Donovan woke the next morning before Miranda. It surprised him. The immortal woman was always awake first. He rolled, staring at her as she slept. There was a slight furrow to her brow and her arms were crossed in front of her. Even in sleep she looked troubled. He wondered what it would be like to see her truly relaxed and free. He got out of bed as carefully as he could. Miranda was an incredibly light sleeper and he didn't want to wake her. He was actually grateful to be showering alone. Miranda always scalded him with the water.

With the towel around his waist, he walked back into the bedroom to get dressed and she was still asleep. She'd been working so hard lately that Donovan decided to let her sleep. He picked up his clothes to get dressed in the other room. He kissed the side of her head, letting the hair brush through his fingertips. He didn't want to wake her mucking about in her kitchen either. He'd find breakfast upstairs.

He saw gooseflesh on her upper arm and drew the blankets up over her further. He walked over to the thermostat, turning the temperature up so that the room wouldn't be quite as cool. He couldn't help but plant one more soft kiss to the side of her head before he left the room. He even stopped at the doorway, looking back at the blanket as it rose and fell while she breathed.

Three days ago, Jack had given him a warning and Donovan had told him, honestly, that he wasn't in love with her. Now, he wasn't sure he could say the same thing. At first, it had just been sex - utterly fucking mindblowing sex, yes, but just sex nonetheless. When he'd thought of Miranda at the beginning of this affair, it had stirred lust and desire. After only a few days of sharing her bed, Donovan couldn't deny the growing warmth in his heart when his thoughts turned to the immortal woman. He was falling in love with her. He thrust his feelings aside, not wanting to deal with their implications just yet.

When he got upstairs, he waved at the rest of the team. He winced a bit. Everyone was already working and he was just getting in. He must have had more of a lie in than he'd thought. It was so hard to tell what time it was down here without the sun. He should have set an alarm but he was so used to Miranda waking him up every morning. He walked towards his workstation. There was a mug of hot coffee beside a few buttered Welsh cakes. How Ianto Jones had such good timing was beyond him. He bit into the Welsh cake and his eyes rolled back a bit. Ianto had introduced him to the traditional Welsh item after he'd first arrived and they'd become his favourite. Whenever Ianto went to the bake shop for breakfast, he picked Donovan up a few. He wondered how he'd be able to get them when he went home. Probably have to learn how to make them…

"Thanks, Ianto!" Donovan shouted out. He had no idea where the Welshman was but he had to be about somewhere. The coffee in the mug was still steaming.

Donovan had just finished the first Welsh cake when Ianto came out of Jack's office, straightening his tie. He looked around and called over to Donovan, "Ethan? Where's Mandy?"

"I left her downstairs. She's still asleep. What's that expression you people use? Knackered?" Donovan yelled back.

Concern passed over Ianto's face and he briskly walked towards the north stairs. Ianto Jones had never known Miranda Ryan to sleep past six in the morning, regardless of when she went to sleep. It was half eight now… no it was nearly nine! He knocked on her door and waited. There was no answer. He grasped the knob and turned, opening the door and sticking his head into the lounge.

"Mandy?" he called. An annoyed grunt was the only reply he got. When he walked into the bedroom, he raised an eyebrow. Miranda was still in bed, burrowed under the blankets looking as if she firmly planned on staying there. "Mandy? You all right?"

"Groggy this morning," she said with a sigh. She rolled and sat up. Ianto politely averted his eyes as the blanket fell away from her bare chest. "Chilly in here."

"A bit," Ianto said. "You said Ethan likes the temperature low."

"He does. He complains I scald him in the shower but he freezes me all night," Miranda said with a laugh and then coughed. "Bit dry too."

"I'll get you some coffee," Ianto said. "I was worried about you. Not like you to have a lie in."

"I think I've been pushing myself too hard. I've been neglecting my exercise as well and that always makes me sluggish," Miranda said. She threw back the blankets and swung her legs out of bed. She rolled her shoulders and rubbed at her neck. "Must get round to getting a new pillow soon. This one's given me a crick."

"I'll see you upstairs," Ianto said and turned towards the door. Just as he did, Miranda sniffled, hard. Ianto stopped at the noise. He'd never heard her do that before. She cleared her throat and sniffled again. Ianto turned. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn it sounded… congested. He walked over to the wall and twisted the dimmer switch, increasing the light.

"Goddess below, Ifan, I'm awake. There's no cause to blind me," Miranda snipped.

"You feeling all right, Mandy?"

Concern had him ignoring her nudity. He looked at her up and down. In the brighter light, she looked a bit peaky. There was gooseflesh raised on her body, her nipples hardened, and she was still shivering slightly. There was a weary look about her.

"As I said, Ifan, I believe I'm overworking myself and ignoring my exercise regime has not helped," she insisted.

