4

Ianto was cleaning the SUV when Owen found him and leaned back to watch.

Swirls of soap suds as Ianto lovingly scrubbed at the paintwork, twirling little bubbles across the black paint.

"Why you!"

Ianto hesitated and looked at Owen as he wondered if that was a rhetorical question, "Don't know."

Dripping bubbles now, puddling by Ianto's feet as he stood with the sponge hanging limply.

"Yeah? I would have thought it would go after Tosh because she is so weak, or Gwen with her tits that look so danged biteable. The bimbo always gets it" Owen pushed off from the pillar and stepped closer.

Ianto sighed and dropped the sponge in the bucket as he reached around Owen for the hose so he could hose off the soap while it was still wet.

"You know, if this were a horror movie? Right about now I would reveal the fact that you're the only virgin here" Owen snarled, then yelped as a mighty right hook caught him and slammed him back against said pillar.

Ianto swung again, missing and hitting the pillar as Owen fell.

Jack came running in, yelling at them to stop and Ianto laughed hollowly, "Yeah. Now his arse is kissing the ground!"

"Stop it!" Jack roared into Ianto's face. "What was that for? You bloody well tell me. Stop hiding from me!"

Ianto tried to step around Jack but he grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the hub as Owen meekly followed, knowing this wasn't going to end well for anyone.

Ianto got the humiliation of a replay through three CCTV cameras with the best mics in the business.

He stood silently at the back of the room with his hands behind his back, hiding the swollen knuckles as Tosh and Gwen fussed on Owen's bruised jaw.

"But he's not a virgin" Gwen frowned, "He had Lisa."

"Let me guess, not before marriage?" Jack asked with a scornful leer.

"We were going to have our wedding in two months. Two months and she would have died my wife," Ianto rose and did a hit and run, "Bit like Katie."

Owen snarled as he swung to retort but Ianto was already fleeing down to the archives.

Jack followed.

"Ianto? Is it true?" Jack said softly as he neared where the heat signature was being detected by his VM.

"Go away."

"Come on, please?" Jack sighed, "I didn't mean it to come out like that, and we're all on edge."

He stepped around the stacks and found Ianto standing with his back to him, his shoulders hunched.

"Ianto?" Jack stepped forward, confused by the lack of response.

He stepped around Ianto to stand in front of him and was surprised to see the wide eyed fear as Ianto continued to look over his shoulder, past hm.

"Ianto?" Jack said softly, then turned started to see what he was looking at.

He never saw it coming.

.

.

.

He was aware of light, voices and the sensation of a cold surface as he blinked himself into wakefulness.

"Here's sleeping beauty now!" Owen said as Jack slowly sat up and rolled his head to ease his neck.

"Tosh was sure you were dead" Owen said as he shone a light in his eyes in the most annoying way.

"Ianto?" Jack frowned as he looked around, "Where is he?"

'Hiding deep in the old files area" Owen snorted," Bloody nutta ran off like a cut cat once he'd clocked you one."

"Ianto?" Jack frowned as he struggled to remember. "No. It wasn't him it was … there's something in the corner and he was telling it to go away. I thought he was telling me but …"

"Jack, you just have your head bounced off metal shelving, you're a bit confused. We heard shouting and came down to find you in a pool of blood and him gone" Gen said as she walked down the stairs.

"Ianto" Jack slid off the table and staggered, then got his bearings. That death had been a bitch.

He took off running, back to the last place he saw Ianto and began to call his name.

"Jack, just leave him. There's only one way out, he'll come up when he's hungry." Gwen huffed as she pulled on Jack's arm.

"You don't understand!" Jack growled as he shook her off, "Something was there. With me and Ianto, something was stalking us."

Jack called Ianto's name again, desperation sliding into the tone.

Gwen stood with her arms folded and rolled her eyes as Owen joined in, calling out as he tried to peer between artefacts.

"Maybe he's behind the wall shelving, he's skinny enough to fit" Owen muttered.

Tosh's scream from the main hub had them forgetting all about Ianto as they ran to investigate.

The shuffling behind them unheard.