I cannot apologize enough for how long it has taken me to post this. A sudden death in the family, the news that a much beloved cousin is going to have a second round of chemo for lung cancer and the slow ongoing decline of my aunt has given me little time (or incentive) to write. However, I need it to escape from all that so I should have the stopwatch chapter of Interludes up soonest and have started the next part of this. Thank you for all the support and interest in this, I cannot tell you how much it means.

"Shooting range, seven tonight, rift permitting."

Owen groaned and leaned back in his chair. "I already have Weevil cleanup!"

"Yep. And now you have an appointment with me on the shooting range tonight. I'm not sure what made you say that, nor do I care. The time that you can speak to me as if you are above me is over. It's been over. Why you seem to feel that every once in a while you can start this same stupid shit again I don't know. So, one more time we'll have this discussion. I really do hope it's the last time. I will give you a bit of advice though." Ianto stood up and gathered the folders before walking round the table. He leaned over, placing one hand flat on the gleaming surface, bring him on a level to look eye to eye with Owen. "Bring everything you've got. Every trick, every cheat, every bit of bollocks you can pull out of your arse because I'm done being nice. You want to act like a twat? I'm going to show you just how much of a twat I can be." He straightened and smoothed his tie before walking out of the conference room and heading for the kitchen, leaving Owen speechless and not too sure he really wanted to do this.

Tosh glanced up when Ianto left the conference room. She nearly fell off her chair when he winked, although a look behind him at Owen - who somehow managed to look angry and concerned at the same time - made her bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Another glance, this time at a scowling Gwen, made her bite the same place again, wondering how she could find out exactly what had transpired in the conference room when everyone left. She knew she could access the CCTV but with everyone in the main part of the Hub someone would notice and Owen would be furious if Ianto had given him a dressing down and she watched it. Not that it mattered, after all she really was over caring what Owen thought but she didn't want to stir up trouble amongst the team. Sliding off her chair she wandered toward the kitchen where Ianto had gone, hoping to grab him for a moment alone and find out what was going on. Her plans might have worked if Jack hadn't somehow managed to escape his office and get there first but the sight of them - Jack standing behind Ianto with his arms wound tightly round the slim waist and his chin on Ianto's shoulder while Ianto threatened him with decaf if he didn't move and Jack exhaled heavily into the shell of Ianto's ear - made her pause and quietly lift her phone and take several shots, grinning when Ianto loudly cleared his throat.

"I see you, Toshiko Sato."

"I want copies!" Jack called, turning his head far enough to flash her a grin. "Give me a few minutes and I'll see if you can get a naked one!"

"If you do it will be the only time you will ever see me naked again," Ianto threatened.

"Forget it! No naked!" Jack nuzzled the side of Ianto's neck. "At least not until later," he whispered.

"Your office, sir. I will bring coffee. Please be clothed and remain so when I arrive." Ianto laughed at Jack's pout, leaning back and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Later, sir," he purred, smirking when Jack's eyes glazed over. After swallowing rather heavily, Jack peeled himself off Ianto and wandered past Tosh and out of the kitchen, heading for his office with the dazed look still on his face. Tosh wandered in after he was gone, opening her mouth to ask but then shutting it with a growl when Ianto shook his head. "Nope. Not telling. Now get back to work." Ianto laughed when she swatted his arm before leaving, setting the cups on the tray and making each serving as it was preferred. He delivered the three to the others before taking his and Jack's up to the office, going inside and closing the door before setting the tray down on the desk and taking the seat opposite the captain.

"What are you planning?"

Ianto smiled and sipped his coffee.

Jack frowned. "I'm not sure I like that expression. We do need a medic."

Ianto arched an eyebrow and sipped some more coffee.

Jack huffed. "Ianto Jones, what are you going to do to Owen?"

Another smile, another sip.

Jack slowly pushed his chair away from his desk and got to his feet. "Am I going to need to resort to various means of torture to acquire the information I'm seeking?"

