Set between A Day in the Death and Something Borrowed

"Are you excited?" Ianto asked, breaking the silence that had descended. He had been tasked with accompanying Gwen to pick up her wedding dress – but the silence that had descended once they'd left the safety of the Hub had been thick and uncomfortable.

He hadn't spent any time with Gwen outside of work or without others around since…well since the month Jack had been gone. Now, with Jack back, Ianto had focused most of his attention on the other man – not that he was sorry for having done that; it just meant he felt slightly detached from the others. Not to mention the somewhat obvious unrequited crush Gwen had on Jack, and vice versa.

"Excited?" Gwen glanced at Ianto briefly before returning her eyes to the road in front of them.

"Yes. About the wedding," Ianto smirked, slightly amused by her flushed cheeks and bright eyes.

She was very nearly in full panic. Was it over the dress? Or was it something else? The wedding was tomorrow – and up until this moment Ianto hadn't seen her react in any way other than to beam with happiness. She loved Rhys, of that Ianto was certain – but he also was certain she felt a certain draw to Jack and a part of him couldn't help but wonder if she was feeling a bit of regret that she'd never gone down that road, even for a moment.

"Right. Sure. Course I am," she rambled, offering a tiny laugh that sounded quite insincere.

Ianto didn't respond, he just looked out the passenger window at the people and places of Cardiff as they moved past. He wasn't against helping Gwen out; he was happy to do it. But the way Jack had just dismissed him from the Hub had been a little brusque. There was a discomfort in the air about the Hub - between Jack and Ianto and Gwen, and between Tosh and Owen and Gwen...the common denominator of both situations being Gwen. And while everyone was happy for her and her pending nuptials - there was a great deal of awkwardness in the congratulatory feel of it all.

Rhys, though aware of Gwen's job and what Torchwood was, wasn't aware of Gwen's lingering attraction to Jack, or of her affair with Owen; the latter of which the entire team was fully aware of. And if Ianto was honest, they were all keenly aware of her attraction to Jack, too. Ianto wasn't sure that anyone who came into contact with Jack didn't, even if just for a moment, find themselves attracted to him. He had that effect. Or Ianto thought he did, anyway. Still, it was awkward. And yet he now found himself helping her with a last minute errand - and he couldn't help but wonder why Jack was so quick to volunteer him.

"Thanks for coming anyway," Gwen said, turning into the shopping center housing the boutique where she had ordered her dress.

"My pleasure," Ianto politely responded.

"I'm sure this is the last thing you want to be doing right now," she smiled at him, parking the car and turning off the ignition.

"It's fine. I helped my sister quite a bit with her wedding," Ianto offered.

"Oh?" Gwen replied as she climbed out of the vehicle.

"Yep," Ianto sighed before he climbed out and followed her into the bridal shop.

Ianto's job, according to Jack, was simply to be the moral support. Apparently Gwen had scheduled and rescheduled this appointment at least six times over the last three weeks. There was no more putting it off though – the wedding was the next day and if Gwen didn't pick up her dress then she wouldn't have one at all…

Ianto couldn't help but wonder why Gwen had been putting off this errand. It wasn't going to take long (he hoped) and she was constantly and consistently (almost obnoxiously) effusive about her love for Rhys and her desire to marry him.

So why the avoidance?

Ianto entered the boutique to find Gwen and the sales clerk already talking.

"We can try the dress on one last time, but there is of course no time left to do any last minute alterations should they be needed," the young, dark-haired, dark-skinned clerk smiled quite saccharinely at Gwen. Ianto though he heard a hint of condescension in her tone.

"Fine," Gwen nodded seemingly un-phased by the clerk's slight uppity rudeness.

"You're not her betrothed are you?" the woman turned to Ianto with a stern look on her face.

"No. No, m'am. Just a friend," Ianto smiled broadly and the clerk's look softened.

"I just want to preserve the special day for you," she said to Gwen.

"Right. Fine," Gwen repeated, glancing at Ianto with a tight-lipped smile before following the retreating figure of the clerk towards the back of the shop. There were several curtained off cubes – dressing rooms Ianto guessed.

Following just behind the women, Ianto took in the colorful, couture gowns that hung around him.

It had been just over a year since…since his heart had broken in ways he had thought irreparable. But he'd come back from that pain; he'd healed. Dare he say he might have found love again, if he allowed himself to call it that – and he wanted to, but he was also scared.

With Lisa it had been easy (well, before she had been half converted to a Cyberman); with Jack things were a lot more complicated – on nearly every level, not the least of which was Jack's immortality, if that was even the right term for it.

