Gwen Cooper scowled and began to creep silently out of the library after Ianto's confession. What was going on? Who was this John Hart person? One thing was for sure, if she wanted to get her Jack back then she needed help. Maybe this man would be a good choice. For some reason it seemed John was sabotaging Jack and Ianto's relationship as well. Gwen had to find John. She hurried back to the lobby, eyes shining in excitement. The first boy she grabbed was a red head who cringed from her quickly. Her voice changed from its normal piercing tone to a sweet, coaxing one. "I need you to help me find someone, can you do that for me?" The boy nodded with a frightened gulp. "His name is John Hart, he's a patient here. Find what room he's in, then come back here and tell me. There's a good boy." Gwen patted his head and released him to scuttle off down the hall. She probably wouldn't have to wait very long. These little crazies worked fast when they were scared. Sure enough, only eleven minutes passed before her runner returned, paper in hand. Room three thirty two, shouldn't be too hard to find. Gwen could have found the man easily on her own, but it was more fun to use these cowering patients. It wasn't like they had anything else to do with their pitiful lives. They had no dreams like she did. All the while she'd been thinking, Gwen had been walking in the direction of the room. Now she stood in front of it, hand poised to knock. This could be it, the great opportunity to break the intern and patient apart forever. Three short raps and the door opened to a blonde man in military looking wear. Brown eyes looked her up and down and the girl found herself blushing a little. But she wouldn't allow herself to be distracted from her goal. "Are you John Hart?" Gwen asked briskly, keeping eye contact despite her fear. The man smirked and cocked his head. "Do you want me to be?" He asked slyly and threw a wink. Oh good lord she didn't have time for this. "Yes I do because I need your help and cooperation. I'm Gwen Cooper." Gwen said and forced herself into the room, shaking his head while sitting down. "What do you need my help with, or do I have to guess?" John's playful nature was beginning to make Gwen extremely irritated. If he would let her explain instead of…oh never mind. Telling him flat out what was going on would get his attention just as easily. "Look, I know about Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones, and I don't like it. I want their relationship to be over. From what I heard you don't like it too much either. We could work together, combined we could force them to split." "Okay, so we're of the same mindset." John narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. "But why do you care about breaking them up? Is he getting special treatment and you're jealous?" The glare in his eyes threw Gwen off for a moment. What did he want her to say? She gave her answer cautiously, picking and choosing from the reasons in her head. "He…humiliated me in front of everyone. I liked him, perfectly reasonable affection. He didn't only reject me, he beat me too, with various objects. I don't want him and Ianto to have a chance at being happy together." 'I want him to be happy with me.' She left the last sentence unspoken, suspecting with great accuracy, that he wouldn't appreciate it. John rose, smile on his face, and stalked forward to plant his hands on either side of her chair. He lowered his face to her ear and laughed quietly. "All right, we'll work together. But you need to know one thing going in to this, partnership." A slender finger tapped her wrist in time to the next three words. "Jack is mine. I've followed him for years, been with him for years. Just because you help me get them apart doesn't entitle you to anything. I don't share. Your reward will be Jack leaving, with me, to go to Torchwood. Understand?" He finished with a grin, fingers now wrapped around Gwen's wrist in a vice like grip and nails digging into the flesh. Gwen squirmed and nodded weakly, a small whimper escaping from the fear in her chest. "Good." Hart said and hugged her suddenly before sitting on the bed again. "Now I already have one plan in motion. What do you know about that?" Gwen laughed and rubbed her wrist where it was turning all shades of red. "Just that they were talking about it in the library. They might be talking it out right now, I don't know. But we need to have a back up plan in case whatever you did falls through." John growled and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, but I believe my plan for the record. What did you have in mind? We could always call Ianto's dad back and tell him where his son is staying, that might get him killed." John chuckled, but Gwen shook her head slowly. "That would ruin Jack's life completely, it wouldn't be very good for your plan of taking him. I don't know what to do, but I did hear something interesting that gives us some time." John leaned forward again, fists clenched and anger burning in his eyes. "They're leaving aren't they? For how long?" "Three days, Ianto's taking him to see the town apparently." Gwen said nonchalantly. John however, ground his teeth together painfully. "I'm sure that isn't the reason they're leaving. They'll have other activities to entertain themselves with." While the thought of Jack and Ianto doing that sickened her, Gwen realized their were up sides to that situation. "Look, I don't like it either, but we have three days to figure out something. We'll rip their relationship apart, I promise." 'And I'll have Jack for myself.' She thought with a smug grin and extended her hand. "Thanks for the help, it's great to have another person on my side." 