A.N. IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ.

Alright so here is the first of the Drabbles I promised you. All Drabbles in here will be somewhere within the time line of Unpleasant or Extraordinary; that being said some will easily be able to stand on their own. This one, for example, you do not have to have read my story to understand at all. Some of them however you might want to read my story to understand them. If you don't want to read Unpleasant or Extraordinary that's fine, you can look in the chapters and look for ones with a SA after them for Stand Alones, meaning you can read those without having to understand my story.

This story takes place in season one right after CountryCide. I personally think every Torchwood writer should have a CountryCide fanfic as it was such an incredible episode. So that's what I decided to start with. Again you can read this one without reading Unpleasant or Extraordinary.

At the end of this story, there's three descriptions for the next story, vote on the one you'd like.

Year 2007

Unpleasant or Extraordinary Drabbles

CountyCide

By Wildfire

Ianto gasped as Gwen suddenly let go of him and he fell back onto the cold, bloody ground. He could hear her yelling at Jack, but he didn't care; both his eyes and face were wet as tears continued to fall down his cheeks. The smell of the room assaulted his nose, but he couldn't breathe through his mouth or cry out because of the gag, and he was loath to find out where that had been, as it tasted just as bad as the room smelt. His body hurt in a way he had never known before; it was a physical ache instead of the emotional one that he had grown used to.

He nearly cried out in relief as the gag was pulled free from his mouth, and he found himself staring up at Owen, a man he could, at this moment, quite frankly kiss in gratitude.

"Easy mate," Owen said as he gently sat Ianto up, and set to undoing his bindings. "Alright, I'm going to see to getting Tosh untied. Sit tight for me." He patted Ianto's shoulder and quickly moved away.

Ianto wasn't going to argue, Tosh shouldn't be handcuffed in a place like this. He wanted to leave, he wanted to just stand up and leave this horrible room. The outside had to smell better; it had to be better than being in here.

He could hear Gwen barking out a command to Owen to stop the bleeding and call for help. The bleeding? There was so much blood everywhere, how could any one man stop it. It had already happened. His mind flashed back to the refrigerator with all those body parts. How many people had they slaughtered in here? How many people had been in the same position he had been in, being tenderized for their amusement?

His side gave an unpleasant throb at the memory of being tenderized. He wondered how long the assault had gone on for. It had certainly seemed like an eternity. After Tosh had run, the woman had started right in with the butt of that horrible rifle, and as the other people arrived they had joined in. The worst part was that when they had grown tired of his screams and gagged him, it hadn't been enough and they had slipped that bag over his head too. The bag had reeked with the unmistakable iron tang of old blood. He had been blind, unable to tell when or where the next hit would come from. He had almost wished he could have just died then, just so it would all stop.

He automatically looked up when he heard the cry of pain. He wished he hadn't… that man, the ringleader of this whole mess, was standing up, leaning on Jack as the grim-faced Captain none-too-gently half-dragged him from the room. Ianto's heart pounded as the man looked at him with those cold dead eyes and slowly licked his lips. He wanted to curl up into a little ball and just forget all of this had happened. Lisa was dead, there was little reason for him to even be here anymore. Hell if he could even understand why he was here, Jack should have wiped his memory all those months ago when he'd found out about Lisa.

Ianto allowed his head to drop back down; he didn't want to see his abusers suffering and crying around him. He didn't want to know that they were in pain, that they were still so close to him. So he sat there, head down, staring at his own feet. He blocked out the noise that surrounded him, they were just sounds if you refused to acknowledge them. He stayed like that, refusing to move. Jack would come get him when they were ready to leave.

"Hey, mate." A hand descended on his shoulder making Ianto jump and look up at an unfamiliar, understanding face. The face belonged to a man wearing an EMT outfit. "You alright? Your friend said you got a bit roughed up and we should see if you needed help?" The man was sweating; he clearly didn't like the room any more than anyone else did. Ianto couldn't fault him for that.

