17

"Jack? Do you have a moment?"

Jack turned from the books he was pushing books about haphazardly into the bookcase in their bedroom to blink slowly. He as the one usually trying to corner Ianto, not the other way around and he found himself grinning widely as Ianto canted his head to show he knew exactly what he was thinking.

"What do you need Tiger?"

"You."

Jack started at the comment, then took a deep breath but Ianto continued to speak before he could answer him "You know Jack, I am not one to ask for much. Don't like rocking the boat or causing too much fuss but I am finding myself in unknown territory here and I can either give in to the fear or I can embrace the madness and you know… with you… embracing the madness is always the way to go, that much is clear."

"So… I get a cuddle?"

Ianto laughed "don't be obtuse. You know exactly what I mean. I mean… I want you. IN my life, IN my bed and IN my heart forever. These kids… they need you too and I know if I can trust anyone with my heart, soul and kids it's you."

"Well… can I get that in writing?" Jack joked suddenly uncomfortable and for the first time in a long time, he didn't really know how to respond. An unfamiliar tugging in his gut that he hadn't felt since a certain Doctor had told him to run. Jesus. He loved him. Jack loved Ianto. He had known it or a while, swallowing it down and swallowing it down but… here we are.

"Ianto, about Gwen…"

"No."

"What?"

"I am not going to accept excuses for her, I am not going to listen to you defend her over her actions when she knows as well as you do that there is really nothing that she is capable of understanding when it comes to the kids. And she wants to be a mother, she wants to raise her own kids. What sort of mother will she be? How will her kids view her? She needs to learn empathy. For someone who calls herself the Heart of Torchwood, she's fucking twisted."

Ianto had stopped talking, having given one of the longest speeches in a while and Jack knew he could not interrupt now. Cleary, when Ianto was in a long-winded rant, it was something he had considered, chewed over and was extremely pissed about. The best thing to do is wait. Wait and Ianto will eventually solve the problem for him.

Ianto was pacing now his hands flapping at his hips like he was listening to music no one else could hear. Like he was dancing. Jack knew better. This was an angry tiger stalking and one wrong move could get you a nice bloody nose.

Jack still waited.

"And I want this with you. I want… all of it. I want the morning breakfast madness at the table, I want the evening bedtime stories and the fireside conversation… I want… this. But Gwen grates on me and she clearly does not think I deserve this, or she would be rooting for me, not trying to tear things apart."

Jack nodded knowing he was right, also… had been thinking along the same lines of what he wanted too.

"I think it's time I did some employee reviews." Jack said softly, reaching out to touch Ianto's upper arm, letting his fingers slide down to the elbow that he cupped, pulling Ianto closer "time to set some new parameters."

Ianto nodded, letting it slide.

He had made his point.

.

.

Gwen was not at all pleased with her performance review. Apparently the things she had been crediting on the Torchwood Account as 'expenses' should not include new boots, her cool leather jacket with the tassels and the repairs to her car that she backed into a letterbox at home.

Jack had given her a real dressing down and had reminded her that she was only junior staff. HER. JUNIOR. Oh god, she had felt the blood drain into her expensive 'not Torchwood issue' boots.

As she stomped down the steps and looked over to find Ianto watching her from the photocopier, his hand frozen as he reached for a piece of paper and he raised his eyebrows like he didn't know what a wrong. Little fucker probably put that bug up Jack's arse ya know.

She glared at him and kept going.

Ianto glanced over at Toshiko who seemed to be giggling softly to herself and knew she had watched the entire thing on the CCTV, then he walked over nonchalantly to pick up an earwig and tune in, nodding at her to replay what she had been doing.

Yeah.

He giggled a little bit too.

.

.

"Sir, before we end the meeting… apparently Archie needs some artifacts taken to him and I really don't have the time..."

"Archie?" Gwen bit as Ianto hoped he would.

"Archie, in Scotland. At Torchwood House, yes. We have a few things that would be safer there but it's quite the road trip… Christ… I guess Rhys would know the road well enough but we can't really ask him. Not fair. I mean if he left on a Friday… took the weekend … might be an entire weekend trip away." Ianto said as he swung in his chair as if pondering and her eyes narrowed.

"Wait, a whole three days away?" she demanded.

"We would pay for his lodgings…Yes, you're right. That's too long of a time apart… hang on." Ianto sat bolt upright "Gwen, if you took a little time off… it might be like one of those pre-wedding honeymoon things some take… like, you could leave Friday and if you took the week, be back on the next Monday… that would be…. Wow… the snow is soooo white there."

"NINE DAYS AWAY!" she squealed.

"Hmmmmm." Ianto let Jack take the next part as he gave him a knowing look.

"Well… it WOULD be Torchwood Business so it WOULD be chargeable on the card" Jack nodded.

Gwen squealed as she took off and Owen turned slowly to stare at Ianto "That was… epic. Scary too... don't do that to me. Right?"

"Of course not Owen. You are far too smart for me. Now, do you have that list for me? I have to go to the pet store to check those caged for any aliens in there by mistake… damn. I have that meeting … um…."

"Well, I need more mouse food and fishy stuff for sure… I could go" Owen perked up "And I could use the new scanner"

"That's right. You DO need to check that new Alien scanner" Ianto's eyes were wide "Owen, see? Too smart for me."

"And don't forget it!" Owen said as he stomped off to find his scanner and Toshiko started to giggle.

Yeah.

Smart like a sock.