Revelations: Chapter 3
I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, GOO'BYE, I'mlateI'mlateI'mlate!
*ahem* So, I realize this is three days late. Sowwy. In my defense, this chapter is very Gwen-heavy (NOT IN A BAD WAY, I PROMISE!) and I find her a little difficult to write. She's grown on me as a result of this chapter though- I never really hated her, but she kinda made me go, "GAH! *exasperated sigh*" a lot. But I love Eve Myles, so I wanted to find the Eve side of Gwen that is fabulous and fangirly. Kinda. Sorta. Ahhh... just read it.
Next chapter should be out by Sunday at the latest... I have much more motivation to write it, as there is more smut a'comin'. XD
X-posted: jantolution , stopwatchjanto , jackxianto
Title: Revelations
Part: 4 of 10-ish...
Chapter Title: In Which Gwen is Nosy, Jack is Protective, and Ianto Acknowledges Allegations of Change.
Pairing: Janto, mention of Rhys/Gwen, mention of Tom/Martha, Ianto/Martha fag-hag fabulousness.
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter, NC-17 overall
Excerpt:
"Are you actually waiting for me to invite you in? Funny; you never have before," Jack says. Gwen smiles slightly and walks in to sit in the chair opposite his desk.
"Just wanted to make sure I wasn't interruptin'."
"The day I don't welcome an interruption from paperwork is the day Ianto starts buying Folgers coffee grounds, Martha starts wearing skirts to work, and you start telling me it's okay if I want to test the new alien artifact on unsuspecting school children. What's up?"
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Gwen’s halfway to the Hub door five minutes after going round and wishing everyone a goodnight when she realizes she’s left her keys next to the computer terminals. With a sigh, she turns about-face, heading back up to grab them. They clank disconsolately when she picks them up. She shoves them into her coat pocket and is ready to go again when she hears hushed voices, pitched just low enough to not be picked up on the CCTV footage.
Mickey left right before her, and she sees Jack up in the conference room talking animatedly on the phone- probably bitching out the Prime Minister again for one reason or another. That leaves Ianto and Martha. Honestly, she knows she has no reason to creep closer to the sound of their voices, stopping to stand just out of sight of the med bay, but the curiosity wins out.
Like Owen used to say, "Once a copper, always a copper."
She strains her ears to hear, and even then she only makes out every third word or so.
"I...honestly...tell him?" That's Martha, interrupted by the clanging of instruments as she rearranges, sterilizes, and cleans up the refuse of the day.
"Why...to? This...for me...business...his." Ianto's deeper voice, fading in and out as he moves around, obviously helping.
"Well...and doesn't...suspect?" If Gwen was closer, in a better position she would see the amused smirk flash across Ianto's face.
"...at all. He's...silly idea...torrid affair...Venice..."
"Still," Martha again, a little more volume added. Obviously annoyed. "Doesn't he have a right to know?" There's a pregnant pause.
"No." Loud and clear. "No, I don't honestly think he has. Is he the only one allowed secrets around here, Martha?" Sad. Slightly bitter. Martha sighs.
"No, you're right. I'm sorry. I just thought... maybe if you explained, he might-"
"He wouldn't." Ianto cuts her off. "He really wouldn't." Resigned.
"What's goin' on?" Gwen cuts off a shriek at the voice at her back, turning around abruptly to find Jack standing there, arms crossed, face slightly questioning, slightly amused.
"Oh, nothin'..." she says lamely, realizing how transparent she must be. And bollocks, Ianto and Martha heard the commotion and have come up to investigate. "Just, uh... forgot my keys!" she finishes triumphantly, fishing them out of her pocket and jangling them like a prize. She can't help the nanosecond of a guilty glance towards her coworkers. Martha gets an alarmed look on her face, eyes shooting to Ianto before her expression becomes blank again.
"Ah," Jack says, unconvinced. "I know it's in your blood, PC Cooper, but eavesdropping is hardly becoming of any lady." A pause, and then a wicked grin stretches across his face. "Did you hear anything good?" Gwen doesn't know what to say, her face flushing. She feels like she's in the eighth grade again when Tommy Cartwright had spilled paint all over the front of her shirt, accentuating some rather embarrassing (at the time) aspects of her anatomy. Only she's a bit more responsible now. She wishes the floor could suddenly turn into a giant green alien frog and swallow her up. This is Torchwood- it's possible, isn't it?
"It's alright," Ianto says when Gwen remains silent. His face belies his words, though, and he shoots her a disappointed glance.
"Sorry," she says, abashed. She really means it, too. Ianto smiles- that soft, affectionate smile he seems to save only for the Torchwood team.
"Just don't let anyone catch you at it, next time," he jokes. "That's rule number one when it comes to being nosy. I thought you knew that." Gwen lets out an uncomfortable laugh.
"Right. Well, I better get..." she gestures awkwardly over her shoulder. "Rhys'll be waiting."
"See you tomorrow, then," Jack says with a nod, leaving to head towards his office. Martha clears her throat and goes back to the autopsy bay.
Gwen really should stick around and talk to Ianto privately, but before she knows it she's turning tail and running, striding out of the Hub with purpose.
She only looks back once. Ianto, ever the gentlemen, simply gives a tight smile and a polite wave before the door rolls shut behind her.
