Jack looked up as he heard a knock on his door. He saw Tosh through the glass and motioned for her to come in. As she did, he asked, "So, how's the new recruit?"
"Hard to tell. He's kind of an unreadable book."
"I know what you mean. How do you think he's going to fit in?" Jack pushed away his paperwork, only too happy to have a reason not to do it.
Tosh shrugged. "Only time will tell. I thought that being in a Torchwood facility again would be too much for him, but if it is, he's very good at hiding it."
"Well, this is very different than Torchwood London was," Jack pointed out. Tosh made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat. "What about the rest of the team?"
"I really think that Owen could care less so long as some of the jobs he doesn't like are taken, and Suzie seems to be at least receptive." Tosh bit her lip, seeming to be debating whether she should say something. "Jack?"
"Hmm?" Jack had picked up a paper again and was scanning it disdainfully.
"When Ianto first wanted a job here, there was no force on earth that could have made you hire him." Jack opened his mouth. "Don't interrupt, you know it's true. What made you change your mind?"
Jack picked up a pen and examined it carefully, buying himself time. He put the pen down on the table and folded his hands. "I'm not really sure. There was something in his eyes; it convinced me to let him in, I don't know why. Maybe a part of me had been subconsciously irrational, and it just sunk in that he could be useful."
"Irrational?"
"I think maybe a part of me might have been thinking that just because he worked for Torchwood London, he was automatically disqualified." He smiled ruefully. "I tried so hard to separate from Torchwood London, to prove – mostly to myself – that we were different. But how different are we, Tosh? I think we're more similar than I'd like to believe."
Tosh smiled gently, with just a hint of sadness. "We're different enough, Jack. Don't live in the past. All we can do is our best."
Jack smiled. "Our best." His eyes roamed the room and his smile slipped. "But what happens when our best isn't good enough?"
"Don't think like that, Jack. It's been good enough so far, and the only thing we can do is try. And if the world ends because we couldn't save it, at least we'll all be gone too!" she laughed.
"Maybe," Jack muttered under his breath uncomfortably. He took a deep breath and looked straight at Tosh. "Why don't you go back to the team? They could probably use your help integrating Ianto."
"Aren't you going to help?"
He half smiled. "Maybe later." He held up a thick folder. "Work to do."
"Alright, don't strain yourself." Tosh laughed as Jack gave her a half hearted glare and then left the room.
Jack stared at the folder without really seeing it for a few moments, and then got up and walked to the windows of his office. So far as he could see, Tosh was teaching Ianto how to use the software, Suzie was looking on and giving her opinions when she deemed necessary, and Owen was playing a game on his computer. He watched his team fondly as they went about their business. Sometimes he couldn't help feeling like a proud father. But something felt odd about it today. He stepped back from the glass as he realized.
Ianto hadn't been there long enough to instill the proud feelings, but Jack still felt as fond of him as any of the others.
Jack began to pace his office as he thought. What was so special about Ianto? He didn't really know. Maybe he connected with Ianto so much because they'd both lost so much. Maybe he looked at Ianto as proof that Torchwood London wasn't entirely twisted and off course. He smirked as he realized what possible reason Tosh would add if he talked about this with her.
"Or maybe you just thought he was attractive?"
He chuckled as he thought about it. She used to constantly chide him about his flirtatious behavior before she realized it was a lost cause. But she still brought it up on occasion, but now she did it mostly to tease him rather than to try to make him tone it down. He furrowed his brow as another thought came into his head: if she had said that, maybe she'd be right.
Because Ianto was attractive. It had been one of the first things that Jack had noticed about him. But he wouldn't ever hire someone just because he thought they were attractive. But was it simply a combination of that and the fact that he knew about aliens so he convinced himself it would be a "logical choice"? That, he just didn't have the answer to.
He wandered over to the window again. Tosh and Suzie were – unsuccessfully – trying to get Owen to help out, while Ianto looked on, looking slightly awkward. Ianto's eyes started roaming around the Hub. And then he saw Jack.
His eyes got wide when he saw Jack watching him and then his eyes flicked down to his shoes. Jack wondered why he was acting like this, why he seemed… embarrassed. He shook his head slightly and went back to his paperwork, pondering the mystery that was Ianto Jones.
A/N: this chapter came together better than I thought it was going to, which is fine by me! Right around this part is going to be the hardest for me to write, I think, just because not a ton is happening and I don't have the guidelines of what's happening in the show since none of this was in any episodes. But I think it'll work out. Still figuring plenty of things out, no idea when I'll update. I love you for reading this ^.^
