A/N: DANFLAN asked how old Jack and Ianto are in this. Scott and Liz in the movie are in their early to mid twenties so I am assuming they are about the same age.

Chapter Three

Ianto ran blindly through the crowd, willing himself not to cry and make Jack's humiliation of him complete. So focused was he on getting away from Jack and anyone associated with the studio, he barely noticed when he pushed past Gwen and John who were arguing over whether or not there was alcohol in his thermos.

"Watch it, On-My-Toe!" Gwen yelled after him, using the nickname she and the others had made up not long after Ianto had joined the studio. She glared at his retreating back as he disappeared behind the curtains beside the stage. What the hell was he doing so dressed up at this event anyway? Shaking her head in frustration, she turned back to John, noticing that he was sweating from the effort to stay upright while taking another swig from his thermos full of 'vitamin juice'.

"I can't believe you came here drunk!" Gwen complained, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"Back off girlie," John slurred back at her. "I'm a champion, show some respect. You're lucky I was desperate enough for a partner to pick you up in the first place!" Gwen opened her mouth to snarl a reply, but quickly morphed it into a smile when she saw Jack heading towards her.

"Jack, hi!" Gwen exclaimed catching his arm as he passed to hold him between her and John. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Hi Gwen," Jack replied, scanning the crowd as if looking for someone. "Have you seen Ianto?"

"He was just here," she answered, and Jack turned to look at her for the first time.

"Tell me where he went?" Jack demanded, grabbing her by the arms.

"Somewhere near the curtains next to the stage," Gwen answered, frowning in confusion. "What do you want with him anyway?" Jack didn't answer; all of his attention was on a male silhouette behind one of the lighter curtains near the middle of the stage.

"Thanks Gwen," he threw over his shoulder as he released her and hurried away. Gwen's mouth dropped open in surprise as she watched him go.

"Looks like Jackie-boy was in a hurry," John hiccuped, as he leered after him. Gwen curled her lip in disgust. What had she ever seen in John? Sure the man could dance, but it seemed he could only perform to champion standards with a pint of scotch in his system. Closing her eyes in frustration, she shook her head and opened them to watch as Martha and Tom did a cucaracha step into a spin lift, wishing that it was her and Jack out there and she had, had enough sense to stay with him, weird steps or no.

When Jack finally caught up to Ianto, he found him standing at a slit in the curtains, staring out onto the floor watching Martha and Tom were going through their routine.

"Ianto, I'm sorry," Jack began as he approached him. Ianto didn't look up; he just held the curtain slightly open, still watching the couple on the floor. "I had no idea that they were planning any of this," he tried again, hoping that he would believe him.

"Are you going to dance with her?" Ianto asked, still not meeting his eyes.

Jack sighed.

"She's a champion, I would be a fool not to," he replied, not sure what to say.

"Of course," Ianto answered in a quiet voice. "If you want to win, you need someone more experienced." Jack didn't reply, watching as the lights from the stage played over Ianto's pale features, making the sadness on his face more pronounced.

"I've been working towards winning the Pan Atlantics since I was six years old," Jack tried to explain.

"It's all my family has wanted for me, for so long, I'm not sure that I can turn her down." Ianto turned back and looked at Jack, his face pulled into a polite mask.

"Then, I'm sure you'll win," Ianto replied, holding Jack's gaze. When it became too hard to keep himself in check, he turned back to watch the woman who would take his place. Tom spun Martha out and back, dipping her low in his arms, and pulling her up into a reverse whip-split, making the crystal encrusted feathers of her costume twinkle in the lights. "I could never dance like that," he whispered in defeat.

Jack swallowed, knowing that while it was true Ianto would never be the same as Martha, he had something she would never have; a natural grace and poise that as they had progressed in training had made even the hardest moves seem effortless. And after all of their hard work and all the risks Ianto had taken in simply dancing with him, here he was, making him feel like he wasn't good enough.

"Dance with me?" Jack asked, stepping forward and holding his hand out to him. Ianto turned from the curtain and held Jack's gaze for a moment, as if weighing his options. Slowly he took a step forward and took Jack's hand in his, letting Jack pull him into the open space behind them. The music from the routine on the other side of the curtain was still going strong, and the two of them began to dance. As they moved together, Jack felt a sensation of rightness, that dancing here with Ianto was exactly what he should be doing, regardless of what anyone else thought. Every extension of his body flowed into his partner's and each movement felt fluid and natural, never forced like it had been with Gwen or any of the others. So focused were the two on each other, they had no idea an audience was growing around them. Rose and Mickey had finally caught up to Jack, and as she pushed her way to the front, Rose's mouth fell open in surprise at seeing her brother dancing with Ianto.

