Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

Chapter Two, Metal Men and Canary Wharf

The day had started out normally enough. Ianto cheerfully sold coffee, tea, and pastries until most people were at work, and then things slowed down enough that he could pull out his laptop and work on keeping track of inventory and other management details while he minded the shop. It had been a good month since he had first opened shop, and he was quite happy with the first review he already had.

Then, around the time the so-called Ghost Shifts were about to occur, he had been surprised to discover they hadn't lasted as long as they normally did. This, to Ianto, was a source of relief. Oh, Rhiannon swore up and down that the 'ghost' that appeared in her house was their Tad, but Ianto couldn't be so sure that they were 'ghosts.' The one that, for a few days, had appeared in his flat had been about his height, and the only person that he could think of who might be appearing to him was his grandmother, who had been much shorter than he was now.

Therefore, he had decided he didn't like the strange ghost-like apparition that appeared in his flat and wanted it gone. Shortly after he had made this decision, it had stopped appearing in his flat to his quiet relief. Most people were thrilled with it, which made him feel like an outsider for wanting them to be gone completely.

The most disturbing thing was that he was now paying attention to where these things could be seen, and it seemed that they had originally started appearing in and around London before spreading to encompass the entire planet. It was, he had decided, a bad omen, especially after that weird thing had happened in London with the supposed aliens. He hadn't been affected, but the whole thing had been a terrifying experience. Originally, he and Lisa would have spent Christmas together, but… well, she had been one of the ones affected and gone onto the roof of his apartment building.

It might explain why he was now suspicious of odd things originating in London. Granted, he had no proof and therefore kept his theories to himself, but still, he couldn't help but feel suspicious of the Ghost Shifts, and not in a good way. The odd thing was that he thought Jack might feel the same way about them, but he, like Ianto, said nothing of his suspicions.

Normally, Ianto would glare at the 'ghosts' that wandered past his shop, never actually venturing in, before they finally vanished at their set time. Today, however, he couldn't help but feel relieved that they were barely out there for five minutes, if that. He wasn't sure why, but damn, did he feel glad that they weren't going to be showing their non-existent faces.

It was within ten minutes of this that all hell broke loose. He'd stared, at first, when the 'ghosts' reappeared and then solidified into horrible, metal men. Ianto reacted by ducking down, using the counter to hide himself. He was not a fighter, and he had no idea what these things were. There, Rhiannon, I was right, he thought irrelevantly as he crept behind the wall, under where his coffee maker was.

He didn't know why, but he had the instant impression that he did not want to be seen by the metal men. If he was lucky, they hadn't seen him and wouldn't enter his shop. It was probably a good thing that he hadn't had anyone else in his shop when they had appeared to alert them to people in here.

He hoped, if he stayed where he was and, specifically, out of sight, he'd be safe. Yes, hiding wasn't really admirable, but neither was dying pointlessly. At least, he thought distantly, the metal man hadn't appeared in his shop. Ianto started taking slow, careful breaths to calm himself down. He listened carefully, trying to gather what knowledge he could without alerting the metal men to his presence.

He couldn't say how long he hid behind the counter before crashing alerted him to trouble. Ianto froze, panic setting in again. The hair on the back of his neck rose, but he stayed where he was. He kept his breathing as calm and regular as he could. He refocused his attention on the sounds, and frowned at the sound of car alarms going off.

Ianto hesitated, considering his options carefully. The coward's choice would be to stay here until he was absolutely sure it was safe, possibly by having someone come in and tell him it was safe. But no, he couldn't do that. It wasn't right and it was definitely not something he wanted to do. It helped matters that he was reasoning that something else must have happened to cause the car alarms to start going off. They hadn't when the metal men had first appeared, so logically something else must have happened to cause them to suddenly go off.

