A/N: some more angst, although this episode is funny to watch, I find them all quite serious during it

Spoilers: Sleeper

Beta-ed: TattoedLibrarian

Ianto was empty. There was no anger in him anymore, but there wasn't anything else either. It seemed silly now, all that hope he put in Jack's return, and then all the anger he felt building up during the day as Jack kept behaving like a badass boss. Jack was a badass boss, despite his charm, he always has been. It shouldn't surprise Ianto that he withdrew into business mode especially on a day like this. It was just disappointing.

Ianto realized that after he confronted him about that damn sticky tape on the side mirror. Jack turned around with his firm but polite expression, his hands in his pockets.

"Never mind" he withdrew instead of releasing his rant. There was no point; Jack could deflect anything; there were no reaching him.

His thoughts were confirmed as Jack flirted like nothing happened. Ianto discovered he could resist him because he was devoid of desire too.

"Ianto?" he could hear a softer tone as he called out after him, but he wasn't in the mood to back down. Ianto didn't ask for much, but he sure asked for more than just sex accompanied with total ignorance.

As he entered main floor Ianto paused for a second not willing to go out and scrub SUV with petrol to remove the sticky parts. It was a tricky business and it needed steady hand. He spotted blood stains on the floor. Owen was on the verge of one big stain so Ianto went down to clean it up. Jack leaned on the on the rail, Owen cut into some corpse, Ianto cleaned. It was business as usual in Torchwood three. It all could be done in a professional manner, Ianto liked professional.

"I'll kill her first" Ianto could hear Beth's voice echoing the Hub. He froze for a second then jumped towards the nearest weapon beneath the rail, Owen took his from under the autopsy table, and Jack jumped towards the table he left his gun on when he changed.

Ianto stood firm, not thinking, watching the blade that held Gwen's throat. He trusted his aim, but that blade was too close. Then Beth took a swing to strike her and they all shot in unison. She fell down and there was silence cut by Gwen's voice. They all spoke but Ianto didn't hear them, he felt hollow. Jack helped Gwen up, Owen talked to her, Tosh continued her work on her computer and soon Beth's body was alone on the floor. They all just expected Ianto to do it. If he stood a moment longer like this, with a gun in his hand they would notice and try to talk to him. He moved purposely, straightening himself up and took out the trolley. He climbed the stairs to her body and stood there for a second looking at her wounds. In his mind that other moment replayed itself when another body fell under united shots. Only this time he was inside of the front firing, and this woman was loved by someone else, he didn't know her.

"Do you need help Ianto?" Jack's voice echoed the Hub and Ianto sighed moving again. He took her in his hands not minding his suit. She was light. Ianto placed her on the gurney with care. She was brave; Ianto would like to think Lisa would have been so brave and agreed to go, so the others would be spared.

After he put her in the drawer and closed her in, he paused to wish her a safe journey in the dark. Then he busied himself with cleaning SUV, finishing Rift manipulator repairs and cleaning the morgue. In all this he was careful to avoid others. It wasn't hard to do so, after they shot her there was a silence in the Hub broken only by Tosh's typing. When everyone went to leave Ianto went with them.

Ianto saw Gwen look up as he turned off the lights, there was a light there but he wasn't willing to go up.

She looked at them quizzically.

"I'll be out in a second" she told them and went up. Owen and Tosh stood in the tourist office to wait for her.

"A pint is all I need" Owen said with a sigh.

"I don't" Ianto said, opened the door and left. Last thing he needed was to sit and pretend he was fine. He wasn't fine. There was some sorting to be done. When he got home, after a shower and two chapters of the book to ease his mind, he'd have to reconsider his situation with Jack. He seemed to be in an unfavourable position. He let his emotions get in front of him and now he had to tuck them in. He would have to take more than just one step back. It was nice to spend an evening with Jack, talk, eat and sleep, but that made it even harder to wake up to a closed up, angry Jack, that was too absent for even one glance of reassurance.

Before Ianto was too sore to mind or care, but now, when he finally accepted harshness of reality he didn't need any more harsh behaviour than there already was in the world. He missed Jack, Jack was nice to him when he'd gotten back because he missed being cared for, and Ianto read too much into it. It was simple really, and simple enough to solve. He'd just have to keep his cool and Jack would back off accordingly, not like he didn't how to do that.