They paused outside the building and looked back up. It was the largest building in the immediate area and was elliptical in shape and twenty-one storeys high. There were a couple of other buildings nearby, identical in shape but only fifteen stories high. The outside of each building was faced with mosaic tiles that formed abstract patterns in blue, green and white.

"Huh, there are balconies," Jack noted, seeing the sweep of metal that followed the curve of the building. At the widest point of the ellipse the balcony expanded and Jack made a mental note to check that out when they got back.

"Is it me or does the air taste different?" Ianto asked.

Jack breathed in a few times. "Less petrochemicals," he said eventually. "Fewer cars maybe?"

"Or maybe more efficient," Ianto agreed as he nodded to where some traffic was moving along the road.

There was less traffic than Ianto had been expecting. At first he thought that this was because they were away from the main area of the city but even as they approached the Bay there were fewer cars than he would have seen if he had been walking this route in his old Cardiff. The cars they did see didn't differ all that much from the ones he was already familiar with, except that there was a slightly retro feel to the designs. There was the usual mixture, even if the numbers were down, with sporty models mixed in with more practical, work or family-orientated designs. The buses definitely looked like models he had seen in period TV programmes, all curves and shiny metal as well as cheerful paint jobs. Engine noise seemed muted, more like a purr or hum than a roar and he wondered what kind of engine was under those bonnets.

Colour seemed to be everywhere, as well as a passion for curves. Buildings were either oval or round. Those buildings that did have a straight line to them invariably had some kind of round tower or cupola to them, as if the designer had gritted their teeth to make a square box and had then regretted it and tried to make amends by adding a curve or two. Every building looked like a minor work of art, albeit with some of the older ones looking a bit scuffed around the edges. Either they had a mosaic facing like the building that Jack and Ianto were now living in or the building had been painted or constructed out of natural materials that acquired a patina with age.

"Looks good," Jack commented as they looked around, taking in the frequent patches of greenery and the trees planted along the way.

"Looks aren't everything," Ianto said.

Jack gave a snort of laughter. "Pessimist."

"Optimist," Ianto shot back and they shared a mutual laugh.

There might have been less traffic than they were used to but there were plenty of pedestrians. Ianto studied the people with interest, looking for differences that would tell him he was in another world. The racial mix was pretty much the same as he was used to and the area they were in seemed to be one occupied by families and young professionals. The biggest and most obvious difference was in the clothing, which wasn't that big a surprise, given the way fashion always reflected society.

Once again there was more colour. Even people who were walking briskly along in what he assumed to be working clothes eschewed the black or dark grey that would have been the norm on his Earth. Even the men wore suits of rich blue, plum or dark red. Ianto eyed an example in the latter colour and mentally teamed it with a black shirt and silk tie of old gold, then shook his head. He was an eighteen year old with a place in university. It would be a while before he needed to wear a suit again. For a moment he felt panic touch him; the suits had been his armour against the world for some time and he felt naked and vulnerable without them.

Jack seemed to pick up on his sudden uncertainty and nudged him gently. "You okay?"

Ianto gave a nervous laugh. "More or less. I guess I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop and the monster to jump out of the undergrowth."

"If it does, we'll deal with it," Jack said with supreme confidence and Ianto felt a warmth blossom inside at the unconscious 'we'.

They got to the Bay after half an hour's walk and they looked around curiously. The Deep Basin was still there and there was a sailing ship tied up alongside which seemed to be a tourist attraction judging from the number of people getting on an off it. There was no sign of the Millennium Centre but there was one large building that looked vaguely Romanesque which dominated the area. When they wandered over they found that it was called the International Trade Centre. Since people seemed to be going in and out without any kind of checks being done, they ventured inside and found the interior filled with light, courtesy of the huge windows that dominated the atrium. A directory was positioned helpfully just inside the main entrance and Jack ran his gaze down the listings and started to get a feel for this new world of theirs.

"Celtic Nations?" Ianto murmured next to him. "No mention of the United States or the EEU. Confederation of Lemuria? Aegean Alliance? We are most definitely not in Kansas any more!"

