A/N: We discover how Jack picked the restaurant and they get to talk some

No spoilers

Beta-e by wonderful TattoedLibrarian, you should go and support her new story Cyberia, I would like see how it turns out, so some cheering would be nice :)

Inside of the restaurant there were chandeliers, music and wooden furniture; nothing plastic or disposable. It made Ianto feel uneasy. In other circumstances he would feel just fine in a place like this, but with Jack behind him he felt displaced. It just didn't feel like Jack and Ianto wasn't able to decipher what he was trying to accomplish. It wasn't like he was wooing Ianto to marry him, to give birth to his children or to confess his undying love. Not that he would expect for Jack to ever do that.

It just didn't suit him, a posh place yes, a nice place yes, an expensive place yes again, but this was too classy, he would have never expected that Jack would feel comfortable in a place like this where waiters had brooms shoved up their spine, and moved so smoothly that they couldn't be heard. `Well maybe I'm just jealous`, he thought to himself `because I look lose and wild in comparison, but maybe that was a good thing.`

As they sat down he watched Jack closely while he talked to the waiter, his face remained impassive, he didn't flirt or insinuate. What could make Jack choose this place?

"Was their computer system the easiest to tamper with?" Ianto spoke up when the waiter was gone.

"No it was the location, it is a very good one; some wine cellars here are more than a hundred years old." He said with a smile.

"And of course you know your cellars." Ianto deadpanned as waiter brought their wine. It was very tasteful.

"I loved that year" Jack look at the bottle from 1912.

"It was a very good year for wines" waiter responded and Ianto smiled.

"What was so good about that year?" Ianto asked when he was gone.

"Well I stopped drinking so I remember it clearly; it's a wonder how the world looks so wonderful after a long period of blurriness." Jack smiled and sipped some wine. Ianto noticed that he didn't take a lot. "It took a frightening amount of alcohol but eventually I would be able to pass out."

"What made you stop?" Ianto inquired further and got a grin in return.

"Really that is your conversation for the evening my drinking habit from almost a hundred years ago?" He leaned forward on his elbows.

"I meant to work my way forward from that." Ianto played with his glass.

"And what? Make me tell my long and drawn out story?" Jack crossed his fingers putting them on the table.

"For God sake no" Ianto snorted "I wouldn't dream of challenging your ability of speaking in anecdotes, besides that is the past. I have no great desire to dwell upon it."

"Well that is a pleasant surprise" Jack's eyebrows shot up. "With that entire undying, undecidedly old thing, I thought you'd want answers and explanations."

"What would be the point of that?" Ianto rolled his eyes. "For me to get old until you get to half of that story" he sighed "no, thank you. I meant to get through easier topics but I still haven't come up with them. I know most of the things about you, what you like to drink, eat, your habits, even some secrets. I know pretty much everything you do during the day, so easy topics are hard actually."

"You don't know everything I do" Jack frowned and Ianto just looked at him.

"If I don't know for sure, it's not that hard to guess." He said firmly.

"Really? What did the team and I do while you worked on the mess in the Hub?"

"You were in the pub judging by the smell of you, and the noise that came from behind you as we spoke on the phone."

"That was easy one" Jack leaned forward "What did I..." Jack paused looking at his wrist strap; he opened it and tapped a bit. Then he smiled apologetically "I forgot something important, can you wait for me here for just a second, I'll be back in a flash." Ianto lifted his eyebrows ironically. "Maybe you could guess what I forgot when I come back, so we could see how good you are." He added and Ianto nodded.

As he sat Ianto started to examine data he was aware of. Jack ran off, so he was in hurry trying to decrease time he would need for his task. It was transmitted through his wrist strap. Ianto widened his search for data. What else did he know about tonight? Everyone went home for the night, the Hub was empty. Ianto visualised the map of the area and smiled. He took a roll from a basket and tasted it, he was hungry as hell. After short period of time Jack ran in short breath and smiling.