Ianto worked some saliva into his mouth before he attempted speech.

"I'm fine. Can you help me up though, please." His voice still cracked as he spoke, but he kept it firm enough that the man wouldn't argue. Honestly the man was a lousy EMT anyway, he shouldn't be bloody asking if someone was ok, he should be checking. Hell, Ianto knew himself that he was probably going into shock, and perhaps that was the reason he didn't tell the young EMT that he was in need of help. Or perhaps it was simply because Ianto couldn't stomach the idea of being anywhere near strangers that were from this area. No, Ianto wanted to go home. He wanted to be somewhere familiar, surround by familiar things and people, people he was sure weren't going to hurt him, and that didn't see him as meat.

The EMT grasped him, one arm under Ianto's arm and his other behind his back he hauled him up. Ianto had to bite his lip to keep from screaming as his side was stretched straight. As soon as he was upright he pulled away from the stranger; it was pure determination that kept him standing. His right knee screamed with the smallest of weight on it, and he was sure his ankle had to be broken as it hurt far too much for it not to be. But all of those injuries blended into one simple pain that radiated through his entire form. Only his side stood out from them all, throbbing away like being stabbed repeatedly with a short, sharp knife.

He kept his head held high as he limped his way outside. He could sense the EMT following close beside him. Hell for all he knew the man was probably still talking to him. Ianto didn't give a shit. The man could chatter away at him all he wanted, just so long as he didn't bloody touch him.

Fuck, he hated people right now. At least your normal alien invader was trying to destroy what they thought was an inferior being, but humans eating other humans? Did they really deserve to be saved?

He stepped outside. Air, beautiful non-blood drenched air greeted him wonderfully as he came out. His eyes closed for an extra half a second to enjoy it before his sense of balance forced him to reopen his eyes or topple over; he probably had a concussion. Squinting along the track, Ianto watched as the SUV came barreling down it, lights shining brightly. It parked in front of the building and Jack got out followed by a shaky Tosh from the passenger side. Ianto watched as Jack went around the SUV, putting both hands on Tosh's shoulders. Ianto of course had no idea what they were saying, but when Jack walked off, Tosh headed towards the Ambulance and got a blanket, and what looked like a bottle of water, from them.

Water did sound good at that moment, but the SUV was there. It was familiar; it was safety, and so he went to the SUV instead. It took him four attempts to get the boot hatch to open and another four to realize he couldn't get his legs up high enough to crawl in. It felt like forever, but eventually he found himself perched on the rear bumper of the SUV, leaning heavily on his knees. His breaths were coming in deep gasps, which hurt his chest, but again he ignored it as it was no worse than any other ache within his body.

His side gave another painful pulse as if to remind him that it was still there. Ha! Like he could forget. He looked around, watching people running to and fro. Ianto had to wonder how long he had been sitting there. In truth he wasn't even sure how long he had been sitting in that blood-filled room. He was cold, so cold. His side burned and throbbed. He just wanted to go home; crawl into his bed, pull the covers over his head and forget. Oh, how he wanted to forget. He wondered if Jack would let him take some Retcon. Just a little shouldn't be too bad. Right?

His stomach heaved when he saw the police carrying out the evidence in clear bags. He managed to keep the bile down, but only just. He hated this place. He was so cold.

He should go to the ambulance, he should get a blanket, and maybe some water. He would. It was after all the logical thing to do. He decided to get up, he decided to get a blanket, and yet he didn't move. Not even a little bit. He just remained sitting on the back of the SUV, leaning on his knees. It seemed that the only part of him that would move was his head, and even that wasn't moving quickly. He was so cold.

He wasn't sure how much longer he had sat there before he noticed it was light out. The sun was spilling forward and Ianto realized people were packing up. Thank God. They were going to be able to leave soon. His eyes caught Jack's as the man exited the house and Ianto wondered how Jack could possibly face going in there again.

