It was rare for Jack to spend any time at all in the tourist office, it was firmly Ianto's domain and that was the way the Welshman liked it. Which was why he'd waited until Ianto was in the archives to sneak up there. He'd mislaid a pile of letters from UNIT that he last remembered seeing in the back office up there, a fact he wouldn't admit to Ianto as the young man would give him a look of total disapproval. He was partway through the desk when the bell went signaling the front door opening. He sprung up to greet what he assumed was a lost tourist.

"Hi, can I help… Jenny" Jack finished as he met her eyes and mentally cursed himself for being up here. The young woman stepped warily through the door, this being the first time she'd been here since finding out that it wasn't a tourist office at all.

"Oh, hi, um… I'm just meeting Ianto"

"Of course," Jack nodded, "He shouldn't be long, just filing something I think"

"Sure" Jenny smiled tightly, "something… alien then?"

"Uh…. Yep" Jack said uncomfortably, "anyway make yourself comfortable"

She wandered around the office slowly, reaching out to finger a few of the leaflets absently, before clearing her throat and turning back to Jack,

"So… busy, are you?"

"Oh, we always seem to be busy, quiet days make us nervous" Jack laughed softly, "never really know what we're gonna face"

"You live crazy lives" Jenny smiled softly, "Ianto comes over sometimes looking like he's been hit by a bus. Other times it's like he's floating on a cloud. I guess it makes a bit more sense now"

"It can be pretty crazy. But we do what we have to"

"I know there's so much I don't know about what goes on here, there's so much I don't know about Ianto himself"

"It takes time to get to know him" Jack smiled softly, "he's quiet on the surface, takes time to let people in"

Jenny nodded thoughtfully, her head spinning at facing Jack. She didn't know this man the way she had gotten to know the others, but there was something about him that made her nervous. She suspected there was more to him than met the eye, and a large part of that included Ianto.

"Do you know he sings?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Ianto, he sings when he has things to think about. And I don't know what it is he's thinking about" Jenny ran her hand through her hair nervously, "I think I'm falling in love with him and that's scary because I also barely know him at all" she was close to getting hysterical, "I can see him being, like, the one. And I think he might feel the same, or he could do soon, but then I see his face sometimes and he's… miles away, thinking of somewhere else or… someone else"

Jack sighed inwardly, "Look, we're a family here. We've been through a hell of a lot. Ianto has been through far more than you could ever imagine, he's faced more death and pain in his 26 years than most people will in a lifetime and yet he still cares so deeply for the world, even more so for the people who matter to him. He keeps us all going, despite all the shit that we see at times he looks after us all, makes us the team that we are. He's pretty incredible"

"I feel like a total idiot for asking this, but Jack… should I be worried?"

"What?"

"I've just heard you talk about him, and he's given me a very similar speech about you. Do I have to worry about you and Ianto?"

"I…." Jack took a deep breath, "He really seems to care about you, you make him happy. He needs that, he needs someone outside of this place. I'll go get him give me a minute"

Without looking at her he turned at walked through the wall to get to the main hub, Jenny blinking as he vanished seemingly without a trace. She sighed as it was just another mystery, and it hit her as she stared at that wall that Jack hadn't exactly answered her question.

"Ianto, Jenny's upstairs get going" he called across the hub on seeing the man,

"Ok I'll just…" he gestured towards his desk,

"Wasn't a request" Jack looked at him pointedly, so much so that Ianto dared not argue, simply nodding and heading up without another word.

"You ok?" Tosh asked sympathetically, noticing how Jack watched the man go,

"Did you know he sings?"

Tosh smiled softly, "Yes, we stumbled on that little gem while you were away"

"Oh?" Jack pressed, approaching Tosh's desk. He leaned against it, careful not to disturb the various workings scattered across it and waited for her to speak.

"He keeps a guitar down in the archives. We had a really shit day not long after you… the mission was just a complete failure, Owen and Gwen were screaming at each other about how wrong everything had gone and it just looked like we'd never be able to agree on anything enough to carry on. And then Ianto appeared with his guitar and just started playing. Everything went quiet, he started singing and we all just… stopped. We just stopped and listened, and everything looked a little brighter by the end of that song. We started to feel like a team again. That night was the turning point for us becoming the team we are today"

Jack smiled sadly, "I'm sorry I missed it. Tosh I'm so sorry I did that to you all"

She got up from her desk to wrap her arms around him "We're better for it in many ways, Jack. And I know you wouldn't have gone without good reason. And you came back, which is what matters"

He smiled down at her gratefully, squeezing her tight. They stayed there for a moment before Tosh leaned back and looked at him,

"Did you want to see? I could look back at the CCTV and..."

"No" Jack shook his head, "That's between all of you, I don't want to intrude on that"

Tosh nodded, "Thank you, Jack. And just so you know, everyone appreciates what you're doing since you've been home. That includes Ianto, however complicated it is right now with you two"

"Thanks, Tosh" Jack smiled, "it means a lot"

He headed up to his office, still smiling softly as he thought about his team. They'd really come together in his absence; they'd fought through it and come out the other side stronger. And now he was back where he belonged again, healing the rifts between them and making up for lost time. Well, in some ways anyway, he thought wryly as he remembered his conversation with Jenny. The selfish part of his brain felt hope for him and Ianto, that whatever he said caused Jenny enough to concern to mention it. But he had to shut that selfish part down. Because what he'd said to Jenny was true - Ianto deserved normality, happiness outside of the insanity of Torchwood. Jenny could offer him a life that Jack never could. As much as he wished he could.