Shades of Grey

A Torchwood Fic

By: Tenshi-Chan

Part 3 - Things Change

Tosh smiled as Ianto Jones seemed to be taking stock of everything and getting himself acquainted with the hub. Deciding to be friendly, she approached the rather attractive young man. "It's a lot to take in, but you do get used to it."

Ianto let out a soft chuckle. "I don't doubt it." He turned to her. "Did you need more coffee, Miss Sato?"

Tosh's eyes widened and she burst into giggles. "Sorry. I'm so sorry, Ianto. No one has called me Miss Sato since before I joined Jack's team. Please ... call me Tosh, and coffee would be lovely. Thank you, Ianto."

Ianto nodded and headed off, stopping by Suzie's area. This caught Tosh's attention since Suzie wasn't there. Ianto simply stood there a moment before his whole body gave a very faint shudder and his fists clenched.

Tosh watched Ianto go over to the coffee machine before curiosity got the better of her and she walked over to Suzie's work station. There was nothing there that Tosh could see that would cause such a reaction in their newest team member. She decided to ask him about it when he brought her coffee.

Ianto took deep, calming breaths in order not to go into a full-fledged panic attack. He knew now what he hadn't known in his memories. If he didn't do something to stop it, this was the day that Suzie would start using the Risen Mitten. The question was whether or not he wanted to stop her. He closed his eyes as a stress-induced headache started developing and wished he could see what changing this event would affect.

As he finished getting Tosh's coffee, he came to a decision and started making two more cups. One for himself, one for Jack. That done, he put all three cups on a tray and headed towards Jack's office. Owen still had his coffee from earlier, and Suzie was out investigating an object that had come through the rift. He paused briefly to deliver Tosh's more mellow coffee before continuing on with the two cups of Jack's preferred blend, which Ianto had found he enjoyed as well when he had been trying to get into Torchwood 3. He could see Tosh wanted to ask him something, but he couldn't delay another minute. He had to warn Jack about the glove. In doing so, he'd have to let Jack know a little of what had happened to him.

At the sound of someone knocking on his door, Jack looked up from the requisition form Ianto had handed to him. He had to admit that their newest team member was very efficient when it came to requesting things. "Come in." He smiled as the object of his thoughts entered the room. "Ianto Jones, you mind reader! I was just thinking how good a cup of coffee would be right now."

Ianto gave him a shaky smile while he handed Jack one of the two mugs. He took a breath before speaking. "May I have a few moments of your time, sir?"

Jack motioned to the chair across from him. "Please do. What's on your mind?"

Ianto sat down and was silent a few seconds before speaking. "You can't let Miss Costello test the glove."

Jack froze at the dark tone Ianto was using. A part of him was furious that his newest hire was challenging him on the second day of work. Over one hundred years of learning patience was the only thing that kept Jack from kicking Ianto out of his office. "I'm listening. Why can't I let Suzie test the glove? We don't even know what it does yet."

The young Welshman looked disturbed a moment before clenching his fingers around the mug in his hand. "That's not entirely true." He drew in a shuddering breath before speaking. "The day Canary Wharf fell, I came into contact with an uncatalogued piece of alien tech which showed me flashes of the future. It was the main reason why I was so determined to join Torchwood 3. I actually saw myself working here."

Jack was shocked at the revelation, but brushed the surprise away before it could register on his face. "Let's say you're telling me the truth. Convince me of it, and I'll put the glove into storage as tech that is not to be used under any circumstances."

Ianto furrowed his eyebrows in thought and Jack had the almost uncontrollable urge to lick that little wrinkle that appeared between Ianto's eyebrows. It was almost two minutes before Ianto said something he couldn't possibly know unless he was telling the truth about what had happened.

"Your younger brother's name is Gray. Your worst memory was that you let go of his hand and it ended with him being taken by the aliens attacking your home on the Boeshane Peninsula."

