It may have started with Lisa. The desire to save her; to keep her alive.

But, if Ianto was being honest with himself, when he first saw Captain Jack, he was interested in a way he'd been interested in no man before.

The man who stood before him was tall and attractive, with smiling blue eyes and fashionably tousled dark brown hair, dressed in…. an outfit that may have been "in" about sixty years prior. The guy was clearly a little eccentric. The weevil he was attempting to capture and sedate had been biting at his neck, causing him too bleed, but much less than expected considering the ferocity of its attack. He straightened out his greatcoat (who the hell wears a greatcoat in the twenty-first century? Ianto thought to himself. Though he was sort of fond of it in an odd way), cleared his throat, and put his fingers on a bleeding wound right under his chin. "Arrgh!" he cried, trying to find a place to wipe the fresh blood that was now on his finger tips.

"Thanks." Ianto said, eyeing the sedated weevil on the ground. He remembered those disgusting creatures from Torchwood One – nasty little buggers. Would chew you and leave you dead and bleeding, if given the chance.

"No, thank you." Retorted the man before him, holding out a strong-looking hand. "And you are?..."

"Jones," Ianto replied, shaking the man's hand. He had a firm, warm grip. "Ianto Jones".

"Nice to meet ya, Jones Yanto Jones." He bantered, a twinkle in his playful and young yet old and wise eyes. Was that flirting? Ianto blushed, though he didn't know why. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness."

"Lucky escape," remarked Ianto, looking once again at the weevil, which had a pillowcase over its head and (fortunately) showed no signs of moving any time soon. The park the two men were in was dark, and somehow the silence between them became awkward.

"I had it under control." Jack looked Ianto in the eye, turning from friendly and flippant to stern and serious, his statement being more of a warning than a fact.

"You think so? It looked pretty vicious".

Jack laughed, white teeth shining in the moonlight, without humor. Obviously, this guy would take more than just light persuasion if Ianto would ever be hired.

He leaned in towards Jack, remembering his mild – but bleeding – wound. Jack backed away, dodging the Welshman's outstretched hand. "You are -" All the sudden the wound was gone, and so was the blood that he remembered so clearly. "You were bleeding." He stated, slowly taking his hand away.

"Had worse from shaving" said Jack, with complete nonchalance.

"Looked like a weevil to me," Ianto said, hands on his hips, scratching his head. Knowing what he was fighting against might get him into Torchwood Three. Also, he needed a way to break the thick, tangible tension that was occurring between silent intervals.

Jack's eyes became like piercing stones. "No idea what you're talking about." He uttered through his teeth. He was terrible at playing dumb. Or maybe he was not trying to play dumb, but subtly tell Ianto that he had to pretend he didn't see anything unusual. "I'll take it from here." He said, lifting the unconscious weevil onto his back and gritting his shiny white teeth. The weevil flopped heavily in Jack's arms like a lead rag doll, its head still in the black pillowcase.

As Jack walked away with the weevil, Ianto realized he had his last chance to make an attempt at getting himself hired. "Love the coat!" He hollered at Jack's back – partly as pure flattery; and partly because… well… he really did admire the coat.

PART TWO

Ianto headed back home to his flat. He had never been stupid – he did realize that the last-minute flattery he had shouted at Jack's back was pretty much useless. Well, at least he tried. He inserted the key into the doorknob, then entered, removing his shoes before dropping his keys on the kitchen table, and sitting to take a look at the bills from the previous day. I will pay those tomorrow, he thought to himself. I am much too exhausted to do much of anything at the moment.

Ianto sighed deeply, and dragged himself across the carpeted floor to the bathroom at a sluggish pace. He looked in the mirror at his eyes, which were bright blue and blood-shot, as they always were when he was tired. There were dark circles under them, and his pale face was rosy-cheeked.

"You need some sleep," he slurred, rubbing his chin and forehead. He turned away from the mirror, removed his studded belt, and used the toilet. After flushing, Ianto brushed his teeth, got some water, stripped down to his boxers and his undershirt, and went to say good night to Lisa, who was sleeping inside a locked room near his bedroom.

She was still so beautiful, as she was the day they met. So now she had metal breasts and a mostly metal body, besides for some patches of chocolate-colored skin, but her face was just the same, if not colder and less expressive in sleep, or coma. Whatever she was in, it was some sort of unconscious state. She lay on the floor, because Ianto lacked the necessary technology to give her any sort of medical care or life support system. He needed to get into Torchwood Three, or she wouldn't have much time.