The bigger question was, did Ianto even have a future with Jack? Could anyone really have a future with a man like him? Surely, someday Jack could grow bored of Ianto, or tire of him, or stop finding him attractive as he got older, as his age made him gray-haired, and wrinkled, and flabby… Jack had claimed to have had relationships in the past, but Ianto grew more certain, the more he grew to know Jack, that they'd been short-lived.

Ianto could see himself with Jack, though; for a long time to come. He could see them living together, having a life together. A future. The problem was Ianto didn't really know what Jack saw, or even wanted – and he was more than slightly terrified to ask him for fear of ruining what happiness they did have together, in this moment in time.

"Ianto?"

"Oi, what do ya think?" Gwen was standing in front of Ianto, her gown snuggly hugging every curve of her body perfectly. The dress had been altered and fitted to Gwen's specifications months ago, but a final had never been done until now. Ianto was sure most women didn't fit perfectly into their wedding dress, months after the measurements and alterations had been made.

"Fits perfect," he smiled and nodded, appreciating the beauty.

"You look beautiful," he added as she grinned back at him, showing more excitement for her impending nuptials then he'd seen from her since she had come bounding into the Hub the morning after Rhys had proposed. Ianto was glad – Gwen should be happy. She was getting everything she wanted, and while it was hard not to feel just a little bit jealous, he was also very happy for her, too.

She would be a gorgeous bride, of that Ianto was certain. Even now, hair down and slightly windblown, makeup simple and barely there, she was glowing, beaming brightly with obvious joy and happiness – a stark contrast to her mood from when they'd first walked into the store.

"I'm surprised," the clerk smiled, her snarky attitude gone, replaced by obvious awe, "this rarely happens. Most of the time there's some sort of alteration needed."

The clerk circled Gwen, tugging at the skirt, eyeballing the zipper, "you'll have to tell me your secret," she added, offering a wink at Ianto.

"Active lifestyle," Gwen smiled widely as she shared a knowing look with Ianto. The clerk just laughed.

Ianto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If only this young woman knew the truth – if only she knew that just a few days earlier the entire team had been hunting literal Death in a hospital. If only she knew what kind of things went bump in the night out there – the Weevils and the rift. If only she knew about Owen. A dead man, living. But not living. If she knew those things she wouldn't laugh.

Just then Ianto's phone chirped and with an apologetic smile and nod, he left the store, taking the call just outside.

A few minutes later Gwen, a large white garment bag draped over her arm, met him outside.

"Jack needs us back at the Hub," Ianto said as they both climbed into the SUV.

"Thank you again for coming with me," Gwen said, pulling back out into the building afternoon traffic of Cardiff.

"Ya, no problem," Ianto replied.

"Really, Ianto," Gwen said and out of the corner of his eye Ianto saw her turn to look at him. He turned towards her with a smile.

"I know, and it's fine," he reiterated.

"This was supposed to be something I should have done ages ago with my girlfriends," Gwen went on, turning her attention back to the road, "but something always kept coming up. I think they all might think my wedding is a big lie."

She gave a nervous giggle and Ianto smiled, staring out the windows at the passing traffic.

"It's just…," Gwen's tone turned more somber, and Ianto glanced at her. She was looking straight ahead, one hand on the wheel while her other elbow was propped up on the window ledge, her hand holding her slightly titled head.

"I've been fantasizing about my wedding for most of life. In one way or another," she bit her lip as she paused, "when I was younger it was all about finding my Prince Charming. The perfect man to sweep me off my feet. Later, after I met Rhys and realized there was no such thing as a perfect man, it became about being with the person who accepted me for me, and loved me for me, and made me happy."

She grinned widely then, straightening her head and placing her second hand on the steering wheel before turning to Ianto again.

"Know what I mean?"

Ianto smiled and nodded but didn't say anything more. He'd dreamed some of those same dreams, once upon a time. Certainly not in the same way, and definitely not until after he'd met Lisa and had realized he'd wanted to be with her forever. But of course that had not gone at all as planned or expected…

Looking out the front of the car at the traffic ahead of them, Ianto felt Gwen's eyes on him. He knew she was looking for more of a response from him – but Ianto couldn't give her more. He was not some "Cinderella", and Jack certainly was not his "Prince Charming". He wasn't sure what Jack was – other than someone who made Ianto happy; and for the time being that was enough. It had to be enough.

"I just want everything tomorrow to be perfect," Gwen sighed a moment later, sounding wistful.

Ianto sincerely hoped it would be perfect. Goodness knows they all deserved a perfect, happy day.