Jack didn't look happy; in fact he was all but glaring at Ianto. Ianto swallowed hard, he knew he hadn't preformed all that well, but he had done the best could. It wasn't like he was normally a bloody field agent. Or maybe Jack was upset because he hadn't helped since Jack had charged in, guns blazing. He had just been sitting there like a lump. He should probably apologize. Or maybe do something constructive. He wanted to get home, he could at least hurry up the process. He should volunteer to go clean up the camp, or he could offer to gather everyone up. Get Tosh and Gwen into the car.

"Ianto?" Jack's voice broke his thought pattern.

Ianto looked up giving him a tentative smile in the hope of defusing any anger the Captain might direct against him. "Sir, something I could help with? Shall I head to the camp and start cleaning up?"

Jack eyed him up and down, before he crossed his arms. "Yeah, why don't you do that?" he said flatly, watching Ianto closely.

Ianto sighed, well at least Jack trusted him enough to do something. Though the way the man was eyeing him made him feel like he was being set up for something. Hell, maybe he was. Maybe his concussed brain just couldn't figure it out. Still, he could show Jack he could get the camp all cleaned and packed up. Nothing too hard in that, maybe Tosh would come with him.

"Ianto?"

Ianto blinked, looking once more to Jack.

"You haven't moved," Jack said with a raised eye brow.

"I haven't?" he replied back, even he knew it was a horribly lame thing to say. "I will," he added quickly.

"You will?" Jack asked, "Good, do it."

Ianto stared at him for a long moment before just looking down again. He would move, he could move, just not right now.

A hand touched his cheek and Ianto jumped, then cried out as every fiber of his being screamed in pain from the movement.

"Whoa, easy." Jack's hands came to Ianto's arms bracing him up. "Ianto, who's checked you out?" he asked in a low, but dangerous voice.

"You check me out a lot," Ianto said, again without thinking. His hands clutched onto Jack's arms. Jack was familiar. Jack was safe.

Jack grinned at him. "Not what I meant." He let go of one of Ianto's arms, bringing a hand up to brush Ianto's hair back.

Ianto would have given the man anything he wanted if he kept touching him like that; a touch that didn't hurt, a comforting touch, a wonderful touch.

"Ianto, I'm going to get Owen. I'll be right back, alright?" Jack moved back, shrugging out of his long coat and draping it over Ianto's shoulders, then petting Ianto's head once more before quickly moving away.

And just like that Ianto was alone again, but this time with a warm coat wrapped around him. The coat smelled just like Jack, the wonderful smell that he just couldn't explain, but that smelled wonderful nonetheless.

"Mate?" Owen came jogging up, followed by Jack. He lifted Ianto's face staring into his eyes. "He's got a concussion."

"Yeah, I got that. I also got that he's in shock, so you can skip that one too. Owen, why didn't you check him out?" Jack practically growled at him.

"My hands were a bit full, Jack, since you put a lot of holes in people today," Owen said tartly unbuttoning Ianto's white shirt.

"I don't give a fuck about them, you should have seen to him first!" Jack snapped.

"If I'd have known he was this bad I bloody well would have. I sent an EMT in to check on him, I figured since he was here he was bloody fine." He pulled out a pair of scissors setting to cutting the black shirt Ianto wore underneath off.

Ianto shivered as both shirts slipped off his shoulder.

"Oh, bloody hell, mate. What did they do to you?" Owen said, his eyes sweeping over Ianto's chest.

"Tenderized the meat," Ianto said with an involuntary shiver.

Jack leaned forward pulling his coat back up and around Ianto's shoulders.

"Bloody countryside." Owen said, as he started working on cleaning the wounds. "Broken ribs— oh, bloody hell…"

Ianto cried out as Owen's fingers brushed over his side. He felt Jack move the jacket back.

"What the hell?" Jack asked.

