on?" Donovan asked. "She knows I'm only here for another two weeks, Ianto!"

"I don't think anything. When her girlfriend left her, it broke her heart and she's still not quite right," Ianto said, holding up his hand calmingly. He jerked his head towards Jack, who looked as if he was making his way back to them. "You need to understand how hard it is for her and Jack to date people, to let people in and get close to someone. It's always going to end in heartbreak for them, without exception."

And that, at least, Donovan understood. He and Miranda had talked about it a little. Horny and lonely… they'd both admitted to it. It had sounded like Miranda knew that this was just a fling but Ianto was right, he needed to make sure.

"I'll talk to her," Donovan said.

"That's all I'm asking," Ianto said. He looked up as Jack approached. "Anything?"

"Looks like a piece of terraforming equipment. It's not dangerous but it looks like it's still on and digging."

"Huh?" Donovan asked and Jack shot him an impatient look.

"It's a piece of digging equipment so it's digging a hole. I've got to climb down and turn it off," Jack said, slowly.

He went to the SUV's boot and started searching for some equipment. Donovan look startled when Jack took out a thick coil of rope and a repelling harness.

"You people keep repelling equipment in the SUV?" he asked.

"Quality kit," Ianto said, with pride.

Jack took off his coat and tossed it, unceremoniously, into the SUV's boot. Ianto gave him a dirty look, picking the coat up and folding it properly. Jack stepped into the harness, snapping it in place securely. He spent a few moments adjusting it and then began looping the rope through it, knotting it expertly. He tied the other end about the SUV's rear hitch. He tossed the slack at Donovan who failed to catch it, earning him another impatient look.

"You and Ianto feed me the slack," Jack said.

"Jack…" Ianto warned.

"I'll be fine, Yan," Jack said but Ianto could hear what Donovan couldn't. There was apprehension and nervousness behind Jack's usual bravado. Dirt and holes still made Jack nervous but being buried for nearly two millennia would do that to a person.

The three men approached the edge and lowered Jack down. Donovan could feel a strange vibration beneath his feet that he assumed was coming from the piece of equipment. Now that he was near the edge, he was getting a proper look. It was an oblong cylinder about two meters high, like a miniature version of the water tower. It was standing up straight in the middle of the hole without any support. The hole itself was quite deep - a good six meters or more and just as wide. The sides were perfectly straight as the hole had been drilled, not dug. Donovan had absolutely no fucking idea where the dirt was going. The soil around the cylinder was rapidly disappearing into thin air. In the time it took Jack to reach it, the hole had deepened another quarter meter. Strangely, the bottom of the hole was completely flat.

Ianto and Donovan watched on, nervously, as Jack walked towards the cylinder. He tapped few buttons on his wrist strap and then closed it. Donovan really had absolutely no idea what the leather strap was. He'd never seen Jack without it and assumed that he never took it off. He'd thought of asking about it a few times but it just felt like one of those things he'd never get an answer about… like Miranda's sword. Jack pushed a section on the cylinder's side, revealing a control panel. He hit a few buttons and the strange vibration beneath Donovan's feet stopped. Jack untied the rope around his waist and tied it to the cylinder. He closed the panel.

"Jack! Don't!" Ianto called out.

"It's fine, Ianto!" Jack shouted back. He tugged on the rope. "All right! Pull!"

Donovan and Ianto began to heave as Jack pushed. The cylinder was heavy. It took some time but the two of them managed to get it pulled up over the edge and rolled over to the SUV. They were both panting and sweating. Ianto didn't even wait to catch his breath. He quickly undid the rope and ran back to the hole's edge to toss it back to Jack. The immortal man knotted it through the harness, tying it securely again.

"I'm good," he called up to them, tugging the rope.

Ianto and Donovan began heaving Jack upwards. Thankfully, he was lighter than the cylinder and helping them along, gripping the dirt wall. It didn't take them nearly as long to get Jack back up to ground level. With his arm on the edge of the hole, Jack reached upwards for Ianto's hand. Just as Ianto bent down, the edge of the hole gave way, along with most of the side. Miranda's words flashed in Donovan's mind. There are no heroics with regards to Jack or myself. Ever.