She never does seem to get around to having that conversation with Ianto. Two weeks later, she knows it's still none of her business, but she's been jolted into awareness. She's started paying attention to Ianto, and she's noticing things. Little things.
Like how there'll be moments, few and far between, when a certain sound, sight, or smell will cause him to zone out and get a far off look on his face. How he seems just a bit more confident and focused in what he's doing, speaks up first in meetings, offers solutions instead of waiting for Jack to say, "Ianto, we need you to research..." or "Ianto, I want you and Mickey to head out and..." or "Ianto, could you take care of the clean-up?" He's still efficient, sure, quietly competent, of course. But now he's subtly taking more risks, coming up with the occasional brilliant idea out of the blue, standing up for himself, demanding accountability.
Ianto's always managed to fade into the background. He still does that; Gwen probably wouldn't have noticed anything different if she hadn't overheard him and Martha in the med bay. But now that she has noticed, she realizes that Ianto's invisibility before was an unthinking reaction, perhaps a survival mechanism. Now, it's more cunning. Deliberate. Diverting attention away from himself like he's got his own built-in perception filter. Like he has some sort of agenda. Like he's hiding something.
The puzzle is driving Gwen crazy. She only lasts the two weeks before she cracks.
The only real clue that she has is Venice. That seemed to be the catalyst, when Ianto came back the-same-but-not. She pulls out the itinerary Ianto and Martha sent out in a memo before they left, cross-checking flight tickets with periods of stay at three different hotels. They'd stayed at one hotel a week, all in different parts of the city. Since Gwen's fairly certain whatever happened wasn't something personal (from what she'd heard, Jack is off the mark, though he's been making jokes about Ianto's secret romance in Italy for weeks) she decides to see if anything of note occurred in Venice during their stay. She's not sure what she's looking for, but she spends the next couple of days going over police reports, news articles, anything to give her a lead.
When that gets her nowhere, she calls the airline. When that doesn't tell her anything, she calls all three hotels.
She finds out that the receptionist at the first hotel doesn't speak English very well; she spends two hours trying to get some sort of coherent response. At all three hotels, both Ianto and Martha are recorded as having signed in and out. Five different staff members at the last two hotels recognize a description of Martha. Three of the five remember seeing a man matching Ianto's description. Those three don't recall ever seeing Martha and Ianto together.
After exhausting all lines of questioning to the hotel staff she considers talking to Martha but quickly nixes that idea. Mostly because she doubts Martha would belie a confidence willingly, and she has no idea how to bring the subject up in a way to get the doctor to accidentally slip her some information. Gwen's always been the more direct type when it comes to questioning, stuff like, "Where were you last Thursday the 29th at 9 pm?" or "Which one's UNIT?" or "Why did you have to pick on him in front of everyone like that?"
The person usually on the answering end of her questions is Jack. It's really no surprise when she finds herself knocking tentatively on the wall next to the open door of his office a couple of days later.
Jack looks up from some paperwork at a couple of quiet raps to see Gwen leaning slightly against the entrance to his office. He raises an eyebrow.
"Are you actually waiting for me to invite you in? Funny; you never have before." Gwen smiles slightly and walks in to sit in the chair opposite his desk.
"Just wanted to make sure I wasn't interruptin'."
"The day I don't welcome an interruption from paperwork is the day Ianto starts buying Folgers coffee grounds, Martha starts wearing skirts to work, and you start telling me it's okay if I want to test the new alien artifact on unsuspecting school children. What's up?" Gwen shifts uncomfortably. There's no way to ask this except to just ask it, but it's still awkward as hell voicing her concerns.
"I was just wondering... I wasn't sure if you'd noticed anything odd about Ianto recently?" Jack's eyes flash for a moment, but then his chin tilts up stubbornly and he affects a smile she knows is meant to instill confidence in the person it's bestowed upon. It's the same look he gave her when she was making all those inquiries about Jonah.
"How do you mean? He has been a little more... aggressive...lately, but I'm certainly not complaining about that." Gwen's cheeks go a little pink at the insinuation.
"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it."
"Why the sudden suspicion?" Jack deflects, standing up from his chair and coming around the desk to lean against it as he faces her, arms crossing over his chest. Maintaining a dominant position. Gwen's not cowed. She leans back and crosses her own arms. "This isn't about that eavesdropping episode a couple weeks back, is it?" he continues. Jack may be many things, but stupid isn't one of them.
"Well, what I overheard... It got me thinking. So I did a bit of research." Jack tenses slightly, his smile becoming exaggerated and stony.
"Oh yeah?" he asks. "What kind of research?"
"I...looked into major events occurring during Ianto and Martha's stay in Venice, I called the airports and the hotels, cross-checked their itinerary-"
"Let me stop you right there," Jack cuts her off with a wave of his hand, arms crossing again as he takes a deep breath. "Exactly what was it in Martha and Ianto's private conversation that made you think you should use Torchwood resources and man-power to investigate one of our own team-members?" When put that way, it does really sound silly, even bordering on criminal. Gwen supposes she should have anticipated this reaction.
"It's not like that!" she denies, mouth slanting down. "I was just worried. Something's changed with him- you must have noticed!" It's accusatory, angry when it comes out of her mouth, and she leans forward into Jack's personal space.
