Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood. If I did, COE wouldnt have happened.

Ianto used to hate being invisible. He remembered going around when he was younger and doing anything within his power to make sure he was noticed. He even went as far as shoplifting, trying to get them – one of them - to notice him. They never did.

It wasn't until he joined Torchwood three that he had forced himself to fade into the background, to go out of his way to make sure the team didn't see him. Didn't notice what he was doing. Even if one of the people he had so desperately wanted to notice him when he was younger was part of the team. It didn't matter.

He was regretting that now. Now, because he was in the background, because they didn't pay him any attention- even after the 'Lisa incident'- they didn't notice he wasn't with them. Didn't notice that they had left him behind. Even he had left him.

His phone had been destroyed hours ago, so there was no way to call. Not that he would know who to call. It was obvious now that no matter what he did, he would still be forgotten.

He let out a deep sigh, holding his aching ribs as he slowly began to walk, following the road. He knew Jack would give the team the next day off, hopefully, he would be able to make it back before any of them noticed he was missing.

Jack allowed the image to run through his mind the next morning, how close they had come. How close he had come to losing them all.

It had been chaos once the police arrived, bringing in the townspeople for questioning. Then there had been the whole Gwen thing. Most of the time, he thought the way she had to know everything was cute. This time, not so much.

It was obvious by Tosh's silence on the ride home that she was having just as hard time processing what had happened as Gwen was. These weren't aliens, these were humans. Humans who were killing and eating other humans.

It wasn't the worst thing Jack had seen, not by a long shot, but to them…

He had made sure they knew they had the day off. Anything popping up, he could take care of himself. They were all exhausted, and horrified. They needed a day to think- and, in Gwen's case, heal.

He had thought his heart has stopped when he heard that shot go off. He had thought that he lost- and then to know that Tosh and Ianto had been out there somewhere-

Not to mention what they looked like when he had found them. Gwen, covered in blood. Tosh and Owen, looking horrified and scared. And then Ianto. Ianto who looked to be a walking bruise. Jack was sure he hadn't seen a piece of skin on the young man that hadn't been changing color. He had known there was more to the injuries than that.

He slowly sank onto his camp bed, his head in his hands. How had he failed so drastically? How had this happened? He had almost lost them – all of them tonight. Every single one.

He was so focused on his thoughts he almost ignored the sound of his mobile going off. Almost. "Harkness."

"Jack, did tea boy go to a hospital?" Owen asked, his words more rushed than usual.

"Owen? What are you-"

"Tea boy. Did he get into an ambulance?"

Frantically, Jack's mind raced over the events of the evening. "I don't remember for sure, but I think they left without-"

"Jack, be sure," the doctor's voice shook as he said the next words, "because I know for a fact he wasn't with us in the jeep."

Jack froze, "what?"

"Tosh was up front with you. I was in the back with Gwen. Where the fuck was tea boy?" Owen's voice was frantic now, and Jack found himself wondering if there was more to Owen and Ianto's relationship than he knew. Hell, he thought the two hated each other.

"I don't-"

"Fuck! I'm on my way to the hub. Start calling hospitals." He slammed the phone down and Jack stood quickly, climbing up into his office.

Owen was storming into the Hub less than ten minutes later, and by that point Jack was waiting with the key's in his hand. "No one has seen him. No one saw him tonight."

Owen turned red eyes onto Jack, his jaw clenched. "We left him. We fucking left him there."

Jack nodded once, sharply, already heading toward the garage. "We have to go."