Undine held Jack and rocked him as he sobbed on her shoulder. She'd dropped the diary off for Ianto to read, not sure if that was the right thing to do or if it would backfire. Time was the only thing that would tell and her heart was breaking as Jack fell apart in her arms. She whispered nonsense as she held the man she had grown fond of. He was different to the Jack she knew, broken, soft and vulnerable. Not at all the confident, king of the world she was used to. She hoped this could still work out for these two men, although she wasn't sure Ianto was her biggest fan right now.
Carys locked the shop and set the alarm before heading up the stairs to Jack's flat. She knocked on the door and hesitated. She'd seen Ianto leave but Jack hadn't come back down. The door swung open and she peered around the corner. 'Jack, I've set the alarm.' She saw him sitting on the sofa holding his knees as he rocked himself back and forward. 'I'll um, see you tomorrow then.' He nodded but she didn't know if he'd heard her as she closed the door and let herself out. She hoped everything was okay.
Undine watched Carys walk away and locked the door before turning back to Jack. It was difficult to see him like this and she hoped he could come back. She'd forgotten about the diary, she understood why he kept it but she did hope it was worth it. Because right now he was breaking her soul into pieces.
Cassie put her bag away and pulled an apron on as she called out. 'Morning Ianto.' She stopped when there was no reply, the man was just standing there polishing his already spotless coffee machine. 'Ianto?' She waved a hand in front of his face. 'Earth to Ianto.' Frowning she wondered what was wrong.
Ianto blinked as if just noticing her. 'Oh, hello.'
'Ianto?' This wasn't like her boss at all. His eyes looked tired but it was the crooked tie that spoke the loudest.
She watched him sleepwalk though the morning, every time the door opened he looked up but Jack wasn't there. It reminded her of a kid she used to babysit, he'd sit there looking hopefully at every car that drove past asking if it was his father come to pick him up when it was his turn to take the boy for the weekend. It never was and it had broken her heart each time it happened. Only this time it wasn't a six year old little boy who had a deadbeat dad that was too hung over to care that his son still loved him. She grinned when a familiar face walked up to the counter.
'Hi ya, you're Cassie aren't you, I'm Carys.'
'That's right, we met the other day, in Jack's shop.'
Carys nodded as she paid for two coffees. 'So your one looks like someone stole his puppy too then.'
'God is he just as bad is he?' She watched Carys nod.
'He wont talk about it, just threw some money at me to get coffee.'
'I wonder what the hell happened.'
'I have no idea.' She sipped her coffee and gave a happy sigh. 'I just hope it isn't too serious.' She picked the coffees up and turned to leave. 'See you later then.'
Cassie nodded as she watched the young woman walk away. So both men were miserable, whatever it was had to do with Jack. She sighed softly before smiling at the next customer.
Carys put the coffee in front of Jack and went back to her desk, watching as he pushed it away. Coffee he usually leapt on. He didn't look happy, and even managed to misalign the buttons on his shirt. He looked rumpled as he sat there holding a picture he'd clearly cut from the news paper. Rubbing his thumb over the image. It was like someone had stolen his personality and left her with a blank copy of the man. She just wanted her boss back.
She spent the day serving customers and dusting the contents of the shop, discreetly watching Jack as he faded into himself. She found herself watching Jack as he sat there watching the door, it was the time of day Ianto usually came by after closing his own shop for the day. Only this time there was no Ianto.
Cassie locked the door and flicked the sign to closed before stalking up to Ianto, hands on hips. 'Right you, what's going on here?'
Ianto looked up, confused. 'What?'
'You with your face all grumped up like this.' Waiving a hand for emphasis.
'Grumped isn't even a real word.'
'Well hallelujah, that must be the longest sentence you've used all day.'
'Cassie...' Ianto warned. 'I'm not in the mood.'
She softened her tone and walked over to him. 'I did kinda figure that one out for myself. What's going on?'
He shook his head. 'I think we might have broken up.'
She groaned, Ianto looked like he was on the verge of tears. 'Oh god, what happened.' She watched him freeze.
'I can't say.'
'What the hell happened?' He'd looked like a wooden puppet with a loose string as he collapsed in on himself.
'It's complicated.' His voice barely audible.
She considered this a moment. 'Can it be un complicated?'
There was a big sigh. 'I don't know, it's a lot to process.'
'Ianto, whatever it is, you know you can talk to me.' He folded in on himself even more as if trying to disappear before her eyes.
'I'm not sure any more.' He jumped as Cassie threw her arms around him. Her voice soft.
'Do you love him?' She felt him nod as she hugged him. 'Does he love you?'
Ianto sighed. 'That's sort of the problem. I don't know if it's me he loves.'
She frowned as she stepped back. 'That doesn't make sense.'
Ianto looked at his feet before meeting her gaze. 'I sort of remind him of someone, from his past.'
'That's a bit creepy.'
He snorted. 'You don't know the half of it.' He almost wished there was someone he could talk to, someone else who knew. 'I look a lot like someone he, well, lost. We even have a similar name.' He moved to the corner and threw himself into one of the arm chairs. 'I don't even know why I'm telling you this.'
'I will admit, it's well out of character for you.'
