Pairings: Gwen/Ianto, implied Jack/Gwen, Jack/Ianto and Gwen/Rhys

"Ok so what ever we do don't touch it" Jack said quietly to his team.

As they surrounded it in a dark room, it's green glow and their torches being the only source of light in the room. They were in an abandoned house in one of the rougher areas of Cardiff, the floorboards were rotting and creaking, the walls were filled with damp and peeling wallpaper and it was Friday night.

The team just wanted to go home.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "For god sake Jack it's just a spindle" she hissed furiously waving a hand at the spinning wheel. "All it's going to do is prick my finger!"

"It came through the rift, for all we know it could turn into the biggest, ugliest slimiest alien we've ever seen and eat us all" Jack said firmly.

"I would take you more seriously if it wasn't for the fact you used the worst cliché ever" Ianto said in a deadpan voice.

The others sniggered and Jack pouted. "I get no love from any of you" he complained causing the sniggers to stop instantly.

The four friends shared nervous looks. They were still slightly shocked that Jack had finally come home after being missing for almost a year. Gone without a single trace, no tracks to follow, no ransom note to analyse. Just gone. So of course they moved on, of course Gwen and Ianto found new love...

...in each other.

But Gwen being Gwen, feeling so guilty when Jack practically confessed and then found her engagement ring blurted out it was from Rhys. And with Ianto willing to do anything for Gwen (sucker, Owen thought, the pair of them are idiots) the whole team ended up lying to Jack...all the time...it made it difficult to reconcile with him completely.

"That's because you're not our type" Owen said quickly covering up their silent exchange. "Now lets just get rid of this thing and quick, I want to hit the clubs tonight"

"We have to consider our options"

"Oh fuck the options" Gwen snarled snatching the spindle of the spinning wheel. "See nothing hap...en..."

Gwen's eyes fluttered shut as she fell back onto the floor, her hand letting the spindle go revealing a small cut.

"See" Jack said waving a hand at her. "This is why we should be more cautious"

Owen went to Gwen's side and checked her pulse. "She's alive and from her breathing pattern I think it's safe to say she's just sleeping" he sighed. "Jeeze this idiot is going to give me gray hairs"

"I think I already have some" Ianto muttered darkly as he picked Gwen up from the floor and carried her out of the room. "Let's go back and work out what happened"

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

Gwen laid there on the too clean, too white pillow her hair spread out flawlessly. If Ianto didn't know better he would think Owen prepared her for a film or something...actually on second thoughts Owen would if he didn't value his anatomy more than anything else. Her skin didn't look unnaturally pale and her lipstick hadn't smudge at all. She really did look like she was sleeping. She also looked beautiful.

Sleeping Beauty.

The thought made Ianto cringed and blush. Cringed at the pathetic and clichéd thought, blushing at how...exciting...he found it.

"Sleeping Beauty" Owen started causing Ianto to jump.

"I don't think it's attractive at all. It seems almost like a fetish to call a lover that, like you're thinking sexual thoughts over a childhood memory" Ianto said calmly in a slightly harsher than normal tone to remind Owen to back off.

Everyone blinked.

"Erm ok" Tosh mumbled.

"Right" Owen said raising an eyebrow.

Jack grinned. "I think someone protests a little too much" he said flirtatiously as he wrapped an arm. "How about a game of Jack and the Beanstalk?"

Ianto pushed his arm off. "No, the mental images are enough to make me ill"

"You and me both" Owen muttered. "Now as I was saying, basically it's a case of Sleeping Beauty, the spindle was lined with some sort of sedation, alien most likely since I don't recognise it"

"So she needs kissing to wake up?" Jack asked grinning.

Ianto and Owen groaned while Tosh smacked her palm to her forehead. "Maybe but I don't think she's a morning person and having your slimy paws on her would only mean I'll be cleaning your blood for weeks" Owen said. "And I rather not be the dead body either, so Ianto should do it"

"What?" both Ianto and Tosh squeaked.

It was common knowledge that Owen hated this lying but his pressuring wasn't helping the situation either.

"Why not call Rhys?" Jack asked.

"Err..."

"I'll get right onto that" Ianto said smoothly gliding out the room with confidence.

In reality he was sick to the stomach with fear and anxiety.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

"Psst Tea-Boy"

Ianto looked up from his cleaning and raised an eyebrow at Owen. "You did not just Psst me" he said quietly.

Owen rolled his eyes. "Tosh has Jack on a wild goose chase – or should I say wild weevil chase?" Ianto suppressed the urge to smack Owen. "Anyway point is you can smooch your girl but please stop lying soon. Do you know how simple it would have been if Jack knew the truth? I could be out half-pissed by now"

"No you wouldn't you still have to find out which sedatives are in the spindle" Ianto pointed out.

Owen groaned. "Don't remind me"

Ianto said nothing as he calmly walked out of the kitchen and towards the med-bay where Gwen was still sleeping peacefully. He smiled as he tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, sliding his hand to her neck, lifting her head up slightly as he pressed his lips against her lipsticked red ones. She inhaled sharply allowing him to deepen the kiss, her hands snatched at his suit jacket as she returned the kiss passionately.

"Yeah still here guys" Owen said loudly causing the pair to pull away. "Welcome to the world of the living Freckles"

"Twat" Gwen snapped as she climbed out of bed.

"Whatever just wait till you're home before you jump Ianto's bones" Owen shrugged.

The three of them made it to the workstations just as Jack and Tosh arrived. Jack rather grumpy with the fact the weevil sighting had been a false alarm and Tosh relieved to see Gwen awake.

"Oh is Rhys here then?" Jack asked taking his coat.

"No, we retconned him and dumped him in Gwen's car. She was just leaving" Ianto lied smoothly. "I'm driving her back because she's still feeling woozy"

"Ok then" Jack said gripping Gwen's shoulder tightly. "Just call us if you feel worse yeah?"

"Of course" Gwen said shrugging her jacket on.

"Oh and Ianto?"

Ianto turned. "Yes sir?"

"Is it me or are you wearing Gwen's lipstick?"