Ianto carefully stood up, ignoring the fear that felt like a cold lump in the pit of his stomach as he turned around and carefully looked over the lowest part of the partition in his shop. There was not a metal monster in sight, which cause Ianto to sigh in relief before he moved cautiously to his front door. With no metal men in sight, Ianto stepped out of his shop to look around. One of the nearest cars that had its alarm going off looked like something large had slammed into it, only to be immediately pulled off.

He looked towards the Millennium Plaza to spot Captain Jack Harkness coming running in his direction. It surprised Ianto to see the relief on the older man's face as Jack looked at him. "Ianto," he called as he got closer, "are you okay?" The joking, flirty man that Ianto had come to consider a friend was completely serious for a change, but Ianto wasn't going to question why.

"I'm fine," he reassured the Captain. "What happened?" he asked as he looked around. "Where did those… metal men go to?"

"They flew off – towards London, I think," Jack answered as he stopped in front of Ianto. Jack eyed him. Unlike all of the other times Jack had checked Ianto out, only concern could be found in the older man's gaze. The relief on Jack's features was almost palpable. "I think that the crisis has passed, but just to be safe, I wouldn't go anywhere. I've got to make a phone call."

"Right," Ianto agreed before he pulled out his own mobile. "I should call my sister," he murmured before he stepped back inside his shop and dialed his sister's house phone.

She picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

Ianto couldn't blame her for her slightly breathless question. He couldn't help but lean against the nearest wall in relief at his sister's voice. "Rhi, its Ianto. Is everyone okay?"

"Ianto! It's so good to hear from you," Rhiannon gasped. The relief in her voice was hard to mistake. "Yeah, we're all fine. I was just about to call Johnny to make sure… Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he reassured her quickly. "Call Johnny, make sure he's okay. I hope whatever just happened is over…"

"You and me both," Rhiannon sighed. "We'll talk later. Be safe, Ianto."

He sighed as he shut his mobile, and looked up when the door to his shop opened. "Everything okay?" Jack asked worriedly.

"So far, yes," he confirmed as he stood up and straightened his tie. "My sister's safe."

"Good," Jack said with a small smile. He held up his own mobile. "Whatever just happened to pull those metal men away and towards London seems to have gotten rid of them completely. It should be safe to go about your normal business without much of a problem." Jack offered a wry smile. "I've got to go to London to see if we can figure anything out, so you won't see me for a few days." He let out a frustrated sigh. "If those idiots at Canary Wharf had just listened to me…"

Ianto felt his blood run cold. "Canary Wharf?" he asked as he blanched.

Jack immediately looked him over. "Yes – what's wrong?"

Ianto took a deep, shuddering breath as renewed fear clutched at his stomach. "My friend – Lisa – she works there," he explained. "If that's the epicenter…" He let his voice trail off as he tried, hard, not to imagine what could have happened to her.

Jack's face darkened as if he understood what Ianto was hinting at, even without saying it. "When I get there, I'll see if I can find her and let you know if she's okay," he offered quietly.

Ianto nodded before he headed over and picked up a piece of paper. "Let me know… as soon as you know anything," he requested as he wrote down his mobile's number on the paper, as well as 'Lisa Hallet.' "Even… even if it's bad news." He offered the paper to Jack, who took it.

"I will," Jack promised. He hesitated before a small smile crossed his face. "This isn't the way I intended to get your mobile number," he offered ruefully.

Ianto couldn't help the chuckle that that particular remark invoked, even while he was feeling upset and worried. "No, I imagine not. Besides, it's not like you don't know where I live and work," he added. It was true – since Ianto's flat was right above his shop. When he had bought the building (since in the long run it'd be worth owning the whole building instead of just leasing it), it had come with a nice flat above the shop.

"True," Jack agreed with a ghost of his usual, flirty grin on his face. "I better go. Take care, Ianto." He turned and paused. "We've got a few things to get – would it be possible to get two coffees to go?" he asked. "Just for me and Owen; we're leaving Tosh and Suzie in Cardiff."

"I think I can manage that, and put it on your tab," Ianto replied, silently grateful for a practical distraction.