'Until this is done and I don't need you anymore.' John thought and shook her hand warmly. Both people were working towards the same goal, but for obviously different reasons. Both with false smiles hiding furious beasts. Silence followed Ianto's words, complete lack of sound. The intern was frightened beyond measure, watching the tumble of emotions fall over Jack's face. How would he react? Enraged? Depressed? Disappointed? Or…he would start laughing? Loud chuckles that echoed off the walls of the library, so out of place in the situation. What in the world could he be laughing about? He'd just confessed to cheating with one of Jack's former partner's! Surely he couldn't find that, amusing? "You too? Oh thank God!" Jack choked out through the giggles, clapping a hand down on the boy's shoulder. "I didn't know what you were going to say." Ianto narrowed his eyes and began to sort through the jumbled thoughts. Him too? Him TOO? "What do you mean you too? Jack calm down and answer me!" "This morning in the garden." The patient finally regained enough composure to straighten up, still grinning. "John and I got in a fight and I... Well I ended up kissing him. But that's okay right? Because you did the same thing so we can't be mad at each other! You aren't mad...are you?" Was he? Ianto was confused, that was pretty much the only emotion he could distingush. In the relative sense he shouldn't be because he'd cheated too, and with the same person apparently. But that didn't stop the surge of anger and jealousy. The wave of heat that brought questions and doubts with it. But Jack would feel the same right? Betrayed? Even though he'd laughed it off, he must be a little mad. "Yan, you okay? I'm sorry I really am. I just got caught up in feelings and it just happened. What happened with you two?" Jack asked hesitantly, then his voice grew cold. "Did he force you? If this is another one of his schemes..." "No Jack he didn't. Not really. He kind of started it when I turned my back, he'd already gotten me riled up. He brought up all this stuff about you and him..." The intern broke off with a pained expression and breathed in deep. He knew talking about it was going to be hard, but it was even worse than he'd imagined. "I instigated the kiss though, I leaned in first. I'm sorry too. So...we forgive each other then?" To Ianto's surprise, the patient shook his head no. Blue eyes searched his in earnest. "Not until I know you aren't mad at me. I don't want there to be any tension between us, especially not since you got that weekend all planned." Jack smiled again and waited for the response. He knew it would take tine for forgiveness to be absolute, but if they'd both been unfaithful so he would hope for the best. A little part of him was mad too. He understood how John was, manipulative in every sense of the word and magnetic. So he couldnt blame Ianto for doing it. Hart knew just what buttons to press to get people under his control and he did it so well. He'd played to Ianto's curiosity just like he'd played to Jack's anger. Jack laughed suddenly and Ianto shot him a glare for interrupting their moment. "What is it?" The intern sighed. Jack started to say nothing, but thought better of it. The irony might help ease the tension. "John out smarted himself. Cheating on one of us would have torn a rift in our relationship, but with both of us? It gives us the perfect bridge! His plan would have been good, but he beat himself, gave us an out. We can carry on like nothing happened while he waits for the tension to explode." Ianto smiled at that, relishing the thought of impatient John tapping his fingers. But nothing would explode because Jack was right. Their sabateur had gone above and beyond, this time too far. But what about next time? What if next time he learned from his mistakes and perfected the attack? It was a dangerous situation that wasn't going to get any safer. The intern was almost ready to forgive Jack, but there was one more thing he had to ask before hand. "Do you still have feelings for him? Even a little?" Jack's eyes clouded again and he sighed. "It's hard to... John was the person I was closest to for five years, the only person I'd ever actually felt something for. It was mostly confusion and loneliness that kept me going back. I still want to be his friend, but not if he's going to indanger this, us." He moved forward to hug Ianto close, and the boy let him, his uneasiness melting away. "You're the only one I care about. The only one I really want to be with. I just don't know how to show you without making mistakes. It's in my nature I guess, and he brings the worst out of me. You bring the best." Ianto grinned and hugged the patient back. "You'll get a chance to show me this weekend, and I hope you won't make any mistakes. You might scar me..." Ianto wound his fingers in Jack's hair and bit down onhis neck softly to make sure he got the message. Jack didn't miss anything, taking the chance to drop his hands to squeeze Ianto's ass with a grin. "I didn't win you by making mistakes, certainly not in that department." Jack growled into Ianto's ear and smirked. "Who says you won me?" Ianto let his accent flow freely and forcibly turned Jack to slam him against the bookshelf. "I think I did a pretty good job getting you all on my own. I'm a big boy now Jack." He purred, situating himself between Jack's legs and pressing their hips together. "And getting better every second." Jack whispered and rocked forward to grind against him slowly. He wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer, the look in his partners eyes told him that. But still, he had to know. "So you aren't mad? I'm forgiven?" "Of course Jack, as long as I am." Jack nodded, smile growing every second. Ianto grinned and laughed, excitement flooding him in more ways than one. He hadn't lost his Jack! John Hart zero, eye candy one. Why dwell on things of the past now? "But I might get mad if you keep talking instead of focusing on the problem in front of you. Show me those skills you insist you have." Ianto rolled his hips forward teasingly and and pressed a kiss to the side of Jack's mouth. "With pleasure." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I offer no apology because there is no point. I will offer my tine, and a promise that I am not abandoning this story. I cannot express how grateful I am for how you have stayed with me. Thank you so so much. -Nightwhisper666