Sorry this is so long. It got away from me and I couldn't find a good place to split it. (Open to suggestions on that, if this is really too much to read in one hit.)
So, change of pace, different perspectives, and a bit of fun before the 456 arrive.
TimeLine: During and after The Stolen Earth.
The Earth had moved. Not in a good way. The Daleks arrived. And the Earth surrendered.
The sub wave network. Harriet Jones. You can always count on a Jones. Humanity was fighting back.
"I've gotta find the Doctor," Jack yelled. And "I'm coming back." And he was gone.
Jack was with the Doctor. Again. The world could be ending and Ianto Jones was spending the last moments of existence being jealous.
On the other hand, there was work to do. Daleks in the Hub. And Gwen was beside him, urging him to fight. Gwen, the only one who'd tried to understand about Lisa. Gwen, who, contrary to all his expectations, had never ever told the others about finding him and Jack making love in the Hub. Had he ever thanked her, for either of those? No. Too busy resenting Gwen for all the times Jack's eyes had lingered on her. He'd cut in at her own wedding, for goodness sake, because he couldn't bear seeing Jack holding her so close.
Their eyes met before they raised their guns. And in that moment, they became friends. Closer than friends. Family. Pity they were about to be exterminated.
Their bullets froze in mid air. The Time Lock had activated, with the Daleks on the other side. Tosh had reached out from the dark and saved them. Bless you Tosh. Goodbye my friend, and thank you.
Ianto met Gwen's eyes. "Coffee?" he suggested.
"We're going to be stuck here for a while," Gwen agreed. "Maybe you could teach me how that damn machine works?"
Time passed. Gwen's coffee-making skills progressed to the point of acceptable, if not to the degree of Coffee Mage. The Time Lock dissolved. The Daleks were defeated. They harnessed the power of the Rift and sent it to the Doctor. The Earth was back. So was Jack.
The CCTV showed him on the perception filter lift with two other people. Martha and a tough-looking young man. Gwen bolted to meet them. Ianto fled up the staircase. Because if he was within grabbing distance when the cog rolled back he'd make an absolute fool out of himself. Again. That sort of thing could wait until they got home. Assuming Jack was going to come home. He might just be planning on dropping off his friends and rejoining the Doctor.
Jack entered first. His arms enfolded Gwen but his eyes searched the Hub. Where the hell was he? Not behind her, not to the left, not to the right. Jack finally looked up. OK, I'm in trouble, he thought. He's not angry, I could handle that. He's cold. Shut down. Doesn't he trust me yet?
Jack made the introductions in a voice that carried across the Hub.
"You know Martha, guys. She and Mickey are gonna help us when bits of Dalek start pouring through the Rift."
Within moments Mickey and Martha were on either side of Gwen, being shown the finer points of Rift Monitoring. But Ianto could see they weren't really watching the monitor system. They were looking at each other instead. Sideways and corner of the eye glances, but all with the same look. Ianto recognized it. He'd seen it before. He'd felt it before. In a warehouse with a pterodactyl. It didn't matter that the ring on Martha's finger had been given to her by someone else. Ianto had had someone else too. And Jack had several someone else's. But you couldn't dodge the look for long. It kept coming back at you. Ianto hoped she'd let her fiancé down gently.
"They look good together, don't they?" Jack said with a hint of smugness, appearing silently at Ianto's side. His hand landed on Ianto's shoulder, squeezing tightly before dropping slowly away. Not the greeting he wanted to give. He'd much prefer to drag his lover into his office and celebrate helping to save the world. Celebrate being back with him, more to the point. But they weren't alone, and they were in the workplace. With visitors. He wanted Martha and Mickey to join the team. They were hardly going to be impressed by the sight of the boss groping the employees. Professionalism. Damn.
"Are you matchmaking?" Ianto asked with a hint of reproof. And a complete lack of warmth.
"No need, is there? I remember that look." Jack turned his head slightly. There it was again. "Don't you?"
"I suppose so," Ianto said, thawing slightly. "A long time ago."
"With a pterodactyl. Where's Myfanwy, anyway?"
