[Fic] Two Truths and a Lie (part two)
Two Truths and a Lie
***
Games.
Jack Harkness liked games. He’d always been good at them-good at reading the other players, good at playing the odds, good at bailing himself out. Add in a dash of dumb luck and it was the combination that had managed to keep him alive this long.
But this was going to be strictly business. He’d play this game for as long as needed, for as long as it took to bring the team together. It wasn’t going to fun or anything.
Okay, maybe a little fun.
It was nearing seven at night, when the others would be leaving for home-or wherever they went when they weren’t here. Too bad they wouldn’t be going there tonight. Jack tapped his Bluetooth and smiled. “Hey guys. Sorry to say this, but we’re going to be working late tonight. If you’ve got plans, I suggest you cancel them.”
There was a double groan-Gwen and Owen’s disappointment mingled in his ear. Ianto remained silent. It was Tosh who spoke up. “What have you got for us, Jack?”
“Paperwork-specifically, expenses,” he said. “They’ve been piling up for weeks now I think it’s a good time to get those in order.”
Gwen sounded confused. “But I’ve already turned mine in.”
This time he had to work hard to keep the smile out of his voice. “But Owen hasn’t. And I’m sorry to say Tosh… you’ve got a few, as well. And Ianto, could you bring up that news release I asked you about? I want to talk to you about that.”
“And me?” Gwen asked.
“You get to help everyone else.”
It only took a few minutes for the conference room to fill up. Owen came in, staggering under the weight of a stack of papers, followed closely by Gwen. “When was the last time you did this?”
Owen heaved the stack onto the table and collapsed into a chair. “Dunno. When were you hired again?” He glowered at the pile. “Since when is paperwork my responsibility?”
“Because I said so,” Jack said. His voice was light, but left no room for argument.
It was around three in the morning when he let them stagger home.
And two hours later, he sent out a text to summon them back.
***
Day two.
“Rhys woke up when I left,” Gwen was muttering, “and he’s not happy.”
Jack head Owen “hmm-ing,” but that was all the doctor said. The team looked groggy but interested as they approached the deserted club. The rain was drifting down in lazy sheets, soaking through outer layers and making those without jackets shiver.
“Strange noises,” Jack said, answering the unsaid question. “Someone phoned in an emergency call-said they saw something huge and slimy.”
“Just the way I like to start my mornings.” Owen was less than pleased. The others remained quiet.
***
Day three.
Ianto was delivering the second round of caffeine when Jack asked Tosh about water-proofing the cells. “That thing looked like something out of an old horror movie, and I don’t like the idea of cleaning slime out of every nook and cranny in those cells,” he said. “Gwen, have you called the police? We need to know if they’ve seen anything.”
“But I thought you said the slime thing was harmless.” Gwen sipped at her coffee. “Thanks, Ianto.”
Jack took his own cup and nodded thanks. “Yes, but I want to know how it got here. The system its species is from doesn’t have the technology to reach other planets yet. I want to know if Mr. Slime is a hitchhiker, or if the rift is responsible.”
Tosh looked up from her computer. “Um, Jack? How late do you think we’re going to be working? Another all-nighter?”
Jack smiled and did not reply.
“Mind getting us another round?” Owen muttered to Ianto. “I think we’re gonna need it.”
***
Day four.
“I need this filed,” Jack barked at Ianto. “Tosh, could you hack into UNIT again? I just got off the phone with them and they swear they know nothing about the disappearing slime monster. Gwen, I need you to interview a few of the witnesses and deem whether or not retcon is required. Owen, go with her.”
***
“What do you need now?” Tosh looked at him, pleading.
“Clean out the cells,” Jack said. “Haven’t done that in a while.”
Gwen looked-no, actually glared-at him. This was the fifth day of what Jack had mentally deemed “Game Time,” and Owen was now referring to as “fucking insanity.” They were at the hub constantly, Jack working them harder than he ever had. He cheerfully informed them that the rift was being exceptionally busy lately and they needed to be there. And while there were grumbles, no one had bailed yet.
Jack waited, patient. He had a feeling he knew who would be first.
***
It was on the sixth day of this insanity that Owen finally began to suspect something.
