A/N: Thanks for everyone that's reviewing and adding the story to the alerts and whatnot. It means a lot to me. And thanks for those who have said that, even though this sort of "what if" storyline has been used by many, each story is written differently and leads to different paths and that they're willing to follow my version of it. =) Also, while we're on topic, even though there are many, I haven't really read any, so if something happens in this story and it reminds you of another one, it's pure coincidence, believe me. That said, I bring you the next chapter.
Ianto Jones woke up to the alarm clock at 6 am. He'd just had a weird dream. There was a man in a long coat. Somehow that seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't quite tell why and if it was even remotely connected to his past life and job at Torchwood London, he wouldn't even want to know. So he dismissed it quickly.
He got up and stretched before he moved to the bathroom to take a shower. Ten minutes later, he got out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and looked into the drawers and in the closet for something to wear to work. He got himself a nice new suit to put on. After making the bed, he went to the kitchen to prepare and have some breakfast.
At 6:50 am he was out of the door and so far so good. He even took less time to get ready to work this time around, which would mean that he'd get to the University early and could finish a few things before he had to go to the classes.
It wasn't until he reached the end of the street that led to his flat that he felt it again. That same feeling of being followed.
He stopped and looked around. Who the hell would follow him at 6:50 in the bloody morning?
Not seeing anything strange, he kept going and decided not to waste any more time with it. After all, he was late the day before because he'd gotten it into his head that he was being followed. That intense feeling in his gut that his brain interpreted as being his intuition was sounding like an alarm system.
And he was usually right about that. There must be a reason why he felt somewhat bad when each time he looked back to see if anyone was following him, no one was there. He had never been proven wrong before now.
That's probably the reason why he got out of his flat so early that morning, so he could investigate without risking getting late again.
However, this was also the day that Ianto decided he would shake that feeling away and get to the University early to run a few errands before the teachers opened the doors to the students.
Too bad, though, because if he had cared enough about being followed or not that morning, he probably would have been able to catch Jack this time.
His day went relatively well, calm and uneventful. The other students were nice to him and one of the teachers had found him when he was making some coffee during one of the morning breaks and asked him to please make him some, claiming he needed something to wake up as he hadn't slept a wink the night before.
This resulted in some more teachers coming by the library later that morning, asking for Ianto and his coffee magic, saying he should make it every morning and make sure to ask for a raise for this new and non-official extra job.
He just smiled as he made their coffees and thanked them for the compliments, saying he'd do it gladly, no raise required.
By the time his lunch break arrived, he couldn't shake that gut feeling anymore. He looked around him for someone that didn't look at all familiar or at least slightly suspicious.
He was growing more nervous and was starting to lose his appetite because of the frustration he felt. The weird feeling he's had since five days after he'd set foot on Cardiff ground wasn't going away.
Was someone from the old - and now destroyed - Torchwood One trying to find him? If so, what would they want from him? And why did that long coat seemed vaguely familiar to him?
'Okay. This is official. I'm getting paranoid!'
He went to work when his lunch time was over, only to find yet more teachers wanting to have a taste of his now famous coffee.
He waved goodbye at Andrew, the other guy that worked in the library, in the morning.
The rest of the day went by quickly. So wrapped up in his work, he didn't even notice the time passing by. What time was it, really?
They had just received four boxes full of new books that needed cataloguing and needed to be put away.
It was ten to nine in the evening when Ianto asked the people left in there to gather their things and leave so he could close the library and finally go home and rest.
The last girl in the library hesitated by the door and turned back on her heels and walked all the way back to stand in front of Ianto's desk.
"Mr. Jones?"
"Yes. May I help you?"
"I… don't know." Ianto frowned slightly and looked confused. "It's just that… Are you waiting for someone? A ride home or something?"
Ianto frowned deeper and tilted his head.
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Well, for the last 3 days I've seen this man standing outside the library… I mean, at first I thought he was a teacher or someone that was just visiting the University, but he hasn't left that same spot, except when…" she stopped, looking down and biting her lower lip.
"Except…?" he urged her on.
"Except when you're not around, Mr. Jones," she explained.
A sudden feeling of panic rushed through his veins and he pushed it away quickly with all the willpower he could muster and his best fake smile immediately took place on his face.
"Don't worry, dear, I'll talk to him and see what he wants," he assured her.
The girl visibly relaxed. "Okay, Mr. Jones. I just thought I should warn you, let you know."
"Yeah. You did well, don't worry."
"See you tomorrow, then. Have a good night, Mr. Jones."
"Thank you. You too."
The girl smiled gently at him and left.
Then, all that feeling of panic he tried to push away invaded his being once again and he was getting quite scared.
So he really was being followed, then. What was he going to do about it?
Putting the last book on its shelf - which unfortunately was a long way from his desk and the exit door - he went back to his desk to retrieve his coat, all the way cursing silently about the size of the library.
