The groan from the bedroom was Jack's first clue that Ianto had awoken. The second was a loud thump a few moments later and a curse as he knocked into a piece of furniture.

Jack winced. "You okay in there?" Silence. "Ianto?"

He was just getting to his feet to check on the other man when Ianto appeared in the lounge doorway rubbing a hand through his hair. "Morning."

"Hey." Jack offered him a small smile. "I left some aspirin for you on the bedside table."

"I found it, thank you." Ianto walked slowly into the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"I'd love some."

Jack joined him in the kitchen and waited in companionable silence as the Welshman ground fresh coffee and prepared the machine. He hadn't slept much, concerned about how a sober Ianto would react to him being there. So far so good.

When the coffee was done Ianto poured two mugs, handing Jack his and then shuffling into the lounge where he settled himself gently onto the sofa. This time the groan wasn't as obvious, but Jack still caught it.

"No cream or sugar for you?" he asked, sitting on the other end of the couch. He took his coffee black, and occasionally with sugar, but he'd never seen Ianto drink his that way.

Ianto looked down into his mug, frowning. "I didn't even realize."

Jack smiled. "I can fix it for you," he offered, starting to get back to his feet.

Ianto waved him back down with a small return smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll manage."

"You sure?"

"It's fine, Jack. Thank you."

Jack nodded and sipped his coffee, sighing in contentment. "When you retire and open your own coffee shop I want a loyalty card."

Ianto's eyebrow went up. "Retire from Torchwood?"

"It could happen."

"Unlikely, sir, but I appreciate the compliment."

Jack set his mug down on the table, careful to use a coaster. "How's your head?"

"Pounding. Did you happen to catch the number on the lorry that ran me over?"

Jack chuckled. "I did, actually. The remaining bottles are in the fridge."

Ianto snorted. "I had a little more than necessary."

"I was worried about you."

Ianto looked up under his lashes. "You needn't have been, but thank you."

"Are we okay, Ianto?"

The Welshman was quiet for a moment, staring into his mug of coffee. He took a sip before placing his mug on the table near Jack's. "It's difficult to understand what happened."

"I know."

"I wish you'd have just told me yourself. It was quite a shock."

Jack nodded, leaning his elbows on his knees and folding his hands together. "That was my fault completely. I should have said something long before Toshiko suggested the CCTV."

"She was already gone, wasn't she?"

"By that time, yes. She'd killed the doctor you brought in to help her, and a delivery girl."

"I caused that."

"You didn't mean any harm, Ianto. You were trying to do the best for Lisa that you could in that situation."

"She could have killed all of us."

"We stopped her."

"I'm sorry, Jack," Ianto told him, eyes sad. "I'm very sorry."

Jack scooted closer, drawing the Welshman against him. "So am I, Ianto. So am I."

They sat that way for a couple of minutes, Jack with his arm around Ianto and Ianto with his head on Jack's shoulder. When Ianto yawned, Jack pulled back and smiled at him.

"Why don't you try to get more rest?"

"What about the Hub?"

"It'll keep. I called earlier and Tosh was already in. Gwen and Owen should be on their way there by now."

Ianto nodded, slowly getting to his feet. "I could probably use a bit more sleep." He started to reach for the mugs but Jack stopped him.

"You go ahead. I'll clean these up." He pressed a kiss to Ianto's forehead. "Later we'll catch a bite to eat for breakfast."

"I could make you breakfast now…"

"First, sleep. You need to get rid of the headache."

Once Ianto headed back to the bedroom Jack did a quick pickup of their half-consumed coffees, cleaning out the mugs and leaving them to dry. He made another call to the Hub, verifying the others were already working. He let them know he'd be out for the morning, but might be in that afternoon.

Jack yawned and realized he could do with a nap himself. He glanced at the sofa and then made up his mind, joining Ianto in the bedroom. The Welshman appeared to be asleep already and Jack smiled, seeing he'd removed the rest of his suit and was tucked up under the covers. Stripping down himself Jack climbed into the opposite side of the bed, moving closer to Ianto and curling up behind him. When he slipped his arm around the man's middle Ianto interlocked their fingers, scooting back until they were pressed intimately together.

"I thought you were asleep," Jack murmured, kissing his temple.

"Almost," was the soft reply. "I was cold. Better now."

Jack smiled, nuzzling Ianto's hair and then settling his head on the pillow and closing his eyes. Though he didn't normally require much sleep he was out within a matter of minutes.

tw tw tw tw tw

Breakfast would have to be more of a late lunch, as Jack and Ianto slept much longer than anticipated. Ianto's curse as he jumped out of the bed woke Jack, and he smirked at Ianto's reaction to the time he'd read on the clock.

"We're late," Ianto told him, heading towards the bathroom. "I'll just grab a quick shower and we can head in."

"Don't be silly, Ianto," Jack called, rolling onto his back and stretching. "There's plenty of time. No need to rush."

The water turned on in the shower and then Ianto walked back into the room. "It's after twelve, Jack."

"Is that all?"

Ianto put his hands on his hips. "Well…the team will be waiting."

"Let them wait," Jack replied, lifting his head and smirking. Ianto frowned. "Go on, take your shower. I'm next, unless you'd rather share."

Ianto rolled his eyes, turning and going back into the bathroom. He called over the sound of running water, "Then we'd never get there."

"Exactly," Jack said, only loud enough for himself to hear. He grinned and relaxed against the pillow, awaiting his turn.

tw tw tw tw tw

The Hub was relatively quiet when Jack and Ianto arrived, carrying bags from the local Indian takeaway. Ianto had insisted on calling ahead and just bringing in their food for everyone, since he didn't want to take more time than necessary.

"Oh, Ianto, how are you?" Gwen asked, looking up as the two men came through the cog door.

"I'm fine, thank you, Gwen."

"I smell curry," Owen called out, a disembodied voice floating up from the medical bay. He appeared a moment later, taking the bag Ianto was carrying. "I'll just make sure this gets to the conference room. I could murder a coffee."

Jack laughed and followed Owen, winking at Ianto as the man made a detour to the kitchenette. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Toshiko follow the Welshman, and Jack smiled sadly. He knew how guilty Tosh was feeling.

Several minutes later they were all gathered around the table, tucking into their food and enjoying Ianto's fresh coffee. Gwen, Owen, and Toshiko brought them up to speed on what they'd missed, which, as it turned out, was pretty much nothing. There'd been a bit of rift activity but Owen and Gwen had handled it.

"A toaster," Owen growled, talking through his mouthful of chicken.

"It was space junk," Tosh clarified, shaking her head. "We're really not sure what it does, but we're certain it's not dangerous."

"A bloody alien toaster."

"It was blue," Gwen added, scooping up some rice. "Electric blue."

Jack laughed. "Sounds exciting."

"It actually could be," Ianto said, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin. "Depending on whether or not one likes alien toast from an electric blue alien toaster."

"I once ate an entire meal off an alien," Jack began, causing Tosh to giggle and the others to groan. "I remember it like it was yesterday…"

Tbc…