AN: A New Dawn reaches 100,000 words in this chapter, my longest story ever!

CHAPTER 40

Tosh was distraught. She could guess what had happened between Jack and Ianto, while Jack stayed at Ianto's flat. The unselfish part of her insisted that she should be pleased that the two of them had fully reconciled after all this time, but she loved Jack with all her heart and could not bear to lose him. Tears fell from her eyes as she berated herself for being pathetic and needy. She determined that she would not show it to either of them; she would not be humiliated. She would be calm and stoic when Jack broke things off with her. She would wish him well.

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There was a familiar knock on the door. It was time. Tosh invited Jack in to her flat, keeping a tight hold on her emotions.

"Hi Tosh," Jack began.

Tosh looked at him, but couldn't say anything without betraying her emotional state.

Jack sat on the sofa and regarded Tosh carefully. She was clearly struggling to remain calm.

"You know that Ianto and I have got back together?" he queried, sure that she did.

Tosh nodded.

"Well, I have decided that it's time for me to leave Cardiff and start a new life somewhere else. It's time for me to disconnect totally from Torchwood and start afresh."

Tosh could feel her heart breaking with every word Jack uttered.

"I've asked Ianto if he wants to come with me."

Tears welled from Tosh's eyes at that, despite the monumental effort she was making not to break down completely.

"And I'd like you to come as well."

Time stopped and rewound for Tosh, as she attempted to process what Jack had just said. She had expected him to tell her that he wanted to break up with her. "Huh?" was all she could get out.

Jack smiled gently, and repeated what he just said. "I want you to come with me."

Tosh floundered, "But you just said that Ianto was going with you."

"Yes, he is."

"Then how can you ask me that?" Tosh asked in utter confusion.

Jack sighed inwardly. This era was so stuck in its stereotypes. "Where I come from, relationships are much more varied than just a one man/one woman format. There were many different combinations, including two men/one woman relationships. I love you, and I love Ianto. So I want both of you to come with me."

Tosh could barely believe that she had heard the words. Jack had never before told her that he loved her, in the whole three years of their relationship. But she was still confused. "Are you saying you want a menage a trois?" she asked, in consternation. Could she do that? She didn't love Ianto, not in that way. Could she sleep with Ianto in order to keep Jack? Would Ianto want her?

The thoughts flashed through her mind so quickly that she didn't even give Jack a chance to answer before she declared, "No, I couldn't do that."

Jack looked grief stricken. "Please, Tosh. I don't want to lose you."

Tosh's tears were falling uncontrollably now. "I can't Jack. I love you, but I don't love Ianto. I can't sleep with someone that I don't love."

"And you wouldn't have to," Jack explained. "I don't mean that you and I and Ianto would be together physically. I would be with you, and I would be with Ianto. You would not be with Ianto unless you both wanted it."

"I don't understand how that would work," cried Tosh. "First off, where would we all live, and how would we sort out the sleeping arrangements? Who would you be with?"

"Well, that would be for us to decide as a group, but I would suggest that we get a big house, have a bedroom each and go from there."

Hope and despair were vying for supremacy on Tosh's face. Could she accept sharing Jack? Could she say no, and lose everything? She had always known that Ianto had a prior claim on Jack, and that the time would come when he and Jack would get back together. But Jack was continuing to offer her love, something she had had little enough of in her life. How could she give that up.

"I'll think about it," she finally whispered.

Jack's smile lit up the room.

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Jack had invited both Tosh and Ianto round to his house. They needed to talk before they could make a decision on moving away with him. He desperately hoped that they would both say yes. He and Tosh had been together for years. She had seen him through some awful times. And Ianto. After Jack had rejected him, he had remained a steadfast friend, expecting nothing in return. It was only after Ianto risked his life to protect him, that Jack had finally allowed the barrier that he had held between them to dissipate. And, when it did, the love had returned. In his own culture, loving two people would not present a problem. Could Tosh and Ianto overcome the mores they had been brought up with and give it a chance?

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Tosh and Ianto had been shut away in Jack's dining room for over an hour. Jack had started off trying to watch TV to take his mind off them, but had eventually resorted to pacing up and down worrying.

The door eventually opened, and Tosh and Ianto emerged. Jack was gazing at them with trepidation.

Ianto was the one to speak. "OK, we've agreed. We'll give it a try."

Jack was overjoyed. He ran over and hugged them both. "This is going to be wonderful. You won't regret it."

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Once the initial euphoria of the moment had faded, the trio began to consider practicalities. If they were to move away, where would they go, and what would they do? They would obviously have to leave Torchwood. It was fortunate that, since UNIT was disgraced and subsequently banned from the UK, the Queen had funded a major expansion of Torchwood. Otherwise Owen would have been left seriously understaffed.