Owen stepped back, his hand briefly covering his mouth. "That… That is a bite… They bit a chunk of his flesh out of him." His voice was so soft, Ianto barely heard it. He did hear Owen clear his throat, and watched as he put on a brave smile. "Hold on a moment, mate, we'll get it cleaned out, and all fixed up. You'll be fine, few broken ribs, patch up your side… How are your legs?"

"They hurt… Everything hurts," Ianto said softly with a shrug. "It's bloody cold."

"Yeah, that would be the shock. Jack, we do need to warm him up," he said, but kept his attention focused on Ianto. "Alright Ianto, let's get you into the SUV and warm you up and check those legs out. How are the genitals?"

Ianto blinked, his hand automatically going between his legs. "They're good."

Owen's eyebrows rose and he chuckled. "Alright, we'll double check those later too, but I'll take your word on it for right now."

Jack came forward and gently grabbed Ianto, pulling him up. Ianto whimpered, his legs refusing to hold him up, but Jack kept a firm grip on him, not about to let him fall. "Easy, I got you."

"Front or back, Jack?" Owen called out to him.

"Put him in the front, make the seat lie back as far as possible. Gwen is going to the hospital so there's room; it'll put him right by the heater."

Jack slowly guided Ianto around the car where the door was open and the seat was tilted back. Owen was waiting beside the SUV, his scissors ready.

Ianto was lowered gently into the reclining chair and he sighed in relief as his body relaxed into the almost horizontal seat cushions. His eyes immediately closed before he felt a very light slap on his cheek.

"Not yet, you've been awake a good amount of time, which is fine, and I'm sure you're bloody exhausted, but I need you to stay awake for a little bit longer," Owen said already cutting away at Ianto's jeans. "Then I'll allow you to sleep. Deal?"

"I liked these jeans," Ianto complained softly. He almost let out a moan as the car heater started blasting heat toward him.

"I'm sure Jack will buy you some new ones." Owen parted the fabric, his fingers firmly running down Ianto's legs, pausing at the right knee. Ianto was a little surprised at how large it had grown.

He knew he should be alarmed by that, but he wasn't, all he really just wanted to sleep. He was in the SUV, Jack was close by and there was heat blasting on him. Who said the small things couldn't make the day seem wondrous?

Ianto gasped as he felt a small prick in his arm. Looking down at it, he saw a needle protruding out, leading up to an IV bag that Owen was hanging from the handle above the door.

"Mostly just fluids, with a little extra added in to help you feel better," Owen said, with a smirk before shutting the door.

Ianto sighed, alone again. He wondered how long he would be this time. It turned out to not be long at all before the door opened again, and Jack leaned in smiling at him. "Dropped this." He held up his coat and laid it over Ianto. "We just need to make sure Gwen's alright and we'll get going home."

"The camp?" Ianto asked.

"Had it packed up hours ago," he admitted, once more brushing his hand through Ianto's hair. Damn, Ianto loved that feeling. If he ever got someone special again he was going to make sure to do that for them.

"Mmm," Ianto said, not sure if it was in agreement or just a noise. He doubted it really mattered all that much, which was apparently how Jack felt too as the door was shut once more.

Ianto gave a small yawn as his eyes closed. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to sleep yet or not, but since Owen hadn't left anyone there to keep him awake, he assumed it was safe. Owen was a prick, but he was a good doctor. He drifted in and out of sleep for a while before he felt the car start to move and he cracked his eye open to see Jack at the steering wheel, while Tosh and Owen could be heard talking quietly in the back. They'd left Gwen with those people… He gave a little shudder at the thought.

A moment later he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Owen eyeing him carefully. "You alright mate?" Ianto opened his mouth to respond, but he wasn't sure how to, so he just shut it again. He was tired, and for once wasn't hurting. He loved drugs.

"Tell me my name, Ianto." Owen said firmly.

Ianto blinked at him, and opened his mouth again. He knew the answer to this one.

"O-en," he slurred out, his voice cracking again. Owen gave a relived looking smile before sitting back in his seat and resuming his conversation with Tosh.

