1.

Not even the rising sun could make the abandoned warehouse at the edge of Cardiff beautiful in any way. It was run-down, all chipped paint and holes in the plaster. The former parking lot was empty, letting nature take back its reign slowly, the inside was a mess of old tools, tables and other things that got left behind. A non-descript, black van didn't quite fit into the building. It was standing near the small office where once a supervisor had kept an eye on the employees, and it wasn't old, just caked with dust and mud from small streets and dirt roads – a fugitive's car. Inside the office, the desk had been shoved against the wall. Two camp beds had taken its place, shoved together tightly. A week's worth of suits hung on the window sill and a small lamp's light was slowly being overpowered by the sun rays coming through the cracked and dirty windows.

Ianto fixed his tie, checking his appearance in the tiny mirror hanging on the wall and then turned around to Lisa, who was lying on one of the camp beds, watching him get dressed with a fond smile. They'd done this a lot, back in London, when Torchwood One had still been there and Lisa hadn't been this scarred by its downfall. Lisa had always watched Ianto dress in the mornings before hurrying to get ready herself while Ianto made breakfast. For a second, Ianto indulged in the fantasy of being back in their flat, of going to work together, of sharing lunch breaks and gossiping about colleagues, but the image shattered when he saw the IV with the pain medication Lisa needed constantly. Even though she was covered with a blanket, he could see the metal encasing parts of her legs and chest. The image was burned into his mind. She could barely turn her head because of the helmet that had been fused to her skull. To UNIT, she was a machine, worthy of nothing more than a bullet to her head. To Ianto, she was everything and that was why he kept her hidden.

He uttered a sad sigh. They weren't Ianto and Lisa in London anymore, working for Torchwood and thinking about marriage. They were Ianto and Lisa in Cardiff, fugitives, and while Lisa was fighting the effects of a half-conversion into a cyberwoman, Ianto would work at Torchwood Three and find a way to make her human again.

He smiled to cover up his sadness and spread his arms. "Well?" he asked.

She made an effort to nod. "As gorgeous as ever." Her face twisted in pain and she gasped.

Ianto hurried to her side, fiddling with the setting of her pain medication. "It'll be over soon," he promised. "I'll get you into Torchwood today. Then we can look for help."

Tears gathered in her dark eyes. "I can't help but feel guilty. I'm such a mess."

Ianto took her hand. "Don't. I love you." He kissed her tenderly and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"What if they find out about me?"

"They won't. I'll make sure of that," Ianto answered, trying to quench the small spark of doubt her words evoked. "I already set up a distraction to lure them out of the building today. We should have about four hours to get you into Torchwood and to set up the conversion unit." He glanced at the van, wherein the bulky unit was already stashed. He'd stolen the vehicle from the Torchwood One car park in London to be able to transport Lisa and the device that had done this to her.

Lisa squeezed his hand gently. "But hurry. I don't think I can do this any longer."

"It's going to be okay, Lisa. I promise."

"I'll feel better as soon as I'm in the conversion unit."

Ianto bit his lip. "I just wish it wasn't necessary."

"Me, too," Lisa answered, "but this body … these … parts ..." In disgust, she looked at the metal. "... they need the unit. Soon."

It had only been three days since they'd left the battlefield in London behind and Ianto had spent those three days tending to Lisa and trying to get a job at Torchwood Three. He'd never had to work so hard for a job before. He'd always applied for the jobs he'd had before Torchwood and either got them after the interview or not. He hadn't applied for Torchwood One, they had just turned up on his doorstep and asked him to join. The Torchwood Three leader Jack Harkness on the other hand, had been a piece of work; determined not to let anyone from the outside into his team, even more so when they came from Torchwood London like Ianto. It had been common knowledge in Torchwood One that the Cardiff branch had cut all ties with London a while ago, so he'd expected some resistance, but he'd also kind of hoped that the disastrous war that had befallen and destroyed Torchwood London would earn him some sympathy points with Captain Harkness. To the contrary … Harkness had treated Ianto like he was one of the Cybermen or Daleks that had attacked Torchwood One, confirming Ianto's belief that it would be a bad idea to tell him about Lisa. As a half-converted cyberbeing, he would certainly kill her on sight. So Ianto had to do this in secret. Get her in, set up the unit to stabilize her and then get someone to help him free her from the cyberparts fitted to her body, and all that while avoiding her being found and playing the team's perfect new member.

Ianto checked his watch. "We have to go." He helped Lisa up, trying to ignore her sobs of pain and exhaustion while he helped her into the back of the van and then strapped her into the conversion unit. After setting up her pain medication and making sure that she was settled, he packed up the few things he had here and left the warehouse, driving towards the bay where Torchwood Three had its secret base.

He parked the van in the car park that, as his observations over the last few days had shown, was used by some companies residing in the nearby buildings as well as Torchwood. Next to the black Torchwood SUV, he saw the unobtrusive, handle-less door that had to lead into the underground base. He didn't dare get closer to it since he assumed that there was a camera monitoring the secret entrance.

With the promise to be back in a few hours, he hurried up to Roald Dahl Plass and from there to the tourist office Torchwood used as a cover to wait for his new boss.

xxx

"Jack Harkness only hires the pretty ones."

Jack had once heard a couple of secretaries at Torchwood London talking that way about him just before he'd had the huge fight with Torchwood One leader Yvonne Hartmann that had led to him severing all ties with the London institute.

While Jack certainly saw himself as someone who appreciated beautiful eyes, a cute smile, long legs or a tight arse, he wouldn't hire anyone just because they had those attributes.

His second in command Suzie had the face of a goddess but she was also a fierce fighter and highly intelligent. Toshiko had beautiful legs and a stunning smile but she also was a wunderkind when it came to technology and she could hack Jack into any governmental file he wanted to read. And Owen ... well, aside from the fact that he was a brilliant doctor, he also had really beautiful eyes. Not that Jack would tell Owen that. He would get smacked ... or shot.

So Jack really didn't make a habit of hiring people just for their looks, and no matter how blue Ianto Jones's eyes were and how utterly adorable his smile, not to mention his arse and the long lean legs, Jack had had his reasons for letting him into the team. He was intelligent and determined and he'd handled himself well when they'd caught that pterodactyl last night. He also made coffee to die for and such heavenly caffeine was always needed when one was an alien hunter.

When Jack left the tourist office, Ianto was already there, standing on the wooden walkway and staring out at the bay, wind ruffling his short, dark hair. When he heard the door close, though, Ianto turned to look at him.

Jack winked. "Ianto Jones, in a suit. A sight to die for." Just because he didn't hire people for their prettiness didn't mean that he wouldn't flirt with them. He held open the door. "Come on in. Welcome to Torchwood Three."