"What do I have to do?" Arthur spat out. His eyes had changed, his amusement gone, replaced by anger and something close to madness.

"Already giving up?" Owen smiled.

"Just go back to normal or I'll take your eyes off!"

Owen sighed and let go, not wanting to lose an eye just to piss off Arthur. The man smiled when he saw a face he knew way more than the previous one, and took a handful of hair.

"Now we can talk. Simple questions. You seem to like this new team of yours. Do you want to join me?"

"Go to hell."

"Right..."

"Where are the others by the way?"

"Oh. That. Well. Maybe not so here any more. Maybe I killed them all."

"What the..." That was unexpected. Owen had suspected Arthur was alone in his mad plan as he referred to himself rather than a group, most of the time. Had he really killed all the others?

"Not really. I mean, some of them, you know? But... yeah basically we were dead. I mean the organisation was dead. A lot left. I killed the ones I could. We're bad. We were bad. I mean, killing people? Tutut. Bad."

Owen stared open-mouthed at him – though he closed it soon enough because he was bleeding – not understanding.
"Then why did you want me to..."

"Kill someone? To see who you were. I... I wanted us to be back together. But you can't, you can't... you won't..." he said, pressing his forehead against Owen's. And he understood. He had gone mad. He was just completely crazy and dangerous for himself and especially the others. "I didn't mean to... I didn't want to kill him... He was kind, you know? He was so kind. And you took his face, Ethan, God you took his face and I couldn't bear it. I loved you and you took the only face I couldn't look in the eye."

"You're fucking insane! All of this just to... just to what exactly?"

"We needed to stop... The pain is constant, it's just... Killing is bad. You know? You know, Ethan? They made me kill people, they never asked, they ordered me to kill you, you know?"

He was whispering against Owen's face now, breathing in his mouth, and it was uncomfortable and disturbing for Owen who almost headbutted Arthur but couldn't bring himself to do so. The man was in pain, he was broken, probably mentally ill by now. He had seen too many horrors and hadn't been able to survive them. Not sanely, anyway. Arthur pulled back, ruffling Owen's hair as he took a step back. He forced him to turn his head to the side while he carefully picked up a knife from the table after a false hesitation – seriously it was the only bloody thing on the table – and ran the blade along Ethan's face.

"Arthur you don't have to..."

"But I want to, you know?" He whispered against his ear and bit down at the skin, Owen shouting at the sudden pain.

"Don't you fucking eat me!"

"Shut up! You're in no position to talk," Arthur snapped and abruptly stabbed Owen's thigh. Owen yelled, struggling against the hand on his jaw and the knot on his hands, and Arthur half sitting on his laps. He cried out when his torturer removed the knife, making the wound bleed freely.

"Stop... please stop... not again..." Owen begged as he felt the knife against his right cheek. He turned his head to the other side but Arthur violently pulled him back where he wanted him to be, pressing the blade a bit more against his skin, but without cracking it. Not yet.

Owen didn't know what to do. He had already endured his torture for God knew how many minutes – it had felt like hours – and he had thought it'd be over. He already had completely lost a tooth, both his hands were numb because of the too tight knot, he knew his wrists were bleeding from the ropes burning his skin, Arthur had cut him deeply on the right forearm earlier, and now his left thigh was bleeding.

Owen closed his eyes, convinced he was going to die anytime soon. But Arthur actually stepped back to crouch before him. Owen winced and flinched when he put his hands on him, more precisely on his belt. He removed it in a second and Owen gasped, not knowing what was coming but fearing the worst. But Arthur only forced him to raise his left leg, then put the belt beneath. He secured it around his thigh and tightened it, Owen grunting at the feeling. At least he would stop bleeding. Soon... And for now.

"So... You still don't want to come with me?"

"Art' I... I'm not this any more."

"Too bad."

"I've changed. You could too..."

"You didn't. One never changes, you know? I've tried and like you I failed." Owen shook his head and looked down at Arthur. "Stop," he said, frowning when he realised his prisoner had taken Owen's face again. Even beaten up, he could see the differences.

"That's who I am now. I... I escaped for a reason. And you never told them, did you? You let them believe I was dead, right? If nobody came in all these years, it's because nobody knew."

