A/N: Here, we're finally in second season. Jack is returning to his team. I just want to warn you that this story stops at Meat, there is the end. Welcome new readers, hopefully I will return to my usual rhythm of publishing. Feel free to leave me a note. :)

No spoilers

Beta-ed: TattoedLibrarian

Jack ran all excited looking forward to seeing his team. He looked forward to action, to movement, to being in charge and making simple decisions, to just pull the trigger. He loved the Doctor, he really did, but with him it was all high moral issues that left you feeling doubtful and sad, life defying situations which the whole universe depended on, or at least Earth. Jack's tasks were different, sure from time to time the whole Earth did depend upon them, but those were much smaller proportions of events, and he usually could deal with it. And often enough he could just shoot the bad guy not asking too many questions, diminishing the question of wrong and right based on the simple question of murders and aggression, pure threat. The thing with the Toclafanes, the Flying balls, left him feeling uneasy. Humans, future humans gone mad and just wrong, they lost all connection to reality. Jack knew enough about the future so he had the consolation that they were just a small portion of human beings, that most of them died gracefully, and didn't meet the Master or his distorted to offer for them to destroy everything that they ever were. He understood that Owen couldn't rationalize that fact, and he knew how it must have felt for them to live with that, he didn't have any visions of the wonders the Human race would achieve, just a bitter end. Luckily he won't remember that now.

Jack jumped on the invisible lift and pushed the button on his wrist strap. His wrist strap had already tuned in on the Hub's computers, there were no alarms, and everyone should be in. As the elevator descended down he realized that the Hub was empty. That came as a disappointment to him. More so the Hub looked deserted; all the lights were off, even the computers hummed in standby. That wasn't right. He pulled out his gun as he jumped from the elevator, after that he approached Tosh's station to search for their signals. They were nowhere to be found, like they went abroad. Thinking of that he felt silly for his pulling gun so he returned it to its place. They were in Himalayas and hadn't returned yet. The Master himself told him that when he returned, even Ianto spoke of returning through Asia on foot. Well this way they should get back a lot sooner than before. Jack took a deep breath. Maybe it was better this way, he would have a chance to pull himself together and get on track with recent changes and assignments. He flicked the switch and was left speechless, everything looked different, it was the same Hub, but all mixed up. He went up to his office fearing he would find Owen's stuff all around. To his surprise his office was rebuilt but his stuff was all there. He went to the floor to look at his files about Flat Holm feeling guilty for leaving it hanging like he had. As soon as he opened it he immediately knew that it had been opened, and reorganized. Ianto took over and sorted it. There was even a highlighted new case of returning. Jack took it out and studied it. He remembered that one. That was painful case, Ianto seemed to take care of it with discretion, and he even left a note to explain himself. Jack smiled; the note was clearly intended for him. Ianto sorted the facts in order in which Jack prioritized things. It wasn't a chronological report, like ones that Ianto made for the archives and expected to be read by ones like him, but it was sorted by troubles. First there was big label 'harmless', noting that no action was necessary. Then there was the screaming of the man, once a boy, Jonah, and note that he wasn't suitable for public places. Then there was Gwen's near discovery of the man because of a bad system of spotting returning subjects; after that, a note about the lack of equipment and troubles about finding trolleys. Then there were his results of examinations at Flat Holm, and list of his diseases, and contained pathogens that proved to be harmless enough, but Ianto noted suspicion that it caused a new type of influenza. Then there was his condition and new estimated age. That was followed by short drafts of Jonah drabbling about his travels, they would be intriguing and fascinating if there wasn't so much pain, Jack could relate to that too well at this moment so he just browsed through that. In the end there was a short linear story about the chain of events that occurred, and Jack usually wouldn't have gotten to that point, he would have thrown down the report after the estimation of his danger level, before whining about equipment and detecting strategies.

Jack returned the file to its place and closed the lid. As he looked around he saw green space beside his office, where did the board room go? He went in search of it. Of course he looked last at that convenient room just beside office area. It wasn't bad really, but he liked the overview of the old board room. He went upstairs and looked at the green wonder in the middle. They probably had reason for it but he felt deprived, it was a powerful position to lean on the reel and watch them working, now he would be shadowed by some damn tall plants. He put his hands in his pockets and went to see if they managed to put something in his room, or had they just turned it into a storage room.

He went down the ladder pleasantly surprised that the air wasn't damp after months of his absence. He turned up the light and was rewarded by the sight of his things intact. The only sign that he wasn't home was that everything was neatly sorted. Jack felt the weight of his weariness on his shoulders. He was home, he was safe. He finally took off his coat and placed it on the stand. Afterwards he striped his clothes, standing for a brief moment naked. He closed his eyes; this was such freedom just to stand there bare. He decided against pyjama bottoms and just jumped under his covers. He lie on his back looking through his manhole and discovered he was bothered by that entrance, that window. He would get over that but after standing for a year where everyone could see him in constant light, he craved some privacy, some solitude. That's why he got up and closed the lid causing darkness. It was relief; he missed the darkness that would allow his eyes to take a pause. He crawled into bed deciding to sleep on his front grabbing the pillow.

`What if they find me here, like this` he thought while falling asleep he smiled at that picture, he would just pull Ianto in to keep him warm, and tell others to bugger off for few days. With that pleasant picture of a Ianto-pillow he fell asleep.

Advice: This is a good spot to dream sweet dreams with Jack to restore yourself for reunion.