1

"So, anything else?" Ianto asked as he twirled a pen in his left hand, looking at the list he had written. His desk down on the archives was like an old headmaster's desk in one of those schools that still liked to covertly use the cane. The dark green leather top faded and scuffed in places as Ianto's fingers traced an indent that looked a lot like a belt buckle much like the buckle of the captain's belt. Er… yes… well... a sturdy desk. Covered in stacks of files, some tech and one of those old lamps that you cannot get bulbs for anymore, (don't' worry, Ianto has boxes of them stacked somewhere) the green glass shade glowing.

"No that's all today, boy" came an affectionate Scottish croon.

"Ok Archie, I can send those along… I take it you want hard copies as well as digital?"

"Ahhhhh, after me own heart you are!"

Ianto smiled as the Scotsman made happy noises. Then Ianto said "I will see if I can slip in a bottle of the Captain's scotch from his secret stash while he is not looking too, eh?"

"Ahhhhhhh."

Ianto ended the call and sat back to tap his pen some more then he rose to pull a large wooden pallet into the middle of the warehouse floor. He had files to pull, copy and pack. He had boxes to fill, a pallet to load and some contraband to hide amongst it for the mad scot.

And catnip for his weird cat.

.

.

"IANTO!"

"OWEN!" Ianto yelled next to his ear and Owen yelped, leaping from his chair to swing and glare at the Welshman.

"What the fuck!"

"Well? Sorry, I thought we were communicating that way now since it's the only way you seem to want to speak to me lately." Ianto said with a maniacal glint in his eye "Coffee? Jammy Dodger?"

"Yeah… yeah. I need more" Owen said, jittery as well as his hand shook, "coffee me up!"

Ianto stared at his hand then said calmly "Decaf again, is it?"

"What?" Owen's hand stopped shaking as it clenched "Wait… how long have I been without my much needed caffeine? Oh shit… I am going through withdrawal. You can't do that … JACK! IANTO IS PICKING ON ME AGAIN FOR THE DEAD GORVICH!"

"And there we are, back to the yelling and whinging" Ianto rolled his eyes as he said to himself "Like a day-care here some days. Should put that coffee in a fucking baby bottle with a nice big tit on it for the little wanker."

Toshiko started to giggle softly as Ianto passed behind her workstation muttering to himself, clearly hearing the remark and she turned to watch Ianto disappear into the kitchen. He seemed to be a bit more preppy lately, she hoped it had something to do with Jack. They spent so much time circling each other, like two wild animals.

Gwen was the fly in the ointment lately, since she got engaged she had become a right twat and now things between Ianto and Jack were heating up, so did her dislike for Ianto. Since Jack had come back from... God knows where… he had seemed… softer towards Ianto. She had no idea what had happened but it certainly opened the man's eyes to what had been right in front of him.

Still.

Jack and Gwen talking when he got back. That thing about the ring down in the lower levels. Gwen telling him she was engaged, Jack's face that showed his disappointment. Toshiko knew Ianto had seen that before she got a chance to erase it. He never said anything, welcomed Jack back and it was only now and then that she saw his face fall for a moment when Gwen held Jack's attention at a meeting, like Ianto was remembering something distasteful.

.

..

"Ianto! Look at this!" Toshiko called across the Hub, "They are opening the old air raid shelters to the public."

"Ah… lovely. I must tell Jack, nostalgic times ahead as he shows me all the ones he shagged in no doubt" Ianto rolled his eyes as she giggled at him.

Gwen came bursting through the Hub door with a yell "Fuck its cold out there. The rain is like ice."

"Hot chocolate then" Ianto said as he smiled "And Rhys agreed to the venue?"

"Ergh… the one his mother wants… sure" Gwen grimaced "I hate it."

"Well… how abut I find a death there or something, say it's bad luck" Ianto offered "If not… I can make one happen?"

Gwen roared with mirth "you are the devil incarnate Ianto Jones. That would be lovely."

"Not a problem" Ianto winked, wandering off as Jack came out of his office to look over his team, still happy to be back even if things with Ianto had changed. This was not the man he left. The man he knew had been active in TYTNW. No, despite Ianto being one of those lucky few with no knowledge of that reversed year of madness he seemed to retain some of the backbone Jack knew had grown while helping lead the underground movement that assisted Martha.

Jack half-pie wished he had met that Ianto Jones. The animalistic one that created Toclafane traps and blew up Saxon's facilities with open malice, the scream 'TORCHWOOD' heard each time.

No.

Jack knew he would never meet that man. That angry, vicious man who fought to get to Jack towards the end, even Tish amazed at his balls. Her whispered reports to Jack one of the things that kept him going up there.

Ianto stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, turning his head to look up at him and Jack saw it. That… something. That spark of… something… that always made his dick twitch.

Then, with a wink at him…. Ianto was gone.