Owen gagged as he picked up the carcass of a dog and threw it into a trash bag, he then pressed his gloved hand to the wall and was slightly freaked out that something on the other side scratched just beneath his palm. "this room is disgusting. And since when did we have so many animals?"

Jack shrugged, "I wasn't aware we had any." He stood and glanced around the room, decayed bodies of what he assumed to be animals lay in heaps around the room, Owen had to identify each one as a species before they could dispose of it. Later, they would be destroyed with yet another alien device that zapped all organic matter into oblivion; but for now, it was a painstakingly slow project and with each new unidentifiable carcass there was a fear it could be human.

Tosh nearly threw up as she hefted a bag to the side and it sloshed with the contents, "how did they all get in here?"

"Maybe Ianto was keeping some pets." Gwen tried to sound chipper but it didn't quite come across as she gagged.

Jack was oddly quiet as he stood in the corner of the room, "is there something missing to you?"

All three perked at the question and looked around the room, "besides being one member less, no?" Owen peered at their leader then back down at all of the decayed bodies.

"Flies. Or rather, maggots." Gwen blinked at the realization then her head spun to Owen who was picking over the current victim. He shook his head in almost disbelief, "does this mean either something ate them, there weren't any flies in the hub, or…"

"They haven't been dead long enough to attract them."

Another silence, something that had been happening a lot recently, followed by Gwen asking, "any theories?"

Blue eyes looked at her through a mask before they flew down her covered form, "have you grown taller?"

All three employees looked at Jack a little confused and a lot miffed. Without answering, Gwen stomped from the room, Jack followed when he received death glares from the others. "Gwen," he called but she didn't stop, she stripped the hazmat suit and left it in a crumpled pile, once again, he followed her example and then jogged to keep up with her. He caught her arm and she turned, tears brimming her eyes and he took a quick breath in.

"How can you be so heartless." she murmured, "here we are, reeling from possibly losing Ianto and you're asking silly questions that you know the answer is that I'm wearing taller boots. It's like you didn't even care about him."

"That's not true - he was and still is part of the team -"

"Oh come off it Jack. What if it was me, how would you be acting then? If it's this way I'm not sure it's worth the time."

Jack stepped back as that thought hit him. He didn't even want to think of Gwen leaving him, and he had yet refused to entertain the idea that Ianto was truly gone. "Just because I don't cry," he regretted the words as he saw crystal tears spill down her cheeks, "doesn't mean I don't miss him. Someone has to take charge and stay level headed and I believe that spot is saved for me." He pulled her to him, wanting to ease away her pain but not knowing how.

"I don't want him to be gone." she whispered into his chest, "he's part of us. An important part of us and we all need him." Her fingers clenched into his shirt and he rested his chin on the top of her head. "Did you love him?" Jack was shocked at her bold question and refused to answer so she continued. "I.. I always knew that you and me… we had something. I don't know what you would call it, chemistry perhaps? I love Rhys," she corrected quickly, "but Jack, I know you can't die but… what if - one day you do? If we're falling apart over someone like Ianto," Jack felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle but he stayed silent, "what would we do if you…what would I do if you didn't come back?"

Jack wanted to ease her mind, wanted to comfort her, but he was still upset that she had implied Ianto wasn't as important as the others. He knew she hadn't meant it the way it sounded, knew her grief was speaking, her pain, her worry but he couldn't stop it. He could feel the anger in him rising and he attempted to squash but it was like taking a squirt gun to a wildfire, so he pulled away and bent to pick up his suit. "Don't be silly, I'll always come back." he sighed, part of him yelling for him to turn around, "you can take the day off if it's too much."

He heard the gasp, "Of course not." A nod and he shuffled into the hazmat suit and trotted slowly back to the furnace.

His mind still enraged with what Gwen had said and yet feeling sorry for her, part of him adored her, she didn't hero worship him like most everyone and perhaps that's why he had clung to Ianto. He had very clearly defied him, even stabbed him in the back to do something so…so human, deep down he knew the Welshman had acted out of deep love, something Gwen would do for Rhys without a second thought. Perhaps that's why when he attempted to choose one or the other, it was always muddled and he found that he couldn't separate them, something was always blocking him. Now, as he entered the doorway of the furnace room, he felt a prick of anxiety at the bodies being picked over and how some could have been human or just several large dogs stacked and decaying together.

"Jack," Owen's voice tempted him from his thoughts and he snapped his head to the side, "far as I can tell, these aren't human. Just animals… cats, dogs, rats, birds, the occasional reptile, things like that. Something's been feeding on them. And within the last day or two."

Jack let out a long sigh, "So another intruder, and it didn't tip the security. Tosh, you've really got to work on that." She nodded but otherwise didn't acknowledge him, fighting the urge to throw up and clean the mess off the floor was all she could do. He glanced around at his team, Gwen slipping in beside him, her gaze apologetic; he felt out of place, like he didn't belong or rather that something was terribly wrong. It was as though a piece was missing, a big piece that he wanted back more than anything he'd ever wanted before. He wondered if this is how Gwen and Ianto felt, if this was being human, willing to go through everything just to get back or keep that piece of you that made you feel. His fists clenched the bags in his hands and he let out a low growl, he vowed then in that dirty, gruesome, stinking room that he would get Ianto Jones back no matter the cost.

Thirty Four hours missing…

Thank you all for the nice comments! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. -hugs to you all-

As usual, I have no beta and am just an amateur so any critique is welcome. Don't get me wrong in this chapter, I like Gwen but she kinda peed me off when she was flirtin with Jack yet Engaged to Rhys. So, I had to throw a little stab in there.