Jack worked them harder than was decent (or probably legal), Owen thought. There was always something to do, something to catch, something to research, something to look into… and if they seemed in danger of actually getting it all done, something would go wrong. Owen was pretty damn sure he’d seen Jack flit away from Owen’s computer station just before the fucking computer crashed, losing three hours of work. Then the computer wouldn’t boot back up and Tosh spent a solid day trying to fix everything. Then there was a weevil sighting, which sent all of them scrambling, but once they arrived on the scene… no weevil. Jack claimed it must have gone back into the sewers or something.
By the time Owen had stumbled home and collapsed into bed-it was soft and cold and felt so incredibly good-he was ready to sleep for days. And then Jack called him. Again. Bloody weevil sighting. Again.
Once he got there… no weevil. Again.
“Might as well come back to the hub,” Jack said in his ear, all too cheerfully.
Owen spent the next few hours amusing himself with what Jack would look like if locked in with Janet.
The team looked as ragged as he felt. They were surviving on a combination of determination and caffeine, but Owen was pretty sure that wouldn’t hold out much longer. Certainly not as long as Jack’s mania.
When Gwen strode by him, files in hand, he caught her by the arm. He leaned in close-close enough to smell that cherry scented shampoo she used-and hissed into her ear. “This is the fucking Iranian Embassy and its 1980.”
“What?”
He looked at her scathingly. “Didn’t you ever pay attention to history?”
It took her a few seconds to catch on. “Oh. The hostage situation.” Her eyes went wide. “Oh.”
“He’s never going to let us leave,” Owen whispered. “Something’s up with him and we’re never going to get out of here.”
She was wary. “What do you want to do about it?”
“War council. Tell the others to meet by the coffee maker in ten. If You-Know-Who asks, just say we’re pestering Ianto about the bloody coffee.”
***
“What is going on?” Gwen asked, peering around Ianto to make sure Jack was out of sight. “And why are we whispering?”
“Because we don’t want him to hear.” Owen gave her a “you-should-know-that” look.
“But he can-”
“CCTV is temporarily having problems,” Tosh said archly. “So, what exactly do we think is going on here?”
Owen snorted. “Jack’s become a nutter. I swear he’s been sabotaging us-did you see him mess with my computer?!-so we can’t go home.”
There was a long silence while the others thought about it. There was no denying Jack’s strange behavior, his relentless good cheer amidst the practically illegal work ethic. He’d never been so… insistant about his power to keep them at work. “I think we’re being paranoid,” Gwen said quietly. “He’s just getting us to do our job.”
“When did you last see Rhys?” Owen made the question into an accusation.
Wrong thing to say. Gwen flared up at once, eyes blazing. “You don’t have the right to say a word about my relationship with Rhys,” she said.
“What relationship?” Owen shot back.
Ianto and Tosh pretended not to hear. “What do you think?” she asked him. He shrugged.
“It’s Jack,” was all Ianto said.
The quiet stretched out, heavy with tension, until Jack’s voice shattered it. “Hey, need you guys up here!”
All of them jumped. “What now?” Tosh said wearily.
***
“We’re going to rehabilitate weevils?”
Jack nodded earnestly.
***
The second war council took place in the hothouse.
“This has got to stop,” Owen said, keeping his voice to a whisper. “I was all right when he was just trying to get us to spend extra time training and stuff-but this-this is-”
“Dangerous?” Tosh suggested.
“I was going to say ‘fucking ridiculous,’ but that works too,” Owen replied.
Gwen peeked over her shoulder in the direction of Jack’s office. “Maybe he really has been replaced. But buy what?”
“Shape shifter?” Tosh said. “Some kind of remote mind control?”
Ianto held up both hands, palms out, as if trying to stop traffic. Everyone looked at him. “Maybe he’s serious,” he said. “Maybe we should try to do this. Try to rehabilitate them. If we could find out what makes the weevils go rogue and fix that…” His voice trailed off, as if imagining the possibilities.
Owen looked at Gwen. “I just got a mental image of a weevil trying to eat with a knife and fork.”
She tried to stifle her laugh, so it came out more as a snort. This made even Ianto smile.
“Mind control,” she decided.
Owen shook his head. “Ten quid says shape shifter. Jack’s proven pretty resistant to mind stuff-” (three pairs of eyes all flicked to Tosh and away again) “-so they’d have to kidnap and replace him completely.”