Jack grinned. "That would be wonderful. We'll swing by on our way out," he told Ianto before he finally headed out and across the street.

Ianto glanced around at the people who were slowly starting to come out of hiding. An idea hit him, and he had to smile. He set to work, making the requested coffees to go before setting to work on a quick, improvised sign as well as the large batch of his relaxation tea blend. If he was still feeling jittery, he could only imagine what everyone else was feeling. A good, calming tea would help everyone out.

Jack breezed in and out again as Ianto worked. Both men barely had the extra time to wave at each other before focusing on their separate tasks. Ianto had the sign out before the tea was ready, and he wasn't surprised to see a few stressed out people wander into his shop for the promised, one free cup of his personal relaxation blend.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be offering a free cup of tea. However, considering the panic those metal men were likely to have caused… he was willing to help out as best he could, and it seemed to him that a good cup of calming tea would help best. He wasn't even surprised to see Toshiko Sato, another of Jack's coworkers, wander in and shyly ask if she could take one back to Suzie as well as take one for herself.

Ianto had agreed, since he knew the other woman well enough by now. All four had been in his shop often enough that he recognized them well enough by now. One of the PCs, Andy Davidson, had told him that the free tea was helping the people in the immediate area because it gave them something normal to focus on.

He had turned the radio on, and wasn't surprised that the news of the strange attack was on the air. People were lingering in his shop to listen to it, but there were plenty of people who left after getting either their one free cup of relaxing tea or actually buying coffee. It was nice to see people relax, even if it was only a little bit, after the rather stressful hour or so that they had all been forced to go through.

It bothered him a little that the people on the radio were calling the destruction of Canary Wharf, which had apparently been hit badly, as a terrorist attack. Whatever those metal men were, they were definitely not terrorists. They had started out as ghost-like entities, and only just barely solidified into something terrifying. Yet most people were talking about them as if they were real terrorists, and putting it out of their heads as something they didn't need to worry about.

It sort of terrified him that they could so easily throw out logic and reasoning, even if the truth wasn't something they wanted to hear. Ianto resolved not to mention his own doubts to anyone. They were similar to the doubts that he had gained when people across the planet had stood on rooftops, close enough to the edge that the wrong move could have them dead on the ground. If he combined them… he just knew that there had to be something going on that the general population weren't aware of, or didn't want to be aware of.

Ianto took a deep, settling breath as he poured another cup of tea to give to a new person who had just asked for it. And he realized that Jack, at least, was aware of whatever was being hidden. He had hinted as much when he had come over to talk to Ianto. He had to call someone, and had immediately known that it was part of Canary Wharf – which the radios had announced at least half an hour after Ianto had talked to Jack. Yet Jack just as clearly didn't want the general population to know about it, either.

So Ianto would keep his mouth shut about his suspicions. Besides, if he told anyone else other than Jack and maybe his team, he was sure he'd come off as a conspiracy nut. And since he liked his life as it was, he wouldn't say anything.

Now if only Jack or Lisa would call him to let him know that Lisa was okay. Yes, they weren't dating anymore, but he still considered her a good friend. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her. He could only hope that she was safe, and had just not realized that he'd hear about the attack on Canary Wharf and worry about her.

X X X - TORCHWOOD - X X X

Jack was looking over the confirmed dead list, wishing as he did so that the week had gone differently. He hated having to come to London to deal with the shattered remains of Torchwood One. Although not completely accurate, that description did accurately describe the hierarchy of Torchwood One. Yvonne Hartman was nowhere to be found, and he queasily suspected that she had been converted into a Cyberman before they had all disappeared.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath as he read Hallet, Lisa, on the list of the dead or missing and presumed dead. Hartman, Yvonne was also there, which wasn't surprising. Scanning the list, he suddenly stopped dead. He could feel the blood draining out of his face as a single name, Tyler, Rose stood out to him.

