Chapter 7

Lois looked over at her cousin in the driver's seat. Chloe kept looking back and forth from the road in front to her to the rearview mirror to see if the large black SUV was still behind them. Whenever she looked in the mirror, Chloe smiled. Lois decided to tease her little cousin. "You know, Cuz, I'm pretty sure Jack can find his way back to the Talon. It's not like the road isn't straight and goes RIGHT to the place. Or…since the night is still young, were you distracted by coming up with plans for things to do with Mr. Tall and Sexy?"

"Busted," Chloe said sheepishly as she shot a glance over at Lois.

"Tell you what, in the interest of making it there in one piece, how about I think up the stuff WE can do together and you can focus on the road," Lois said playfully. Chloe gave her a horrified look and before she could respond and Lois went on, "I'm thinking we can start out with a nice chaste game of Monopoly followed by watching a nice, non-romantic action movie on the couch, with me sitting in between you guys of course. Wouldn't want any funny business going on, now would we." Lois gave Chloe one of her best, saccharine sweet smiles.

Lois knew that if looks could kill, she would have been reduced to a smoking hole in the passenger seat of the VW. "Don't make me turn this bug around, Lois. I have no problem with dropping you off at the Kent farm and letting you either walk back to town or stay there for the night," Chloe threatened in her best imitation of a mom voice. "Now why didn't I think of that earlier," Chloe mused.

Lois saw the mischievous grin on Chloe's face, "Oh no. I recognize that look. I take it back. I'll behave. Please mom, don't strand me in flannel town," Lois laughed. "Honestly Chloe, what is your plan for tonight?"

"I guess it all depends on what Jack wants to do. Since it's a beautiful night, I was going to see if Jack would be up for a visit to Wellington Cove at the Lake," Chloe told Lois.

Lois laughed, "Chloe, I've got a feeling there isn't much Jack isn't up for, and I'm pretty sure he won't mind going to make out point with you."

When the two cars pulled into the Talon parking lot Chloe jumped out of car and ran inside. Jack made a move to follow her, but Lois intercepted him by putting a hand on his chest. "Hold up cowboy. Chloe will be right back. She just went to get a picnic basket and some blankets and this gives us some time to talk." Jack faced her and stayed silent. "That park bench over there can figure out that you're probably the most sexually charged person on this planet." Jack started to say something, but Lois held up her hand in a gesture for him to keep quiet. "I don't have a problem with that. I just want you to know that within the last year, Chloe has had two relationships end very badly for her, and if you hurt her, I'll kill you." Lois said the last bit with a smile and a bat of her eyelashes.

"Lois, I like Chloe and already consider her a good friend. I don't know if there will be something else there or not, but I guarantee you that if I hurt Chloe in anyway, not only will I let you kill me, I'll let you do it twice." Jack said. He had looked into Lois' eyes and spoke from the heart. Jack held out his hand to shake Lois', "We have an understanding, Ms. Lane."

Lois shook Jack's hand. "I believe we do Captain Harkness. What did you mean by twice?" Lois asked. She was kept from her answer by Chloe opening the door, holding two blankets and a picnic basket

When Chloe had opened the door, she had seen the somberness between her cousin and Jack. When Jack had turned towards her, his face took on his usual grin that she knew she could become addicted to. "So what would you think about a late night picnic?" Chloe asked.

"With that Lois 'three's a crowd' Lane is heading inside. See you in the morning, Cuz. See you later, Jack," Lois said. As Lois walked past Chloe into the Talon, she gave her cousin a wink and whispered, "Have fun."

Jack walked up to Chloe and took the blankets and the basket, "A picnic sounds great. Which car should we take?"

"Let's take yours. I want to hear if it came up with any new pick up lines," Chloe said as she linked her arm with Jack's.

As they drove out to the lake, Chloe watched Jack's face in the glow of the instrument panel. She loved how animated he became when telling a story and how his smile was never far from his lips. Lips she was looking forward to tasting.

When they got to the cove, Jack backed up to the lake and opened up the rear hatch and folded down the rear seat to make room to spread out the blankets. Chloe was taking the plates from the basket and didn't see Jack wander off slightly from the SUV. Chloe put the plates out and looked around, "Would you like to start with some fruit?" When she got no reply, she looked around and found Jack a few meters away standing on the beach, quietly staring up at the stars.