"So what if he has!" Jack practically shouts, standing up and walking past her before turning around with a huff. There's something raw in his eyes when he looks at her again, a flash of hurt. When he next speaks, it's as if he's trying to convince himself as much as her. "He has a right to his own privacy, just like any of us do. It hasn't affected his job-"
"Well, excuse me for thinkin' that maybe he doesn't have the same right to privacy as the rest of us!" She doesn't quite know where it's coming from, but suddenly she's furious, and it causes her to take the first low-blow that comes to mind. "Because the last time he was hidin' something, he nearly got us all killed!"
Silence. Then nothing but Jack's disappointed stare. During the long pause, Gwen's eyes fill with frustrated tears, and suddenly she realizes her own motives behind all of this. The hurt of the past year rushes to the fore; the build-up of grief from losing Owen and Tosh, Jack becoming distant from them all, Martha seeming to get through and connect with Ianto when she's never really been able to.
She's always been distracted by their rivalry for Jack's affections, always been distracted by her own problems with Rhys and Owen and Jack that Ianto became little more than a colleague even though they've been through so much together, even though they should be better friends, confidants. She's been so confused, so at a loss as to how to deal with it all that she ended up taking it out on the first mystery that seemed tangible. Solvable. Fixable.
"If you remember correctly," Jack admonishes gently when a tear escapes despite her best efforts at controlling herself, "you were the one who told me to take it easy on him at the time; that he was only protecting what he loved, like he's done his best to protect all of us since then."
"...I know," Gwen chokes out, reaching up a hand to scrub at her eyes. "I'm sorry, I just-"
"Maybe you should be talking to him about whatever problem it is you have," Jack orders. "But this is the end of it, Gwen. No more searching and digging. If Ianto's got something to tell us, he'll tell us." He walks up to her, hands her a handkerchief and places a consoling hand on her shoulder. "We've all lost too much to be second-guessing each other every step of the way. I refuse to act on blind suspicion, especially when he's done nothing to earn it."
Jack watches from his office while Ianto works at Tosh's old station. The young man's brow is furrowed in concentration. Jack tries to ignore the sinking feeling that tells him Gwen is right. He was fine with his denial of it up until now, but if he's not the only one noticing it, there must be some difference in his lover. It's just in the little things, like how Ianto's been instigating more casual touches at work, a pat on the back, the shoulder, a quick stolen kiss when no one's looking. How Ianto has come in on two separate occasions dressed in jeans and a t-shirt when they most definitely weren't scheduled to work in the field. How Jack has caught Ianto giving him slightly wistful, slightly sad looks when he thinks Jack's not looking. How he's invited Jack out for dinner four times since being back from Venice.
In and of themselves, the changes aren't that drastic or troubling. What's troubling to Jack is how he's been reacting to them. How he's unthinkingly returning Ianto's touches, how it's become easy for him to slide his arms around the young man's waist or twine their fingers together while they're sitting at the conference table. How Ianto dressed in jeans can serve to distract him for a good majority of the day. How he wants to kiss away that forlorn expression Ianto gets sometimes. How he's accepted every dinner invitation and offered a couple of his own.
With a start, he realizes it's like Ianto's courting him. Subtly, gently, like Jack will get scared off if he doesn't tread carefully. And Jack's been falling for it every step of the way. He wonders how Ianto's managed to work up the nerve all of the sudden. The young man had seemed content to play the passive role before.
Strangely, even though Jack knows he probably shouldn't allow it to continue now that he's noticed it, he's not got any real urge to run in the opposite direction. He'll wait and see how it plays out. Ianto's laid his cards expertly so far. It would be a shame if Jack undid all of the young man's hard work before at least seeing what the ultimate prize is supposed to be. Jack loves to play the game, after all.
He smirks when Ianto jumps at the arm Jack slinks around his neck, pressing his chest up against Ianto's back, the crook of Jack's elbow resting just under Ianto's collarbone. He presses a soft kiss to the younger man's temple.
"Finding anything good?" he asks, breath ghosting over Ianto's ear. Ianto lets out a puff of exasperated breath.
"Well, if some people wouldn't insist on being so distracting, I might actually get some work done," he complains. He doesn't pull out of Jack's embrace, though. Jack laughs.
"Heaven forbid," he says flippantly.
They rest contentedly entwined for a few minutes, two sets of eyes scanning through the data scrolling past on the computer screen. Finally, Jack sighs, remembering his reason for approaching Ianto in the first place.
"You need to talk to Gwen," he states, seemingly apropos nothing. "She's got concerns about something she overheard you say. Came to me with questions I had no answers for, along with the results of some half-cocked search into your vacation time." Ianto tenses slightly in his arms and turns around. If Jack wasn't already certain something was up, this reaction would have clinched it for him.
"What did she overhear?" Ianto asks, blue eyes a little grave but mostly curious.
"I didn't ask. Figured it wasn't any of my business," Jack states with a raised eyebrow. "I also told her to call her search off. Not really a good use of company time, is it?"
They just look at each other for a moment. Jack doesn't know what he's looking to find in Ianto's expression, but he knows it's not there.
"You're a bit of a mystery, aren't you, Ianto Jones?" he asks quietly after a pause. Ianto smirks.
