Author's Notes: Well, this is my 100th chapter of Jack/Ianto fanfic and 100th post to this site. Not quite sure how that happened. Hopefully I'll still be here for a 200th chapter, although that seems a long way off right now. My sincere thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, alerted and supported me along the way. Hope you all like this chapter which seems quite fitting for the occasion. Enjoy!

Thanks also to the wonderfully talented Prothrombintime for feedback and encouragement. If you haven't been following Prothrombintime's extraordinary Jack/Ianto epic "What is Essential is Invisible to the Eye", you really should go and start reading it right now. :-)

Chapter Eleven

March 27th, 2004

It was half-past seven on Saturday night a week later, and Ianto was sitting at his workstation in the Hub, staring glumly at the swirling blue pattern of the Torchwood mainframe on his computer screen. He was alone in the underground base while Jack was over at Swansea, coordinating the clean-up of a crashed alien spacecraft with the aid of UNIT.

He imagined the Captain would currently not be in the best of moods. Jack always hated liaising with the organisation that was the more public face for dealing with paranormal and extraterrestrial threats to the planet. Like Torchwood London, Jack didn't trust UNIT's leadership or agendas. However, with only the two of them on hand, Torchwood Cardiff simply didn't have the resources to deal with larger clean-up operations on its own. Jack might not have liked it, but with only Torchwood London or UNIT as his options for assistance when needed, he simply had to use what he perceived to be the lesser of two evils.

Although the Rift had been mercifully quiet for the past seven days, for Ianto personally, it had been a week from hell. And all because he couldn't get bloody Jack Harkness out of his mind.

It was all Jack's fault, Ianto thought belligerently, pounding his clenched hand against the unyielding metal surface of the desk. Bastard Jack and his ridiculous good-looks, his stupid coat, and that bloody potent aftershave of his. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that no man-made substance existed which could smell that good, and invariably manage to get him so riled up and befuddled. He wouldn't have put it past Jack to use some kind of alien pheromones to cause people to fawn all over him, not that he probably needed help with that anyway. With just a flash of his dazzling smile, Jack seemed to have people eating out of the palm of his hand. Ianto wasn't entirely immune either, much to his chagrin.

He'd spent the better part of the week hiding in the archives, only venturing out when absolutely necessary to deliver coffee to the Captain or to fetch their lunch. He was now the one being distant and aloof, doing his damnedest to conceal his turbulent, unsettled emotions behind a mask of consummate professionalism. It was clear that Jack had quickly noticed something was amiss, but Ianto had attempted to deflect away his concern, saying he was tired and hadn't been sleeping well. It hadn't been a lie, and although it was obvious Jack was unconvinced, he'd thankfully remained silent and hadn't pressed the matter further. However, Ianto hadn't failed to notice Jack watching him suspiciously for the last several days.

He was confused and angry. He was angry at Jack, albeit unfairly, and he was angry at himself for his taciturn treatment of the other man. Jack was his boss, his colleague, his friend... someone he admired and respected. None of it was actually Jack's fault, unless there really were alien pheromones in his aftershave. It wasn't Jack's fault that Ianto couldn't seem to stop fantasising about him.

He was also worried that his problem was going to jeopardise their working relationship, along with their tentative, new found friendship. He knew that if he didn't get his act together, he was going to undo the progress they'd made in establishing an amiable working environment.

The problem was that whenever Ianto laid eyes on Jack, all he wanted to do was slam Jack up against the nearest wall, grab the man's face in his hands, and kiss him senseless. It was utterly mortifying, and the harder he tried not to think about Jack, the more obsessed and single-minded his thoughts became. Although Ianto had the heritage of fiery, passionate Welsh blood coursing through his veins, he prided himself on his emotional reserve and resolute self-control. He wasn't someone who gave into their every baser impulse and lustful thought, no matter how intense and difficult to resist they might be.