"Sorry" he said as he sat down and Ianto tapped his finger on the table.

"It was really the location" he said and Jack looked confused "this restaurant is the closest one to the Rift centre."

"Well it's closest nice restaurant." He admitted. "But it was a way to get dinner without work ruining it. There's really a small chance that something big will come through, and Weevils aren't often restless."

"And if they are, there is a fair chance to find them here" Ianto concluded feeling suddenly relaxed in this place, that made sense, it fit well in Jack's persona. "One Weevil I presume."

Jack smiled and saluted him casually.

"You assume well" he said rolling his sleeves up his arms. Ianto loved when he did that, it showed his lower arms nicely. "When will dinner arrive?" he turned around.

Ianto smiled wickedly on one side.

"This is a very nice place, we'll have to wait for dinner, wait for it to be done."

"Oh" Jack whined "I'm hungry."

"Not like me, you can easily die from starvation and revive full fed, what about me?" Jack laughed out loud surprised." I already ate this whole basket." He showed him one remaining roll. Jack took it, divided it and gave him half. That gesture made him feel better.

"They'll bring out appetizers soon" Jack said looking around. "We'll just have to talk ourselves through this crisis of hunger."

"Yeah, like conversations are so easy after more than a year of avoiding talk. Let's sit here politely and pretend we don't know each other." Ianto looked at his glass. After a pause Jack reached out and took his hand.

"Let's not do that" Jack said gently "Tell me about Owen seeing you in action, or how he got to shove needle in your ass." Ianto shook his head.

"They talked about it, did they?" He laughed lightly.

"Well I really think they were trying to rub it in my face, to be frank, I was kind of jealous of him."

"Don't even joke about it" Ianto flinched "it's just that they were concerned for me after you left so I had to put on a show, go out with Owen and flirt a bit to get him off my back."

Jack opened his mouth and stayed silent for a moment.

"Was there a need for concern?" he asked cautiously.

Ianto just look at him and Jack nodded.

"I would love to see that show" he smoothly switched into more flirtatious tone of voice.

"Owen didn't appreciate it" Ianto said with a smile. "But he kept his promise and kept Tosh and Gwen off the subject."

"How did they get that there was a subject at hand" Jack frowned "something you said or did..."

"Um... you kind of kissed me back there" Ianto muttered.

"Oh yeah" Jack grinned widely "I did, it was a nice kiss."

Ianto blushed and looked around. At that moment the waiter returned with a tray of appetizers so they broke their contact, retrieving their hands from the table.

Jack took in the meal and started to eat slowly enjoying the taste. On the other hand Ianto ate efficiently, focused and fast.

"You really are hungry" said Jack when he stopped.

"I skipped lunch because of that archive mess." He said taking a deep breath.

"Oh, yes, but didn't Owen save you some pizza?" Jack tried to remember.

"He did, but I wouldn't eat anything he touched today. He could have smeared it with Scryiogen vomit just to spite me." He said taking one more bite. "Speaking of that, he was really upset with that turn of events."

"He was" Jack said and then stopped to watch his wrist strap. He threw a disconcerted look at his food.

"Where is it?" Ianto threw his napkin and pulled out his chair.

"No, I should..." Jack started but Ianto stood up lifting his open palm to ask for the keys.

"I won't sit here alone again, besides, I know my Weevils."

"Two alleys on the right, left corner beside the flower shop." Jack briefed him and gave him the keys.

Valet looked at him curiously as he passed him by. The Weevil was in the exact spot Jack told him and he shoved him in the trunk beside other one with no difficulty. Ianto threw a look at the flower shop amused by the irony. On the sidewalk he noticed a few scattered petals, some leaves and one perfect rosebud. He picked it up; he threw away the stem and took only the head with him.

In the restaurant the appetizers had been cleared. He sat down and laid the rose before Jack on the table, it was red on the light. Jack took it in his fingers with a quizzical look.