Tosh… Ianto turned his head so he could see her, he didn't even know if she was ok.

She sat there, leaning against the car door, her hair disheveled and covered in scrapes and abrasions, but she looked blessedly alright. Ianto smiled a little at that and closed his eyes again. At least Tosh was alright, he'd been able to keep her safe at least.

The next time Ianto woke it was when the car gave a large swerve and Jack let out a loud curse. Ianto gasped as his world seemed to spin and the next thing he knew he was losing whatever fluids Owen had been pumping into him.

"Fuck!" Jack shouted, and Ianto felt the car come to an immediate halt. The cold air hit him as his door was wrenched open and he was turned over to resume his hurling out the side of the door.

"Easy mate," Owen said gently rubbing his back.

"What the hell did you give him?" Jack barked from somewhere beside Ianto.

"Pain medication! I didn't see any reason to keep him in agony! I just didn't realize you'd be swerving all over the road!"

"There was a deer!" Jack yelled back. "Would you rather me have hit it and let it splatter over the window? I'm sure the extra blood and guts would have helped him!"

The mention of blood and guts set Ianto's stomach heaving all over again.

"Bloody hell, Harkness! I would like to keep some fluids in his body!" Owen growled, carefully adjusting his hold on Ianto. "Tosh, in the back there should be some basic cleaning supplies, get them," he commanded.

Ianto gulped in air as his stomach slowly stopped rolling. His eyes were watering horribly and his throat hurt. He felt someone reaching under him and lifting him up. The arms were far too substantial to belong to Owen, so he assumed it must be Jack. He shivered as he was laid on the cold ground, as Jack knelt down beside him. The thought "why the hell was he unbuttoning his own shirt?" passed through Ianto's mind, before Jack was shrugging out of his long sleeved shirt and laying it over Ianto's near naked form. The RAF coat that had previously been on Ianto was now covered in vomit.

Owen's head was suddenly right in front of his own, his thumbs pulling back Ianto's eye lids. "Mate, tell me my name," he demanded again.

Ianto thought he ought to learn to ask politely, it might make him more likable.

"Ianto,." Owen said sharply when the Welshman didn't respond. "My name?"

"Owen," he rasped out.

Owen let go of his head patting his cheek before standing up. "Well, at least he's not getting worse."

Jack stayed kneeling by his side, his fingers starting to thread through Ianto's hair. "We don't have another blanket."

Owen gave a little nod of agreement. "We're only another forty minutes from home now, we can crank the heat up higher and he should be alright. I'll see how Tosh is doing with the bloody mess he left us."

Ianto watched Owen walk away before turning his attention back to Jack.

Jack gave him a small smile. "Tosh was telling us how brilliant you were."

Ianto blinked at that. Brilliant? Please. He hadn't done anything right.

"How you attacked every chance you got, she said she freaked out and ended up telling them we were there. But not you. You just kept on fighting, even head-butted the man and ran into his wife to allow her to escape. It was foolish, but very brave. I'm very proud of you Ianto." Ianto gave Jack a lopsided smile. Obviously Tosh had been over-exaggerating, but it still felt nice to have the Captain's approval for once. Jack returned the smile before scooping Ianto up into his arms again. Ianto wasn't sure how the hell the man was lifting him, since he was just as tall as Jack and couldn't weigh that much less. He was laid back in his seat, which now smelled like vomit with cleaning supplies mixed in. Great…

The IV was set up again before the door was shut. Soon the car was moving again and Ianto found himself once more drifting to sleep. He awoke as the car pulled to a halt, and blinking he struggled to sit up until a firm hand on his shoulder pushed him back down.

"We're just dropping Tosh off. You're alright," Owen explained calmly. "You're looking a bit better, little more color in those cheeks. My name?"

"Owen," Ianto replied dutifully.

"And who's been driving us?" Owen asked watching him.