"Sulking," Ianto said. "I ran out of chocolate."
"Not unlike someone else." Jack nudged Ianto with his elbow. "I told you I'd come back. If you were here to come back to."
"So you did." He paused, swallowed. Asked the question he was afraid to ask. "Are you leaving again? Is the Doctor waiting?"
"No. And No." He doesn't trust me. I thought he did but he really doesn't. "Did you miss me?"
"Not at all."
"Liar."
"I was busy," Ianto informed him calmly. "Little matter of Daleks in the Hub. And teaching Gwen how to make coffee. And what else? Oh yes, harnessing the Rift so that you lot of heroes could get on with saving the universe. Thanks for that, by the way. It's nice to still be alive. And we've still got a planet to be alive on. Good work."
"I'm jealous. You've never taught me how to make coffee."
"You didn't want to learn."
They had each unconsciously edged nearer while talking. By now they were standing so close together that Mickey had started eyeing them with speculation.
"Haven't you got a home to go to, Mickey Mouse?" Jack demanded, leaning forward over the rails.
Mickey flashed them a smile and headed up the staircase. Martha looked up, waved at Ianto, and finally began concentrating on what Gwen was trying to show her.
"No home," Mickey said, "Not in this universe."
He extended a hand towards Ianto. "Mickey Smith."
Ianto shook. Firm handshake. Deep, dark eyes laughing defiantly at the universe.
"Ianto Jones."
"I've heard a lot about you Torchwood people," Mickey said, smiling broadly. An infectious smile you couldn't help returning. Ianto liked him instantly. "I think someone's trying to recruit me," he added.
Jack grinned. "Doing my not-so-subtle best," he agreed. He elbowed Ianto again. "I've hooked him," Jack said. "You reel him in."
"I don't suppose you're a relative," Mickey said hopefully, jerking his head back towards Martha.
"Afraid not," Ianto answered. "Just a friend."
"You could still put in a good word for me."
"She's engaged," Ianto told him. Not that it'd make much difference. That look.
"To a Doctor," Jack added.
"That'd be right," Mickey said. "But I reckon I'm about due for a win, don't you, Captain Cheesecake?"
"Beefcake," Jack corrected. He looked teasingly at Ianto. "What am I, cheese or beef?"
"Ham," Ianto answered, rolling his eyes. Mickey laughed. A big, booming laugh. "Good one," he chuckled.
"Jack," Gwen called. "Dalek artifacts starting to drop in. And we're getting reports of debris from the ones already here that people managed to destroy. What do you want us to do?"
"On my way," Jack called. He turned back to Mickey. "There's a bed in my office. You can have that until you've found somewhere to live. I don't use it anymore." The smile he cast at Ianto spoke volumes. "I've got a real home now."
Ianto felt the muscles in his shoulders tighten. Would he ever stop feeling this sense of apprehension whenever someone – anyone – 'found out'? The silence stretched as they watched Jack take the stairs two at a time.
Mickey punched Ianto gently on the shoulder. "Nice to know he's finally got someone to keep him in line."
"I try," Ianto agreed. The surge of relief at the approval was almost as annoying as the apprehension. Then again, this was one of Jack's oldest friends. Someone's whose opinion really did matter. "With a staggering lack of success. Do you want to see where you're going to be sleeping?"
The bunker was dusty. Archive boxes were stacked haphazardly in the centre, with the mattress propped on its end against the wall. The room hadn't been used for a while, except as somewhere to store whatever hadn't been archived yet. Hadn't had much time for the archives since they'd lost Tosh and Owen. And as always, the memories brought their own stab of pain.
"Didn't realize it was this bad," Ianto said apologetically. "I'll have it clean in an hour."
"Half hour if I help," Mickey answered. "Point me to a broom."
Mickey was easy to work with. The others had always been happy to help create a mess, but had usually been mysteriously busy when the time came to clean up. It would be nice, Ianto thought wistfully, to have someone on the team who'd never known him as the Teaboy.
Twenty minutes later Jack's voice boomed through the Hub. "Collection run, boys and girls."