Later, Jack would be grateful that he had a shatterproof mug since the one he had been holding slipped from his nerveless fingers. "Oh." He felt a flash of anxiety and gazed at Ianto. "What else can you tell me about myself?"

Ianto smiled a little sadly. "I know that you can't stay dead. That's not important right now, though."

Jack blinked in shock. Not important? His not being able to permanently die was not improtant? That fact usually got people on his case. They either hated or feared what he was. It was almost refreshing to meet someone who didn't seem to care about his peculiar condition. "So what is important?"

"The glove. It brings people back to life for a maximum of two minutes. That's all very well and good, but it slowly starts to control the one who thinks they control the glove." Ianto was quiet a moment, and Jack could see he was deep in thought. "If Miss Costello starts using the glove, it will start a chain of events that will lead to the death of herself and many innocent people." He shook his head. "I probably shouldn't have said anything, but Suzie Costello is a good woman."

Jack felt warmth spread through him at Ianto's concern for someone he barely knew, even if he had received a glimpse of the future. "Yes, she is. I'll tell her to bring me the glove." He watched as Ianto let out a relieved breath and rise from the chair. He was almost at the door when Jack took a chance. "Did you see anything else in this vision of yours?"

Ianto turned to him, and Jack felt his breath leave him. Gone was the timid and quiet archivist he'd hired. Standing by the door to his office was a creature of pure sensuality. "Time and place, Sir" With that, he winked saucily and left.

Jack stared after Ianto and a smile slowly bloomed across his face. Suddenly he realized just why the young man had been so full of regret when he'd pulled away in the warehouse. He hadn't wanted to pull away. Jack felt his heart fill with warmth. Someone knew about his curse, and honestly didn't care about it. Always before people avoided him once they knew, or left him altogether like Alice's mother had.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't even hear the door open until Owen spoke up. "Oi! You shagging the tea boy? He came out of here looking like the cat that ate the cream, and you look way too pleased with yourself to have just had a little chat with him."

"No." Jack smirked and glanced at the medic. "Not yet, at least. I will, though. It's only a matter of time." He chuckled to himself as Owen let out a disgusted grunt before the medic left the room. He stood up and headed for the door. He met Suzie Costello's eyes as she returned, new item in hand. "Suzie! My office! Bring the glove!" He knew he could ask Ianto about events in the future, but he also knew that knowing certain events might cause those events to not happen.

Later that evening, Jack watched as everyone left the hub. He had been pleased at Suzie's acceptance of Jack's reason for not wanting her to examine the glove. When asked, he'd told her he had a bad feeling about it. He walked out of his office and leaned against the railing to watch as Ianto finished tidying the area. As if aware he was being watched, Ianto turned to look up at Jack. Their eyes met, and Jack must have lost a moment because he wasn't even aware of moving until he was standing by the young Welshman. "Is this the time and place?" Slowly, to give Ianto every opportunity to either refuse or pull away, Jack leaned in and initiated a tender kiss. When Ianto whimpered, Jack drew back in alarm. "What's wrong?"

Ianto's lower lip was trembling and his eyes were glazed with unshed tears as he regarded Jack. One tear fell before he spoke. "I've been longing for this since I saw you in the park." That said, Ianto pulled Jack close and initiated the second kiss. He ran his tongue along Jack's teeth before deepening the kiss.

Jack groaned and pulled the younger man as close to him as possible. He could practically taste the excitement coming off of Ianto in waves.

"Oh bloody Hell! Get a room!" Owen's voice was like a bucket of ice water.

Jack chuckled. "Good idea, Owen!" He turned his attention to Ianto. "Shall we?"

Ianto pulled away a little and, while his smile was no less radiant, he shook his head. "Not just yet. What sort of respect would you have for someone that didn't make you work for it a little?" As if to take the sting out of his refusal, Ianto leaned forward and kissed Jack again. "Tomorrow night, rift permitting, I'll give you a massage before I leave."

Jack felt his jaw drop as Ianto left and he turned to Owen, who seemed just as gobsmacked as Jack felt.

