Jack rolled over to find Ianto already dressed. 'Damn, I missed the best bits, but why are you already dressed?'
Ianto grinned as he leaned in for a good morning kiss. 'I went for a run with Pip.'
'Oh.'
Seeing Jack's pout Ianto nodded. 'You should come tomorrow.' His tone teasing as he straightened his tie and smoothed the front of his jacket.
Jack stretched like a cat, running a hand over his chest. 'Body of a man a fraction my age me.'
'Which fraction Sir? Half? Or quarter?'
Jack's grin faded for a moment before he launched himself at the laughing Welshman. 'Come here and say that.'
Dancing out of his reach Ianto ran for the door. 'Is this where you tell me you'll show me what a man your age can do?' Racing into the hallway he headed for the stairs. 'Because you'll have to catch me first old man.'

Down in the kitchen Pip looked up from the pan of bacon he was cooking as a fully dressed Ianto tumbled though the door followed by Jack still dressed in a tee shirt and pyjama pants and calling after the Welshman.
'I'm not that old Ianto Jones.'
'In dog year's you'd be ancient.'
'Cheeky sod, you do know that youth and enthusiasm will only take you so far when faced with the treachery of experience.' Jack warned, eyes glinting with mischief. 'You will answer for that later.'
Pip watched the two men share a smile as Ianto turned to the coffee machine. Putting his best dad voice on he tried not to smile himself. 'If you gents are finished, breakfast is done, if I could have some plates please.'
'Lilah still sleeping?' Jack asked, moving to the cupboard.

'Not bloody likely.' The teen entered the room, dressing gown belted over her hello kitty pyjamas. 'I thought aliens were invading with that racket.'
Pip brushed a fatherly kiss on her head as he placed toast on the table. 'No such thing love, you know that.'
'Yeah right dad, even Lilith didn't believe you at the end.'
Pip shrugged as he turned back with the bacon. 'Then you must be right.'

Ianto, handing around coffees took his seat next to Jack and exchanged a look that spoke of the conversation to follow before Jack melted into the first sip of coffee.
'Well breakfast looks good.' Jack set his coffee down and looked to Pip. 'What will you be doing until you meet Ianto at the house you're looking at?'
'Oh I have no doubt it will take this one that long to get ready so probably just the washing up.'
'Whatever dad.'
Pip grinned. 'I'm going to hit google for more house listings, now I have a better idea of the where I want to look. Sooner we find something and all that.'
Lilah groaned. 'Oh goodie, a day of traipsing though other peoples hopes and dreams.'
A sentiment with which Ianto privately agreed.

Jack reached for the toast. 'Make sure you give us the addresses of any you want to seriously look at and I'll have Tosh work her magic.'
Lilah shook her head. 'Why?'
He shrugged. 'What's the point of having a computer genius if we can't get her to find out everything about the property before you put an offer in. Besides, not all houses have great pasts, Cardiff has had a few serial killers over the years.'
'Oh gross, I don't want to live in a murderers house dad.'
'Good thing we can check.' Jack winked. 'I should get ready for work, we may not have a dress code per say but.' He shrugged.
Lilah yawned before rising to her feet. 'I should get dressed too.'
'And I was going to ask you to help me with the washing up.' Pip added as he smiled at his daughter.
'Oh that's totally my queue to leave the table.'

Jack waited for her to leave the room before turning to Pip. 'What does she know about your job?'
'Just the words government and secret. So of course she thinks she knows exactly what that means.'
'Ah ha, and can we expect her to have a presence in the Hub?'
Pip sighed. 'Hadn't thought about that, it was never a problem in London but everything's changed now.'
'Life does that to us. I'll leave you to think about it.' Jack nodded to Ianto before stepping out of the kitchen.

