Back downstairs, Jack was chortling, the rest of the team assembled in a group around him. Rob looked over to Ianto and mimed a salute, quietly acknowledging his better when it came to information retrieval. Ianto nodded and gave him a smile.

"That was brilliant," Rob said as he clasped Ianto on the shoulder. Jack looked over at Ianto and grinned.

"I hoped you saved the good stuff so we can go over the details," Jack said. Ianto nodded towards Rob's console. Everything was saved to the local hard drive for him to refer to. Ianto showed Rob where everything was located and watched as Rob pulled up the schematics of the new UNIT super weapon.

"I really don't like the idea of this one, Jack." Rob said as he looked closely. Jack moved over to stand behind him next to Ianto. "It doesn't look like they've been able to stabilize the activating agent, and it's probably incredibly volatile in that state." Ianto's background in chemistry wasn't that good, so he left the discussion of biochemical weapons to Jack and Rob to deal with. He moved off to one side and watched the group around him. Each worked well with one another and he was content to observe them as he increased his own knowledge of how they worked together as a team.

From where she stood by the entrance to the hothouse, Julia was able to observe everyone below her. She watched thoughtfully as Ianto pulled away from the group and did his own observations. This man intrigued her. On one hand he projected a very reserved persona, almost abasing himself with his quiet approach. On the other, there was that steel core that was able to stand up to the boss, deviously hack into a computer and efficiently get that information to where it would do the most good in a most succinct fashion. There was still a third part to him that she was just beginning to see, which was the man who was Jack's lover. Able to tease and cajole the Captain by knowing exactly what buttons to push. She was sure that there were other facets to the man that she had yet to witness, but she found herself looking forward to witnessing those parts of Ianto as well.

Ianto glanced up and locked eyes with her. He smiled knowingly and tilted his head. She was doing the same thing he was, but from the added perspective of observing him as well as the others. He appreciated her and thought Jack had done very well with recruiting her for Torchwood. He casually made his way up the stairs until he was standing next to her.

"You all make a good team here," Ianto said as he leaned against the railing. She looked at him and smiled.

"Wondering how you fit in?" She asked with an arched brow. He shook his head.

"Everyone has their talents that can work well with the others. I'm sure it will be the same for me," he said lightly. He pulled back from the railing, though his hands still gripped it lightly. "I'm not concerned as to where I'll fit in."

"Yes, you seem to be very secure in your knowledge," Julia said with a smile. Confident as well as brilliant, she mused to herself. Ianto inclined his head. "So, Mr. Jones, what do your observations tell you?" She looked down at the group below her before glancing back at Ianto.

"Hmmm, on first acquaintance and only one day, the observation is decidedly spotty," Ianto admitted. He pointed to each of them in turn, starting with Rob. "Solid soldier. Puts that SAS background to good use and is the perfect foil for when Jack wants to lose his head and blow things up." She chuckled at his comment and followed his finger over to Todd. "Young and still unsure of his own skillset. Let's Jack boss him around, but will come into his own soon enough. Not the best at social skills, but what computer whiz ever is? Give him time to grow and he'll do some amazing work," Ianto commented.

He moved on to where Gwri was napping on the sofa. He had gotten bored after the UNIT team left and had been reading some medical journal on the sofa. "I understand the reason for the nickname," Ianto said with a smile. "Kip indeed." Julia matched her smile with one of her own. "Doesn't seem the type to have stuck with UNIT long." Julia nodded. In fact, he had been dishonorably discharged for his tendency to fall asleep at the drop of a hat and it was Jack who saw the potential for Torchwood. He had snapped the young man up less than an hour after he had been turned out of his field medic position. Ianto's gazed passed over to Sherry. He paused, considering his analysis of her.

"Sherry must be relatively new," Ianto said and Julia nodded in agreement. "She's a bit of an enigma, and not one of Jack's usual choices." Julia glanced at him curiously when he said this assessment, but said nothing. "She's also young and uncomfortable with her role because of that. I think she probably feels like the kid sister that no one pays attention to," Ianto mused, watching as the woman in question moved around and cleaned the discards from their earlier lunch. If someone accidentally moved to where she was headed, she tended to get flustered and back off, melting away rather than confront someone if she didn't have to.

"And me?" Julia asked, glancing sideways at Ianto. He turned so that he faced her fully and observed her for a long moment. "What do you see when you observe me, Ianto?"

"I see a brilliant doctor with a strong set of ethics who is probably the only person other than myself willing to stand up to Jack," Ianto said. He leaned one elbow on the railing as he looked at her. "Before my confrontation this morning with Jack, you were considering telling the group what you had found yourself, weren't you?" Julia looked at him with a tiny smile on her face but didn't comment. "You wouldn't have been able to keep that knowledge from them, for the same reasons I think it would be wrong." She nodded.

"You see a lot, Ianto," Julia said quietly. He quirked an eyebrow at her but said nothing. "I think I'm going to like having you here." Ianto's smile widened at her comment.

"Doctor, I am looking forward to it," Ianto said. "Now, are you the one responsible for the hothouse these days, and do we have anything that might eat Sherry's cat?" They laughed as Julia escorted Ianto into the hothouse to go over the species inside, Ianto making mental notes about what was needed to keep everything running smoothly.

*