Jack smiled as Ianto walked into the shop with coffee.

'Sometimes.' Ianto mused playfully, handing over the cup. 'I think it's the coffee you're actually happy to see.'

Jack put the coffee down and pulled Ianto into an appreciative kiss. 'It's definitely all you. The coffee is just a bonus.'

'Alright then.'

'I got you something.' He handed Ianto a small gift box. 'It's not an engagement ring.'

Ianto opened the box and took out a keyring. 'I already have one of these.' He looked up and saw Jack holding a key.

'Yeah, you do, but your one is missing this.' He watched Ianto hesitate before taking the key. 'It's unconditional, you don't have to give me anything in return.' He watched as Ianto put the key on the ring and looked at him, a question in blue eyes as he tucked it in his pocket.

'I. Thank you.'

'It doesn't mean I've given up asking you to move in with me, I still want that for us. When you're ready.'

'What if I'm never ready?' He knew his voice was quiet as he searched Jack's face for a reaction.

Jack sipped his coffee as he considered what Ianto was saying. Nodding he remembered something. 'Then we buy the building next door and become neighbours. It seems to work for Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter.'

'I think they have interconnecting houses Jack.'

He shrugged. 'We can do that too.'

'You'd do that? Buy the building next door and be happy as neighbours?'

'Ianto, if I have you I have everything.'

'You make it really hard to say no.'

Jack just pulled him back into his arms, his voice warm at Ianto's ear. 'I know.'

Undine watched from her invisible sideline. It had sounded so easy, bring Jack into this reality. Set him up, transfer his wealth to this world. This one being the closest to his own, the least number of differences. With the Ianto who needed him the most. She wondered if another Ianto might not have said yes faster, but it hadn't been her decision and there was no way of knowing.

She sighed softly, she felt so close to going home, she just had to be a little more patient. Patience had never been one of her strengths, she was too much her father's daughter. Perhaps there was a lesson for her to be learnt in that. In knowing that there is a time and a place for everything. But knowing it, and being happy about it, were still two different things.

Ianto sat on the edge of Jack's desk. 'Do you have anything that needs to go to the dry cleaners?'

'I did that this morning after you left, I'll pick it up tomorrow, it's just a few shirts.'

'And dinner?'

'Took some chicken out to thaw, I figured between the two of us we could throw some pasta together.'

'Do we need anything else?'

Jack shook his head. 'I don't think so, you can check if you like. Flat's unlocked.'

'Apparently I have my own key now anyway.'

Jack grinned. 'That you do.' He looked around the office. 'If you want something to do you can always dust the shop. Carys usually does it but it's Monday.'

Ianto shook his head. 'I might go back to my flat and grab some more DVD's. I probably need to clean the fridge out anyway, since I seem to spend most of my time at yours.'

'If you moved in -.'

Ianto cut him off. 'Broken and record Jack, not interested.'

'I'm not going to stop asking.'

'Of course not, you wouldn't be Captain Jack Harkness if you did.'

Jack was about to kiss Ianto again when the door opened. 'You were saved by the bell.'

'I'll be back later.'

'This isn't over Ianto Jones.'

Ianto waved as he turned to walk away. 'Of course it isn't. Go, your adoring public awaits.'

Jack smiled as he watched Ianto walk away before going out to see if his customer needed help.

Ianto decided there was nothing in his fridge that needed dealing to and surveyed his little flat. He wondered if maybe it was silly to hold onto the almost abandoned rooms he called home. It wasn't really home without Jack. But what if it didn't work out, being in love with someone was no guarantee it would last forever. His parents were a classic example of that. If his father hadn't gotten sick he wondered if they would have stayed together, or if his mother would have finally found the courage to leave.

And what did he really know of love, he wasn't sure he'd been in love before. He walked though to his living room and looked around before speaking softly. 'Come on then, apparate. I'll even try not to scream like a girl. I'm sure you're lurking around somewhere.' It crossed his mind that he might just be going insane to be talking to himself and the ulterior motive laden young woman who seemed to delight in popping in and out of his life.

'Did you want to talk to me Ianto?' Undine sat on the sofa.

'Please tell me you don't watch us all the time.'

She screwed her face up. 'Ew that's gross, of course not.' Her head shaking. 'So why did you call me out?'

'I need someone to talk to. About my relationship with Jack, since you seem to have this inside knowledge, which is creepy by the way.'

'You called me, that's sweet. What's wrong?' She watched as Ianto sat beside her, his body language tense.

'He's asked me to move in with him.'

She considered what he was and wasn't saying before replying. 'Okay, so either you think it's too soon, or you still aren't sure it's you and you're wondering if any Ianto would do.'

'Are you sure you aren't a projection of my id or something?'

She nodded. 'I'm pretty sure.' Patting him on the knee she smiled. 'Look, you probably never really thought about the multi-verse before meeting me and Jack. How to explain this?' She nodded. 'Okay, it's a bit like a photocopy, the closer to the original the clearer the reproduction. The more copies there are, the more potential the image has to be distorted.'

