Janto One-Shots

24 Hours (Part Two)

Yeah this is really long and boring and drags on for a long time but I didn't just want to literally skip 24 hours so here we go

It's decently bad but yee  

They had done everything. It had been 8 hours since Jack made the choice to leave Ianto in that warehouse, to make the 24 hour deal.

Jack was cooped up in his office, practically beating himself up over what he had done. The team had tried so many plans, all of which had failed. The warehouse was now empty, all the trucks had gone, and even the snipers on the roof were no where to be seen. 

Jack kept trying to come up with ideas, and everyone knew to stay out of his way. Or, mostly everyone. 

"Jack?" Gwen said, pushing open his office door. 

"What is it now?" He snapped back. 

"I hate to tell you this, but I really think we just have to wait the 24 hours. We've tried everything. There is no possible way to track Ianto, Maggie, or any of her comrades. We've run out of luck." Gwen explained. 

"I'll come up with something."

"We've got nothing left Jack! just own up. You messed up, you're ashamed of it, so what?! We all mess up! That's what makes you human!"

"I'm not human!" Jack screamed, slamming his fist down on the desk. 

"It's not the body that makes you human," Gwen whispered. "It's your mind. Now, realize your mistake and wait the remaining hours." 

"Easier said than done." Jack replied. 

Gwen remained standing in the doorway as silence fell over the office like a fresh coat of snow. Jack searched for words to say, trying to think of something besides how stupid he was. Deep down he knew he would have to wait the remaining hours, praying that Maggie kept her promise to keep Ianto alive. 

"So then what do we do?" Gwen eventually said. 

Jack looked up at her, her eyes filled with lost hope. He stood up and shoved by her through the doorway, only to hear her footsteps quickly approaching behind him. 

"We start from square one." Jack announced to the team, crowding around their computers. "Tosh, run a search on any alien products put on the market in the last hour, see if you can find anything. Maybe cross-reference with some of the older stuff Maggie had up for sale. Gwen, I need you to make some phone calls to all the houses within two miles of that warehouse. Ask if they've seen any trucks go by or things of the sort. Owen, I'm gonna need you to brew some coffee. After all, you've had experience, and I feel it's going to be a long night. After that, help Tosh with the search."

"And what exactly are you going to do?" Owen said from the ground below. 

Jack gripped onto the yellow, metal railing in front of him. He debated on sharing his status with the team, but at a time like this he couldn't risk to hide anything. "I'm going to work on tracking Ianto and pray that he comes back alive. This is my fault, and I'm going to fix it." 

Everyone stared up at Jack in what seemed like disbelief, but then again, he never tells anybody what he's doing. 

"Stop standing around and do your jobs!" Jack yelled down at them. He was pretending to be focused, but he couldn't help but smile a little. 

Then he remembered that Ianto was in danger, and the smile quickly faltered.  

4 hours later 

12 hours. They were half way there. Another 12, and hopefully Ianto would be safe in Jack's arms again. Jack looked around at his team, who had fallen asleep at their desks. It was one in the morning, after all. Tosh had fallen asleep with her face in her keyboard, while Owen had dozed off on the couch nearby. Gwen had somehow managed to fall asleep on the autopsy table, and Jack laughed knowing she would wake up with a sore back.