Driving them? Who'd been…? Oh! "Jack," he said, as his brain finally made the connection.

Owen nodded. "Good. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Sore. Naked." He added the last one with a tiny pout.

Owen just smirked. "You still have your boxers, and Jack laid his shirt over you. It's not that bad."

Ianto would have rolled his eyes, but any unnecessary movement seemed unwise so instead he just shut them again. He'd be home soon and that was all he really cared about.

He was woken again by Jack and Owen pulling him from the car.

"So this is where Tea Boy lives?" Owen asked.

"Third floor," Jack confirmed and Owen gave a groan.

Ianto repeated the groan as Jack fully pulled him out of the car. Owen grasped Ianto's feet while Jack had his torso.

"We are going to get the cops called on us," Owen said matter-of-factly as they started walking for the stairs.

"I already called ahead to let them know. They won't bug us, " Jack said his voice a little tight as they started climbing the stair. Ianto didn't want to think about how ridiculous he must look, a fully grown man being carried by two men, up the stairs in the middle of the day. And that was without the added fact that he was practically naked.

"Who would have thought you could think ahead Harkness?" Owen said in an equally tight voice.

Jack gave a little laugh. "I surprise myself sometimes. "

"Do we have the key to his flat?" Owen asked suddenly as they started up the second set of stairs.

"I have a key to all your flats," Jack confirmed.

"I did not give you a key to my flat," Owen huffed.

"Nope," Jack agreed with a knowing smile. "Neither did Ianto, and yet I still have them both."

"That's got to be invasion of privacy," Owen grumbled.

"Rules and regulations." Was Jack's only response.

Owen didn't respond, but Ianto was sure Jack had received an eye roll from him.

"You know, Tea Boy, you make enough money to be in a better place than this," Owen grunted as they started up the third and last set of stairs. "Something with a lift at least!"

Ianto didn't reply. This had been the first place he could find when moving to Cardiff and at the time he didn't have a job for definite, so it had made sense to get something cheap. Afterwards it just didn't make a whole lot of sense to move again when the place was just fine, and besides, looking after Lisa had taken every penny of his salary. The thrust the thought away. He didn't want to think about Lisa.

"What number is it Jack?" Owen groaned as they finally made it up the last of the stairs.

"Ahh?" Jack floundered. "Don't know, I have it in the paper work, but I forgot to look," he admitted.

"Oi! Tea Boy! What number is it?" Owen demanded.

Ianto blinked at him blankly.

"For your flat mate, what number is it?" Owen tried again.

"345" Ianto said a little thickly. "Careful the lady in 349 is a shark," he mumbled.

"I don't really care if she's a bloody weevil as long as she leaves us alone," Owen said, relieved they'd almost made it to Ianto's flat.

Ianto felt Jack's grip on him change as the sound of keys jingled. So they'd made it. His bed was so close…

"What in the name of all that's holy is going on!" A sour-faced, middle-aged woman stomped out toward them, and Ianto smiled. Ms 349, or as Ianto liked to call her, The Beast.

"This doesn't concern you, ma'am. Go back to your flat," Jack said authoritatively, still trying to unlock the door without dropping Ianto.

"The hell I will! It's bad enough this kid comes in at all times of the day and night — My God, what did you do to him?" She was clearly close enough to see him now. "Where are his clothes? You take your hands off him right now!" She slapped Owen to emphasize her demands.

"Ow! Bloody hell woman, we're trying to help him! I'm a doctor. I'm not going to bloody well hurt him!" Owen snapped.

"And I'm the Queen of England! Put him down!" another slap, this time more forceful, struck Owen's arm and he almost lost his hold on Ianto's ankles.

"Ow! Woman I swear—"

"Got it!" Jack declared as the door swung open and the meow of Moses greeted them immediately. Ianto was sure the poor thing was hungry. He'd taken the cat as a favor to Jack, but he honestly had no idea what to do with it.