Jack of course had a plan. "You know that I was given compensation for wrongful imprisonment, and for the way that UNIT treated me?"

Ianto and Tosh both nodded. They knew that there had been a settlement, but Jack had never told them how much.

"It was for fifty million pounds."

"How much!" exclaimed Tosh, as Ianto just gaped.

"So you see," Jack said, "we can do pretty much whatever we want to do, no matter how expensive."

After considering some wildly ambitious ideas, Tosh jokingly suggested buying an idyllic private island in the Caribbean. Ianto and Jack both laughed. "We'd be bored to death inside a month," Ianto pointed out. Tosh had to agree.

"You know, I have been really happy working in the restaurant," Jack mused "I would like to carry on being a chef. What would you two think about opening our own place? I'm sure that, between the three of us, we could run a restaurant."

"It would certainly be different," Ianto noted, "very mundane compared to working for Torchwood though."

"Mundane is just what I'm looking for," Jack pointed out. "Though I would understand if it didn't suit you and Tosh."

"I didn't say that," Ianto added. "I think you're right. You need a peaceful, safe, life, and that means Tosh and I also need a peaceful, safe, life."

"That's OK by me," Tosh put in brightly.

Jack looked at each of them in turn. "So, would you both be willing for the three of us to open a restaurant together?"

"Yes, why not?" laughed Tosh.

"Sure," agreed Ianto, "but I get to be the manager."

"No problem," Jack laughed, "I'll be the head chef."

"I love to cook too," Tosh interjected, "I can be deputy head chef. But where are we going to open it? We should get away from Cardiff."

They got out a map of the UK, and looked over it, hoping for inspiration. In his youth, Ianto had spent many holidays in different parts of Wales, and eventually he zeroed in on Harlech, on the edge of Snowdonia.

"This place is great, the area around it is quiet, but, because of the castle, Harlech itself gets tourists from all over the world. They all need to eat, and there weren't that many good restaurants around there."

"We'd need to go there of course, check out the local restaurants, and see if there is anywhere we'd like to live. But it sounds like a contender," Jack exclaimed. "When shall we go?"

Ianto and Tosh both looked at Jack with happiness, exchanging a brief glance and smile with each other. It was wonderful to see him so enthusiastic about life. It really wasn't long since he had barely been able to function. They all remembered those days with horror.

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With their decision made, Ianto and Tosh approached Owen. It was time to give in their notice.

Predictably, Owen wasn't pleased. "What the hell do you mean you're both resigning!"

Ianto tried to calm him down. "Jack needs to get away from Torchwood, and Cardiff. We are going with him."

"Ianto, I can understand Tosh going with Jack, but why are you resigning?" Owen sputtered.

Ianto blushed, as did Tosh. "Umm, I got back together with Jack a few days ago."

Owen's mind whirled. The implications for Tosh hit him. He turned to her. "But, then, why are you going with him?" he demanded. "I would have thought you'd be ready to kill him, not move away with him."

Tosh blushed an even deeper shade of red. "Jack comes from a society where polyamory is considered normal," she reminded him.

Owen was stunned. This was Tosh; a less likely person to get mixed up in a threesome he couldn't imagine. He slumped into a chair. "I don't believe it," he murmured to himself.

Tosh laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know it seems weird, but the three of us have talked about it, and we think that it can work. We at least want to give it a try."

"Where will you go?" queried Owen.

"We've got plans to open a restaurant. Jack is a trained chef, and I am a pretty good cook. Ianto will be the manager."

"And make the coffee," Ianto added with a laugh.

They both grinned.

Seeing how happy they looked, Owen dropped his argument. "Well, if it's what you want, then I wish you both the best of luck. Fortunately, we have a few people who have just about finished their training, and so we won't end up short staffed. Peterson starts next week. There's more coming through the pipeline as well, now that the Queen has decided to expand Torchwood significantly. Can you work two month's notice? That'll give me chance to get your replacements up to speed?"

Neither Tosh, nor Ianto, wanted to leave Owen in the lurch, so they readily agreed. It would take them some time to find somewhere to live, and premises for their restaurant, anyway.

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Since Jack and Tosh had never seen Harlech, the three of them went on a two day trip, as soon as Tosh and Ianto could get the same shifts off. It was a four hour drive from Cardiff. They had booked into a B&B right in the middle of Harlech, near the castle. The castle dominated the small town. It loomed over the houses at sea level.

They parked the car in the lower car park and walked up to the B&B, as it had no parking of its own. It was a very steep walk. Fortunately they only had a very small overnight bag each. They had the option of going up the castle steps, or round by the road to get to the top. Since they all wanted to tour round the castle, they took the steps.