"I think that's us being summoned," Mickey commented.
Ianto looked around the bunker. "Habitable. We can go for comfortable tomorrow."
"Yep, thanks mate. Let's go see what Captain Cheesecake's got for us."
Ianto smiled as they climbed up the ladder. "Why do you call him that?"
"Cause it annoys him." Mickey answered smugly.
The sound of Ianto's laughter rang through the Hub. Jack could see how comfortable he was with Mickey and rethought his plan for tonight's cleanup mission. He'd intended to take Ianto with him and pair Mickey and Martha. But that wasn't practical. If they had – Goddamn it not again – issues to sort out it would endanger both of them. And Mickey and Martha would be almost as bad. Mickey was only halfway down the stairs and the two of them were eye-flirting already. And she was engaged to another man. He'd have something to say about that while they were out.
"OK," Jack announced when they were all assembled. "We've got a major clean up. We made a hell of a mess up there and it's raining down through the Rift. And that's not counting the ones that got destroyed down here. We're going to split into two. Ianto, you take the meat-wagon and Mickey." The meat-wagon was a nondescript white van, normally used for body recovery. An unmarked hearse, basically. "Martha and I will be in the SUV. Gwen's coordinating. She'll be sending locations via the PDAs. There are probably looters in the streets so I want everyone armed."
Ianto had just finished arming Mickey when Jack entered the armory. "I need more bullets," he commented. "Shot myself out up there."
Mickey eyes flicked between the two of them. "Gonna say goodbye to Martha," he said vaguely. "See ya outside mate."
"What do you think of him?" Jack asked, as they loaded their firearms.
"I like him," Ianto answered. "Can't say more than that yet."
"He's good with computers. Hacking," Jack commented, around the lump in his throat that was Tosh. He could see Ianto having the same struggle.
"We do need someone," he agreed finally. "And a medic. Martha?"
"I hope so," Jack agreed. "But she'd have to stay out of the field. She won't carry a gun."
Ianto looked at him enquiringly. "Shouldn't she be coordinating then?"
"I'll keep her covered. She's experienced with Daleks. Up close and personal, she was."
And suddenly he couldn't keep the professionalism going anymore. "It did occur to me you wouldn't be here to come back to," he said tentatively.
"There were Daleks," Ianto agreed. "We were lucky Tosh got the time lock finished before…."
"It wasn't the Daleks I was worried about," Jack interrupted.
"Not now, Jack. Later. At home. If we get home tonight. This is going to take hours."
"So I can come home, then?" The weight vanished from Jack's chest.
"Mickey's sleeping in your bunker," Ianto pointed out. "And I don't get the feeling he'd be happy to share, at least not with you. He doesn't like cheesecake."
Jack laughed, torn between relief and annoyance at not getting a straight answer. But they'd sort it out. It was going to be OK. And if there was ever a time for the forehead thing, this was it.
Martha hunted through a pile of metal. "Look at this Jack. This eyestalk has paint on it."
Jack examined it. "Humans in adversity. Fighting back with anything they can find. And it was a good idea, whoever had it. Pity it wouldn't work."
Martha climbed up into the back of the SUV and stacked the pieces Jack passed up to her.
"That's the back full," she announced.
"We've still got the back seat," Jack said. They climbed back into the SUV and set off for the next point. It was late. Or early, depending on what direction you were viewing the day from. The streets were deserted. Not even any looters.
Martha sighed. Jack glanced across. There were tears in her eyes. "You OK?" he asked, concerned.
"Just remembering," Martha said softly. "When I first met Tom. The year that wasn't. We spent a lot of time driving through the empty dark like this."
"And the Tom you're with now? Doesn't he measure up?"
Martha twisted the ring on her finger. "Of course he does. He's amazing." She watched the rain pattering on the windscreen for a moment before continuing.
"But I keep falling for the same man, Jack" she said sadly. "A Doctor with a mission that'll always mean more to him than I do. Tom's in Africa, saving the starving. And after that it'll be somewhere else. I can't argue with that, can I? Especially when we both know I'd take off if the Doctor needs me. We've postponed the wedding twice. I haven't seen him for over a month. And we talk once a week, if we're lucky. We hardly know each other any more. It's falling apart."
