Jack threaded his fingers though Owen's hair, kissing him hard. He licked, kissed, and bit his way down Owen's throat, nipping at the rapid pulse. Owen smelled the arousal on him, and the scent of his own, rubbed off and lingering on Jack’s skin.

At some point Owen had fallen, moved?, and his back rested against Ianto’s chest. Owen was absently stroking Ianto’s thigh to keep himself centered, marveling at the ease with which he could use his senses now. Jack was mirroring Owen’s movements, sliding his hand down Ianto’s leg.

Jack pulled Owen in for another kiss and Owen groaned into Jack’s mouth. "Fuck yes, Jack. Want you!"

Jack laughed and pulled Owen up, before turning him around. Owen’s hands shot out, trying to keep himself from falling, landing on either side of Ianto’s hips. “Hello there.” He said softly, as his lips brushed Ianto’s ear, grinning at the other man’s unresponsiveness. He wasn’t quite sure what to think about Ianto being there, but not being… there. It would really be a hell of a lot less awkward if Ianto would just join the party.

Jack nipped at the back of Owen’s neck, pulling Owen out of his thoughts.

“Hey, I’m still here you know.” He reminded with another light nip, fingers trailing down Owen’s sides, feeling ribs expand and contract, muscles twitch and jump, under his hands. He reached out, grabbing the tube of lube that had been wedged between the wall and the mattress.

“Really? Must’ve slipped my mind.”

Jack nudged Owen until he was pressed flush against Ianto. "Make sure you focus on something, because if you zone right now I'm going to kill you... and possibly not stop." Jack warned.

"Oh you charmer you!" Owen laughed, pulling back far enough so that he could brace himself. His eyes drifted over Ianto's still, relaxed features, as Jack did unspeakably wonderful things to him.

Focus, he reminded him self. Ianto was off in la la land; it really would not be the best time to zone. He concentrated as Jack slid into him, breathing in Ianto’s familiar scent, watching the slow pulse just under the surface. Jack began to thrust, rocking Owen against Ianto each time.

Jack's fingers dug into Owen's slender hips, leaving bruises, as he set a maddening pace. Too slow, then too fast, then stopping completely, before moving again.

Owen let out a loud, low groan. "Oh fucking hell Jack, stop torturing me, already! Please!"

Ianto’s eyes popped open, gaze locking with Owen’s as he sucked in a deep breath.

Jack bit down on Owen shoulder, hard, and Owen cursed, falling forward as he came, burying his face against Ianto’s neck. Behind him Jack let out a strangled moan, thrusting once more before coming himself. Jack pulled out carefully and collapsed to one side.

Owen sighed tiredly against Ianto, feeling the racing of his heart gradually slow. He reached out, stroking Ianto’s neck, frowning at the quick pulse he found there. He pressed his fingers to the pulse. Fast, pounding against his fingers like it was trying to escape. He pulled back, staring into Ianto’s eyes filled with fear. As he watched the gaze became glassy and unfocused. “Jack!”

“His heart.” Jack said quietly as he crawled up beside them. Owen nodded.

“Ianto, love?” Jack called, still using a quiet voice. He cupped Ianto’s cheek. Ianto gasped, and Jack pulled his hand back as if he had been burned. Ianto’s breathing became harsh and uneven as his chest heaved for air. His eyes remained glassy and unfocused as he struggled to breathe.

“Ianto!” Owen shook him sharply, not getting a reply. “Fuck. Ianto!”

“What happened” Jack demanded.

"I- I don't know, he looks like you do, when you zone, but your heart rate drops." Owen answered, watching as Jack frantically patted Ianto's cheeks trying to wake him up.

Jack turned to him, "He could see us. For just a second, but it was there. What do we do?"

"I don't know! Yan? Yan, come on, talk to me! Wake up and talk to me Ianto! I swear to god I will get out of this bed and touch your coffee pot if you don't wake up this minute!" There was no response, except for the harsh breathing.