“They?” Gwen bit down on her lower lip, worried. “Are we serious? Who would want to infiltrate us?”
There was a beat of silence, and then Tosh said what they were all thinking. “Who wouldn’t?”
“This could be a test,” Gwen said. “Some kind of Torchwood procedure, to see what we would do in the event that one of us was acting strangely.” She considered.
“We could sedate him,” Owen muttered. “Tie him down and scan him for every possibility. Most shape shifters can’t duplicate DNA… and if someone’s controlling him, wouldn’t there be some kind of signal…?” He looked to Tosh. It took her a second to understand that he expected a response, then she nodded quickly.
“I’ll do some research,” she said. “What are we going to do in the mean time?”
This got a smirk out of Owen. “We get him into that little cubby thing of his, then shove his desk over the entrance.”
“That’s really unprofessional,” Tosh said. “We’re doing a job.”
“Yeah, very unprofessional.” Gwen nodded eagerly. “Besides, it’d easier to pop some sleeping pills in his coffee.” Three pairs of eyes turned to Ianto, who had yet to say anything. He raised both hands, palms out, in a defensive gesture.
“I’ve got to get up the tourist office,” he said. “Text me if you decide on a time for the coup d'état.”
***
Owen would have liked to take credit for their first attempt. It all stemmed from his fantasy of locking Jack in with Janet. Instead, they (Tosh) simply tripped the lock system so that Jack was accidentally trapped in an empty cell. Their plan was to keep him stuck inside the unbreakable walls with only a mop and bucket for company, Tosh and Owen tried to think of a way they could keep him down there while furtively scanning him.
All four of them watched the CCTV, not breathing, waiting to see if the door actually clicked shut behind Jack.
It did. And they watched as Jack began prodding at the lock, a confused look on his face.
“Victory.” Owen was smug. After all, this had been his idea.
Gwen pumped a fist into the air and grinned.
Silently, Ianto lifted a finger and pointed back at the tv screen. They all glanced back. Jack was pressing something on his wristband, concentrating, and then the cell door swung open.
Three jaws dropped.
***
The second attempt was a little more convoluted.
“Listen,” Gwen said into the phone, “I’ve explained this to you three times. It’s not that difficult. Just walk into the tourist office like you normally would, but say that you saw something. Act really scared.”
The girl sounded confused. “Saw what?”
Okay, she’d definitely explained this before. But she ground back his retort and forced himself to remain calm. Collected. Not about to rip someone’s head off. “I want you to say you saw something like a monster. Something with big, shark-like teeth. Wearing a jumpsuit. And you’ve got to arrive at noon. Exactly.” The delivery girl snapped her gum again-Christ, that noise was disgusting over the phone. Gwen winced. “You can do that right?”
“I’m not sure….”
“Let’s phrase this a new way,” Gwen said, “there will be a huge tip for you if you do it.”
“Is this some kind of prank?”
“Um, yeah.” It was the only explanation that didn’t make her sound insane. “A prank. So, will you do it?”
There was a pause while she considered. “Do you still want a pizza?”
“Meat feast, please.” Gwen hung up the phone and let out a groan. Plan B was on.
Ianto, who had been texted the time of the coup d'état, was better at sabotage than the pizza girl. Right on time, he called Jack about looking over a few reports. As the captain passed by, on his way to the office, Owen held his breath. As soon as the circular door clicked shut, Owen dashed to Tosh’s station.
“Bring up the office,” he said. “I want to see when he leaves.”
Gwen leaned over Tosh, eagerly watching. They observed as the wall slid open and Jack joined Ianto in the tourist office. Sound was turned off, so they couldn’t hear what was said, but it didn’t matter. Ianto slipped a file from a drawer and began gesturing at it. Jack listened intently.
Owen lifted his arm and glanced at his watch. “ETA is two minutes, right?”
Gwen nodded. Once Jack and Ianto were out to search for the non-existent weevil, the others would search Jack’s office and try to find something-anything-that would explain his strange behavior.
“One minute,” Owen muttered. Tosh chewed on her thumbnail, gazing at the screen. The seconds ticked by and noon came. Owen leaned forward. “Come on, come on… where is she?”
They waited. 12:00. 12:05. 12:10.
“Ianto’s starting to sweat,” Gwen said. “He can only drag a file out for so long.”
“Where is she?” Tosh worried.