"Never seen anything like that before," she whispered to Mickey, who nodded in response, amazed at the strength and poise the two men were showcasing in front of him. Mickey had always thought that Jack was a bit of a prat to force the same sex partner issue, but seeing him and Ianto execute a spin flip maneuver that would be impossible with a female partner, even he had to admit he was impressed.

"What the hell?" Jackie asked as she came to a stop alongside them. Rose cringed as she took in her horrified expression. She saw Jackie's arm twitch as if she was gearing up for one of her famous Tyler slaps and she knew this would not end well. Doc and Pete arrived next, and she saw the two men exchange a smile as they watched her brother and Ianto dance.

Rose pulled on Doc's tie until he was bending down far enough that she could whisper in his ear. "Are you okay with this?" she asked, hoping that she had guessed right that he was.

"I promised his dad I would make sure he was happy," Doc replied with a cryptic smile. "I don't know if this is what he had in mind, but it's the first time I have seen our Jack smile in ages." Rose looked away from him and saw that he was right; the two men were smiling at each other as they danced, both of them seemingly glowing with happiness and oblivious to anything else around them.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Gwen demanded as she pushed her way to the front of the group. Ianto glanced her way in surprise and stumbled, falling to the floor in a heap. Jack was immediately at his side, helping him up and asking if he was okay.

Ianto pushed himself to his feet, his face flushed crimson in embarrassment, and his cheek bleeding from where he had scraped it on the floor. "Slight loss of dignity, but I'll manage," he replied, glancing over to where Gwen and Jackie were glaring at them. Jack followed his gaze, his eyes narrowing as he realized what had made Ianto fall. Before he could say anything, the curtain in front of them rose as Martha and Tom exited the floor, having finished their routine. Jackie ran to intercept them, with Gwen, Pete, Doc, and the others in tow.

"Martha! Wonderful performance, very um, feathery," Doc complimented, grinning like a loon as he tried to give Jack and Ianto a chance to escape. Martha smiled back at him in thanks and looked over his shoulder at where Jack was turning Ianto's face to the side and examining the damage to his cheek.

"Is he alright?" she asked, seeing that someone was hurt. "I'm training to be a doctor, can I help?"

"Just a silly accident, not to worry," Jackie said, blocking them from view. "Wonderful as always Martha," Jackie added, trying to distract her. "I'm Jackie Tyler, Jack's mother," she added putting on her best smile and holding out her hand. "Why don't you get changed, and Jack can meet you at the social dance in a few?"

"Sounds good," Martha replied with a smile. Casting one last worried glance Ianto's way, she and Tom made their way through the crowd to the changing rooms.

Jackie whirled around and pushed her way to Jack's side. "Step back son, let me take a look at him," she ordered, pushing Jack aside to look at Ianto's cheek. "Doesn't look like it will need stitches, but I'm going to take him to first aid and get him fixed up just the same." Ianto started to protest that he was fine, but Jackie grabbed him by the arm and started ushering him away. "Now Ianto you know that cut needs to be cleaned," she scolded, pushing him through the onlookers with Tosh and Gwen right behind her.

Ianto looked back at Jack who attempted to follow him, only to be stopped by Lucy Saxon.

"Mr. Saxon would like a word with you," she said, blocking his way and leaving no room for argument. Jack looked over her shoulder, watching as Ianto and the others enter the first aid room and Gwen shut the door firmly behind down at where Lucy waited, tapping her foot in impatience, his shoulders sagged in defeat. He only hoped that once Saxon had finished his lecture on the need to follow federation rules, Ianto had somehow escaped his mother in one piece.

"Now let's get a good look at that cheek," Jackie ordered, sitting Ianto down in a chair before opening the first aid kit and pulling out the medicinal wipes. Ianto winced as she scrubbed at the cut, taking off the dirt, and what felt like an entire layer of skin as she cleaned it.

"Just what did you think you were doing?" Gwen asked staring down at Ianto in disgust. "Men should only dance with ladies, not other men. Are you trying to ruin Jack's career?"

"No," Ianto whispered, staring down at the floor. He knew that none of them would believe that it had been Jack who had decided they should dance in the competition today, not him.

"Well then, you know it's best for all of us if you go home and forget all about dancing with my son," Jackie said, coating the cut with ointment. Ianto looked up at her, and saw the determination in her eyes. This was a woman who would stop at nothing to ensure that her son was a champion, and Ianto was merely a distraction that would no longer be tolerated. Jackie ripped the top off of a plaster and pushed it firmly into place over the cut, scraping her long nails over it as she did so, causing Ianto to tear up in pain.