"Who, me? Nah. I'm just a simple tea boy." There's that slightly sad expression again, and Jack doesn't hesitate this time in bringing Ianto's lips to his. He kisses him reassuringly, gently, licking softly as a request for entrance and mapping out the inside of his lover's mouth slowly. One hand caresses the back of Ianto's neck, thumb trailing along his jawline.
Ianto kisses back just as gently, his fingers gripping the front of Jack's shirt almost desperately. They linger as they pull apart, and Jack opens his eyes to see Ianto's are still closed, his breathing deep as if he's savoring the feeling. Jack's other hand comes up to cup Ianto's cheek.
"You know you can tell me, right?" Jack asks, just to make sure. Ianto's eyes open, and Jack's pleased to see at least some of the shadows in them are gone.
"I will. Soon," he says with a quiet smile. Jack nods and steps away after letting his hand fall to squeeze Ianto's shoulder, heads back to his office.
He'll hold Ianto to it.
Gwen's been avoiding everyone all day, keeping herself buried in paperwork. She's given up her searching, but she still can't stand the pointed glances Jack's been shooting her since their conversation. She knows she should talk to Ianto- it's just that she's trying to figure out what to say. She's good at apologizing when it comes to Rhys, (candles, dinner, wine, a few kisses) but when it comes to Ianto, she's got no clue how to start.
She's not sure whether she's more relieved or terrified when Ianto comes to put her out of her misery.
"I'm going to grab some coffee and biscuits," he says while perusing the papers she's got strewn on the desk, giving her the option of meeting his eyes or not. "I thought you'd like to come with me, get some fresh air."
It's on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but when she looks up at him to say it, she finds she can't.
"Alright. I could use a break," she says instead as she stands and grabs her coat. Ianto's already wearing his. After she's buttoned up, he juts out an elbow. It's such a small gesture, but Gwen breathes a sigh of relief, realizes she's already been forgiven. She takes the offered arm and they walk up to exit via the tourist office in companionable silence.
It's a sunny day in Cardiff for once, though the brisk wind off the bay makes the coats necessary. It's the kind of day Gwen loves, the perfect day to go for a walk. She shoots a veiled glance at her companion, wondering if he knew a walk on a day like this would be just the thing to calm her nerves, make it easy to have a conversation. She wouldn't put it past him; Ianto's always been good at recognizing what others need before they do themselves. It's part of what makes him so good at his job.
"So, Jack told me you've been making some inquiries?" he starts after they've been walking for a bit, softening his voice so she can tell it's not an accusation. Doesn't stop the fresh wash of guilt, though.
"Yes, I...I suppose I owe you an apology. I hadn't the right to do what I did." The apology comes a lot easier than she expected. Not so hard to find the words after all, even if they're a little bumbling and incomplete. "It's just... I dunno. I suppose you've been different lately, that's all. I worried." Ianto arches an eyebrow.
"If that's all it was, couldn't you have spoken to me about it?" he asks, astute as ever. "Why don't you tell me what this is really about."
Gwen doesn't say anything right away, takes the time to think it through. She remembers that moment in Jack's office, when all that rage and resentment had rushed at her out of nowhere. She thinks about Torchwood since Owen and Tosh, she thinks about Ianto, her arm in his, the unquestioning patience and steady presence at her side while he lets her sort it out.
"I was worried," she starts after a while, realizing they've stopped walking somewhere along the way, standing at the end of the pier arm in arm, facing the water. "Guilty too, I s'pose. When I overheard you and Martha, I guess I realized I've never really payed as much attention to you as I should." She drops his arm and turns to face him. "I guess part of it was jealously too...I mean, ever since Tosh and Owen, Jack's been so distant, and then Martha comes and suddenly you two are best mates and I just...felt left out, is all."
Ianto just looks at her kindly, remains silent so she can continue.
"I feel like I should've been better in the past, stopped certain things, I know we all do, and here was something I could try to figure out. Maybe help. But I went about it the wrong way because you and I, well, we've just sort of missed each other, haven't we? The chance to be better friends. It's my fault."
"How do you mean?" Ianto asks, looking genuinely confused. Gwen looks away from him, out to the sea.
"I mean, with Jack...it seems impossible not to become a little infatuated with him. For the longest time I had it in my head that-" she stops for a moment, ashamed to continue, but she knows she owes Ianto at least this much, "-that...that I was somehow special to him. Different from the rest of you. That he felt the same way I did. I guess, when you and he- I never realized before that it bothered me a little, built up a silly rivalry between us. So when we should have been getting closer, especially after Tosh and Owen, I just pushed you away." She lets out a slightly bitter laugh. "And then I irrationally wonder why you prefer the company of some new girl, why you're telling her your secrets and not me. A bit mad, isn't it?" Ianto smiles and places a hand on her arm, prompting her to face him again.
"Well, we're both a bit guilty there," he tells her, a deep sadness in his eyes she's noticed before. "I must admit that the feeling of competition sort of goes both ways, and I haven't always been forthcoming with you because of it." He sighs, looking down for a beat before catching her eyes again. "Gwen, you must realize that he does love you. Your innocence, your intelligence, how you're unspoilt- unlike the rest of us. He's got his own brand of honor, though, and you have Rhys. I was simply...available." Ianto turns away from her, eyes closing, face pressed into the wind like it will give him some sort of absolution.
