Apologies for the late chapter. Explanations after you read.

Suzie gestured around. "So, here you have it. This will be your office, if you want it. This and the room back there." She nodded at the open doorway. Ianto walked forward and stood, looking over the room.

A wood desk was against the wall, with a small desk-top lamp lighting it up. A computer sat in the middle of the desk, the yellow light indicating sleep mode. A coffee pot sat on a table in the corner. "Whose is that?"

Suzie shrugged. "Technically, it's probably a 'company' possession," she said, making quotation marks with her fingers. "But the main reason it's up here is because Owen was too lazy to go down in the Hub if he wanted a cuppa. I think that's fresh, if you want some."

Ianto took a mug and poured some coffee into it. Steam rising from the cup supported Suzie's hypothesis that it was fresh. He took a sip and grimaced before taking the pot and pouring it down the sink of a little washroom off to the side that he'd noticed earlier.

"God, that's awful. Who made that stuff?"

"Given the coffee-making skill of the people around here, I couldn't guess." Suzie chuckled. "Jack prefers more industrial strength, so most of the time we get coffee to go."

"Well, I think making coffee might be something I can add to my agenda," Ianto commented. "Especially if it's always as awful as that."

"Oh, it is," Suzie assured him.

"Then why do you keep making it?"

"You get used to it, and besides, sometimes you just need caffeine, especially in this job."

"Hmm." Ianto realized that to get Lisa inside, he was going to need a good idea of time frames and schedules. "Late hours?"

Suzie thought a moment before replying. "Sometimes."

"Well, what's a typical schedule?"

"It really depends on the rift. If we don't have much activity, we're out of here maybe around 8, probably 9 or 10 at the latest, not considering personal research and projects. But there certainly are times when we've pulled all nighters, and once I didn't set foot inside my house for a week." She wrinkled her nose.

"But everyone pretty much leaves for the night?"

"Well, except for Jack."

"What?"

She smiled. "Jack's a mystery to all of us, no one really knows what he does most of the time. But I'm pretty sure he basically lives here. I'm pretty sure he goes out most nights, though. Doing what?" She smirked. "Well that's anyone's guess. Maybe picking up guys like you." She grinned at him.

Ianto flushed. "Is that really what he does?"

"Oh, sure. Girls too. The only thing is, I can't imagine where he finds them, because I don't think he's going clubbing in that outfit." She laughed. "Imagine him walking into a club dressed like that!"

Ianto found that it was surprisingly easy to picture. "I think he would, and I think he'd still manage to pick up a few people."

Suzie giggled. "You're probably right. He has that sort of a personality. He's got looks, too." She glanced at him, leaning against the doorframe. "What about you? Do you have anyone?"

"I… In a way… Um…" He didn't know what to say.

"Complicated?" She looked at him sympathetically.

"Sort of. Well, no. I mean…" He breathed out. "She died." It felt wrong saying it, but he'd told Captain Harkness the same thing. It was better to stick with the story.

Suzie's face blanched. "Oh, god, I'm sorry."

He knew what most people would say here. It's okay. But he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"How?" Suzie's voice was curious, but wary.

He half-smiled with no humor. That, at least, he could tell the truth about. "Canary wharf."

"Oh, my god. That's horrible." Suzie's face clearly spoke her wish that she'd never spoken.

"What about you?" He was desperate to get the conversation off of Lisa.

She snorted. "I haven't had anything that someone would consider an actual 'relationship' in a long time." She grinned. "Maybe I'm more of a casual person."

"Maybe," Ianto acknowledged. He didn't really know what to say, he barely knew her. "What about the rest of the team?"

"Tosh is most definitely a no. I'm pretty sure Owen is in the same position as me." Suzie smiled as if enjoying a joke that Ianto didn't understand. "As for Jack, well, you know about his escapades."

"No one has anything stable?" It seemed so lonely.

"I guess this job makes it hard for anything stable. And I think everyone here has issues that they'd have a hard time working through a relationship with." She reflected a moment. "And that includes Jack, no matter how much he pretends there's nothing wrong and all he is is the fearless leader. I've got a feeling he's got more shit to go through than any of us." She smiled at him. "Just like I'm sure you've got issues, but I won't push it. We're all here for a reason, because we're different in some way. I know some bad stuff's happened in my past, and I suspect the same for Tosh and Owen. But we don't push it, here. We all let everyone enjoy the choice to tell or to keep to themselves. Jack will always know the most, but that's the way it's supposed to be."

Ianto was stunned by her profound understanding. He let a silence fall. Finally, he spoke. "Is that computer hooked up to all of the rest?"

"Yeah, here, I forgot to give you the password earlier." Suzie reached forward and moved the mouse, explaining to Ianto as she went along.

Ianto brought cups of coffee into the conference room, bracing himself as he heard shouting.

"I'm telling you, Jack, we need to do something about the archives!" Owen yelled. "How am I supposed to analyze an alien species if I can't find any information on it?"

"Then organize it yourself if you're so keen on organization," the Captain bellowed back. "I have enough stuff to sort through without being a maid!"

Tosh was slouched down with her hands over her ears, pinkies massaging her temples. Ianto observed Suzie's intimidating death glare, which was alternating between Owen and Jack.

"You would be a maid if you were sweeping up the Hub," Owen snarled. "This is something that is necessary to keep organized so that all of us can get what we need when we need it!"