Pip finished his coffee. 'Will he let her in the Hub?'
Ianto shrugged. 'It's not a nine to five world in Cardiff, so she may need to know what we do, or some of it at least. Besides, soon as she mentions at school you work for Torchwood she'll find out for sure.'
'You lot really don't go into the secret side of things do you.'
'Don't blame me, it wasn't my idea to drive around in a bloody great obvious SUV with Torchwood emblazoned on the roof.'
'Oh yeah.' Pip grinned. 'I've heard stories about your SUV, was disappointed I only got such a short look at it last time.'
'The SUV or Jack's driving?' Ianto muttered as he moved to help clear the dishes.

Ianto stood next to Jack's desk, looking at the glove Suzie had been working on. An expectant Jack hovering over his shoulder. 'What exactly am I supposed to do? Look for a hallmark like on Antiques Roadshow and give you a valuation for insurance purposes?'
'But you are an archivist Yan.'
'I wasn't exactly allowed to handle the artifacts until they had been assessed and classified. I was the office junior who'd been working in a coffee shop, no formal qualifications me.' He glared at the offending artifact and began muttering in Welsh. 'Something I wasn't expecting to change on Reggie's watch.'
'Mumbling in Welsh is only sexy when I'm sure you're saying nice things about me.' Jack cautioned.

'You know, I'm twenty four now and I speak the language, by default, you've had more than enough time to learn it, Sir.'
'Never seemed important. But this isn't about me.'
Ianto rolled his eyes as he looked at the glove. 'Are you sure my talents might not be better utilized in making another round of coffees before I leave Sir.'
Jack frowned as he considered Ianto's unwillingness to be around the glove. 'What is it?'
'If I touch the glove.' Ianto turned to face Jack, trying to find words to describe, to explain.

'It's like. There's a storm contained within and if I touch it, I wake it up. And something tells me I really don't want to do that, Sir.'
Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto. 'Then don't touch it. We'll figure it out eventually.'
Looking at the glove out the corner of his eye he considered how much that thought bothered him and he just wished he knew why. It was like the glove was some sort of unexpressed portent of doom and in figuring it out they would lose much more than they could ever hope to gain. Ignoring his feelings Ianto relaxed as he let the warmth of Jack fold around him before he let the realities of the life they lead creep back into his conscious thoughts.

'Ianto, what are you thinking about? You've gone quiet.'
'Lilah. We both know what's going to happen soon as she starts school and someone asks what her parents do.'
'Oh yeah.' Jack let Ianto pull away and he sat on the edge of his desk. 'What does her mother do?'
'Lilith? Not entirely sure she isn't the head of the HR department in Hell, that woman has always been cold and unpleasant on a good day.'
'But Pip seems so, well, nice.'
'I don't know all the details but they met when he was in the Royal British Marines. When she didn't like him being away training or on deployment he left, and started at whichever of the M-I's he worked for.'
'Not entirely sure that's less travel.'
'I suspect not, he speaks several languages.'
'So that's why he switched to Torchwood?'
'I think so, he started there the day after I did so we were inducted and put though basic training together.'
'Ah, that explains so much.'

Ianto smiled. 'I should probably make another round of coffee before I met him at the estate agents.'
'More house hunting?' Ianto flashed him a look that left him grinning. 'Okay then. I'll walk you to the coffee machine and we can discuss how much Pip should tell his daughter.'
'Thank you Sir, I would hate to be mobbed between here and the kitchen.'
'You can joke about it Yan but you weren't here without coffee yesterday afternoon.'
Ianto rolled his eyes. 'I see Sir.'
Jack shook his head. 'I'm not sure you do.'

Ianto walked back into the Hub after his time spent looking at yet more houses, to find Owen waiting for him. Judging by the doctor's expression he wasn't sure if he was going to get hugged or hit. 'Hello Owen.' Jack hadn't called to say there had been any emergencies.
'Ianto.'
'Something I can do for you?'
Owen thrust his coffee cup out in front of him.
Ianto took the cup, a single eyebrow raised to match his half smile. 'Of course.' He looked past Owen to where Suzie stood next to Tosh, he nodded before heading to the kitchen. He found Jack there, leaning against the counter.
'Hello Ianto.'
'Sir.'
'Did you miss me Ianto?'
'Always Sir.'
Jack grinned. 'How did the house hunting go?'