That got a smirk, another eyebrow, and a longer sip.

Jack walked slowly round his desk, coming to a stop in front of Ianto with his legs slightly spread. He folded his arms over his chest and put on his most fierce glare. "I do have ways of making you talk."

Ianto reached around him, set his coffee mug on the desk and then placed both hands on Jack's hips to yank him closer. Long fingers made quick work of Jack's flies and another application of those fingers released the quickly swelling flesh from the cloth confines. Ianto looked up at him through his lashes and smiled. "I was taught to never speak with my mouth full, sir." He then proceeded to fill it and Jack forgot all about his intention of finding out what Ianto had planned for Owen.

-TW-

Owen found himself glancing at the clock and wishing for a Rift alert. It was now less than a half an hour before he was supposed to meet Ianto in the shooting range and no one had shown any indication of leaving. He had been mentally kicking himself for yet another stupid remark that had put them back in the same place they had been and while he knew Ianto would put up with a great deal of needling there were some comments that crossed the line and the younger man was done taking the abuse. He was so deep in thought that when Jack came out of his office and clapped his hands he jumped, startled by the sharp sound.

"Gwen, go home. Make sure you fully log out so your hours are marked and credited. Toshiko, my office. Owen, well..." Jack grinned. "I believe you have something to finish before you leave for the night."

Gwen did as she was told but the hard slam of the draw in her desk after she retrieved her bag spoke volumes as to her continuing unhappiness with her punishment. Tosh rolled her eyes as she walked past, climbing the steps and passing Jack to go into his office. Owen scowled at him and once more glanced at the clock. In all honestly he could just leave but that would mean being subjected to the repercussions that both Ianto and Jack would offer because of his failure to appear at the designated place and time. He had thought about going to Ianto and trying to end this before it got out of hand but the other man had seemed to vanish except for the times he was making coffee or delivering lunch and if Owen hadn't known any better he would have sworn that there was alien tech involved in the elusiveness. He was jumpy, twitchy, and snappy and it was only getting worse with the passing of every minute. Now, with whatever was going to happen staring him in the face, he was just to the point of screaming for Ianto to get it over with when Jack's hand fell heavily onto his shoulder.

His shriek and leap from his chair that carried him a good five feet away had Jack laughing out loud. He didn't even wait to get himself until control, instead he beckoned to Owen and turned away, starting for the corridor that lead to the shooting range. Reluctantly following, his feet dragging at every step, Owen searched his mind frantically for some reason to avoid this. He wasn't afraid but he knew what Ianto was capable of and he had been just angry enough to mean what he had said. All out, prepare for anything. Owen's mouth opened and closed several times but nothing his brain could come up with seemed enough to actually end this so he went quietly along behind Jack, noticing the relaxed back and easy strides of the man in front of him and resenting him for his casual acceptance of Ianto's plans. He knew - or at least hoped - that Jack would only allow things to go so far before he would step in but that in itself was little consolation when he knew Jack was as fed up with his constant rudeness as Ianto was. He didn't even know why he kept going back to the same behavior; after the discussion they had out on the Quay he had honestly been planning on making a conscious effort to stop being such a twat. So far he had managed to only annoy Tosh twice, Gwen right now thought everyone was against her, Jack had even commented on his improved manners and he and Ianto had been snarking cheerfully at each other without crossing the line. Then, as always, he had opened his mouth and shoved his foot down his throat that he could kiss his own arse.

He nearly bumped into Jack, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize they were outside the shooting range. The door was closed and Jack turned to face him, shoving his hands in his pockets and meeting Owen's eyes. "I sincerely hope this is the last time, Owen," he said quietly, "because if it isn't, I'm afraid next time it's going to be my punishment."