Jack hummed agreement. "Let's hope they have something like the internet otherwise we're going to have to find a library."

Ianto gave him a mock glare. "I'll be finding a library anyway, thank you. University, remember? Not all of us have the advantage of coming from the 51st century."

Jack shot him a rueful smile as they exited the building and went back out into the cool sunny day. "Oddly enough, that isn't much of an advantage. Technology in the 51st century was so unobtrusive that you never even registered it most of the time. Quite a few people lived their entire lives without having to do the equivalent of changing a light bulb or fixing a fuse. That was the biggest culture shock for me when I started to travel through time. Even though I came from a colony world and what we had was pretty basic, I hadn't really considered machines as being something you had to fix."

Ianto blinked as he considered that. It would explain how someone as advanced as Jack sometimes seemed to have so much trouble with something as simple as a microwave or computer. "A keyboard? How quaint?" he offered after a moment.

Jack snorted a laugh. "Yeah, actually. Still remember my shock at seeing how big and clumsy computers were when they were finally invented. Where shall we go next?"

Accepting that Jack had reached his comfort limit where revealing something of his past was concerned, Ianto looked around and noticed that the area had quite a high number of cafes, restaurants and small shops, very like Mermaid Quay had had. "Let's just walk around and get a feel for things," he suggested.

Jack was happy enough to agree to that and as they made a slow circle around the immediate area, Ianto found his thoughts sliding back to the subject of Jack telling people about his past. He'd always been reluctant to do so; Ianto got the distinct impression that even the Doctor hadn't been privy to any great reveals but had had the advantage of having access to far better sources of information than anyone else. Ianto sometimes wondered why it was that he never felt the frustration that Gwen did when Jack clammed up, but he supposed it was because he wasn't really interested in how Jack had been in the past. Jack had mentioned that he was ashamed of how he had been and what he had done and that he was looking to somehow compensate for that by being a better person in the present. Ianto could understand that and since he had fallen in love with the Jack of 'now' he wasn't even certain he wanted to find out all that much about the Jack of 'then'.

"You know, since we're in a whole new world and we've been given new identities and backgrounds, it would be sensible for us to focus on the new rather than the old," he said with careful carelessness. "I don't mean forget the people who meant something to us but we need to focus on who we're going to be now." There was a long pause during which Ianto was careful not to look in Jack, focusing instead on the window of a bakery which had a wide selection of bread and cakes to tempt the passer-by.

Jack was struggling with the wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. So many of his previous lovers had wanted to 'know' him, ignoring his desire to leave his past behind and demanding answers to questions he didn't want to even think about, let alone answer. Ianto was still curious and loved to hear the stories Jack was willing to tell, but he was the first to really respect the line Jack had drawn between who he was now and who had been then. As soon as he realised Jack was unwilling to go into details he backed off and changed the subject. Now he was offering Jack an even bigger prize: the chance to break completely with the past and move forward.

No-one apart from Ianto knew him in this reality. There was no paper trail, no old photographs, no people who had known him in the past. There was no Doctor to breeze in and out of his life, always faintly disapproving and just that little bit too forced in the way he smiled at Jack. There was no chance of old friends or – as was more likely – enemies coming to find him. He could start afresh and the only person who knew him as anything or anyone different was telling him that he would go along with it. It was a dizzying thought.

"There are times when I just want to grab you and kiss you senseless and never let you go, you know that?" he eventually said. He looked across to where Ianto was so very carefully not looking at him, not placing any pressure on him. "This is one of those times."

Ianto shot him one of those shy, pleased looks that made Jack feel ten feet tall and invincible in a way that had nothing to do with being immortal. He grinned back and lamented that he couldn't do what he wanted and just sweep Ianto into his arms but he knew that would embarrass Ianto terribly. Instead he looked past the other man to the window Ianto had been looking into.

"Oooh, cakes!" he exclaimed brightly.

The laugh that earned him from Ianto held a distinct note of relief and Jack congratulated himself on getting it right. "Lots of different kinds of cake," Ianto agreed. "Maybe we can buy some to take back to the flat? Something to balance out all that healthiness in the larder?"

"Sounds like a plan," Jack agreed enthusiastically.