"Ianto, you know that's not true," Gwen can't help but deny after a long pause, shocked at how much he's been holding back from her, that they've both been holding back from each other. She should have been there helping him deal with this grief, not adding to it. She puts the self-recrimination aside for later. "You're not just a convenience. Jack does care about you- I can see it when he looks at you." Ianto lets out a cut-off laugh.
"Oh, I know. He cares, in his own way. It's just..." he trails off, but Gwen hears the end of the sentence. Not the same as love. He composes himself and turns back to her. She knows the look on his face.
"How long have you been in love with him?" she asks, willing to listen, to be his friend, if that's what he wants of her in spite of everything.
"Doesn't matter," he says. "Feels like a very long time. I've come to terms with it, Gwen. If he wasn't the way he was, he wouldn't be the man I love. I'm willing to be with him in spite of it, I'm just... not going to hide how I feel anymore. It's not worth it." There's a light that comes to his eyes, that difference she's noticed recently, an inner strength that wasn't there before. She's not sure where it's come from, but she finds herself smiling because of it.
"Well, good. Don't take any shit from him- he does love to dish it out." They both laugh. "But seriously, Ianto, I don't feel that way about him- not the way you do. It's a school-girl crush more than anything. I do love Rhys, and I wouldn't trade him for ten Captain Jack Harknesses. You've got nothing to worry about from my end. Plus, I know just where the big guns are kept in case he ends up hurting you." He smiles at her reassurance. It's just so Gwen; fiery enthusiasm, unflinching morality, and loyalty to a fault.
"I know," Ianto says. He glances at his watch. "We really ought to go get that coffee- I can hear Mickey moaning about caffeine withdrawal from here." She takes his arm as they begin walking again.
"You should know," Gwen says when they're almost to the shop, "you, Jack, Martha, Mickey; you're all my family. You and Jack especially. I love you- even if I don't always have the best way of showing it...I just..." she sputters, a little unused to being so candid with Ianto, "I just want you to know that you can confide in me if you need to- not that you have to or anythin'." That earns her a real smile, one that reaches all the way to his eyes.
"Oh, you'll all hear about it eventually, Nosy Parker," he teases, and she knows he's talking about that mysterious something only Martha seems to know. "In spite of what I may try to do to stop it. I just want to keep it to myself for a while, that's all." He opens the door for her, and she grins before stepping inside.
"Oh, and Gwen?" he says, and she looks back at him, his figure silhouetted in sunlight from the outdoors. "I love you, too."
Next Part
*ahem* So, I realize this is three days late. Sowwy. In my defense, this chapter is very Gwen-heavy (NOT IN A BAD WAY, I PROMISE!) and I find her a little difficult to write. She's grown on me as a result of this chapter though- I never really hated her, but she kinda made me go, "GAH! *exasperated sigh*" a lot. But I love Eve Myles, so I wanted to find the Eve side of Gwen that is fabulous and fangirly. Kinda. Sorta. Ahhh... just read it.
Next chapter should be out by Sunday at the latest... I have much more motivation to write it, as there is more smut a'comin'. XD
X-posted: jantolution , stopwatchjanto , jackxianto
Title: Revelations
Part: 4 of 10-ish...
Chapter Title: In Which Gwen is Nosy, Jack is Protective, and Ianto Acknowledges Allegations of Change.
Pairing: Janto, mention of Rhys/Gwen, mention of Tom/Martha, Ianto/Martha fag-hag fabulousness.
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter, NC-17 overall
Excerpt:
"Are you actually waiting for me to invite you in? Funny; you never have before," Jack says. Gwen smiles slightly and walks in to sit in the chair opposite his desk.
"Just wanted to make sure I wasn't interruptin'."
"The day I don't welcome an interruption from paperwork is the day Ianto starts buying Folgers coffee grounds, Martha starts wearing skirts to work, and you start telling me it's okay if I want to test the new alien artifact on unsuspecting school children. What's up?"
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Gwen’s halfway to the Hub door five minutes after going round and wishing everyone a goodnight when she realizes she’s left her keys next to the computer terminals. With a sigh, she turns about-face, heading back up to grab them. They clank disconsolately when she picks them up. She shoves them into her coat pocket and is ready to go again when she hears hushed voices, pitched just low enough to not be picked up on the CCTV footage.
Mickey left right before her, and she sees Jack up in the conference room talking animatedly on the phone- probably bitching out the Prime Minister again for one reason or another. That leaves Ianto and Martha. Honestly, she knows she has no reason to creep closer to the sound of their voices, stopping to stand just out of sight of the med bay, but the curiosity wins out.
Like Owen used to say, "Once a copper, always a copper."
She strains her ears to hear, and even then she only makes out every third word or so.
"I...honestly...tell him?" That's Martha, interrupted by the clanging of instruments as she rearranges, sterilizes, and cleans up the refuse of the day.
"Why...to? This...for me...business...his." Ianto's deeper voice, fading in and out as he moves around, obviously helping.
"Well...and doesn't...suspect?" If Gwen was closer, in a better position she would see the amused smirk flash across Ianto's face.
"...at all. He's...silly idea...torrid affair...Venice..."
"Still," Martha again, a little more volume added. Obviously annoyed. "Doesn't he have a right to know?" There's a pregnant pause.
"No." Loud and clear. "No, I don't honestly think he has. Is he the only one allowed secrets around here, Martha?" Sad. Slightly bitter. Martha sighs.
