Chapter Text
It had been an entire year since Jack had been forced to kill Lisa. Ianto found himself thinking about the whole situation again. Lisa was better off now. Jack had been right, of course. Jack was always right.
Ianto went into the galley style kitchen that was in the Hub. He began to make each of the team their preferred style of coffee or tea. Gwen and her favorite type of tea, Owen and his coffee, Tosh differed from day to day, and Jack's never changing coffee. Ianto put each steaming mug on a tray and took it to the conference room. He set each cup in front of its owner.
None of them even really looked up. It made him wonder if his presence was needed or wanted anymore. He had fought tooth and nail to get into the Hub. Jack had not wanted him at all. Not with the connection to Torchwood London. Ianto was persistent though and while capturing the pterodactyl, with Jack, had earned his place on the team. Even though he was only the teaboy, archivist, and held the front as a travel office and as always, provided back up on various missions.
After leaving the conference room, he headed to the upper and main level of the Hub. He straightened pamphlets and other papers so that the office looked nice. An older woman entered.
"Hello. May I help you?" Ianto asked, politely.
"My family and I are looking to take a holiday."
"Where are you looking to go?"
"America is where we were talking about."
"Well that is a normal tourist spot. Maybe you would prefer something a little more off the map, a place that most people haven't visited."
"That would be nice. Where would you suggest?" Ianto was thoughtfully quiet for a few moments.
"Well let's see. You want somewhere warm, correct?"
"Yes. We were looking for somewhere like California or Hawaii."
"So we have places like Chile or Madagascar or there is a small town on the coast of Australia. It is not a common vacation spot but it is very lovely."
"Let me see the information on that and I'll take it home to my husband to look at."
Ianto began getting her the information when the intercom went off.
"Ianto, are you there?" It was Jack.
"Yes, sir, what do you need?"
"We need you in the conference room as soon as you can be here."
"I'll be there in a moment, sir."
Ianto finished with the woman, and waited until she left. He went down the stairs and through the gear door. He entered the conference room.
"What did you need, sir?" He asked, looking at the man that filled almost every waking thought that was in his head. Captain Jack Harkness sat at the head of the table, his employees around him.
"With John Heart being in town I need you to be an extra gun."
"Yes, sir, what ever is needed."
"Sit down so I can brief you on the case."
"Allow me to close the travel office." Jack nodded.
"How many people actually come in there?" Owen asked with some sarcasm. Ianto raised an eyebrow.
"How often do you mean, in a day, a week, or a month?" Ianto asked with a smirk.
"How many patrons do you get in a week?" Owen asked.
"8.7 patrons come in every week."
"Of course Teaboy knows the numbers."
"It's my job to know the numbers." Ianto called over his shoulder as he went up to close the upper level.
Owen gave an amused smirk. Jack watched Ianto retreat. He had hoped that the Heart thing would blow over, but nothing seemed to blow over since he'd returned from his trip with a certain Doctor. His journey on the TARDIS had opened his eyes to a few things. Like Ianto being more than a secretary and face for the tourists. He was an important part of the team and it was time that they entire group treated him as such. Even though Ianto had made mistakes, he'd done all he could to right them and he had proved that he had a nasty right hook and could handle himself in a fight.
Ianto returned after a few minutes. He stood by the door awaiting orders.
"I think that you should sit down, Ianto. This could take a while."
"I know the file on Captain Heart, sir. I entered it into the system the other day." Ianto said to Jack.
"That's very good. I won't have to go over details again. So for Heart, don't let him out of your sight, don't let him behind you and don't let him kiss you."
"Why would we let him kiss us?"
"Just do as you're told, Gwen."
Ianto had never heard Jack snap like that at her. He'd always assumed that they'd had a bit of a fling even though Gwen was engaged to Rhys. The way her spoke to her now was as if he was an annoyed brother. It was the way he spoke to Rhiannon when they were children. Jack was more than annoyed with Gwen, or so it seemed.
"So did he hit the no kissing rule yet?" Captain John Heart asked as he walked in. "That's only because he doesn't want anyone else kissing me."
