"Don't mess this up, mate." Owen Harper clutched the front of Jack's shirt and pulled him close, sneering. "You convince the bird that you're her long lost cousin or I'll be sending you back to the States without the airplane. Got it?"
"Got it," Jack sneered back as he pulled away from Owen and smoothed his shirt. "What's the con here? Pretending to be someone's cousin doesn't bring a lot of fast cash."
"It does if the cousin's house contains the clues to Captain Jack Harkness' treasure."
"I thought the cousin was Jack Harkness?"
"He is, you idiot. Captain Jack is his great-great-something-grandfather, a famous pirate. He was caught and hanged, but they never found his treasure. Legend has it that Captain Jack s spirit is reborn in the first male heir of each generation so he can keep watch over that treasure forever."
"How'd you find out about it then?" Jack demanded. He might have agreed to help the man in exchange for a fast exit from a sticky situation in the States, but that didn't mean he trusted the man, After all, Owen had skipped out on the hotel bill and paid for the plane tickets with a phony credit card.
"My sister Janet used to be a maid there until the cousin accused her of stealing and gave her the sack." Owen tried to look outraged on his sister's behalf, but ended up looking like he had a stomach ache.
"What did she steal?" Jack knew immediately that it was something important when Owen glanced around the shabby, cluttered apartment as if afraid of being spied upon. He scurried over to a bookshelf where he took down a book and opened it to reveal a hollowed out compartment containing a large gold coin and a rolled parchment.
"Here then," Owen said as he spread out the parchment and secured it with the gold coin on one end and a book on the other. "It's the first clue - something about a sunrise scholar. Books and whatnot. Gotta be in the library."
Jack read the few lines over several time to memorize them and then picked up the coin, noting the weight and apparent age of it.
"It's a doubloon," Owen said as he snatched it away and returned it and the parchment to the book. "Worth thousands, maybe millions. And Captain Jack s treasure is full of them. Jewels too. We'll be rich as kings we will."
"And all we have to do is convince this lady I'm her cousin?"
"A cousin she never met." Owen reached over and thumped Jack s shoulder. "Should be a piece of cake."
*****
Toshiko Sato was trying hard not to laugh. The man seated across from her bore a slight resemblance to the photos she'd seen of her missing cousin, but that's where the similarities ended. Her cousin Jack had been physically and socially awkward, nothing like this glib-tongued charmer.
Still, he could have been a masquerading cocker spaniel and she would have accepted him at this point. There was a deadline after all, and she was more interested in preserving the place that had become her home than in worrying about her long-vanished cousin.
"A coma and then amnesia," she said, shaking her head sympathetically. "How horrible. However did you manage to recover your memory?"
"I haven't - not completely. I was living in the States, working in a hotel when an old acquaintance saw me. We talked and I started to remember. He was kind enough to bring me along when he returned and here I am."
"Then let me be the first to welcome you home, Jack. Here, let me call the others. Toshiko rang a small gold bell and a moment later a young man in a suit entered the drawing room carrying a silver tray.
"Milady. Sir." He nodded slightly to acknowledge them before offering the tray to Toshiko. On it was a note asking if he should escort the man out or call the police. Toshiko took the note and folded it once before putting it in her pocket, silently telling her butler that assistance was not necessary.
"Call the others please, Ianto. I've got some wonderful news."
Ianto nodded once and left, returning less than a minute later with the rest of the staff.
"Thank you for being so prompt," Toshiko said with a hint of humor in her voice. She knew they'd been gathered just outside the room trying to guess if this visitor was the missing Jack Harkness.
"All of your old staff was dismissed after you went missing," she explained to Jack. "Jack Harkness, allow me to introduce Gwen Williams, our housekeeper. Her husband Rhys, our cook and sometimes driver and groundskeeper. Ianto is our butler and jack-of-all-trades."
Each of the servants greeted their new master in turn ending with Ianto who stepped forward and said, "It will be an honor to serve you, sir."
The others echoed the sentiment and then filed out when Toshiko dismissed them.
When they were alone again, Toshiko turned more serious. "This must be overwhelming for you, but there are things we need to discuss soon in regards to this estate. If you have no objections, I'd like to continue to live here - it has been my home for the last four years. I can assist your transition and help with the running of the household."
"Of course. I wouldn't think of sending you away. You've taken excellent care of this place in my absence. And it's certainly large enough for the both of us." He sat back a little now that he'd been accepted. "I don't have much. I could get it and settle in here tonight and then we could discuss some of these matters tomorrow bright and early."
"I'd like that very much," Toshiko said as she stood. She took Jack s hand and held it as he rose to stand beside her. "It's good to have you back home, Jack."
There was a comfortable moment between them before Toshiko turned and called for Ianto. The man entered immediately.
"Mr. Harkness needs a ride. He's to return tonight with his belongings."
"Rhys is bringing the car around, Milady."
