Chapter 1

The large iron cog moved out of the doorway. Sirens blared out and lights flashed. He was the first one here. He knew he was.

He moved over to his station. He was given a computer in the main room when.....a couple were made available. Checking his email, he was reminded that life is pretty boring outside his job.

Recommendations from Amazon (more kitchen appliances). His sister, asking if he wanted to go to lunch (for the hundredth time since he moved back to Cardiff). All just the mundane that would probably turn him insane if he quit. If he was allowed to quit.

Switching to his office email, things were a bit different. Latest statistics from Archie in Glasgow, email notification from eBay (he'd been outbid on a Balgsorixan Dream Device, again), little notes from the Boss (mainly about his arse). This was normal for Ianto, and he liked it.

One of the other screens bleeped and he looked over. Gwen had left her apartment and was exactly 20 minutes away from walking in through the car park door. Ianto moved over to his old station.

It was his favorite thing, his coffee machine. It never talked back, it never changed, it never disappeared. All it did was dispense hot java that made everyone happy. That was all he wanted to do. Make people happy.

He made sure it was exactly right, and she walked in just as he was steaming the milk.

She slammed the side door leading to the underground car-park, sighed as loudly as she could and glanced round to see that Ianto was there, before going to check her email. Just as she finished loggin in, Ianto set her coffee down and she smiled at him. It was the smile that always bugged him.

It was the kind of smile that said, 'Aw, really grateful, but I was expecting it". But he was used to it, so he carried on. She started her small talk. Same questions everyday, even though everything was exactly the same.

"Jack not in?"

"Is that a new suit?"

"What kind of coffee is this? It's fantastic?"

Ianto just guessed it was her hoping for something different. Ever since.....(oh just say it man) Tosh and Owen died, it was just the three of them. Small talk was to be expected, especially since the rift seemed to have quieted down a bit. Maybe it just took some time to cool off since Abbadon.

Ianto sat with his coffee on the sofa, checking through the morning newspapers.

They'd had a free weekend so Gwen would have a tale to tell, her usual Monday morning tale. Last week it was 'Gwen and Rhys' Great Ikea Adventure'. And the week before that 'Liverpool: The Williams Weekend Break'.

"Rhys' mother was over this weekend" Gwen began after she was done on the computer. Ianto murmured in interest. "Wanted to know why I wasn't taking Rhys' last name. Had to get the post out to prove to her I was only using Cooper for work."

Ianto chuckled. Gwen smiled. "Then she turns round and asks when we were planning to have kids. I mean first of all, to me at least, thats a very personal question. I don't even know if I want to have kids, what with this job and all."

Ianto said "True" to point out his agreement. Torchwood was not for kids. First of all theres all the guns and murderous aliens. Secondly, Ianto didn't want to convert the greenhouse into a crèche.

"Should Jack not be here by now?" Gwen asked "I wouldn't normally ask, but it's nearly half 10."

Ianto silently agreed. Jack had been spending more nights out recently, but he usually came in about 9.45am and called a team meeting to go over things, before going on to his daily tasks.

"I'll see if I can get the signal on his wrist-strap, find out where he is. You know just to make sure he isn't at the bottom of a canal" Gwen said, beginning to type at her console. Ianto neatly folded the newspapers on the coffee table.

He'd cut out any 'interesting' articles and left them on Jacks desk. Then he picked up his and Gwen's dry mugs, took them over to this station under the stairs, and loaded them into the dishwasher.

Back when the whole team was there, Owen kept using Gwen's mugs just to spite her so she labelled them in big marker pens, 'Gwen's Mugs'. This of course only led to Owen spouting jokes of "a bit more milk in Gwen's mugs".

"Is that you that's making my wrist beep, I didn't know you could do that." came a cool American voice from the back of the Hub.

"Jack! There you are, we were starting to worry" Gwen called out. Ianto raised his eyebrows.

"Ah, you know there never any need to worry about me, unless it National Topless Day and there's sailors in town. Then we'll be testing if my invincibility can hold off STDs"

Gwen laughed and rolled her eyes. Ianto coughed lightly as if to remind Jack he was there, and of their current status, to which neither really wanted to put a phrase to.

Jack walked out from the back corridors and moved swiftly to his office, not looking at the rest of his team, as his face was hidden while he took off his coat. Gwen had printed off all the local sightings from the internet and Ianto already had Jack's coffee ready. They both looked at each other guessing that Jack wanted to have the morning meeting in his office today.

They both walked in and saw that he wasn't there. Gwen turned around looking at the rest of the Hub, but Ianto walked in. The lid was off Jack's room, and he looked down in. Jack was at the small sink staring into the mirror. "Jack?" Ianto said curiously.

Captain Jack Harkness turned around, and looked up out of the hole and smiled at Ianto as if the left side of his face wasn't missing.

Chapter 1 for you there. Hope the cliffhanger has the desired effect. Chapter 2 available now.