"John. This is my team, Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Toshiko Sato, and Doctor Owen Harper."
"Ooo you have eye candy!" He said looking at Ianto.
"Tosh, I need you here manning the computers, Owen, John, and Gwen go to the warehouse. Ianto and I will cover the office building."
The group separated. Jack and Ianto searched each floor of the office building that the energy came from.
"So we search every drawer and rubbish bin until we find what, sir?"
"Don't you think we've known each other long enough for me not to be sir any more?"
"Alright, we search every thing until we find what, Jack. What are we looking for?"
"That's much better. I don't know what we're looking for. I'll know it when I see it." Ianto continued searching for the riff's energy source.
"I have a question for you, Jack. Why did you come back? If the Doctor is as wonderful as you've made him out to be, he could have taken you home. You wouldn't be facing a past you don't seem to want to face and people that seem to annoy you and you really don't want to be around."
"Who says that I don't want to be around?"
"Me. You are distant. You've been snapping at every one. Now with Heart you seem more off than what has become normal."
"I came back for you." Jack seemed nervous as he said what he'd hinted at before.
"I care for the others, yes, but I found myself thinking about you while I was off in time and space and I couldn't leave you here." Jack's bright blue eyes were intense as they studied Ianto's reaction to his admittance.
"You were thinking about me, in what way?" Ianto tilted his head to the side, trying to understand what exactly Jack was meaning.
"I'm not sure you'd like the ways in which I think about you, or not. I see you looking at me sometimes and think that you actually see me and other times it's like you're angry at me for the past. For having to do I had to do to protect every one, for hurting you like I had to."
"I'm not angry at you, Jack. You were right. I knew it before it happened, but I loved her. It was very hard to know how wrong I had been. Knowing someone you love was trying to kill you and your closest friends is really hard. On top of that I knew that I was betraying you, all of you." Ianto stopped and looked at Jack who stood on the opposite side of the desk he was searching.
"Then what are you angry at, because it isn't completely masked like you think?"
"I'm angry at myself. I was in London. I knew what the cybermen did, how they worked, and still I allowed myself to be fooled." Jack's gaze softened.
"Love makes you do foolish things." Ianto shook his head.
"I did something stupid. I don't do stupid things, Jack. It's not who I am."
"No you aren't stupid, but you do follow your heart. That's fine though, you're aloud to be human." Ianto only shrugged and went back to searching.
"I was thinking that we should go to a movie."
"Like on a date?" Jack nodded.
"I'm asking you out, Ianto. I find myself so attracted to you it's not funny. When I said that I think about you I didn't mean that lightly. The others are just my friends and it will never go beyond that. You, however, have caught my attention. When I'm looking at you I see you. Not the secretary, not the 'teaboy', not the face of the travel agency, but you. You are someone who is still upset over something that happened a long time ago that you struggle with things at work. I can tell by the way you sort of separate yourself from everyone. Who are you close to? Actually close, meaning who knows everything about you, Ianto?"
Ianto looked at Jack, processing what had just been said to him. Was he really that transparent with his emotions? How many of the others could look at him and tell what he was thinking or feeling? He had spent so long masking himself from everyone. it was startling to realize that the mask was not as concrete as he had thought.
"Um." He faltered. "I'm not sure that any one really knows who I am. Rhiannon is, I guess, the closest to knowing everything."
"No one tells a family member everything. I don't care who you are or how close someone says their family is. If someone says that, they are lying."
"I didn't say she knew everything." He said frowning.
"Then who does, a friend somewhere?"
"Outside of work, I don't know anyone, Jack. Who, other than my sister, would I actually be able to talk to? When I'm not working, I'm alone. What do you want from me?"
"I want to know that you're ok."
"What did you see or find out when you were off with The Doctor that scared you so badly?"
"I shouldn't tell you." Jack actually looked shaken. He had found something that he didn't like and was risking a bigger tear in the riff to change. That was one thing that Jack didn't do. Risking tearing the riff wasn't aloud.
"You're frightened." Ianto said quietly.
