Ianto awoke that afternoon to a warm pressure on his chest. It was surprisingly pleasant and made him want to go back to sleep. It reminded him of lazy mornings when he'd wake up to Jack's head on his chest and a kiss hello. Absentmindedly, his hand lifted itself to card through his hair, but when he touched the warm thing, he found it was the wrong shape.

Ianto opened his eyes to see two blue cat eyes staring at him and memories of the morning came rushing back.

'Aren't you supposed to be nocturnal now?' Ianto asked. 'I mean, more so than usual. Have you been watching me the entire time I was asleep?' Jack blinked very slowly and then licked Ianto's nose. 'Eurgh! Get off me!' Ianto groaned and swatted the cat away. With the pressure gone, he sat up and looked around.

His bedroom was much the same as usual, save the odd nest-like depression in the duvet next to him that was covered in black cat fur. He'd have to get that out somehow, Ianto supposed. He ran a hand through his hair, effectively mussing it up. A purring sound came from the floor at the foot of his bed. Ianto sat up straighter and glared at Jack.

'You're loving this, aren't you?' he asked it. 'Every second,' he grumbled and shoved the covers off.

He was barely on his feet when he felt soft warm fur winding its way between his bare legs. Ianto stared down at the cat. Jack stopped moving in favour of staring back with pleading eyes. 'You want me to pick you up, don't you?'

'Meow.'

'Of course you do. Fine,' he said, plucking the cat off the floor. 'I need coffee.'

Jack immediately began to purr.

In the kitchen, Jack jumped onto the kitchen counter and licked his lips, watching Ianto's progress with the coffee machine expectantly.

'I'm not giving you coffee,' Ianto told him sternly. 'You might be Jack, but you're still a cat.'

'Meeerrooooooww...' Jack said. He widened his eyes at Ianto. Ianto ignored this, instead checking the microwave clock. It was just after one pm. His stomach growled.

'Wow, I haven't eaten since last nights chinese,' Ianto realised. 'Hmmm...' he opened the fridge and pulled out ingredients, checking the use-by dates carefully before placing them on the counter. He pulled the door of the dishwasher open, thankful to find it clean, and removed a frying pan. As he stirred the bacon in the pan, Jack padded over and sat, watching as wistfully as a cat can.

Ianto glanced at up at Jack while he was cooking and nearly kicked himself for being so stupidly selfish. Jack was watching the progress of the wooden spoon with an attentive fascination bordering on freakish, blue eyes wide and never leaving the spoon. Jack hadn't eaten since then, either, Ianto remembered.

'I'm sorry,' he apologised. He lifted a rasher of bacon out of the pan with his spoon and grabbed a plate from the cupboard above his head with the other hand. He plonked the bacon on the plate and placed the crockery on the floor by his feet. Jack leapt down and attacked the bacon, despite it's high temperature, purring so loudly he seemed liable to explode. Ianto chuckled at the sight.

'What are we going to do if the Doctor can't change you back?' Ianto wondered with a frown. Jack paused his attacking of the bacon to meow ponderously before returning his attention back to the more important matter.

Ianto finished cooking his bacon, scrambled two eggs and carried his plate and coffee to the kitchen table and began to eat. Jack soon joined him, sitting on the table and watching him eat.

'Get off the table,' Ianto grumbled, trying to shoo the cat off the dining table. The cat didn't budge. 'Jack, that's getting a bit creepy now,' Ianto said. Jack blinked at him. Ianto sighed. God, Jack was hard work in feline form.

He considered Gwen's reaction if he turned up to work now. She'd probably send him back home again. The thought almost made him laugh. She may be his best friend, but she could be seriously bossy when she was in charge.

Resigning himself to at least another hour of practical house-arrest, Ianto finished his breakfast and plopped onto the couch, flicking on the telly. He only got to enjoy the rare moment for a second before Jack had placed himself firmly on his lap and closed his eyes, purring softly. Ianto suspected his boss could have stayed there all day if he wasn't eventually turfed off. After nearly an hour of bad day-time telly and channel surfing, Ianto gave up. He pushed Jack's sleeping form off his legs onto the couch cushion beside him and made his way into the bathroom, locking the door before Jack could wind his way into the room with him.

Twenty minutes of normality under the hot shower would have been nice if Jack hadn't spent the entire time yowling on the other side of the door.

Ianto opened his front door. Jack ran out ahead of him

'Jack, careful!' Ianto called. 'You're not as visible now!'

Jack seemed to forget his current situation for a moment, he turned his head as he kept running towards Ianto's car, chattering away in a series of barking meows and yowls. Ianto was sure he was explaining something very obvious and charming to him, except Ianto couldn't understand it. Ianto remote unlocked his car.

As he opened the driver's side door, he heard an inhuman scream and a screech of brakes. He spun around to face the road. He hadn't been paying attention. A car had come around the corner too fast. A small black mass was now lying on the road, unmoving.

'Jack!' Ianto screamed and sprinted towards the cat. Ianto's breath hitched. Could Jack's resurrection ability still survive after his transformation? He knelt on the road, the offending vehicle now nowhere in sight.

Jack the Cat wasn't breathing. 'Come on,' Ianto whispered, stroking his fur. 'Come on...'

Silence.

Then...

A blue eye cracked open. Ianto laughed in relief. 'Oh, thank god!' Ianto cried, picking Jack up and sitting them both in his car. He threw his head back onto the headrest and sighed in relief. 'You know,' Ianto said. 'You bring a new meaning to the phrase, "nine lives".'