Authors Notes:

I've not written anything in a loooong time so I'm a little rusty. My bad. I apologize for the lack of awesomesauce in this, as I clearly have run low on supplies to make it so I'll have to run out and get them real soon. I had the idea a while back to write a fic based on Ianto's perspective of things throughout Torchwood, but I was too insecure to write because 1) I am shit, and 2) I don't know much about the Whoniverse or anything to really know a helluva lot of what I am talking about here, or the terms. So I'll be researching quite a bit for this, and will still given that, probably mess up a ton, so please let me know if I've totally boo-boo'd on something from Torchwood.

I'll be posting this fic directly to Barrowman-ILove over at Tumblr as well, so if you have Tumblr and you wish to follow there (not just for fic updates, but I am constantly posting things of the delectable Mr. John Barrowman that you'll definitely want to check out).

Okay, well, obviously I don't own Torchwood, nor do I own Ianto or Jack (cause if I did I sure as hell woud not be writing right now if you catch my drift). ;P

You Gave Me Meaning Again

C h a p t e r O n e

by Tamara Kaulitz (Barrowman-ILove)

The swirls on the ceiling now appeared to be moving as Ianto Jones' gaze remained fixated on the point directly above his head. The clock ticked away loudly on the bedside table and although he hadn't turned to look, he knew it was earlier than he usually awoke. So there he lay, still in the sheets. Ianto had every intention of blowing off work, but he knew shirking his duties for a few extra hours in a state of unconsciousness would not be tolerated and he would most definitely hear it the next morning.

Rolling over, and throwing his legs off the side of the bed, he caught the flashing green light emitting from three bright green digits reading out 5:36 AM across the screen; next to this device, stood a photo. In the photo there were two people, one of which was easily recognized as Ianto with a goofy grin on his face, and he had his arm wrapped around the waist of a woman with an equally toothy, albeit ecstatic, smile. The location looked like a park somewhere, with lots of grass and trees behind them and a few straggling people in the background walking by; a couple on a park bench; a spouting fountain.

Ianto smiled, reaching out to grab the frame, as he recalled that day a moment in his mind. It was a good day. One of the better days he'd had in a long time. But sadly, these moments would yet again be a thing of the past; he ran his fingers over the woman's face, her beautiful features causing it to light up with her expression.

"Lisa..." Ianto spoke aloud absentmindedly, she had been his girlfriend once. Once in the not too distant past. It had been several months since the result of the Cybermen's experimentation had turned her into a monster; no longer the human being he'd fallen in love with, but a hybrid set on making him just the same. Although he held the gun and pointed it right at her, in the end, it was the team that pulled the trigger, Torchwood Three. The people whom he'd been deceiving the past many moons in smuggling what was once Lisa Hallett into the the facility and stopping at nothing to find a way to turn her back again. However, his attempts failed, just as he'd been told they would, just like he said.

Captain Jack Harkness: enigmatic, cocky, and the annoyingly good-looking leader of Torchwood Three, somehow had wormed his way into Ianto's head, nevertheless ignoring his attempts to keep him from doing so. As much as it killed the man to admit, Jack was without a doubt the present occupant of Ianto's thoughts as of late. The visions of his past love were quickly stepping aside, as if they knew something he didn't yet and dared not get in the way no matter how persistent Ianto was to keep them in the forefront.

"Dammit!" The young male cursed loudly, slamming his hand down hard on the table by the stove, where he had stopped to think in the kitchen whilst brewing himself a fresh pot of java. A spoon he'd gotten out and placed on a freshly washed saucer rattled against the ceramic. He could almost hear the Captain's voice in his head chuckling, followed by a smug comment that always came paired with it. It wasn't long after finally snagging a position on staff of Torchwood Three that Ianto discovered Jack's laughter was quickly becoming infectious to him, and just thinking about it caused him to echo it in his own Welsh tone and a number of typical 'Jack' flirtations came to mind, thus making it impossible not to turn a couple shades brighter.

The coffee maker behind him protesting with a series of loud beeps brought Ianto back and upon noting the time on the clock mounted on the wall he darted a bit quicker to it, pressing down the grounds and then hastily pouring himself a cup. It was still very early, and surely he would be the first of the team, apart from Jack, to reach the Hub, but Ianto Jones was nothing if not over punctual – cause you never know.

Bypassing the milk, the broad man swallowed a healthy gulp of the steaming liquid, pausing a minute to familiarize himself with the rich taste of caffeine. One he'd grown quite fond of since Lisa's unhealthy need for a cuppa every morn; the one he'd been more than happy to make for her when she was sick, or slept in, or ..unable to move from the immense pain her mechanical body had shot through her with each breath.

His face fell at the memory, and it wasn't long before more flooded his head again making him nauseous. Slurping back the remainder of his drink, Ianto grabbed his keys and jacket from the hook by the door and left the apartment. Deciding on the stairs rather than the elevator, and bypassing the parking garage where is car was parked, he started out on foot towards the docks. The fresh air would do him good.

"Ianto Jones, Right on schedule!"

The big metal door to the hub hadn't even finished rolling open before Ianto's ears were greeted by the voice of his boss. It wasn't exactly a surprise that Jack was here this early, but honestly the young man didn't expect him to be awake. Many a time he could remember coming in in the morning to their Captain fast asleep at his desk, or fallen back on the couch, papers strewn across the table in front of him, and an empty cup that reeked heavily of some kind of foreign liquor next to him.

Stepping into full view, Ianto's eyes scanned the room for the voice that had called out to him, finding him in a matter of seconds standing on the upper level, against the rail. He wore a pair of charcoal trousers and a sky-blue button down done up only a few at the bottom, the rest open to reveal the damp flesh of his chest as opposed to the usual white under-shirt beneath. It was evident he was dressing when he'd arrived and didn't bother to finish. Ianto stopped himself from staring when he noticed that there had been an uncomfortably long pause between Jack's declaration and his entrance, and busied himself with getting to work on the clutter.

"Did you need something, sir?"

"Yeah. Meet me in my office when you've finished with that," Jack pushed back from the railing and turned in the direction of the steps, descending them two at a time. Ianto didn't look up, neatening a jumble of papers that had fallen to the floor into a stack and tucking them under his arm to take and sort through later. He waited for the sound of the office door shutting behind the older man, but it never came and so he glanced up only to find him standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, watching him with salacious eyes.

"By the way," he said grinning, "Love the suit."