"The thought frightens me, especially when I know that it can be prevented."
"What is it, Jack?" Jack shook his head.
"Go out with me."
"The energy is either in this room or on the roof."
"Is that a yes?"
"Yes, yes." Jack smiled at him. It was a real smile, not the fake ones he shot to everyone else. Ianto gave a small, some what shy smile.
"I didn't think you…" He trailed off.
"I don't normally. There's something about you, Jack. I don't know if it's 51st century pheromones or what."
After the chaos that Heart had caused ceased to be chaotic, the Hub emptied out. Tosh and Owen went to where ever they went after work, and Gwen went home, in a huff, to Rhys. Jack was in his office, doing paper work. He noticed Ianto straightening up the Hub.
Ianto seemed very distant as he went about. Jack went and stood on the catwalk watching him. He was sure in his movements but his eyes seemed so far away. He was thinking about something that he didn't understand.
"What's bothering you, Ianto?" Jack spoke softly. Ianto jumped anyways.
"N-nothing is bothering me."
"Yes it is. I can tell." Ianto sighed.
"How are you standing there, Jack? I saw you fall off the top of a building. You were dead." Jack nodded towards his office. Ianto nodded.
"Should I bring coffee?"
"You can, if you want. It's not needed though, really." Ianto made two cups of coffee and went into Jack's office.
"You make the best cup of coffee ever."
"Thanks?"
"Sit down and I'll explain the best I can."
He smiled at him, and once again it was that warm true smile. It made Ianto give a lop-sided smile as he sat down. Jack took a sip of coffee, closing his eyes, savoring it. It made Ianto realize that Jack noticed that he was there, even if the others didn't. Ianto didn't mind that the others didn't really notice. Jack did and that was more than enough.
"I was searching for the answer while I was with the Doctor. He and I discovered that I am a fixed point in time and space. I always am, therefore I cannot die."
"I'm not sure that I understand."
"Me either." Jack ran a hand through his hair and rubbed his eyes.
"Are you alright with that?"
"Why would it bother me, Jack?"
"I just wanted to make sure that it didn't bother you. So I was thinking that we could go out on next Thursday. What do you say?"
"I'd like that. I'd really like that, actually."
Jack's gaze made Ianto blush with the intensity of it. Ianto wasn't one to blush easily, but Jack seemed to be able to bring on the pink hue easily. Jack stood and walked around to the front of his desk. Ianto stood and moved to get the discarded coffee cups.
"You can leave them. After today I think you've earned a place as a gun. And it has nothing to do with Thursday."
"If I leave them here who's going to pick them up? Tosh might, Gwen will more than likely leave them, and Owen couldn't pick up a thing to save his life."
"What about me?"
"You are a mystery, Jack. I don't know you very well and I've worked here for years. I am attracted to you and I don't know who I'm attracted to." Jack touched Ianto's cheek. "Tomorrow you and Tosh can search for someone to do what you do. I'll tell you who I am on Thursday, yeah?" Ianto nodded. He was lost in Jack's blue eyes and his warm touch. Leaning forward, Jack placed a light kiss on Ianto's lips.
"Good night, Ianto." He walked past him. Ianto watched him go.
"Night, Jack."
The following morning, Jack called a meeting. Ianto was included.
"So, after yesterday I decided that Ianto is going to officially be a gun. He's to damn good not to be. So, Tosh, you and Ianto will be finding someone that can handle what Ianto does and the whole alien thing."
"I'd still like to deal with archiving things." Ianto spoke up. Jack gave a slight nod.
"I don't see why not." Ianto smirked. Jack began telling Gwen and Owen what they were to do.
Tosh glanced between the immortal and Ianto. She nudged Ianto's shoulder and nodded towards the door. Standing, he made eye contact with Jack who winked at him. "Two Days!" Jack called, causing confused looks from Owen and Gwen. Ianto was smiling by the time he reached Tosh's computer.
"So how long have you been dating Jack?"
"We haven't gone out yet. Just between the three of us, please you, me, and Jack."
