Once again, thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. I hope you're all enjoying this so far!

Special thanks to my wonderful and hardworking beta Amethystbutterflys. X

This chapter is for RhianaStar, who correctly anticipated the song.

The lyrics included here belong to Gary Lightbody; the song is by his awesome band Snow Patrol.

Chapter 6

You Could Be Happy

(You could be happy- I won't know. But you weren't happy the day I watched you go...)

Four weeks later, Ianto and Tosh still hadn't spoken since their big row, and the Welshman was beginning to feel more than a little lonely. As a consequence, he was more delighted than usual when his niece and nephew's primary school had a training day on which both their parents had to work. Rhiannon had been a little suspicious of Ianto's uncharacteristic eagerness to babysit; but since it was saving her arse she didn't jeopardise the arrangement by saying anything.

So it was that Ianto found himself on a train to Newport at 8am one rainy Friday in June. At that time in the morning the train was packed with commuters, so it came as no surprise when a soft voice murmured "Is this seat taken?"

The voice was strangely familiar, but half-asleep Ianto overlooked this fact as he shook his head and waved a vague hand in the general direction of the vacant aisle seat beside him.

"Thanks."

A warm body dropped down beside him, and for the first time Ianto looked round. The Welshman started, realising in a flash the significance of the voice.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

Jack grinned. "Good morning to you too."

"You're far too cheerful," Ianto admonished. "Why aren't you tucked up in your car protecting us poor folk here from over-dazzling smiles?"

He winced in the face of the American's teeth, and Jack chuckled.

"The car's in for a service; but I can't let that stand in the way of duty. There are schools in Newport that need brainwashing into joining the Air Cadets."

"Oh, I see," Ianto said. "This is all part of your plans for world domination?"

Jack gave another of his dazzling grins. "Oh yes."

The Welshman raised an eyebrow. "And does Martha know about these plans of yours?"

"Of course, why else do you think I'm dating a doctor?" Jack smirked. "She loved the necklace, by the way."

Uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, Ianto forced a smile. "Good. I'm glad."

"And how are you holding up?" Jack asked, a veil of anxiety momentarily clouding his features.

Ianto resisted the temptation to glare with difficulty. Just because he was single, it didn't make him an invalid!

"I'm fine," he said.

Jack raised a sceptical eyebrow. "And 'fine' is taking you to Newport at 8am on your day off to see your sister, is it?"

"I'm babysitting," Ianto explained shortly. "David and Micah's school is on a training day and Johnny and Rhi both have to work."

"That's very noble of you," Jack winked, and Ianto shrugged.

"Yeah, well. I am their uncle and all; and they have just about got to the stage of stopping asking what happened to you."

The American smiled. "Well, that's something, I suppose. They're good kids."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Ianto grinned. "They've stopped asking and started re-enacting."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Re-enacting? What did happen to me, precisely?"

The Welshman grinned. "Last account, you got eaten by crocodiles."

"In Wales?"

"We do have zoos in Wales, you know."

Jack chuckled. "Okay... When, where and, y'know, why was I eaten by crocodiles?"

Ianto grinned. "About six months ago, at Cardiff Zoo, and, y'know, because the crocodiles were hungry."

"Why were we at Cardiff Zoo, exactly? And why didn't they eat you?" The American raised an eyebrow.

"We were there on a date. And that's exactly what Micah asked. I told her it was because I'm too skinny. Rhi agreed and threw another slice of roast beef on my plate. I think she thinks it's her duty to feed me up now that I am, and I quote, 'fending for myself again'."

Jack smiled, a little sadly. "At least you know she cares."

Ianto reached out to squeeze the American's hand, knowing that family was a bit of a sore topic with Jack- his younger brother hadn't spoken to him in thirteen years. The American squeezed back, then forced his trademark grin to his face.

"So that's Micah's reaction... How did David respond?"

Ianto laughed. "David's response was to inform me that he'd like to take Jessica Evans to the zoo because she is, and again I quote, 'a stupid bitch' and if a crocodile eats her he won't have to sit next to her in class any more."

"Oh dear!" Jack chortled. "How badly did Rhiannon kill him?"

The Welshman chuckled. "Well Johnny cuffed him round the ear, and Rhi told him that if Jessica Evans got eaten by a crocodile he'd have to sit with Sophie Ellis instead; and he hates her more than he hates Jessica Evans. I went the simple route and told him that if he took Jessica to the zoo the crocodiles would choose him for their snack because girls have too much hair."

Jack laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, I can see where this is going! He went into school the next day and got excluded for trying to cut her ponytail off with safety scissors, didn't he?"

Ianto chuckled. "Yep. Rhiannon didn't speak to me for a week. She said I was a sorry excuse for an uncle, putting ideas like that in my nephew's head. I tried to defend myself by pointing out all the less than savoury things he'd learnt from you, but for some reason that just made her more upset with me."

The American laughed again as the train pulled into Newport station. "I don't doubt it."

A faint hint of sadness underlay his tones, and Ianto felt a brief stab of guilt as he remembered how much Jack had loved interacting with the Welshman's niece and nephew.

"Does Martha not have any nieces or nephews?" he enquired as they rose to disembark, and Jack smiled.

"Her younger brother has a baby son, but he and his girlfriend live in Brighton so I've only met them the once."

Ianto bit his lip. "At least with Martha you stand a chance of being a dad someday," he ventured as the pair headed for the exit.

Jack blinked. "Bit early to be thinking about that yet, isn't it?" he enquired lightly. "We haven't been together six months yet! No, we're just having fun."

The Welshman smiled, a touch weakly it must be confessed. "Well, I'm happy for you. See you around, I guess."

Opening the door of the nearest taxi, he slid inside almost before his ex had time to return the sentiment. As he gave the address Ianto watched the American slide effortlessly into the taxi behind, wondering precisely how Jack felt about Martha. He was not amused to notice that the song playing on the radio was Snow Patrol's 'You Could Be Happy', rubbing the Welshman's face in how unhappy he had made the other man the day he had ended their relationship.

It was this realisation of unhappiness as much as anything which prompted Ianto to pick up his laptop as soon as he got home and send a long email to Tosh begging her forgiveness. It was the first time in their friendship that Ianto had been the first to back down after a fight, and astonishingly the novelty of the situation was effective- the technician called back within ten minutes and didn't once mention Ianto and Jack's near kiss in McKay's as she made her own apologies. Everything, it seemed, was back to normal.