They entered the bakery and inhaled the delicious aromas of bread and cakes. There was a small queue waiting to be served so the two of them whiled away the time by choosing which cakes they were going to have. Or, in Jack's case, which ones he could be persuaded not to buy. With a grin of pure mischief, Ianto leaned in close.

"Just remember you're not immortal any more, Jack. If you gain weight, you'll have to lose it the old-fashioned way."

Jack tried to give him an affronted look but the words 'not immortal any more' meant he couldn't keep the grin off his face. "You won't love me if I get some love-handles, Mr Jones?" he asked with a pout.

Ianto grinned back. "Fishing for compliments, Captain Harkness?"

"Mister," Jack said softly. "No more Captain."

Ianto rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You'll always be my Captain, Jack." He paused and pulled a face. "Can't believe how unbelievably mushy that sounded."

"I like mushy," Jack decided. "Oooh, chocolate fudge!" he yelped in excitement as another cake caught his eye.

Ianto snorted a laugh at the sight of his lover's open exuberance. Was this a result of Jack shedding the curse of immortality or was it a side-effect of knowing that he was free of all the responsibilities that had been weighing him down before? The deaths of Tosh and Owen and the revelation of Gray's insanity had hit Jack hard, despite his determination to carry on and help Ianto and Gwen come to terms with their grief. In hindsight, Ianto realised that Jack's apparent withdrawal from their relationship had been a self-defence mechanism and an effort to stave off the inevitable grief he would feel when he lost Ianto.

Now all that was behind them. The tainted chalice of Torchwood, with its mixture of delight and torment. The responsibility of living up to the impossible standards the Doctor set. The knowledge for Jack that every person he brought into Torchwood automatically started living on the edge and courted death. The knowledge for Ianto that he had made a mess of his personal life and could never ever have anything even remotely resembling a normal life. They had a second chance.

Ianto realised that he was scared to death and that was one hell of an epiphany to have just as the girl behind the counter wanted to know what kind of cake he was interested in.

They left with two carrier bags of cake and bread and a clearer grasp of the currency. The girl had picked up on Jack's accent and had assumed him to be a tourist and since they had been the last customers before a lull she had helpfully explained the different notes and coins. It was still a decimal system but with different names for the coins.

"You have the notes, of course, but they have the numbers to tell you what denomination they are," she said as she spread the different notes out. They didn't have the face of the Queen and the historical personalities of Ianto's reality but the body of each note was filled with intricate Celtic patterns of different colours as well as a gold or silver sitting dragon and the number of the note.

She took them through the coins, which were pretty much as Ianto and Jack were used to, although the twenty pence piece was a twenty five pence piece and the two pound coin was called a florin. The fifty pence piece was also triangular. Jack hammed up the 'helpless tourist' routine and has the girl blushing and giggling while Ianto watched with amusement.

"How long are you here for?" she asked once she had taken the correct money and started to pack away their purchases.

"I live here," Jack said. "I was born in Glasgow."

"But you sound like you come from Lemuria or maybe Hesperis," she objected.

"My parents went to live there for a while and I picked up the accent," Jack said quickly, "but I got a place in Cardiff University and came to live here."

She grinned. "Good choice, but then I'm biased. Enjoy the cakes!"

"Oh, I will," Jack informed her.

"If I'm lucky I'll get the odd crumb," Ianto added dryly and grinned as Jack and the girl both laughed. "The sad thing is," he continued once they had left the shop, "that she thinks I'm joking!"

Jack made a rude sound. "As if I'd dare to touch the lemon cream cake you picked out. Did you catch what she said about Lemuria?"

"Yes. The Trade Centre had a listing for the Confederation of Lemuria but I don't remember seeing anything about anywhere called Hesperis."

"Wonder if it has anything to do with our Hesperides?" Jack mused as he made a beeline for what looked like a café.

"Hmm, they were the gardens to the west of the world. Maybe the west coast of America? If the accent is the same," Ianto added.

"We have got to do some research," Jack agreed, "but first I can smell coffee!"

"With your nose for coffee that could mean it was being brewed in Scotland," Ianto observed dryly.