"No, you're right. I'm sorry. I just thought... maybe if you explained, he might-"
"He wouldn't." Ianto cuts her off. "He really wouldn't." Resigned.
"What's goin' on?" Gwen cuts off a shriek at the voice at her back, turning around abruptly to find Jack standing there, arms crossed, face slightly questioning, slightly amused.
"Oh, nothin'..." she says lamely, realizing how transparent she must be. And bollocks, Ianto and Martha heard the commotion and have come up to investigate. "Just, uh... forgot my keys!" she finishes triumphantly, fishing them out of her pocket and jangling them like a prize. She can't help the nanosecond of a guilty glance towards her coworkers. Martha gets an alarmed look on her face, eyes shooting to Ianto before her expression becomes blank again.
"Ah," Jack says, unconvinced. "I know it's in your blood, PC Cooper, but eavesdropping is hardly becoming of any lady." A pause, and then a wicked grin stretches across his face. "Did you hear anything good?" Gwen doesn't know what to say, her face flushing. She feels like she's in the eighth grade again when Tommy Cartwright had spilled paint all over the front of her shirt, accentuating some rather embarrassing (at the time) aspects of her anatomy. Only she's a bit more responsible now. She wishes the floor could suddenly turn into a giant green alien frog and swallow her up. This is Torchwood- it's possible, isn't it?
"It's alright," Ianto says when Gwen remains silent. His face belies his words, though, and he shoots her a disappointed glance.
"Sorry," she says, abashed. She really means it, too. Ianto smiles- that soft, affectionate smile he seems to save only for the Torchwood team.
"Just don't let anyone catch you at it, next time," he jokes. "That's rule number one when it comes to being nosy. I thought you knew that." Gwen lets out an uncomfortable laugh.
"Right. Well, I better get..." she gestures awkwardly over her shoulder. "Rhys'll be waiting."
"See you tomorrow, then," Jack says with a nod, leaving to head towards his office. Martha clears her throat and goes back to the autopsy bay.
Gwen really should stick around and talk to Ianto privately, but before she knows it she's turning tail and running, striding out of the Hub with purpose.
She only looks back once. Ianto, ever the gentlemen, simply gives a tight smile and a polite wave before the door rolls shut behind her.
She never does seem to get around to having that conversation with Ianto. Two weeks later, she knows it's still none of her business, but she's been jolted into awareness. She's started paying attention to Ianto, and she's noticing things. Little things.
Like how there'll be moments, few and far between, when a certain sound, sight, or smell will cause him to zone out and get a far off look on his face. How he seems just a bit more confident and focused in what he's doing, speaks up first in meetings, offers solutions instead of waiting for Jack to say, "Ianto, we need you to research..." or "Ianto, I want you and Mickey to head out and..." or "Ianto, could you take care of the clean-up?" He's still efficient, sure, quietly competent, of course. But now he's subtly taking more risks, coming up with the occasional brilliant idea out of the blue, standing up for himself, demanding accountability.
Ianto's always managed to fade into the background. He still does that; Gwen probably wouldn't have noticed anything different if she hadn't overheard him and Martha in the med bay. But now that she has noticed, she realizes that Ianto's invisibility before was an unthinking reaction, perhaps a survival mechanism. Now, it's more cunning. Deliberate. Diverting attention away from himself like he's got his own built-in perception filter. Like he has some sort of agenda. Like he's hiding something.
The puzzle is driving Gwen crazy. She only lasts the two weeks before she cracks.
The only real clue that she has is Venice. That seemed to be the catalyst, when Ianto came back the-same-but-not. She pulls out the itinerary Ianto and Martha sent out in a memo before they left, cross-checking flight tickets with periods of stay at three different hotels. They'd stayed at one hotel a week, all in different parts of the city. Since Gwen's fairly certain whatever happened wasn't something personal (from what she'd heard, Jack is off the mark, though he's been making jokes about Ianto's secret romance in Italy for weeks) she decides to see if anything of note occurred in Venice during their stay. She's not sure what she's looking for, but she spends the next couple of days going over police reports, news articles, anything to give her a lead.
When that gets her nowhere, she calls the airline. When that doesn't tell her anything, she calls all three hotels.
She finds out that the receptionist at the first hotel doesn't speak English very well; she spends two hours trying to get some sort of coherent response. At all three hotels, both Ianto and Martha are recorded as having signed in and out. Five different staff members at the last two hotels recognize a description of Martha. Three of the five remember seeing a man matching Ianto's description. Those three don't recall ever seeing Martha and Ianto together.
After exhausting all lines of questioning to the hotel staff she considers talking to Martha but quickly nixes that idea. Mostly because she doubts Martha would belie a confidence willingly, and she has no idea how to bring the subject up in a way to get the doctor to accidentally slip her some information. Gwen's always been the more direct type when it comes to questioning, stuff like, "Where were you last Thursday the 29th at 9 pm?" or "Which one's UNIT?" or "Why did you have to pick on him in front of everyone like that?"
The person usually on the answering end of her questions is Jack. It's really no surprise when she finds herself knocking tentatively on the wall next to the open door of his office a couple of days later.
Jack looks up from some paperwork at a couple of quiet raps to see Gwen leaning slightly against the entrance to his office. He raises an eyebrow.