"No," he whispered. He'd heard the Doctor had been there, so it didn't surprise him that Rose had been there as well. But she was listed as missing or presumed dead. Jack slid down to sit against the wall he had been casually leaning against up until this point. He felt like his whole world had been taken away.

He ran a hand over his face, trying to reign in the grief that was threatening to take over. There was a chance that they had just missed her going back onto the TARDIS with the Doctor. Just because she was on this list didn't mean she was actually dead. He had to keep telling himself that. He needed to get control over himself before someone came upon him. He needed to show a strong front, especially now that the Queen had decided that he was the new director of Torchwood.

At least Torchwood London was no more. And he had managed to convince her Majesty that the charter of Torchwood needed to be brought into the 21st century. (He had been amused when she had realized that her 'good friend, the Doctor' was listed as an enemy of the Crown. It had been that particular detail that had convinced her to update the charter.)

Jack stuffed the list of the dead into his pocket, right next to the sheet of paper that had Ianto's mobile number on it. He'd have to call him, but right now… he couldn't face talking to anyone right now. Jack stood up and went to walk through the Torchwood London base one last time. He was due to head back to Cardiff with Owen shortly, but he wanted to make sure he hadn't missed anything. Well, that and the walk through would give him a chance to get his head on straight and his emotions under control.

UNIT was going to finish the clean up, and properly demolish the building. They had agreed to do that, since Jack's team wasn't as large as UNIT was and Jack's reason for needing to return home was legitimate. His small team was better equipped to deal with the Rift in Cardiff than the clean-up of a major disaster like this had been. And Torchwood had a long history of dealing with the Rift as well, so they were very well prepared to deal with that pesky Rift in time and space that ran through the heart of Cardiff.

Rose, be safe, wherever you are, Jack silently pleaded as he recalled the short adventure that he, the Doctor, and Rose had all had in Cardiff. For Jack, it had happened so very long ago. He had no idea how recently it was for Rose, but he knew it definitely wasn't as long as it had been for him. A bitter smile crossed Jack's face. No, there was no way it had been as long as it had been for him as it had been for Rose.

"Oi, are you just going to aimlessly wander around this dump? Or are we going to go home?" an annoyed voice called out to him. Jack hid the more painful emotions that he was still feeling behind a smirk as he turned to face Owen.

"And here I thought you liked London," he teased his medic as he approached the grumpy man.

"I miss my cup of Ambrosia coffee," Owen retorted, crossing his arms. "We won't be there in time to get a cup tonight, but I'm looking forward to it for tomorrow!"

Jack laughed. "So am I," he agreed cheerfully. "It'll be great to see Ianto again."

"Oh, is that what you missed about Ambrosia?" Owen asked with a smirk. "I think you might be fixated on that guy. I'm surprised you haven't jumped him yet."

Jack laughed again. "I don't jump people, Owen," he chided his medic with a smile. "Besides… I'm thinking it might be more fun to seduce him…" Jack grinned. "I'm still deciding the best strategy to use on him. You know he flirts back?"

Owen snorted. "Sounds like a match made in heaven for you, Jack," he remarked with a smirk. "You better be careful – or someone else will snatch him up before you have a chance!"

"Do you think they'd go for a threesome?" Jack inquired, smiling wickedly as Owen blanched at the suggestion. That'll teach him to try to tease me back, he thought victoriously.

"Don't ask me," Owen muttered under his breath as he sat in the driver's seat of their SUV. "Although I doubt it. Seriously, who asks about doing a threesome? Other than you, obviously," he added quickly.

Jack laughed as he settled into his own seat. "Oh, you'd be surprised," he stated, causing Owen to blanch again. This time, Owen said nothing else. He simply started to drive the SUV, maybe a little faster than necessary, to head home.

X X X - TORCHWOOD - X X X

Ianto was in the process of unlocking the door that led up to his flat when he spotted a figure approaching him. It was lucky that the coat was so distinctive, because it told him who it was without causing the young Welshman to panic. He was quietly happy to see Jack again, but at the same time a little annoyed that he hadn't called. Jack had promised to tell him if he had found out anything about Lisa, and he hadn't heard a thing. Yes, the 'Battle' of Canary Wharf had happened three days ago, but he had still expected to hear from Jack before he saw him again.