"Damn me, Jack. That kid has more self-restraint than I gave him credit for."

Jack sighed and shook his head. "You have no idea, Owen." So he had to work a little for Ianto even though the Welshman had insinuated so much. That was fine. He was willing to wait. If Ianto knew just how to kiss him in a way that drove him wild, he was curious to see what else the Welshman knew.

Ianto entered the Hub the next morning bright and early. He knew that he needed to speak with Jack before they started anything. They actually shouldn't have kissed the previous night, but he wasn't sorry they had.

"Ianto Jones ... I was just thinking about you." Jack was grinning at him from the upper level.

Ianto straightened his suit and returned the smile. "I'll make us some coffee. We have an issue we need to discuss."

Jack blinked at him in confusion. "Is that a long way of saying 'we need to talk'?"

Ianto chuckled. "The death knell of any relationship. No. I just thought we should set up a few ground rules, and there's one I need to stress." He nodded to the door of Jack's office. "I'll be right up, Jack."

About twenty minutes later, they were sitting across from each other and Jack was looking at him questioningly. "So ... what ground rules are we talking about?"

Ianto nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "First thing ... I want to make it clear that, during 'normal' hours," he made air quotations with his fingers, "we should keep up a professional working relationship."

Jack chuckled and took a swig of his own coffee. "Thank goodness you clarified that. So how will I know when 'normal' hours are beginning and ending? It's not like the rift takes a vacation, even though it has slow days."

Ianto glanced at the clock. "By the way I address you. Which reminds me, Sir, I have to start things up. Is there anything you can think of before I go feed Myfanwy?"

Jack pouted in the way that never failed to make Ianto cave. "No good morning kiss?"

Ianto chuckled and leaned forward to acquiesce. The kiss was quick and tender. "Better?"

Jack's smile spoke volumes. "Much. Now about the postcards you wanted for the tourist office. Do we really need ten different styles?"

From that day, Ianto lost track of time. He didn't mind the way that the days blended together. There was comfort in the routine he established for himself, and he looked forward to going into work every day. The time he spent with Jack before returning to his flat was another thing he looked forward to. There were a couple of nights when Ianto had opted to stay at the Hub at Jack's request, but those nights had ended with Jack just holding him as if he were a giant teddy bear. Ianto had no way of knowing what prompted those requests. He was just pleased that his presence brought the much older man some small comfort.

Two months after he started, there was a Weevil attack in Cardiff. The Weevil had retreated to the sewers, and the body had been dealt with, but Jack was pensive that night when Ianto brought him a towel and a nice cup of strong coffee. "Problem, Jack?"

Jack smiled at Ianto as he took the cup. "You, Ianto Jones, are a Godsend. Don't let anyone tell you differently." He grabbed Ianto's hand and pulled him so Ianto had no choice but to sit on Jack's lap.

"Jack! I'm not exactly a feather, here." Ianto chuckled and rested his head on Jack's shoulder.

"You're not a 10-ton weight, either. I don't mind." Jack sighed and shook his head. "Strange night, that's all." He was silent a moment while he held Ianto. "We had one determined PC dogging us while we were chasing the Weevil. She could have gotten herself killed, but I had to admire her grim determination to get to the bottom of things."

Ianto blinked and he couldn't help his chuckling. From the sounds of it, Jack had just had his first encounter with Gwen Cooper.

Jack's eyes twinkled as he regarded Ianto. "What's so funny?"

Ianto cleared his throat and shook his head. He wasn't going to say anything, one way or another. If Jack hired Gwen, then he hired her. If not, then it wasn't meant to be. Ianto had wanted to prevent Suzie's death. If that meant Gwen wasn't recruited, then so be it. She was a good woman, and a valuable asset, but Ianto was not going to dictate to Jack how he should run the Hub. "Just the mental image of one of the local police force trying to keep up with you."

Jack hummed and unbuttoned Ianto's shirt to run his fingers against his bared chest.