Ianto bent down to give Lisa a kiss on the cheek. "I will take care of you," he whispered affectionately. "You'll see. I love you."

And with that, he went to his room, and after a while of deep thought and worry, he slept soundly for the first time in months. But he had so many nightmares again; Lisa's body burning as she tried to escape with him to somewhere safe, a nightmare of Lisa dying, and many, many other terrible dreams and flashbacks.

Ianto awoke with a start to the sound of his alarm, beeping loudly. His heart was beating fast, and he was so petrified with fear that he was almost unable to move, afraid that the dreams of his past would come to life and plot his demise if he was caught making any sudden movements. He took some deep breaths, telling himself that they were only dreams and would never happen again, and slowly, his heart rate slowed enough so he could think. He hit his alarm to shut it off, got out of bed, and made his way to the shower.

He had a plan for today. He knew how he would get himself back into Torchwood.

CHAPTER TWO

Jack's blue tooth beeped, and he pressed the button right behind his ear to see who was contacting him. It was probably Owen.

"Jack, it's Owen," gasped the voice at the other end, and even growling a little bit. Owen always sounded like that when he was scared, or worried, or angry, or surprised, or happy…. Owen really did just gasp like a skinny little fish. But he wasn't too bad-lookin'.

"The body I found? It wasn't a weevil attack that killed this one. It was something else, but I'm not quite sure what yet. I think we have a whole new species of aliens taking over Cardiff."

"Allright, Owen," said Jack, as calmly, authoritively, and professionally as possible. "Tell Suzie to help you run some tests, and I'll be over there in a few."

"Okay. I'll see you in a bit, then." Click. The conversation ended there.

Jack looked up at the blue Cardiff sky above him. He sighed to himself, thinking about what a beautiful day it was. He was standing on a dock, and the ocean sparkled below him, looking so picturesque, and emitting the smells of fresh slat and motor oil. He felt himself needing to go to the bathroom. When he came out, he saw a man who looked familiar. Incredibly familiar. Tall, blue eyes, dark hair, pale skin, and pink lips.

Shit, it must be that Jones kid! Jack remembered, straightening his coat. He had done a little research on him the night before, and he sounded harmless, besides for some minor shoplifting in his past. He used to work for Torchwood One, and had a girlfriend fnamed Lisa. He had witnessed the events of Canary Wharf. Still, he didn't quite trust Ianto for some reason. He seemed much too desperate to get into Torchwood.

The man in front of Jack held out a mug. "Coffee?" he asked, offering him the brown liquid in his hands. His eyes were earnest and hopeful.

However, Jack couldn't trust anyone, especially someone from the day before who knew what a weevil was. It could be poisoned. But then Jack remembered his own immortality – the fact that a poisoned coffee couldn't kill him. What the hell, he figured, and took the coffee from Ianto and took a large, cautious sip.

Oh. My. God. This is the best coffee I've ever tasted! Thought Jack. I haven't had coffee this good in all of the centuries and galaxies that I lived or been in! He let the delicious caffeinated liquid slowly run across his tongue and down his throat. It was so flavorful, yet smooth and pure. It was damn good coffee. "Wow," he gulped, and handed the mug back to the Welshman.

Ianto looked at Jack with complete and utter determination in his eyes. "I want to work for you," he said, squinting slightly. Jack looked at Ianto, and noticed that the man was…. Cute. A little more than cute. Even bordering on hot. But this wasn't a good time for flirting or pick-up lines.

"Sorry, no vacancies." He looked Ianto straight into the eyes, hoping he would back off.

The man in front of Jack now looked worried. "Look, let me tell you about myself, I - "

Jack wasn't having any of this. He cleared his throat, and prepared to recite the information he had about the mysterious stranger. "Ianto Jones," he began, keeping eye contact, "born August nineteenth, 1983. A good student, but not exceptional. One minor conviction for shoplifting in your teens. Number of temporary jobs – mainly a drifter – until two years ago, you joined the Torchwood Institute in London. Junior researcher. Girlfriend, Lisa Hallett." He started to walk away, but Ianto followed him. What the fuck else does he want? Jack asked himself, frustrated.

"deceased, sir," Ianto remarked, mournfully.

"Sorry," said Jack, without real sympathy. He continued to walk at a brisk pace. His coat trailed behind him.

"You checked me out!" the Welshman challenged, trying to stop Jack in his tracks.

"You knew what a weevil was. I thought I was going to have to come… deal with you." Jack stopped, looking at Ianto again.

"But now you see I have the right qualifications for the job."

"THERE IS NO JOB. We are nothing to do with Torchwood London! I severed all links."

