"Gwen go home," Jack said, giving her a gentle push in the direction of the cog wheel entrance.

"I couldn't possibly," she protested, almost cross-eyed with exhaustion. She looked around the deserted Hub. There was no sign of Ianto. She wasn't going to leave Jack. There was still too much to do.

"You're dead on your feet. Go. I'm going to crash myself," Jack told her, tilting his head to relieve a crick in his neck. "We'll do no one any good if we start making mistakes."

"I can sleep on the sofa," she said, determined not to let him push her out.

"No, you're going home. Gwen, you need some time away from here." Jack was patient, but it was obvious that he was not going to let her get her way. "Go home to Rhys."

She stared at him for a few moments, almost uncomprehending what he said. "But…."

"Go." His tone didn't allow for argument. She was almost in a daze as she found herself gently ushered through the door and onto the lift, Jack escorting her up to the surface. When the secret door opened, it was to reveal and equally weary Ianto who was picking up the mess in the office.

"I've rung for a taxi, it should be here any minute," he said, somehow finding some inner core of strength that kept him functioning better than she was. "In fact, it just arrived. I used our priority access to get you a route home, so you can get some rest."

She nodded wearily, finally accepting defeat. She couldn't fight the two of them together, and suddenly she found she didn't want to. All she wanted was to go home, take a long shower and hold onto Rhys for as long as she could. Ianto steered her out the door and into the back seat of the taxi before briefly giving some instructions and money to the driver. As the car sped off, zigzagging around debris he returned to the Tourist Office where Jack was leaning against the counter.

"She's sorted, I hope she gets some rest," he said with a sigh. He turned and locked the door, turning the sign over. Not that anyone would be looking for tourist services for some time to come, but old habits were hard to break.

"I sent a message to Rhys and asked him to meet her at home. Hopefully he's already there or on his way," Jack said. "You need to get some rest, too."

"When I'm finished," Ianto said. He tugged on Jack's sleeve, pulling him back through the wall and down to the Hub. It was on the tip of Jack's tongue to argue and send him home as well, but one look at the other man's face and he knew that would be a mistake.

When they reached the lower level, Ianto led Jack over to the sofa. He sat the other man down and went over to the coffee machine. Jack could smell the aroma of brewing coffee and let his head fall back against the back of the sofa. He had time for a few moments to stop before getting back to things. It helped not to think too much. With eyes closed, he listened to Ianto moving about the small kitchenette. The everyday sounds of the other man puttering around made him relax. It wasn't until he felt the cushion depress with Ianto's weight that he opened one eye to look at him.

"Coffee?" The world would fall about their ears, but still this incredible young man found time to bring some normalcy to his life.

"Decaf," Ianto said, handing Jack his favorite mug. Jack made a face, but refrained from protesting Ianto's decision. While he didn't sleep much, he knew that caffeine wasn't going to be the answer at the moment. He took a sip and savored the flavor. Where Ianto found a decaf blend that tasted so good was anyone's guess. He still had a theory that the other man had some underground connection to South America somewhere and that this coffee bordered on being an illegal substance.

They sat quietly together, drinking their coffee; too tired to move. Jack stretched his arm along the back of the sofa, pulling Ianto closer. Neither of them spoke. They didn't need to. It was a moment of respite that they both desperately needed after the events of the last few hours….