"I'm not gay," he muttered vehemently under his breath, for what was probably the ten-thousandth time. "I don't like men. I like women. I only like Jack as a friend."

In his desperation to resolve his tumultuous feelings, he'd spent several hours online at home, watching gay pornography and staring at photographs of naked men on various blogs. While none of what he'd seen had repulsed him, it hadn't aroused him either. He'd watched dispassionately, admiring the good-looking men in a detached fashion, and cringing at the often passionless, mechanical, scripted sex, but he hadn't felt any attraction or arousal.

Then he'd begun to conjure up images of himself and Jack engaged in the various sexual acts he'd watched – along with so many more – and each time he did, he became immediately aroused. That was when he'd finally reached the realisation it wasn't men per se... it was Jack... it was only Jack. He just wasn't sure if that made the situation better or worse.

It wasn't just lust or sex. He liked being around Jack, and Jack was good company. He liked being close to Jack, and he liked taking care of him. He liked the way Jack had touched him on the few occasions where they'd had physical contact. And as difficult as it was to admit, he'd liked how comforted and safe he'd felt the couple of times he'd been pressed close against Jack, embraced in his arms.

With a weary sigh, Ianto slumped back in his chair and rubbed his hand roughly over his face. He had no idea what he was going to do. He recognised that he needed some perspective, but the only person he felt reasonably comfortable talking to, also happened to be the person with which he most definitely could not discuss any of it.

His eyes shifted to the end of his desk where he'd left the block of expensive dark chocolate he'd bought at lunchtime. He idly picked it up and trailed his thumb along the unopened cardboard packaging. He'd planned to share it with Jack over a cup of coffee and apologise for his behaviour, but then Jack had abruptly left for Swansea, putting his plan on hold.

His thoughts continued to drift until an insistent beeping captured his attention a few minutes later. Looking up at the screen, he tapped at his keyboard and discovered a sizeable Rift spike had just occurred in the Cardiff Docks area.

With Jack not due back for at least another hour or so, Ianto made a quick decision. Absently shoving the chocolate into his jacket pocket, he retrieved his gun from the armoury, along with a spare clip of ammunition. He then grabbed his scanner, phone, wallet and keys, and determinedly headed out into the night to investigate.

###

Ianto grimaced as strong headlights blinded his eyes and the Torchwood SUV screeched to a halt in the middle of the road, directly in front of him. Jack jumped out, slammed the door closed, and stomped towards him.

"Ianto, this has to stop," Jack shouted, glaring at him furiously as he came to a halt mere inches from Ianto's face. "I thought I'd made it clear that you're not to go on field missions, and especially not on your own. You didn't even check in with me first."

Ianto resolutely held his ground, withstanding the other man's challenging stare. "Jack, no, listen to me."

"I don't have time for this," Jack continued, ignoring him. "Look, I don't care what your problem is, I want you to go home. I should put you on suspension for insubordination."

Ianto squared his shoulders, feeling his own temper rising. "No, but the thing is–"

Jack stabbed a finger at Ianto's chest, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Ianto, I don't want to hear it. It's been a long day. Go home." He turned away and stalked back to the SUV.

Ianto clenched his fists in frustration. "You're not gonna help me catch this pterodactyl then?" he called out.

Jack spun back around and stared hard at him, the angry expression on his face transforming into one of shock and surprise.

###

"Okay, is that the only special equipment we've got?" Ianto asked, looking dubiously at the huge syringe Jack was in the process of assembling.

"Yeah, because I keep dinosaur nets in the back of the SUV," Jack retorted sarcastically.

"Torchwood London does," Ianto blurted out, immediately regretting his words when Jack glared at him. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Jack turned away and finished putting the syringe together. He ran over to the door of the abandoned warehouse, Ianto jogging after him.

