Thanks as always to my fantastic beta riftintime.

Chapter 38

Ianto felt a tightening in his chest. "We didn't set out to betray you. It wasn't even about you, Jack. You can't take it personally. I can't speak for Susie, but as far as Tosh and I are concerned, we are loyal to Torchwood and to you, but we're human and we're fallible. People do stupid things for love."

"I suppose."

"Come on, I'm sure you have some outrageous story about how you nuked a small planet for love of an alien with four hands and six orifices," Ianto teased. He wanted Jack out of his bad temper. He wanted Jack.

Jack threw back his head and laughed, and the gloom faded. Ianto's stomach flipped at the sound. He really liked making Jack laugh. "Ahhh, that takes me back. Her name was Foramina…"

It was Ianto's turn to laugh. It felt good to laugh with Jack.

Jack eyed him then said, "You've seemed to have lightened up quite a bit."

Ianto thought over the past week. He had almost fallen apart again, but counseling Tosh had given him a different perspective. "It hurt to let her go," he said softly.

"I know, Ianto."

"When I was being held by those cannibals, I realized that I didn't want to die, and that made me feel guilty. Like I was finally abandoning her."

Jack said nothing. He studied his hands that were clasped around the mug of coffee that Ianto had brought him.

"But I'm alive, and I'd like to stay that way for a while."

"That's good to hear, Ianto." Jack didn't remove his eyes from the mug.

Ianto was tired of all of the angst. He'd been really depressed for a while, but the spell was finally breaking. He wanted to lighten up the mood, and he really wanted Jack. He had an idea of how he could turn things around. "Now, I suggest we switch from coffee to scotch, and you and I play a little game," he said in a voice he hoped would tempt Jack.

"What kind of game?" Jack sounded mildly interested.

"Strip poker."

Jack looked up. He narrowed his eyes. "Ianto Jones, are you coming on to me?"

Ianto walked over to Jack and sat on his lap, straddling his thighs. He put his arms around Jack's neck, leaned his face close to Jack's, and said, "Have you got a problem with that, Sir?"

"Let's see," Jack said thoughtfully, "Beautiful Welshman sitting on my lap, hitting on me, and calling me Sir… Nope, no problem that I can see."

Ianto kissed him, hard. Then he got off Jack's lap and said with a grin, "If you want me out of my clothes, you're going to have to beat me at poker."

Jack jumped up. "I'll get the cards, you get the booze." He ran to the ladder and climbed down into his bunker.

"I have to warn you, Sir, I've got a great poker face," Ianto called out as he retrieved the bottle of scotch from Jack's desk and two glasses.

"Ha!" Jack called from below. "You've never been to the Vegas Galaxies. I went on a three week bender there, once." Jack's head appeared as he climbed back up. "They have these waitresses with unusually long forefingers…"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "No, really. They use them to try and distract the players," continued Jack.

"Well, I can't claim really long forefingers, but I've always been told that I'm well endowed," Ianto deadpanned.

Jack's eyes widened and his pupils dilated. He hurriedly pushed everything on his desk aside and jumped into his chair. "Let's play!"

Ianto smirked.