"I was by the flower shop and it was in the road" Ianto said sternly and Jack laughed.

"Thank you" he said and brought it to his nose "it's lovely just like you." Ianto rolled his eyes and Jack laughed. "And it smells nice" Jack's voice got low "I bet you smell nice too, under that suit, your skin all fresh and smooth, ready to be savoured."

As Jack's gaze scanned him like he could see through clothes Ianto blushed wildly. At that moment a waiter came with plates and cutlery and disturbed Jack's concentration, Ianto was able to breathe in again.

"So" Jack spoke up with a casual voice as he put down the rose beside his plate "how did you manage to fight that multi part creature, its paralytic is very powerful."

Ianto sipped some of his drink thinking about that moment.

"I fooled it" he said "Mountholder, that was its name, wanted to lure Owen into a trap so I convinced him I would never ask for help in trouble, but I would ask for assistance with my pants."

"You talked with him?" Jack was intrigued.

"It forms psychic link, I could hear all those people that died in him too, that's how I knew all about them, and it's all in the report." He finished seriously.

"Yeah, it says a lot in there, but it doesn't say how you did it" Jack persisted, looking at him intently. "You can say my curiosity is not just casual, I will live long enough, maybe it will come in handy." He smiled sincerely.

"You're just saying that to make me talk" Ianto grunted "you could just wait for it to dump you and revive."

"Well maybe, but maybe I'll have the opportunity to save someone with that knowledge, like you did Owen and yourself." Jack smiled innocently.

"It's not really polite to drag up something potentially embarrassing on a date" Ianto didn't give in and Jack's smile grew wider like he knew something.

"Okay then, later on that one, maybe you could tell me about Tosh's reign, why that didn't work out, and how did Gwen get on top. I would have expected you to be before her in line" Jack inquired.

"Me? They would never pick me; they all would have to be incapacitated to turn to me, and it would have to be something really important for me to take on that kind of responsibility, I'm not known for my leadership qualities." He argued.

"You did organise and lead the entire Lisa rescuing mission, and you were successful at it, no matter miss-intent." Jack persisted.

"That's different, I loved Lisa, for someone I love I go into battle mod, and sometimes can't recognize myself. There is a switch inside me and it just went off, I stop thinking and just do necessary things without thinking about the danger." Ianto explained himself honestly and watched confused as Jack's face lighten up spreading into a big smile.

"My knight in shining armour" Jack murmured and Ianto frowned.

"There is no need for mocking" Ianto defended himself with dignity.

"There is nothing ironic in my statement" said Jack firmly and then the waiter came with their meal.

It smelled divine and Ianto felt hungry again.

"Anyway" Ianto decided to move topic away from him "we voted Tosh first, since Owen disqualified himself in all that raging around with that Abbadon thing and shooting you, of course." He said that casually. "She was quite good at it if you ask me, but then there was that alien that could read minds and it let us see into her mind, all the insecurity and fears, the way she thinks, after that there just wasn't any trust left in her. She felt very uncomfortable about it too so it was decided to try something different."

"Gwen." Jack shook his head. "How'd that work, she is a rookie after all."

"Well not exactly her, Owen is powerful shadow, he led in the field, she did in relation to the police and public, it worked quite well. Underneath that bickering they work well as a team." He said flatly.

"But what did you see in Tosh's mind" Jack was intrigued "she looked so embarrassed when it was brought up."

"I don't know what the others saw" Ianto said undecidedly "probably work stuff, but there was a moment of peace when us two were alone and then Owen came in, I could see him through her eyes for a second. I must say he doesn't look so distasteful through her eyes." Jack's eyebrows shot up and Ianto glared at him deadly. "Don't even go there" he said "it was a brief moment, and when it passed I saw him like I always do, irritating."

Jack's lips curved up.

"I wouldn't dream to doubt your taste, you did pick me." He said smugly.

Don't forget to review :)