After receiving the Rift alert, Ianto had driven to the location provided by the Hub's mainframe. He'd been exploring the area on foot for several minutes, using his hand-held scanner to try to narrow down the exact position when he'd heard a loud screeching sound above. Looking up, he'd got the fright of his life as a large, and probably hungry, flying reptile had swooped down from high in the night sky, heading directly for him. He'd been both shocked and awed when he'd quickly recognised that the creature was a pterodactyl – a pterosaur, to be exact.

After playing cat and mouse with the prehistoric reptile for several minutes, he'd reached a disused warehouse, and after managing to shoot off the lock on the door, he'd used himself as bait to lure the creature inside. After firing off a couple of warning shots to distract the creature, he'd made his escape, sealing the door behind him. He'd only just made it back to where he'd parked his car when the SUV had roared towards him, accompanied by a furious Jack.

Reaching the corrugated metal door, Ianto pulled it open and followed Jack inside. They both looked up as the creature screeched from where it was circling high in the air and then dived directly for them.

"Uh, nope," Ianto said as they both dashed back out through the door, Ianto slamming it closed again.

"How did you find it?" Jack asked, looking awestruck as he leaned with his back to the door, close by Ianto's side.

"It found me," Ianto replied, turning his head to look at him. "I managed to lure it in here."

"Really?" Jack said, sounding impressed, his earlier anger seeming to have vanished.

Ianto grinned. "Yep."

"It's quite excitable," Jack said, grinning back at him.

"Must be your aftershave," Ianto quipped, his mind losing focus for a moment as he admired Jack's handsome, chiselled features in the dim, shadowy light.

Jack looked at him smugly. "Never wear any."

Ianto felt his eyes widen in shock. He'd been thinking that Jack applied some sort of alien-enhanced scent, but if Jack's statement was true, it was actually an inherent part of him. "You smell like that naturally?" he asked in disbelief.

"Fifty-first century pheromones," Jack replied casually. "You people have no idea."

Lost for words, Ianto just stared at him blankly. "Huh."

"Ready for another go?" Jack asked, obviously unaware of Ianto's inner turmoil.

Ianto nodded, forcing his attention back to the task at hand. He'd have time to think about Jack's latest revelation later. "I'm game if you are."

Jack counted down, "Three, two, one..."

Ianto opened the door again and they ran back inside. Closing the door behind them, Ianto looked up to see the screeching reptile heading straight for them again.

"Split up!" Jack yelled.

The ran deeper into the warehouse in separate directions, Jack going to the right, Ianto to the left. Apparently confused, the pterodactyl landed on the ground in front of the door they'd just entered, blocking their escape route. They met up again in the middle of the warehouse and Jack grabbed Ianto, holding him back.

"We're not gonna harm you," Jack called out in a placating tone as he started moving slowly forward, keeping Ianto behind him. "You can't stay here. Come back with me. I've got somewhere nice and big where you can fly around."

"Okay, you want to keep a pet pterodactyl at the Hub?" Ianto asked, realising with despair that it was going to be his job to feed and look after it.

Jack shrugged. "We could use a guard dog."

Ianto grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him back. "Jack, what exactly is your plan?"

Jack pulled free as the pterodactyl spread its wings and flapped them several times while continuing to screech loudly. "I'm going to be the decoy."

Ianto looked at him incredulously. "It will rip you to shreds."

"Dinosaurs?" Jack scoffed, his eyes remaining locked on the pterodactyl. "Had 'em for breakfast. Had to. Only source of pre-killed food protein after the asteroid crashed. Long story." He handed Ianto the big syringe. "Here you go. One injection to the central nervous cortex. I'll keep it occupied." He tapped Ianto on the chest. "Move!"

Ianto shook his head. "No."

"What?" Jack turned and raised his eyebrows as he stared at Ianto, his eyes narrowing.

Ianto handed the syringe back to Jack. "It knows me. I'll be a better decoy."

Jack shook his head stubbornly. "No way, it's too dangerous."