Ianto shuddered and moaned as Jack attacked his neck. For all the making out and foreplay, he'd never taken that last step. He'd held out due to not wanting to seem easy and because it had never felt quite right. "Jack ..."

Jack groaned and kissed his way up to Ianto's mouth. "I swear on my immortality that I will still respect you in the morning. Right now, however, to have you so near and not actually have you is driving me insane. I will never do anything against your will, but I have never desired anyone like I desire you right now." He nibbled on Ianto's ear. "From your insinuations, we're supposed to be together. Why the resistance?"

Ianto was torn. "Please, Jack. I can't. Not yet." He felt miserable because he understood Jack's desire, and shared it, but he was frightened. "I saw us together, but it's more like a dream than reality. I've never been with a man and, to be honest, I'm terrified." He pulled back and choked a little on a regretful sob. "I want you. I really do. You're strong, brave, honest, and you care about people. The fact that you're handsome doesn't hurt, but I just can't yet." He shuddered and closed his eyes against the tears that threatened. "I'm sorry."

Jack stopped what he was doing to pull Ianto into an embrace that was more for comfort than seduction. "You have nothing to apologize for, Ianto. Using your vision of the future against you was unfair of me. Just let me know when you are ready. You know I have all the time in the universe. I can wait for you."

Ianto rested his head on Jack's shoulder and sighed. "I know you can, and I know you would. I can promise you one thing, though." He looked in Jack's eyes so the immortal would know he was telling the truth. "You won't have to wait much longer."

Jack smiled gently and then just pulled Ianto close again.

The next afternoon, Jack entered the Hub again after going to a hospital where the Weevil from the previous night had been sighted. They'd caught the Weevil, but only after some foolish orderly had distracted it by way of getting up close and personal. He sank into his office chair with a sigh. "That went well."

Owen snorted. "Yeah, right. Caught a Weevil because some bloody git was in a place where he shouldn't have been and all because someone else was where she shouldn't be. Wasn't she the same PC that was chasing us last night?"

Jack smiled as Ianto walked in. "Body's been dealt with?" At Ianto's nod, he turned to Tosh. "Usual story. As to your question, Owen. Yes, it was the same cop from last night. And she followed us here."

Suzie turned on her moniter and chuckled. "And she's still standing there staring at the water tower."

Jack watched Ianto as the Welshman gazed at the screen with a small smile on his face. "Ianto?"

Any suspicions were verified when Ianto stiffened a little and gazed in his direction. Jack indicated the screen with a jerk of his head and raised a questioning eyebrow. Had he seen this cop in his vision?

"I'll make some coffee." Ianto headed for the coffee machine.

Jack understood that Ianto didn't want the fact that he'd caught glimpses of the future broadcast, so he simply went into his office to wait for his coffee. He laced his fingers together and stared off into space for the brief time it took for Ianto to make the drinks and deliver them. He looked up as Ianto entered the office and closed the door. "Ianto?"

Ianto took in a deep breath and released it before responding. "Gwen Cooper. In the glimpse I got, you hired her because there was a vacancy left when Suzie killed herself. Since you haven't let Suzie experiment with the glove, she won't see the need to kill herself when she's found out, so there won't be a vacancy." He shrugged. "Whether you still hire Gwen or not is entirely up to you, sir. I have had a glimpse of one possible future. Some things I'd like to prevent, like Suzie's death. Some things I definitely want to ensure." With that, he caressed Jack's face to indicate that he wanted the relationship between them. "The rest, I will let you know if you ask me and then leave it up to you to decide. You are still the boss here."

Jack thought about it a moment. "What was she like in your vision?"

Ianto thought about it. "Honestly? She was stubborn almost to a fault. She had a habit of questioning your authority. At the same time, she was resourceful, brave and caring."

Jack nodded. Once again, he was pleased at how Ianto was handling the grave responsibility he'd been given. It would have been so easy for the Welshman to tell Jack to hire Gwen or not to hire her for whatever reason. "Let's see how things go." Ianto nodded and left the office.