"Are you actually waiting for me to invite you in? Funny; you never have before." Gwen smiles slightly and walks in to sit in the chair opposite his desk.
"Just wanted to make sure I wasn't interruptin'."
"The day I don't welcome an interruption from paperwork is the day Ianto starts buying Folgers coffee grounds, Martha starts wearing skirts to work, and you start telling me it's okay if I want to test the new alien artifact on unsuspecting school children. What's up?" Gwen shifts uncomfortably. There's no way to ask this except to just ask it, but it's still awkward as hell voicing her concerns.
"I was just wondering... I wasn't sure if you'd noticed anything odd about Ianto recently?" Jack's eyes flash for a moment, but then his chin tilts up stubbornly and he affects a smile she knows is meant to instill confidence in the person it's bestowed upon. It's the same look he gave her when she was making all those inquiries about Jonah.
"How do you mean? He has been a little more... aggressive...lately, but I'm certainly not complaining about that." Gwen's cheeks go a little pink at the insinuation.
"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it."
"Why the sudden suspicion?" Jack deflects, standing up from his chair and coming around the desk to lean against it as he faces her, arms crossing over his chest. Maintaining a dominant position. Gwen's not cowed. She leans back and crosses her own arms. "This isn't about that eavesdropping episode a couple weeks back, is it?" he continues. Jack may be many things, but stupid isn't one of them.
"Well, what I overheard... It got me thinking. So I did a bit of research." Jack tenses slightly, his smile becoming exaggerated and stony.
"Oh yeah?" he asks. "What kind of research?"
"I...looked into major events occurring during Ianto and Martha's stay in Venice, I called the airports and the hotels, cross-checked their itinerary-"
"Let me stop you right there," Jack cuts her off with a wave of his hand, arms crossing again as he takes a deep breath. "Exactly what was it in Martha and Ianto's private conversation that made you think you should use Torchwood resources and man-power to investigate one of our own team-members?" When put that way, it does really sound silly, even bordering on criminal. Gwen supposes she should have anticipated this reaction.
"It's not like that!" she denies, mouth slanting down. "I was just worried. Something's changed with him- you must have noticed!" It's accusatory, angry when it comes out of her mouth, and she leans forward into Jack's personal space.
"So what if he has!" Jack practically shouts, standing up and walking past her before turning around with a huff. There's something raw in his eyes when he looks at her again, a flash of hurt. When he next speaks, it's as if he's trying to convince himself as much as her. "He has a right to his own privacy, just like any of us do. It hasn't affected his job-"
"Well, excuse me for thinkin' that maybe he doesn't have the same right to privacy as the rest of us!" She doesn't quite know where it's coming from, but suddenly she's furious, and it causes her to take the first low-blow that comes to mind. "Because the last time he was hidin' something, he nearly got us all killed!"
Silence. Then nothing but Jack's disappointed stare. During the long pause, Gwen's eyes fill with frustrated tears, and suddenly she realizes her own motives behind all of this. The hurt of the past year rushes to the fore; the build-up of grief from losing Owen and Tosh, Jack becoming distant from them all, Martha seeming to get through and connect with Ianto when she's never really been able to.
She's always been distracted by their rivalry for Jack's affections, always been distracted by her own problems with Rhys and Owen and Jack that Ianto became little more than a colleague even though they've been through so much together, even though they should be better friends, confidants. She's been so confused, so at a loss as to how to deal with it all that she ended up taking it out on the first mystery that seemed tangible. Solvable. Fixable.
"If you remember correctly," Jack admonishes gently when a tear escapes despite her best efforts at controlling herself, "you were the one who told me to take it easy on him at the time; that he was only protecting what he loved, like he's done his best to protect all of us since then."
"...I know," Gwen chokes out, reaching up a hand to scrub at her eyes. "I'm sorry, I just-"
"Maybe you should be talking to him about whatever problem it is you have," Jack orders. "But this is the end of it, Gwen. No more searching and digging. If Ianto's got something to tell us, he'll tell us." He walks up to her, hands her a handkerchief and places a consoling hand on her shoulder. "We've all lost too much to be second-guessing each other every step of the way. I refuse to act on blind suspicion, especially when he's done nothing to earn it."
Jack watches from his office while Ianto works at Tosh's old station. The young man's brow is furrowed in concentration. Jack tries to ignore the sinking feeling that tells him Gwen is right. He was fine with his denial of it up until now, but if he's not the only one noticing it, there must be some difference in his lover. It's just in the little things, like how Ianto's been instigating more casual touches at work, a pat on the back, the shoulder, a quick stolen kiss when no one's looking. How Ianto has come in on two separate occasions dressed in jeans and a t-shirt when they most definitely weren't scheduled to work in the field. How Jack has caught Ianto giving him slightly wistful, slightly sad looks when he thinks Jack's not looking. How he's invited Jack out for dinner four times since being back from Venice.
In and of themselves, the changes aren't that drastic or troubling. What's troubling to Jack is how he's been reacting to them. How he's unthinkingly returning Ianto's touches, how it's become easy for him to slide his arms around the young man's waist or twine their fingers together while they're sitting at the conference table. How Ianto dressed in jeans can serve to distract him for a good majority of the day. How he wants to kiss away that forlorn expression Ianto gets sometimes. How he's accepted every dinner invitation and offered a couple of his own.
