AN: This isn't really a continuing story, as it's more five one-shots connected by one idea. Well, five for the moment anyway. It is AU and only for the facts of how Ianto and Jack ended up meeting or for the main events of the chapter not having happened that way. Chapters are unrelated to each other.

Chapter 1

"No (Cyber)woman, no cry"

Ianto liked his life – well, most of it anyways. He was aware that nothing ever was as perfect as the movies. There were ups and down – naturally, but all in all he was happy with life. He had a good job, a job that actually paid well even though it wasn't very challenging. Being a junior researcher for the Torchwood London Institute and one of their active archivists was technically a pretty mundane job that didn't give much variety when it came to his days. But the promotion chances were good.

He had been working for the Torchwood Institute now for a good three years and most of the people that had started around the same time he had by now had moved up the ladder to rather respectful positions. A few times already his supervisors – or these of other departments – had come by to see where he saw himself in the next few years. Ianto wasn't sure, so he used to asked them – where did they see him? The answers he usually got where either stuttered 'Well's or none at all. Ianto himself hadn't known where he wanted to go next. And that was the problem. He really liked his job despite the fact that it was always the same. He liked the quietness of the archives, the serenity it reflected for him. He was mostly by himself. Some would call him a loner, which technically wouldn't have been completely wrong. There was just something calming about the silence, the order he brought to the chaos, the fact that he pretty much knew the archive inside out and better than anyone else at Torchwood London. He liked that he ordered the chaos and in his opinion there were no 'little' jobs, or unimportant ones. Everything was important and played a role somehow. He actually liked his job so much that others had given him a 'title'. He was the 'man who filed and never moved.'

It wasn't as if he hadn't any higher ambitions, but he just didn't know what these were, where he saw himself. There however was one department he would have liked to join. Being a field agent was the one thing he could have imagined doing. But it was more a dream – a fantasy really – because he was definitely not good enough. And in the history of Torchwood London there had never been a junior researcher and archivist, who had made it into the field. They were seen as the geeks and nerds, the ones that would probably shot themselves in the food when handed a loaded weapon. He mentioned it once to his superiors, but they just smiled at him in somewhat of pity, knowing the chances that he'd ever made field agent were close to none. It was the first and last time he mentioned it.

"Hi babes," he heard all of a sudden coming from the door, interrupting his train of thought. Leaning against the doorframe was Lisa, his girlfriend and co-worker. He was wondering for a moment what brought her to his department – since usually that rarely occurred – when he caught a glimpse of the clock. Right, they were scheduled for lunch.

"Just a second and I'll be yours for the next hour," he smiled at her at which she rolled her eyes comical at him.

"You're always mine. We are so compatible," she replied, smiling, stepping into the room. "What are you currently working on?" she asked curiously and Ianto wondered whether she really wanted to know. The truth was that whenever he tried to start a conversation in regards of what he did all day long Lisa was hardly paying attention. Not that he could blame her – much. It was after all not the most excitable job. But a bit of interest would have been nice.

"Um… just bits and pieces. This and that really," he said. He saw her nodding, smiling at him "That's great," and was pulled out the door a moment later. She hadn't listened, probably hadn't even cared.

They found a table at their usual lunch place quickly and ordered. A sandwich for him, the salad with dressing on the side for her.

"Have you thought about what Jenkins had talked to you about the other day?" she asked and Ianto was barely able to stop the eye-roll. Ever since he had been approached by Elliot Jenkins, Supervisor of the Analysts department and had been offered a position there, Lisa didn't seem to have any other topic she rather talked about. Ianto had seen the offer with suspicion. He had never been really approached with a direct offer for a promotion. But then again he had heard someone mention that if you worked long enough for Torchwood you would eventually get promoted, no matter your talent, interest or capability.

"I like my current position," Ianto repeated what he had been saying over the past days, whenever she brought it up.

"But it is a good position. More money, less work, more responsibility," Lisa argued and Ianto this time couldn't stop the eye-roll this time.

"I like my job. And I am certainly not in it for the money. I like what I do and as an Analyst there is not more responsibility. That's just something everyone likes to tell you," he replied, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Lisa pouted at him for a moment, before replying. "You know, people have been talking about you. Since three years now you are stuck in these god-awful archives. Colleagues that started working around the same time as you have moved up in Torchwood by now and hold quite good positions. No one stays longer than a few months in the archives. It's like an entry position everyone is getting away from as soon as they can."

"And because no one ever stays long enough, nothing ever gets organized and done there," Ianto replied, taking another bite.