"You stop right there! Or I'll call the police, I will!" The woman called after them refusing to let them go without a fight.

"Good you do that," Jack said cheerfully and flashing the woman a thousand kilowatt smile he carefully maneuvered Ianto into the flat which, he noticed, was rather barren of anything remotely homey. Behind him Owen kicked the door shut in the angry woman's face.

It took them a minute to find Ianto's room before depositing him as gently as possible onto the double bed.

"This place is a dump; you'd think he could at least have a bigger bed," Owen said breathing hard.

"It is a little… dreary," Jack admitted, wondering if perhaps he should have come here before. Ianto was clearly not as stable as he led people to believe. Ianto grunted, pulling at the blankets to get under them.

"Oh no you don't." Owen placed a hand over Ianto's stopping him. "I've got to do a much more extensive check up on you. I didn't come all the way up here for my health. Jack, why don't you start some soup or something? This will most likely take a while."

Jack nodded heading out of the room.

Owen pulled a backpack off his back that Ianto hadn't even realized was there.

"Alright mate, just relax and this will go by much quicker." Owen started pulling out different objects and Ianto realized relaxing was probably unlikely.

It took Owen almost 3 hours to fully clean and bandage Ianto wounds, and by the time he was finally done Ianto was half-asleep again. He was sure he must look like an Egyptian mummy with all the bandages swathed around him.

"Gwen should be at The Heath by now, so I better get down there and free her from their grasp. You alright to stay with him?" Owen asked as Jack entered the room.

"Sure," Jack said. He was carrying a bowl of something that smelt fabulous. "Anything I should watch out for?"

"No, he might get sick a few more times. After what he's been through it's understandable. A bit of blood might show up from the broken ribs, but don't worry too much about it unless it's more than just spotting. Call me immediately if you think something's off about him though. He was smacked pretty hard in the head." Owen handed Jack something that Ianto couldn't quite make out, his eyes just refused to open all the way. "Give him the orange ones every 3 hours and the blue ones every 10 hours. I'll be back in the morning to check on him." And with that, Owen left.

Jack sat beside Ianto, perching on the edge of the bed. "You had no soup in your house. I went and bought some, got tomato, and chicken and potato. I made chicken soup for now." He set the bowl and pill bottles down and carefully moved Ianto into a sitting position.

Ianto ate in an automatic fashion. All the while it was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open. He didn't understand why, sure he was tired, but not that tired. When he was done Jack laid him back down and covered him with the blankets. He gave a little jump when he felt something cold laid over his eyes.

"Easy, it's just to bring the swelling down," Jack said softly and Ianto again felt the calloused fingers run through his hair. He felt Jack stand up and Ianto immediately panic, he didn't want to be alone, in the dark.

"Jack!"

"Alright, alright." Jack's hands were back on him, one cupping his cheek the other on his chest. "I'm not leaving you, Ianto, I was just going to put the bowl in the sink."

"Stay," Ianto said a little desperately. Later he was sure he could blame the desperation on the medication Owen had him drugged up on.

"I'm not leaving," Jack repeated. "I'm just going to take my shoes off. I'm still here, alright?" The warm, steady hands left Ianto again, but Ianto forced himself to remain calm. A moment later he felt the bed dip down as Jack crawled in beside him.

Jack's arms gently wrapped around Ianto in a firm hold. Ianto let out a silent sigh of relief as his body relaxed against Jack's warmth and he fell into a deep sleep, comfortable in the knowledge that Jack was there and would keep him safe.

At least for today.

Alright so that's in for the first one, let me know how you liked it! For the next one I'll allow you to choose which one you'd like posted. I'm giving three options for this one. The voting will last 48 hours.

Out of Time: A story that takes place right after that episode, and you see Jack's reaction to loosing John. This is a Stand Alone.

Rats: A serious tale of one of boys in a forgotten prison cell.

Really? 500 Years Jack?: A cute tale set in the future where Jack finally asks Ianto something important.