He was happy enough to follow Jack inside what turned out to be a very cosy café that specialised in all kinds of coffees, teas and what seemed to be fruit wines and ciders. It was reasonably full of a wide mix of people who were sitting around drinking, chatting and either reading or using what looked like hand-helds. What held Ianto's attention and had him rooted to the spot, however, was the sight of two young men who were seated close to the window and who were kissing one another enthusiastically. None of the crowd were paying them the slightest attention.

"What would you like?" the young man behind the counter asked.

Brought back with a jolt, Ianto hastily looked up at the extensive list on the wall behind the counter. He felt a small frisson of panic when he realised that hardly any of the names there were familiar to him and he knew that a normal person would know what kind of coffee or tea they wanted to drink. His gaze alighted on a tin left out on the counter which had the words 'House Blend' written on the label and he seized the option.

"Can I try the house blend?"

The barista smiled. "No problem. With or without milk or cream, or would you like the option tray?"

"Um, option, I think," Ianto decided, then breathed a sigh of relief when the other man seemed to accept that without any qualms.

The option tray, it turned out, was a tray with his mug of coffee, black, and small jugs of milk and cream and equally tiny bowls filled with brown and white sugar plus another with honey. Jack had ordered what looked like a wine of some kind.

"Dandelion wine," Jack said when he saw Ianto looking. "I haven't tasted that since the war."

Ianto shook his head. "It's strange how the little things can be just as startling as the big ones." He paused to taste the coffee and found it had a decent if unadventurous flavour. A good blend to serve to a general audience when you didn't know their preferences. He saw Jack's curious look and smiled. "It's good. Bit bland but well-roasted and made."

"Coming from you, that's quite the compliment," Jack commented as he sipped at the wine. "Oh, that's nice. Just the right side of sweet. It'd be good with a pastry," he decided, eyeing the menu.

"You and your food," Ianto said fondly. He hesitated, then inclined his head very slightly towards the couple who had attracted his attention before. "Did you see-?"

Jack nodded. "Not sure if it's a local tolerance or a general one but we can find out," he said. He flashed Ianto a smile. "It would be nice if it was general."

Ianto nodded, knowing that Jack had often got frustrated with the attitudes of the 21st century. He sometimes wondered how on Earth Jack had coped during the 19th but knew better than to ask. After a moment he reached out and brushed his hand along the top of Jack's, throttling back his instinctive reflex to pull back as soon as he had done it. The warmth in Jack's eyes as he lifted his gaze from their hands to meet Ianto's gaze was reward enough but he also felt a small thrill at the way the woman in the table just across from them looked up in their direction but was obviously more interested in the people passing by through the front window than the fact they were almost holding hands.

After a moment Jack lifted his hand away and started to fiddle with his wristband. Ianto blinked, realising that he was so used to seeing that on Jack's wrist that he hadn't registered that it had come across the dimensions along with everything else. After a while there was a soft beeping sound and Jack pulled in a breath before dropping his hands back on to the table.

"There's no Rift," he said flatly.

Ianto blinked and for a moment the words made no sense. It was as if Jack had said 'there's no Sun' or 'there's no gravity'. The Rift might have only had a direct impact on Ianto's life for a few years but they had been such intense years that they tended to overshadow everything else that had ever happened to him. While he had intellectually considered the possibility, having Jack say it out loud, and in the kind of tone of voice that implied a dead certainty, was more than a little disconcerting.

"No Rift," he echoed, trying out the words like they were in a foreign language. "So no equivalent of Torchwood?"

Jack shrugged and took another sip of wine. "Would there be a reason to have a Torchwood if there was no Rift?" he asked. "Does this reality have the equivalent of the Doctor and did he annoy the equivalent of Queen Victoria so she created Torchwood? Has this Earth been invaded by aliens?"

Ianto nodded and finished his coffee quickly. "We need to do some serious research," he said, "and if there's one thing I'm good at, it's research."

Jack laughed as he tossed back the rest of the wine and rose from the table the same time as Ianto did. "Oh, Jones, Ianto Jones, there's far more than one thing that you are good at!"

OOO