"Ianto, babes, before you started Torchwood employed interns for the job you are doing. Looking at this, you basically do a job that had previously been done by people who didn't get paid for it or got paid like the minimum wage. This isn't really a position you want to keep til the end of your days," Lisa countered. "You know, this isn't just about you," she said a moment later, which made him forget about his lunch for a few seconds.

"It… isn't?" Ianto asked confused.

"No," Lisa said. "Has it ever occurred to you, that I would like to have my boyfriend hold a position a bit more prestigious than the freaking archives? I want an upgrade in life, something better, more pristine. There must be some other position you desire. I mean, come on, the archives certainly aren't your dream come true, are they?"

"Um…" was his first response, not quite sure how to reply to that. "I like my job," he said, sounding slightly petulant for a moment. "But… well, there is something I'd like transferring to…if the chance should ever arise."

At that Lisa sat up, interested in whatever would come next.

"I… was thinking I could try for field agent and go through the basic training …" he said tentative.

There was silence for a moment with Lisa looking at him flabbergasted. "Babes, I said 'prestigious' and not 'out of reach'," she simply said, taking a bite of her pasta.

And there it was again, the reason he probably wouldn't go ahead with it. Because if everyone else thought he wasn't good enough for it, why should he be right in his assumption that maybe all of them were wrong?

After that their lunch had quickly gotten to an end and Ianto found himself back in the security of his archives.

Four weeks after this conversation Lisa left him. He had heard rumors before that she had been seeing someone else while they were still dating. The rumors went from some director of the Analysts Department – which would explain their sudden interest in him – to someone from Field. He hadn't paid much attention to them, mainly because of the fact that when he and Lisa started dating people never gave them more than a few weeks or months until it would end again. In retrospective maybe these people had been right that him and Lisa were just not made for each other and maybe he should have paid a bit more attention to the 'she is seeing someone else' side of it. But then again, it didn't matter.

The pitiful looks he got for the first few days after the breakup told him everything he needed to know. Everyone felt sorry for him, but no one was surprised. It seemed like no one really thought he could ever be more than the archivist – not even a boyfriend.

It wasn't as if he was running away or wouldn't have been able to cope seeing Lisa every day. No, it was neither of it. He knew, given the time, he would have gotten over her eventually. It just needed a bit of time – they had been dating for three years after all.

No, the reason he did it was because one morning, he got up and realized that there was no one at Torchwood London who believed he could be a lot more than an Archivist and he decided that maybe he should go and see if they were right. At this stage he had nothing left to loose really.

So he asked for a transfer. To Torchwood Cardiff. Away from London, away from all these people who thought he couldn't do anything else than keeping files organized and make coffee, away from Yvonne Hartman. His transfer was approved within hours it seemed – and a week after his request, he found himself on his way, determined to make a change.

"Did you love her?" he heard Jack.

"Who?" Ianto asked confused. By now he had been working for Jack Harkness a good few months. To say the man was an enigma would have been an understatement.

"The woman you were running away from and the reason you found yourself in Cardiff all of a sudden."

"I wasn't running away," Ianto protested, continuing his filing. One look at his boss and he added "much."

There was silence for a moment, before Ianto asked "How do you know about that anyway?"

"I did some research."

"Here I always thought that was my job? Do I need to worry about finding myself out of work soon?" Ianto asked playfully at which Jack laughed.

"Not really. Just… curious. So… did you love her?"

Ianto thought about Jack's question for a moment, before replying. "I always thought I did. But… I guess we were never meant to be. We had different goals in life. A different perspective if you like. Maybe… it would have worked if circumstances would have been different," he mused, smiling softly at the Captain.

"You think so?" Jack asked, curious.

"Yeah. Why? What do you think?" Ianto asked, his eyes following Jack's way through several rows of shelves.

"I think people are destined for each other. And no matter what the circumstances, they'll always find each other," he said, which shocked Ianto for a moment. Jack Harkness, sappy and actually romantic – the world surely would end soon.

"And who am I destined for?" Ianto asked curious, seeing the Captain emerge again from a row of shelves, walking towards him. He could make out the sudden grin that was gracing Jack Harkness' handsome features.

"I'd like to believe it's me," he said, before he leaned forward, capturing Ianto's lips in a kiss.

Ianto certainly could live with that destiny.

Almost a year after he had left Torchwood London, Ianto returned. On a mission for his dashing Captain to liaise with several departments in London in regards of a case Cardiff was working on right now. A lot had changed. Especially about him. About his life. About the things he thought he could or couldn't do. He left as 'The man who filed never moved' and returned as 'The field agent that tamed Jack Harkness.'

He wasn't bragging.

Much.

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