A/N:

First, a HUGE thank you to everyone who has read and is enjoying this... special thanks to McParrot who gave me a little bit of inspiration for a little excitement...

And to all my American friends, HAPPY THANKSGIVING... two minor kitchen fires later, the bird is in the oven and soon we'll be eating... I hope everyone has had a less eventful but just as happy a day as I'm having!!

(so if there are any major spelling blunders, you can blame it on oxygen deprovation... although there wasn't nearly as much smoke this time as the last time I had an incident in the kitchen... I suddenly understand Tosh's final message a bit better... incidents with toasters and all ;-)

Chapter Seven: The Market

"The Unexpected always comes at the most awkward times."

Larry Niven

Jack stopped trying to hide his smile after the third time his partner dragged him over to gawk at something new.

"Glad you finally decided to come out of hiding?" Jack asked him in a glib tone.

Ianto gave over a sheepish look. "I just… I don't want to get to know people and then… leave."

"I know," he pulled the younger man close, cupping his face, kissing his lips. "I really do," he insisted when Ianto gave him a doubtful look. "But we're going to be here for ten or eleven more months…"

Ianto didn't have to had excelled at maths to realize the discrepancy in those numbers. "Cariad… you said a year. One year. That was all. Just a year."

"We'll be back a week after we left… whose going to notice if we stay another month or two?"

"I will."

Jack relented without further argument. He understood that it was difficult for his Welshman to be away from his friends… his family. Jack missed them too… he missed Jason. But he'd learned how to live on a different timeline from the people he cared about a long time ago. It was just a part of the job… his old job. Then… "Did you miss them when you were in London?" he asked. He knew Ianto had gone to London and basically never looked back.

The younger man turned away from him. "That's not fair."

"Sweetheart," he reached for him. "I didn't mean it like that… Yan?" Ianto's whole body had grown rigid… Jack realized he may have put his foot in it a bit with that comment but surly this was over reacting… "Ianto?" he had stepped closer, almost protectively right in front of Jack.

The Captain followed his gaze across the market square and swore. If he was lucky… but he saw the glint of recognition in the other man's eyes. He'd seen them. He swore again.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Ianto's tone was a match to Jack's.

"Take it easy, Sweetheart. We don't even know which version of John that is, remember?"

Ianto blinked. Jack had a point. This could be some younger John…this John might not even know him… but he hadn't acted as if they'd met before the first time Ianto met him… of course he was a Time Agent.

"It might be a coincidence," Jack added. "Just because he's here doesn't mean he came looking for us."

"Maybe." And maybe by the fiftieth century they really had genetically engineered flying pigs…

John began making his way across the crowded street.

Ianto remained standing just between his partner and the man who had very nearly destroyed Cardiff. Whom he held personally responsible for the deaths of Tosh and Owen… who had buried Jack alive… he wished desperately that he was armed…

"Jack." John greeted his contemporary in a cool tone, confirming that he was at least some version of himself who had already been to Cardiff once. "Eye Candy," he added with a smirk, as if mocking Ianto's protective posture.

"Captain," the younger man said it as if it were a derogatory word. The other man had abandoned his red jacket and was wearing simple black jeans and a black t-shirt with motorcycle boots. He looked quite the 'bad boy' and probably fancied himself rather sexy. It made Ianto want to vomit.

"John," Jack's tone was warmer than his partner would have preferred. It brought out a cocky little smile in the other man. "How long has it been…?" he left the question open ended.

John held up his wrist and undid the wrist strap just enough so they could both see the horrific scar left from when Gray had fused the device to his flesh.

"What are you doing here?" Ianto wanted to know.

"Says the man three thousand years out of his time," John quipped back quickly in a snide sounding tone.

Jack laid a hand on his partner's shoulder. "This isn't the time…"

"Tell me, Eye Candy," John ignored his former partner in favour of the young Welshman, "As a child, did you ever read Sleeping Beauty?"