"You could go to him," Jack suggested.
"I can't do the traveling thing anymore," Martha said sadly. "I can't keep leaving my family. They need me. I need them."
Jack covered her hand with his. "I'm sorry, Martha."
She looked back at him bravely, wiping away the tears. "Better I found out now. While there's still time to back out."
They drove in silence to the next pickup point. Disappointing. Not Dalek weaponry. Just some of the usual Rift flotsam.
"Couple of blasters worth keeping," Jack commented, disarming them and tossing them into the back seat.
Martha looked at them and shuddered. "I still hate weapons," she commented.
"That could be a problem," Jack warned her. "I want you to stay on as medic, but I can't send you out with the team unarmed."
"And I'd go crazy stuck in that cellar you call a workplace," Martha added. "So I suppose that's a no to the job offer. If that's what it was."
"Damn."
They collected the next pile of remains. "There's still room in the back seat," Martha announced, climbing back down. "Where next?"
Jack checked the PDA. "That's it," he said, surprised. "Doesn't make sense." He paused. "Unless Gwen's decided it's home time. Quite possible."
"Office mum, then?" Martha suggested.
"In a way," Jack agreed. "Especially since we lost…." His voice choked off.
Martha squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry, Jack. I'll help out whenever you need me. But it's like I said before, my family needs me more. I hate not being there when one of them has a flashback, and there's no one else that can help them. I don't think I'll even stay with Unit much longer."
Jack gunned the engine. "Time we headed back." He fell silent. Wondering whether Ianto was back yet. Whether he'd wait for him at the Hub or just go straight home without him.
A deep chuckle roused him from his musings.
"Never thought I'd see the day," Martha said. The smile on her face was soft and affectionate.
"What?" Jack asked defensively.
"You're acting like a teenager," she told him, eyes dancing. "With a mammoth crush."
"I'm not that transparent, am I?" Jack asked mournfully.
"On the way to your Hub," Martha said, ticking off points on her fingers, "you were supposedly giving us the recruitment spiel. But a certain name managed to creep into every third sentence. And you stopped three times at water fountains to make sure your face was clean. And you fixed your hair in shop windows twice. And…"
"Stop," Jack groaned.
"And I'm so happy for you I could burst," Martha finished extravagantly.
Jack glared at her briefly. The smile didn't dim a single watt. And this was Martha. They'd suffered together. The Valiant. And unrequited love for the Doctor. She was the only other person in the universe who knew how that felt. He trusted her.
"He's bloody angry with me," Jack confessed. "Because I left him for the Doctor again. Actually, not angry. Worse than that. It hurt him. I hurt him."
"So make up," Martha said patiently.
"Yeah, until next time," Jack agreed gloomily. "If the Doctor needs me, I have to go." He looked at her almost pleadingly. "I have to. Don't I?"
"Of course," Martha agreed. "But that doesn't mean you have to leave Ianto behind. The Doctor let Rose bring Mickey whenever she wanted, didn't he?"
Jack smiled. Relief flooded through him. Why hadn't he ever thought of that? "Voice of a nightingale, mind of a genius. Thank you, Martha Jones."
"Nothing easier than fixing someone else's problems," she said, with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Jack suddenly remembered the eye-flirting with Mickey and tried not to smile. She wouldn't be alone long. "There's someone out there who'll put you before anyone, Martha. I'm sure of it. And you deserve it." And he's probably waiting back at the Hub.
"That," Martha said. "Is the sort of thing you always hear from someone who's besotted."
"Martha my love," Jack said. "Just shut up."
Mickey settled himself into the passenger seat of the van and smiled. "I'm good in vans. I had one just like this chasing Cybermen in that parallel universe. Oi, what'd I say?"
Ianto had turned pale.
"Cybermen," Ianto said tightly. "I was at Canary Wharf. They got my girlfriend."
"I'm sorry mate. They got my friends too. Across two universes."