Ianto chanced a glance as he handed a coffee cup over. 'They are looking at two more places this afternoon, I didn't think I needed to be there.'
Jack laughed. 'Thought you two were a couple?'
'At first.' Ianto admitted. 'But Lilah was rather quick to point out the single flaw in that logic.'
'Oh yes?'
'Apparently I already have a very lovely boyfriend.'
Jack leaned forward, coffee cup set aside. 'So. Are we a couple then?'
'We do live together Sir, or is that something you would like to discuss further?'

He watched as Jack gave him a genuine smile while shaking his head.
'I'm oddly okay with the idea. And I know you told your sister you're with me...' He trailed off as he watched for a reaction.
Ianto nodded. 'Perhaps we should discuss this tonight Sir.' He smiled as he leaned over, his thumb brushing a line of coffee from Jack's upper lip before licking the drops of coffee from the pad of his thumb. 'I believe we all have work to do. Sir.' Picking his tray of coffee up he walked away from Jack, knowing the man's eyes were firmly glued to his very well tailored arse. The little extra something in his step was, as always, entirely deliberate.

Ianto handed the remaining coffees out to the rest of the team as Tosh asked how the house hunting was progressing.
'I have a few addresses for you to look into if you would be so kind.' Handing her some paper.
Tosh laughed. 'For you Ianto, of course. What am I looking for?'
He shrugged. 'Make sure any extensions have planning permission and no one went on a killing spree there type thing. Perhaps what the neighbours are like, no reality tv shows as a preference. I would also suggest checking for rift activity in the general area so we don't have to worry about Pip bringing work into the Hub with him.'

Suzie laughed. 'Usually the problem is folks taking work home.' Her eyes finding Owen who scowled at her before turning back to his computer. She leaned over to check the addresses Tosh was looking at. 'Roath Park.'
'Yes, close to both the University and Cardiff High School.'
'Some nice houses around there. So when can we expect to see our new team mate in the office?'
'Tomorrow at this stage but it depends on a few details.'
Suzie considered the topic of conversation they had shared in his absence, over lunch. 'Like what to tell the kid.'
'That is a consideration. If you will excuse me, I have work waiting for me.' With a smile he headed for his archives.

Jack sent everyone home and went looking for Ianto, not that it was hard to find the man, when he'd been sent an email with directions on exactly where in the archives he was. And what his reward might consist of should he find him in a suitable time frame.
Ianto sat on the desk, feet swinging casually as he clicked the button on the stopwatch. 'You took your time, Sir.' Pocketing the watch he loosened his tie. 'I sent you that email six minutes and thirty two seconds ago.'
'Owen was being a wanker.' His eyes following the moment of the Welshman's long elegant fingers. 'But I'm here now.' He advanced on his archivist until he was standing between Ianto's legs, fingertips brushing finely cut cheekbones before dipping in to claim his lips. His words whispered. 'Is this where we talk about being a couple? I don't always like that word but I'm willing to make an exception for you.'

'I did make one or two exceptions myself.' Ianto moved his hands to Jack's chest.
'I know. And I'm glad you did.' He leaned into Ianto and let the younger man wrap him in his thoughts and arms. 'Shall we make out a bit more before heading home? And there is the small matter of my reward to discuss.'
Ianto grinned. 'Okay.'

The Audi stopped as Ianto turned to Jack, shutting the engine off. 'Have you decided what Pip can tell Lilah?'
'The basics, we hunt aliens and it's supposed to be a secret.'
'And the Hub?'
'Tourist office entrance, restricted access with her own code so she can be tracked. And if she says anything or brings anyone else in, she gets sent home to her mother. Retconned.' Jack paused. 'Or boarding school. In Scotland.'
Ianto nodded. 'Very well Sir.'
'It's cold in Scotland.'
'It is Sir.'
Jack reached for Ianto's hand. 'I'm glad you agree, come on, lets go inside.'
'No offer to make out in the car Sir?'
Jack's grin turned into a smile. 'Well, when you put it like that...'

