Chapter Two
Jack stood behind his desk; there were a collection of papers piled in front of him. Gwen turned to see him smiling to himself.
"So" she said making him jump "Tell me some more about this Doctor then, why is he so important?"
"Let's just say you can't get a much higher authority as far as protection against aliens is concerned"
"So he's your Boss?"
Jack laughed to himself "ha, well he's the only man I've ever met that has been able to control me; does that answer your question?"
"Maybe" she shot him a cheeky half smile.
"So were you and he..." she raised her eyebrows in suggestion
"I wish! Don't tell Ianto I said that"
Gwen drew her fingers across her lips as if to zip her mouth closed. Jack smiled and winked in thanks. She leaned forwards over the desk to retrieve the papers.
"We're taking these to the tunnel right?"
"Yeah, I'll see you down there in a minute"
"Ok" Gwen left his office and he heard the sound of her shoes on the metal staircase as she went.
Jack sat on his chair behind his desk and closed his eyes for a moment. A sudden memory of the forgotten year he had spent with the Doctor and Martha flooded back into his mind; he remembered the moment he had told the Doctor he was working for Torchwood. The conversation rang through his mind.
Jack: Um since we're telling stories, there's something I haven't told you
Doctor: You work for Torchwood.
Jack: I swear to you its different, it's changed, there's only half a dozen of us now.
Doctor: Everything Torchwood did and you're part of it!
Jack: The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, I changed it. And when I did that, I did it for you, in your honour.
He closed his eyes tighter and cringed at the thought of the Doctor's glare.
"Now he can judge for himself just how different it is" he whispered.
He stood up from his chair, straightened his shirt and walked out of the office towards the underground tunnel and smiled sweetly to himself as he remembered the last thing the Doctor said to him on the day he returned to Torchwood.
Doctor: Defending the earth, can't argue with that!
He knew at that moment as he jogged back to the millennium stadium and walked through the giant cog wheel portal and into the Hub. What he didn't know was that behind him as they watched Jack run into the distance, the Doctor and Martha had realised perhaps the biggest revelation there possibly could be for Jack; he is and always was The Face of Boe.
As he walked past Owen and Toshiko he decided that he would see how they were getting on.
"How's it coming you two?" He asked cheerfully
Owen was the first to answer "It's a bloody nightmare, but thanks for asking"
"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm Dr. Harper?" Jack asked sniggering.
"How about you Tosh, you ok?"
"Fine thanks Jack, no problems at all"
"Good"
Jack left them to it, patting Owen on the shoulder as he went.
He waited until Jack was out of ear shot and turned to Toshiko.
"Can you get any further up his arse?"
"What?" Toshiko retorted in utter surprise
"You, and Jack; Fine thanks Jack No problems at all, and I saw the look he gave you as he left."
"Owen really"
"Come on Tosh you know I'm right, you always want to please him"
"I take pride in my work and Jack realises that, that's all"
"Mmmm" he muttered and returned to his workstation.
Ianto was busy making coffee for Gwen when he saw that Owen and Toshiko could use one as well so he asked.
"Coffee, Owen, Tosh?"
"Ianto you read my mind" said Owen
"Please" Toshiko said nodding and smiling.
"Coming up" he said as if he was proud of the suggestion he had made.
Once he had made them he carefully carried them over to their workstations. They both thanked him and he went back to pick up a further two mugs of coffee, and carried them down to the underground tunnel where Jack and Gwen were working away arranging lots of papers on some display boards that he had set up earlier this morning as per Jack's instructions.
"Coffee delivery" he said as he walked down the last few steps. "I took the liberty of making you one too Jack as I was making it for Tosh, Owen and Gwen I felt bad leaving you out"
Gwen carefully slipped two fingers through the handle of the mug and lifted it from the tray while all the time smiling gratefully at Ianto. She took a sip.
"Mmmm, perfect, Ianto how do you do it?"
"With years of careful study, preparation and care" he replied
"I wouldn't expect it any other way" said Jack as he took his mug from the tray, giving Ianto a tap on the back "Thanks".
"No problem anything else I can do?" he asked.
"I need someone in the shop, that's the way I told them to come in"
"Shop boy it is then" he said as he turned to go up the stairs
"Oh and Ianto"
He stopped walking and turned his head to look at Jack.
"Thank-you"
He smiled and nodded and carried on walking.
Jack turned back to Gwen as they both sipped their coffee slowly
"He doesn't get enough credit for what he does around here"
Gwen shook her head as she swallowed.
Ianto went into the visitors shop, put the door on the latch and settled on is stool behind the counter to wait.
Owen was now printing his lists and binding them at the printer, Toshiko was about to come and do the same thing.
"There now" she said as she collected her piles "That wasn't too hard was it?" It was only when she looked at him that he realised that the question was directed at him.
"Suppose not" he muttered
Toshiko smiled.
TBC
