The strains of a resounding chorus of 'Happy Birthday' were echoing in the Torchwood boardroom as the team sang to their beloved archivist, Ianto Jones. Gwen, with her gap-toothed smile, was singing off key with Joseph Fischer, their technician. The three candles were sparkling and Miranda was smiling, but had anyone been looking her way, they'd see that that smile didn't reach her eyes. The cake, of course, had been Gwen's idea. Rhys had baked it himself. The idea of Gwen baking anything was, frankly, quite frightening.
Jack was standing behind Ianto, his arms wrapped around his lover's waist, his chin resting on his shoulder, smiling broadly. The two men weren't so overt in their displays of affection during work hours. Normally, the rare sight would have warmed the medic's heart. Today, she watched with a passive detachment, lost in her own thoughts.
She'd felt the immortal potential inside Ianto Jones when the two men had showed up unexpectedly at her home. It was the tiniest pressure behind her forehead and eyes. That immortal potential can only be awakened by the shock of a violent and unnatural death. She'd been with Torchwood for less than a month before she'd made the decision to allow Ianto's first death to occur naturally. The life of a Torchwood field agent was dangerous and painfully short. She'd assumed the young man would be inducted into the Game soon enough without any interference from her. She'd been wrong and that had been over five years ago.
Perhaps it was due to Jack's overprotectiveness when it came to his lover but Ianto seemed to have one close call after another. He always narrowly escaped danger, either on his own or because one of the immortals was there to stand in the way. When she'd returned to Torchwood, she hadn't thought the young Welshman's luck would last for so long. Not so young anymore… It was well into September. Ianto Jones had been thirty for over a month. And now she found herself faced with a dilemma she had managed to avoid.
When she'd decided to wait, she'd added a single provision - Ianto's thirtieth birthday. Four years ago, she'd told herself that if Ianto managed to survive to the age of thirty, she would tell the Welshman about his latent immortality. She knew it would put him into an impossible position… to live a natural life or take matters into his own hands and join the Game. How did one choose? Miranda certainly had not, nor had any other immortal she'd ever encountered.
Now, Ianto's birthday had come and gone. Oddly enough, it was Jack who had given her a small reprieve. The Captain had arranged a seven day trip to Rome for him and his lover. She knew Ianto had always wanted to go but had never managed it. Jack had been practically skipping when he'd shown it all to Miranda for her opinion, the first class tickets, five star accommodations, the lengthly itinerary… In fact, Jack was so nervous, she'd wondered if the man was going to propose. The two of them had only just returned last week, looking more relaxed and well rested since they'd gone on holiday to the south of France two years ago. Miranda sincerely wondered if they'd ever left their hotel room. The cake they were all gathered around was belated.
A cyclic debate warring within her had her procrastinating. She continued to find one reason or another to remain silent and kept hoping that fate and Torchwood would make the decision for her. Even though she'd had over five years to come to a decision, she was still of two minds.
Normalcy was the reason she leaned towards staying silent. She'd had many mortal friends and lovers in her life and she would never have wished the curse of immortality upon any of them. Certainly a life inside Torchwood wasn't the most normal. Every single one of the Torchwood team struggled to hang on to some semblance of a normal life. But this argument had been losing ground lately.
Love was always the reason she leaned towards saying something. Unlike Miranda, Jack's immortality seemed to have no caveat, no proverbial stake through the heart or silver bullet. Jack could live forever. Even if inducted into the Game, Ianto would not. But as an immortal of the Game, he could live significantly longer than his mortal years. The lovers could have centuries, possibly millennia together.
She watched the two men carefully. They both had their heads tilted slightly, leaning against the other. Jack brought his hands up and rested them on Ianto's shoulders.
He kissed Ianto's ear and then said, "Make a wish Ianto…"
And there it was… the briefest shadow that passed through both their eyes before Ianto's smile widened and Jack's eyes shined brighter. The young man leaned over the cake and blew out the three candles.
"What'd you wish for?" Jack asked facetiously.
"If I told you, it wouldn't come true," Ianto said with a teasing eye roll.
The two men shared a smile and loving look. In that moment, they were alone, eyes focused only on each other.
Tonight… I'll tell him tonight…