A/N: lets dive to the end. Jack is reminiscing, the end is really near.

Beta-ed: TattoedLibrarian

Spoilers: Meat

Jack wasn't in a good mood. Fears that had surfaced last night at Ianto's hadn't diminished during the day. On the contrary it seemed he had gotten a bit more agitated as he waited for him to come in. Why did he leave the note letting him come in late? It seemed that Gwen and Owen just bickered all morning and Tosh withdrew into her computer screen. He couldn't really blame her when she decided to stay in. The sight of Ianto coming in came as a relief. He wasn't willing to leave him out of sight so he just pulled him along for the ride. He watched Ianto as he drove trying to determine what was about Ianto's face that gave Jack comfort.

On the site Jack kept Ianto outside, meat on hooks might be too much for him, here were sights even Jack didn't like to look at, as certain types of blades and piles of bodies, dead and naked, there was no need to endure a sight like such too often. As they entered back of the lorry Jack kept thinking about their case in Countrycide and how badly Ianto was battered and beaten, how tired and scared he looked. How they barely gotten out alive, especially Ianto with that butcher axe under his throat. He wondered now why he wasn't scared back then, scared for Ianto, for every one of them? It seemed he would be more scared now, more worried. As Owen poked the cube of flesh that couldn't be grown on Earth, not with gravitation of this magnitude; maybe some smaller moon had transported goods this way. But what would humans pay in return? Ianto came to Jack's mind, as he does a lot recently, but this time not naked, but sitting on the back of the SUV, supported on his knees, looking at Jack across the yard, over policemen and rotating lights, comprehending cannibals and a limping Gwen. He just stared at Jack looking tired, looking serious, but most of all, looking stubborn, like he wasn't going to be beaten by some pain.

In time Jack came to understand his kind of stubbornness, and got nicer stares than that one from Ianto. But he never stopped to ask Ianto what it was that made him change his mind about Jack. He never inquired as to what gave Jack Ianto's special attention. He just assumed that he was handsome enough, and that Ianto was lonely enough, but now he wondered. He wondered because that non-binding attention turned into something that lasted and resisted change. Suddenly not knowing bothered Jack. It seemed that he should know by now.

It seemed that he should just be able to ask Ianto what was thinking in that moment when they stared at each other across that yard full of cannibals, why was he staring, was he still mad then, because he had been mad earlier, or had he just found bigger monsters than Jack.

That last thought was a bit disappointing in some way. It irritated him so he went out more serious, more worried. He and Ianto talked business with all serious and detachment, professionalism in place, no jokes, no flirt. That should be suspicious enough to anyone who would care enough to observe, but no one cared enough. That made them safe. Gwen was involved in her life, Tosh in her computer, Owen in his own grunting. This time that proved more than right when Gwen said that the lorry was Rhys's lorry. Jack looked at Ianto briefly and it was as he could he see himself reflected in his eyes. If he spoke up he would probably say one of his famous `Great´ accompanied with an eye roll, which he just supressed.

It wasn't a good day to deal with Gwen's private life. He offered to let her to stand down, it would diminish all the drama if Rhys was really involved but of course she wouldn't take it. She would probably trail after him and hunt him down as if she were a hunting dog, despite all the claims that it couldn't be him. Jack knew all too well how it hurt when you were disillusioned by someone you trust, when you would be betrayed, and the anger that would follow that path. He would have to keep a close eye on Gwen.

Ianto distributed tea all around to ease tension as they called Rhys and he thought on his feet, handing a note to Jack. Jack had a brief moment of admiring his skill as he showed off tracing that lorry. Owen determined that it was an alien meat, he hadn't had that in a while now so when Gwen asked if he would eat it, Jack wasn't sure he would. There were too many sticky and scaly sources of meat out there, but in need Jack would eat anything, because death from starvation was the worst, slow and inefficient. Pizza arrived at the perfect moment because Jack was hungry, there had been no Ianto in the Hub that morning to feed him, he forgot it, he wasn't used in thinking of meals anymore, the ones Ianto provided were usually enough for him.

Jack ate with appetite while Ianto showed results of his investigation, Jack was a bit distracted by Ianto's napkin. He didn't ask, nor did anyone else. That was a new addition to Ianto's manners, maybe he was just being relaxed in the Hub enough to show off his more peculiar behaviour. Or it was just because of the suit, it surely deserved special attention.

Jack narrowed down their tasks, assigning Tosh in staying inside and with a Gwen, Rhys and Owen triangle this could prove to be interesting. Like Ianto with the meat, there was no real need for her to witness that.

When Gwen said she would check on Rhys, Jack's investigating mind naturally continued thinking.

"Good idea" he said quickly. "Find out how much he knows" she was good at sweet talking people to reveal themselves.

"That's not what I meant" she said stiffly and Tosh and Owen stared at him like he'd said stupidest thing ever. He turned away annoyed and tossed his pizza, and even Ianto quickly turned his back on him as if his question was beyond stupid. He felt like asking them if was he only one here who lived, you would want to know if someone was lying to you, and you want to find out that now. Besides it's the best way to work your way towards more productive lines of investigation. All that spare your feelings, considerate crap was just smearing your eyes. If anyone was making an underground facility of alien meat before your eyes, you want to know, they might be feeding you with it. That made him think of Lisa in the basement, he hadn't thought of her lately. It seemed like memory of her faded. He wondered was that the case for Ianto, or was she still on his mind?

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