Ianto slowed his pace a bit, shaking the sweat from his brow. He was heaving but it was good. When he glanced at his watch, he was three seconds under his personal best and that made it worthwhile. He turned the corner towards the park. It was closed this early in the morning but Ianto always broke in, scaling the fence. Incorporating the unpaved terrain had been Duncan MacLeod's suggestion. You never know when you'll have to run where there aren't roads… Ianto smiled at the memory that Duncan had no recollection of himself. It was one of many memories Ianto had from being stuck in a pocket universe two years ago. In that other reality, he'd been a student of the Highlander and in a very different place in the Game. When life had returned to normal, his mind remembered things his body didn't. He'd gone from being on the scoreboard in the false reality to being a fledgling in the true one. His strength and stamina had significantly decreased. He knew without the score he'd once had that it would never return to what it had been but he refused to seek out challenges to improve himself. Instead, he'd begun a rigid training regime that included a daily morning run.

Being a man of order, Ianto Jones liked routine. It soothed him. While life at Torchwood was never exactly normal, the past year and a half had been particularly tumultuous. Things were just starting to settle back down. After a lengthily sabbatical following her miscarriage, Gwen was back with the team looking well rested, and more importantly, in better spirits. Mickey and Martha had returned to their lives and Ianto was becoming more and more confident as team medic. Originally, he'd taken on the medic duties out of necessity but he was finding genuine enjoyment in the work. Taking care of the team came naturally to him. He continued to do so, just in a different way.

As the fence for the park came into view, Ianto smiled. He'd started adding small mid-run obstacles, enjoying the challenge. He gripped the fence and heaved himself over it. Once he hit the ground, he kept running. The first time he'd attempted this, he'd slipped and broken his ankle. He'd allowed it and his dignity to heal over the next half hour while he'd sat in the mud. Now, the landing was getting easier. He ducked through some trees, ignoring the paved pathway to his left. At first, the unpaved terrain had been difficult, but like the fence, it was getting easier, even though the ground was frozen and slick from frost.

He swerved and ducked to avoid a large, fallen branch and then stopped dead. That branch hadn't been there yesterday. Ianto always followed the same route on his run, nearly neurotic in his routine - something Miranda would have simultaneously praised and chastised. Branches fall all the time, of course, but Miranda had taught him to be more cautious and wary. Before his time in the alternate universe, Ianto hadn't taken the Game as seriously as his teacher had advised. Inwardly, he'd poked fun at how she saw threats everywhere, often wary of what Ianto thought was only imaginary danger. The alternate reality had changed his perceptions. He carried experience with him now and understood Miranda's paranoia better. Sometimes a branch was just a fallen branch but sometimes it was also a trap. It was better to be cautious and alive than sloppy and dead.

Lightning fast, he hit the quick release on the side of the cylindrical case strapped to his back. His sword slid out the bottom and he tossed the case aside. Ianto grabbed the hilt as he turned, raising it defensively. He scanned the area around him and found nothing amiss. He backed towards the branch, slowly, examining it in between watching the area around him. There were no saw marks or any other signs the branch had done nothing but snap of its own accord. He waited a solid minute before retrieving the cylindrical case and concealing his sword again. With a strange feeling on the edge of his psyche, he resumed his run.

Instead of remaining in the park as he usually would, he immediately turned around and jumped the fence again. Instead of vaulting himself up and over, this time he climbed slowly, careful not to accidentally slip or injure himself. He ran along the side of the park to where he normally would've exited it and resumed his route. This time instead of pushing his speed, he kept his pace leisurely. It wouldn't do to be ambushed when he was exhausted from exercise. In fact, he decided to cut the whole thing short. He turned towards the bake shop so he could pick up breakfast for the team on his way back to the Hub.

Maybe it was the branch, but Ianto couldn't shake the strange feeling in his gut. He slowed to a brisk walk, enough to conserve his energy but not enough that the morning cold seeped into his muscles. While he waited to cross a street, he looked around, pretending to stretch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shawn Graham, his Watcher. He was on the other side of the street, also dressed in running clothes. The poor man looked quite winded and worn. Ianto knew Shawn disliked exercise but it was Shawn's job to follow Ianto where ever he went, to observe his movement through the Game. If Ianto went for a run, Shawn had to run to keep up with him. He was probably more than grateful Ianto had slowed down. At first, Ianto had asked Shawn to join him on his runs but Shawn had insisted that would be interference. He'd explained that his presence could influence potential challengers unwilling to present themselves without privacy.