He picked his coat from the hanger and shrugged it on. He turned off the library's lights and closed the doors. Hugging his coat as close to his body as possible and putting his hands in his pockets, Ianto left the University and walked down the cold streets, back to his flat.
He had that weird gut feeling again, telling him that someone was watching him, as he clearly heard the clicking sound of whomever it was that was following him and had finally decided on a closer approach.
'Not with the best of lights, mind you.'
It was times like these that Ianto Jones thought twice about his job and decided that working in a University library until 9 pm wasn't as great as he had initially thought. Especially when he kept hearing footsteps behind him. That was freaking him out, as he was on his way home and with poor illumination.
He started to hear footsteps growing closer and closer. He started to walk back, moving away from the sound of the incoming footsteps and into a dark alley, hoping he was just being paranoid and there wasn't anyone trying to get to him in this cold and dark night.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a lot of places to run to and he soon felt a wall behind him letting him know he'd reached a dead end and he knew he couldn't escape any longer.
A chill ran down his spine as he felt the fear invading his body.
The sound was now very close and Ianto froze when he saw again a long coat as his stalker walked near a small light coming from a house nearby, which soon was turned off, much to Ianto's luck, making him curse in his head.
'Urgh. Remember, Ianto, remember. Where did you see that coat before? Where?'
He closed his eyes and searched through his memory, but nothing helpful came out of it.
"Ianto Jones."
He heard that American accent, that deep voice from the other night again and much closer than he thought now. He suddenly had an idea that would help him escape from this man.
Ianto opened his eyes to look at the man that was now standing in front of him. He needed a better opportunity to set his plan in motion.
"Who… who are you?"
The man smiled, clearly waiting for that question already.
"Captain Jack Harkness."
Upon hearing that new piece of information, something in Ianto's mind clicked and he got the answer he had been searching for just moments before.
He remembered now. The long coat and his owner, Captain Jack Harkness, were oh so famous back at London's Torchwood One.
So much that Ianto felt the need to look into the archives for any references to him. The one that had caught his eye at the time was the one that informed him that Mr. Harkness was the current leader of Cardiff's Torchwood 3, the one he intended to bring Lisa to and hide her until he found a cure. She'd be safer and she'd have anything she needed there. But she died before he even got that far in the plan.
He had heard a few things about him, but mainly the things he heard the most were that he would shag anything if it was pretty enough and that he had severed all ties with Torchwood One, apparently because he didn't agree with their methods. He then decided that Torchwood Three would have nothing else to do with Torchwood One.
Well, he seemed to live up to his reputation, although Ianto would've figured him much older than he looked now that he was standing in front of him.
Ianto shook his head and went back to the present, in time to see Jack moving forward calmly, as if not to scare Ianto away.
He rolled his eyes. 'As if I could really escape somewhere now…'
Ianto acted on instinct and tried to hit Jack as soon as he came close enough to Ianto, but he missed it, as Jack expertly moved away.
'Damn those people that have good reflexes when they shouldn't.'
Before he knew what was happening, Jack had him held against the wall. He tried to free himself, but Jack would only tighten his hold on him.
Jack smirked. "Now, Mr. Jones, that wasn't a very nice thing to do, was it?"
Ianto grimaced as he felt a sudden urge to punch that smirk off his face.
Then a strong sweet smell hit him.
'What is that? Hmm. It must be aftershave…'
He sniffed the air around him to try and figure it out, earning him a deep chuckle from Jack.
"51st century pheromones. You people have no idea…"
Ianto squirmed, trying again to escape Jack's dead grip on him somehow, but Jack's hands only held his wrists tighter, as he used his body to pin Ianto to the wall behind him.
Jack looked down at Ianto as both of them fought against each other's grips, either pushing away or holding the other in place.
"Nice suit you've got, Jones."
Ianto groaned in frustration. And there it was, the rumour of another side of his personality just proven right in front of his eyes.
"You're clearly enjoying this."
"And you have no idea of how much, Mr. Jones." Jack smirked again.
"Then this should teach you something."
He raised his knee quickly from against the wall, smiling triumphantly when it came in contact with Jack's groin, making him loosen his grip on Ianto enough to allow him to escape Jack's hold.
Ianto ran down the street as quickly as he could without getting hurt in the long - and now very dark - way home.
He heard Jack's loud laugh echoing in the dark alley he'd just left.
"Feisty. I like that. But this isn't over yet, Mr. Jones. We still need to talk."
He ran out of there and all the way home, only stopping after he reached his flat. Closing the door behind him and making sure it was locked, he let his breath and his heart slow down, feeling calmer and safer now that he was away from Jack.
But deep down he knew the truth. If Torchwood 3 wanted to find him, they would, no matter where he went.
And he had just made their Captain like him even less.
A/N: So there you have it, they finally met. Let me know what you think of it and what you'd like to see happening next!
By the way, the next chapter is almost ready, but I'm going to be focusing on another story now, so I probably won't post it until next week. Say... Wednesday/Thursday.