'Ianto, it's been too long, I was going to call you, I'm in Cardiff.'

'That's brilliant, do you have plans for dinner?

'Oh, cooking or buying?'

'Buying, or my boss might be if you can do me a favour.'

'Sounds ominous Toes.'

'It might be, I need a forensic accountant and I have coffee...'

'You sweet talking bastard you know I can't say no to your coffee. What's the address? I can be right over.'

Jack moved towards Ianto's desk, John watching him like a cat stalking a mouse.

Ianto looked up and smiled for a moment. 'Mills is actually in Cardiff, she'll be here soon.'

'Mills. What sort of name is that?'

'One that's short for Melisende, Sir.'

'Queen of Jerusalem?'

Ianto nodded. 'Her parents are historians, I don't think they've ever quite understood her fascination with numbers.'

'And what have we promised her in exchange for her favours.'

Ianto looked at him. 'Thank you John.'

Jack considered how what he had said sounded and shook his head. 'That did not come out right.'

'No, it didn't, Sir.'

Jack grinned, Ianto was clearly protective of his friends, he liked this side of him. 'So what have you promised Melisende in exchange for her looking at my bookkeeping?'

'Dinner and coffee.'

'Ah, so you wont be free tonight then.'

Ianto shook his head. 'And she's Mills, she's very big on nicknames.'

Jack watched Ianto blush and wondered what his nickname was. 'Okay, so dinner, am I paying?'

'Possibly.'

'Well, if she's good, then I don't mind. I don't want to find anything but something just feels wrong.'

Ianto looked up and saw John watching them, sighing. Jack's finances weren't the only thing that felt wrong.

Jack looked around to see what Ianto was looking at.

'How long can I expect that to continue?'

Jack shrugged. 'I never really know with him, I'll protect your honour if you like.'

'Would you.'

Jack grinned. 'You would be dynamite at poker.'

'You don't really think I paid for university just by working in a coffee shop do you...' Ianto gave Jack a soft, mysterious smile. He picked his phone up from the desk when it began vibrating. 'Mills is here Sir.'

John snapped his head up as Ianto walked back into the room with a petite red head in a knee-length fifty's style dress in brilliant emerald green. Jack of course close behind, the man was practically eye candy's shadow. He watched them move into Jack's office, not even a hello on the way past. Was it something he said? He ignored the little outburst that occurred before he went to France, he wasn't one to give up that easily. The eye candy would come around to his way of thinking, he had time. Looking at Jack and Ianto he was pretty sure they hadn't slept together yet. And even if they had it wasn't going to deter him. He turned to Tosh. 'What do you think that's all about?'

She shook her head, not wanting to take her eyes off Owen. 'No idea, don't care.'

He heard her giggle as Owen whispered something in her ear, he was feeling very left out. Once upon a time he was the one whispering in Jack's ear, trying to make the man blush as he made suggestive comments. The things he had shown that man, and now it looked like eye candy was going to get the benefit of all his education. He'd never expected Jack to not be there and he wasn't prepared to give up. He wanted Ianto, the man was pretty, he'd have to be dead not to want him, but he needed Jack. Remorse wasn't his style but he felt a tingle of curiosity over all their what if's. What if Jack hadn't caught him sleeping around. Not that he'd ever worked out the full extent of his infidelities. If only he'd never caught him... It could have worked out fine, no one understood him like Jack. No one had responded to him quite the same either and he missed him in his bed.

Mills hugged Ianto. 'Wales suits you although your still too skinny.' She held him at arms length and looked him up and down carefully. 'But the dull colours, honey no.' She shook her head. 'Did you loose your clothes when you moved?'

Jack was watching their banter, friendly and showing a shared history he envied. The comment about colour was one he filed away to explore later.

'I never ruled out coming home, one day.'

Mills scoffed. 'Like Dildo was ever going to leave Soho.' She grinned at him. 'Your accent grew back pretty quick, Wales really suits you.' She looked from the slightly flushed Ianto to his very handsome boss, taking in how the other man's dark blue eyes drank Ianto in. 'So, what do I have to do to earn my dinner Toes?'

'Toes?' Jack looked at Ianto and grinned before he logged into his computer and handed it over to Mills. 'I just need to know that the only thing Suzie cost me was the three hundred thousand pounds on my credit cards.'

Mills nodded as she pulled a pair of glasses out of a pocket in her skirt. 'Am I going to have to testify in court?'

Jack sighed. 'I guess that depends on what you find.' He frowned. 'Does that make a difference?'

She grinned. 'To where your taking me out for dinner, you bet your pretty blue eyes it does.' She started exploring the computer menus before looking back, no smile. 'I was promised coffee. I also need your accountant's information and I think I need to borrow your computer geek.' She searched the desk until she found a pen and paper and started taking notes.

Jack nodded to Ianto. 'Send Tosh in and then coffee.'

Mills looked at Ianto. 'And chocolate biscuits, don't you hold out on me Ianto Jones, I know you have a secret stash of the good stuff.' She watched him grin before he plastered his poker face back on. She also saw Jack looking at her like he was filled with questions, she smiled to herself, yeap. Ianto's American had a crush alright, and if she wasn't mistaken, he wasn't the only one.