"Hey, need any help bringing those bags up?" Jack asked quietly as Ianto bent down to pick up his grocery bags.

Ianto surveyed him, considering, before he mentally shrugged. "Sure," he said as he changed his plan and only picked up about half of the bags he had brought with him. "When did you get back in town?"

"About an hour ago. We had a few things left to deal with before I sent everyone else home," Jack answered as he followed Ianto up to his flat. "I know I promised to call, but… I only got the full list of the missing or dead today and…" Jack trailed off before he sighed. "A friend of mine was on it," he confessed softly.

Ianto froze, and silently forgave Jack for not calling him. "I'm sorry to hear that," Ianto said softly as he led Jack into his kitchen. He was, too, but he had the sinking feeling that Lisa was also on that list. He hesitated, glancing at Jack, before he took matters into his own hands. "Lisa was on that list, wasn't she?"

Jack flinched before he let out another sigh and nodded. "Yeah, she was. I'm sorry, Ianto… there is only so much I could've done." Jack set the bags down on the counter. "I just wanted to let you know, since I did promise."

Ianto forced himself to not grieve right away. He'd have time to himself soon enough. Besides, he was pretty sure Jack could use some company. "Thank you," he told Jack quietly, and hated to hear the slight tremble in his voice. He shut his eyes. "Before I moved here, she was my girlfriend," he explained to Jack quietly. He wasn't quite able to keep the grief out of his voice. "But she didn't want to give up her job when I told her I was moving… so we decided we'd go our separate ways."

Jack grimaced. "Damn. I'm really sorry, then," he told Ianto sincerely. He hesitated before he quietly said, "I used to travel with Rose. I can't help but hope that she's just travelling with a friend… he doesn't stick around very long," he added in explanation. "And he's impossible to get a hold of. I'm hoping that they just disappeared before… anyone else knew where they went off to."

"I hope you're right about your friend," Ianto remarked softly. Even though I think you're keeping your hopes up for disappointment, but I'm not going to stop you, he added silently.

"Yeah, me too," Jack remarked. His voice, and body language, both told Ianto the full story. He wanted it to be true – but he couldn't quite bring himself to hope for it. Like Ianto, he fully expected this Rose to be dead – and they couldn't do anything to change it. Jack sighed. "Look, I should get going. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ianto gave a weak smile. "I'm sure you missed my coffee," he noted softly.

Jack laughed. "That's for sure. Owen was upset that we wouldn't make it back in time to be able to get a cup before you closed for the night," he recalled with a smile. "He can't wait for tomorrow morning, just for your coffee."

Ianto chuckled. "I'm sure. If you'd like, I could make you a cup," he offered. He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly didn't want to be alone right now. It was odd to think that he hadn't wanted to grieve right away to help Jack out, but now he was thinking he'd rather have Jack around than to just be alone with his grief.

Jack gave him an almost pathetic look. "Would you? I've really missed your coffee."

Ianto chuckled again even as he went to make some. "It's only been two days, Jack," he remarked teasingly. The normality of their usual banter helped settle Ianto a little.

"Yeah? And? Your coffee is absolutely amazing!" Jack remarked with a grin.

Ianto couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. "I have yet to meet someone who doesn't approve of my coffee," he remarked casually.

The thought invoked his memories, and he smiled bitterly. Lisa had loved his coffee. He had once joked that that was the only thing she had seen in him. She had teased back, of course, and they had spent the evening together.

He was over their break up. After all, it had been a reasonable, logical thing to do – even if it had hurt that she wasn't willing to follow him. When his uncle had died and left his modest fortune to Ianto, the instructions in the will were for Ianto to do something with it. His uncle had wanted him to do something with the money that made him happy. (Specifically, to own a business that made him happy if that were possible.) And he didn't have enough money to own something in London right away.