Jack turned on the monitor and chuckled as Gwen Cooper actually stepped on the invisible lift once while circling the Water Tower. 'Oh you are a clever girl. Let's see how you figure out the way in here.'

"She's still there. It's raining out, as usual, so she must be freezing her ass off." Owen looked over at Jack. "You sure you didn't get her pregnant at some point in time?"

Ianto snorted at that question, and sprinkled some chocolate shavings onto the top of the whipped cream of Tosh's hot chocolate. She looked like she could do with a sugar rush.

She looked up at him and smiled when he placed her mug in front of her. "Oh you are a Godsend, Ianto! Don't ever forget it!"

Tosh had unconsciously echoed Jack's earlier statement and Ianto smiled at her in response. "I try, Tosh." He was incredibly pleased that the friendship he had with Tosh was as easy in reality as it had been in the vision. He glanced at the screen to watch Gwen head in the direction that a pizza delivery driver was going. "Bet you anything she's going to try getting in here by bringing a pizza."

Owen let out a bark of laughter. "No one is that stupid, mate!"

Feeling a bit emboldened, he stood up straight and jerked his jacket into place. "All right! Five pounds says she brings pizza. Ten pounds says she brings two."

Owen clapped his hands together and pointed at Ianto. "You're on! Anyone else wanna strip the tea boy of some of his pay packet and a bit of his dignity?"

Jack was the first to speak. "Actually I'm siding with Ianto on this one, Owen."

Ianto turned to Jack and raised an eyebrow. Jack simply responded by doing a one-shoulder shrug.

Tosh seemed undecided until Suzie spoke up.

"We're talking about someone who not only chased us while we were out hunting a Weevil last night, but someone who chased us today after seeing what that Weevil could do." Suzie shook her head. "I'm not betting anything, though. No offense to either of you, but my betting with one or the other is a conflict of my personal interests." She raised her coffee mug in toast to Ianto.

Ianto fought a smile at that, but vowed to pick up the biscuits that Suzie liked the next time he was at Tescos getting Myfanwy's chocolate.

Tosh took off her glasses and smiled at Owen. Her heart was in her eyes, and it always amazed Ianto that Owen couldn't see the light that shone just for him. Then she sighed with a shrug. "I'm also siding with Ianto on this. Mostly because I don't want him to lose more than a maximum of ten pounds."

Owen smirked with glee and turned back to his monitor.

Ianto simply chuckled and started cleaning up. If Gwen failed to bring pizza, it would be up to him to go on a dinner run. He need not have worried, though. About half an hour after making the initial bet, he heard Owen's voice.

"Bugger!"

Tosh giggled softly. "Two pizzas, Ianto. Just like you said she might."

Ianto simply shook his head with a smile. "Lucky guess. I'll go and greet her." He poured himself a mug of coffee and headed up to the Tourist Office.

Gwen was mortified as the young man chuckled and took the pizzas from her. He indicated the door behind her. "Go on. Don't keep him waiting."

Gwen was still in shock as she walked down the hallway to what looked like a lift. Just before she could change her mind and head home, the doors slid shut and she was going down. She kept her eyes on the doors in front of her as she waited for them to open, only to spin around in shock as what she had thought was a wall opened behind her.

She swallowed and carefully descended the stairs and walked through what looked like a giant cog wheel door and approached an open barred door. She could see a young Japanese woman at a computer. If the woman noticed her, she gave no indication. Gwen took a few steps into the large room only to hear the sound of a door behind her. She turned just in time to see what looked to be a giant cage close with a decided clang.

She looked around and her attention was caught by what seemed to be a hand in a bubbling jar. Sparks drew her attention to where someone was working with a welder. The person had long hair, but Gwen was not going to base gender on that.