And then he reached behind himself and opened the door before grabbing Owen by the front of his shirt and slinging him through the opening, Owen's shout of surprise cut off when the door slammed shut after him. Stumbling, Owen managed to stay on his feet, his eyes straining to see through the darkness. It was pitch black in the range, the only sound that of his breathing and the constant stream of cool air that came from the tunnels behind the targets. He squinted, wondering when the lights would be flicked on and the harsh brightness would blind him but nothing happened, nothing moved, and as he gathered himself he went from nervous to angry and he sucked in a deep breath to voice his displeasure. "Oi! If you think I have any desire to be trapped in the dark with you think again! I am not Jack bloody Harkness!" The last words were barely out of his mouth when something slick and sticky slammed into his chest, knocking him backwards and off his feet, the hard impact of his arse with the stone floor drawing a barked sound of pain. The smell hit him then and he gagged as he tried to get his shirt off and get rid of the vile stench but just as he did the perimeter lights came on and across the room stood Ianto, dressed in a vest and jeans and holding a strange looking weapon. "What the fuck you wanker?" Owen screamed.

"Let's see just how good you are at slinging shit, Owen," Ianto called. He pulled the slide on the weapon and Owen could hear it starting to whine. "I'm giving you thirty seconds. Get your gun, in the bag beside it are more pellets and a facemask if you need it, now I suggest you get moving. The boundaries are marked. If I catch you and corner you I am going to empty every pellet I have on you. You can do the same for me. Let's see how much you like being the one on the receiving end of the shit." Ianto started toward him. "Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight..."

With a yelp Owen scrabbled to his feet, grabbed his supplies and headed for the closest tunnel, listening as the countdown behind him continued.

In Jack's office, sitting on the couch with a tub of popcorn, a plate of biscuits, several bags of sweets, a large pitcher of ice water and two glasses on the table in front, Tosh and Jack cheered for Ianto and laid bets on jut how many shots Owen would be wearing before it was done.

-TW-

It took three showers and an alien cleanser before all the smell was gone. Ianto had not only cornered him, he had driven him into a steadily decreasing in size tunnel so that by the time he realized he was cut off and had no one but himself to blame it was too late and before he could get turned round and try to go on the attack the pellets had been coming and after about ten of them hit he was curled up in a ball holding the mask over his face and trying to pretend he couldn't smell a thing. How long it had lasted had most likely actually been less than a minute but it seemed to be forever and once he was done Ianto tossed a paint filled balloon that had burst on the wall about his head and the resulting barrage of neon pink paint had finished him off. He knew he still had a tint of pink to his hair but he was tired and he wanted nothing more than to go home and fall into bed. No pub, no woman, no...

Owen groaned aloud when he checked his phone and saw a dozen missed texts and several missed calls from Gwen. He figured the voice mails were either going to be filled with a rant about him not defending her or possibly even the fact that he had admitted to shagging Suzie. Then again, maybe if she was angry enough she might pop over for a good hard shag so he was getting ready to text her back when someone cleared their throat behind him. Turning, he found himself face to face with a cleaned and redressed Ianto Jones. Despite what had just occurred, Owen knew it wasn't done. "Look, I'm a twat."

"Again, your apology overwhelms me. Fuck you, Owen. Either you respect me as a friend or as a teammate. If you don't, do it because as of now I am officially your superior in the Hub. Say what you want out of here, but in here?" Ianto shrugged. "Any of us are replaceable, Owen. I suggest you remember that." He turned and started to walk away, his last words drifting back and sending an actual chill through Owen at the emotionless delivery of what was clearly a warning. "Or should I say that you should remember it while you can."

Owen stood open-mouthed as the door to the shower room closed behind Ianto.

-TW-

Ianto came back into the main Hub to find Jack more or less pushing Tosh onto the invisible lift and frantically punching buttons while she laughed so hard tears were starting to fall. Confused, and a bit concerned because she seemed less than perfectly balanced, Ianto went to say something to Jack to find out what was going on but while his eyes had been on the slowly rising pavement slab Jack had moved and the instant he opened his mouth it was filled with Jack's tongue. Strong arms wrapped round him and pushed him until his back was to the steps to Jack's office and then he was propelled in that direction, Jack's mouth plastered on his and that tongue was doing things that were making him forget his own name let alone his concern for Tosh and he was stumbling up the stairs and back into the office and then he was falling onto the raggedy couch with Jack on top of him, his breath leaving in a whoosh directly into Jack's mouth when the captain landed and then he was gasping for air and Jack's lips, tongue and teeth were doing things to his neck and he was mumbling and finally the words penetrated Ianto's brain.