"Yes, Mrs. Tyler," he whispered, biting his lip to ensure that the tears would not fall. He'd be damned if he let them see him cry.

"There all settled," Jackie said with a smile, patting Ianto's leg. Ianto stood up and straightened his tie, before crossing the room to open the door. Just before he did so, he felt a hand on his arm.

"For what it's worth, I think you danced very well," Tosh whispered. Ianto looked down at her, and saw that she was sincere.

"Thanks Tosh," he said with a sad smile, before opening the door. Turning towards the exit, he walked as fast as he could and still keep some of his dignity intact, his only thought being that Jack had left him to the wolves, and deserved whatever Saxon and the others threw at him.

After getting an earful from Saxon about how he needed to 'toe the line' and to 'quit being a freak' and dance with a girl and the right steps like everyone else, Jack went back out in search of Ianto.

Making his way backstage, he saw his mother and Doc talking to Martha, who had changed into a shimmering gold dress that set off the jewels still in her hair and made her look like an African goddess.

"Oh Jack, there you are," Jackie said as he approached. Jack looked at the group surrounding her. Gwen looked irritated, Rose and Mickey confused, Owen frustrated, Tosh apprehensive, Doc and Pete sad.

"Come and meet Martha." Martha turned to him with a smile.

"Hello Martha," he said with nod before turning back to his mother.

"Where's Ianto?" he asked, noticing that he wasn't with them.

"Who's Ianto?" Martha asked, confused.

"The man who fell," Rose said helpfully. "Mum took him back to patch him up." Jackie froze as all eyes turned to her.

"He went home," Jackie said quickly. "But let's not worry about that now," she added, grasping Jack's arm with a nervous smile. "Martha's been waiting patiently, why don't you two take a turn on the floor and get to know each other better." Jackie smiled pushing Jack towards Martha.

"No one has seen him have they?" he asked the group. When no one answered, he threw off Jackie's arm and stepped towards Martha, raising her hand to his lips. "I'm sorry Martha," he said kissing her hand. "But I'm not available. There's another Jones that I need to find first." Releasing her hand, he turned towards the exit sprinting for the door.

"But, Harry said that he wanted me for a partner?" Martha asked confused. Jackie smiled back at her.

"Excuse me a moment," she said, still smiling as she turned to chase after her wayward son, grabbing Doc by the arm and dragging him behind her.

Rose and Mickey exchanged a shrug and hurried to follow, with Gwen, Pete, Tosh and Owen close behind, leaving Martha standing by herself.

"All alone songbird?" John Hart asked, sauntering up to her and holding out a glass of champagne.

Martha gave him the once over. Hart looked reasonably sober, which was saying a lot for him, and she really did need to make an appearance in the social dance to let people know that she was still available even if Tom had retired. The money she won in these competitions was paying for medical school and she couldn't afford to miss the Pan Atlantics. While he wasn't her first choice, he was at least at a level competitive enough to dance with her and she was running out of options.

"Alright Hart," she said downing the champagne in one go for a little Dutch courage. "Let's see what you've got."

"Jack wait!" called Jackie struggling to keep up with him in her heels. Jack stopped at the steps in front of the exit doors.

"What for?" he asked, his eyes blazing in anger. "So you can lie to me again about Ianto leaving, or so that Gwen can try and force me to dance with her so that she can win?"

"What is wrong with you?" Jackie demanded. "Harry Saxon gives you Martha Jones on a platter and you kiss her hand and run away to dance with some, some man who can barely dance a basic."

Jack barked out a laugh. "That's what I've been asking myself for weeks now," he replied. "What is so wrong with me and the way I dance?"

"I thought it was good," Rose panted, slightly out of breath. "What you danced with Ianto, I thought it was good."

"Oh what do you know?" dismissed Gwen. "The steps were all wrong and a man can never be as graceful as a female partner."

"I think you're wrong," said Tosh, surprising everyone. "Maybe we all have it wrong. I thought Ianto was quite graceful," she added, her face turning red as she realized everyone was looking at her.