His relationship with Shawn was one area where Ianto and Miranda differed. Being friendly with my Watcher and my Watcher being my friend are two very different things… she'd told him. Miranda kept her own Watcher, Kiernan Davies, at a discrete distance. Ianto, on the other hand, was friends with Shawn and they often went round the pub for a friendly pint or meal. He didn't much care what the Watchers thought about it or Miranda for that matter. Shawn followed Ianto where ever he went, as often as he could. He recorded Ianto's life and Ianto wanted that record to be accurate. It felt disingenuous to hide himself from Shawn. Ianto also found it highly rude to make his job purposefully difficult. He genuinely liked Shawn. He was a good bloke and the two of them had fun together.

Ianto waved at Shawn and got a weak smile in return. He mimed taking a drink with his hand but Shawn shook his head, refusing the polite invitation. Ianto waved again and nodded, turning towards the bake shop. After he picked up the team's usual orders, he walked towards the Plass and the Hub below it. When he turned towards the ramp, he saw a young woman standing at the other end of the Plass. Even at this distance, he could tell she was a beauty. She was extremely tall, maybe only a few inches shorter than Ianto himself. Her hair was bright ginger but pin straight, hanging nearly to her waist. She was holding a paper map in her hands. She was twisting and turning it while looking up and down the Plass. She looked very cold and very lost.

Even though he wanted to get indoors and warm up, he took pity. He changed directions and walked up the Plass. As he approached her, a slight pressure formed behind his head. He stopped, raising his eyebrows. He turned left and right. It was early and there was no one else on the Plass. Normally, that pressure in his head would cause him alarm but this sensation was different. Instead of feeling like his head was in a vice, there was just the faintest push behind his forehead. She's a pre-born… he said. He was sensing this woman's potential to become an immortal of the Game. She was still mortal. It intrigued him. This was the first time he'd sensed a pre-born and been certain of who it was. Whenever this happened, Ianto had always been out in a crowd. Surrounded by so many people, he'd been unable to figure out from whom the sensation was coming. The feeling gave him a strange sense of kinship with her.

Not wanting to startle her, he called out from a fair distance, "Can I help you find something?"

She looked up and said, "I'm okay, thanks."

Ianto nodded and turned but the poor woman seemed to just continue to turn the map, looking just as lost as before. The twangy vowels sounded incredibly strange. He recognised the accent as American but he wasn't familiar enough to know from specifically which region. Perhaps from the south?

"Are you sure?" he asked, still keeping back. She seemed afraid of him.

"I'm fine," she insisted. At that precise moment, the wind picked up. It snatched the map from her fingers. "Shit!"

The paper map tumbled and landed in a slushy puddle of water. Ianto was trying his hardest not to laugh. It was like a scene out of a bad movie. Unable to watch her suffer any longer, Ianto darted forward. He picked up the sodden piece of paper. He shook some of the slush off of it and then tried to peel apart the layers without damaging them.

"Shit," she said abruptly. She yanked it out of his hands and the wet paper tore. "Shit!"

He held up a calming hand. "I don't bite."

To his surprise, her bottom lip began to quiver.

"Are you all right? Miss?" he asked.

Suddenly, she let out a dry sob. Ianto didn't know what else to do. He dropped the wet half of the map and put his arm around her.

"There, there. We'll sort it," he said, patting her back gently. His morning certainly was turning out strange. It was one thing for a strange branch to fall in is path but this as well? This additional strangeness had him more on edge. She looked simultaneously terrified and on the edge of hysteria. The paranoia welled up in him. Was she a distraction? Was someone about to attack?

She started to babble, "My boyfriend and I were gonna take this trip together. It was supposed to be an adventure. But he left me for that slut barista and everyone said I should cut my losses and not go alone but I kept telling them I'd be fine and that I wasn't stupid and I could do it by myself and everything's gone nothing but wrong. I missed the ferry so I had to take one later and didn't wanna go to London at night so I ended up in this crap hotel and the guy behind the counter said the train station was south of the stadium and there's nothing south of here but water!"

The poor thing was completely overwhelmed. If she was acting, she was doing a hell of a job. Ianto decided her distress was genuine. He led her over to a bench and sat her down, still keeping his sword's case within easy reach. He winced a little at the cold bench under his thin clothes. "There are plenty of trains that run between here and London. If you miss one, you can take another. It'll be fine."

Ianto gave her a warm smile. He waved at the large building and said, "The railway station you're looking for is by the Millennium Stadium. This is the Wales Millennium Centre. The Stadium is a rugby pitch. This is a concert hall. It's an easy mistake to make. There is a railway station near here but it doesn't go to London."

He reached into the bag from the bake shop. He dug around in the box and took out one of the Welsh cakes he'd bought for himself. He offered it to her. They were still warm. "Go on then. It's called a Welsh cake, a local pastry. It's lovely and warm."

"Thank you," she said, sheepishly taking it from him. She sniffled loudly, starting to appear quite embarrassed about her little breakdown. "I'm sorry. I kinda lose it at the drop of a hat these days. Y'all are real nice here."