"Hot...hot and forceful...control...so damn hot...control me..." Each mumble was punctuated with a suck or a nip and Ianto was laughing between moans, now aware of the effect of his final dressing down of Owen and the reason for Tosh's abrupt and rather forced exit from the Hub. Wrapping his arms round Jack he gave in, hoping that at some point they would at least move downstairs to the camp bed before he spent the entire night trying to figure out how to make sure Jack was on the receiving end of two rather sharp springs.

-TW-

Ianto was far from surprised when Gwen showed up before the others the next morning. Ignoring him as he sat at Tosh's station looking through the overnight police reports she took off her jacket and hung it on the back of her chair, shoved her bag in the draw and with a rigid back marched up the steps to Jack's office, going through the open door without knocking and giving it a rather hard shut behind her. Ianto rolled his eyes and sighed, debating if he should go up and join them or simply pull up the CCTV that covered Jack's office. Only he and Jack had the codes or even were aware of the cameras and he didn't want to risk one of the others coming in and seeing the display. He quickly set an alarm to warm him if either Tosh or Owen used their code to unlock any of the entrances before switching the feed to the office and sitting back to watch what he was sure was going to be the first - if not the last - tic Gwen would receive.

"Jack."

Jack steepled his hands and rested his elbows on the desk, letting his chin rest lightly on his fingertips. "Gwen."

"I would like to know why Ianto was chosen as your SIC. As a former..."

"He has the most experience. He has the most knowledge. He is the one I trust to do the job."

"How can you trust him?" Her voice was rising and becoming more shrill. "He brought a deadly alien in here, Jack! One that nearly killed us! She did kill you! And don't think Owen hasn't asked me about that, if I thought there was something odd about how you managed to live through two electrocutions! I keep your secrets, Jack! Would Ianto be as willing to do so if he knew?"

Jack shook his head. "Gwen, Ianto knew long before you did. He knows more about me than anyone has for years. You only found out about the one thing because you witnessed it. Are you threatening to tell Owen about it because I promoted Ianto over you? Is that what this is, some sort of blackmail?" He knew it wasn't but the whole idea of winding her up was too good to pass up. The only one in the Hub was Ianto and even though Jack was sure he was watching on the CCTV he knew anything discussed would be kept private. "Ianto is my SIC. You are currently treading on very thin ice, Gwen. I suggest you go back down to your desk and log in, find something to do and keep your head down."

"Why, Jack? Why have you become so cold, so unfeeling? I know that when you hired me you wanted me and you were so noble, so caring of my life outside here that you kept yourself at arm's length. But I don't want you to, I will tell Rhys that this is something neither of us expected but we can't control it! It's destiny, fate..!"

"It's delusional," Jack sighed. "Gwen, I am with Ianto. I am happy with him. I have very deep feelings for him. Would I fuck you? Yes, if I wasn't with him. Would it mean more? No. You have this image of me as a hero, sweeping in to save the damsel. But when I don't live up to your ideals you tear at me, ripping chunks of who I am away. That's not love. It's infatuation with an ideal. Get past it. You have a man who loves you. Now this conversation is over." He opened the file in front of him and began to read, ignoring her sharp intake of breath and the sliding of the chair as she brushed against it on her way out of his office. He hoped this was done because if it happened again he saw no way out except to remove her from Torchwood.

Oddly enough, there was none of the expected shiver of distress over the thought.

In fact, he felt a layer of relief at the decision.

Hearing Ianto's footsteps on the stairs, Jack grinned and did his best to look busy.