Which killed the conversation. No more chat until they were loading the first dismembered Dalek into the van. Looked like someone had dropped a house on it.
"This looks like an eggbeater," Ianto commented.
"A weapon," Mickey corrected. He grinned. "They beat you to death with it."
"That's woeful." They both chuckled.
"So what's Jack like as a boss?" Mickey asked curiously, as they climbed back into the front seats.
"A complete arse, when he has to be," Ianto answered bluntly. He checked the PDA, selected a location and keyed the GPS. Instruction scrolled onto the screen.
"Details," Mickey demanded. "Here give me that. I'll read it out as we go."
Ianto ran through a mental list before speaking. "He Retconned Gwen when she first found out about Torchwood. He made Tosh send her boyfriend back into the past to face a firing squad, and he suspended Owen when he was suicidal. Oh and he had a gun to my head once, too. Wanted me to execute what was left of my girlfriend. How's that for detail?"
"Bit rough, coming from you," Mickey said. "Considering. Turn right at that roundabout."
"Would you have believed me if I'd said anything nice?" Ianto asked pointedly.
"Nah. I will now though. I see your point. That's the next lot over there."
"I think this was one of mine," Mickey said proudly as they loaded charred remains into the van. He examined a section of plating. "Yep. Nice gun, I had. Had to leave it."
"Maybe we'll find it tonight," Ianto said encouragingly.
Mickey sighed. "I can hope."
They climbed back into the van. "Did he really do all that?" Mickey asked curiously.
"Yes. And he was right. But no one else would have done it."
"Someone always has to make the crap decisions," Mickey agreed. "And the rest of us get to feel all noble bagging them for it."
They smiled at each other. "He's a good boss though." Ianto said. "And a good man."
"You gonna forgive him for taking off after the Doctor then?"
Ianto looked at the other man in shock. "How did you know?"
Mickey smiled sadly. "Been there. My girlfriend, Rose. She went with the Doctor and she never came back to me, except to visit. She got the Doctor to take me with them sometimes, but it was always him first with her."
"I'm sorry," Ianto said. "I know how that feels."
"No you don't, mate," Mickey said firmly. "He's come back, hasn't he?"
Ianto considered it. "Twice, now," he agreed. He sighed. "I think I've been an idiot."
Mickey grinned. "Don't tell him that. The gloating would be just about unbearable, I reckon."
Ianto laughed. "I'll be careful. But I'm going to have to apologise. Which will give me quite enough to put up with."
"Now that's depressing," Mickey said, shaking his head. "I knew women do that crap to us, but I didn't think blokes did it to each other."
Two more sites. No more room in the van. "We'll have to go back and unload," Ianto decided.
"Got your groveling shoes on?" Mickey asked, as they arrived back at the Hub.
"Maybe he's not back yet," Ianto muttered.
"That black SUV is out the front," Mickey said cheerfully. "I noticed on the way in."
Ianto sighed. "Wish me luck."
Mickey slapped his back reassuringly. "You can always put him on short rations. That'd about kill him, that would."
Ianto choked. "Doesn't it bother you at all?" he burst out.
"What, you and him? Why should it? Just cause he's not my cup of tea, doesn't mean I can't see he's not two-day-old liver. Don't tell him I said that, though."
"I just…Hell, I don't know."
Mickey looked at him appraisingly. "If it bothers you, mate, I'd hate to see your bill from the psychiatrist."
"If I saw a psychiatrist," Ianto said gloomily. "It'd mean a nice soft cell. Might be a pleasant change, at that."
Jack was arguing with Gwen as Mickey and Ianto passed through the cog. "I know there was more, Gwen. Why did you stop?"
"I sent the boys in the van after the bigger pieces," Gwen explained. "We've collected nearly everything that was registering as a weapon. And Unit is moving in, so if you'd stayed out you'd be fighting them for the dregs, and they might try to grab what you'd already got. Besides which, it's 3am and I'm falling asleep on my feet. And Ianto's here," she added softly. "You've avoided him long enough, Jack."
Jack looked from Gwen to Martha in annoyance. "Exactly when did this become any of your business, ladies?"
