Ianto did what he always did when Jack and the team went out into the field. He fed Myfanwy, cleaned up around the Hub and made sure there would be a pot of coffee waiting for the team upon their return. Along with a packet of chocolate biscuits. He even checked to make sure the autopsy room was ready for when they got back, just in case. That done he monitored the computers in case anyone needed anything. He didn't usually mind having the Hub to himself but today he would have preferred not having the solitude. Time to think wasn't helpful right now. Was Jack backing off because of what happened or did he actually think it was a case of too much too fast.

Was that even why he had frozen up and. Ianto stopped at the 'and' in that thought. Why had he frozen up, was it because he'd taken a greater step towards the man in initiating things last night. He hadn't done that before, with the exception of the occasional comment said with full awareness of the possible results. And he did on occasion, bend over in front of Jack, usually to pick something up he had dropped, on purpose. The first time it had been an accident, but once he had found out how it effected Jack, well. Last time it had lead to an interesting afternoon in the interrogation room.

Which reminded him, since he was alone with the CCTV footage, he should probably check on yesterday's time spent in the conference room. He remembered all too clearly his mortification after the first night he spent with Jack. Until he had been assured that his bedroom along with the Hub bathroom were the only places not under constant CCTV surveillance.

It didn't take him long to access the files from the day before and to his relief no one else had accessed them either. He could feel his heart rate returning to normal with relief, he wondered what working for Torchwood was doing to his blood pressure. He moved the files onto the flash drive he kept in his pocket (for just such an emergency). He knew he would probably watch it later, after he worked out what had him so bent out of shape last night. Until Jack, he had never considered recording himself having sex, he also hadn't had sex in a facility filled with CCTV cameras before Jack either. By virtue of his very sexual relationship with Jack they ended up finding all sorts of places around the Hub to indulge themselves in.

Which meant Ianto now had a growing collection of 'Jack and Ianto' porn. He also wondered how long it would be before he wasn't able to access the CCTV files before someone else found them. Or worse, before someone walked in on them. He almost wanted it to be Gwen. Making eyes at Jack all the time, wasn't she currently cheating on Rhys with Owen. Maybe she was trying to collect the set. He sighed, perhaps he was being unfair in his assessment of her character, but what was he going to do about Jack. Or more to the point, what was he going to do about himself, in relation to Jack.

Ianto fetched himself a fresh coffee and thought about his current situation. He wanted Jack, physically he needed the man, it went beyond want. Want, implied he had a choice in the matter and staring him in the face was the one thing he didn't want to admit. He was falling for Jack. He nearly dropped his coffee cup at that realisation and found he had to sit down while he mulled over the total insanity of falling for the man. He couldn't be in love with a man, he wasn't gay. He frowned at himself at that thought. For a straight man he certainly enjoyed sex with Jack, so what did that make him? Was he bi-sexual or was it just Jack and why did he have to realise now. He sighed, when did his life get so complicated.

They had been having sex for the last, he mentally calculated how long it had been, three weeks. So for the last three weeks he had engaged in sex with Jack at least once, he frowned again, no, it was usually at least twice a day. He'd spent more nights in the Hub than at home and yet the first time he had Jack in his flat, his home and his bed, he had frozen up on the man. Not only that, but he had actually instigated their first fight. And Jack, being Jack had put the ball back in his court, by telling him his was the next move. Well, that was going to be awkward, since he didn't know what that should be. He picked him self up and headed back to the computer. There was an email from Tosh saying they were bringing a few bodies back to the Hub. He wondered what that was all about.

Gwen was the first one though the door when the team arrived, looking like someone had pulled the head off her favourite doll. Owen looked, Ianto thought about the best word and could only come up with gleeful. Tosh was clearly puzzled about something and Jack.

'Conference room, Ianto,' His hand on Ianto's arm. 'I need you to look something up for me.' He watched the others walk away. 'I need to know how many people have been given Retcon.'

'Sir?'

'I think we may have a bit of a problem, did you see what Tosh found when we were out in the field?'

Ianto nodded he'd looked at the files. 'Whoever the killer is, he had Retcon in his system. I'll check the records and be right in, there should be coffee in the pot, and Jack,'

'We can talk about it once I've figured out what the hell is going on here, someone wants our attention Ianto, and they've got it.' Jack flashed him a quick grin before he followed after the others.

Ianto walked into the conference room and took a seat at the table, he looked up at Jack. 'Two thousand and eight.' That's not including the supplies that went missing on occasion, Ianto mused to himself as he sat in the background and watched the team do what they did best. Solve a puzzle no one else wanted. He made coffee and they saved the world, it was just how it was.

They were moving though a murder mystery and Gwen was suggesting they use the glove. That glove had caused more problems than it solved. But Jack listened to her and they were standing around while Jack pulled the cursed glove out of the safe.

In the autopsy room, Ianto found himself standing next to Owen, his stopwatch in hand while Jack tried to connect with the glove and murder victim Alex Arwyn, it didn't work of course. It had never worked, that glove, was a disaster. It had tempted Suzie into pushing past limits that existed for a reason. And they had ended up with Gwen joining the team after Suzie had shot herself. He hadn't thought about her in quite some time, he'd been somewhat distracted with Jack. He kept his focus on the stop watch, if he stayed with that he wouldn't think about his feelings for Jack, and he wouldn't be looking at the way he was brushing her hair behind her ear. With the hand Jack usually used to touch his face when they were alone. That was his hand damn it. Ianto took a breath and focused on the stop watch.

