Chapter 9

Jack stared out of his office window deep in thought.

Owen was down in the autopsy bay watching over the still unconscious Suzie waiting for her to either gain consciousness so he could question her or drop dead again.

Gwen was having a snooze on the couch trying to ward off an oncoming headache, no doubt from trying to force the glove to keep Suzie with them, which she somehow managed to do. Sometimes he really wished she would just listen to him and do as she's told.

Tosh was the only one he wasn't sure where she was, though he assumed she was off trying to find anything else on Pilgrim from the boxes of stuff they'd taken from the Brisco's house.

Ianto was no doubt up in the tourist office avoiding him still. They'd barely spent anytime near each other since the kiss, speaking only when needed and always in the presence of the rest of the team.

As long as Suzie stayed unconscious for a while then he finally had his time to think.

He liked Ianto┘ that he had no doubt about, he'd liked the Welshman from the first moment they'd met in the dark woods.

He'd been denying his feeling and fighting his attraction for him since he started work, turning up everyday looking gorgeous in those perfect suits, with his coffee and that accent that could make him melt into his shoes.

But no, he kept it to flirting testing the waters... until Lisa.

That had made him furious at the betrayal and possibly heartache he'd felt at the time, taking it out of Ianto for a little while afterwards.

Until Estelle, even though they weren't really on speaking terms Ianto still stayed back to take care of his broken hearted, mourning Captain, not once questioning, just there as support and comfort.

That's when the feeling came back.

Then almost loosing him in the countryside and his transformation to a Pirask, that had all brought the pair of them so much closer and his feeling grew even though he tried to stop them... He wasn't there yet, but over the last few weeks Jack had begun to notice the signs.

He was falling in love with Ianto Jones.

Ianto stared at the monitor in front of him, he'd been in the tourist office since Suzie's resurrection, and had been watching Jack on the CCTV sitting in his office deep in thought.

No doubt about that witch of a woman unconscious in the Autopsy bay, but Ianto's thoughts weren't on her they were on his... the Captain.

The man was gorgeous, there was no doubt about that even while he was pestering his way into Torchwood Three so he could save Lisa he recognised his attraction to the mysterious Captain Harkness.

But he had Lisa to think of so he buried anything he felt away.

After loosing Lisa, he'd wanted to hate the older man so much, but he just couldn't and felt that he really needed to make it up to him for some reason.

Watching him loose Estelle and deal with his guilt over letting the fairies take Jasmine had shown him that he wasn't a 'god' protected by some sort of a cold emotionless shield, he was a man and one who could feel with such passion.

From that day on he vowed he would take care of his captain, not just cleaning and getting food for him like he had been since he started work, but emotionally as well.

Waking on the floor of the hub with Jack dead beside him had torn at his heart, then waking the next day in a strange house with his life changed probably would have had him breaking down if it hadn't been for Jack's support through his change of lifestyle and training with Arabella and Dexter.

They'd gotten so close over the past couple of months and there was no denying that he'd been steadily developing feelings and falling for Jack since his turning but he had no idea what to do about it.

Then at the shooting range... he still had no idea which of them had initiated the kiss, though he was begining to suspect that he had.

What the hell was he supposed to do now, because there was no way that it was a good idea to fall in love with the boss.

Ianto walked down into the interrogation room with a coffee for Suzie dreading what was about to happen.

Jack had asked him to take it down while the rest of the team prepared to go out to The Wolf Bar in search of the final unaccounted member or Pilgrim.

He should have told Jack about his issues when he had the chance, he didn't want to face her but it looked like he didn't have a choice.

He'd caught the worried look Tosh threw at him when Jack had asked him to take her coffee, but before she could say or do anything Jack had already given her instructions of her own to follow leaving Ianto with no choice but to do it himself.

"Well well well if it isn't Mr Jones, I figured you'd been killed off when you were no where in sight." Suzie smirked as he stepped into the room.

"Been avoiding me Ianto?" Suzie sneered as she got no reply from him.