It had hurt, especially after he'd begun to think that maybe she would be the one he'd spend the rest of his life with. But that was over and done with, and Ianto had truly moved on. He'd stayed in contact with her, although they kept their relationship after his move to Cardiff as strictly just friends. It was for that reason, then, that he was upset over her death. She had still been a good friend of his, and her loss was hitting him hard.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jack asked. The concern in Jack's voice was genuine, and Ianto glanced at him.

"I'm going to miss her," Ianto said instead of answering it straight. He didn't want to say 'no,' but by the same token saying 'yes' would be inaccurate. "Before I inherited enough money to start Ambrosia… I had entertained the idea of marrying her." The confession was soft as Ianto finished the coffee and poured some into a mug for Jack. "Everything had been going great… but she wouldn't leave her job, and I wanted to try my hand at running a shop here in Cardiff." He let out a bitter laugh. "And a long-distance relationship isn't really something either of us wanted to try." Jack accepted his mug with a nod of thanks, not wanting to interrupt Ianto's story. "We're still friends… were still friends." Ianto shut his eyes, trying to wrap his mind around the proper tense. Lisa was dead, and there was nothing he could do to change that.

"It sounds like you still care about her," Jack remarked quietly. "Losing anyone is hard. I'm sorry."

Ianto let out a sigh as he turned to face Jack. "Thanks." He paused before he asked quietly, "How bad was her workplace hit?"

Jack let out a heavy sigh of his own. "Badly. It was at the epicenter of the problem… and only about twenty of the people who Lisa worked with survived," he confessed quietly. Ianto froze, struck by the sudden thought of what might have happened. "What's wrong?" Jack asked urgently.

Ianto took a shuddering breath. "Before I found out about my inheritance… Lisa wanted to get me a job working with her," he explained softly. Jack stiffened at this confession. "But my uncle… died unexpectedly and left his inheritance to me with the last request that I do something that made me happy." Ianto smiled ruefully. "I'm wondering what would have happened if I hadn't inherited enough money to start Ambrosia."

Jack let out a long breath. "I've learned not to guess at the 'what ifs' of life," he remarked shrewdly. "But I'm telling you this – I'm glad you weren't working there. Even if you survived… it was terrible, Ianto. Besides," and here Jack smiled, "I like you right where you are."

Ianto let out a chuckle. "I like where I am, too," he admitted with a smile. "Especially since I get to meet all sorts of interesting people," he added as he looked at Jack, who was a bunch of contradictions. He was almost famous for wearing a World War 2 era RAF greatcoat, and yet would flirt with absolutely anyone. It was almost comical how someone who looked like he'd be more comfortable in the 1940s acted like he was ahead of their times, if his innuendos and suggestions were anything to go by.

"Hey, I resemble that remark!" Jack stated with a huge grin.

"I know. You're the most interesting person I know." Ianto offered a smile of his own back at Jack. "And sometimes I wonder if that's a good thing," he added in his best deadpan.

Jack looked hurt for a moment or two before he noticed the twinkle in Ianto's eye, then he smirked. "If you don't think it's a good thing, then why did you let me into your flat? After all, if I'm interesting in a bad way…" and here Jack's grin became lecherous, "then you clearly have ideas that are just as bad."

"Ah, then you see my master plan," Ianto deadpanned. "The sedatives in your coffee should be kicking in shortly."

"Are you planning on restraining me?" Jack inquired, clearly interested in the direction of the conversation. "With ropes or handcuffs?" He grinned.

"Oh, handcuffs, for sure," Ianto said dismissively. "Unless you prefer ropes?"

"I'm not sure it's a good plan to let the person you're doing all sorts of naughty things to in on your plan, and then ask what they prefer," Jack remarked cheerfully. "But no, handcuffs are just fine with me." He looked Ianto over, his lecherous grin widening. "I might even like this plan. I'd love to see you naked."