"Well it won't win the Pan Atlantics," Jackie said, crossing her arms. "Harry Saxon said that-"

"Harry Saxon," sneered Jack. "He's got all of you running scared doesn't he?" he asked looking at the stunned looks on their faces. "Look at you all afraid of the great Harry Saxon, afraid to even think for yourselves." He stopped and looked down at his little sister, only fifteen and already she was getting caught up in the same web of lies and mediocrity that he had choked against for over a decade. How long before she lost the ability to think for herself as well? "Maybe it's time for a new federation president?" he reasoned. "Haven't we been smothered by him long enough?" No one replied. All of them just stared back at him, stunned at what he had said. Shaking his head in disbelief, Jack turned to go.

"You can't just leave Jack!" Jackie cried out as he reached the doors. "What about Martha?"

"If you like her so much, why don't you dance with her?" Jack shot back before pushing the doors open and heading out into the night.

Jack drove to the estate and parked his car to walk the short distance to Ianto's house. As he approached, the sounds of laughter and guitar music floated over the fence beside it. Jack crept closer and went to the part of the fence Ianto had opened the night before and reached over to find the gate latch. Letting himself in, he stayed to the shadows alongside the house, his heart starting to beat along with the music as he drew closer to the lights at the back. When he reached the corner he stopped. Ianto was sitting on a battered old bench, jacket off, waistcoat still on, but shirt sleeves rolled up, and tie nowhere to be seen. He was nursing a beer and watching as several other people danced on the deck before him.

"Psst! Ianto," Jack whispered, trying to get his attention. Ianto must not have heard him as he stood up to stretch, his long body bowing backwards until he was nearly bent in half, causing Jack's eyes to go wide. He had no idea he was that flexible.

"Ianto ven aquí!" someone called out and Ianto straightened up and grinned. Jack leaned slightly around the corner and watched him meet a curvaceous brunette at the center of the deck, now stage. He pulled her into a hug before kissing her forehead and holding her back out at arm's length. Dropping one of her arms, he straightened up and turned with her to bow to the musicians who were sitting on the other side of the deck. A lone singer sang out a cante and as he came down from his scale, the guitars joined in with a sharp strum. People gathered around and started clapping out a rhythm and as Jack watched, Ianto and the woman let go of each other's hand and began to clap along, walking slowly in a circle as they brought the rhythm to the spectators at the gathering. Once they had been all the way around, they turned to face each other and began to dance. The woman swished her skirt in a snapping motion, and the two of them held their arms out bowed slightly in front and behind them, while tapping and dancing their feet around each other in a flurry of precise movements. Eventually they started alternating with first the woman and then Ianto taking over as the primary dancer. At length the two of them danced together, alternating feet and legs until it looked more like a duel then a dance. The music grew faster and faster until finally it stopped with the woman standing tall with one hand bent above her and the other clasped in Ianto's who had stretched one leg back behind him and bent the other towards her so that she could rest the point of her shoe on it, snapping the ruffles of her skirt to slip back and reveal her shoe as the music stopped.

The gathering erupted in applause and Ianto stood up and hugged his partner, who promptly kissed him on the cheek before slapping it causing him to throw his head back and laugh.

Jack had no idea what to think as he watched them. Was this Ianto's secret dance partner? Had Ianto just been using him to learn a few new dance steps? Jack stared back over to where a small fierce looking man with curly black hair was patting Ianto on the back. Ianto smiled at him fondly, and Jack felt himself go numb. Just who where these people to Ianto? Was that his lover he had danced with? All of the remorse he had felt over what had happened at the competition was replaced by the hot kiss of jealousy. He was about to turn and walk away when he felt someone grab him from behind, pinning his arms behind his back and pushing him forward. Jack tried to struggle out of the hold, but only managed to throw himself down on the ground in front of the crowd of people on the deck.

Glancing up he saw Ianto staring down at him with a puzzled look.

"Jack?" he asked in surprise, placing his hands on his hips. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize," Jack replied, pushing himself to his feet in anger. "But it would seem that you already have a new dance partner so I'll just be going instead." He turned to leave, only to find his way blocked by the fierce looking man he had seen earlier.

"¿Quién es este hombre?" Rico asked, directing the question to Ianto.

"He's my dance partner Tío Rico," Ianto replied, causing a few of those gathered to gasp in surprise.

"You dance with this, this man?" Rico asked as he crossed his arms and began to circle around Jack.

"I'm a Latin dance champion thank you very much," Jack retorted, not caring for his attitude.

"Champion eh? So Mister Champion, what sort of dancing are you doing with my nephew so late at night?" Rico demanded.

"Paso Doble and Rumba mainly," Jack threw back at him with a smirk.

"Paso Doble? Seriously?" the woman standing next to Ianto asked, turning to him and demanding an answer.

"Well, ballroom's version at least," Ianto replied with a grin.