As she looked towards her left of the amazingly large subterrainean room, She caught sight of a huge monolith and various pools of water. Movement from a room upstairs caught her eye, and she focused on the one person she had come to see. She watched as the strange and handsome man from earlier that day walked down a metal staircase and right past her without seeming to see her. It was almost as if she were invisible since the person who had been welding removed their welding mask, revealing a rather attractive woman, also ignored her.

She took a deep breath as the man who had identified himself as Captain Jack Harkness sat at a desk and proceeded to write. She glanced over at the Japanese woman as she passed her workstation. One monitor had a wave pattern and the other seemed to have some sort of screen saver.

As she continued, Gwen looked over to the final person. Whoever he was, he was wearing a lab coat. As he was the only one she had seen thus far in such a coat, she guessed he was a doctor. There was a world map on his computer screen. It looked as if he was concentrating on someplace in Africa if the crosshairs were any indication.

She heard a giggle behind her, and the man in the lab coat snorted. That snort was followed by another bout of giggles from the Japanese woman.

The doctor laughed. "I Can't do this! I'm sorry! I'm rubbish! I give up!" He threw his pen down and grinned.

The Japanese woman pointed at him, her eyes dancing with mirth. "HE set me off!"

The woman who had been welding seemed slightly annoyed. "Well that lasted naught point two seconds."

The man regarded her. "Hmmm ... She actually brought pizza."

The woman with the long hair chuckled. "Two pizzas, Owen! You're dishing out 30 quid!"

Owen. So his name was Owen, and his eyes lost their mirth as he turned to glare at the woman who had teased him. "Shut it!"

Jack Harkness, who looked a little upset about the joke being over, but still amused at her confusion, approached. "Come on! She was going to say 'I delivered your pizza' and I was gonna say 'How much?' And she says 'Oh, whatever! 20 quid!' And I say 'Ooo! I don't have any money.' I was working on a punchline had I got there. But it would have been good."

Gwen felt utterly humiliated. They had apparently bet upon her bringing pizza, and were treating her like some sort of joke. "I delivered your pizza. I think I had better go."

Jack gave her a 'you have got to be kidding!' look. "I think we've gone past that stage."

The woman who had teased Owen addressed her directly for the first time. "You must have been freezing out there. How long were you walking around, three hours?"

Gwen gaped and looked around. "You could see me?"

As the woman nodded, Jack addressed the group. "And before we go any further, who the HELL orders pizza under the name of Torchwood?"

Owen raised a finger. "Uh ... yeah! That'd be me! Sorry, I'm a twat!" He didn't look sorry at all.

Gwen swallowed and turned to Jack. "That man at the hospital? That porter? What happened to him? That was real, wasn't it? He was attacked."

Jack's answer was blunt and almost heartless. "He's dead."

Gwen frowned in confusion. "But ... there's no one gone missing."

The very attractive young Japanese woman spoke up for the first time since the bout of laughter. "We took the body, retrospectively changed the work rota, planted a false witness who 'saw' him leaving the hospital, giving him an alibi for the next 48 hours. So when his body's pulled out of the docks next Tuesday night, he's only been missing for three days."

"He was murdered." Gwen needed to clarify that.

"Yeah!"

Gwen felt a small ball of anger in the pit of her stomach at that, again, callous attitude. "And you covered it up."

The Japanese woman didn't seem fazed at all at Gwen's almost accusatory tone. "It's my job."

Gwen turned to Jack "Who are you?"

Jack smirked, as if waiting for that question. "Torchwood."

That didn't clarify anything. "What's Torchwood?"

With a small flourish, Jack motioned to the room. "This is Torchwood. All around you."

Now Gwen was worried because she'd seen a lot. There were plenty of shows out there that told what happened when someone stumbled upon a secret organization. "And what happens to me? I'm police. Constable Gwen Cooper. You can't do anything."

Jack grinned and glanced up. Gwen turned and saw the young Welshman from earlier standing there with the pizza she had brought.

