Jack stared at his son-in-law as he talked. Almost seven years the young man had been married to his daughter. Where had the time gone? Daisy and Owen had originally planned to get married in the fall of that year, but after losing RJ in the spring, they had made it clear to everyone how important it was for them to tie the knot as soon as possible. So Jack and Ianto had thrown the wedding together in record time. Well, truth be told, Ianto had done the majority of the work; Jack had mostly paid the bills and wondered when his sweet little girl had grown into such a headstrong woman.
How beautiful she had been on that day in early May, wearing the gown that Ianto had picked out for her. Daisy had originally asked if she could wear Gwen's wedding gown, telling her that she was the closest thing to a mother that Daisy had ever known. Gwen, still grieving RJ and bitter with the world, had denied Daisy the privilege of wearing the dress. Daisy had just shrugged it off, turning to Ianto for help in selecting just the right gown.
Jack, on the other hand, secretly believed that Gwen was still holding a grudge against Daisy because the young girl refused to go back in time and save RJ. He remembered Gwen screaming at his daughter, demanding to know why she would bring Ianto back to life but not her son. Daisy had tried to explain that because she had refused to go with the Doctor, that she really shouldn't be meddling with time any young Time Lord believed that she truly had no idea what she was doing, but Gwen hadn't cared. After that, Gwen had been noticeably cool to Ianto whenever they were together.
Daisy had made only one specific request for the wedding; that Jack walk her down the aisle in his RAF greatcoat. Without Ianto around all those years to clean and mend Jack's beloved coat, Jack had been forced to stop wearing it on a daily basis. It had grown too fragile with age and the memories too precious, for Jack to risk its destruction at the clawsof a Weevil.
Normally renowned for his bad time keeping, the Doctor had shown up unusually early that morning, bringing with him with River Song and a gift for Daisy. Jack remembered how the Doctor had pulled father and daughter to the side shortly before the ceremony. "It's not much," he smiled as he handed her a plainly wrapped package. "But the sentimental value is worth more than anything on the planet."
Daisy pulled the string and opened the paper to reveal a small t-shirt with a Union Jack design on the front. Jack had gasped at the sight of it, and Daisy had turned to him for an explanation.
With tears in his eyes, Jack had reverently stroked the shirt. "It was your mother's," he whispered in a quavering voice. "She was wearing it the day I met her. She and the Doctor saved my life that day."
Daisy had almost knocked the Doctor off his feet when she jumped up to hug him. Looking at each other over her head, Jack and the Doctor shared a watery smile at the memory of Rose Tyler, and they both knew the other was wishing she were there with them in more than just spirit.
Everything had gone perfectly that day, not a single members and guests alike had laughed and cheered their way into the early hours of the morning at the reception. Jack himself had almost died laughing as he watched the Doctor dance. He and the Time Lord had shared the father-daughter dance with Daisy. At first the Doctor had declined the honour, but when Jack pointed out that it was what Rose would have wanted, he had nodded without another word.
Looking over at the picture of that day that he kept on his desk, Jack could see so many smiles on so many faces, but in everyone's eyes he could see the pain and loss they had just experienced. It had been difficult on them all, but they had hidden it well. Everyonethere had been determined to make the start of Owen and Daisy's new life together as happy and memorable as possible. That day had been a great success.
There had been sadness as well, however. Gwen had just left her husband, Rhys, a few weeks before the wedding, despite twenty-six years of marriage. She blamed him for RJ's death, not the alien device that had unexpectedly exploded down in the Archives. Rhys had let her boys join Torchwood, and so it was Rhys that had gotten one of them killed.
Jack had been so happy when Daisy had found love, even if he knew that one day, she would feel the pain of being a widow. Like him, she was doomed to long out-live her lover. It was a pain he couldn't protect her from; he just hoped it didn't turn her hearts cold when she eventually lost Owen.
"Jack, did you hear me?" Owen asked sharply, pulling Jack back to the present time.
"Huh?" Jack shook his head and sent the thoughts and memories of long ago sailing away.
"I said," Owen repeated patiently, "my mom is flying in this afternoon, so I'll go pick her up and bring her here. She says, though, that she's leaving again, right after we're done." Jack nodded sadly and watched Owen leave his office.
"Your coffee, Jack," Iantoentered the room as Owen walked out and he set down a mug of steaming coffee before perching on the corner of Jack's desk.
Gratefully, Jack lifted the familiar old blue-striped mug to his nose and inhaled deeply before taking a sip. After savouring the flavour for a moment, he set his coffee back down on the desk and took his lover's hand in his. "Ianto, do you ever think it was wrong of me to let the kids join?"
"You can't blame yourself for every death that happens here, Cariad. RJ knew the risks involved with joining Torchwood and he accepted them gladly and willingly."
Jack smiled at his lover; Ianto always knew the right thing to say. He understood that Jack was tired of losing all those around him, just as he knew he would one day have to leave the immortal. It was all part of being human. Standing up, Ianto wrapped his arms around Jack and held him tightly, resting his head on Jack's and breathing in deeply those familiar 51st century pheromones. Finally, Ianto kissed Jack's forehead and reluctantly headed down to his own workstation to begin his daily tasks.
Picking up his coffee, Jack stood and walked over to his office windows that looked out over the Hub's main floor. There was no one in sight, although logically, he knew that Ianto was in the Archives, Daisy in the medical bay, and Owen was down taking a nap in the bedroom. Still, it was so eerily empty and quiet;against his will, a long-buried memory surfaced. This is what it had been like back at the turn of the century, after Alex had murdered his entire team and then committed suicide. Jack shuddered as an icy chill crept up his spine.
With a good shake to rid himself of his melancholy, 'It's just RJ's anniversary that's making me sad,' Jack drained his coffee and returned to his desk, knowing that Ianto would have his head if he didn't finish his budget reports before lunch. With a sigh, he reluctantly grabbed a pencil and began crunching numbers.
Ianto had taken over the computer tech job after RJ had passed away, because Jack had refused to hire anyone else. Knowing that he needed to review the night's Rift activity log, Ianto instead thought about the up-coming events of the afternoon. He knew the day was going to be stressful on everyone so he decided another pot of coffee would be needed and headed off for the kitchen instead.