"Sure. You aren't sure how it will pan out." Ianto shook his head. Tosh gave him a sweet smile and logged on to the computer. He caught her password and looked at her.
"You saw what it was, didn't you?" She asked.
"Yes, I saw it. Why not say something?"
"You're funny. He'll just throw it in my face. It's who he is."
"He's capable of love." Tosh shook her head.
"Not since his fiancé died, I'm just the tech girl."
"Yes. Yes you are." Owen said walking in. Tosh sent Ianto an 'I told you so' look and pulled up a program.
"Um, anyone you have in mind?"
"Actually my cousin, her name is Saber Quinn Jones. She's part of Torchwood Four. Well she was. It went down about the time London did. Some of them restarted it in some small town in Georgia of the United States, I believe. She's an American."
"I see that she's gone off grid."
"If anyone can find her it's our tech girl." Owen said as he typed at his computer. Ianto quirked an eyebrow at Tosh, who was now blushing, as if to say I told you so. She shrugged and let her fingers fly across the keyboard.
"She is living in Dublin, off Bayside Square. I'll let you contact her."
"Thanks Tosh, and you're wrong about throwing it in your face." Ianto went up to Jack's office with the info.
"This is my cousin Saber. She worked Torchwood 4 before it fell."
"Call her. If she's your blood I trust her." Ianto smiled at him and pulled out his mobile.
He dialed and put it on speaker.
"Hello?"
"Saber, its Ianto."
"Ianto How's it been?"
"Good. Say I was wondering if you were working?"
"Boring forensics is all."
"So that means you aren't chasing aliens?"
"Negative. Are you still chasing with that Josh?"
"You mean Jack. Yes, I'm still here in Cardiff. Some things went down yesterday and we had a position open up. You want it?"
"What would I be doing?"
"Saber, this is Jack Harkness. You'd be basically back up and –"
"What Ianto was doing? As I recall he was normally in the thick of it."
"That is true, Jack." Ianto said studying Jack's face.
"Yes. That is exactly what you'll be doing. I need to know that I can trust who ever I bring in. I trust Ianto with his decision and he said you."
"I'll be on the next plane to Cardiff."
"Ianto and I will pick you up. Call with flight info." Jack said and Ianto hung up the phone.
"Do you really feel that way, even though I fucked up so badly?"
"Love will do funny things. Do you remember the fairies?"
"Yes."
"The old lady that drowned was one of the greatest loves of my life." He looked at Ianto with a stunning intensity.
"Thank you for understanding." Ianto stood by the door.
"Saber makes better coffee than me." Jack raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Now, I just don't believe that." Ianto chuckled and went to the tourist office. He did some paper work that was due. He smiled when he sensed Jack behind him.
"Were you trying to sneak up on me?"
"How can you always tell?"
"It's you. You walk a certain way and, as I've commented before, you have a nice scent." Jack sat on the desk beside where Ianto was doing the papers.
"Did you need something, Jack?" Jack shook his head.
"I got sick of Gwen whining so I came up here."
"She bothers you a lot doesn't she?" Jack smiled at how perceptive Ianto was.
"I regret hiring her almost daily. She's a good cop, and Torchwood employee, but she complains way too much. I thought it was a good thing at the time."
"With the whole Suzie thing, we all did, Jack. We can Retcon her if we need. We'll have to get Rhys and anyone else who might have known, but she triggered it once."
"I thought about that, and it doesn't seem to be an option. Since she triggered it before, she will again and then no one can save us." That made Ianto laugh, Jack smiled at the sound.
"Well I guess we're stuck with her then." Ianto smiled at a woman who came in.
"Hey, Rhi, why are you here? Is everything ok?"
"Everything is just fine. We are in Cardiff, do you mind if we stop in this evening?"
"I don't mind at all. If they're outside, they can come in. Rhi, this is my boss Jack Harkness. Jack this is my sister, Rhiannon." Jack flashed a dazzling smile at her.
"It's nice to meet you. I have heard so many nice things about you and your family."
"Rhi, are Mica and David outside?" She nodded.
"They're with Johnny." Ianto's smile grew.
