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Chapter One: Help Wanted
Cardiff, Wales (UK)
Ianto wasn't surprised to find Jack not in bed with him. He wasn't even particularly surprised to find Jack passed out at his desk, a half empty coffee cup sitting atop a today's newspaper. Meaning he's at least been up to the newsagent's.
"Jack," Ianto leant in, giving his Captain's shoulder a gentle shake. "Jack, it's seven o'clock. Gwen'll be in, in an hour and you need to shower." Even that didn't seem to rouse him from sleep. Finally Ianto kissed his neck, knowing that that would get a 'rise' out of Jack, even if it wasn't necessarily the one he was aiming for.
"You could join me for that shower," the Captain replied through half-closed eyes.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Long enough for you to do that," Jack gave him a lazy smile. "So how about that shower?"
"Sorry, already had one."
"And I missed it?"
"See what happens when you stay up all night after saving the world?"
"I didn't save it."
"You helped."
Jack chuckled, straightening up and stretching. "I suppose we did, didn't we."
"Isn't that what we do?"
"What time did you say it was?"
"Seven."
Jack groaned. It wasn't so much that he needed an excessive amount of sleep (he never had) there was just something about sleeping hunched over his desk like that made feel as if he'd hardly slept at all.
"What do the papers have to say about yesterday?" asked Ianto.
"Industrial accident."
"Are people actually buying that?"
Jack shrugged. He felt a surge of gratitude when Ianto stepped behind his chair and began working some of the knots out of his shoulders. He needed coffee, and a shower, but this was nice too. He let his eyes droop shut as he relaxed.
"What were you working on?" Ianto asked a few minutes later, when some of the worst of Jack's knots had finally started to loosen under his hands.
"I think I found someone."
"Oh?"
He opened his eyes again and noticed that Ianto had spotted his hard work in the bin. "Sorry."
"I expected you'd throw them away."
"I realize you must've put a lot… what do you mean you expected it?" he demanded when he realized what Ianto had just said.
The younger man laughed, "Maybe I should get a pot of coffee going for you. There's no point in my standing here trying to undo the damage you inflicted on yourself last night – especially since you're just going to do it again soon anyway."
"Guess you'll have to do a better job of enticing me into bed next time," Jack turned and grinned at him, his eyebrows raised suggestively.
"Is that a challenge?"
"Would you like it to be?"
"You know I love a challenge."
Jack chuckled. "So you expected me to throw those out?" he pressed the question.
"Yes. But I still needed to put the files together; sort of therapy, I suppose. Just to prove to myself that we really could move on, when we were ready to."
Jack was quiet, although the silence spoke volumes.
"I'm not ready either," Ianto confided; he wrapped his arms around his lover's shoulders from behind and held him close, suspecting what Jack was thinking. "But we have to, eventually, don't we?"
Jack laid his put his arms over the younger man's and held on for a long moment as if lost in thought. When he spoke, his voice was distant, "There were too many close calls yesterday. We need – I need – to move on."
Ianto nodded. He understood the things Jack wasn't saying. Liz was great in the lab and wonderful to have around, but she was over fifty years old. Despite having had a quite a life, both with UNIT and her own group, PROBE, she wasn't a young woman any more. "Who've you come up with, then?" He asked quietly.
"Someone I met a few years back. He did a stint with UNIT; civic duty sort of thing."
"The guilty conscience of the young," he'd seen that sort of thing before. He pulled away from Jack and sat on the edge of his desk, so he they were facing one another.
"Bobby was about months out of medical school and probably completely unprepared to be in London when a Dagoni 'scouting party' showed up."
"I remember that. I'd been with Torchwood for about a year," I'd just started seeing Lisa… it was hard not to think of her when he thought about his life in London. "But what were you doing in London?"
"Not visiting Torchwood, I can tell you that much."
Ianto chuckled, "No, I didn't think you would be."
"I'd started making friends with some of the boys at UNIT HQ …"
"I'll bet," Ianto smirked.
Jack just laughed, "There they were with a Dagoni ship on their hands and naturally not wanting to ask Torchwood London for help… "
"They called you," Ianto deduced.