'Meaning?'

'It's a bit like that with the multi-verses, except it's probably more of a ripple than a photocopy, but the principles the same, the closer two universes are to each other the more similarities there are between them. Like how an identical twin is going to be a better match if you need a kidney than any other sibling.'

'You really like mixing your analogies.'

'Do you have a degree in quantum physics? No. So you are stuck with my analogies. Does it make sense though?'

'The physics or your analogies?' He gave her a brief grin. 'I'm assuming you are inferring that I'm the closest copy of his dead lover and that's why he's in my world.'

'It still bothers you. You aren't a copy, I shouldn't have use the photocopier to try and explain this.'

'I'm hardly his clone.' Ianto frowned. 'That sort of technology doesn't exist does it?'

She shrugged. 'In which universe? But no, it isn't just that this is the closest to Jack's reality, it's also you.'

'What does that mean?'

'You are the Ianto that most needed Jack. This reality is the one that needed the two of you to be here.'

'You are worse than a badly written plot in a crime show. What does that even mean?'

'There are some things I can't tell you.'

'I would never have guessed.'

'Droll.'

'Thank you.'

She sighed. 'It's not easy for me, I know what's at stake here -.'

Ianto cut in. 'You have the biggest ulterior motive you mean.' He watched as she just nodded.

'Yep. I can't deny that, and I can't tell you why. I still don't really understand why you can even see me.'

'Didn't you say my gran was psychic or something? Or was I a gypsy fortune teller in another reality.'

Eyes rolled at Ianto's comment. 'Really? That's what you come up with?'

'Oh shut up.'

'Can you accept that he loves you.'

'Doesn't mean it isn't too soon to move in with him.'

'So don't.'

'Aren't you stuck here until we sort our relationship out?'

'I know, believe me, I know. But there's no point rushing to the inevitable and missing the journey along the way. Imagine how boring Lord of the Rings would have been if the eagles had just flown Frodo over to Mordor and back.'

'The book wouldn't have been as long.'

'I love that book.'

'I love Jack.'

'I know.'

'It just feels like I have no free will.'

'So you're taking your time over deciding to move in with him. I understand.' She looked at him. 'What? You were expecting me to tell you to just face the inevitable and move in with him already.'

Ianto nodded. 'Maybe.'

'Oh no.' She shook her head. 'I am not giving you permission, you want to move in with him you make that decision yourself. This has to be about what you want.'

Ianto nodded. 'I just don't know if I can let the flat go.'

'Security blanket?'

He nodded. 'Yep.' His knee was patted again as she just looked at him.

'So what are you going to do?'

'Take some DVD's to Jack's and probably start cooking dinner.'

Tosh looked up from her desk as Andy wondered into her office, closing the door behind him. 'What's up?'

'Has anyone at Torchwood managed to juggle a relationship with someone not in Torchwood?'

'What's brought this on?' She watched as he sat down almost heavily in the chair opposite her desk.

'I've been seeing someone and it's just.' He sighed. 'It's difficult, it's not like I can talk about what I do here.'

'Well no, I can see how explaining how to get alien slime out of your hair could put a damper on a romantic dinner.' She set her glasses on the desk and ignored her reports, Andy needing her attention more than UNIT's latest request for copies of her files. 'You know you can't tell her, or him, about what we do.'

'Her. Cassie, from the coffee shop.' He played with the hem of his shirt, missing the look on Tosh's face. 'I know I can't tell her what we really do. But has anyone managed to do it?'

'Do what?'

'Balance life with this place.' His hand sweeping around to indicate the Hub.

'You really like her.'

'Took me a year to ask her out.'

'And I bet she made the first move.' She smiled as he grinned and blushed crimson to the roots of his blonde hair. 'It's not easy, we've all tried but this place seeps into your bones. You will have to find a balance with what you are comfortable with her knowing about what we do.'

Andy sighed. 'But how do I do that when I know I could get killed tomorrow.'

'You were never bothered by that when you were on the police force.'

'I didn't know what else was out there. This is Cardiff, my biggest worry was getting smacked in the head with a flying kebab after a night at the local.'

Tosh snorted. 'More likely to get food poisoning from eating the kebab.'

'What do I tell her?'

'I think that depends on how serious it is, how much you trust her, and what you think we will do to protect Torchwood if necessary.'

'That puts a different complexion on things.' He watched as she nodded.

'I didn't get the big desk because I look pretty in heels. I trust you will figure out how much to tell her, and if it becomes appropriate we will cross that bridge when we get to it.'

'Which bridge is that?' Andy muttered as he rose to leave. 'The one when you memory wipe my girlfriend...'

'I have excellent hearing.' She put her glasses back on. 'I also have paperwork, UNIT is less forgiving.'

He nodded as he moved towards the door. 'Thanks Tosh, I'll figure it out.'

'I'm sure you will.' She waited until he left before pulling a folder out from beneath the paperwork she had been reading though. Making notes as she turned to her computer. The only certainties in life were paperwork and aliens.