A/N: pressing on to the end. Ianto's stern and determinant.

Beta-ed:TattoedLibrarian

Spoilers: Meat, deleted scene with guns included

Kissing Jack made Ianto a bit smug. After all, it wasn't a small feat to accomplish to make Captain Jack Harkness laugh right out from his troubled mood.

That smugness led him to take charge. If Gwen was going to deal with her domestic, probably again choosing Rhys, whatever he said, they had a job to do and nothing was better for Jack than to be focused forward. Looking backward always made him wistful.

He led and then let Owen drive his car just to make things more unnoticeable. They looked around, found gates, safely drove in and scanned the place. He navigated Jack in keeping him on course and then Owen shot the lock startling him.

"That's one way of doing it" he deadpanned.

They were on standby, ready to charge in when Jack called them to stand down. He sighed when he found out that Rhys made another appearance. They all had to stop and wait till Gwen resolved her situation and the end result was taking Rhys in the Hub. Probably to soothe his nerves, Owen took out drinks and Ianto accepted the beer.

"Well, that's unprecedented" said Ianto browsing through his memory of old Torchwood records. "The fiancée finding out" other Torchwood operatives were smooth enough to lie their way through anything.

"Mainly because we're all sad and single" Tosh focused that thought on them and Ianto smirked thinking how far he was from sad and single. He looked at Jack finding him staring right back and got serious. Jack was worried about this, and he had right to be, many things could go wrong with this. Least of troubles was him beating the shit out of Owen. Bringing him in was a dangerous move, there were enough triggers to make him remember his own death, they remembered it, and he could too.

Tosh threw looks at Owen but he was as oblivious as ever. Ianto sometimes wondered what would happen if he got a clue, but he couldn't really imagine them working together well. He thought of it more like her way of dealing with reality, she'd gain more from him this way, than facing reality of his lack of interest in anything real.

Finally they descended and Ianto watched impassively as Jack pranced around, usually it was a worthy sight but now all was too tense to be believable.

"Do I show off?" he asked Ianto and he had to say 'a bit' as a relief for him. He wasn't showing off, if he was showing off Rhys would have been in awe much longer, and surely wouldn't get by so easily just by signalling Gwen to get him out of Jack's face, if she didn't, Ianto was surely tempted to stand between them. Not out of jealousy, but out of pure resentment towards Rhys, who did he think he was, entering their secluded base they had sole jurisdiction of, and talk to their boss that way. If they chose to shove him into one of their vaults, beside the weevils and rats, no one would ever know. Even Gwen would have to pace after Jack begging him to release Rhys, retconned and harmless. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get him out of their way, at least until this thing ends.

But Jack felt generous today, maybe Ianto shouldn't have kissed him earlier, if he still was in his morning mood Rhys would surely be safely stored behind glass pacing around… but maybe not. That would be all too familiar for all of them. Jack was probably wise and professional using him as their way in, maybe he was even making it a lesson for Gwen, to see her man under pressure. The way he was talking to her, persuasive, asking her to stand down, it could be it.

"You both have to live by it" he said and Ianto looked downward silently agreeing with him. To love Jack and to go in the field with him made things harder, it wasn't easy even if he knew Jack would recover, come back, or whatever he called his waking from death. He had to force himself to detach, focus. It would probably be easier in time.

But after things took a turn when Jack declared that they are saving the manatee and Ianto considered that Jack was in some more desperate state of mind, the one that thinks he can change the world they live in.

"Guess who'll have to look after it in the meantime" he said to himself but then he just put it on his task list, if Jack wants it, Ianto will sure try to make it.

"Listen to Ahab" Ianto deadpanned when Rhys spoke about its cry, he couldn't help himself.

But Jack insisted and everyone got up.

"I'll stock up on plankton" Ianto said thinking that it couldn't be that hard, those men kept it alive for who knows how long, they'd manage it before the Rift twirls. And how they would find the right shore to send it too would be Tosh's problem. That's the beauty of separation of tasks. Speaking of which he went to check on their weapons for the job. Men there were paranoid and armed, they didn't need malfunctioning guns.

That's where Jack found him just when he decided to play Dirty Harry with a gun.

"Make my day" he said sternly just to hear Jack clearing his throat behind him. How did he do that? Storm in just at the right moment. Ianto quickly put down his gun.

"Rhys," Ianto turned towards business "should we ..uh.. arm him?" that was distracting enough.

"Hell no!" shouted Jack "He's hot-headed enough."

"Like stags butting antlers" Ianto had to comment on their confrontation. "I half expected you to get out the measuring tape."

Jack laughed and approached Ianto taking him by his hand.

"Who do you reckon would win?" Jack looked at him innocently leaning slightly on Ianto.

Ianto looked at his eyes, lost for a moment. Holding Jack by his hand, just standing near made Ianto weak, thinking of just leaning in, but he regained himself quickly returning to his task. Jack was merciful enough to walk away. When he was out of sight he exhaled releasing the pressure. There was a serious task before them and he needed to be focused.

"Make my day"