Jack nodded. "Suzie and I…" his voice caught just a little at the mention of their former colleague's name; he cleared his throat. "It was just the four of us until you stalked your way into my life. I left Tosh and Owen here and took Suzie up to London to see if we could lend a hand. I figured the more favours UNIT owed me the better."
Ianto just shook his head in amusement; he loved the way Jack told stories. The other man was almost always willing to help other organizations out, as long as there was some kind of fringe benefit for him in the end.
"I probably should've left Suzie here and taken Owen with me instead. If I had, I might not have gotten stuck with this poor kid just a few months out of medical school. He no idea what a Dagon even was."
"Erm, Jack, no one did," Ianto pointed out.
Jack gave a nonchalant shrug. "I did. Isn't that all that matters?"
"Yes, Jack, what you know is all that matters."
"Why Ianto Jones, if I didn't know better, I'd say that was sarcasm."
"I would never take a sarcastic tone with you, Sir. You are my employer, after all."
Jack shot him a look that might have passed for a glower if they both weren't fighting laughter.
"So, you were saying?" Ianto finally prompted, when he trusted himself to speak without snickering.
"There isn't much more to the story. Bobby got himself separated from the group and I went looking for him. Found him on the wrong end of a Dagon heavy assault riffle…"
"You jumped in between him and a laser, didn't you?"
"It was either that or let him get fried. Besides, it wasn't like it could actually kill me," Jack reminded him.
"I'll bet you gave that poor kid the fright of his life."
"I think he was still trying to figure of if he should even bother with CPR when I opened my eyes."
"Has it ever occurred to you to warn people?"
"Where's the fun in that?"
Ianto rolled his eyes, "Go take your shower. I'm going to put some coffee on."
"I don't suppose you'd consider making it that special industrial strength brew of yours?"
Ianto gave a heavy sigh as if he actually needed to think about the answer. He was forced to relent when Jack's expression caused him to burst out laughing again. "For you, anything. You know that," he added in a quieter tone.
"I knew there was a reason I kept you around," Jack got up and wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist.
"I thought it was because I looked good in a suit."
"You have many talents. I'd like to put a few of them to use later on, if you'll let me," he pulled Ianto close slid his hands down the younger man's body.
"Do you think we could get through breakfast before you start with the bedroom eyes?"
"It's not my eyes you should be worried about. Besides," Jack let him go, "I figure I needed to get an early start since I left you all alone last night. Otherwise I might find myself on the couch."
"Not a chance. But if you'd like to make it up to me, I won't stop your."
"Any suggestions how I should do that?" Jack asked with raised eyebrows.
"You're creative. I'm sure you'll think of something."
As the older man leaned in to kiss him, Ianto backed up, eluded his grasp with a cheeky grin. He picked up Jack's cup and made his way out to the main hub towards the coffee station, smirking quietly to himself because he knew Jack was watching his behind.
But he couldn't keep his mind off the new recruit. Bobby.
Bobby who knew that Jack couldn't die, Bobby who had done a stint with UNIT; Bobby who was hopefully more than some starry eyed kid fresh out of medical school.
Bobby who wasn't anywhere on any of the lists I went searching through the last few weeks… and I'm supposed to know everything.
He set Jack's cup in the sink and started on the coffee; he could hear Liz beginning to stir.
"Good morning, Dr. Shaw," he said when she joined him a few moments later.
"Mr. Jones," she returned the smile. "Oh that smells heavenly – I think I'd like a cup of coffee this morning, if you don't mind."
"Not at all – but you'll want the second pot."
"Oh?"
"This is Jack's industrial strength brew. Not fit for us mere mortals," he warned.
She laughed, "I yield to your judgment."
He smiled at her, enjoying the comfortable quiet that settled between them while he worked. He only broke it to tell her in a quiet tone that Jack was finally ready to hire someone.
"I'm glad. It'll work out, Ianto, you'll see," she added, when the flicker of doubt crossed his face.
He just nodded; she was right. It would work out. They would move on. There's not much choice, really…
……………………………………………..