"Ianto? You're really scaring us here, sweetheart.” Jack began to stroke his fingers through Ianto’s hair. “Please come back to us?" He tried closing Ianto's eyes. "Sweetheart? You're safe. It's okay to come back. Nothing is going to hurt you. Just wake up and yell at Owen from coming on your shirt, okay?"

Nothing was working. Ianto wasn’t waking up and his heart rate if anything was rising, beating wildly against Owen’s fingers. His lips were tinged a light blue, the panicked breaths not providing enough air.

Owen’s eyes didn’t leave Ianto . "Jack I'm scared. He's worse then before. He’s worse when he was curled up in a ball of pain from our emotions. We need to fix this. He’s going to have a heart attack, or damage the muscle or something." Owen had seen it plenty of times. Overdoses making a pit stop at A&E on their way to the morgue. Heart beating itself to death.

“Yan.” He tried again. “Yan, please luv.”

Jack groaned and bit his lip, leaning over Ianto, pressing his forehead against the younger man’s. "Ianto please..."

Owen gasped as he felt himself begin to slide, he grabbed on to Ianto, and felt Jack’s finger’s dig into his arm. A brief flash of Jack’s panicked eyes, the roaring sound of Ianto’s too fast heart and he fell back into darkness.

---

Jack's eyes snapped open and he found him self holding on to Owen’s arms, kneeling in a cold, dark forest. Ianto was gone.

“It’s never looked like this before.” Jack said quietly, looking around.

“Yeah.” Owen staggered to his feet. "Ianto! Ianto get your arse back here!” Owen yelled into the quiet forest.” Ianto I know you're here!"

Jack cocked an ear, but they were met with silence.

"How do we find him?" Jack asked. Owen had been here more often than he had. He knew the rules. Jack didn’t even know where to start. He used Owen to pull himself to his feet. “Ianto!” he yelled.

"I don't know. The only things I've ever done here are run, or sit around with the animals. Come on." Owen took off at a run still holding on to Jack. "Keep a look out for the pets."

“Pets?”

“Yup. IANTO! Get out here dammit!"

They kept running for what felt to Jack like years, calling out occasionally for Ianto. There was no sound, no hide, hair, or tentacle of the creatures they had been seeing. Most importantly there was no Ianto.

They came to a fork in the path and Owen tugged him to the left, not slowing down. “This way.”

The followed the path until it came to a clearing, and Jack froze. Owen did the same with a quiet ‘Fuck.’

A huge, beautiful black dog lay in front of them, sides heaving, and whimpering in pain. Owen moved forward, but Jack grabbed him and held him back, fighting his own urge to do...something. Anything. He knew somehow that it would be exactly the wrong thing to do.

“Jack!” Owen protested. “That’s Ianto’s dog. The one he’s always seeing. It’s hurt Jack we need to-“

“No.” Jack tightened his grip, pointing to the far end of the clearing. Two other animals had arrived. A small, ferocious wolverine, and a large pink swamp lion, its vivid purple tentacles tucked close to its body and its ears laid back.

“What the fuck, Jack?”

Jack and Owen watched as the two creatures approached the struggling dog. The swamp lion nudged it gently, sweeping a careful tentacle over its side in a strangely gentle petting motion. It stepped over him, eying Jack and Owen warily; one tentacle straying back, continuing to pet and soothe. The wolverine simply ignored the two men. Nuzzling and rubbing against the dog as it panted.

Jack felt as time had stopped and sped up all at once as he watched the scene, letting a breath of his own as the dog seemed to calm down, no longer whimpering. Still far too still, chest barely rising.

“Again.” Owen said quietly, and Jack flicked his eyes over to see the other man staring at the three animals. “What the fuck?”

Before Jack could answer, the animals began to waver and morph as the forest darkened, becoming more human and familiar. Jack felt a sharp tug in his chest, and just before the scene faded entirely he saw another version of himself staring back from where the cat had stood. Ianto was lying on the ground, still and pale, like the dog had been just a moment before Owen, another Owen, kneeling in the wolverine’s place, his hand on Ianto’s chest, completely focused on the younger man.

Jack slid into the darkness.