Well that didn't take long, Ianto thought as he ignored her and simply put her coffee on the table in front of her.

"What's the matter Ianto to afraid to even speak to me?" She snorted

"What afraid of a corpse? Not at all." Ianto replied coolly

"I'm up and kicking Ianto, in case you haven't noticed. Not exactly a corpse."

"Try telling that to someone outside the hub, especially with the back of your head blown out ."

"Bastard,"

"How's hell Suzie? Your kind of place I'd imagine." Ianto replied coolly

Suzie just sneered in response.

Ianto wanting to get away from her as soon as possible turned to leave when she spoke up again.

"How's that cyberslut of yours, still chained up like the animal she is in the basement?"

Ianto froze, fist clenched by his side.

"Should I tell Jack? Tell him about her, now I have nothing to loose or gain from keeping your filthy little secret." she continued

Gritting his teeth he tried to keep his temper in check adn not let her get to him.

"Has the monster still got you wrapped around your little finger?"

Ianto snapped, his eyes flashed to silver and before he knew it he had Suzie pinned to the wall by the throat growling softly as he held her easily with her feet off the ground.

Suzie's eyes were wide in fear as she stared down into Ianto's silver eyes not understanding what was happening.

"If I were you Suzie I'd keep your fat mouth shut. You can't threaten her anymore and you sure as hell can't touch or use me. So I suggest you crawl back into your ice box and die, before I do it for you. And I swear to god, I will make you pay for what you did in the process." Ianto hissed hand tightening on her throat making her gasp for breath and claw desperately at his hand.

"Ianto?!"

Upon hearing Jack's shocked voice he quickly dropped Suzie, stepping away from her and rushing out of the room, pushing past Jack in the process.

Jack stared at the gasping form of Suzie before chasing off after Ianto.

Tosh watched as Ianto dashed out of the interrogation room hallway and made a beeline straight for the archives not saying a word to her or even taking notice of the sleeping figure of Gwen on the coach.

"Ianto?" Tosh called but she got no reply only his swearing under his breath in Welsh

Jack flew by a moment later heading after Ianto.

"Oh boy," Tosh muttered to herself,

"What's the going on?" Gwen asked sleepily having been woken by their team mates stomping past.

"I don't know, and judging by how pissed Jack is, I'm not sure I want to know." Tosh replied

"Ianto?! Where the hell are you?" Jack called once he reached the archives he wasn't angry, he really couldn't care two hoots what happened to Suzie, he was just frustrated and getting no answer wasn't helping.

"I won't understand unless you tell me about it?" Jack called again; making sure his voice was less harsh as he searched the archives.

"Please Ianto we really need to talk," Jack sighed reaching the end and turning back

"About more than one thing," came a response finally, though Jack had no idea where in the archive he was; he'd looked through the whole place and hadn't seen him anywhere.

"Yes, about more than one thing. Where are you Yan?" Jack asked

"Not here. Not now," came the soft reply.

Jack sighed realising there was no way he was going to be able to find the Welshman deep within the depths of his own domain, so he turned and headed back upstairs.

Ianto sat in the archives perched on the top of the first row of shelves where he was hidden in the shadows but could watch the door the whole time.

He'd watched Jack come in and search for him again before they'd left for The Wolf Bar before leaving defeated.

He stayed there lost in thought listening to the team go about their work through his com unit.

A small smile graced his face as he heard Jack's comment at the club. "That one's for Ianto. Risen Mitten, Life Knife and that old classic, Stun Gun."

Maybe they could work this out. Him and Jack, they got along well, enjoyed each other's company, and there was no denying his physical attraction to Jack.

But Jack was this amazing person and he was a baby Pirask hiding as a tea-boy.

Not exactly attractive to someone like Jack who can get anyone he wants.

Ianto sighed this was stupid, hiding out like this, besides he had to wipe the CCTV of him attacking Suzie before one of the others stumbled across it by accident.

He needed to face Jack and whether he liked it or not, it was time to face up to his relationship with the Captain and just where exactly it was headed.

TBC