Ianto was still talking by 12:20, but he was obviously losing Jack. The captain was nodding in a bored way, his eyes beginning to glaze over. He finally lost all interest a few minutes later, taking the file and escaping Ianto’s monologue. How he’d managed to draw it out for so long, Gwen would never know.
Jack trotted back inside the hub, file under his arm. “Gwen, you talked to UNIT again yet?” he asked. She wilted and picked up the phone.
Fifteen minutes later, Ianto came down. He carried several boxes. “Anybody want pizza?” he asked.
Owen began to hit his forehead against the wall. Repeatedly.
***
The third war council took place next in the archives. Tucked between ‘f’ and ‘g,’ they tried to figure out a new strategy.
“This isn’t working,” Tosh said, her brow wrinkling. “Maybe if we try a new tactic….”
Owen’s smile was more a grimace. “We need something more drastic. You think holding him at gunpoint is too much?”
Gwen and Tosh just stared at him. “Just kidding,” he sighed. “Sort of, anyway.”
As the debate became more heated, Ianto slipped away. It was easy to do so-his presence barely registered with them.
***
Jack was on the roof when Ianto found him. Ianto moved silently to the captain’s side and stared out at the horizon. The clouds were heavy and mist drifted downward. Ianto had worn a heavy wool coat, Jack noticed. He was also carrying a steaming cup. Jack took it without hesitation.
Ianto didn’t look at him when he spoke. “You’ve acting strange lately, sir. I thought it fair to warn you that Owen is considering sedating you for a thorough examination.”
Jack coughed on a swallow and looked down at his coffee.
Ianto laughed. Actually laughed. “Don’t worry-I didn’t let Owen near this batch.”
“Good.” Jack couldn’t help but chuckle. “Has he got a pool going?”
Though he still looked into the distance, rather than meeting Jack’s eyes, the corner of Ianto’s mouth twitched upward. “Mind control device currently has the best odds, but Owen’s got his money on shape shifter.”
Again, Jack laughed. He could just imagine Owen, Tosh and Gwen, heads together, furtively betting and discussing what was wrong with their boss. “Why?”
Ianto spoke quickly. “Group pub visit. Then you trapped us here, making us work constantly. Sabotaging us when we get too much done.” And oddly enough, he hesitated before listing off the last one. “Two truths and a lie. You have to admit, you’ve been a little… more hands on than you used to.”
“And yet you came out to warn me,” Jack said lightly. “You obviously think I haven’t been replaced.”
The smile on Ianto’s face faded and become something more pensive. He didn’t answer aloud, but nodded once.
“The last time I played that game, it was during my orientation at Torchwood One. They hired in groups, and would spend at least a week easing us into the system. Group exercises-they were a big part of it. We learned to trust one another, like one another, and work together as a team.” He laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “It didn’t save us in the end, though.”
It would be so easy to touch Ianto, but that would bridge invisible barriers-and Jack knew he’d lost the right. It was only when Ianto shivered, pulling his coat closer, that Jack found himself putting his hand on Ianto’s back. The younger man’s head jerked up and he looked quickly, and then wrenched his gaze forward again.
Jack wasn’t sure if he’d done the right thing or not. When he pulled away, his fingers slid over Ianto’s shoulder. The wool of his coat was rough and damp, but Jack knew how warm Ianto would be inside of it. For one wild moment, he wanted to slip his hands inside the garment, feel that warmth without the barrier between them.
The younger man turned to face Jack directly, and the invisible walls came back up. Ianto gave him a measured look. “You’ve been conning us. You wanted us to believe that something was wrong with you.”
Jack shook his head, laughing. He should have known Ianto would be the one to figure it out. “You would have made a great partner… back in the day.”
“Back in what day?”
“Back when I did this kind of thing for a living.”
Ianto was looking at him in that measured way of his. “Truth or lie?”
“Truth.” Jack’s smile splintered and broke. “All too true.”
Ianto allowed Jack a moment before asking the most important question. Then he met Jack’s eyes and said, “Why?”
Jack tilted his head and smiled. “Why do you think?” He had to admit he was interested in Ianto’s conclusions, whatever they were. He’d managed to figure out this much.
