A/N: some more Ianto and don't strangle me, it will all make more sense in next ch.

No spoilers

Beta-ed: TattoedLibrarian

"Really Harkness, that's your method of reprimanding him?" Owen smirked passing down to the kitchen. "Oi, Tea Boy why are you so slow this morning, not even the coffee is done, and that alien still stinks from medical bay. I bet you had company last night, no one disconnects his phone just to sleep."

Ianto flushed and turned around to pour him some coffee.

"See boss, maybe now you'll be willing to come up with some unpleasant chore for him to make up it to us." He continued sweetly.

"Owen stop it, you're just jealous" Tosh grunted with a smile "because it wasn't you we couldn't reach."

"Yeah" Jack joined in with a cocky grin "and whatever it was, beauty sleep worked. Is that suit new?" Ianto clenched his jaw as Jack appreciatively took in his appearance.

"Of course it is" Owen smiled sardonically "Our beloved Tea Boy spends all his income on suits. I have standing bet with Tosh that he does it for pick up tactics, she doesn't believe me but I've seen him in action and his innocent act does pay out." Jack gave him a dark glare that made Owen smile even wider; Ianto decided that the alien in sick bay deserved his attention.

"Owen!" He heard how Tosh cried out behind him. "Enough of that, you promised me test results on our friend down there."

Ianto descended towards the autopsy table and just stood there for a moment. He couldn't make out what he was seeing. The creature was dark blue, and it was twice the size of the table so it poured over the sides, dangling down towards the floor, it had six extremities that invoked something more sea creature like than land animal. Jack leaned on the rail but Ianto didn't lift his gaze.

"How would that go unnoticed" he murmured to himself.

"Well it has a pretty good chameleon quality, it moves along walls mimicking its background." Jack spoke up loudly like he had an audience.

"To do what? Kill from behind, that can't be inconspicuous." Ianto deadpanned.

"No, it doesn't kill, it just brushes people while passing by taking their energy, like small electric charges, most people don't even feel the loss." Jack voice was calm; there was no flirt in it left.

"Why in hell did you have to take it out then?" He couldn't help himself but to grumble.

"It wasn't ready to go in peacefully" Jack straighten himself up and crossed his arms over his chest, chin raised up. That pose told Ianto so much; amongst other things it told him that this wasn't negotiable. That's why he just nodded and started to prepare a gurney.

"How in earth will I put it in one drawer?" He felt unwilling to touch the body. He'd seen a lot of strange things, but this just seemed wrong in some way.

"You can fold it" Jack shrugged his shoulders "it's pretty flat, or it can be, its width is very flexible, unlike length and height these are standard for these creatures."

"Why this one isn't flat?" Ianto's voice was low.

"Always to the point" Jack shook his head. "Because of its last consumption, it didn't have a chance to be dissolved; I saw it swallow a male and female on a bench. That's why others won't come near; they just assume you aren't bother by these kinds of things."

"Aren't I?" Ianto still didn't come any closer. "But you said it doesn't kill."

"No it doesn't" Jack answered firmly but didn't continue. Ianto raised his eyebrow with a question, but there was no reply so Ianto pressed his lips together accepting the distance between them and turned towards alien and his victims.

"Why are you angry Ianto?" Jack spoke quietly and Ianto discovered that he was satisfied that Jack saw it in him.

"How long since you've last seen me, Jack?" He replied with a question.

"Oh, you've cracked it, I thought I'd have to walk you through it" Jack started to ramble.

"I've paid attention, time loops and all, how long were you away?"Ianto interrupted him not lifting his gaze.

"How do you know? It could have been just one night" Jack played innocent and Ianto just threw a look at him. "Ok, three, maybe four. Why does it matter?"

"Knowing you it could have been years, but you probably would have changed your shirt, but why bother" Ianto finished with sharp end.

"Ok, but why are you mad?" Jack was disconcerted.

"Sorry sir" Ianto pulled up his polite smile. "I have some folding to do." He put on a pair of gloves; he wasn't ready to touch the creature with his hands.

Ianto touched the indigo skin that felt like rubber under his fingers and winced. It was like a little electro shock. He started to fold and really it did comply under his hands and soon he had round roll of alien tissue.

"How is that possible with two bodies inside it?" Ianto was baffled.

"Jelly mush" Owen exclaimed rushing towards them. "It turns human flesh in jelly, bones, organs, everything, tests came through; it's extraordinary."

"That's not a word I would use" Ianto smirked as he moved the rolled alien to the gurney.

"Well the compound that does it is extraordinary" Owen didn't lose his pace as he switched the pictures on the screen. "It's not what you would call poison, or even a digestive enzyme, it turns tissues into a jelly that is different from the alien's organs and skin, he can't consume it, it's a foreign body, so it turns it into jelly that is then slowly excreted through the skin like a poison would be. If they were poisonous to the alien why would it consume them?"

Ianto looked at his hands feeling sick. He peeled off the gloves and threw them in the trash.

"It didn't, they fell on it" Jack informed them seriously "talking about bad luck, instead of steamy sex on the grass, they poisoned an alien and ended up like mucus." He shook his head.

"And you just happened to be there and see it happen?" Ianto deadpanned.

"Lucky me" Jack raised his eyebrows sighing.

"I don't understand" Owen looked at the pictures of molecules and cells. "If it was poisoned why did it act all crazy and violent, spun Gwen into a mud pile, and throw Tosh in a tree, it's a bit excessive, especially for a chameleon creature as you describe it Jack."

