Later the same day

The day was like a lot of others when there were no major Rift incidents. Owen spent most of his time in the medical bay working on an alien cadaver found a few days before. He was trying to work out the cause of death and not having a lot of success. Surprisingly, he was in a good mood as he ran tests and checked his readings while humming to himself. Gwen was following up a lead from an ex-colleague in the police and disappeared around midday for the bulk of the afternoon. Tosh was, as usual, glued to her computer screens, enlarging the alien language database as well as running some analyses of artefacts. In the morning, Jack stayed mainly in his office at his computer but he also spent time with the other members of the team checking on progress and saying an encouraging word or two. He was out for lunch and once he got back he wandered off to the firing range.

Ianto provided the team with drinks and food as required and kept to the Tourist Office quite a bit. His duties there were routine so he had time to try and analyse his feelings after the shock he'd received. One moment he'd convinced himself that he should confront Jack and sever all further non-work contact with him. The next, he was desolate at the thought of never lying in the man's arms again and experiencing the peace and happiness he found there. In mid-afternoon, Ianto made more coffee and then took some artefacts to the archives for storage. He was still there, standing by the open shelving writing a label, when Jack came in.

"Ianto, you've been elusive today," said Jack, smiling at the Welshman.

"Have I?" Ianto was surprised how normal his voice sounded when his heart was beating wildly.

"Yes, you have. I've hardly seen you and you know I like to rest my weary eyes on your wonderful body as often as I can." Jack was close behind Ianto now and rested an exploratory hand on his arse. "Umm, firm."

Ianto felt the familiar rush of pleasure at Jack's touch. It was like an adrenaline rush that fizzed round his body and left him unable to think coherently. "Now that really is harassment, sir," he managed to say, keeping his tone level.

"And you love it," whispered Jack in his ear. The hand was joined by its twin and they slowly moved further up under Ianto's suit jacket and rested either side of his waist while Jack pressed his hips against Ianto's arse. "You free tonight?"

Ianto, with the part of his brain that was still functioning, weighed the arguments for agreeing or not. Reluctantly, very reluctantly, he knew he had to decline or become Jack's sex slave. While the latter had many attractions, his self-esteem forced him to make the hard choice. "No, sorry. I'm meeting some friends for a drink. Probably have a meal as well, I expect," he got out finally. He was finding it hard to breathe as Jack's hands were moving again; one was on his stomach and the other working its way further down his front.

"Pity," responded Jack, continuing to explore Ianto's body. "Sure?"

"I'm sure. It's been organised for a while, can't pull out now."

Jack sighed. "Oh well, my loss. Anyway, it's good you're keeping up a private life. It's important." He smiled before kissing Ianto's neck and releasing him. "Some other time."

"Yeah, some other time," agreed Ianto, still agitated and breathless from the encounter. He watched as Jack smiled that devastating lazy smile and left the room.

It took Ianto 10 minutes to fully recover from his encounter with Jack. He hated lying to him about a previous engagement for the evening; after Lisa he had promised never to lie to him again. He picked up his mobile and called Joe, an old school friend who he saw from time to time, and was relieved to find he was free for a drink that evening. That salved his conscience about lying at least.

He stayed in the archives until 17.30 when he went to make the final batch of coffee before formal finishing time. On a day like today, he expected Gwen and Owen would head home pretty sharpish after their drinks. Tosh would stay a bit longer if she was at a critical point in some programming but even she would be gone by 19.30. As he brewed coffee, he wondered what Jack would do with himself this evening. Would he go and find another shag? Before this morning, Ianto would never have thought so but now he was sure Jack would be out on the town.

Handing round the coffees, Ianto decided he needed to find out just what Jack got up to. The drink with Joe needn't be a long one, a couple of pints and he could ditch him saying he had to be somewhere else. Joe would understand. He could be back in time to keep watch on Jack. The more he thought about it the more it seemed the best way to proceed. He left the Hub just before 18.00 and made for home, after making one last trip to the archives.

Tuesday evening

The night was cold with a keen wind blowing across the Bay. Ianto huddled in his car, parked unobtrusively by Jolyon's Hotel close to the Hub's two entrances. The drink with Joe had gone as he had expected, two pints and a steak sandwich each while they talked about Cardiff City's latest signing and their prospects for the season. Joe was an easy companion and he was settling down to watch the match on the big screen when Ianto had said he had to leave. Some hour and half later, Ianto envied him. He was cold and needed to pee but didn't want to leave the car as he thought that if Jack was going to make a move it would be about now.

As if on cue, the alien scanner Ianto had taken from the archives showed movement at the Tourist Office entrance. The scanner had been found a few months earlier by Suzie and analysis had shown that it could latch onto and follow people using a DNA reference. Ianto had obtained Jack's DNA profile from his blood sample held in the Medical Bay and entered it into the scanner. The scanner had been inert until now, showing Jack stationary in the Hub. Ianto looked over and after a minute or two Jack's familiar figure came into view, striding across the Plass. He crossed the road and was soon striding up Lloyd George Avenue into the town. Ianto was not sure of the scanner's range so quickly exited his car and followed, hanging back so that he would not be spotted. Twenty minutes later, after a brisk walk, Jack entered a club. Assuming he would be there at least 15 minutes – surely even Jack would need that long to hook up with someone - Ianto popped into the pub next door and used their toilets. It was 9.42.

It was exactly 37 minutes after he had entered that Jack left the club, with a scantily dressed redhead on his arm. Ianto was standing in a shadowy shop doorway and spotted the couple immediately. Jack was talking animatedly and the woman suddenly laughed delightedly. Ianto was instantly jealous. What could she mean to Jack when he'd only just met her? It should have been Ianto he was with, Ianto who was laughing with him. And it could have been, Ianto admitted to himself; Jack had asked him out this evening. He'd been the one to decline. Had he pushed Jack to do this? Was he creating the problem himself? For a moment Ianto hesitated but then he recalled the blonde from the morning. Jack hadn't needed to find her, he could have called Ianto.

Ianto was even more determined to see through his plan. The couple were now some 300 metres away walking towards the Bay. Ianto followed a good way behind, sure of their destination. He was surprised therefore when the couple took a left and headed away from the Hub. Where were they going? Ianto followed, taking particular care not to get too close. After another five minutes Jack and the woman entered a small block of flats. Must be her place, thought Ianto as he settled into another doorway to watch out the night.

A nearby clock struck one before Jack emerged from the flats. Ianto was almost asleep when the scanner alerted him and it took him a couple of moments to realise that the woman was with Jack. That didn't make sense. While he was trying to sort out that anomaly, Ianto saw a taxi stop by the couple and Jack help her in, after a long kiss. Jack gave the driver some money and, presumably, a destination and the taxi left. Jack walked across the street and for a heart-stopping minute Ianto thought he had been spotted: Jack was walking right towards him. On the pavement, only a couple of metres away from his hidden colleague, Jack stopped, breathed deeply and stretched before striding away in the direction of the Bay.

Ianto waited a good five minutes after his fright for his heart to resume its normal rhythm. He took the time to consider where Jack had taken the woman: it obviously was not her home as Ianto had assumed. The scanner showed Jack still on course for the Hub so Ianto felt it safe to emerge from his doorway. He crossed to the entrance to the flats and looked at the buzzers. All had names against them and none were familiar to him. He was about to move off when he turned back: what had been the name against Flat 4? T Wood. Could it be? Was it a Torchwood flat? He made a note of the address on a piece of paper and then started the long walk back to his car.

So who was the woman? Should Ianto be jealous? Let me know what you think ...