Ok, I dunno if anyone noticed, but at the end of chapter 22 about a page and a half of the story wasn't posted the first time around. I'm sorry I didn't notice it before, but the problem is fixed now. I'd say it's a case of rush posting = messy results. Sorry about that!

Enjoy!

Chapter 34

(22nd September 2008)

"Do you want to come back with me?" Tosh was careful not to let Ianto see what she wanted. He had to decide on his own. Ianto squinted in the afternoon, bright but cool September sun, in the direction of the Plass. He swallowed,

"I dunno… is it likely I'll be thrown back out again?"

"I don't know." Tosh was being honest, but in her heart, she did not think Jack would throw Ianto out. Jack was trying to be rational, she could see it on his face every time he looked at Owen, every time he glanced at his phone. Although who he was hoping to hear from was something to wonder.

Ianto glanced up at the sky, biting his lower lip in nervousness. Then he said, "Just give me a minute, please."

Tosh nodded, and stepped away from him as he pulled out his phone. It was no surprise to her that he clearly got no answer, Jack had tried twice and had gotten nothing while Tosh herself had tried to track the woman down via CCTV but she'd either avoided them or erased the footage because she hadn't been able to find her. Now she was curious as to why Michaela was hiding so thoroughly as well as where.

Ianto sounded depressed as he left a short message, asking for a call back. He hung up and rejoined her, putting the phone back into his jackets pocket.

"Jack's had no luck either." Tosh offered in comfort. Ianto made a strange face. "What?"

"It's just… right now I can't think about Jack and Michaela. I mean, together."

"I saw the footage of them kissing-"

"It wasn't the kiss that set me off you know." Ianto's tone was abrupt. Tosh raised her eyebrows in dubiousness. "Not the act of kissing. It was because of… because of how Michaela feels about Jack. I couldn't… I'm a selfish arse, amn't I?"

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"It… I don't want to talk about this."

Like a vice, Tosh grabbed Ianto's arms, pulling him back. "Ianto you're finally talking about the problems here, don't stop now!"

Ianto immediately touched her hand, meeting her eyes carefully, "I'm not. But I think I need to talk to her first. It's… telling you about her and me is one thing… but this feels like pulling you in amidst the relationships complexities. And… those are private. Between her and me alone. At least for now. If she ever talks to me again, then I might be able to talk about it with you. But… you have to understand-"

"It was always just the two of you. No one else ever factored in your relationship."

"Oh… you do understand." Ianto looked a little disconcerted.

"I may be a computer geek but I'm not that socially inept." smiled Tosh, deliberately sliding her hand under his elbow and around it. "Come on, let's go."

A bit of colour fled Ianto's cheeks, but Tosh did not let go. Instead she steered him towards the Hub, determined to get him inside. After that, she would stand and be a silent supporter. Ianto had to be the one to decide the next step.

The alarms seemed louder than usual, as the cog wheel rolled away and revealed the messy Hub. Tosh glanced up at Jack's office and saw he was back. He was sitting at his desk, working on something and steadfastly not looking out the window. Gwen was still at her desk, although now she was chatting to someone on the phone and flicking through a bridal magazine. Owen was still down in the Autopsy Bay.

Tosh let Ianto go and moved to her own station, logging back on and returning to her work. Ianto stood in front of the cog wheel, looking around. He felt very wrong footed. Every instinct in his body was telling him to go make coffee, like he always did upon first entering the Hub. But his head was demanding how he could be so presumptuous. Still, what else could he do? He couldn't just go down to the Archives, and he couldn't bear to go up to Jack or down to Owen. So, feeling his face flushing in self-consciousness, he made his way slowly to the coffee machine. With a start he realised it wasn't the one he knew. Where was…

Oh, right. Ianto grimaced as he remembered how he'd destroyed his coffee machine, just to annoy and hurt Jack. Christ that seemed so petty now. Still, he was pretty sure this one could work, so he straightened his back and approached it with determination. It was a little like his first day at the Hub, trying to make perfect coffee for each of them so he could start to prove himself. That had been the first time Ianto had seen Owen since he was 13 at their mam's funeral. He'd not realised Owen worked for Jack, as he'd focused all his energy on Jack. But he'd recognised him at once.

(28th February 2007)

Why couldn't Ianto have started working on the 1st of March? He wasn't that superstitious, but he couldn't help feel that it was not a good omen to start on the last day of the month. Why couldn't it have been a leap year?

"Hey, don't look so nervous." said Jack, clapping him on the shoulder. Ianto hid a grimace. That shoulder had been injured during the Battle at Canary Warf, and had been hurt even more when Jack had landed on him last night. Now it nearly screamed in pain as Jack gave it a lingering squeeze that would have made Ianto feel terrified if he had not very deliberately focused his mind on Lisa and getting this job done. "Just make the team the coffee you gave me, and you'll be all set."

