AUTHOR'S NOTE: To clarify, this is an AU fic. In this AU, Jack was not around for much of Alice's childhood. Yes, it is said that maybe Jack had a child himself, but we do not have any information about that. We don't know if he raised it or anything like that. Anyways, next chapter has some...Cringe-worthy parts and some JANTO fluff :)

The next morning, Jack was woken from a very sound sleep by the sound of an alarm blaring loudly. He blindly felt around on the sofa, where he had apparently fallen asleep, and found that it was coming from his cell phone.

'When did I do that?' He thought, running his fingers through his shaggy hair. Then he saw the note on the coffee table.

Jack,

You passed out about midnight and I didn't want to wake you. I set your alarm for work and put your clothes away in the guest bedroom upstairs. Don't feel pressured to come in today if Steven needs you. I am sure we can manage. Either way, I hope to see you soon.

Love you,

Ianto

Jack smiled and stood, gathering his thoughts. He vaguely remembered cuddling on the sofa after Steven went to sleep, but not much after that. Oh well. He supposed he needed the rest, if not the sleep. He didn't need sleep anymore, but sometimes the body decided to go into an almost-hibernation to recover.

He heard a thud upstairs accompanied by some loud yelling.

"Steven?" Jack called up the stairway. "You okay?"

"M'fine!" The boy answered. "I just got caught in my blankets."

Jack chuckled and headed to the guest bedroom to find a clean set of clothes. On the way, he peeked into Steven's bedroom and saw the child sitting on the floor, trying to untangle himself.

"Easy now. Let me help." He entered the bedroom and quickly righted him. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you. I'm sure you don't feel like going to school. So, we have two options. You could either come to work with me or we could stay home."

Steven's eyes widened. "I could go to work with you? Mom never would tell me what you do. She always said it was a secret and that I should stop asking her."

"Well, it is a secret, but I feel like you're old enough to keep your mouth shut about what you see. What do you think?"

"Yeah!" The boy jumped up off the floor. "I'm going to get ready!"

Jack left the room to do the same, but as he reached his own room, he pulled out his laptop, opened his email, and quickly composed a note to the team.

Torchwood 3,

I will be bringing Steven to work with me today. No telling government secrets. I'll be labeling us all as secret police or something of the sort. He is a very smart child, and he will do well there today. See you all in a bit.

His phone bleeped not five minutes later with an incoming text message.

Ianto: Sure that's a good idea?

Jack: Why wouldn't it be?

Ianto: Just asking, Sir.

Jack: You know I love it when you call me that.

Ianto: Why do you think I do it?

Jack: Will you keep Steven busy today?

Ianto: In the archives?

Jack: No, after lunch, take him somewhere. I need to handle things with Alice.

Ianto: Yes, sir. He's a fine child. I'll see you at work.

Jack clicked his phone off and began to undress. Once he was stripped to his boxers, he grabbed a towel that Ianto had thoughtfully placed on the dresser and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. The hot water stung his back, but it managed to massage away some of the tension there, and it made Jack feel worlds better. After scrubbing every inch of his body, he turned off the water and began toweling his wet skin.

BANG BANG BANG

"Uncle Jack?" Steven whined. "I need to use the bathroom and brush my teeth!"

"One minute!"

"But I have to goooooooooo!"

Jack grumbled to himself but he wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the door. Steven came scurrying in, not even bothering to shoo out his grandfather before attacking the toilet. Jack closed the door behind him and went back to his room to finish getting ready.

Twenty minutes later, they were both down in the kitchen eating some eggs that Jack had managed not to burn. They ate in silence for most of the meal until he decided what he wanted to say.

"Steven, I need you to understand something about my work." The boy nodded, so Jack continued. "You can not tell anyone what you see. Sometimes my work can be scary and dangerous, but I promise you will be safe at the hub. Okay?"

Steven nodded again and Jack leaned over to ruffle his hair. "You done? Okay, let's go."