He was regarding her oddly. Not like she was a complete stranger. More like she was a friend he'd been expecting. She gave him a shy smile and felt a slight wave of gratitude. As embarassed as she had been upon entering this place, it would have been worse if she had still been carrying the pizza.

Jack turned and motioned to the doctor. "Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper."

The man in question gave Jack a glare. "'Doctor' Owen Harper, thank you."

Whether Jack heard or not, he continued and motioned to the Japanese woman. "Toshiko Sato, computer genius." He waved to the welding woman. "Suzie Costello, she's second-in-command."

Suzie looked up from what she had been examining and smiled.

Jack's tone took on a warmer feel as he walked over to where the young Welshman was. "And this is Ianto Jones, Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time."

Ianto's tone was also full of warmth and nodded a little. "I try my best."

Jack turned to Gwen and gave her a megawatt grin. "And he looks good in a suit."

Though he hardly seemed offended, Ianto raised his eyebrows. "Careful. That's harassment, sir."

Jack chuckled. "Only if you tell me not to do it, Ianto. You have yet to complain about my compliments. Right then! PC Cooper. Do you want to come see?"

Gwen blinked. There was an odd dynamic that seemed to flow through everyone here. It made her feel ... almost welcome now. Like she had gone through some sort of hazing ritual. A test that she had passed. "See what?"

Jack looked into her eyes. "You saw the murder." He motioned with his head. "Come and see the murderer."

Gwen watched Jack walk away and looked around in confusion. They all gave her a small smile before going back to their respective projects.

Suzie nodded. "Go with him."

Not wanting to waste any more time, Gwen hurried after Jack. "What is Torchwood? Who are you? What is this place?" Any other questions were cut off by something screeching overhead. She ducked as something large swooped down. "Oh!" No one else seemed bothered. "What was that?"

Toshiko didn't even look at her. "Pterodactyl."

Gwen stared at Tosh in disbelief a moment until Jack called her.

"Are you coming?"

Ianto chuckled as Gwen walked after Jack like she was a bewildered puppy.

Owen and the two women joined in the mirth a moment before Suzie spoke up. "Oh the look on her face when she saw Myfanwy was priceless! I swear she thought the old girl was going to eat her."

Owen snorted. "Of course you lot are amused. I'm out 30 quid!"

Ianto threw away the pizza boxes from lunchtime. "I'm willing to take my payment in the form of coffee. There's a nice blend that goes about 10 quid a pound."

Owen pointed at Ianto. "Deal! I get a cup, right?"

Ianto nodded. "Of course." Then he shared a smile with Tosh. Then he made a little jerk with his head. When Tosh gave Ianto a confused look, he returned it with one filled with significance stating that he knew she fancied Owen and provided her with a perfect opportunity to go out with him.

Tosh blushed slightly. "You could always buy me dinner or drinks after work, Owen."

Owen spun and gave Tosh a wide-eyed stare. "Wait! Let me see if I got this. Are you suggesting a date?"

Tosh glanced at Suzie and Ianto saw the woman nod at her in encouragement. Then she ducked her head and fiddled with her pencil. "Well ... yes, actually. I suppose I am. Only if you don't mind, that is."

Owen looked like someone had slapped him over the head with a rubber chicken. After a moment of opening and closing his mouth a few times, he shrugged. "Sure! Why the Hell not? Might be fun." Then he swallowed and looked away quickly. "Might even be worth a repeat."

Ianto felt a surge of satisfaction as he headed for the bin to dispose of the rubbish. He turned around and almost jumped when he found Tosh standing there with a look of confused gratitude on her face. "How did you know? I mean ... I never told anyone."

Ianto smiled and shook his head. "You didn't have to. The only one who couldn't see it was Owen."

Tosh surged forward and gave Ianto a brief, strong hug. "Thank you. I never would have suggested it on my own."

Ianto watched her go. "I know." That was murmured to himself and went about cleaning the coffee machine for the night.

Gwen was in shock as she followed Jack back to the main area. "Why are you showing me all of this? It's classified, isn't it?"