Ianto nodded, swallowing hard. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he knew who it was calling him. There was only one person alive who would call him now. But like he'd told Michaela a thousand times now, he didn't need her help. He was doing fine, and did not need a counsellor. Thankfully, Michaela was busy looking after all the other survivors as well, and they were so traumatised that it was taking a lot of Michaela's energy just to keep them on a suicide watch.

As Jack led the way into the Hub, via the tourist office, Ianto wondered if Jack even knew of the work Michaela and Archie were doing in relation to Canary Warf and the survivors. Michaela did tend to do a lot of the jobs she didn't think Jack would want, and she definitely kept it a secret that she was defending him almost every day to UNIT. Michaela insisted that it was because she didn't want Jack to be stressed as his job was hard enough. Ianto was sure that was, for the most part, true. But after spending so much time at London, and hearing all the rumours, Ianto wondered if Jack deserved defending.

"Woah!" All thoughts of Michaela, Canary Warf and even Lisa fled from his mind as he saw the Hub for the first time. It was very spectacular. As if to add to the dramatic impact, the pterodactyl he and Jack had rescued last night soared overhead with a screech. "I see you gave her a home."

"Yeah, there's a ledge up near the ceiling we can let her nest in. I'm saying that on the assumption that pterodactyls make nests."

That had not occurred to Ianto, but now that it had, he did wonder.

"They're not birds. Not even related to birds. Birds are the descendants of Raptors, one of the dinosaurs, but pterodactyls aren't the same species as dinosaurs." he said this more to himself, but Jack glanced at him curiously.

"You know Raptors did not look like Jurassic Park's version, yes?"

"Of course. I like to keep up with dinosaur research. They're… cool."

"Cool?" repeated Jack, a grin trying to break out. Ianto shrugged, feeling daft,

"They're dinosaurs sir, hard to not like them."

"True enough. You know there's one named after Harry Potter."

"The Dracorex Hogwartsia, yes sir, I know." Ianto prided himself on knowing everything. Having a large heap of knowledge at his disposal had proven useful, it made him interesting to others at London, including Lisa, because they'd usually come away from Ianto with some new fact about the world. His carefully acquired friends had called him their 'Welsh Stephen Fry'.

He quickly put this thought to the back of his mind. Best not to dwell. Jack, meanwhile, had grinned at him.

"You're gonna be full of surprises, aren't you?"

Ianto thought about Lisa, trapped in the conversion unit, waiting to be saved.

"Possibly sir."

Jack took him on a tour, and Ianto made mental notes of possible places to hide Lisa. Then Jack asked for some coffee and Ianto, seeing there were three other team members, went to start making coffee, managing to find some beans that he could use. He threw out the instant.

By the time he was nearly finished, the cog wheel rolled away, and in came a small Asian woman.

"Ah! Toshiko! Come and meet our latest addition."

Toshiko blinked owlishly from behind her thick black glasses as she set her bag down.

"Latest addition? A weevil you mean?"

"Nope! Come and meet Ianto!"

Tosh looked around as Jack gestured to Ianto, who flushed and smiled tightly. Tosh blushed too, although that was probably about the Weevil comment.

"Oh, hello!"

"Hello. Coffee?"

"Oh yes please. It smells good."

"It should taste better." said Jack, inhaling deeply.

The cog wheel rolled away again, "That'll be Owen and Suzie. Subtle as a brick those two." said Jack as Ianto poured him the coffee.

Ianto glanced up, if he knew who he was dealing with, he would be able to get Lisa in here.

First came a woman who looked to be of Spanish origin, and then a man who made Ianto start in shock.

It was Owen! His fucking brother worked for Torchwood? What's more, Jack had probably hired him without a fuss.

Owen sauntered in, looking worn out from a fun night and dumped his coat at his station.

"Who's the suit?" asked Suzie, coming over to them.

"This is Ianto Jones. He's gonna be working here from now on."

If Ianto hadn't been staring at Owen, who'd stiffened at his name, he would have see Suzie eye him up and then glance at Jack in amusement. Owen, meanwhile, was slowly turning to face Ianto. Ianto did not want a confrontation, and as soon as he saw the uncertainty of the recognition in Owen's face he immediately said,

"Coffee sir?"

"Oi! I'm the only sir around here thank you. These are your co-workers Ianto, you don't have to address them otherwise."

"Erm… thank you, sir." Ianto felt his face heating up as Owen continued to stare blankly at him. Owen didn't recognise him. Well that just made the whole thing worse.