"What?"

"It's a fascinating tale… I think the moral of the story is wasted on the youth of your time, really. See… none of the truly horrible things that happened to that pathetic little princess would have happened, if her parents had only invited the other little fairy to the christening. You have no idea how hurt I was not to get a wedding invitation."

Jack had had enough. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"Relax, Jack, I'm not here to cause you any trouble. I was just making conversation," he said with feigned innocence and a bright smile.

"And I'm the queen of bloody England," Ianto muttered under his breath.

John chuckled. "Think we could take this out of the street? There's a great pub near by… oh wait, in your condition…" he eyed Jack ruefully.

"The pub'll be fine," he snapped.

Ianto bit back several acerbic comments. As far as he was concerned John could go to Hell, they weren't going anywhere with him… but like it or not, Jack was still his boss and this could be something important. Not that he would ever believe anything John had to say. He would never, ever forgive him… Jack's grip on his shoulder tightened momentarily then he found his Captain's hand wrapped around his. He gave it a squeeze. No matter what happened, they were in it together. Nothing John ever said or did could change that; Jack had left him. He had made his position clear… he might have loved John at one time, but he was a different person then.

The man he is today loves me… will love me forever. He found his other hand wandering briefly up to the pendant he had worn every day since the day Jack gave it to him… Don't forget to empty the bins… he smiled to himself. Their private joke.

No matter what Jack and John had shared once upon a time, they hadn't had anything like what he and Jack had. He gave his partner's hand another little squeeze and cast a quick glance in Jack's direction to let him know he was all right. The older man's tight lipped smile told him that the message had been received and understood.

John led the way to the pub like he knew where he was going; Ianto wondered how long he'd been here.

He stopped wondering when he greeted the bartender by name and said he'd have his usual. "Water for my friend here… and oh yeah, junior there on the end will have a Shirley Temple," he winked at Ianto.

The Welshman bit down hard on a retort forming in his throat; he would not be baited into losing his temper. Instead, he shrugged at the bartender with a friendly smile to indicate he didn't really care. He made himself count to three before casting John a quick sidelong glance. Yes, he was definitely disappointed that his little ploy hadn't worked… although why he was trying to piss him off the younger man wasn't sure.

Could he really be that jealous? Ianto wondered… John certainly couldn't seem to be able to keep his eyes off the little bulge in Jack's stomach and his frown deepened when Jack reached over and took his partner's hand. Ianto couldn't be sure, but he thought that Jack noticed it too… however rather than do anything to make his former partner less uncomfortable (like release Ianto's hand, a move that would have greatly upset the young man), Jack pulled his hand up to his lips and kissed it before settling it into his lap.

"Oh how sweet," John drawled in a sarcastic tone.

Out of deference to Jack, Ianto at least tried to hide his smug expression behind his drink. It wasn't easy.

"So was there something you actually wanted?" Jack queried. "Or was the temptation to see me pregnant just too much."

John flashed a smirk. "Well I have to admit it's nothing I ever expected to see with my own two eyes… mind you, I saw some old family photos," he gave Ianto a look. "He looked so cute back then… such the little house husband," his tone was ripe with sarcasm.

"I was never a house husband."

John shot his former partner a snide little smile and took a sip of is drink. "Says you. That husband of yours… what was his name… Roan something…?"

The Welshman held onto Jack's hand with one hand; with the other he drank his drink, his face a carefully schooled mask of impassivity.

Jack cleared his throat and fixed John with a glare. "If there's something you want to say, say it. Otherwise…"

"Patience, patience… I just thought it might be nice to spend a few minutes catching up…"

"Fine. You've had your few minutes," Jack stood up, no longer attempting to hide his anger. "We have things to do..."

"I just came to warn you to watch your back," John said then a tone that was frighteningly serious. "Both of you. Because believe it or not, I still care about you." That last was directed solely at Jack.