Princeton, New Jersey (USA.)
In the days after the 'industrial accident', things slowly went back to normal. People remained shy of their cars for a while, even after all of the Atmos systems were removed, but little by little life's routine fell back into place. Once in a while Chase caught Foreman giving him an odd look in the cafeteria and Cuddy called him into her office and asked him again to explain what had happened. He gave her the same regurgitated line. Industrial accident. Hands tied. Nothing more to say.
Bloody classified information. He wished he could just tell her that, but saying something was classified was as bad as telling the truth… most of the time. 'Classified' was slightly better than 'alien invasion.' That thought gave him something to smile about the rest of the day, even when House came swanning into his department like he owned the whole universe. Or as if he seriously thinks he's the centre of it.
The smile would probably have continued on into the night if Chase hadn't stopped to collect his mail on the way into his apartment. Bill… Bill… Homeowners insurance, perfect considering I still rent… Coupons…Something for next door…
Chase stopped cold when he got to the next piece of mail. It was a neat ivory envelope, clearly addressed to him. The return on the back was an address in the UK. He threw the remainder of his mail towards the coffee table, missing it completely. He barely noticed as the bills and junk mail scattered on the floor.
He sat down on the arm of the nearest chair, sliding sideways into it so that legs dangled over the side and opened the envelope. Inside there were two letters: one typed, the other written in a script that was at once curly and efficient. Even if he'd never seen the handwriting before, it wasn't difficult to guess who it belonged to. Although it's not as if the stationary doesn't give it away… both letters were written on letterhead bearing a blatantly obvious honeycombed "T" logo. He read the handwritten note first:
.
Bobby,
That job you were interested in a few years ago is open now. Been that way for about a month. I've been dragging my feet filling the position, honestly. If you're still interested, it's yours. Call me if you have any questions, but I'm sure you'll understand when I say I need an answer as soon as possible.
My newly appointed office manager thought it would be a good idea to include something more formal to help with those awkward moments at work. If you decide to come join us in Cardiff, that is.
I hope you do. We could really use you.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Captain Jack Harkness
.
Chase's glance flickered back to the line about the job being open for about a month now. He remembered seeing a news report about a month ago about a series of devastating gas main explosions in Cardiff. I wonder if that was a 'gas main accident' the same way last week was an ' industrial accident'. At this point, he didn't think anything would surprise him. It also gave him a pretty good idea of what had happened to create a job opening.
He looked at the second letter.
.
Doctor Robert Chase,
On behalf of the Torchwood Institute and at the request of Captain J. Harkness, I am pleased to offer you the position of team medic, based within our Cardiff (Wales) office, effective immediately.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us on the number above, as soon as possible. Our staff are available to answer any queries, day or night.
Ianto Jones,
Office Manager
.
He read it again. Then he read Jack's letter again as a dozen conflicting emotions shot through him. His job. His life in New Jersey. Allison.
His gaze settled on the sweater she'd left when she stayed over after the Atmos 'incident.' I love her. I don't have the guts to tell her, but I do love her. He didn't want to lose the possibility of spending the rest of his life with her.
But he didn't want to pass this up either, because Jack might not offer him the job a second time; in fact, he was fairly certain Jack wouldn't. There was something incredibly satisfying about the thought of being a part of something bigger than himself. How could he let that go?
He would never admit it, least of all to his former boss, but in a lot of ways House had made him feel like he was part of something important. He missed that; he missed being on House's diagnostic team. House was larger than lifeand willing to risk everything to save a patient, even if it hardly ever had anything to do with making a difference in someone else's life. But that didn't compare to the things he had seen in just six months with UNIT. It didn't compare to what he'd seen in a few days with Jack Harkness.
He would have joined Torchwood there and then, but when he'd shown up on Harkness' doorstep looking for a job, he had been turned down, flat. They already had a medic, and according to Jack he was 'too young.'
Without realizing it, he'd gone over and picked up Allison's sweater. It still smelled vaguely of her perfume, a sort of apple and flower scent that brought a rush of warmth to his insides. He had loved her for so long, wanted to be with her for as long as he could remember and the past year had been so good.
