The Welshman was confused at first, by the contents of the shoe box. There was a book in there, he saw, but it was dwarfed by the amount of paper. Hundreds of scraps of paper were folded inside the box, each one containing an image, so intricately sketched that the Archivist had at first mistaken them for a photograph. Ianto quickly shut the lid, guilt at seeing something so obviously personal to his captain rolling in his stomach. He tried to quell it, knowing that Jack would be able to feel it, by setting the box carefully out of sight and placing his Jacket on top of it. Ianto laid down on the small camp bed, breathing deeply the scent of Jack and relishing the warmth of the sheets. He drifted into an uneasy sleep, his thoughts swirling around the box full of faces.
Jack sped back to the HUB, Gwen thrashing about in the passenger seat cursing him, while Owen stretched out in the back, texting furiously. Every time Gwen glanced back to see what the dead man was doing, she ended up either being tossed about by the captain's reckless driving, or met with an inquiry of her honeymoon by Tosh.
"Again, Tosh, Rhys and I had a lovely trip, the beach was fantastic, and I managed not to get a sunburn. Now answer me, why are you so curious?" She heard a pause in the constant clicking on the other side, a well-known sign that the technician was thinking.
"You only just got back, and I haven't heard anything from you all week. I was just making conversation." Gwen sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to quell the headache she felt growing.
"You and I can have a proper talk once we make it back to the HUB." The squealing of tires as Jack took a curve at twice the safe speed.
"If you make it back. It sounds like you are racing! What is Jack doing?" Tosh questioned.
"Apparently trying to kill me, re-kill Owen, and himself." Jack grunted in his seat, his speed reducing slightly.
"Is that better then." He growled. And Gwen allowed herself a small smile.
"Yes, thank you. What's the rush anyway? We still have four hours before Ianto's performance, and you've not been away from him long enough to be missing him that badly." Jack tapped his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel, trying to ignore Gwen's question. How could he possibly explain to her that he had left one of his most private possessions out in a place where Ianto would most likely find it. How could he explain how much that frightened him. What would his Welshman think when he saw those sketches? How would he react? Jack stretched out through their bond, feeling desperately for Ianto, and finding him restless. He saw Vividly in the back of his mind, the images that Ianto was dreaming off. Gwen's wedding, the dreadful dance, punching the blonde, a walk in the cold, dinner with John, Jack's arrival. He was looking into his own eyes then, the scene drifting from the bed, to the dinner, to Ianto's bed. A flicker of Gwen, a wave of blinding pain, the horrible blond, and then the box. The captain watched as Ianto opened it, saw the contents, shut it quickly and his it away. He felt the guilt roiling in the Welshman's stomach, as if he had defiled something sacred. The immortal felt the scene shift again, the whole thing running in a loop. Piece by piece he replaced each image with a sense of security and warmth, soothing the Welshman and calming his sleep. Little did he realize that he himself had begun to doze off, until a sharp pain erupted in his arm, followed by the shrill drone of Gwen's voice.
"I said slow down! Not come to a complete stop in the middle of the road!" Jack jolted forward, slamming the gas and bringing the SUV back up to speed.
"Aww leave him alone Gwen, it's obvious that Tea-boy shagged him ragged last night. I'm amazed that he even made it in today, let alone managed to stay awake." The captain looked in the mirror at Owen, who just tapped his nose knowingly. He's covering for me. Jack smiled, yawning tiredly before pulling up to the HUB.
"Well we're here in any case, I'll get our Rodent of an Unusual size into a cell." He got out of the SUV, stretching languidly before retrieving the creature from the back of the SUV. Gwen and Owen gathered together their belongings, before the trio entered the HUB.
Tosh sat in her chair, glasses pushed up the bridge of her nose as she furiously typed at her computer. Gwen noticed hundreds of Images whizzing across the screen, and was unable herself to make out what they were. The Welshwoman coughed slightly, startling the Technician from her task. The woman jolted, quickly closing out of whatever she was doing, and turning to Gwen.
"Oh, sorry, got a bit caught up. Jack said that you had an unusual specimen for me?" He falsely chipper tone didn't fool Gwen, but the former cop set it aside. Late. She promised herself.
"Yep, he seems to have taken to calling it a Rodent of unusual size." Tosh smiled at this.
"Probably prehistoric then. Early mammal? Tell Jack that I'll take a look at it and get him the results ASAP." A distinct ringing sound echoed through the Hub, as Jack clambered up the steps.
"Tosh, would you mind calling in for some lunch? I know it's abet late for that, but-" The technician nodded.
"No problem. Gwen, would you like to accompany me to the Thai place around the corner?" Gwen hesitated, before joining in.
"Sure Tosh, Thai sound's great." The two women walked side by side out of the Hub, while their captain slipped into his office.