Ianto couldn't help but smirk. "I surmised as much, given the number of times you have checked me out when you assumed I wasn't paying attention," he stated cheerfully. "Of course, you'd have to take me out on a real date first. I don't sleep with just anyone."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "So if I took you out on a date, you'd sleep with me?" he inquired with a great deal of interest. Ianto realized suddenly that Jack was very serious, since there was also a note of eagerness in his voice.

"Most likely," he answered honestly, smiling a little. He was almost surprised to find that the idea of going on a date with Jack, and ending up having sex with the man, was an appealing idea. Almost – if not for the fact that he had privately had a fantasy or two about the very prospect before. "But since I'm currently seeing someone else right now," he added, since he didn't want to get Jack's hopes up too high only to dash them too much, "you may have to wait a while."

Jack looked disappointed at that revelation. However, he recovered by saying, "Will your 'someone else' be jealous when they come up to find me tied to your bed?"

Ianto smirked. "Possibly – if you were still here when she got here," he responded, tilting his head in thought. "It hasn't come up in conversation yet, so I can't completely predict how she would react." He paused as Jack looked interested before he let out a sigh. "But it seems the sedatives aren't working. I guess I'll just have to let you go. Maybe next time they'll work and I'll have you at my mercy."

Jack gave him another lecherous grin. "I like the idea of being at your mercy," he remarked cheerfully. "It sounds kinky."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "I am completely surprised by this revelation," he deadpanned. "I had no idea you would be turned on by the idea of being at my mercy. Perhaps I should rethink my strategy completely."

Jack laughed. "Ah," he pouted, "but I thought you wanted my input!"

"If I wanted your input on my master plan," Ianto chided, "I would have asked for it." He let himself grin in full. "Yes, I think I'll just have to throw out the idea completely. We'll just have to stay friends." He blinked at the strange look that passed over Jack's face at that statement. "What's wrong?" It was almost weird that it was Ianto's turn to ask that question, or variations on it, after having Jack ask him it several times over the course of the evening.

Jack let out a huff of laughter. "It's just… I haven't had a friend outside of work in a long time," he admitted, almost shyly. "I hadn't realized you were one until you called us that. Friends." He said the last word with a hint of wonder, and just a hint of sadness. The sadness puzzled Ianto, but he wasn't going to draw any attention to it.

"Then it's about time you had one," Ianto told him firmly. "Everyone needs something outside of work."

Jack chuckled as he regarded Ianto with a new light in his eyes. "I suppose you're right. Thanks for that – I needed to be reminded that the job isn't everything in the universe," he remarked softly.

"It was my pleasure," Ianto replied even as he filed away the odd decision to say 'universe' instead of 'world.' "Now," he continued, "are you going to head home? Because I was thinking we could order pizza and just hang out." The silent 'as friends' was present, but didn't need to be actually said. They both knew that Ianto was seeing someone else, and Jack was decent enough that he wouldn't try anything unless Ianto was ready for it.

Jack grinned. "That actually sounds like fun. It'd be nice to spend the evening with a friend," he said softly. He took another sip of coffee. "Especially one so talented in making coffee," he added mischievously. "This is free, right?"

Ianto snorted even as he reached for his phone. "You're a guest in my flat – not a customer, Jack," he retorted with a smirk. "Of course it's free."

Notes:

In case you weren't sure, this chapter remotely covers the Doctor Who episodes "The Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday." (And yes, I am aware of what happened to Rose Tyler there - but Jack doesn't, and this is from his perspective, so he won't find out for a while what happened.)

Let me repeat: JANTO EVENTUALLY! When I started writing this chapter specifically, I hit upon the realization that I didn't want Ianto and Jack together quite yet, and yet had no plausible reason to keep them apart when they are clearly attracted to each other. Thus Nerys had to step into the picture to make Ianto unavailable. Don't worry - I'm a die-hard Janto fan. They shall be together soon enough.

Please review. It tells me I'm doing something right.

~Star~