Ianto smiled at the odd American contraction. Her accent was quite charming, like something out of a television programme or film. He held out a few paper napkins to her in case the tears in her eyes spilled over. "We try our best. Why don't you let me get you another map?"

She looked around and said, "Where? Everything's closed."

"There's a Tourist Office down the way," he said, pointing. "I work there."

"You do?" she said, sounding like a small girl. She sniffled and wiped at her nose. "You mean? I got lost in England and some guy who works at a tourist office just happened by?"

He shook his head, trying not to roll his eyes at the common misconception. "Actually, you got lost in Wales."

"Wales?" she asked.

He nodded. "Wales."

"You mean, I'm so lost, I'm the wrong country?" she said, the sad eyes returning.

He pointed east. "England is that way. It's not far. You're not as lost as you think," he said with a smile. He put his hands on his knees to push himself up. Carrying the box, he started to walk. "Come on then."

Sniffling, she followed him down the Plass, nibbling her pastry as they went. When they arrived at the Tourist Office, she stopped and said, nervously, "Uhh. I think I'm fine without the map."

Ianto looked at the derelict office and then at her. From her point of view, the whole thing was very dodgy. She was probably worried she was going to end up down a hole being told to put the lotion in the basket. "You can wait out here if you like."

"I don't want to offend or nothing…"

Normally, Ianto would've found the poor grammar typically American, but it went with the accent somehow and added to this woman's charm.

"None taken. I'll just be a minute," he said. He walked up to the Tourist Office and unlocked the door. Despite the cold draft, he left it open as he stepped inside. He put the pastries down on the counter. He went round it and started digging through the boxes. Leaflets… He put the box back and reached for another. Dragons… Normally, his nearly eidetic memory would allow him to remember where everything was so he never needed to label the boxes. The others had strict instructions not to move the boxes or misplace things. They were instructions that generally Jack ignored. He sighed and opened another small box. Flags… He shook his head, frustrated, and decided his husband was getting a thorough lecture. Every single box was misplaced. This was the absolutely last time he let Jack 'do him a favour' and pack up the Tourist Office for the off season.

The ginger head leaned into the room, nervously. "Hello?"

Ianto didn't looked up. He held up his hand, index finger extended. He said, "Be just a minute. Come in and warm up."

"I don't wanna to be a bother," she said, looking nervously at all the boxes. She blew into her hands to warm them.

"It's no bother," he said, picking up another box. "We're normally closed for the season so things are boxed away." He gave her a little wink. "Winter isn't a popular tourist season for the UK."

She walked over and picked up one of the red Welsh dragons, smiling at it.

"Ah, here we are." He took two of the maps out and put them down in front of her. "And a spare, just in case." He winked and she smiled. He leaned over the counter and took out two more leaflets. "A bus and train schedule."

He unfolded the map and pointed. "It's a twenty five, thirty minute walk from here. If you're not keen on walking in the cold, you can take the baycar up to the city centre. That will get you close to the railway station. They run every ten minutes."

"Thanks, you've been real nice," she said. She put back the dragon and reached into her purse.

Ianto shook his head. He picked the dragon up and handed it to her. "There's no charge for any of it. Welcome to Wales."

"Oh no, I can't possibly. I don't want you to get in trouble or nothing," she said. She looked at the security camera above Ianto's shoulder and tried to give back the stuffed dragon.

He shook his head. "I won't. I'm the boss."

"Thank you," she said, pocketing the maps. She smiled broadly at the stuffed red dragon.

He asked, "Where are you staying in London? I used to live there. If you need more directions…?"

She shook her head, looking embarrassed and sheepish. "No where yet. Like I said, this was supposed to be an adventure. Take off. No plan. Bounce around. Free bird, like. I know it sounds stupid."

"Not at all," he said. He waved around the Tourist Office. "If you don't have any solid plans to go to London, why don't you think about seeing some of Wales?" He came out from behind the counter and began randomly selecting the leaflets. "Even in the off season, there is still plenty to see and do. Even though it's chilly, there's off season hiking if you enjoy the out of doors. We've historical sites and castles." He reached out for another leaflet and handed it to her. "Like I said, it's the off season, but there is still plenty to do."

She smiled, taking all the leaflets from her. "Thanks."

"Well, you have plenty of ideas if you decide to stay a bit," Ianto said, tapping the leaflets.

"Thanks, again," she said, still looking embarrassed.

"Don't mention it and good luck." Ianto wondered when the last time someone treated her with kindness. As she left, he couldn't help but add, "That boyfriend of yours was a right tosser. You deserve better."

She only let out half a laugh and hurried out. Feeling a bit chuffed he'd cheered her up, he picked up the pastries. He went down into the Hub to shower and begin his day.