Captain Harkness slammed his fist down on the table, standing up. "And all I'm saying is I don't see why I have to do it! I've got plenty to do!"

"Excuse me," Ianto said.

"And I don't? I'm a bloody doctor! What, you're saying you're more important than me?" Owen shouted.

"Excuse me!" Ianto raised his voice.

"You're both acting like children!" Suzie shrieked. "Just shut up already."

Owen whirled towards her. "Stay out of it!" He snapped.

"Show some respect, Owen!" the Captain yelled. They started shouting over each other.

"EXCUSE ME!" Ianto shouted. They all turned to him in surprise. Ianto flushed slightly, embarrassed, and gestured to the tray. "I brought coffee."

"Oh, thank god," Tosh said, relieved. "They were giving me a headache."

Captain Harkness, still slightly red in the face, nodded curtly toward Ianto. "Thank you," he said sharply. He sighed. "Sorry. Thank you, Ianto," he said more sincerely.

"It's my job, sir." He began handing out mugs as they sat at their places again. "And speaking of jobs, if you need someone to organize the archives, I could try. I'm fairly organized." He glanced around the table at the team's faces. Owen sat, glowering and still looking as though he wanted to punch Jack. Jack's face was completely impassive now, although Ianto guessed that was because he was still getting his emotions under control. Tosh still looked slightly afraid that shouting was going to burst again, and her fingers tapped lightly on her leg. Suzie looked slightly surprised and pleased by this suggestion.

"You might want to take a look at them before you volunteer yourself for that," the Captain warned.

"Well, sir, I think it would still be easier for me to do it than any of you. After all, that's what I'm here for, isn't it? Legwork?" He saw an expression flash across Jack's face, but it was gone before he could decipher it.

"Let him do it, Jack, someone needs to," Owen spat. Ianto observed that he hadn't really calmed down much at all. Suzie shot him a dirty look.

"If you're sure." The Captain shrugged. "Suzie, show him down to the archives. The rest of you," he stared pointedly at Owen. "Try to do something productive." He stood and turned on his heel, walking out of the room.

Hours later saw Ianto sorting through papers down in the archives. He heard footsteps behind him, but didn't look up from what he was doing.

"You're still here?" Captain Harkness's voice rang unusually loud in Ianto's ears, making him realize exactly how quiet it was in the archives.

"No sense in stopping yet, hardly anything's done." Ianto still hadn't looked up from what he was doing.

He stopped a few feet away from Ianto. "You need sleep, Ianto. It's late."

"Don't you, sir?"

Jack chuckled. "It's my job to worry about you, not the other way around."

Ianto kept working. "If I can just get through this stack—"

The Captain reached over and took the papers from Ianto's hands. He took in the resigned look on the young man's face. "Why don't you want to go home, Ianto?"

"I don't know what makes you think that."

"Then go home. Get some sleep, come back and work tomorrow morning. The work isn't going anywhere." He smiled. "Tomorrow I'll give you codes for some of the alien archives, so once you get to them you can make sure everything's in order."

Ianto nodded silently. He moved towards the door.

"Good night, Ianto," Jack called.

He paused for a moment. "Good night, sir," he said quietly.

Ianto didn't look back. If he had, he would have seen Jack Harkness standing in the doorway, a small smile on his face as he watched his newest employee walk away.

Ianto crept into the quiet room. "Lisa? Are you awake?"

"Ianto?"

"Lisa." He walked forward and sat down, taking her hand in his. "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts," she whimpered.

He checked her medication. "I'll give you a little more, alright?"

"Ianto?"

"Hmm?"

"It was your first day today, wasn't it?"

"Yes." He made sure the IV was carefully secured before sitting back down.

"How was it?"

"It was fine, you shouldn't worry, you should rest."

"Will you keep the job if I'm gone?"

Ianto felt tears well in his eyes. "Don't say that, Lisa, don't even think about that."

"But will you?"

He hesitated. "I don't know." He gripped her hand tighter. "But we don't have to worry about it, because you're going to be fine. You hear me? You're going to be fine, Lisa." Tears spilled over and ran down his cheeks.

"Oh, Ianto."

"You won't die, Lisa. You can't die. I love you. You won't die. You won't die." Sobbing, he lay his head down in her lap. She lifted a hand and gently stroked his hair until, finally, they both fell asleep, two young lovers fighting desperately to cling onto the only hope they had.

A/N: Man, that felt good :) I finished my last tests of the school year, and then went to computers and wrote this. I've missed just writing, it's been way too long. So, why have I been away? I didn't let myself write any fanfiction until I was done with school as an attempt to concentrate on my schoolwork. But as soon as I was done, I couldn't help myself. So I apologize and I hope it was worth the wait.

Personally, I really like this chapter. I'll wait and reserve judgment on whether it was good until I get feedback, though. I'm sorry that not much is happening, but there's so much background I need to get through before I get to the romantic stuff. The whole Ianto referring to Jack in his thoughts as "The Captain" is really annoying me, I have to change that soon. I forget and then I have to go back and change everything :P but Ianto will stop calling him "The Captain" in his thoughts before he starts calling him Jack to his face, that's one thing I know for sure.

The last part of this chapter was really personal for me, because my dad just had back surgery and even though that's not normally something you die from or anything, I've been really worried about him and so I was channeling all that when I wrote that part.

Sorry for the long wait and the long Author's Note!

p.s. what do you think of long chapters? Good or bad?