8

As they rolled back into town, Ianto woke and stretched in the backseat.

Jackson noticed how soft he looked for just the slightest of moments. His lips looked supple and eyes, dreamy. He could almost believe in his self-proclaimed innocence. It had lasted for just a second, but it was long enough that Jack saw the uncensored, unpretentious version of Ianto he had admired in his father's office.

However, the instant he came fully awake, his whole demeanour hardened. The question was, which version of Ianto was authentically him?

Toshiko woke up in the seat directly behind Jack and yawned loudly. He sighed inwardly. She had talked his ear off before finally drifting off to sleep, and he wasn't too interested in picking up where she'd left off. It had been so many ridiculous stories of the people and places in this shit town, and he'd only half-listened. It was only when she mentioned Ianto that he perked up and heard every word she said. From Toshiko's stories, it was clear that Ianto was looking for a book, and Toshiko also revealed that Ianto wasn't aware that Toshiko knew he was removing cursed objects, especially books, from the stores where he encountered them.

Why would a cold-blooded killer who would kill his own father care about a anyone else's well-being? Maybe he would use them for assassinations? There were far more effective ways to kill someone than using a cursed object.

He was finding more and more that things might not be exactly as he'd been led to believe. But then, what did he do with him? If he turned him over to the Protectorate, his role would be finished, and he could walk away knowing he had fulfilled the promise he had made to his father. Yet, if someone was threatening every member of the royal family, he had an obligation to protect them.

As they turned onto the narrow mountain road toward the area where the portal was hidden, Ianto asked, "Why is Toshiko still with us?"

"Well! How do you like that? I thought we were friends." Toshiko gave Ianto a slight kick with her toe and laughed, her eyes sparkling with humour.

Ianto looked at her seriously and said, "We are best friends of course. That's why I need you to stay safe at home."

Jack spoke up, "There's a chance we might need her."

"No. We need to take her home. Now. There are things she is not ready to see."

"Well, then, she will be educated quickly." Through the rear-view mirror, he watched Ianto's face drop as he thought about what he had said.

In an instant though, he sat up straighter and said, "The deed. She needs to make sure her grandmother has the deed to the house."

Toshiko, who had been unusually quiet, finally piped up, "Oh, we dropped it in the mail while you were asleep. Jack had never heard of the post office. Can you believe that?"

"Strange, isn't it?" Jack laughed.

Ianto's face betrayed his thoughts. Living amongst these humans, he had apparently lost some of his training. Before he could develop any more reasons why Toshiko shouldn't come with them, Jack pulled the SUV onto what looked like a hidden, rock-covered driveway, overgrown with trees and shrubs. All around it "No Trespassing" signs were posted, with one ominous one that said 'Trespassers will be shot on sight.'

"I hope you know the people who live here. They don't seem to be messing around." The anxiety in Toshiko's voice wasn't misplaced.

As he had prepared to come to this realm, Jack had been told that the inhabitants valued their independence and their privacy, and many would defend it at high cost.

"Don't worry. That won't be a problem for us."

The vehicle bounced along the rough, dirt road as Jack steered them between two hilltops. Although not exactly the same, this thing called an SUV was similar to the Wartime Hover he'd been trained to pilot in Torchwood. The differences were the management of the terrain. Whereas the SUV had tires that found every dip and roll of the ruts carved into the dirt, the Hover floated smoothly past any pockmarks in the road. It had taken him little time to get used to steering the SUV, but he still wasn't acclimated to the tangible sensation of each bit of the terrain beneath them.

Janet chose this particular moment to wake up and stretch, glancing outside of the vehicle and recognizing their location.

"No! This can't be right. We aren't going back, are we?"

"We've achieved our mission. It's time to go back to Torchwood, and set everything back in order."

With his cat paws putting tiny prints on the glass of the passenger side window, Janet pleaded, "Do you know how many Mages live in this town? Do you know how many of them have feline familiars? Hot feline familiars. Sexy feline familiars. The sluttiest of slutty feline familiars. Bro code, dude! You gotta help me out."

"Hmm. Like you've helped me so often?"

"What are you talking about? I always have your back. When have I ever let you down?"

Jack practically choked at the false sentiment and the complete lie. He put his foot on the brake and eased the vehicle to a stop.

"When have you let me down? Always." He shifted the gear to P, which he assumed meant put in place, and turned to say "We're here. Now, we need to hurry before the portal police show up and ruin our party."

"You called me Janet knowing full well that I am a man, you made me this way and now… not even some pussy?"

"Um, we probably should explain to Toshiko what she's about to experience." Ianto interrupted.

"Like... a talking cat is not enough?"

Jack wasn't sure why Toshiko had kept her own ability hidden from Ianto, but he didn't have time for this. "She'll adapt quickly. Now, come on."

Ianto rounded the SUV until he stood in front of Jack. He liked that he was so tall. He liked looking into his eyes and witnessing the fire in them for himself. Like all dutiful Torchwoodian assassins, he might have been raised to be emotionless, but there was passion in him.

Ianto raised his hand and lightly touched his chest, causing a spread of warmth through his body. Ianto spoke in a low voice. "This could disturb Toshiko's equilibrium. What if she can't adapt?"

Thankfully, Toshiko stepped up beside him in that moment as Jack was finding it hard to concentrate with those lips so close. "What are you two whispering about over here?"

"Ianto is worried that you will be shocked by the unexplained phenomenon you are about to witness."

He liked the satisfied look on Ianto's face. It was a look of pure relief. Where others might give off an air of smugness at getting their way, his demeanour relaxed completely, giving Jack that glimpse of the person beneath the hard exterior. It was almost enough to make him think he had the ability to care about others. It was damn confusing.

Ianto turned toward his friend as his hands began to nervously tug at his clothing. "Toshiko, there's something I've never told you about myself. It's something that will probably be shocking. You know how I told you that I came from a small town in another country? Well, there's something I need to confess about that."

Toshiko reached out and stopped Ianto's hands as she held them in hers. "You don't have to say anything. I know you're a Mage and I know you're not from...well...from here."

"Wait! You know? How long have you known?"

"Um...pretty much since I first met you."

Ianto stared at Toshiko in silence, most likely trying to make sense of her confession. "But...how did you know? I thought I covered it up well."

"You did. I mean, if I hadn't grown up here, I probably wouldn't have known the truth. I mean, I would have known that you were different...because you are...different. But, I've met tons of Mages. As a matter of fact, a few years ago, when my mother had Acute Shifter Syndrome, where she got an itchy rash every time she shifted, we were lucky enough to get her an appointment with Zelda, the Shifter Whisperer, who fixed her up in no time. I picked up on the fact you wanted to keep who you are a secret, so I never asked."

"Then, if your mother is a Shifter, you must be a..."

"Mouse Shifter."

"We have so much more to talk about now. If I had only known sooner, I could have used your advice about so much."

Jack hated to cut the bonding revelations short, but they were on borrowed time. The Portal Police would know by now that they were in proximity to the portal and, most likely, planned to use it. Unfortunately, none of them had permits to do so. "Look, this has been great. Knowledge is power, but I came here in secret on a covert operation sanctioned by King Ifan, but he wanted to keep it a secret, so I didn't get the proper permission from the authorities. Now, I'm assuming that you didn't get your permit either Ianto and there is no way the Portal Police will allow Toshiko to travel. I am just saying that if we want to travel to Torchwood, we need to move before the police get here.

Janet slipped up beside Jack and said, "Too late. They're here."