The staff quarters were alive with the buzz of activity. All members of staff; servants, housemaids, the cook, the footmen, and the butler; had only just finished their duties concerning the large dinner being held in the Jones manor.

But Jack found himself unable to join in with the drinking and card games taking place amongst the large group and so found himself sitting on his bed, over thinking the day's events.

The Jones were fair to their staff, giving them plenty of space and adequate food, etc, so Jack knew that the only person who would come into the small room without knocking would be the only person he had to share the room with. Annie. Of course, having to share with a member of the opposite sex had always caused problems for both, but after so long working at the house together, they felt comfortable in each other's presence, and even stricken up a strong friendship.

"Hey gorgeous, not joining in the fun?" She clicked the door closed behind her, sitting next to Jack, nudging him, and offering her usual wink as a greeting.

"Eh? Nah, not tonight. Why, are ye missing me out there?"

"Never. Just…you've not been your self these past few days. So, are ye gonna tell me what's up?"

Jack smiled when she offered the bottle of whisky one of the other girls had 'borrowed' from the kitchens.

He took a large swig.

"It's confusing. And anyway, I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone, Annie."

Annie knew straight away when something was wrong with Jack. It was when the smirk was absent from his face, or he didn't punctuate almost every sentence with a wink or a chuckle. She was worried, she missed the Jack she had known since she could remember.

"Try me. I've heard my fair share over the years, Jackie boy, nothing' shocks me."

He figured he might as well bite the bullet.

"I'm falling for Master Jones."

Annie nearly choked on the mouthful of whisky she had just slugged from the bottle. She wasn't joking when she said she'd heard her 'fair share', but this was a new one.

"Master Jones? As in male, Master Jones? Man? Yeah? You're joking!"

"Wish I was."

He took the offered bottle of whisky as soon as Annie's outstretched hand landed in his line of vision. Liquid courage, that would be his excuse of choice tonight.

"So,…god!"

"Tell me about it. And he feels the same way about me." Another mouthful of the burning amber liquid. "And we kissed."

"Fuck."

They sat in silence, the sounds from the next room flowing in through the walls. The cheering, the laughter, the tipsy voices, the general merriment.

"So, what you gonna do know?"

Jack's exhausted sigh rang through the room as he lifted his hand to run through his hair, slightly damp with sweat, the heat from the quarters catching up with him.

"Nothing I can do. Ianto's bound to realise that it was a mistake soon, and nothing'll come of it. But god, it was a fucking good mistake."

Annie placed the now empty bottle of whisky on the cool, hard floor, the clunk of glass meeting concrete reverberating throughout the room.

"Ianto?"

"Master Jones."

"Ah."

The candlelight that flickered in the dull room was gradually becoming dimmer, and Jack gradually more tired.

"Well, Jackie boy. I'm off to bed. You have sweet dreams now." She winked, patting his knee, and Jack could practically feel her smirk as she placed a kiss on his cheek, and rose from her seat on Jack's bed.

He gently pinched her bottom, and she turned round, smiling. "Now, that's the Jack I know."

Jack chuckled, stripping down to his underwear and climbing into bed, waiting until he was sure Annie was ready before he blew out the candle.

…

The next morning Jack awoke with a slight headache, but feeling more at ease than he had in days. He had finally told someone. And to say it was a weight off his chest, was an understatement.

He gathered firewood and headed to Ianto's chambers, ready with the excuse of re-stocking the young man's fireplace, if anyone were to ask what he was doing visiting Ianto when he was not required.

A few taps on the polished wooden door, and he was entering the large room, flashbacks of the kiss not even 24 hours previous flickering through his mind as he caught a glimpse of Ianto, dressed and ready to face another day.

"I brought firewood, sir."

"I thought by now we would be calling each other by forenames, not titles, Jack."

"Sorry, Ianto." He smirked, bending down to put the wood by the fireplace, feeling Ianto's eyes on his arse all the while. He couldn't say he didn't enjoy the sensation of being watched by the gorgeous young man.

He didn't even turn around before talking to Ianto, a teasing tone lining his voice.

"See something you like?"

When Jack rose to his feet and turned around to meet Ianto's gaze, he found the man flustered and blushing.

He approached him slowly, his hands reaching to wrap around his waist as he lead Ianto to the bed.

"Jack, what's gotten into you?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just, back to my old self, as Annie put it."

"Annie? She's one of the housemaids, is she not?"

"That she is."

Jack sat on the bed, the luxury of the four poster double bed, complete with thick mattress and inviting quilts and pillows, was a far cry from the simple bed he slept in on a nightly basis, and he found himself thinking he could get used to it.

Of course, he would never be able to.

He pulled Ianto down next to him, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I've been wanting to do that again since yesterday."

Ianto blushed slightly, only the faintest tint of red rising to the surface of his cheeks, but a blush all the same.

"I have also."

"Mmm, good. So, you won't mind if I do this?"

He pulled Ianto's face towards him, eyes fluttering closed as he pressed his lips against the devilishly inviting lips that Ianto possessed, applying only a slight amount of pressure with the tip of his tongue to the rose bud lips, before Ianto eagerly opened his mouth, inviting Jack's tongue into the wet heat of his mouth.

They stayed like that for a few moments, tongues battling for dominance in the war their mouths were waging, hands running up and down each other's backs, before Ianto pulled back, panting for breath.

"You'd better go. My father will be arriving soon, we have plans to go hunting."

Jack merely nodded his agreement, but it didn't stop him giving Ianto one last chaste kiss, before heading for the door.

Turning with the door knob gripped in his fingers, he smiled hesitantly, a hint of doubt in his voice as he asked,

"I will see you later, won't I?"

"Of course."