"Bring them in. I want to see my niece and nephew." She went out the door.
"You love them dearly." Jack said, softly. Ianto nodded and stood up. The two kids ran in.
"Uncle Ianto!" Ianto scooped the little girl up and ruffled the boy's hair.
"Hey, I think you got shorter, Davy."
"I did not!" Ianto smiled.
"How's my princess?"
"I got a new necklace."
"Really, is it prettier than you?" Mica shook her head. He chuckled and kissed her forehead. Johnny walked in.
"Hello, Johnny."
"Hello."
"This is Jack Harkness." He indicated to Jack. "He's the owner of this operation." Ianto said, smirking.
"More like leader." Jack murmured as he went past to shake Johnny's hand. Ianto smiled. He found himself happy with Jack meeting his family, even though they had no idea who Jack really was. After a short while Owen called Jack down stairs and Johnny took the kids for ice cream.
"So Jack's quite the looker." Rhiannon said, slyly. Ianto looked at her curiously.
"I saw the way you look at him."
"I figured you might. Jack and I are in the very beginning stages of dating. He asked me yesterday."
"You don't-"
"It's not men. It's Jack, only him and not others."
"Tell me how your date goes, yeah?" Ianto smiled at her and nodded.
"Saber's going to be in town for a while."
"Why will the gun fanatic be in town?"
"She'll be working here. Just because she's educated in weapons, doesn't mean she's a fanatic, Rhi. Plus look at what her parents did for a living. They actively made tracers most of her life."
"You keep pointing that out." She said chuckling.
"Yeah, well, it's true. I'll see you guys tonight, yeah?"
"Yeah, and I want to know more about him, little brother." Ianto nodded and blushed a little. Rhiannon laughed as she left. Ianto hummed to himself as he finished the paper work.
"Shall I call in for lunch?" Owen asked over the com.
"Yes, but not pizza and not under Torchwood and get something that has vegetables." Jack replied.
"I assume they are for me." Ianto said.
"You assume correctly, Jones." Ianto chuckled.
"That's very funny, sir." He realized that they were very openly flirting over the com.
"Well, it's true."
"What about you? I'll assume you're vegetarian."
"That's a clever one." Jack said laughing.
"I'm here to be clever."
Ianto went back down stairs, catching an honest smile from Jack. Ianto went into the archives to catalogue several items that had been found in the last couple weeks. He got lost in his work, not hearing Tosh calling him on the com.
Jack began to worry when Ianto didn't show up for lunch. Almost two hours had passed before he decided that he would go find him.
"He went down to archives, Jack." Tosh called from her computer.
"You are so damn perceptive." He called over his shoulder. He walked into the archives finding Ianto reading a journal from before he was in Torchwood.
"Hey, Ianto, I was wondering where you were." Jack spoke softly.
"Jack." He didn't seem the least bit startled.
"No one's seen you in the last two hours. Is everything alright?"
"Yes, everything's just fine. I got carried away."
"What was so interesting that you forgot everything else?"
"I didn't forget everything. Just the things that are unimportant."
"Eating isn't important?" Ianto shrugged and looked at Jack.
"Sit down and eat this. I know you have questions about what ever it is that you're reading." Ianto did as Jack asked and began unwrapping the sandwich that was given to him. Jack sat beside him, putting his arm along the back of the small sofa.
"You've been part of Torchwood a very long time." Jack nodded in confirmation.
"When they realized that I couldn't die I became an asset to them. I have been leading for longer than anyone else had."
"That's a perk of not dying." Ianto said. Jack smiled.
"You've changed everything since you became leader too."
"Torchwood was corrupt. They wanted the technologies to control the world, not to aid the people. I saw that the human race needed help the first time I traveled with the Doctor. I found a way to do my best at keeping them safe."
"It's a hell of a burden to put on your own shoulders."
"I figure that if I'm going to be around forever, then I need some humanity. So the race has to survive. I don't want to be the last of humanity. That would be terrible."
"That's a matter of opinion, Jack." Ianto said glancing at him. Jack brushed his fingers through Ianto's hair on the back of his head.
