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~*~
Black Celebration
*
The mallet hit the wall with a satisfying thump, dislodging the targeted brick with a small cloud of dust. Ianto paused to catch his breath, wiping sweat and brick dust from his forehead with the back of his arm.
"There are more efficient ways to remove a wall, you know."
Ianto glanced over his shoulder with a smile at the figure currently sprawled on the Torchwood sofa.
"Doing it like this is much more satisfying, inefficient or not," he said matter-of-factly. His immediate answer was a sardonically raised eyebrow.
"Satisfying?" Methos, Ianto had to admit, did not sound terribly convinced. He grinned.
"Yup. That last brick was Owen."
"Ah. I'll admit that's much better for Owen than you shooting him again, though to be honest I don't think anyone would protest if you did." Ianto had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing at Methos' tone of voice – it had been more than a little amusing to see someone else clashing with Owen for a change, though he doubted Methos saw it quite like that.
"Maybe not," Ianto replied. "But twice in a month would be a little excessive, don't you think?"
"It is Owen."
"True. Even so, we do need a permanent medic and he *is* good at his job. If I shoot him again he might take it personally and quit."
"I could fill in," Methos said thoughtfully.
"Weren't you listening? A *permanent* medic. And preferably one who trained within the last 100 years. You don't fit the bill. Plus, the weevils don't like you."
"The feeling's mutual."
"I rest my case." Ianto hefted the mallet again, ignoring Methos' low pitched grumble in the process. The next brick looked like it might be difficult to remove and he smiled grimly at it. This one would be Jack *and* his Doctor he decided, and let fly at the wall with the mallet.