They entered through the tourist's office and Steven frowned. "You work in the visitor's center, Uncle Jack?"

Jack chuckled. "Not quite, buddy. Just follow me, but stay close."

They followed the hallway down into the center of the hub, and Jack heard Steven shout "Whoa!"

"Hello, Steven!" Ianto called from across the room. "Nice to see you again!"

Steven waved madly, pleased to be recognized. "Hi Mr. Ianto!"

Jack placed a hand on the child's back and led him over to where the man was standing.

"Good morning, Sir." The younger man placed a sly emphasis on the word and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Morning. So, where are the rest of the team?"

"Let's see. I believe Gwen is trying to make coffee since I was busy, Tosh is running late, and Owen is pretending to work in the med bay, but I honestly think he is sleeping."

"Good. Well, I'm going to introduce Steven and show him around." Ianto nodded and headed back to the archives and Jack steered Steven toward Owen's "office."

The doctor was sprawled out on the autopsy bed, snoring loudly.

"Doctor Harper!" Jack shouted.

Owen woke with a start and fell off of the bed. He scrambled to his feet and shot Jack an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Boss. Late night."

Jack pushed Steven forward gently. "Owen, this is my nephew, Steven Carter."

Owen extended a hand. "Nice to meet you, Steven Carter." They shook hands.

"Are you really a doctor? Cause I've never seen a doctor sleep like that."

"Oi! Course I'm a doctor. Just got a bit tired, that's all. Smart kid you got there, Jack."

"I know it." Jack said, almost gleefully.

The rest of the morning went smoothly. Gwen and Tosh absolutely loved Steven, and he loved having their attention. They ordered in Chinese for lunch, and once they were done, Ianto turned to Steven.

"Do you want to go out for a while so your uncle can finish up some work?"

"Sure!" Steven beamed. He really did like Ianto. I mean, he knew Adventure Time.

"Ianto, have him back here by four, please." Ianto nodded and off they went, leaving Jack and the rest of his team to focus on the task at hand.

He went into his office and locked the door behind him. He knew that he should pick up the phone and begin making calls to schedule her funeral and burial, but for some reason, he just couldn't seem to make himself do it. Angrily, he shoved up from his desk and yanked open his door.

"Toshiko! A moment, please." He yelled out into the hub.

Tosh bounded up the walkway to Jack's office and followed her boss inside.

"Yes, Jack?"

"My daughter, Alice, was in a fatal car accident yesterday. I need you to contact the Met Cathedral and schedule a funeral and burial. Her body is being held in the morgue at Saint Davids. Please make the proper arrangements. I am not able to." His voice cracked halfway through the last sentence and Tosh's heart felt heavy.

"Of course, Jack. Is that why Steven came to work with you today?"

"Steven is in my care indefinitely. I will be unable to be on rift duty in the evenings until I can find reliable care. Please let the rest of the team know. I apologize for putting these duties on you, but as I said, I am currently unable to."

"I'll have the arrangements completed by this afternoon. It's no problem, Jack, really." She leaned forward to squeeze his hand, and then she was gone.

His office felt much too large and much too empty. Determined to stay busy, he began to tackle the backlog of emails he had been avoiding for months. Once that was done, he decided to clean his office. When it was practically sparkling, he allowed himself to take a moment and relax.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Jack?" He heard through the door.

"Come in, Tosh."

She appeared in his office with a thin folder and a cup of coffee, both of which she handed to him.

"The folder has the funeral and burial details. The coffee is because you look like you need it."

He gave a genuine smile. "Thanks. I really appreciate you doing that."

She nodded and left the office to continue her own work.

BLEEP BLEEP

Jack glanced away from his stack of paperwork and down at his phone. The main screen showed an incoming picture message. He clicked it, and a picture of Steven attacking a large ice cream sundae filled the screen. Smiling, he hit reply.

Jack: Having fun, then?

Ianto: Lots. I am happy to take his mind off things and give you a little space.

Jack: By replacing his blood with sugar?

Ianto: Yes, sir.

