When Tosh finally managed to pull up
Ianto Jones' file on the computer (without once questioning why
Jack would want to look at it or complaining that no one had bothered
to attempt full retrieval of personnel files after Canary Wharf) she
picked up her coat and left, leaving Jack to read it on his own.
As
he read, Jack realised that Ianto was exactly the type they'd liked
at Torchwood One: clever enough to do the work expected, but not
enough as to cause trouble. Not how Jack liked his team – he wanted
them brilliant as they come and with character. So far, this Ianto
Jones' only quirk was a very minor shoplifting conviction, from
Topman of all places, and he even had the generic degree of
English lit and History, which Jack surmised overall, made him a very
safe bet for 'Information Retrieval'. Another blank suit amongst
the hundreds of other blank suits working in Torchwood Tower, but one
who'd survived against the odds and refused Retcon. Maybe
there was more to this than a chance meeting during a rather
disastrous weevil hunt?
Jack sat back and sighed, the lad had
seemed harmless enough (and pretty by all accounts), unlikely to be a
danger to the team or to compromise investigations and, unless he
turned up again, Jack was quite contented to leave him alone.
So
the next morning he thought it was kind of a shame that Ianto Jones
wasn't quite so contented to leave him alone.
'The right
qualifications for the job', yes, but not the right
qualifications for Jack Harkness because, despite rumour, he could
well ignore a pretty face, even one who knew about Torchwood.
Personally, if he could have nothing further to do him, the sooner
the better. Torchwood One had been far too big for their boots and
even if this trait didn't run down to the office boys Jack reckoned
it would be better for all involved if Ianto Jones left, found
another life and left hunting aliens to Jack and his team.
Of
course he hadn't betted on Ianto's desperation, but thought as
he drove back in the SUV, drugged pterodactyl in the boot, that maybe
the boy would be useful after all, even if all he did was clean up
and make drinks. Hell, anything was preferable to the stuff they were
currently drinking and he vaguely recalled a coffee maker that had
tumbled out of one of the high boxes in the archive when he'd been
tugging out an old file. Yes, maybe he'd made a good decision.