1998

Jack Harkness didn't know whether to be honoured or insulted by his current assignment. Alex could be a sarcastic bastard at times. There had certainly been more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice when he'd handed Jack the file.

'This should be right up your alley, Harkness. We need you to go undercover.'

Jack had studied the file. Something was killing men in Cardiff. There had been five victims in the last two weeks. The police had passed it on to Torchwood because of the way the victims had been killed; specifically they had huge bite marks on their necks. They were not human teeth marks but seemed more like an animal. The victims had nothing in common except for one thing.

'They were all killed while cruising for sex in the park?' Jack yelled across the Hub at Alex.

'Told you you'd like it,' Alex replied.

'Let me get this straight – you want me to go undercover in the park to find the creature that's killing gay men?'

'Yes, Jack.'

'Regular Friday night for you, isn't it Jack?' Becky had piped up. How that girl loved to tease.

'Jealous are you, Blondie?' Jack replied, 'because you know if you ever want to come along and join in you only need to ask – there's always room for one more.'

'In your dreams, Jacky boy,'

'Always,' Jack winked at her.

'So will you do it Jack?' Alex asked him.

'Do I get to have sex with somebody?'

Alex rolled his eyes.

So that was how he came to be here, standing in the cold park dressed in a tight black t-shirt and dark blue jeans underneath a tree he was lingering in the background, surveying the scene for any sign of the alien.

This was the third night this week that he'd been here and he'd found nothing. He'd had more than a couple of offers in that time but not from anyone that he would have been likely to touch with a barge pole and not one of them looked remotely like the alien that witnesses had described.

Jack was rapidly losing hope and thinking of calling it a night. It was 2:30 in the morning. All the other attacks had taken place around midnight. That was when he noticed a figure walking slowly down the path nearing his direction, a figure that looked strangely familiar. Jack began to approach....

---------------

It was cold and it was dark and Ianto Jones was starting to think that running away from home had been a very bad idea.

He was sitting on a cold bench in a park that was becoming scarier by the minute. This was a place that Ianto loved to come in the daytime. But by night it was a completely different place. The trees felt as though they were closing in around him and he could hear sounds that he was unable to identify; the rustling in the bushes.

He thought about going back home but by now his parents would have realised he was missing. God, how could he go back now? He was already in so much trouble. He couldn't stand seeing the look of disappointment in his mother's eyes; knowing he had let his parents down was the thing he couldn't live with. That was the reason he'd run away.

He thought about finding a phone box and calling Danny. But he pushed that thought away as quickly as it had come. Danny always told him never to call him at home.

Ianto stood up and began to walk. He needed to get out of the park. He'd read a survival guide once when he was a kid; back when he was still going through his phase of wanting to be a soldier. He remembered it by heart and he knew that to stand any chance of surviving in the great outdoors you needed to find shelter. The park was too open and exposed to the elements. Ianto planned to head back into town and find somewhere to sleep; maybe a bus shelter or a shop doorway – just until morning when he would be able to think more clearly.

He walked down the path heading towards the North exit. There were no lights in this section of the park and Ianto found the darkness claustrophobic and suffocating. He was aware of someone watching him.

Ianto turned around. There was a man standing under the tree staring straight at him. Something about the man's gaze made Ianto stop dead in his tracks; the man began to approach him.

'You ok kid?' the man asked; he was tall with dark hair and dressed in dark coloured clothes. Ianto eyed him suspiciously.

'I'm fine,' Ianto replied, trying to sound confident.

'I've not seen you around here before. How old are you?'

'Fifteen,' Ianto answered.

The man let out a slow breath as he looked Ianto up and down.

'You're a bit young, kid. But I'm not complaining; you're gorgeous. Are you looking for a good time?'

It was clear to Ianto exactly what this stranger wanted from him and he felt suddenly very frightened. He wanted to run away from the man but his legs were routed to the spot.

'Er – I'm on my way home actually,' he stammered.

The man smiled.

'Come on, don't give me that. You're not on your way home are you, not at this time of night? You could come back to mine and stay. I've got a lovely comfy bed; built for two...'

The man trailed off as he reached out and ran his hand down Ianto's arm.

'So beautiful; so young,' suddenly the man grabbed Ianto and tried to kiss him.

Ianto reacted instinctively, he tried to push the man off but found that his grip was too strong. Ianto brought his right knee up and caught the man right between his legs unleashing a cry of pain. The man doubled over and Ianto tried to make his escape but again the man grabbed him.

'You little bastard,' he yelled as he slapped Ianto across the face, knocking him down. The last thing he remembered was seeing the man's face suddenly change and the feeling of the concrete hitting his head before it went dark.