"Well, time to get to work, off you go. Ianto, see me in my office when you're done with the coffee, I'll explain your duties."

Ianto nodded, watching Jack go and then looking at Owen who drank the coffee Tosh passed him, and walked away without a backward glance. Ianto sighed. He would have to sort that out before he could get down to business. So he cleaned up the machine, then went up to Jack, who gave him a long, and inventive, list of tasks to do. After assuring Jack he could handle it, Ianto screwed up his courage and made his way over to the Autopsy Bay.

Owen was elbows deep in some alien Ianto didn't recognise. There was a frown on his face and he was talking into a microphone.

"-Appears to have three heart vessels… colour of the blood would suggest copper is a main component- what do you want?" He'd noticed Ianto standing there.

Ianto swallowed, then moved down the small flight of steps, waiting until he was close enough to speak softly, to say,

"This is unexpected. Didn't know you were here."

Owen stared at him for a few minutes, looking unsure, but then his expression cleared and then contorted into a scowl.

"You."

"Me."

"What the fuck are you doing working for Torchwood? Of all the bloody luck!"

"My sentiments exactly." said Ianto sharply. He was in no mood to try and play kiss up with his brother, not when he had so many other things on his mind. "I thought you were in London working as a Doctor."

"I am a doctor thank you very much tea-boy." snarled Owen, although he too was keeping his voice down. "What about you? Working as a secretary? After all those 'special' classes."

Ianto flushed, but then he straightened up.

"So are you going to tell the Captain or am I?"

"What's to tell? 'S far as I'm concerned I don't know you." Owen's voice was vicious, and Ianto was too preoccupied to feel the hurt he was entitled to feel. In fact, pretending he didn't know Owen was exactly what he needed, because it was one less thing he would have to worry about.

"Fine, your call. I don't care." he said as a parting shot before returning to the Main Hub without looking back.

(22nd September 2008)

"What do you think you're doing?"

Ianto jumped, he'd been lost in his own thoughts, so he hadn't notice Jack's sudden appearance beside him. Something cold seemed to spread across his back as he slowly turned to face his boss and… were they still lovers or ex-lovers now? Ianto wasn't sure.

"I'm… I'm making coffee." he said, quietly.

Jack stared at him, unreadable as the machine hissed. His voice was soft, more curious than accusing.

"Do you really think making coffee will fix things?"

"What else can I do, really?" asked Ianto, feeling helpless. He couldn't just pretend everything was ok, but equally, he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. Trying to do his job, do the things the rest of the team never did seemed a good middle ground.

Jack stared at him for a few minutes, while Ianto continued to make the coffee. Unnoticed by them, the smell had attracted Owen back up into the Main Hub and he stood very still, watching them. He too had an unreadable expression. The girls were staring unseeing at their screens, willing something good to happen.

Finally, Ianto was done, and he automatically passed the coffee to Jack in his blue and white stripped mug, because he was right next to him. Jack did not take it. Ianto froze, realising what he'd done, but he kept the coffee proffered, letting Jack weigh his mind up.

Ianto didn't try to send any message with his eyes or face to Jack, hell he didn't know what he felt about Jack right now, so he couldn't broadcast it anyway. He just waited, wondering if normality would triumph over confusion.

Jack sighed, his shoulders moving back, and then he reached out and took the mug from Ianto's hand. Their fingers touched briefly, and Ianto could not begin to decide what the flare of emotion he felt at the touch was.

Jack took a long sip, his eyes focused on Ianto completely. As he lowered the mug, swallowing the mouthful, he gave the slightest of nods. Then he turned around and walked back up to his office. Ianto let out a sigh of relief, hurrying to give the women their coffees. He then hesitated at Owen's mug.

In his mind the question 'Who is in the wrong here?' ran through his mind. After all, Owen had started this… hadn't he? Ianto couldn't really remember, and he had an eidetic memory. Although he had begun to wonder if his emotions altered his memories, gave him a rose-coloured outlook on some parts of his life. Like Lisa… and Michaela.

Ianto was beginning to think he'd made a mistake in calling her down. But he'd needed her, and he'd missed her… hadn't he? Ianto wasn't sure what he was feeling anymore, although he was pretty damn sure he missed her now.

An arm reached in front of him and picked up Owen's mug. Ianto shook himself back to reality again and glanced at Owen, who took a sip and then held up his other hand. Ianto saw a flash of green and then Owen was walking away. The Thunderbird box. That must have meant something. Although what it meant exactly was beyond Ianto at the moment.

Gritting his teeth, he decided he'd drink his own espresso and then… well he'd find something to do.

Comments are always appreciated!

Night's Darkness