Then he thought about the way she'd looked at him all last week. It felt like something had changed between them now and it had nothing to do with him being an idiot a few weeks ago; a stupid argument over whether or not she'd slept with House before she started seeing Chase. While she hadn't officially forgiven him for his outburst in front of House's team, she seemed to have forgotten about being angry at it over it in the wake of the Atmos incident.
"Bloody industrial accident," he muttered aloud, wondering what sane person would actually believe that. It sounded as ridiculous as when the tabloids had screamed about the Titanic being spotted over Buckingham Palace last Christmas.
Chase put down the sweater and walked into his kitchen. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and picked up the cordless phone before returning to the living room. Without stopping to calculate the time difference, he picked up Jack's letter dialed the number.
It took three rings for someone with an accent that clearly wasn't American to answer with a polite, "Hello, how may I help you?"
"Jack Harkness, please."
"Certainly. May I ask who's calling?"
"Robert Chase."
"Very good, Dr. Chase. One moment, please."
Interesting… Chase drank his beer while waiting through several long moments of annoying hold music.
"Bobby!"
He sighed at the sound of Jack's nickname for him. He hated it, but he had the feeling that he was never going to break Jack of using it. Assuming I decide to do this… "We need to talk."
"All right," Jack's tone was cautious.
"I'm willing to come to Cardiff – but only if you're willing to make room for one more."
"I only have room for one medic on my team. You know that."
"She's twice the doctor I am, Jack. Twice as smart. And she's an immunologist. You could use that."
"Somehow I have the feeling she's more than just a colleague."
"She's the woman I want to marry," Chase admitted, wondering why the first person he was telling that to was a man he hadn't spoken to in years. Easier to tell a stranger, maybe…
"Sounds serious. Sure you want to drag her into this?"
"In a way she's already involved. She wants to know what happened last week."
"What've you told her?"
"Only what I'm supposed to."
"But you want to tell her more, don't you?"
No... Yes... He shook his head, trying to clear it. "I don't know. Maybe. But she wants to know and she is brilliant, Jack. If I didn't want this myself, I'd tell you to forget about me and hire her instead."
"That's quite an endorsement."
"She's quite a woman."
"How soon can you get here?"
"It's going to take me at least a week – "
Jack cut him off, "I'll give you two days. If I don't hear from you by then I'm going to the next name on my list."
Chase sighed, realizing he'd managed to forget some of the man's more annoying traits. "I'll call you tomorrow."
"Would that be our tomorrow, or his tomorrow?" asked a voice from the background. Chase recognized it as the same voice that had first answered the phone.
"So has 'office manager' become a euphemism for lover over there?" Chase asked, finally having done the calculations in and realizing just how late it was on the other side of the Atlantic. There was no way any normal employees would still be at work at this hour.
Jack's only answer was a wry chuckle. "Good night, Bobby."
Chase returned the laugh, "Same to you."
……………………………………...
Jack placed the receiver back on the hook and turned his attention to the handsome young Welshman sitting on the edge of his desk, wearing nothing but a bathrobe and a smile. "Now, where were we?" he inquired with a grin.
"Somewhere between here," Ianto leant in and kissed Jack's lips long and hard, relishing the way Jack cupped his face, bringing him in closer. "And here," he added when he could speak again. Slowly he drifted down Jack's body, kissing and caressing as he went. Both Liz and Gwen had gone home for the night so there was little chance of them being interrupted. Again.
Jack murmured something unintelligible as Ianto settled himself between his legs, slowly kissing here, nibbling there. He wanted Jack shaking before he gave him any measure of relief.
When the Captain groaned about him being a sadistic bastard he gave a throaty laugh that made the older man shiver. Ianto gazed up at him then with a taunting smile. "I learned from the best, remember?" his voice was soft and his breath brushed warmly over Jack's already overheated skin.
"Didn't…anybody ever teach you…not to talk… with… your…"
Ianto ducked his head quickly, making sure Jack was incapable of finishing that or any other sentence…