"You pump yourself with speed, ecstasy, pure meth and some cocaine and we'll see how you behave." Jack started to gesture with his hands tilting his head. "It feeds off emotions and life energy, one touch is enough for the evening. When those two fell on it they were instantly wrapped inside of its chameleon shell to protect its invisibility, and in that moment it consumed all of their life energy and feelings, which wasn't a small portion considering their emotional state, and it made it wild. On the other hand, their bodies started to mess with its mind and as it tried to shake them out by throwing itself around to speed up the process of breaking down their bodies. As it did so it bumped into trees, animals, humans, and every touch made it more violent. It's like you have burned skin and everyone keeps touching you; it's an unpleasant feeling." He shrugged as he remembered, and Ianto thought he was remembering what burned flesh looked like.

"Well that sums it up" Owen turned off the slide projection. "You know awful a lot about the buggers Jack".

"Oh, I had previous encounters" Jack shoved his hands in his pockets walking away.

"Great, now I almost feel sorry for the moving carpet" Owen grumbled and crossing his hands over his chest.

"Ok, will you help me with moving it then?" Ianto took out new pair of gloves and put them on.

"No" Owen shook his head "I'm not too crazy about mucus."

"It must be a field trip to examine mushy aliens then" Ianto smiled and pushed the trolley, resigning to his chore.

"And it never stops" Owen replied cheerfully and ran up the stairs.

After he cleaned up all the mess Ianto went up to Jack's office with cup of coffee.

"Oh, I must be back in your good graces. I finally get my coffee." Jack took it and inhaled the scent in. "I've missed this" he said with a smile and Ianto nodded turning to go. "Won't you talk to me about it?" Jack said softly and Ianto looked over his shoulder with a frown. Jack leaned back in his chair waiting.

"Why did you go back to see John?" Ianto asked seriously.

Jack looked as he ate a lemon.

"I had to see if he was lying. I sat there as the shower ran and I just couldn't shake it from my mind, his burning red eyes as he exited, I had to go and find at least one tell-tale sign that he was lying. So I hid behind the wall listening you count, watching Gwen struggle, but then I was sent back with all of you, and me, I was too close. So next time I hid behind the car, then on the next building, then opposite one."

"Until you got too far and were left behind" Ianto sighed shoving his hands in his pockets.

"No, I bumped into our friend down there so I went after him instead, I would never find a tell anyway, John has gotten so good at lying that you can never tell, I think he lies about what he ate and everything else"

"Is that how you died? You bumped into the alien and were consumed?" Ianto frowned painfully.

"No" Jack leaned forward supporting his elbows on the table "how do you know I died?"

"Your hair and skin, you look all rested and perfect, and you haven't slept in days, an hour ago you looked perfectly ruffled and sleepy." Ianto said impassively but Jack smiled.

"I did; didn't I?" he said with a grin gazing at Ianto seductively, but Ianto remained serious.

"Then how did you die?" Ianto persisted and Jack's face was hollow for a moment.

"You insist on this?" he frowned and then looked away. "In its first spree of madness after the accident, I tried to help but it grabbed me by the ankle spun around and threw me, I landed on the fence and broke my spine, I hate spine injuries, they hurt." Ianto looked like he was in pain.

"The others hadn't seen it, they said you were intact." Ianto didn't give up.

"I woke up and followed it, trying to handle it, but I couldn't alone, so I went back one more time to the explosion and was sent back. I collected the team and we took it down pretty quickly." He was serious now, like filing a report.

"That's how you knew its moves" Ianto lifted his shoulders and nodded looking at the floor.

"Time travel has its merits. This really bothers you, doesn't it?" Jack stood up and went around his desk. He leaned on the edge in front of Ianto folding his arms across his chest. "You're mad about the death thing, not John."

"John doesn't bother me" Ianto looked at him coldly "he's just a reminder of your past, remember? And he's just … yuck, he probably was better before, but I just can't see it."

"So it's the death thing. You know I can't die, I revive." Jack raised his eyebrows not understanding.

"You do die Jack, you just can't stay dead, and there is a difference. I hate when you go through that pain, and I will never be okay with it." Ianto's voice was deep and raw and Jack looked stunned, there was a silence for a moment. "But I understand it happens."

"Why are you angry then?" Jack looked left and right trying to understand.

"I can't be with you if I can't even take a shower without you disappearing to go time travelling and dying. I can't take it; yeah sure you came back because you bumped into a strange alien you used to know. But if you didn't, it could have continued, and then if you decided there was some truth in his words you would have just gone after John and gotten yourself locked up on some distant moon. I can't do that, and especially I can't pretend it's just fine that you've died and stand aside."

Jack's mouth formed silent o.

"Sorry" Ianto dragged out his weak smile and took a deep breath "I'm bothering you, it's just not important."

"No" Jack jumped up "you're right, anything could happen, I should have said something, or added something in the note, I'm just not used to reporting in." He looked sincere and Ianto was surprised.

"Well it always been a pain to get you to file reports, but I do have to keep the archives tidy" Ianto smiled widely and Jack laughed.

"I can't believe you two!" Gwen exclaimed. "Early morning, two days from returning and you're already discussing reports and archives; really Ianto honey, I love you, but you have to keep down on filing and get out more, you're pale as a ghost."

"Oh, don't worry" Ianto turned towards her with genuine smile "I have a date tonight, that is, if my boss doesn't make it a late night in the Hub."

"No worries there, I won't let him keep you here just because you were smart enough to disconnect your phone, I wish I had." She laughed. "Tosh managed to identify victims; you could get on those cover stories. Jack I need a word about last night."

Next chapter will be up tomorrow. Jack will walk us through it.