Martha tapped her chin thoughtfully, eyes wide with innocence. She raised her hands and formed quote marks in the air, "Could you get me a Unit cap? Cause Ianto would look good in it?" She dropped her hands. "Something along those lines. If you're going to turn me into an accomplice for your games, Jack, I get to have an opinion, too."
"And when I asked what you'd do while I was on honeymoon," Gwen added, making her own set of quote marks, "Pizza, Ianto, Save the Earth." She looked at Martha. "I've been too scared to ask whether that was one at a time or simultaneously."
"Besides," Gwen added seriously, "He's my friend, too. And you're both being a bit, um, well, silly is the only word for it, really."
Jack looked at Martha sourly. "Just as well you're not staying. You're having a bad effect on discipline."
"Go," Martha ordered, making shooing motions with her hands.
Jack trudged away. No other word to describe it. It was a trudge. Gwen giggled.
"I'd never get away with that!" she said admiringly.
"He's not my boss," Martha pointed out.
Jack saw Ianto stumble as he came through the cog. Mickey had shoved him. Great, we're getting it from both sides. I'm beginning to agree with his stance on public affection. Results in too much interference.
They stopped within touching distance, but neither reached across the empty space.
"What's going on?" Ianto asked, eyes flicking towards the two women, who weren't even trying to pretend not to stare.
"We've got friends, apparently," Jack answered. "And they seem to think we can't sort anything out without their help."
Ianto smiled. "Mickey did help though." He looked into Jack's eyes. "I'm sorry."
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. "So am I. And Martha helped too, I suppose. But I already thanked her, so I wish she'd go away and let us get onto the making up."
Ianto turned back to Mickey. "Sod off, would you?" he said loudly. "And take them with you."
Mickey laughed that booming laugh. "You ladies want to see my bedroom?" he called.
"Some other time," Martha yelled back. "Too much going on out here."
"Women," Mickey grumbled. But he smiled broadly at Ianto. "Wasn't a No though, was it?" He slapped Ianto on the back again, accidentally on purpose using enough force to knock him closer to Jack, and headed for the staircase.
Martha and Gwen were sitting comfortably on the desks. Still watching.
"I'm so not giving them the satisfaction," Jack said softly. He tugged the SUV keys out of his pocket and held them out. "Take me home?"
Ianto took the keys. "First time for everything, huh?" He flicked his eyes towards the girls again. Whispering to each other. Gwen must be explaining. Yep, done. Martha's eyes were misty too.
"I'm beginning to understand why you love public performances so much," he commented. "Turns strong women into mush. Funny. Shall we throw them a crumb?" Jack smiled.
"My sort of crumb, though," Ianto added. "Hold still." He took Jack's face between his hands and gently kissed his forehead. Then his closed eyes, one at a time.
"Keep going," Jack murmured. "I wanna hear sobs. They deserve it."
"You'll have to settle for tears," Ianto said, pulling back slightly. "Which we've got. Yep, both of them. Let's go home." He raised his voice. "Show's over, ladies."
The sound of applause followed them through the door.
The dawning sun leaked through the windows. Jack reached up and tugged the blinds closed, then dropped down onto the bed and pulled Ianto back into his arms.
"We're not going back into the Hub today," he decided. "Unless the world needs saving again. You need sleep."
"We've been home for nearly two hours," Ianto answered, "And that's the first time you've mentioned sleep." But even saying the word made him yawn.
"It was number four on my to-do list," Jack said.
Ianto frowned. "Four?"
"One, get you home," Jack recited. "Two," he smiled broadly. "Do you want a description of that? Because it might be almost as much fun to talk about as it was to do it." Ianto blushed. "Three," he prompted.
"Number three." Jack stopped, making sure he had his attention. "Talk."
"What is there to say?" Ianto said, trying not to sound bitter. "If the Doctor calls, you'll go. If you survive, you'll come back. Does that about cover it?"