In the kitchen Pip looked up from the pasta sauce he was stirring. 'Didn't I hear Ianto's car?'
Lilah crossed the room, peeking out the window. 'Yes.'
'So they are?' Tasting the sauce he frowned until adding a little sugar he tried it again.
'Making out like teenagers, it's disgusting.' She shook her head. 'What are they thinking? I mean at their age. Ianto I get but Jack must be at least thirty six.'
'I'm only forty one young lady.'
'I rest my case.' She muttered, resuming her internet search. 'Oh look, here's a semi-detached we should totally check out.'

Tuesday morning Ianto walked out of the bathroom straightening his tie to find Jack handing him his cell phone.
'It's your sister.'
He took the phone. 'Rhi?'
'Oh god I'm so sorry to call like this but I need someone to look after Mica.'
'Slow down Rhi, what's happened?'

Jack finished getting dressed, giving Ianto the privacy he looked like he needed.
Ianto tucked his phone in his pocket and squared his shoulders back. 'So my sister is in a bit of a bother, as you gathered from speaking with her. Johnny's working and can't be reached and David's had an accident. She needs to go to the hospital with him but doesn't want to take Mica.'
'You need the day off?'
Ianto picked his suit jacket up and began heading to the kitchen. 'That or a suitable alternative but Rhi can't really pay anyone to look after her.'
'Would she be happy with Lilah looking after Mica here? I don't mind paying.' It occurred to him if he was on better terms with his daughter he could have asked Alice. He hadn't seen his daughter or her son recently but turning up with the four year old niece of his new boyfriend was hardly the best way to initiate contact.

Oblivious to the plight of the adults around her Lilah stared at the laptop and groaned. 'This email from Toshiko totally rules out that sweet place with the spa. That totally sucks dad.'
Pip patted her on the shoulder. 'Just as well we got the address checked out then.'
'Still totally sucks, how important can planning permission really be.' She looked up as Jack and Ianto walked into the room. 'Well at least I don't look like someone stole my puppy.'
Ianto nodded. 'My sister needs someone to look after my niece. I don't suppose we can impose on you for the day?'

Lilah leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest as her eyes narrowed. 'For a fee Ianto, almost anything is possible.'
Pip grinned in the background. 'I don't have any houses to look at today. I'm still waiting on the estate agent to get back to me to arrange the next lot of viewings. So I was hoping I could get into the office.'
Jack pulled his wallet out and set three, ten pound notes on the table. 'If Ianto's sister is agreeable I will pay you an additional thirty pounds for looking after Mica.'

She nodded. 'When will she get here or am I going to her house?'
'Rhi and Mica will be here in about twenty minutes.' Ianto felt himself relaxing as he moved towards the coffee machine. 'But Jack, I'll pay Lilah.'
Lilah rose to her feet and moved towards him. 'I have one condition.'
Ianto turned to her, his expression losing some of it's warmth. 'Yes?'
'You have to teach me how to make coffee.'

Pip followed Jack and Ianto into the Hub, eyes wide as he took in his new surrounds.
Jack frowned at Ianto. 'How come he's impressed? You weren't impressed.' Watching as Pip began exploring the central space, his eyes filled with glee.
'I'm an archivist, dark and underground isn't really all that spectacular. Besides, you didn't have the pteranodon when I started.'
Pip caught Ianto's last words and stopped. 'A what?'
'Pteranodon, named Myfanwy.' Ianto smiled before moving past Jack. 'I'll get the coffee on.'

Coming back to the conversation Pip looked at Jack and shook his head. 'He hasn't really changed much.'
'You thought he had?'
'He wasn't sleeping with his boss in London.'
'Even I wouldn't have slept with Weggie. Come on, I'll find you a desk, Tosh will sort your access out when she gets here.'
'And your medic?'
'Ah.' Jack stopped at an empty workstation. 'He's persona non grata right now.'
'Ianto suggested he was a grumpy git with Torchwood One shaped issues.'
'I understand his concern and can see his point.' Jack conceded without elaborating. 'But he could have played it a little differently. He'll slink in later.'
'Should I be worried?' Pip asked.
'Only of a cold stethoscope. His coffee is also being rationed at present so he's even more dour than usual.'