"Nobody asked, you know?" Arthur said, resting on his heels, still kneeling on the floor. "They knew what we were, you and me. They just told me to murder you and they never bothered asking if I even wanted to."

"It was your job. And you were good at it, they didn't think you would care."

"But I did. And you did. Others did. But it doesn't change who we are, Ethan. We're still killers."

"You don't get it, do you? Arthur, you can change, you just have to want it... and get help."

Arthur didn't reply and for the first time since he had opened that bloody letter, Owen had hope. He could help him. He could show him, he could see that not everything nor everyone was lost. That someone could change. Because as much as he said otherwise, sometimes he felt as if he had never changed.

But he had. He had changed. He had friends now. Friends with a very bad timing. Because just when he thought Arthur could be saved, the door was violently opened and before he could say anything, Jack had fired. Owen stared open-mouthed at Arthur who fell forwards, on Owen's legs. Gwen and Tosh followed Jack in, wincing at the sight of Owen as he was in a pretty bad state. He snapped back to reality when Jack lowered his gun.

"Jesus, Jack! He was just lost! We could have helped him!"

"You don't have a word to say in this," Jack instantly snapped.

"You just... killed him!"

"He..."
"Shut the fuck up!" a voice cut them.

"Ianto, I told you to wait ou-"

"Shut up!" Ianto yelled, raising a hand. Jack stopped. Not that he wanted to, but he wasn't sure he was able to talk.

He saw Gwen and Tosh sitting on the floor and wanted to go to them but Ianto was walking towards Owen and Jack wasn't sure of what he could do. As he stopped, Owen's face changed in another face. What they had seen to be Ethan Wallace's face.

"You were there! You almost killed her!" Ianto shouted, then hit Owen – or Ethan or whoever he was – in the face.

Owen grunted, spatting even more blood. He had never been hit by Ianto and would have rather stayed like that. He wasn't that much imposing, but he knew how to properly punch. And that hurt. And he hadn't felt this shitty and this weak for a long time, not only because of the blood loss or tiredness, but because Ianto wasn't controlling his power at all and Owen could almost feel it coming out of him in waves. Waves of pain for him. Ianto really was scary. And out of control...

"Ianto..." Jack called but Ianto seemed to be out of reach.

"Say it."

"Wha... why?"

"I want you to say it. All those times I saw this face, I thought it was because my power was confusing you and that yours was going crazy so you were changing faces. Randomly. I felt sorry for you and I did everything I could to stop doing this. You lied. You fucking lied to our faces! What was real in all this? WHY DID YOU TRY TO KILL RHI'?!" Ianto blurted out.

"Ianto it hurts!" Jack tried again to snap the young man back to reality and what was around him. His friends, in pain. Because of him.

"I know! And I don't care!" he shouted to Jack then stared back at Owen. "Just say it!"

"I was supposed to kill her. But I didn't," Owen admitted, looking at Ianto in the eyes. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied, and I'm sorry I scared her. And I'm sorry I... I'm sorry, okay? But please, don't do this. Tosh and Gwen asked for nothing, and Jack is just trying to help."

Ianto seethed, and Jack just nodded. He then put a hand on his arm, pulling a bit, just to be sure he wouldn't kill Owen right on the spot. Ianto freed himself violently, and turned his back on the men. He breathed slowly in, threw a look at the girls, and stormed out of the room.

"You both okay?" Jack asked Tosh and Gwen who nodded as they walked towards them.

Jack sighed as he finally cut the rope around Owen's wrists with an apologetic look.

"Help will be here soon... are you okay?" Gwen asked, helping Owen to sit straight because he almost fell forwards once free. He nodded his thanks with a small smile, relieved.

"I'm sorry about him," Jack said with a nod to Arthur's body. "But he was beyond saving... and I should talk to Ianto. He's going through a lot lately, I..."

"Just go Jack. I deserve this."

"We'll talk. Soon," Jack said and it sounded a lot like an order.

Owen sighed and Jack disappeared. He looked at Gwen who was avoiding any eye contact then at Tosh who seemed to be heavily judging him with mixed feelings going through her eyes. He could see her fear and disappointment but also an ounce of worry and maybe some affection.

Then she looked away and tried to help with his wounds, and they sat in a very uncomfortable and awkward silence.