"No, I've got a secret weapon..." Struck by inspiration, Ianto reached into his jacket pocket and extracted the block of chocolate he'd picked up from his desk earlier. "Chocolate... preferably dark."

Ianto couldn't help smirking with satisfaction as Jack looked at him with a blank, dumbfounded expression. Moving away from the other man, he cautiously approached the pterodactyl, trying to keep his movements as slow and non-threatening as possible. Glancing over his left shoulder, he saw Jack was slowly making his way around and behind the creature.

Ianto whistled at the reptile, which was standing still and watching him, its head tilted to the side, striking a pose approximating a look of curiosity. "I've got your favourite, yeah."

He edged closer to the creature, trying to keep its attention as Jack continued his stealthy approach, syringe in hand. Unwrapping the chocolate, Ianto tossed it towards the reptile. It looked back and forward between Ianto and where the block of chocolate had landed on the ground just in front of it.

"It's good for your serotonin levels," Ianto suggested to the creature, idly wondering if he'd lost his mind. "Ah... if you've got serotonin levels."

He was amused to see the pterodactyl move forward and start pecking at the chocolate, while Jack continued to move in closer. Suddenly the creature turned around and spotted Jack, who stopped moving, looking worriedly between the creature and Ianto. The pterodactyl spread its wings and took off into the air as Jack frantically lunged forward, grabbing one of its legs just in time. He was promptly lifted off his feet and went soaring up into the air, trailing precariously behind the flying reptile.

"Whoa!" Ianto shouted, looking up at them worriedly as he wondered what he could do to help Jack. While he knew the other man couldn't be permanently injured, he didn't relish the thought of Jack falling and breaking his neck.

Jack was hanging onto the screeching, agitated creature for dear life by one hand. "Argh! Whoa! Ianto!"

Ianto watched in amazement as Jack somehow managed to jab the syringe into the pterodactyl's leg, emptying the contents into the creature. He then lost his grip, falling through the air directly above Ianto. Instinctively, Ianto held out his arms with the intention of breaking Jack's fall.

A moment later, Jack's solid weight hit him hard, sending them both crashing to the ground in a tangle of flailing limbs – Ianto ending up flat on his back, with Jack sprawled out on top of him. Ianto groaned loudly as he tried to replenish the air that had been forced from his lungs with the impact.

"Sorry!" Jack muttered, breathing rapidly, his body pressing down heavily on Ianto.

Staring up past Jack's shoulder, Ianto realised the tranquilliser had begun to take effect and the pterodactyl was dropping like a rock directly above them. With only a moment to spare before they were crushed, Ianto yelped in surprise and wrapped his arms around Jack, rolling them over several times until they were clear of the creature's landing zone. The unconscious pterodactyl landed with a heavy thud in the exact spot they'd been sprawled on a moment earlier.

Ianto gasped for breath as he stared down at Jack who was laughing and grinning up at him. Ianto couldn't help laughing too as he grinned back. They'd ended up with Jack's back to the ground and Ianto lying on top of him, the full length of their bodies in contact with one another. Still laughing and elated from the rush of adrenaline, Ianto realised in that single moment, he felt happier and more alive than he could ever remember. It felt incredibly liberating to laugh so freely and without reservation.

His face was only a couple of inches away from Jack's, the tips of their noses almost touching. With Jack's strong, firm body beneath him, he stared down into Jack's eyes, his heart pounding furiously in his chest. He could feel the older man's warm breath ghosting over his skin, and Jack's intoxicating musky scent filled his nostrils, seeming more potent and powerful than ever before. Jack was staring back at him, his eyes bright, warm, and intense, but Jack's grin faltered as a look of uncertainty passed over his features.

Ianto felt the last tremulous threads of his self-control shatter, and all the turmoil he'd been struggling with for the past week suddenly seemed inconsequential. He knew what he wanted, and he wasn't going to deny himself for a moment longer.

Leaning in closer, Ianto pressed his lips firmly against Jack's and kissed him.