Ianto approached with a tray of coffees. 'That's a cherry thought Sir.'
Pip looked at the tray and frowned. 'Five coffees? You didn't give Jack enough at breakfast?'
Jack shook his head. 'Give it a moment, he's not been wrong yet. Yours will be the green one.'
Reaching for the cup he looked up as the alarm sounded and the cog door rolled open. He watched as Suzie and Toshiko called out hellos and made a beeline for the coffees clearly waiting for them.
'Ianto, if I thought I could woo you away from Jack I would.' Suzie gave him a wink as she sipped her coffee.
Jack sighed. 'Suzie I have been though this, there is to be no flirting with my Ianto.' His smile giving him away as she laughed.
'Oh but it's so much fun to try.'
'Ah ha.'

He turned to Tosh. 'Can you sort the access codes etc out for Pip please.'
'Sure, I wasn't expecting you to all be here so soon.'
'My daughter is babysitting Ianto's niece.'
'Is everything okay?' Tosh turned to Ianto who nodded.
'My nephew had an accident, probably trying to fly again. Mica is quite sensitive and doesn't do well in hospitals so she's with Lilah while my sister is at Cardiff Infirmary with Dav.'
She patted him on the arm and gave him her most reassuringly warm smile. 'I'm sure they'll all be fine Ianto.' She looked over at Jack. 'What's this costing?'

Jack grinned. 'Sixty quid and coffee making lessons.'
'Hell, I'd have babysat for those rates.' Suzie quipped. 'Unless it was Jack teaching me how to make the coffee.'
Jack looked at Suzie. 'Don't you have work to do?'
Smiling she took her coffee to her work station. 'Nice to see you made it in Pip.'
'Thank you Suzie.'
Ianto tucked his smile away before heading back to the coffee machine, the cog door alarm announcing Owens' arrival.

Jack was almost optimistic as he watched the team interacting with the newest member. Not that his concerns had stretched to Tosh or Suzie. Owen was distant and cold, there was no teasing over lunch and no joking around as the day dragged on. Following Ianto in the archives after lunch he needed the solitude he found best in the younger man's presence.
'Jack, whatever it is you're thinking about, its giving me a headache.'
'I'm sorry Yan, it's this whole Owen and Pip dynamic.'
'Have you asked Owen what the problem is?'
Jack snorted. 'He isn't exactly very forthcoming.'
'I could put something in his coffee.'
'While I appreciate the offer I can't condone that. I just hope they sort it out before it puts someone's life at risk out in the field.'
'Even Owen isn't that much of a wanker.'

Wrapping his arms around the Welshman Jack rested his head against Ianto's forehead. 'God I hope you're right Yan.'
'I think, once the dust settles, your next big issue is going to be Suzie and Tosh both taking a fancy to Pip.'
'That or this bloody liaison officer I'm being pushed into.'
'I thought we were above the government and the police.'
'We still answer to the Queen and even I can't argue with the risk the Weevils seem so determined to expose Cardiff to.'
Ianto moved his hands to rest on Jack's waist. 'Come on, I'll make everyone a coffee.'

Jack brushed his lips against Ianto's before pulling back. 'Have you heard from your sister yet?'
'I rang her when I was out getting lunch. David has a concussion and a broken wrist. They want to make sure he's okay before they let him go.'
'And Lilah?'
'She was having a picnic, in a blanket fort, watching cartoons with Mica when I phoned home.'
Jack laughed as they walked out of the archives. 'Maybe we should build one of them later.' He stopped at the shouting and the look of contempt on his medic's face as he squared off against their new team member. 'Or not.'

'My problem with you? You want to know what my.' Owen shook his head. 'Three words, Mr Torchwood One poster boy.' He counted them off. 'May Ella Winston.'
'Yeah? Read the file did you?' Pip stepped toward the shorter man.
'She was a six year old little girl and you snatched her from her parents!'
'Do you know what was inside her head, stealing away that little girl from her family?' Pip didn't back down as he considered what was the lowest point of his career with Torchwood. 'I think you know exactly what was destroying her, incubating in her brain. Along with what would happen if they tried to remove it.'
'She was six years old! That thing blew the back of her head out!'

