Author Note: Torchwood is owned by the BBC.
Coffee and Meetings
"Here" Ianto said, placing the tray that held five coffee mugs onto the boardroom table, "try this." Eagerly Jack, Tosh, Owen and Gwen reached for their mugs and sipped on their drinks. A series of moans came out of their mouths, Jack's was downright pornographic.
"This is delicious Ianto" Tosh said.
"Not bad Tea-Boy" said Owen.
"What did you put in it?" asked Gwen.
Ianto tapped his nose and said, "that would be telling. I'm glad that you like it." He sat down and took his own mug glad that he had invested his time in making the perfect cup of coffee with dark chocolate and caramel. Ianto took a sip and tried not to grin as Jack squeezed his knee under the table fondly.
"Seriously though, how do you know what goes together well in a cup of coffee?" asked Gwen.
Ianto just shrugged, "it's just a question of knowing what temperature to have the water, what flavours go together and stuff like that."
"This is the best coffee yet Ianto, you've spoilt me for instant and Starbucks" said Tosh, Ianto smiled his thanks.
"Well the real way to tell is Jack right?" Owen said.
"What do you mean?" asked Jack.
"Well you've been around the longest, you must have drunk millions of cups of coffee...and from the future too so you must have had the best coffee."
Jack shook his head, "coffee isn't around where I'm from."
"No?" said Ianto surprised.
Jack shook his head, "we didn't need stimulants like this, heck half the time I travelled to the past was to get some of this stuff, it's bloody addictive where I'm from."
"So is it?" asked Owen.
"Is it what?" asked Jack.
"The best you've ever tasted."
Jack grinned, "god yeah, when this stuff first came out it was awful. It's improved with time, but Yan's beats instant any day."
"There you go Ianto" Gwen said, "the Harkness seal of approval."
"I bet you'd make loads selling this" Tosh said.
"Only one guy has ever got close to this in my memory" Jack said, still musing about coffees past.
"Oh yeah?" asked Owen.
"Who?" asked Ianto, almost offended.
Jack smiled at his lover, "no idea, I just remember this cute kid working in a cafe making really good coffee."
"Where was that?" asked Gwen.
"Cardiff funnily enough. This little place on the outskirts of town, Harriet's Cafe I think it was called, its closed down now."
Ianto choked on his coffee, and Tosh had to thump him on his back.
"You okay Yan?" asked Jack concerned.
"Yeah" gasped Ianto, "you went to Harriet's?"
"Yeah" said Jack "all the time."
"When?" asked Ianto, "what year?"
Jack shrugged, "I don't know Yan, late nineties I suppose."
Ianto grinned, "well in that case I don't think anyone has got close to me."
"What?" asked Jack.
"I used to work in Harriet's until I went to university in London." Ianto then proceeded to frown at Jack, "and I was not cute!"
"No!" said Jack scandalised, "that was you! Do you remember serving me?"
Ianto shrugged, "it's possible, but no sorry Jack, that place was busy."
Owen laughed, "how on earth could you forget him coming into the place? Not as memorable as you like to believe eh Jack?"
Jack frowned and Ianto smiled apologetically.
"How weird is that?" said Gwen, "you two met before and you didn't remember."
For some reason that Jack couldn't fathom Ianto smirked into his coffee, but before he could question it Gwen began to speak again, "so how did you guys all meet?"
"What do you mean?" asked Tosh, her eyes quickly glancing to Jack, she looked almost scared for a second and Gwen couldn't fathom why.
"You know" said Gwen, "like who was recruited first? How did you find everyone Jack?"
Jack swallowed his mouthful of coffee and smiled, "well out of you guys I recruited Tosh first, I'd heard on the grapevine that there was a brilliant technician and I knew that she would be perfect for the job."
Tosh smiled at Jack gratefully, she had told Ianto about her past when they reconnected after Lisa; but she didn't want Owen and Gwen to know that she had been imprisoned by UNIT for treason.
"Owen" Jack began and Owen's head shot up, he didn't want everyone to know about Katie's death. "Owen was a brilliant doctor-"
"Hey I still am!" Owen interjected.
"So I had to offer him the job, he wasn't easily fooled and I needed a medic."
Gwen nodded but she could tell that she wasn't getting the full story. "So how did you think that you met Ianto?" she asked and immediately wished that she hadn't. Of course she knew why Ianto was recruited; he'd hunted Jack down in order to save Lisa.
Jack glanced at Ianto briefly and smiled, "well Ianto and I met, for the second time apparently, when he saved me from being mauled by a Weevil." He wanted the conversation to end there; he didn't know why Gwen had brought this up knowing about why Ianto had come to Torchwood.
"Actually that's not the second time we met" Ianto said mildly, taking another sip of coffee.
"What?" asked Jack startled, spilling a little coffee down himself, Ianto sighed and passed Jack a napkin.
"We'd met a couple of times before that you just don't remember."
"I think I would remember meeting you" said Jack confidently.
"You didn't remember meeting him in the cafe" Owen added.
"That's different, he's aged since then" Ianto frowned at Jack. "Not in a bad way" Jack hastily added, keeping a firm grip on his mug in case Ianto decided to take it away.
"We met a few times at Torchwood One, but there were hundreds of people there so don't worry about it" Ianto replied. "In fact at one point I met all three of you."
"When?" asked Tosh curiously, Owen was racking his brains trying to think of when he had been at Canary Wharf.