"Oh this I've gotta see," replied the woman bouncing off the deck to grab Jack by the hand. "Don't let Uncle Rico frighten you, Jack was it?" she said as she pulled him onto the stage. "He's been dancing for years and refuses to teach us. If my brother managed to finally learn it, I want to see it!" Jack turned to Ianto.

"She's your sister?" he asked, suddenly feeling a bit sheepish for being so jealous before. Ianto didn't reply, he just turned to his sister and threw out a rapid fire mix of Welsh and Spanish that Jack couldn't even begin to follow.

"Get over yourself little brother," Rhiannon replied, rolling her eyes at him. "You've been dancing Flamenco since you we were little, and there is no such thing as acute stage fright." She grabbed her brother by the arm and thrust him at Jack. "Come on you lumps, get to it!" Jack swallowed as he saw the barely contained fury on Ianto's face.

"When this is over, promise me you will leave me alone," Ianto hissed at Jack as he took his hand.

"Come on, show us your Paso Doble," Rico called out as Rhiannon left them to stand at his side.

The music began and the two of them went through the routine. While the movements were the same as ever, they had lost their fluidity and rhythm. Finally Ianto had enough and shoved Jack away from him in frustration. The music stopped and the onlookers began to laugh.

"What?" Jack yelled back at them. "What's so funny?" Rico held up a hand and the laughing stopped.

"Paso Doble eh?" he asked, staring at Jack. The music started again and the floor cleared as Rico picked up a gold matador jacket and slipped it on. As the drumbeat and rhythm of the guitar grew stronger, Rico began to dance a Flamenco version of the Paso Doble. The small man suddenly seemed ten feet tall and Jack stared at him in wonder as the promise of what Ianto had done earlier with his sister was realized in the passionate and ornate steps that Rico hammered out with each spin and stomp of his boots. When the music stopped, the two remained staring at each other, and Jack lowered his head, acknowledging that he had been beaten.

"This is what you waste your time on?" Rico demanded as he strode across the floor to stand in front of Ianto.

"If it's so bad, why don't you teach us then?" Ianto threw back, staring him down. Rico's eyes narrowed and he glanced from Ianto, to Jack and back.

"You would listen enough to learn?" he asked, directing his gaze at his nephew. Ianto nodded. Rico glanced back at Jack as if sizing him up. "And you?"

"It would be an honor," Jack said, surprising himself as he realized he meant it.

"I'm learning too!" Rhiannon chimed in. "I may not be dancing in some fancy pants competition, but I'll be damned if Ianto is going to be the only one Rico teaches." She glanced at Ianto, daring him to say no.

"Fine, fine," Ianto said with a sigh. "But if Rhiannon is going to dance with us, she needs a partner as well." Rhiannon scowled and then swept her eyes around the crowd, her gaze falling on her cousin. Walking over, she took the beer from his hand and put in on the table, grabbing him by the arm and hauling him over to where the others waited before he could protest.

"Rhys? Rhiannon are you serious?" Ianto asked, looking at the slightly frightened expression on his cousin's face.

"He'll do just as well as your Jack here," she said with a sniff. "Besides I saw him checking out that Gwen girl at the studio when we picked you up last month. Maybe if he has a few fancy moves under his belt, she might be interested."

Rhys turned a deep shade of red and Jack turned to him in surprise. "You have a thing for Gwen?"

"She's a bit of alright," Rhys replied with a shrug. He and Ianto exchanged a look. "It's the gap in her teeth," Rhys hastened to explain. "Something about that and her gorgeous green eyes, just drives me a bit loco."

Ianto looked over to where Rico was staring at his other nephew in disbelief. "Monton de idiotas," he muttered under his breath, before clapping his hands and giving them all a stern look.

"Enough!" he scolded, calling them to attention. "Let's begin."

Before the night was over, Jack had mastered at least a few basic steps of Flamenco and found himself dancing with abandon amongst Ianto's mix of Welsh and Spanish relatives. For the first time in his life, he was dancing for the sheer joy of it.

As he drove home later that night, his head was full of new ideas and how much he couldn't wait to dance with Ianto again. He thought back over the way Ianto's hand had lingered in his own as the two said goodbye at the end of the evening. They had only broken contact when Rico had come over to begrudgingly shake his hand and tell him that Jack was welcome to come back tomorrow.

He pulled up in front of his parent's house, noticing that the lights were still on. Taking a deep breath, he combed his hair back into some semblance of normal and went inside to face the music, hoping that he could convince his family that he was making the right decision.