A/N: running towards the finish line, me and my beta. So things are moving along

Beta-ed: TattooedLibrarian

Spoilers: Meat

After Ianto kissed him the day was a bit better. There was not time for something more substantial, but he'd make up for that later. Now it was time for action and they made a plan looking at the shots of the warehouse.

"We can see bullocks this way" said Owen irritated.

"I have to agree" Ianto frowned looking at the screen sliding to satellite pictures. "The angle is all wrong, we can't see access points. We should go and check it out in person, to see what we're dealing with."

"It would be useful" Tosh took off her glasses. "You could scan it for a heat signature, which would tell us where the danger is."

"Gwen isn't back yet" Jack said irritated. "We don't know how many there are, I'd feel comfortable if we go in in pairs."

"Then you can wait on Gwen" said Ianto briskly and Jack frowned at him. "And Owen and I will go and assess the situation and access points."

"Oh, goody, tea boy chief" Owen smirked and Ianto glared at him.

"It's a good plan" said Toshiko.

"Do it then" Jack nodded wondering why was he so reluctant to let them go alone. They always did things as separate units.

"Owen you can drive" Ianto threw his car keys at him and Owen caught them leaving without hesitation. "Wait for me on the square" he yelled at him and Owen just waved for confirmation not looking back.

Ianto turned to the wall and took the spare SUV key.

"You can't take SUV" Jack complained and Ianto smiled at him mischievously, Jack darted towards Tosh, she was consumed in her screen now Owen wasn't in the Hub.

"I'll just park it for you on the Plass so you can move as soon as Gwen gets here" said Ianto mildly and then even lifted his hand and stroked Jack on his upper arm. Jack was taken aback with that gesture for a moment but he quickly recovered offering Ianto his flashing smile. Ianto nodded like something was understood and walked away. Jack watched him go feeling the mixture of pleasure to see him walk away and uneasy feeling of gap that walking was creating between them.

"You should really ask him out" murmured Tosh more to her screen than to Jack "it's irritating when men are oblivious to the obvious."

Jack looked at her, grinned widely and decided against replying. He didn't felt like lying and he wasn't in the mood to confess anything to her, to anyone.

"Gwen should be here any minute, monitor everything, I'll go on up." he jumped up on the lift and tapped his wrist strap enjoying the view in the Hub. He loved this place.

Out there, he stood on the invisible spot and observed unseen. He loved to do that from time to time. Sometimes someone would bump into him but that made it more fun. Jack loved contact. One time a woman tripped over him and he caught her just to make her laugh. Other time a man collided with him and started to shout. They were so ordinary, everyday reactions of people he wouldn't meet again that it made him feel like a part of this place and time.

Gwen finally came and he offered her his hand satisfied with himself. He was out and about and they were off to solve a mystery. But as they approached that warehouse he felt his light mood replaced by seriousness.

"Ianto, Owen" he addressed them both "we're just on our way in."

Ianto answered and Jack left channel open. Ianto kept talking and hearing his voice made him feel safer. He instructed them sternly, trying to convince them to avoid unnecessary heroism.

The fact that the heat signature didn't tell them anything of their number made him uneasy. He didn't like the prospects of an armed mob inside.

Then they saw Rhys and he stopped everyone. Watching him move around and talk to the men on sight like nothing was wrong made him angry and worried. Angry because he lied to Gwen, worried about their task, and finally sad when he looked at Gwen and all her denial, her hope that their eyes were deceiving them.

He had to physically stop her from charging in and engage into argument with Rhys in front of everyone. He maintained eye contact to get through to her. She calmed down enough to postpone her reaction but there was no way in convincing her to restrain herself for much longer, he had to let her go and confront him. After all, beside her sweet talk, she was excellent bad cop when mad.

After the confrontation she called him to say that she told Rhys everything and that she was bringing him in. Jack wasn't worried about that, there was Retcon at hand, and he'd deal with it when they cleared this mess. He was even a bit curious to see Rhys from another angle, to assess him. They met twice before, but the first time Rhys forgot, and that wasn't his most flattering edition. Second time he was locked up in the Hub and then dead and bloody. That's why Jack didn't feel like he'd met Rhys before.

They waited and Jack paced looking at Ianto. There was something different about him and it escaped Jack. He was more confident, that was evident in moments like today when he would take charge, he was in better mood, and was ready to approach Jack easily. Counting kisses and avoiding talks seemed like distant memory. Everything seemed to go smoothly with Ianto, but still, something bugged Jack.

Finally Gwen came in and he focused on Rhys, enjoying a new visitor, he rarely got the chance to just welcome someone in. That small moment of wonder and laughter made him happy for a moment and he pranced around for a moment light on his feet, like he was young again.

"It's bigger than mine" and Jack confirmed it, taking in the simplicity of the pun.

Then he turned conversation in more serious direction releasing part of his anger towards him. Calling him a cave man maybe was a bit over the top, but he was always annoyed by men in this time and how they treated women, some of most badass people he knew were women. His attack did clear Rhys's head enough to turn to the important parts of the day.

"…instead of showing off around the place…" Rhys confronted him personally and Jack was satisfied with that, he had hit the nerve.

"Do I show off?" he turned to Ianto.

"Just a bit" he answered sternly and Jack smiled returning to the conversation discovering that Rhys was still releasing steam just to end up in Jack's face. Looking at Rhys up close with his aggressive energy talking of cocks, stuffing and ways of going in Jack could, for the first time, see what Gwen might see in him.

"This is quite homoerotic" he turned to Gwen and she got the hint getting Rhys away from him. No one could just advance at him like that and expect not to be knocked down one way or another, in Rhys's case it would probably fist in his face and his gut, but for Gwen's sake he gave him leave way.

"Staff meeting, you too" he ordered. The cave man just might have given them safe way in, to get in unnoticed and clean things without unnecessary risks.

In the boardroom he insisted that Rhys take them in. That was the best option, and it eased his disturbed nerves which made him see them all in a pile of bloodbath, tied together in death, amateurs were most dangerous because they were unpredictable.

He offered once again for Gwen to stand down. It was the best solution but she of course didn't want to hear it.

"You love him" he even insisted sternly but saying the word made his restless mind to falter bringing up that uneasy feeling but he pressed on. "Makes you vulnerable" and that was the rule he lived by. Love was a liability.

She insisted.

"That's your decision" he cleared himself from that responsibility, he wouldn't be dragged down with them if their connection caused everything to go to hell. "You both have to live by it."

After they settled their argument, Jack informed them that that the manatee will live, they would save it. They resisted in their habit of just brushing hostile aliens aside and Jack had to be stern about it. He was angry enough it that it was mutilated in the way it was, they didn't need to make things worse.

"You have a heart then" Gwen said and he looked at her for a moment stunned that she hadn't seen it by now.

"We see enough death" he said to a suspicious Rhys to explain his posture of heartless leader. He left hoping that this wouldn't end up as a bad day as it started. Saving an extraordinary alien from pain and to send it back home; that would be worthy victory, the one that would keep his own turmoil at bay for some time. He sighed, arming himself against fear.

He sought out Ianto just to see him before they went in.

Some cheers are welcomed :)