Chloe's breath caught in her throat. The night was perfectly clear. The stars seemed to shine with more brilliance than Chloe had ever seen. The lake was still and reflected the inky sky like a mirror. Jack was standing at the shore line. He looked like he was floating alone among the stars, a solitary sentinel watching time go by. A tear came to her eye as her heart ached with both the beauty and the loneliness of what she was witnessing. As she watched him, a feeling of terrible wrongness crept over her. It wasn't a premonition of dread or anything like that; just that what she was seeing was wrong somehow. In an instant, clarity hit her and she smiled. She knew what was wrong; Jack should never be alone. Chloe walked behind Jack and put her hands around his waist. She leaned her cheek against his back and quietly held him. After a few moments, Jack seemed to come back from where he was. He turned around to face Chloe, her arms never losing their embrace. "Sorry…" he started to say, but she stopped him with a finger on his lips.

"You don't need to apologize. Come on, picnic remember," with that she led him by the hand back to the SUV.

They hopped into the back of the SUV and Chloe looked at the plates. "Yeah, right!" She slid the plates away with one arm and grabbed Jack with the other. She drew him to her for their first kiss. She wrapped both arms around his neck as he put one arm around her waist and one hand in her hair. At first their lips just touched and Chloe felt that electric shock that comes from every first kiss, but only magnified a hundred fold. Their lips pressed against each other more and their mouths opened to let their tongues entwine. They were forced to end the kiss when oxygen became an issued for Chloe. Chloe looked into Jack's blue eyes and gave him a sultry smile. Jack eased her down and he stroked her cheek with one finger. He kissed her again and one part of Chloe's mind began wondering if it was actually possible for their kisses to become more intense, more passionate. She gleefully told that part of her mind to shut up, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.

After about an hour of serious making out, they stopped for air and Chloe was propped up on her elbow looking at Jack. She sighed happily. Even though Jack was the definitely the one person in the entire world who was the most comfortable about his sexuality and sex that she had ever met, he had not pressured or rushed the evening. They had spent the whole hour just kissing and caressing each other. Without warning, a yawn escaped from her mouth. "Oh my god, I can't believe I just did that," Chloe said.

"It is getting late. Do you want to head back?" Jack asked.

Chloe ran her fingers through his black hair. "Never," she whispered.

Jack's smile became tender. He folded up his coat and put it down as a pillow. He pulled Chloe into his embrace and covered them both with one of the blankets. Chloe fell asleep with her head on Jack's chest, wrapped in his arms.

Jack heard someone clear their throat and blinked his eyes open in the daylight. He was momentarily disoriented. He blinked his eyes a few times and came fully awake with the strange realization that he had actually fallen asleep. In the last 2000 years, he could count the number of times he had actually slept on one hand. Most of those times had been in Ianto's arms. He looked down at Chloe. Happiness and amazement warred for supremacy in heart. The throat clearing happened again. Jack looked around and saw a woman in her 40's wearing a Sheriff's uniform standing at the back of the SUV.

"Good morning. You two got any I. D.?" the Sheriff asked. Chloe woke and sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Miss Sullivan? I didn't expect to see you out here. Your cousin Lois maybe, but not you. I guess I don't need to see your I.D. then, but you boyfriend here, I've never met." The Sheriff said.

"No problem, Sheriff. It's in my wallet over here," Jack said as he reached over and grabbed his wallet from where it sat on the floorboard. He pulled out his International Driver's License and handed it over. The Sheriff went back to her car and ran the I.D. on her computer. She returned a few moments later. Chloe thought she saw the Sheriff tremble slightly as she gave Jack back his license.

"Are we done here?" Jack asked.

"Yes, Sir," the Sheriff said. She turned around and walked back to her patrol car and then drove off.

"What was all that about? I've never seen the Sheriff act like that." Chloe said. Jack shrugged his shoulders and kissed Chloe.

Great Britain – Wales – Cardiff

A woman was just finishing changing her daughter's diaper when her mobile rang. She looked at the caller I.D. and answered the phone. "Hello Martha, please tell me that we aren't having another Weevil outbreak. I'm still on holiday and won't be back for another week. I promised Rhys that I would stay home."

"Gwen, we have a computer hit. We think he's back. A local law enforcement officer in Kansas ran his name through the system," Martha said.

"What makes you think this will turn out to be really be him this time?" Gwen asked.

"He was originally contacted by the Sheriff for possible lewd behavior when he was found asleep with a young woman at a lake at a known 'make out' location," Martha chuckled.

"My god, He's back. When do we leave?" Gwen asked breathlessly.

"U.N.I.T. transport is scheduled to leave tomorrow, direct flight to Metropolis, Kansas. You're .already on the manifest," Martha said.

"Rhys is going to kill me," Gwen sighed