"Most people think I'm an arrogant ass."
"You just care so much about people that you don't care what has to be done or the manner in which it's done." Jack nodded.
"Please eat." Jack insisted. Ianto obliged him. "I haven't been down here in quite a while. You've really organized it a ton."
"That's why I want to continue with the archiving. Saber could very easily do it, but it's only a third done, and I enjoy it."
"What do you enjoy about it?"
"I always read the papers on it so I know about it. I have a photographic memory, so I remember it. Plus I can annoy the hell out of Owen with it." Ianto said with a mischievous smile. The alarms began to go off.
"Let's go catch some aliens." Jack said standing up and offering Ianto his hand in aid. Ianto's hand was warm in his as he got to his feet. They went into the main part of the Hub.
"What are we picking up, Tosh?" Jack asked as he hit the doorway.
"Massive riff activity, it's almost like it's something deliberate. Something opened it, not something falling through."
"Where is it?"
"It's just out side.."
"Let's go gang. Tosh set up mobile command."
"It's already done, Jack."
The group went outside finding a large blue police box and nothing else.
"We can stand down on this one. This one is here to help us." Jack said, smiling.
"How do you know that, Jack?" Gwen asked. Jack just walked over to the box.
"Isn't it obvious by how his face lit up, Gwen?" Ianto asked.
"It's the Doctor." He answered when Gwen sat looking around. Ianto followed Jack.
"It really is a damn shame about the Retcon." Ianto muttered as he caught up to Jack.
"I take it that this is the right kind of Doctor?"
"Yes that's exactly right." Ianto gave a nod and stopped when Jack did just outside the TARDIS. The door opened and a woman and man stepped out.
"So we find him and see…Jack! We don't have to find him."
"Hello Martha, Doctor. This is my team: Ianto Jones, Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper, and Gwen Cooper. This is Martha and The Doctor."
"Doctor? Doctor Who?" Gwen asked.
"The Doctor is the last of the Time Lords." Ianto informed her.
"Why do you need to find me, Doc?" Jack asked.
"What ever you have changed has changed everything."
"The only thing that I really changed was knowing. Is it bad changes?"
"No, things do change a lot though." The Doctor said eyeing Ianto. Jack tensed a bit and it didn't go unnoticed by the Time Lord. The Doctor smiled at Jack.
"Don't let him scare you Jack." Martha said, with a huge smile on her face.
"We just need to recharge." The Doctor confirmed.
"That's a relief." A shrill ringing sounded. Ianto stepped away answering his phone.
"How long have you been back?" Martha asked.
"It's been less than a week." Jack looked at Ianto, who was writing something on the back of his hand.
Ianto rejoined the group. Martha and Owen were arguing over something. The Doctor Tosh and Gwen were talking about some technologies that they had recently discovered. Ianto noticed Jack watching him.
"Is everything alright?"
"That was Saber with her flight information." Jack nodded.
"She's going to be in early Saturday morning. I have to warn you, my cousin isn't clean cut like me."
"Oh?"
"We'll have to find some pictures of her."
"No words?"
"If I try to describe her, I'll give the wrong impression. Let's put it this way, she doesn't look like she would know a thing about weapons or that she's almost an alien encyclopedia."
"You're worried about how she'll be received." Jack observed.
"She's my cousin. I can talk to her about work, when it gets overwhelming. Well I could before she went off grid." He smiled remembering something.
"When we were children we would summer with my grandparents. One year it was wet. I mean had been pouring for nearly two weeks. Gram told us we should stay inside. That didn't go over to well. Saber and I decided that we would sneak out. We thought that we would be able to sneak back in. in and out unnoticed. We ended up covered head to toe in mud. That mess took nearly eight hours to clean." Ianto was smiling.
"That was three days before we found our first alien artifact. Some members of Torchwood showed up and took it. They didn't Retcon us because they thought that we'd forget."
Jack smiled at him as the Doctor walked over to them.
"Martha and I are going to eat."
"Come by the travel office and we'll show you around the Hub."