John narrowed his gaze as Ianto stepped out of Jack's office and moved towards them. He did like the way the man moved, sort of gliding though space. He'd dated an ice skater who'd moved like that. Well, he reflected, smiling softly to himself, dated might have been a slight over statement.

'Tosh, Jack's office please.'

She frowned, it was like being summoned to the principals office, looking at Owen he just shrugged as Ianto began moving away.

'Eye candy.'

Ianto stopped and took a breath before turning slowly, light pooling around him, his voice cool.

'What?'

John indicated Jack's closed door with his head. 'What's his nibs got going on with all the skirt in his room?'

'His nibs?'

'Yeah, him indoors, he monopolises you then he brings in a new skirt and Suzie's out the door in handcuffs. Not even the furry ones, and now my Toshcicle is in his office.'

Owen glared at John. 'Not your Toshcicle.'

'Touchy, no one lets me have any fun.' He turned back to Ianto but the man was gone. 'Bugger.'

'Ah, no.' Owen turned reluctantly back to his paperwork, he didn't want to think about how it had felt to have to bring Suzie back like that. He tried to ignore John, who had been in a mood since Ianto had put him in his place. Which had been a thing of beauty to watch, but it had made him insufferable in France. Going after their friend was bad enough, but with John sulking his way though the entire trip, he'd been glad to get back. And as much as he wanted to know who this other woman was, and what she was doing in Jack's office with Tosh, he also recognised some things he just didn't need to know.

Ianto set a cup of coffee in front of John, along with a chocolate biscuit, shaking his head when John looked up at him. Owen dunked his biscuit and just grinned while John scowled back before watching Ianto walk towards Jack's office. Eyes drinking in every step the man took away from him. There was probably a metaphor in that.

Ianto handed Jack his coffee last, fingertips brushing longer than necessary as he gave the man a faint smile.

Mills watched as she sipped her coffee and gave a contented sigh. 'I could kiss you Toes, I've missed your coffee.'

Tosh looked up. 'Toes?'

'Mills here likes to give everyone nicknames.'

She grinned. 'Some of them even have meaning behind them, but I never kiss and tell, proverbially speaking.' She handed Tosh a list of notes. 'This is what I need you to find. Depending on what you want to go to court, not all of that is strictly legal in the broadest sense of the word.' She looked at Jack. 'But you aren't known for being squeamish.'

He smiled at her. 'Checked me out did you?'

'You aren't the only one who knows people, and I look out for my friends.'

He kept smiling, she was clearly putting him on notice. 'Who exactly do you work for?'

She shrugged. 'Like you Jack, I'm sort of a private contractor.'

'Noted. How long is this going to take?'

She sighed. 'Depends on what I find and how deep I have to go. If I was you I wouldn't make plans for dinner just yet.'

He turned to leave. 'I might just send John home then, Owen will probably want to stick around with Tosh, do you need Ianto for anything?'

She shook her head. 'Not just yet if you two need a moment alone.' She watched Ianto out the corner of her eye trying not to blush. She smiled at him and gave her head a slight shake, to which he rolled his eyes.

Jack turned towards Ianto. 'Come on, I'll send John home, I think we should probably throw something together for dinner for the rest of us.'

'I'll be right out Sir.'

Jack nodded before leaving them alone.

Ianto looked at Mills. 'What are you up to Melisende?'

'Ianto Jones, you know I hate that name.' She sighed as he just looked at her. 'Come off it, he's cute and he clearly likes you. And I can see you like him back. It's been a year, hell, it's been over a year now.'

'What if I'm not ready, what if it's just a fling?'

'What if it isn't?' She stood up and walked around the desk to give him a hug. 'He was my friend too, granted I never slept with him, but he's gone. And I know he would have made you promise to live your life and not mourn him like some sort of Welsh Miss Haversham. He just wasn't that sort of guy.'

'I love him.'

'You don't have room in that heart of yours to love someone else?'

'I don't know Mills, I haven't tried.'

'Well I love Johnny Depp and I've still got room in my heart at least six other totally gorgeous actors and or musicians. Love does not diminish us Ianto.'

'I'm not sure I want to fall in love.'

She shrugged. 'Then don't, just have fun with the guy. And for god's sake, wear your red shirt or something. You are a bicycle away from being a missionary.'

'For who? The big gay rainbow church?'

Mills rolled her eyes. 'Funny Toes, very funny, wouldn't you have to wear actual colour for that? Now go, have fun and cook me something yum for dinner. I don't' think we're getting to a restaurant any time tonight, and I don't think this is as simple as a few hundred thousand pounds spent on shoes.' She moved back around the desk and waved Ianto away. 'Go, be with your handsome boss.'

'He is very good looking isn't he.'

She grinned. 'I think you make a cute couple.'

'We aren't a couple.'

'You wont be if you keep that up.'

'I don't know if I want to be a couple.'

'You didn't want to be a fling either, you can't have it both ways Toes.' She sighed softly. 'Don't make me smack you. I remember what you were like when you and Dildo were too busy making eyes at each other to actually make a move.'

Ianto gave her a sheepish grin, if it hadn't been for Mills he wasn't sure he'd ever have gotten involved with Dylan. 'I'm just not sure I'm ready.'

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at the same time as she moved back behind the desk, she just hoped he got ready before the tall drink of water in the sexy coat moved on.