Donovan dropped the rope and reached out. He fisted his hand into the back of Ianto's shirt and yanked so hard, it ripped but he was successful. He fell backwards onto the ground with Ianto falling on top of him, knocking the wind out of him. Donovan sputtered and coughed, trying to get his breath back. Ianto ignored him. He scrambled to the hole's edge.

He stood, leaning over shouting, "Jack! JACK!"

"STOP! It's not safe!" Donovan coughed. He dragged Ianto down, laying on on his belly, trying to spread out his weight as much as possible. He shifted away from Ianto a bit. "Like this."

Ianto followed suit, scanning the bottom of the hole for his lover. He saw nothing. The rope was disappearing into the dirt. It was taut. "JACK!"

Donovan eased himself back from the edge and then retreated a few meters. He seized the rope and shouted, "Ianto! Help me!"

Ianto joined him, the two men pulling on the rope with all their might. They pulled and pulled against the weight of dirt on top of Jack but couldn't free him. Ianto got behind the wheel of the SUV. He started it up and slowly advanced the vehicle while Donovan watched, eyes fixed on the pile of dirt and rock. Ianto revved the engine again and the dirt began to shift.

"More!" Donovan shouted and Ianto hit the pedal again. When he saw Jack's blue trousers, he waved and shouted, "Slow it up! I can see him!"

Ianto drove slowly, using the SUV to pull Jack up out of the hole. Donovan watched as the dirt fell away, revealing Jack's limp body. He hoped that Jack was merely unconscious. Once Jack was up and over the edge, Donovan seized him under the arms, dragging him well away from the hole.

Ianto bolted from the SUV and, for some reason Donovan couldn't understand, he had a with a stopwatch. Ianto fell to his knees beside his lover, brushing the dirt out of Jack's face, mouth and nose. Donovan felt a lump in his throat and dread in his stomach. Jack wasn't unconscious. He was dead, suffocated by the weight of the dirt. His face was frozen in its last moments of terror and panic.

This was the first time he'd seen one of the immortals die. Eternally resurrecting… Fish had termed it. Donovan hadn't fully understood that until this very moment. At first, he'd thought it something miraculous but that attitude was slowly changing. Ethan Donovan considered himself a brave man but the idea of his own death did frighten him. The idea that a person could die, could remember the precise moment in which they are swallowed into the darkness? The idea terrified him and he pitied Jack. But he felt worse for Ianto.

The young Welshman had pulled his lover into his lap and was now shaking the dirt from Jack's hair and shirt collar. Donovan might not know Ianto well but he could tell when someone was holding back anguish. He watched on, feeling very much like an intruder, as Ianto wrapped his arms around Jack, cradling him gently. Without looking up, Ianto said, "Ethan, bring me several bottles of water and a few towels. They're all in the boot."

Grateful for an excuse to leave the intimate scene, he walked away and retrieved the items. He handed them to Ianto. Donovan was shocked as he watched Ianto pry open Jack's mouth. He poured the water in and then tilted Jack's head, trying to rinse away as much of the dirt as he could. After repeating that process several times, Ianto dumped water out onto one of the towels and began to gently clean the dirt away from Jack's face and neck. He occasionally glanced at his stopwatch and the meaning of the time piece finally dawned on Donovan.

Ianto knew how long it would take for Jack to revive. Horrified, Donovan thought, Jesus mother fucking Christ, how many times has he seen the person he loves die?

Donovan let out a surprised shout and took a few steps backwards when Jack finally convulsed and gasped. He screamed and flailed, panic and terror on every inch of his face. To Donovan, it looked almost primal. Watching Jack revive had truly removed any doubt in Donovan's mind that 'eternally resurrecting' was a fancy word for cursed.

"Jack! I'm here! I've got you!" Ianto shouted but Jack didn't seem to hear him through the terror and panic.

Donovan moved forward to help but Ianto waved him off.

"Don't!" he cried. When Ianto loosened his grip on Jack to wave at Donovan, he lost some of the control he had on Jack's flailing body. Ianto let out a short cry of pain. The back of Jack's head had impacted his face. Jack had split Ianto's lip and blood began to run down his chin. Ianto squeezed Jack tighter and shouted at the top of his lungs right into Jack's ear, "JACK!"

"Ianto?" he croaked. He stopped flailing, gripping Ianto's arms tightly in his hands. There was still terror in his eyes. The blue eyes were filled with panic, darting around wildly. He was panting, gasping really, taking short, fearful breaths.