'I know.' He sat with his head in his hands and sniffed back tears threatening to overwhelm him as he looked at her. She was now sitting opposite him.
'Ianto, I've worked with you, and for you, for a while now, so I'm just going to say this. Do you want to be with Jack.'
His voice a whisper. 'I don't know any more.'
'Hmm, and does he want to be with you?'
'I don't know if it's even me he wants.'
'You think it's the ex.' She stopped when he nodded and shook his head at the same time. 'That does put a different spin on things.'
'You think.' He muttered.
'Well have you talked to him about it?' She watched as he shook his head and just sat there looking like a kid who just found out Santa wasn't real.
'I'm not sure what I'd say to him right now.'
'So...' She prompted Ianto hoping he would keep speaking.
Ianto shook his head. 'I guess I've got some thinking to do.' He looked around. 'Come on, we have things to do so we can get out of here.'
Carys watched as Ianto walked past the shop and didn't stop. Jack's hungry eyes following the Welshman as he faded away. She shook her head as she turned back to her dusting. She really hoped they figured this out soon.
Cassie hesitated before opening the door to the Hub, not sure which Ianto she would find. Yesterday's Ianto wasn't much fun to work with, he was just not himself. She catalogued the Ianto's of the last few weeks. First there was the pre Jack Ianto. Efficient, quiet, passionate about his coffee, and his damn coffee machine. She'd come to the conclusion some time ago that there was a fine line between passion and obsession when it came to that man and his coffee machine.
Then there was the initial phase of the courtship of Ianto. He was a little bewildered but sort of just went along with it. But it was the in an actual relationship with Jack Ianto that she really missed. He was funny, actually took breaks and looked relaxed and happy. The broken I think we fucked the relationship up Ianto she could definitely do without.
She wondered what sort of state Jack was in and was sorely tempted to give him a piece of her mind. She might talk to Carys if she came in for coffee again today and see if there was any point intervening or if it was just too big a gap to bridge. Looking at the man moving though his world like he was treading water, it was painful. Anything had to be better than just going though the motions like this.
She kept her head down and worked around him as much as anything. Hoping there was something that could be done. She liked her boss, he was a really sweet guy and up until the other day he'd been genuinely happy.
Carys squared her shoulders before stepping into the shop, it was dark, the alarm still set. She wanted to hope it meant Jack was wooing Ianto and leaving her to unlock the door and open up but she doubted it. She hit the alarm code and flicked the lights on as she turned the sign from closed to open. She decided to check the emails and see if there was anything she needed to post out as she waited for Jack to put in an appearance. If this was going to be anything like the day before it was going to be a long day. She just hoped he put in an appearance at some point so she could take a break and maybe get a coffee.
Undine watched as Jack tossed and turned in the bed. A bed that seemed so empty without Ianto. She didn't know how she thought this was going to turn out but the longer the two stubborn men left it the harder it was going to be for them to fix it. There was time, not as much as she would have preferred but there was time. She wondered if this was why she was still here. Still stuck between worlds waiting to be free to go home.
She hadn't popped in on Ianto to see how he was going yet but that might be the next thing on her to do list. This was like a bad comedy, a total train wreck and she was helpless to stop it. She watched as Jack turned the alarm off and went back to sleep. She didn't want to think of how much whiskey this sleep had been won with. If he was going to drink it like lolly water he could at least drink a blend rather than the very good single malts he had in his collection. It might be easier to drink the Tobermory ten but it was a total waste if he wasn't able to taste the rich gingerbread notes.
She contemplated yanking the blankets off him and forcing him out of bed. But she couldn't count on his wearing pants so she didn't want to risk it. There were some things she didn't need to see. She faded away as he sat up and scratched himself. Even as she disappeared she could still smell the whiskey on his breath.
Carys smelt Jack before she saw him. He stumbled into the shop, unshaven and bleary eyed barking a single word. Coffee. He threw a twenty pound note at her and pointed to the door and held up two fingers. She picked her bag up, shoved the money in her pocket and nodded before shooting out the door before he could change his mind. It didn't take long to get to the Hub and she smiled at Cassie as she reached the counter.
'Hi ya, two black coffees for his highness, better make them with an extra shot and I'll have a white chocolate mocha with caramel thanks.'
'Tell you what, I'll make yours first and we will sit down for a few minutes. I think we need to talk.'
Carys nodded. 'You might have a point. He still looks like someone stole his puppy.'
'Yours talking?'
Carys snorted as Cassie handed her the change before making her coffee. 'I got barked at this morning for coffee and that's pretty much it. You?'
Cassie handed her the coffee and followed her around to a table outside so Ianto couldn't hear them. 'From what he said yesterday he reminds your one of an ex lover. And that's about all I know.'
'Well you're one up on me. Do you think they can work this out?'
Cassie shook her head. 'I'm not sure but this isn't working for me. I don't know about you but I sort of miss my boss.'
'Yeah, me and all. Jack's such a bear with a sore tooth right now.'
'So what can we do?'
'Short of locking them in a cupboard together?'
'Don't tempt me.'
Undine watched from a doorway across the street as Carys and Cassie spoke over coffee. She wondered what the two young women were up to and if she could help. Something needed to be done.
