Ianto looked up warily as the team filed in, Jack last. Well, Jack and someone who looked more than a little shell-shocked.
"Coffee?"
"Yeah, the non-Retcon kind" the woman said and Ianto blinked with surprise as Jack laughed, leading them past him to the Hub. Seems the rift had spat out something interesting as if a shiny thing in Jack's glee filled eyes. She was dressed in a plain dark pant suit with a white blouse, ruffled collar and at her throat was a cameo broach that looked ancient. If nothing else, Ianto gave her points for style. The way she returned back to wink was a surprise as her eyes moved up and down his smokey grey suit with light purple shirt and deep purple tie.
Ianto headed down with the tray of mugs to find them all in the conference room and the woman looking around with interest at everything then she said "I thought the greenhouse was up here?"
"We changed things after Jack went on .. .holiday" Gwen smiled and the woman looked at her long and hard before she replied.
"I wouldn't have called it that. Year of hell and torture seems like a weird holiday to me" she snapped, and then looked at Jack "Sorry."
Ianto slid around the wall trying not to make it too obvious that he was listening and her eyes seemed to follow him. "Ianto Jones. The coffee king of Torchwood. You are quite the legend where I come from."
"Oh?" Ianto asked, "and where is that?"
"The Great Archive" she replied "Sort of like the Library but more restricted. Took me years to find all the hidden books on you. This place. Fascinating. I do love classics."
Jack looked decidedly uncomfortable and Ianto didn't not like that. Not one iota. She knew more than him? Ianto Jones? Jack never spoke of those lost months, that thing Ianto secretly knew was a reset of some sort. He finally asked "So. Do you have a name or do I refer to you as the Newbie?"
"Oh no. not falling for that. Don't wanna wind up Weevil fodder or detained by UNIT ta very much. I know his track record with new staff" she laughed, painting at Jack who looked genuinely surprised.
"Well, you know us. Who are you prey tell?" Ianto asked politely and she smiled.
"I'm your biggest fan!"
"Oh dear, not going to chop my foot off and tie me to a bed are you?"
She laughed "Stephen King's Misery. Right? Great movie. No. Call me … Eve." She decided "After the first woman. After all, I am the first to …"
"Eve was not the first. Adam didn't like his first wife. She was cast to hell and became a vampire or something, right? Eve was the second one?" Owen cut in, "Lilith. Right?"
"That's it! No more Sookie Stackhouse for you!" Jack scolded, then smiled "Sorry. Eve it is."
"And you know us…how?" Gwen asked.
"The Archives. There are so many stories about you all. Some great. Some … not so great. Some outrageous and some that are so real they must be true. Or at least, a version of it" Even gushed "You were my favourite Ianto. I even wrote about you."
"You did?"
"My thesis was on the rise and fall of Ianto Jones." Eve said then stopped as Jack's hand slammed on the tabletop. "Sorry Jack. Touchy subject. You know you can't keep them forever. None of them are immortal. Only you. And maybe the Doctor but who knows. Not even she does."
"She" jack repeated with confusion "Wait. What?"
Eve was still gushing "And you Ianto Jones. The Risen Mitten has nothing on you right? How many rebirths and COE fix-its are there?"
"CO…what?" Owen asked.
"Oh, that doesn't concern you, you are long dead by then" Eve said then suddenly realised what she was doing and stopped. "Oh my god. I am so sorry. I am just so excited to meet you."
"You know … if you are from the future and are reading archival stored about us, maybe you should NOT tell us our timelines, eh?" Jack said a tad too calmly, that one side of his jaw popping out as he ground his teeth. "We don't want big black angry things to swoop donw to eat us."
"Dementors?" Owen frowned "So, no Sookie Stackhouse for me but you can read Harry Potter? Typical. Double standards!"
"Shut up Owen" Jack hissed still glaring at Eve.
"I know. Fixed points blah blah. That's the thing. Nothing is set, it's all a crap shoot and other than those actually touched by time there are … you know …. Grey areas." She said as she winked and Ianto looked at Jack for a moment or two.
"Is she broken?" Owen asked "Why is she taking like this? Jack? Did you give her something"
"She's from a possible future… Like me" Jack sighed "seems she knows the storyline better than we do and the outcomes."
"Oh no" she laughed as she rose "Only some. There are untold versions still left to be written. Thought about and argued over. That's the thing with Fanfiction. You guys will never die. Not really. Not as long as we love you"
"Right" Jack said solwly as he started to realise what she was.
A Voyer.
Ianto watched Jack's face and knew whatever this was, it was like another John Hart kind of thing but with a Timelord twist or something he really didn't want to know about. "Right. Let's all finish that paperwork."
"Awwww, I don't wanna" Owen whined and Eve lit up as she watched him flop about in his chair.
"You smell different to how I imagined you" Eve said "Smaller too."
Owen stopped flopping to gape. Toshiko giggled as she rose from her chair and quickly left the room before her laughter echoed back through the doorway.
"OI!" Owen hurried after her as Ianto regarded their new…team member?
"So. You intend staying do you?" He asked, Jack strangely silent as he fiddled with something to one side that looked suspiciously like a sonic … something.
"Got it" Jack said almost to himself, flourishing a pen.
A sonic pen? Really?
She swung and grinned at him "Thanks Captain Sex in a Coat!"
Jack laughed as Ianto bristled ever so slightly then she patted his arm and whispered "But don't worry. You are my favourite. I don't read anything that does not have you in the Character Reference."
"The…the what?" he asked as she pressed her lips to his cheek, enjoying the smoothness of what was always a freshly shaved man.
She took a moment to look up as Myfanwy sailed past and then she raised her pen up like it was a torch to light her way as she whispered "God I love this 'Verse!"
Then … she was gone.
"Tiger? Coffee?"
"Yes Captain Sex in a Coat."
"Ooooooo, Tiger!"