"I'm here," Ianto said, soothingly. "I've got you."

"Ianto…" Jack breathed. "The dirt…"

"Shh, Cariad," Ianto whispered. He began rocking Jack back and forth. He ran his hand through Jack's hair. "There's no dirt. See? The sky? You're fine. I'm here."

When Donovan had first arrived in Cardiff, Jack and Ianto's relationship had made him a bit uncomfortable and Donovan had to admit to a little bit of homophobia. Not two days after he arrived, Donovan had walked in on the two men having sex in Ianto's office. Ianto may have only been wearing his tie and Jack his greatcoat but Donovan had seen that it was far more than just sex he'd walked in on. It was then that the discomfort had turned into curiosity. He started paying a little more attention, watching the small touches, the loving looks and the little things they did for each other throughout the day. The curiosity had turned into wonderment and a little jealousy.

This is true love. Do you think this happens every day? he remembered a line from one of his favourite movies. Donovan had never experienced romantic love that even approached what the two men shared; certainly not in his disaster of a marriage. He hoped that one day, love like that would be a part of his life. The numerous affectionate subtleties during work hours were heart warming but now he was seeing a different dimension to their relationship. It was a dimension that made Donovan feel like an intruder or some sort of peeping tom.

Jack held onto Ianto tighter, letting out a dry sob. Ianto continued to rock Jack in his arms, whispering soothing Welsh words to him as he wept. Embarrassed, Donovan turned away from the lovers, trying to give them as much privacy as he could. He couldn't blame Jack for breaking down. To be buried alive? It was the stuff of nightmares.

After a few minutes, Jack leaned his head and Ianto kissed his temple gently. Jack took the offered bottle of water, rinsing his mouth out thoroughly. He wiped his face down a few more times with another damp towel and then turned to Donovan. He started unbuttoning his shirt and untucking it, shaking the dirt out onto the grass as he spoke.

"You let go of the rope," he said, sternly.

"Jack-" Donovan started to say, thinking he was being disciplined… again.

Jack held up his hand and Donovan fell silent. Donovan letting go of the rope had been the last thing Jack had seen. But he'd also seen what had happened afterwards.

"You let go of the rope. You let me fall to my death so you could pull Ianto to safety," Jack said. He finished re-buttoning his shirt and looked Donovan square in the eyes. "You did good, Ethan."

"Thanks, Jack," he said, with disbelief. It was the first praise he'd received from the immortal man since coming to Cardiff.

"What do you say we get this thing loaded?" Jack said, turning to the cylinder. "Ethan? You'll probably have to lay one of the seats down. Yan? Did Will say if the coast is clear?"

"Not yet. I'll ask," Ianto said, tapping his comm unit. "Mandy? Are you there? Jack wants to know if it's safe to come back. We have a large artefact." Ianto's brow scrunched as he listened to Miranda's reply. "Right… Right… Twenty minutes at least…"

"Yan?" Jack asked.

"Mandy said MacDonald rang again. Barbara and Brian Wilson have stopped breathing and they're on ventilators. The staff are getting worse and that other nurse is sick now," Ianto said with a grim look. "She also said that there's been a strange development with Stephanie Wilson's body… it's melted."

"Did you say melted?" Donovan asked, shocked.

"Mandy says she's going down to look at it. In the mean time, Sandra and Sean Wilson's bodies are in the biohazard cold storage. She put a camera on them. We can go back inside," Ianto said, grimly.

"That's it, I'm calling Martha," Jack said, shaking his head. "I want you and Ethan set up at St. David's-"

"No, Jack!" Ianto shouted over him.

"Ianto-"

"NO!" Ianto bellowed. "You will not shut me out of my home, Jack!"

Donovan tried to shut his ears against the domestic. Unlike Miranda and Jack, Ianto and Jack tried to keep their personal disagreements private. This was the first time he'd seen the two lovers quarrel.

Jack grabbed Ianto's face. He whispered, "I almost lost you. I can't. Not yet."

"Not yet," Ianto said and then added, "but you still can't shut me out of my home."

Jack relented, leaning forward and kissing Ianto softly.

"I love you," Jack said.

"I love you too, Cariad," Ianto replied. They were both trying to keep their voices soft but Donovan heard them. He shifted, uncomfortable.

Jack let go of Ianto's face and took a step back. "I'm calling Martha."