"Fucking hell, did I treat you?" Owen asked.
Ianto nodded and shifted uncomfortably, "after I had gotten Lisa to safety I went to the med centre you guys had set up to see if I could steal some morphine..." his voice trailed off and Jack squeezed his knee comfortingly under the table. "You caught me and treated me for some minor burns and scratches. Jack offered me Retcon, Tosh gave me a cup of tea and when Suzie found out that I worked in the Archives she asked if I knew the deadlock codes."
Everyone sat in silence for a few seconds and Ianto began to wish that he hadn't mentioned it.
"You said a few times, when did I meet you before then?" asked Jack curiously.
Ianto thought back, "well I knew who you were because whenever you came to Torchwood One people would be gossiping for months, usually because you'd shagged someone high up in the ranks." Jack tried very hard not to look too proud of himself and Ianto rolled his eyes.
"There was a sweepstake betting on who you would shag next and another bet on whether or not you'd shag Yvonne Hartman."
Jack theatrically shivered, "I wouldn't go near her! She'd have bit it off!"
The team laughed at Jack and Ianto had to smile, "more like she wouldn't go near you, she was far too sensible for that. I bet that you two wouldn't. I stood to win a couple of hundred for that actually..." he trailed off thinking about the laughter and jokes that he used to have back with his friends and colleagues.
Tosh decided to lighten the mood, "you might not have won that bet Ianto" she said.
"Why?"
"Well you're the most sensible person that I know and even you have slept with Jack."
Everyone laughed and Ianto went a bit red, "yes...well" he smoothed down his tie and took another gulp of his rapidly cooling coffee.
"Shit" said Owen. "I had a bet on with Suzie that you two would shag, she owes me a tenner, do you think we could bring her back again?"
"Not even funny Owen" Gwen said.
"Why do people keep making bets on my sex life?" Jack whined, Ianto patted his hand fondly.
"So when did you meet Jack then Ianto?" asked Gwen, eager to get back onto the original conversation.
Ianto shrugged, "countless times walking through corridors."
"Well that doesn't count" exclaimed Jack, "that's not meeting me, I felt bad for a second then."
"You should" said Ianto. "I sat at a dinner table with you once."
Jack crumpled his forehead, "when?"
"At the annual Torchwood and UNIT event about a year before I came to work here. I had to do a presentation on the archives during the day and you yawned." Ianto paused for effect and mock glared at Jack "loudly. Then to my irritation I was sat on the table with you and Yvonne and other heads of department because the Head of Archives couldn't make it and Lisa and all my mates took the piss out of me for months."
"Sorry" Jack said, desperately trying to remember Ianto's presentation, but there had been so many and he had been so bored. He did however remember the dinner table, but the memory was fuzzy, he could kind of remember a dark haired man in a suit but he couldn't say for definite that it was Ianto.
"Another time you wanted some files from our archives, Yvonne was being typically difficult about it so you were in a right mood. I gave you the files and you started talking very loudly...something about 'all Torchwood One employees have sticks up their backsides.'
"Sorry" Jack repeated.
"Don't worry about it" Ianto said, "Yvonne's face was priceless."
"You can't really blame me for not remembering, you know how I get at UNIT conferences and if Yvonne had been winding me up..."
"Nope, because we also met another time, I was going for a promotion so Yvonne was giving me loads of shitty tasks. So she sent me once to accompany you in the car on the way back from the train station. You kept hitting on me."
"Well I can't apologise for that" Jack grinned, "you are very attractive."
"Yes but then you began hitting on the driver too, despite the fact that he was wearing a wedding ring."
"Was he attractive?"
"No. But then when does that ever stop you flirting?"
"True" Jack mused and Ianto couldn't help but smile.
-TW-
Later that evening Ianto and Jack sat on the couch in the hub quietly. In one hand Ianto held a cup of coffee and his other hand was tightly held in between Jack's. Ianto could tell that something was bothering his lover but knew that he had to wait for Jack to talk about it, if he pressed it Jack would just withdraw into himself.
Jack was caressing Ianto's hand with his thumbs, tracing every finger and knuckle, stroking the smooth skin. He could feel the steady pulse at Ianto's wrist, this hand was warm and alive and Jack held on tightly.
"I'm sorry" whispered Jack.
"What for?" asked Ianto.
"For forgetting you" Jack said quietly.
Ianto sighed, "is this why you've been so quiet?" He put his mug down on the coffee table and shifted so that he was fully facing Jack. He took Jack's hands in his own and said quietly "Jack, you can't be expected to remember every single person that you meet."
"But I should have remembered you" Jack said sadly.
"Jack you didn't even know me back then. How were you supposed to know that we'd be close?"
"I know" said Jack quietly, his eyes focused on his and Ianto's hands entwined.
Ianto sighed heavily, "Jack you can't remember everyone, just those who are special. Don't feel guilty, you will remember this team, you will remember Gwen, Tosh and Owen."
Jack finally met Ianto's gaze and leant forward to kiss Ianto gently. "I will remember you" Jack promised. "I didn't then but I will...you are so important to me Ianto. I know I'll remember the team but...but I'll remember you more."
Ianto looked at Jack and realised that this was the closest that the two of them would ever get to saying the words 'I love you' and he didn't know what to say back, so he just leant forward and kissed Jack.
It was enough.