Jack: Well, thanks. You know, if he comes back hyper, you're coming home with us to take care of him!

Ianto: Anytime you need me to.

Jack: Honestly?

Ianto: Yes, Sir.

Jack turned off his phone and set it down on his desk. He knew that he couldn't stay off overnight rift duty forever. It wasn't fair to his coworkers. He supposed he would have to start interviewing nannies later in the week.

Unless... No. That wouldn't work. He shook his head and left his office to go poke around and find things to do. He eventually ended up on his rooftop, staring down at Cardiff below him. It always felt a bit silly doing that; a little too superhero. But he secretly loved it. It made him feel in control and safe. Not that he'd ever admit that to anyone, even Ianto.

He checked his fob watch. 4:10. Where were they?

BLEEP BLEEP

Ianto: Parking. Will be at the hub in just a moment.

Pocketing his phone, he began the descent into the windowless building. He arrived at the same time as his lover and his grandson.

Steven spotted him instantly and ran over. "Uncle Jack!"

Jack embraced him tightly, unwilling to admit that him being even ten minutes late had thrown him into a small panic. "Hi. Did you have fun?"

"Yeah! We had ice cream and Mr. Ianto let me get a video game!"

Jack raised his eyebrow at Ianto, but Ianto was too busy staring at the floor to notice. "That does sound fun. Why don't you wait for me in my office and then we'll head home?"

"Okay!" The boy took the stairs two at a time.

Ianto and Jack smiled at each other.

"You didn't have to do all that, Ianto."

"I wanted to. He's a great kid, and just so smart. I couldn't help but spoil him."

Jack laughed and pulled him in for a hug. "You're too good for me." He whispered in his ear before releasing him and Ianto blushed.

"Come on up so you can say goodbye." The pair went to Jack's office and saw the waiting child spinning slowly in his desk chair.

"Steven. Time to go."

Ianto bent down and gave the boy a hug. "I had fun with you today, boyo."

"Me too! Can we play again soon?"

"Sure."

Jack gathered Steven's coat and backpack and they headed to the cogwheel door. Steven waved goodbye to the team as the wheels spun and the doors shut.

Much later, once Steven had come down from his sugar high and gone to bed, Jack sent Ianto a text message.

Jack: Are you there?

Ianto: Always.

Jack: Thank you again for taking care of Steven this afternoon. You were a big help.

Ianto: Anything for you, Sir.

Jack: Really. You were amazing. He loves you to bits.

Ianto: I'm glad. Are you holding up okay?

Jack thought for a moment. Was he? Suddenly he was overcome with a crushing grief. He missed his daughter immensely. Their relationship had been strained and he realized that he had barely known her.

Ianto: Jack?

Jack: No. I'm not.

There was a strange silence from Ianto's end of the phone for the next twenty minutes. Jack wandered around the house, examining pictures of his daughter and grandson. He ran his fingers over each photo, wondering about the stories that accompanied the shots.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

He cautiously approached the door and opened it. Ianto, dressed unusually in a pair of gray pyjama bottoms and a black t-shirt, was on his front steps.

"Hi, Ianto." Jack said weakly, unable to hide the emotion in his voice.

"Oh, Jack." He sighed. "Let me take care of you tonight."

Jack simply nodded and moved to the side, allowing Ianto to enter the house. The younger man led him to the living room and they sat down on the sofa together. Ianto rubbed small, encouraging circles into Jack's shoulders as the man sobbed. Once Jack had calmed down, Ianto gently tugged him to his feet and toward his bedroom.

He helped Jack change into his pyjamas and into bed. As he turned to leave, he felt a hand on his wrist.

"Stay."

After a moment, Ianto nodded and slipped into bed beside his troubled lover. He wrapped his arms around the older man and kissed the back of his neck.

"I'm here, darling."

They both slept soundly. So soundly, in fact, that they didn't hear Steven moving about the next morning.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for reading! Review and I'll have another chapter up tomorrow! Pinky swear!