"Gwen" turned out to be a cheery Welshwoman with long hair and a gap-toothed smile. She hugged a seemingly reluctant Ianto and handed over his car—"Free of charge, pet, it was an accident"—before enthusiastically greeting Jack.

Jack grinned. He liked her. She was nice and alive, and he wasn't jealous of her anymore because while she cared immensely about Ianto, she kept talking about her fiancé and how amazing he was.

He had no idea how or why she and Ianto were friends—she was clearly an extrovert, and while Ianto wasn't completely reserved, he was much calmer—but that didn't matter. She seemed to dote on him as a sister would, and she beamed when Ianto mentioned that he and Jack were together, and when she left, it was in a flurry of smiles and hugs.

Jack was still grinning when Ianto went over to his car.

"That was…"

"Yeah," Ianto agreed. He shrugged sheepishly. "She's a bit much, but she means well."

Jack nodded. "I know." He watched Ianto unlock the door and move to sit. "You're coming back to the hotel, right?"

"If you want me to."

"I do." Jack nodded. "And your bag's still there, so…"

Quickly, Ianto looked at him, alarmed. "I… I didn't… I didn't mean to impose, I just thought—"

Jack silenced him with a kiss, then drew back and shook his head fondly. "I'm not complaining."

"Right." Ianto cleared his throat. "I'll see you back there, then."

Jack nodded and watched him drive away. Now that he saw Ianto drive, he nodded to himself; Ianto was a much less erratic driver than he was.

Ianto was also… Jack didn't want to be redundant, but the words beautiful, amazing, and perfect came to mind. He was a lover, not a writer, and he knew that Ianto would cringe at the compliments. Besides, a picture said a thousand words, and flowers were worth just as much.

A quick search on his phone found a small but popular florist not that far out of his way. Another search determined his bouquet.

He only hoped that the flowers were in season.

Estelle's Flower Shop was brightly lit and inviting. The door was open, and Jack entered, seeing that the vast array of flowers didn't clutter the shop and that the counter—even with the flowers on it—was clearly visible, as was the woman behind it.

She was about as old as Jack's grandmother, greeting him with a warm smile.

"Good afternoon," Jack said, approaching.

"Good afternoon," she returned. "How can I help you today?"

"Can you put together a bouquet, please? For someone special." Jack smiled. "I don't know exactly how this works, but I'd really appreciate some help, ma'am"

She chuckled. "Estelle, please. None of this 'ma'am' business."

"Estelle." She's sweet. "I'm Jack."

"What sort of bouquet do you want, Jack?"

"Well…" Jack took out his phone and held it out. "It's not a bouquet, per se, but I want these flowers… I… uh, I put the list together a few minutes ago."

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Let's hear it."

"Yeah." Jack cleared his throat, suddenly nervous.

"Don't usually buy flowers for her, do you?"

"Him," Jack corrected off-handedly. "And no. It was our first date yesterday, and I just wanted… I guess I just wanted to do something nice. Something romantic, you know?"

"Of course." She smiled. "I cannot guarantee that I will have them all, but I'll try."

"Thank you." Jack opened the list on his phone and took a deep breath. "So… I… well, I admit I know nothing about flowers."

"No need to be shy, Jack," Estelle said kindly. "I'm sure he'll love whatever you've got picked out."

"How can you be sure?"

There was a twinkle in her eyes. "He can't not, not when you're so passionate and going to so much trouble."

Jack grinned sheepishly. "Thanks."

"So what arrangement have you got in mind?'

"Well, it's not an arrangement, per se, like I said, but—oh, I'll just read it." Jack turned his phone on again and licked his lips. "Um… a dwarf sunflower, a tall sunflower, an amethyst… flower, an Indian jasmine flower, uh… red morning glory, a pineapple… flower…" He trailed off and looked at her, the understanding dawning on him that he really didn't know what kind of flowers he had picked.

Estelle was looking at him, not exactly strangely, but cautiously amused. "Jack, I'm afraid I don't have all of that. They're different types of flowers with different blooming seasons, and some of them can't be put into a bouquet."

Jack looked forlornly at the list on his phone, then sighed. "I suppose it wasn't very well thought out."

"Is there anything else you had in mind?"

Jack looked at the list for a few more seconds. Just when he was about to give up and ask for help, his eyes lit up. "Can you do a rose bouquet?"

"Of course." Estelle walked around the counter and led him to what looked like a flower refrigerator. "Something pre-arranged, or you do want to pick them out?"

Jack nodded, staring at the flowers—all colorful and in full bloom—before snapping back to reality. "I'm sorry, what?"

Estelle laughed. "Are you interested in a pre-made arrangement, or do you want to pick out the flowers?"

"Can I pick them?" Jack turned his phone on again. "I have the colors, can I?.."

"Read them out, dear." She opened the door, prepared to pull out the necessary flowers. Jack held it for her. "Thank you, Jack."

"Anytime, Estelle." He grinned at her; she was like his grandmother, just more open and accepting. "So… a pink rose… a yellow rose… a deep pink rose, a peach or coral rose, a pink rose… what's a bridal rose?"

"This one."

"A bridal one." Jack paused and watched her take another bridal rose that was more similar in length to the ones she already had. "A yellow rose… and a red one, another pink, an orange… and a deep pink rose."

Estelle looked up at him. "That's all?"

"Yeah." Jack put his phone in his pocket. He waited for Estelle to move back to the counter, then shut the door and followed her. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure, dear," she said as she arranged the flowers and wrapped them loosely in a clear paper.

"Thank you," Jack said again. He took a business card from the counter. "Can I… uh, can I call here? Just… I don't know, to tell you how it goes? Say 'thank you' again when he gets the flowers?"

Estelle's face lit up. Jack had been expecting a police explanation of why that wasn't possible, or something along the lines of you'll need to buy something to do that, but Estelle's face told a different story. "That would be very nice, Jack, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course." He handed over a credit card and carefully took the bouquet. "Thank you, again. I… really, thank you."

They exchanged a few more pleasantries, then Jack left, admiring the bouquet and carefully putting it in the SUV's passenger seat.

He really didn't have a good reason for being so thankful, but he'd really liked Estelle. She was the grandmother type—and was probably an actual grandmother, but Jack was considering returning just to talk to her; she was nice and understanding, and she probably knew exactly what he was going to try to say with the flowers.

He turned on the car and glanced at the clock.

That had taken a bit more time than he'd thought.

.oOo.

Ianto's car was standing next to the hotel and Ianto himself was in the lobby.

Jack saw him immediately when he came in, looking just as good as ever. He was sitting in one of the leather armchairs, projecting an image of calm and propriety, but Jack thought it was more fitting to say that Ianto was lounging.

He seemed to notice Jack, too, and stood up. Jack couldn't say that he was angry—he was 45 minutes late and had neglected to call, so Ianto had every right to be—but he certainly didn't look pleased.

"Ianto," Jack said immediately.

"Jack."

"I took a bit of a detour—"

"I know."

"And I got you flowers!"

"Oh."

If Jack didn't know any better, he'd say that Ianto was speechless. But Ianto didn't get speechless. He gave over the bouquet. "You like 'em?"

"Roses." Ianto took it and grinned. "I love them."

(Quick note: yes, the flowers are going to be explained at a later date - I hope it's going to be a clear explanation :P - but you can just as well look them up or ask if you're actually curious about them. Thanks for reading!)