Ianto took two quick steps towards her and pressed the heel of his hand against her forehead. "You feel warm…"

She waved at the bed. "The extra blankets to keep out the chill from Ethan's love of frigid temperatures. I'll be up in a minute. A good hot shower is just what I need."

Ianto nodded and left her to it. When she got into the shower stall, Miranda was glad Donovan had already gone upstairs. She turned the water up as hot as she could stand it, grateful for the warmth. She simply had to talk to him. There had to be a compromise. There was no way she could continue to allow him to lower the thermostat like this. Once she'd rinsed off, she rested her forehead against the tile wall, a wave of fatigue coming over her. Perhaps later she'd go for a quick run or get in some sword practice. She hadn't done either since she and Donovan had begun their affair and this sluggishness was extremely unpleasant. While their dabbling was pleasurable, it certainly wasn't what she would consider athletic.

She stepped out of the shower and the cold air immediately made her shiver. Once she was dry, she put on a pair of wool slacks and a thick jumper, layered with a thinner blouse. After she'd warmed up, she'd take the jumper off. By the time she'd gotten up to the main Hub, she'd also made a vow to get into bed earlier tonight. Her limbs felt like lead and she was dragging. She let out another dry cough as she settled at her desk. The air was so dry in here today. She'd have Ianto check the air systems. Usually, they barely kept up with the humidity from the bay and the water tower.

With the stack of translations in her hand, she began to read, leaning back slightly. She rubbed at her shoulders. The crick in her neck was spreading. Definitely time for a new pillow… She continued to read, her eyes drooping. She sat up straighter, trying to alleviate the ache in her shoulders and neck. She put the papers down on her desk and leaned forward on her elbows, rubbing at her burning eyes. She didn't understand it. She'd slept like a log the night before. It felt as if every ounce of energy had been sucked out of her body. All she wanted to do was crawl back under her blankets and fall asleep. A can of soda appeared next to her.

"You all right, Mandy?" Ianto asked.

"I'm fine. I must not have slept well. Ethan snores loudly," she said, smiling.

Now that she was upstairs in the well lit autopsy bay, Ianto was certain that she looked peaky. Her complexion was normally very fair but there was a slightly greyish cast to the skin. There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked exhausted. In fact, she looked as if she'd just revived from a particularly difficult death.

"You haven't died recently, have you, Mandy?" he asked.

"No, not since that weapon pack the day Ethan got here," she said.

"Mandy? Where's the vitals scanner?" Ianto asked.

"My bag on the floor over there," she said, waving in that general direction. "Are you not feeling well, Ifan?"

He didn't answer her, digging the small metallic cylinder out of the bag. He tapped the end, turning it on, and then waved it across Miranda's back.

"Goddess below, Ifan, what do you think you're doing?" she asked, trying to wave him off.

"Satisfying my curiosity," he said. The scanner had never once been used on Miranda. It beeped, indicating it was done. Ianto turned it on its side and pulled it apart, revealing the small screen. His eyes scanned through the heart rate, blood pressure and then widened when he got to the temperature. Thirty eight point four?! He pushed the scanner back together and ran it over himself to make sure the scanner wasn't malfunctioning. All normal… Then he ran it over her again to make sure he wasn't imagining things. He read the display… twice. The temperature reading was the same. He shook his head, disbelief on every inch of his face. Incredulously, he said, "You have a fever, Mandy."

"I beg your pardon?!" she cried.

"Thirty eight point four," he said, brandishing the scanner at her.

"That is ridiculous, Ifan. I cannot get sick!" she yelled. "I am immune!"

"Fever, chills, muscle aches… the exhaustion. Mandy, you cut yourself on the piece of glass a few days ago! You're sick!"

"That is not possible, Ifan!" she yelled, raising her voice. Suddenly, the dryness in her throat along with the shout caused a tickle to raise in the back of her throat and she let out a few dry coughs.

"And now you're coughing!" Ianto said.

Miranda shook her head, not willing to believe it, but it was the only explanation. Her body felt wrong. She was exhausted and there was a dull ache spreading through her muscles. All she could think about was her bed. There was a stinging sensation in her throat. Normally comfortable in the Hub, she'd been chilled every since yesterday, occasionally shivering. Certainly, each of these could find their own explanation but Miranda couldn't deny the presence of fever.

She dug deep into her memory. What had it felt like to be sick? She'd been sick before, of course, it had been part of her mortal life. She tried to remember but the only thing she could remember was her mother forcing a cup of bitter liquid down her throat. Had she felt like this? She couldn't remember. It was too long ago. She couldn't even remember the sound of her mother's voice.

"I think you should lock me in an isolation cell," she said.

"I don't think that's necessary, Mandy. You said yourself the disease isn't airborne," Ianto said.

"That may change and we have no idea what my immortal physiology will do with this illness. An isolation cell. Now, Ifan," she said, and started walking towards the east stairs.