"Excellent. Thank you, Ianto." Together, Toshiko and Ianto escorted Jack to the door and watched as he climbed into the car."
Back in the house with the door closed, Ianto turned to Toshiko and waited, knowing she would explain what was happening.
"He's the only chance we've got," she said, half expecting an argument. She was surprised when she didn't get one.
"You don't have to explain, Tosh. If letting him be your missing cousin will save Torchwood, then none of us will object." He placed a gentle hand on her arm and his manner changed from employee to friend and confidant, "You know I will do whatever I can to help."
"I know, Ianto." She leaned up and brushed a kiss against his cheek. "I know."
*****
"I didn't expect a bedtime snack." Jack stepped aside and let Ianto into the master suite he'd been given. The young man moved silently to the small table in front of the fireplace and unloaded his tray. There was a heavy teapot and matching cup, both monogrammed with an elaborate "T", a small silver creamer and matching bowl of sugar cubes, and even a plate piled high with homemade cookies.
"Milady enjoys light refreshments before bed," Ianto replied a bit stiffly.
"She's a lovely lady." Jack offered a charming smile but it didn't have its usual effect, Ianto remained as stiff as ever. "It's strange, being here." Jack looked around as trying to remember something. He'd been given the suite belonging to Torchwood's master, the real Jack Harkness, and he felt ill at ease. It was bad enough that he had the man's name, but there was something about this place that seemed familiar and it was throwing him off his game.
"Say, Ianto, there's a library here, right?"
"Of course." Something in the young man's manner changed there was a slight softening of his expression. "I was going there myself, sir, if you'd like to accompany me."
"The tea's a bit too hot for me to drink now anyway. I'll enjoy it more with a good book." Jack gave Ianto a softer smile and was surprised to get a small smile in return.
"This way, sir." Ianto turned to go but Jack stopped him.
"It's just Jack. It's been a long time since anyone waited on me."
"It's my job, sir."
"And you may continue to do it, Ianto. But when we don't have guests, I'd like it if you called me Jack."
"As you wish." Ianto's smile appeared and disappeared so quickly, Jack wasn't sure he'd seen it, but there was a hint of amusement in the young man's eyes and Jack couldn't help responding.
"Lead on then, Jeeves."
"That's Ianto, sir." He busied himself with covering the teapot and making sure the table was neatly arranged before he stood back and waited for Jack to join him.
"What, you don't watch old movies?" He laughed at Ianto's expression. "I take that as a 'yes'."
"You would be correct, Jack. Shall I show you the library?"
"I'd like that," Jack said, and he meant it sincerely.
*****
"Jack."
Jack opened his eyes quickly, already shying away from the touch that had roused him. He caught himself just before hitting his head against the windowsill.
"Careful, sir."
"Ianto?" Jack blinked up at the handsome man lit by sunlight shining through stained glass. It gave Ianto an otherworldly appearance. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Jack. You're fine. It's just that you seem to have fallen asleep here in the library. I thought you might be more comfortable in your bed."
Jack looked around at the piles of books he'd been sorting through long after Ianto had found his book and retired to his room. Jack had wedged his long body onto the window seat and fallen asleep. His neck and back protested as he stood and started to gather books.
"Never mind those, I'll take care of them." Ianto held up the book he'd taken the night before. "I have to re-shelve this anyway."
"I can help at least," Jack insisted, picking up a few volumes and turning to set them on the nearby table. He took two steps and stopped abruptly, finally realizing what he was seeing. He'd been searching through random books looking for clues to Captain Jack s treasure, but here was the clue right in front of him. The early morning light was shining through one of the stained glass windows casting the shadows of words down onto the table.
"You've found one of Captain Jack s secrets," Ianto said with a laugh, coming to stand beside Jack. "He was a trickster and a pirate, our Captain." He smiled when Jack gave him a surprised look. "I look after things for him, protect his home and family and in return he surprises me." He gestured to the verse displayed on the table. "It's a trick, you see. The verse is from a poem about love and death. If you go to the family cemetery, there's a tombstone right beside the Captain s that bears only initials and another verse."
Ianto looked directly into Jack s eyes and added, "Some say it's the Captain s male lover buried there. Others claim it's a false grave set there to give clues to the Captain s famous treasure."
"What do you think?" Jack took a step closer to Ianto, desperate to know what this curious young man was doing - telling Jack a story, or serving him a subtle warning that he knew Jack s real reason for being in this house.
"I think any fool can find something that glitters and call it a treasure." He picked up the books and moved past Jack, his arm barely brushing Jack s. There was something in Ianto's eyes that made Jack want to grab him and hold him tightly.
"Would you show me the tombstone later? I may not have my memories, but I can at least pay my respects."
"As you wish," Ianto nodded, but his smile was fainter this time, and his eyes distant as he looked up at the stained glass containing the verse.
*****
