A/N So here is a story that I started writing. So here is a warning, if you like Gwen you SHOULD NOT read this story. I can't stand her. Anyways, I had this idea what if Jack found out while he was traveling with the Doctor about Ianto's death and decides that he will change things. So things have changed alot in my story. Very much alternate universe
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Tosh, Owen, Gwen, Rhys, OC,
Relationships: Jack/Ianto and possible Tosh/Owen
Disclaimer: I don't own this. If I did I wouldn't be working 7 days a week.
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.
A/N So tell me what you think! I want to know if it's worth continuing or if it's crap. ~O~