Ianto’s expression did not change from that careful neutrality, but his mouth thinned out the tiniest bit. His hand came up and he rubbed his chin. “You’ve been creating chaos,” he said slowly, as if thinking out each word. “And after both mine and Tosh’s betrayals, the others are understandably suspicious of any change in behavior. If your aim was to create an even more mistrustful work environment, you’ve succeeded.”
Jack could not help his wide grin. “I don’t think so. You all ganged up on me pretty well. Worked together to overcome a common goal. Depended on each other’s talents in order to take down a threat.” He shrugged. “Looked a lot like team bonding to me.”
Ianto took some time to process this. “You’ve kept us at work for days, made us think you were a shape shifter or worse, all for the sake of making us trust you?”
Jack started to say something, maybe to explain, but Ianto cut him off.
“You don’t have to play games with us,” he said. “To make us trust you, I mean.”
Jack smiled ruefully. “Games work. And I wasn’t trying to make you trust me-just each other.”
“Did you pay that guy to attack Owen?”
Jack kept his face impassive and didn’t respond. Again, he was interested in Ianto’s conclusions.
Ianto hesitated, eyes flickering up to meet Jack’s, and then back down again. “Did you pay that guy to attack me?”
For a moment, Jack couldn’t move. He felt heat, like someone was burning him, but the tips of his fingers were completely numb. His mouth opened to protest, to say that he would never do something like that, and was surprised to find that nothing came out.
“It’s not like you to be speechless, sir,” Ianto said quietly.
“Ianto,” Jack said, and it came out like a plea. Ianto met his gaze then, cool and unassuming as usual. But there was something behind it-a calculation that Jack had rarely seen there before.
“Do you really think I would do that to you?” The question came out sounding angry, even though Jack tried to stay calm.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you’ve never given us any clue as to where your limits are,” Ianto said. And the sheer truthfulness of that statement cut Jack deeper than any slight could have.
Jack grabbed Ianto’s arm, twisting him so that they were face-to-face and closer than they had been in days. “You’re right. I have very few limits.” Ianto tried to take a step back, but Jack didn’t let go. Rather, his fingers dug tighter into Ianto’s sleeve, tight enough to bruise. “When it comes to protecting those I care about, I will do just about anything.”
Ianto had gone completely still, but Jack felt him shudder involuntarily. Jack didn’t give him time to respond. “I can’t watch Torchwood fall. I know we’re all going through a rough patch right now, but I won’t let you fall apart. I know you don’t trust me-but I need you guys to be able to trust one another. I need you guys to be able to function when I’m not around.”
Ianto appeared to be processing his words. He took a few steps back and looked away. Agitatedly, he pulled at the collar of his coat, tugging it down a bit as if it irritated him. Jack found himself staring at Ianto’s neck-that pale curve of throat descending into shoulder. The rush of emotion Jack felt surprised him. He wanted to touch that neck, maybe trace the contours of it with his lips, bury his face in that safe place beneath Ianto’s chin and breathe him in.
God, it was times like this that made him so grateful that Tosh hadn’t been able to read his mind.
When Ianto spoke, it was so quietly that Jack almost didn’t catch the words. “I’m sorry.” He hesitated, then appeared to make some decision. “When I-” He stumbled over the words, then shook himself, as if coming awake from a dream.
Jack was at a loss. He felt that ache again, when he looked at Ianto and felt hollow. This man should have been somewhere else, rising through the ranks of some corporate business or opening his own coffee shop. Not in Torchwood, losing himself. “What?” he said, keeping his voice calm.
Ianto shifted away, skittish. Jack reached out, meaning to put grasp Ianto’s shoulder. Somehow his palm ended up on Ianto’s chest, fingers curling around his lapel. It wasn’t a tight grip, the younger man could have broken away, but it made Jack feel connected to him. “Ianto,” he said, and it wasn’t a question or rebuke. Just a name-a name that slipped from his mouth with an ease that surprised him.
Ianto inhaled sharply. He wouldn’t meet Jack’s eyes when he finally spoke. “When I said I didn’t trust you… that was my lie,” Ianto said quietly. “It’s me I don’t trust, not you.”