Time moved though the Hub as day turned into night, Ianto reflected on the day, it had been a blur of emotions, mainly his. Gwen bringing Suzie back to life, that was something he hadn't expected. There had been no moments he could steal with Jack either, and while he understood that Jack had a team to manage, he needed Jack too. Since it looked like they were going to be in the Hub all night, he decided he should make a fresh pot of coffee and check if the others wanted him to order in a chinese or something. Just another day in the background of Torchwood. Sometimes he wondered what his life might have been like if he had never accepted the job in London at Torchwood One. He decided thinking along those lines would lead him down the path to madness, making it just another road not taken.

The lights went out, ever practical he found a torch and headed for Jack, always knowing where the man was made him easier to find in the dark. It had certainly proven useful in the past, for naked hide and seek.

'Ianto.'

'Captain.'

Suzie had clearly been busy when she had still been alive, having managed to lock them inside their own Hub, while she now manipulated Gwen into driving her across country to her dying father. Ianto faded into the background again, sometimes it was just easier to get on with what he had to do while the others worried about the big things. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check for a signal and looked up at the water tower, if he could use that as a relay... He handed Jack his phone and was rewarded with a smile, he knew now he would follow Jack to the ends of the earth for a smile like that. It was a smile filled with promises of words whispered in the darkness when they were alone. When this day was over, or night, if he was being technical, he was definitely going to find something he could drop in front of Jack.

Which was how he found himself standing over Suzie's corpse in the morgue, with his clipboard filling out paperwork for Jack. He watched his Captain leaning against the bank of draws filled with corpses and wondered when his would join the rest of the ghosts of Torchwood. Jack had his hands in his pockets, looking down at his feet. Ianto reached out the only way he knew how, since he wasn't dropping his pen in the morgue. 'If you're interested, I've, still got that stopwatch.'

Jack looked puzzled. 'So?'

'Well think about it. Lots of things you can do with a stopwatch.'

Jack looked at Ianto with his barely there smile, the one that usually told him Ianto was up to something. 'Oh yeah. I can think of a few.' He grinned.

Ianto felt something melting at the sight of Jack's dimples. 'There's quite a list.'

'I'll send the others home early, see you in my office,' he looked at his watch. In ten.'

'That's ten minutes and counting.'

Ianto made it in eight and found Jack already in his bunker bedroom. Ianto grinned as he climbed down the ladder and found Jack lying there, wearing his great coat. And only his great coat.

'Now, Ianto Jones, how fast can you take all your clothes off.'

Ianto handed Jack the stopwatch. 'Time me Sir, and we can both find out.'

Jack groaned, Ianto was taking his time as he slowly undressed, wondering if he was still being punished for something. Not that he was really complaining, whatever had gotten Ianto into such an odd mood had clearly played itself out and things were back to normal. Although he conceded he might not push Ianto into inviting him back to his flat any time soon. The Hub it seemed was neutral ground emotionally for the young Welshman. It had been a long day and he wanted his lover in his arms, it had been too long since that had last happened. He took his coat off and tossed it over the back of the chair having decided to help Ianto with his clothes. He stepped up to the younger man and Ianto smiled at him.

'And how long did it take before you decided to help me?'

Jack shook his head. 'You are taking far too long Ianto Jones, I need you naked, I need you in my bed, and I need you under me. And I mean now.' He pulled Ianto into a kiss and had the Welshman's pants down around his ankle before Ianto could do anything other than kiss him back. This was a kiss filled with hunger and promise and demand. Ianto understood this Jack as he gave himself up to the skill fill hands of his lover. Knowing he still had much to learn, he at least knew he belonged with this man. He would work out the emotions latter, the only hurry Jack was in right now was of a more physical kind. And he found he was more than happy to oblige as they tumbled into Jack's bed.

Jack lay next to him as he kissed his way down Ianto's back, his hands moving over Ianto possessively. It was as if his body was written in Braille and like a blind man, Jack needed to read the pages of Ianto Jones. Ianto held onto the bed, as Jack traced a path of kisses down his spine he sighed, content in the moment. He found he was even getting used to the lube being cold as Jack reached for his arse, positioning himself to fully posses Ianto. He lay over Ianto and spoke softly in his ear, the ambient light from the Hub falling around him like a halo. 'Are you sure you don't want to get that stopwatch out and start timing?'

Ianto reached out for the watch and grinned. 'Just tell me when.'

Jack entered Ianto and the stopwatch was soon forgotten as they moved together in a dance as old as mankind itself. Jack found himself holding Ianto as they moved towards the inevitable conclusion of their love making. Their soft cries filling the spaces around them before they lay in each others arms and tried to catch their breath. Jack kissed Ianto's forehead and held his face between the palms of his hands. 'Are we good Ianto Jones?'

Ianto nodded. 'We're good Jack.'

Jack grinned as he kissed Ianto. 'That's good Ianto, because it's been a hell of a day.'

Ianto shrugged. 'That's why your the captain and I'm the tea boy. I don't have to make the decisions you do.'

Jack held Ianto and whispered softly, unsure if Ianto heard him. 'I think your more than just a tea boy Ianto Jones.'