"This is fantastic," cried Tosh, when they reached the top. They had climbed the battlements, and now had a view stretching for miles over the countryside and sea. "I never realised the castle would be so intact, most of the ones I've seen have been in ruins."

Jack gazed out over the landscape. "It's beautiful. I don't think I'd have any problem living around here."

Ianto smiled, pleased that his suggestion was meeting with approval. "Why don't we look around the town now. It should only take half an hour," he laughed.

He was right. Within half an hour they had walked around all of central Harlech. There were a few small restaurants, a few shops, and a lot of B&Bs. They found theirs with no difficulty, and checked in. They had booked two rooms, a double for Jack and Tosh, and a single for Ianto. No need to scandalise the landlady with any different arrangement.

Jack, with his usual charm, chatted to the landlady. He found all sorts of useful information about how busy the town was in the tourist season, if the local restaurants were usually full, and if that varied drastically between the on and off seasons.

Next they decided to go back to the estate agents that they had passed in the high street. For Harlech to work for them, they would need to be able to find premises for their restaurant, and a house.

The estate agent was not busy, and was happy to discuss all their requirements with them. He did warn them that premises for restaurants did not become available very often, close to Harlech. But, if they were willing to consider properties within a 10 mile radius, there would be a lot more options. The type of house they were after shouldn't be a problem. They left armed with a large pile of paperwork.

After a quick trip back to the B&B to freshen up, they headed out to dinner. As they sat at their table, Tosh suddenly started giggling.

Jack and Ianto looked at each other, puzzled, since there had been no obvious reason for her to crack up.

"I'm sorry," Tosh choked out. "It's just so surreal. I'm here with my boyfriend, and my boyfriend's boyfriend, looking for a house for us all to shack up in when we quit our jobs. If somebody had asked me years ago where I saw my life going, there would have been no way on Earth that I'd have come up with this!"

Ianto looked at her for a moment in disbelief. "You think that's surreal. What about the fact that we work for an organisation that fights aliens, and has a secret underground base, with resident pterodactyl? Or the fact that your boyfriend is a 150 year old, immortal, time traveller from a distant planet in the 51st century!"

Tosh gazed at him in surprise. "You know, I forgot about all that," she admitted.

Jack snorted, and started to laugh with her. It was good to know that Tosh did not think of him as being unusual, apart from the multiple partnerships of course.

Seeing his friend, and his lover, degenerating into hysterical giggles, Ianto could no longer keep a straight face. And then they were all laughing. They only managed to stop when the waiter hurried over with menus, in an attempt to quiet them down. Other customers in the restaurant were staring.

The atmosphere at dinner remained merry, but they were more restrained after that. Jack was pleased to see how well Ianto and Tosh were getting on. He had feared that they would be unable to overcome the jealousy that their era would normally engender for a love rival. He had not been privy to what they had discussed together, when he had first broached a dual pairing, but whatever accommodation they had come to, it seemed to be working.

By the time they were ready to walk back to the B&B, they had all decided that they wanted a new life in the area, and they would start seriously trying to organise it.

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Six months after their first visit to Harlech, Jack, Tosh and Ianto opened an oriental restaurant. They called it Boeshane, after Jack's home. Tosh was in charge of the Japanese dishes, Jack the ones that he had developed himself by using Boeshane recipes; matching ingredients as best he could on Earth. It was a unique restaurant, and they were passing off the Bo inspired dishes as Burmese. Ianto's sister and her family attended their opening night, to support Ianto in his new business venture. They were blissfully ignorant of the exact nature of his arrangement with his business partners. Ianto planned to wait until his relationship with Jack, and thereby Tosh, was well established before dropping that bombshell.

The three of them lived in a huge house, a few miles outside Harlech. The extensive space allowed for as much privacy as each person, or couple, might need and allowed them to define the parameters of their dual pairing harmoniously.

Jack continued to take heroin every three days, though he was conscientiously lowering the dose a miniscule amount per month. He still craved the peaceful oblivion it brought him and, on the rare occasions that he was significantly late in taking it, he found that the memories still began to rise up. He had no plans to try and kick the drug. He was in no hurry, and time was on his side.

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A few months after their grand opening, the restaurant had built up a good reputation and was popular with both locals and tourists.

As Tosh set up the front of the restaurant for the day, Jack bustled about in the kitchen, preparing the day's menu. The radio was blaring out, and Jack was singing along. He's better than the singer on the radio thought Tosh, amused. And he was happy. She stopped work and listened as he sang.

"It's a new dawn, a new day, a new life. It's a new life for me. And I'm feeling good," Jack sang, reaching a crescendo on the word feeling.

And it was true she thought. Jack did have a new life, all three of them did, and it was good.

AN: Just the epilogue to go now folks. Which includes the Doctor.