Ianto kept begging and gesturing, and driving Jack mad. Jack just said "no" to every attempted negotiation and offer. Eventually, he gave up, and Jack went back to the Hub, which he now considered his home. "What a day," he muttered, and went to explain to Suzie and Owen what had happened.

"This guy – a really good-lookin' guy – handed me coffee and begged for a job. I kept telling him no… finally, he took it for an answer, but DAMN he was stubborn. Great coffee, though. We'll have to keep an eye on him. Owen, Suzie, did the tests reveal anything?"

Owen rolled his eyes, and looked at Suzie. Suzie looked at Owen.

"Jack," Suzie said, brushing a flyaway piece of curly hair behind her ear, "according to the test results, the victim was attacked by… something that's not a weevil."

Owen piped in. "Yeah, it was attacked by a dog. A fucking dog. All that for nothing."

Jack laughed. "That's what happens when you work for Torchwood – you start to blame everything on aliens!"

And with that, he dismissed his employees, and fell into a deep sleep some hours later.

CHAPTER THREE

Ianto didn't sleep well that night. He was worried about Lisa. What would he do without Lisa? They were going to get married, and buy a house, and maybe have some children… but at this point, their future looked bleak. However, Ianto still had hope. There had to be cure, a cure that would make her the Lisa he knew again. Soft, beautiful Lisa. The thought made him cry himself to sleep.

But he did have a plan C, for the next day. He knew exactly were to find a pterodactyl in Cardiff…..

After a mostly sleepless night (Ianto woke up many times due to bad dreams again), Ianto showered, ate breakfast, got into his best work suit, then read the BBC news online. After that, he found the pterodactyl with a Rift Activity Locator in an old warehouse, flying and screeching.

After dark, he knew that Jack would be driving towards the Plass, which was around the location of Torchwood Three, as he had learned from extensive research.

He waited for Jack at the side of the road. Eventually, Jack appeared, and stopped the SUV he was driving right in front of Ianto. He stepped out, slammed his door, rolled his eyes, and pointed his index finger at the Welshman.

"This has to stop!" he shouted, jabbing his finger at Ianto. "I want you OUT of the city by sunrise! There is NO place for you here. GO BACK TO LONDON, FIND YOURSELF ANOTHER LIFE! Keep stalking me, I'LL WIPE YOUR MEMORY." Jack shouted, eyes serious and no-nonsense, like cold, hard, blue stones. He was panting from the intensity of his warning. A few of the hairs on his head were even out of place, which Ianto suspected was unusual for Jack, because his hair was always impeccably styled during the few other times that Ianto had seen him. The lights on Jack's SUV were blinking, and his eyes were becoming almost electric in their intensity. Ianto stood his ground, ready for anything, and tried to stop Jack's fierce tirade. "No, but-"

"IT IS OVER! FINSIHED! DONE! FOREVER!" Jack's hands were waving around wildly as he made his point. Ianto decided that it was really quite frightening to make him angry. He swallowed his fear, and continued to try and stay calm and collected. "If when I get into that car, you're still standing in the road, I'll drive through you."

Shit. Ianto thought to himself. I had better act quickly. "So you're not goin' to help me catch this pterodactyl, then?" he said, a twinkle in his eye.

Jack stopped dead in his tracks, and looked Ianto into the eye, as if checking to see if he was actually serious. And after one short and crazy drive in the SUV, they were in the warehouse, getting out the necessary materials to catch the thing.

Jack got out a large syringe full of sedatives, and attached a long, thick needle to it. Ianto looked at it, almost smirking. How did Torchwood Three survive? They were so low-tech! "That is the only special equipment we've got?" He asked Jack, hand on his hips.

"Yeah," remarked Jack sarcastically, "cuz I don't keep dinosaur nets in the back of the SUV."

"Torchwood London would've," he replied casually.

When Jack was ready, the two men burst into the warehouse, and found the creature swooping towards them, saying "ARCH! ARCH!" They promptly shut the door as to come up with a plan and avoid harm, and stood behind it, panting and plotting.

"How'd you find it?" Jack breathed heavily, holding the needle firmly in his hand.

"Rift Activity Locator," Ianto said simply, quickly looking at Jack. All the sudden, he smelled something that was somewhere between sex, aftershave, and something he couldn't quite name. It was coming from Jack. It smelled good… so good, Ianto wanted to bury his face into Jack's neck and breathe it in.

"Ah, Torchwood London," Jack casually postulated, looking at him. Ianto figured he was probably wondering why his nostrils kept flaring.