The American seemed amused. "Way beyond classified."

The ball of fear was back. "What are you gonna do to me?"

If anything, the question seemed to amuse him more "What did you imagine?" He headed up to the office, not waiting for Gwen to answer.

Gwen took a deep breath and looked down. "Well, I've seen too much. Your names and everything, and the Weevil, and ..." She looked at Toshiko, who looked back almost innocently. "You can dump a man in the water and lie about his death." She looked up as Ianto headed into Jack s office. Jack left the office a moment later with his coat on.

"Oh-kay! Tosh, finish that calibration tomorrow morning. Owen, first thing, get a hold of Chandler and Bell, cos I think they're lying. Ianto, if he needs back-up, then you'd better be on stand-by. Suzie, I know it's a pain in the ass, but I need the costing on your research, and as for you," He turned to look at Gwen. "you're coming with me. This way."

Gwen started after him and muttered. "I'm getting tired of following you."

Jack regarded her a moment. "No you're not, and you never will."

Gwen was confused at that comment, so she followed.

Later on, while talking over drinks in the nearby pub, she felt oddly giddy. "So ... You catch aliens for a living?"

Jack beamed at her. "Yes, we do."

Gwen shook her head. "You're an alien-catcher?"

Jack looked like he was about ready to laugh. "Yes, I am."

Out of curiosity, Gwen had to ask. "Caught any good aliens?"

Though he was obviously still amused, Jack answered deadpan. "Tons of 'em!"

That was it. Gwen had to laugh. "That's hell of a job description."

Jack nodded. "Sure is."

The two of them laughed at the situation and Gwen shook her head. "This is so weird."

Jack nodded again. "Yeah. So ... interested?"

Gwen swallowed her beer hard and stared at him. "Excuse me?"

Jack motioned towards the Plass. "In joining, that is. Look at it this way. As a police officer, you serve and protect. Torchwood does the same thing, but on a grander scale."

Gwen frowned. "But that porter ..."

Jack nodded and, for the first time, she saw a hint of remorse in the man. "Yes. There are, sadly, casualties. Just like there are casualties in police work. We hide them because the world isn't ready for the truth just yet. We don't just catch aliens. We scavenge the stuff they leave behind. Find ways of using it. Arming the human race for the future. The twenty-first century is when it all changes, and you've got to be ready."

Gwen frowned in thought. "But who's in charge of you? Is it the government or what?"

Jack shook his head. "We're separate from the government. Outside the police. Beyond the United Nations. If one power got hold of this stuff, they could use it for their own purposes."

Gwen wasn't convinced. "But so could you."

Jack shook his head and spoke with conviction. "All alien technology stays on the base. No-one's allowed to take anything outside."

At that moment, Owen and Tosh were sharing a drink at a club where a blonde woman Owen would never meet stroked the leg of her boyfriend. The alien perfume and scanner were safely in the Hub being archived by Ianto while Suzie contemplated her next chess move against him. She hadn't won a game yet, and found the challenge thrilling. At the same time, she was delighted that she had a little bit in common with the quiet young man. Neither of them had had the ideal father, and they both strove to acheive more in hopes of not feeling like failures.

Jack looked at the Welsh woman across from him. He could see that she was thinking very hard about his proposition. Normally, he would retcon someone. He trusted Ianto's judgment, though, and he had gotten the feeling that this Gwen Cooper would be an excellent addition to the team.

Gwen nodded after a moment. "I must be bloody mad, but yeah. I'll join up. I became a cop to protect people, and it sounds like what you do will do it better than what I do." She shook her head. "Don't know what I'm going to tell my boyfriend."

Jack pursed his lips. That had never been an issue. "Tell him you're in Special Ops and you've signed the Official Secrets Act. It was the explanation that made the most sense."

Gwen nodded and took another drink before laughing. "Bloody hell! I'm an alien-catcher!"

Jack laughed as well. "Welcome to Torchwood, Miss Cooper."

To be continued...