Pip nodded. 'Yes it did and she died alone and screaming. Watched by god knows how many scientists including the sainted Hartman herself, standing safely outside a glass prison. But did you check all the files? Did you see the great big fat censure on my records? Or is your security clearance not high enough to snoop that information out of the London Server?' He stepped even closer to Owen, using his height to tower over the shorter man. 'I didn't join Torchwood to snatch little girls from their hospital beds. To let them die when the alien incubating in the brain decided it was either threatened enough, or ready to leave on it's own accord. So maybe you should get Ianto or your computer whiz to dig up the rest of my file before you get all pissy at me.' He stepped back, a look of utter disdain plastered on his face, as if Owen was something he not only stepped in, but now needed to clean off the carpet.

'I'm glad you took the time to get to know me before you judged me. Oh, no, wait. Let me tell you what you didn't bother looking for Doctor Owen Harper. I was given a choice, after I punched my training officer. I could have walked away from Torchwood and every crap-tastic thing they did and stood for. Memories wiped, head injury conveniently planted in my medical records with an insurance pay out even. Or I could stay, and try and mitigate the damage we all did out there. Every. Damn. Day.' Words punctuated with a finger pointing at the Doctor. 'You can hide from life in this underground bat cave complete with your Alfred to Jack's Batman.' Pointing at Ianto. 'Or you can make a god damn difference. I chose not to hide.' He turned his back on Owen, walking away.

Jack watched as Ianto reached out and stopped him, whispered in his ear and nodded before he headed deeper into the Hub.
'Do I want to know what you said?' Watching Ianto flash him a grin that left him in little doubt that no, in point of fact, he probably did not want nor need to know. 'Okay then.' He tilted his head slightly to the side and watched Ianto walk away, before turning to the rest of his team. 'Owen Harper! My office. Now.'
Spinning on his heal he didn't bother checking he was being followed as he took his seat behind his desk. 'I don't want your excuses Owen, and best you shut the door. I do however need to know if you've gotten this, whatever it is.' Waving his hand. 'Out of your system yet.' He fixed Owen with an icy look. 'I need to know if I can trust you out in the field with Pip because right now I'm not seeing it.'
Owen folded in on himself. 'Torchwood One's record -.'
Jack cut him off. 'I am more than familiar with Torchwood's record.'
'Are you?'
'I'm older than I look.' He snapped. 'But are you quite done holding Pip responsible for decisions he didn't make.' It wasn't a question.

Owen reached into his pocket and withdrew the photo he carried there, thumb brushing the image. 'What would have happened, if you had found her, before the surgery?'
'I wouldn't have put her in a glass box to watch her die Owen.'
'Was there really nothing that could have been done? For either of them?'
Jack sighed. 'We don't know enough about them and there isn't the technology to deal with them based on what we do know. But all that aside, I need to know you can play nicely.'

Owen nodded, photo tucked away once more. 'It's just, we were good as a small team and now we have Ianto and this Pip guy.'
Jack nodded. 'Yes and I'm considering adding a microbiologist with a specialization in xenobotany to the team along with a another archivist. And, if I can find one, a second medic. Are you going to welcome them with open arms or more hostility?'
'Why the sudden need to increase the team?'

'Putting aside safety factors, are you so up to date with your paperwork you don't need time off?'
Owen sighed, his voice quiet. 'If I have time off I remember what I lost.'
'If you have time off you might also see what's right in front of you.' Jack leaned back in his seat. 'Just, figure it out Owen and don't slam my door on your way back to your desk.'

Jack waited for him to leave before resting his head in his hands, wondering if he had done the right thing in inviting Pip to join the team. And wondering where this would all end as he figuratively tossed yet another ball into the air to be balanced between the others.

AN: thank you for the kind reviews :) things are a bit crazy out in the real world at the moment so apologies for not replying individually or posting sooner. Lala.