A/N Reviews are rewarded with more chapters :-) Thank you Lesleigh for your comments! Warms the heart...

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own anything Torchwood...

Chapter 4

It didn't take many days before the employees of Torchwood Cardiff found out what kind of relationship Jack and Tosh had. When having coffee on Friday, the always too curious Gwen, couldn't resist any longer and asked Tosh straight out if they were together. Gwen was lucky not to be within range, when Tosh spurted out the coffee she had just drunk, as she started laughing. After a few moments, Tosh collected herself and answered that, no, they were definitely not involved, she really was there because of her brilliance in computers. And, as Gwen was not only curious, but also couldn't keep her mouth shut, within an hour the entire office knew.

Jack and Ianto were the ones who worked the most closely and soon found that they very much liked each other's company. They could relax when in the other's presence, and were getting along very well. When Ianto had found out that Tosh and Jack weren't a couple; he had been relieved and had had a warm feeling in his stomach. He explained the relief to himself as it being easier not to work with a couple, but he just couldn't come up with a good reason for the warm feeling, so he decided to try and ignore it. His attempts didn't go very well, as the feeling returned every time he and Jack brushed against each other while working or every time he made one of his witty, sarcastic comments made Jack laugh. That beautiful genuine laugh. Ok, so he might have a little crush, but that was something he just had to get over! He was just impressed with his new-found friend, and he had Lisa… And anyway, what were the chances it would be reciprocated?

Little did he know, that in Jack's mind much of the same thoughts were flying around. When talking to Toshiko one evening, as they were having dinner together, he asked her what she knew about the 26-year old Welshman. Tosh, knowing her friend as well as she did, told him that it wasn't worth getting his hopes up, since Ianto was with Lisa. But she also saw the disappointed look on his face, and realized that this might be serious, Jack might actually be falling for their younger colleague…

Jack and Ianto worked together most of the time and a few weeks after Tosh's and Jack's arrival, the work-load started to build up and they found themselves working over-time more and more often. They often had to stay late, long after the others had left. It was on one of these evenings, that they had just had pizza and Jack complained that Ianto wasn't eating enough vegetables, making Ianto replied:

'Ok, ok, mam!' and they both laughed.

'So, getting back to more serious stuff,' Jack said as their laughter died down, and started looking around for a particular paper, seeing it on the other side of Ianto. He reached over and leaned slightly into Ianto as he took it, making them both gasp for air. 'It feels so good to touch him!' they thought simultaneously. 'I hope he feels the same! But I can't do anything about these feelings, not even talk to him about it, not while Lisa's in the picture…'

That evening, as they said goodbye, Jack gave Ianto a hug, and held on just a bit too long for it just to be a hug given to a friend. As they parted, they were both filled with a warm, fuzzy feeling and as they walked home, it was like walking on clouds.

But as Ianto returned home, he found Lisa waiting for him, and the happy feeling disappeared very soon.

'Ianto, we need to talk.'

Ianto knew instinctively that this was going to be a serious conversation, perhaps the exact conversation he had been thinking about lately, since meeting Jack. He made them each a cup of tea before settling with Lisa on the couch. He looked at her apprehensively, as she started talking.

'Ianto, I have to tell you something: I'm leaving Cardiff.'

Ianto didn't know what to feel, much less what to say. They had been in a rut for so long, and neither of them was happy, but he was about to loose a very dear friend, someone he had loved for so long… And as guilty as he felt about it, he couldn't ignore a small happy voice telling him that he could finally talk to Jack, and see if his feelings were in any way returned. But he still felt really sad about losing her, she had been a part of his life for so long.

'I've had an offer about a job in London, and that way I'd be closer to my family…' Lisa continued, and silently started to cry.

'I never wanted this to happen, I thought we would grow old together, start a family, but it's been such a long time that we haven't been really happy together… I just feel that this is right for me, and I think breaking up is right for us…'

They sat and talked, cried and laughed that entire night, and as morning came, they fell asleep in each other's arms, feeling happier than they done together in a very long time.

In the early morning Ianto texted Owen, saying that he couldn't be in today, for personal reasons. They would talk later, but for the moment, could he please pass the message on to Jack?

Lisa and Ianto spent the day going through things they would divide, Lisa was leaving soon, at the end of the week. Her new job started in two weeks, but she was going to go to her parents' and then start looking for her own flat. On Tuesday night, when Ianto went to bed, he felt happy, he and Lisa had spent a nice day together, no hard feelings about anything, only relief that they had reached the stage where they could actually have closure, and as he was falling asleep, Ianto thought about Jack and how nice it was going to be to see him in the morning.

Jack, on the other hand, was worried about Ianto, why hadn't he come in today? Had he completely misread everything, had that embrace the previous evening been a step too far? These were his final thoughts before he drifted off to sleep on Tuesday evening.