"It's excitable!" Jack grinned.

"Must be your after shave."

"Never wear any" said Jack, taking a whiff.

Never wear any?! Ianto shouted to himself in his head. God, that smell is overpowering. Okay, it's turning me on a little… what the hell?.... He gave Jack a look that indicated his confusion.

"Fifty-first century pheromones," Jack explained, getting ready to get back into the warehouse.

"Wow." More than wow. Holy shit. Fifty-first century? Is that where he's from? This guy just gets weirder. Would he notice if I started sniffing his neck? He probably would. Pheromones? Well, they certainly do their job. Ianto's eyes started rolling into the back of his head. It was going to be hard to concentrate while smelling that.

"You have no idea! You ready for another go?"
"Only if you are."

Jack counted backwards from three, and pushed the door open. The two men ran around screaming, high on endorphins…. And in Ianto's case, SO high on Captain Jack's pheromones. Neither of them were quite sure if they were running away from the creature of chasing it. Finally, it landed on the ground. Jack steadied Ianto, and stood right beside him, with his hand on Ianto's shoulder. Ianto felt the hand – it was so warm, and strong. And it smelled soooo goood….

Focus, Ianto! There's a pterodactyl in front of you!

As Jack negotiated with the dinosaur, Ianto tired to negotiate with Jack. He offered so many jobs, and Jack refused all of them. He took Jack aside, worried that the thing would rip him to shreds.

"What is your plan, exactly?" he inquired, looking Jack in the eyes.

"I'm going to be the decoy," Jack replied, looking briefly at Ianto, then focusing back onto the creature before them.

"It will rip you to shreds!" Ianto whispered loudly, rolling his eyes.

"I have these thing for breakfast. Uh, had to. They were the only pre-cooked source of food protein after the asteroid crashed." Jack recalled, looking locked in a brief moment of nostalgia.

Uhhh… what? Thought Ianto to himself.

Jack must have seen his confusion. "Long story," he explained, shaking himself out of the memory. He handed Ianto the needle, and explained how to give the injection.

"No!" Said Ianto. He explained to Jack that he could lure the beast with dark chocolate. He and the dinosaur has met before, making him a safer bet, anyway.

They got into action. Jack got the needle ready, and Ianto enticed the pterodactyl with chocolate, as one might with a reluctant small child. "I brought your favorite!" he purred, holding it up to show her. He tossed it to her, and she stuck her beak into the chocolate, greedily attempting to ingest it all at once.

"It's uh… good for your seratonin levels," Ianto remarked, looking both ways before realizing that such a creature might have different hormones than humans. "Uh… if you…. Have…. Got seratonin…. Levels."

Jack has the needle poised and ready in his hand, and the hungry pterydactol was completely oblivious to his presence. However, this was ruined when she turned around and spotted him. Jack grabbed her by the wing, and gave her the injection as she swooped around the place, dragging him with her. He cried for help, but then started laughing as the sedative made the creature sleepy, and started to loose Jack's grip. Was he insane? Probably.

Worried for Jack's life, Ianto got right below him, and then Jack came tumbling down onto Ianto's chest, knocking both of them over. All the sudden, they were on top of each other, feeling the adrenaline high. The pterodactyl landed with a "THUD!" right next to them, but neither man really noticed. They were laughing too hard from their night's victory. Ianto could smell Jack's pheromones, stronger than ever. He noticed how handsome the Captain was, with his sculpted face, blue eyes, and warm, hard body. The smell combined with… some familiar feeling that he felt with past girlfriends including Lisa overwhelmed him, and made him want to bury his face into Jack's chest and inhale deeply. After a few seconds they were nose-to-nose, and were much too close to kissing. Ianto felt something pointy and hard under his torso… was that…. Oh lord, is that his hard-on? Ianto wondered. It was. Ianto blushed, then felt himself becoming a bit aroused…

He liftd his nose off the Captain's face. "I should go," he whispered, then got up off of Jack and walked towards the door. He hung his head, realizing that what he felt was…. Attraction. To a man. For the first time in his life. And here he was, conning this man into thinking he just wanted to work, when what he was doing was finding a way to hide his potentially deadly secret. Jack had done nothing wrong, but he was being used nonetheless.

"Hey," said Jack's voice, breaking Ianto out of his daze. "Report to work, first thing tomorrow."

Ianto gave no reply but a nod, and he felt himself tearing up from guilt. Being attracted to that man and having that moment of sexual tension felt like a betrayal to Lisa.

"Like the suit, by the way." Added Jack, before Ianto solemnly made his way home.