---------------

Jack Harkness had recognised the alien immediately. He stalked towards it with all the skill of a hunter wanting to remain unseen for as long as possible. He drew his Webley from the holster. He'd seen the injuries this predator had inflicted upon its victims and he knew it wouldn't go down without a fight.

Jack was observing it from behind a tree when he heard a noise and saw the creature stop. It was talking to someone – a dark haired young man. Jack realised he was using the term loosely because he couldn't have been more than sixteen years old; just a child really.

Jack felt a rush of fear that this boy was about to become the creature's next victim. He took aim with his weapon but he couldn't get a clear shot. The boy was in the way.

The fight was over in seconds. Jack saw the alien grab the boy's arm and the boy retaliated; then came the slap and Jack saw the boy fall to the floor. He reacted without thinking now he had a clear shot he took aim and pulled the trigger.

Ianto was aware of people talking but they sounded far away.

'I'm sorry for calling you in Becky but I couldn't take him to a hospital.'

'It's no problem, Jack. It's my job. He's a lucky kid; lucky you were there.'

'Yeah – he was going to be that thing's next meal.'

'What was he doing in the park at that time of night anyway?'

'I have no idea. He had a bag full of clothes with him.'

'Do you think he's a runaway?'

Yeah maybe,'

'I'll see if I can find out who he is. His parents must be out of their minds with worry. I'll be upstairs if you need me.'

'Thanks, Becky.'

Ianto heard footsteps leaving. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into blue ones; the bluest eyes that Ianto had ever seen.

Jack looked at him in surprise. He'd expected him to be out for a while yet.

'Hi, how are you feeling?'

Ianto coughed to clear his chest and he tried to sit up. Jack gently placed an arm on his shoulder.

'Woah, take it easy kid. You've got concussion you took a nasty knock to the head.'

Ianto lay back down on the bed.

'Where am I?' he asked.

'What do you remember?'

'I was in the park; there was a man. That's all I remember.'

'Ok – yes there was a man. Do you remember him hitting you?'

Ianto's eyes went wide.

'Yes – he hit me. Then his face changed. It was like a monster. Or maybe I was dreaming that. Am I in hospital?'

'No,' Jack replied. 'You're in Torchwood.'

'What's Torchwood?'

'We're an organisation that monitors alien activity and technology on Earth. We protect the human race.'

'Ha,' Ianto laughed. 'Yeah good one; I've seen Men in Black.'

'Oh don't even get me started on all the inaccuracies in that movie,' Jack sighed. 'Look, kid its true. You weren't dreaming about his face changing because it wasn't a man that attacked you in the park, it was an alien. It's called an Oligrey. It feeds on human males. It craves the testosterone.'

'What?'

'It's killed a lot of people. You were shaping up to be its bedtime snack. Lucky for you, I was there.'

Ianto's eyes were wide.

'You saved me?' he asked.

Jack nodded.

'Why were you in the park?'

'I don't – I didn't – are you going to phone my Mam and Tad? They'll kill me.' Ianto was becoming distressed, Jack could sense it.

'Look, relax. Nobody's going to kill you. My name's Jack Harkness, I saved you from the bad guy remember?'

Ianto just stared.

'Look you're safe now. My friend Becky fixed you up. She's a doctor. You'll be fine in a couple of hours.'

Ianto let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know why but he trusted this stranger. It might have been his eyes, or the fact that he was gorgeous. Ianto wasn't certain, but he made him feel safe.

'What's your name?' Jack asked.

'Ianto Jones.'

Ianto saw a flash of something in Jack's eyes and he seemed to study him carefully for a moment after that.

'What?' Ianto asked him.

'Oh, nothing,' Jack replied softly. 'So what were you doing in the park?'

'I ran away from home,' Ianto said.

'Why?'

'Because everybody hates me.'

Jack swallowed a smile at the sheer youthfulness of Ianto's words. It had been a long time since Jack was a teenager but he remembered the angst well enough.

'I'm sure that's not true.'

'It is.'

Jack remembered Ianto's parents well, even though it had been a long time since he'd seen them. They had been a loving couple and he couldn't seriously imagine them ever hating their son.

'Why would you think that?'

'I did something really stupid and now Mam and Tad hate me.'

'What did you do?'

Ianto looked at Jack seemingly wondering if he could trust him with his secret. He didn't want this gorgeous man to think badly of him.

'I got arrested,' he mumbled.

Jack tried to hide the look on his face but Ianto saw it immediately.

'Yeah, my sister had that look on her face when she found out.'

'What did you get arrested for?' Jack wasn't sure if she should pry but he was too curious.

'Shoplifting,'

'Oh,'

'Mam and Tad really disappointed. My Mam cried and my Tad was so angry.'