The words took a moment to sink in, then Jack’s other hand came up. He stroked the line of Ianto’s throat. It was a place Ianto usually hid from the world, tucked away behind collars and ties and other thick layers of clothing. Jack touched the curve of his chin, and his thumb found the swell of Ianto’s lower lip. He had no idea what he was doing-if he was seducing, exploring or something else. He waited for Ianto to move, to strike out and push him away. But Ianto wasn’t moving. He shivered and sucked in sharp breath, but he didn’t move away. Jack leaned in close, close enough to count each of Ianto’s eyelashes, and said words he hadn’t even known were true until that moment.
“I trust you,” Jack said.
Ianto’s eyes widened. His lips parted to inhale, to gasp. That snapped the last threads of Jack’s self control. He leaned in, covering Ianto’s mouth with his own. Soft. Warm. Still. The younger man had frozen over, his fingers splayed on Jack’s chest. He could have paused in the act of either pushing Jack away or pulling him closer. The kiss was careful.
And then Ianto surprised him. His fingers dug into Jack’s shirt, became fists, and he dragged Jack closer. He kissed hungrily, desperately, holding on like Jack was the only thing keeping him grounded. Jack held himself back, surprised by Ianto’s fervor, but couldn’t remain that way when his mouth was coaxed open. He felt the scratchy wool of Ianto’s coat, then slipped his hand inside and downward. His hand dipped into small of his back and pulled Ianto even closer, so he could feel the sharpness of his hip bone, the rise and fall of his chest.
Ianto pulled away, breathing heavily. Jack followed his lead and drew away. Ianto was flushed and his lips looked swollen. The sight made Jack want to pin him to the ground, to tease and take until Ianto begged for more. It was lust mixed with something else-something like tenderness.
Ianto was staring at him like he’d never really seen the captain before. He steadied himself, hands unconsciously coming up to smooth his collar back into place. “I should get back down there,” he said, and his voice was hoarse.
Jack didn’t answer right away-he had to bite down on his disappointment. He felt weak and a little dizzy, which confused him. “If that’s what you want.”
Ianto looked torn. His eyes flitted back to the door, but his shoulders were angled toward Jack. “I-not now,” he said. “Just… not now.”
Jack nodded. “Okay, but can I ask why?”
Ianto looked upward, probably just to avoid looking at Jack. The corner of his mouth twitched. “Because… you’re probably going to pass out in a minute or two.”
It took Jack longer than it should have to figure it out what Ianto meant. “You said Owen never went anywhere near this batch.”
Ianto looked perfectly innocent. “He didn’t. I did.”
Shaking his head, Jack took a step toward Ianto. His feet suddenly seemed harder to control, and his legs trembled a bit. “Fool me once,” he muttered, “shame on you. Fool me twice… well, that’s never happened before.” The vertigo increased and Jack found himself trying to focus on Ianto, rather than the blackness edging his sight. He waved a hand where he thought Ianto was. “So was all this… part of the plan?”
He tried to take another step, but the ground moved and abruptly tilted. He expected to hit the ground hard, but he found himself breathing in wet wool. It took some concentration to figure out what had happened. Ianto’s voice sounded close to Jack’s ear.
“There was never a plan. I just thought I’d humor Owen,” Ianto said. “And I meant what I said.”
Jack’s head sunk onto Ianto’s shoulder. His lips quirked into a smile. He might not have another chance at this and he could later blame this on whatever Ianto had dosed him with. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Ianto’s throat. He felt the younger man tense, then relax.
“I just have one question, while you’re still conscious,” Ianto said, and he sounded apprehensive.
Answering was difficult, Jack’s lips felt numb. “W-what’s that?”
Ianto let out a sigh and Jack felt his chest fall. “Will you forgive her?”
“What?” This wasn’t what Jack was expecting.
Ianto shifted underneath Jack. “Tosh. She’s the one that set this whole trust issue off, right? Will you forgive her for betraying your trust?”
Jack snorted. He thought he understood now. “You remember the moment that she realized Mary was dead?”
He waited for an answer. Ianto didn’t say anything but Jack felt him nod. Ianto must have seen it, too-the flash of realization on Tosh’s face, then the way she’d seemed to crumple. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, and just tried to breathe evenly.
“I forgave her then,” Jack mumbled.
Lips ghosted over the corner of Jack’s mouth. Ianto might have said something else, but the sound blurred in Jack’s ears.
***
Sometime later, Jack awoke to find himself strapped to a metal table with Owen leaning over him, brandishing a scalpel.
Okay. So you win some, you lose some.