"I want you to understand," Jack said pleadingly. "I need you to understand. What the Doctor does, it's…"
"The most important thing in all the universes," Ianto finished. "I do understand. I saw what he did, you know. And he needed all those people helping him. I could see he couldn't have done it alone. And he trusts you. I get it. I wouldn't even ask you to stay if he called. I wouldn't let you stay, come to that."
"Then why….Why did you shut down on me?"
"I was jealous, damn it. Couldn't you see that? You love him."
"I love you, you little idiot," Jack snapped, jerking his head back before Ianto's hand could cover his mouth. "OK, I know. Don't. Don't. Don't. Tough. I've said it."
There was a silence. A hostile silence. Only with him, Jack thought, fighting the impulse to laugh, could I be stark naked and curled up together and still fighting. He's so stubborn. And he's so tired, he thought tenderly, watching the slow blinks as Ianto fought to stay awake. And I'm pathetic. Martha was right. Teenager, that's what he's turned me into. And I love it. What's the point in being immortal if I never get to feel young?
He settled them both back onto the pillows. "Sleep," he suggested. "We can finish arguing when you wake up. You'll have better ammunition when you can think clearly."
"I don't want to argue anymore," Ianto mumbled. "And stop being patronizing."
"Then stop being stubborn. Sleep."
The sun was streaming around the edges of the closed blinds when he woke. There were noises coming from the kitchen. Ianto bolted awake. He's going to blow up my coffee machine!
"I followed the instruction manual," Jack said proudly, placing two cups of coffee on the dining table. "And even I can make toast. Breakfast."
"Brunch," Ianto corrected. He sipped his coffee tentatively. "Not bad. You ground the beans too finely though. That's why it's a bit gritty."
"Critic," Jack grumbled.
"If I hadn't told you," Ianto said with a grand air of patience, "You'd never learn. Have you been into the Hub yet?"
"No. Called though. Mickey answered. All quiet. But he's decided not to stay."
"Damn. I like him."
"So do I," Jack agreed. "But he said he couldn't take orders from me. And he's right. He's used to operating on his own. No reason we can't keep in touch though."
"The Doctor's ex-companion club?"
"Very funny. And now," Jack said firmly, "We have an argument to finish."
Ianto eyed him suspiciously. "Are you enjoying this?"
"No, but the making up was good. And you said I was innovative."
"If that," said Ianto, "Is all you want to talk about, we might as well go to the Hub and get some work done."
Jack sighed. "I might have been trying to put it off. But we do have to sort this out. It's been causing problems from the start."
"I know," Ianto agreed. "OK. I've got a few more questions, then."
Jack pushed his plate away. "Go ahead."
"How many times did you die up there?"
"Once," Jack admitted. "Dalek got me."
"Was anyone with you when you woke up?"
"Are you still jealous?" Jack asked incredulously.
"Yes," Ianto admitted.
"If what you're really asking is, was the Doctor holding me when I woke up, then No. He never has. He never will."
"Are you trying to convince me," Ianto asked perceptively, "Or yourself?"
"Possibly both," Jack conceded. "But it's the truth."
"You hate waking up alone after you've died," Ianto said, eyes flashing. "And you shouldn't have to. Doesn't he know that? Doesn't he care?"
"He cares about everything, Ianto, but sometimes he misses the details." Here goes, Jack thought. Hope you were right, Martha. "But I wouldn't have to, if you came with me. Next time. If there is a next time. Will you?"
Ianto snorted. "I'm sure the Doctor would love that."
"Actually, he would. There's plenty of room on the Tardis, and he likes company. And you'd love it out there. And," Jack concluded triumphantly, "There's a precedent. He let Rose bring her boyfriend along plenty of times. That's how I met Mickey."
Another silence. Not hostile anymore. "I seem to remember you complaining about the way we hang labels on each other this century," Ianto said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, so do I. Second date, wasn't it? So?"
"So did you just hang one on me?"
"Guess I did. Call it my attempt to integrate. You haven't answered yet. And I'm not letting you make your own coffee until you do."
"Threats, now?"
"Answer. Now."
Ianto rose and walked to the other side of the table. Into waiting arms. "Haven't you noticed yet?" he asked, "That I go anywhere you take me?"