'What did you steal?'

'Nothing, it wasn't even my fault,' Ianto replied defensively. Jack looked at him sympathetically, urging him to tell the story.

'It was my – Danny; my boyfriend Danny.'

'Your boyfriend?' Jack raised his eyebrows.

'Yeah, what of it?'

Jack shook his head.

'Nothing – carry on.'

'I'm not gay if that's what you're thinking. I only do it on the weekends.'

Jack fought the urge to smile once again. Ianto continued.

'He's eighteen and I know my Mam doesn't like him, but she doesn't know him like I do.'

'Does your Mam know that you're...'

'I'm not gay. I've just got a boyfriend is all.'

'Hey, I'm the last person to categorise anybody. I don't do labels. If you like men you like men. It's no big deal.'

'It would be to my Mam and Tad. No they just know he's my friend.'

'But he got you into shoplifting?'

'It's his mates. They rob stuff all the time. One of them – Carl lifted these DVD from the supermarket. He put them in his bag and walked out the shop. I didn't know he'd done it. Of course all the alarms go off and the security guard starts chasing us. Carl passed the bag to Danny and Danny passed it to me. I got caught with it.'

'And they just let you take the blame?' Jack could tell where this story was going.

'I had to. Danny's already got a criminal record. He'd go to prison. I can't let him go to prison.'

Jack sighed. He understood why Ianto's parents didn't like this Danny. Jack wasn't too keen on him either and he'd never met him.

'Did Danny know what was in the bag?'

Ianto nodded dejectedly.

'So, now you've got a criminal record,' Jack said, 'for something he did.'

'Yeah,'

'And if you'd done it would you have let him take the blame?'

Ianto looked down at the floor and didn't reply.

'He just doesn't sound like a very good boyfriend to me.'

Jack touched Ianto's arm. Ianto looked into his eyes; they were so blue.

'You should go home, Ianto.'

'I can't, Mam and Tad will kill me for running away, especially after everything.'

'They'll be worried sick. Believe me, they might be angry but they'll be more relieved to have you back safely – you know you could have been killed tonight.'

Ianto felt sick. Jack was right he had almost died. He'd almost died before but he didn't remember it. To him, being hit by a car was just a story that got told about him. He had no memory of it actually happening. This was different. He knew he would never forget this night. He had nearly been killed by an alien. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to see him Mam. He looked at Jack again.

'Thanks for saving me,' he said.

'No problem, just doing my job.'

'Can I go home now?' Ianto asked.

'Sure, I tell you what – you drink that glass of water and I'll just go and get my things and I'll go and phone your parents and tell them I'm bringing you home.'

'Ok,' Ianto smiled as he took a sip of the retcon laced water.

Fifteen minutes later Ianto and Becky were standing on Ianto's doorstep. Jack was waiting in the car. He didn't want the Jones's to recognise him, even though it had been eleven years, if they recognised him there would be awkward questions asked. He watched Becky ring the bell and seconds later the door was flung open. Jack recognised the face of Gladys Jones as she pulled Ianto into a tight hug. Ifan Jones appeared behind her.

'Ianto!' she screamed. 'Oh my boy; where the hell have you been?'

Her gaze fell on Becky.

'I'm D.S. Smith ma'am,' Jack heard her introduce herself using her fake police identity. 'My colleague found him wandering around by the park. We had a chat with him and he asked to be brought home.'

'That's my girl,' Jack thought. Now, when Ianto woke up that was the story he would remember.

'Are you alright?' Gladys asked Ianto. 'Did anybody hurt you?'

Jack saw Ianto shake his head.

'No, I'm ok. I'm sorry Mam.'

'Come inside,' she gently ushered her son into the house before turning to Becky.

'Thank you so much for finding him.'

'Just doing my job, ma'am, our doctor has checked him over, he's perfectly fine but he's tired. They asked me to recommend letting him sleep tonight before you try to talk to him about what's happened.'

Jack saw Gladys Jones nod in agreement.

Becky got back into the car and Jack drove off towards her house.

'What a night,' Becky said.

'Tell me about it,' Jack replied. 'But that's what I love about Torchwood, one minute you're fighting an alien testosterone junkie; the next you're the angel of the happy ever after.'

Becky smiled.

'He seems like a good kid though – he'll be ok.'

'I know he'll be ok but what about me? I spend three days cruising and not once have I gotten laid.'

'Aww poor baby.'

'No. No "poor baby". Alex promised me I'd get laid if I took this assignment.'

Becky rolled her eyes at him.

'You'll have to take that up with Alex.'

'You know, Blondie you could always take me up on my offer...'

'No, Jack.'

'One day, Becky. One day you'll give in