With a start, he realizes it's like Ianto's courting him. Subtly, gently, like Jack will get scared off if he doesn't tread carefully. And Jack's been falling for it every step of the way. He wonders how Ianto's managed to work up the nerve all of the sudden. The young man had seemed content to play the passive role before.
Strangely, even though Jack knows he probably shouldn't allow it to continue now that he's noticed it, he's not got any real urge to run in the opposite direction. He'll wait and see how it plays out. Ianto's laid his cards expertly so far. It would be a shame if Jack undid all of the young man's hard work before at least seeing what the ultimate prize is supposed to be. Jack loves to play the game, after all.
He smirks when Ianto jumps at the arm Jack slinks around his neck, pressing his chest up against Ianto's back, the crook of Jack's elbow resting just under Ianto's collarbone. He presses a soft kiss to the younger man's temple.
"Finding anything good?" he asks, breath ghosting over Ianto's ear. Ianto lets out a puff of exasperated breath.
"Well, if some people wouldn't insist on being so distracting, I might actually get some work done," he complains. He doesn't pull out of Jack's embrace, though. Jack laughs.
"Heaven forbid," he says flippantly.
They rest contentedly entwined for a few minutes, two sets of eyes scanning through the data scrolling past on the computer screen. Finally, Jack sighs, remembering his reason for approaching Ianto in the first place.
"You need to talk to Gwen," he states, seemingly apropos nothing. "She's got concerns about something she overheard you say. Came to me with questions I had no answers for, along with the results of some half-cocked search into your vacation time." Ianto tenses slightly in his arms and turns around. If Jack wasn't already certain something was up, this reaction would have clinched it for him.
"What did she overhear?" Ianto asks, blue eyes a little grave but mostly curious.
"I didn't ask. Figured it wasn't any of my business," Jack states with a raised eyebrow. "I also told her to call her search off. Not really a good use of company time, is it?"
They just look at each other for a moment. Jack doesn't know what he's looking to find in Ianto's expression, but he knows it's not there.
"You're a bit of a mystery, aren't you, Ianto Jones?" he asks quietly after a pause. Ianto smirks.
"Who, me? Nah. I'm just a simple tea boy." There's that slightly sad expression again, and Jack doesn't hesitate this time in bringing Ianto's lips to his. He kisses him reassuringly, gently, licking softly as a request for entrance and mapping out the inside of his lover's mouth slowly. One hand caresses the back of Ianto's neck, thumb trailing along his jawline.
Ianto kisses back just as gently, his fingers gripping the front of Jack's shirt almost desperately. They linger as they pull apart, and Jack opens his eyes to see Ianto's are still closed, his breathing deep as if he's savoring the feeling. Jack's other hand comes up to cup Ianto's cheek.
"You know you can tell me, right?" Jack asks, just to make sure. Ianto's eyes open, and Jack's pleased to see at least some of the shadows in them are gone.
"I will. Soon," he says with a quiet smile. Jack nods and steps away after letting his hand fall to squeeze Ianto's shoulder, heads back to his office.
He'll hold Ianto to it.
Gwen's been avoiding everyone all day, keeping herself buried in paperwork. She's given up her searching, but she still can't stand the pointed glances Jack's been shooting her since their conversation. She knows she should talk to Ianto- it's just that she's trying to figure out what to say. She's good at apologizing when it comes to Rhys, (candles, dinner, wine, a few kisses) but when it comes to Ianto, she's got no clue how to start.
She's not sure whether she's more relieved or terrified when Ianto comes to put her out of her misery.
"I'm going to grab some coffee and biscuits," he says while perusing the papers she's got strewn on the desk, giving her the option of meeting his eyes or not. "I thought you'd like to come with me, get some fresh air."
It's on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but when she looks up at him to say it, she finds she can't.
"Alright. I could use a break," she says instead as she stands and grabs her coat. Ianto's already wearing his. After she's buttoned up, he juts out an elbow. It's such a small gesture, but Gwen breathes a sigh of relief, realizes she's already been forgiven. She takes the offered arm and they walk up to exit via the tourist office in companionable silence.
It's a sunny day in Cardiff for once, though the brisk wind off the bay makes the coats necessary. It's the kind of day Gwen loves, the perfect day to go for a walk. She shoots a veiled glance at her companion, wondering if he knew a walk on a day like this would be just the thing to calm her nerves, make it easy to have a conversation. She wouldn't put it past him; Ianto's always been good at recognizing what others need before they do themselves. It's part of what makes him so good at his job.
"So, Jack told me you've been making some inquiries?" he starts after they've been walking for a bit, softening his voice so she can tell it's not an accusation. Doesn't stop the fresh wash of guilt, though.
"Yes, I...I suppose I owe you an apology. I hadn't the right to do what I did." The apology comes a lot easier than she expected. Not so hard to find the words after all, even if they're a little bumbling and incomplete. "It's just... I dunno. I suppose you've been different lately, that's all. I worried." Ianto arches an eyebrow.
"If that's all it was, couldn't you have spoken to me about it?" he asks, astute as ever. "Why don't you tell me what this is really about."
Gwen doesn't say anything right away, takes the time to think it through. She remembers that moment in Jack's office, when all that rage and resentment had rushed at her out of nowhere. She thinks about Torchwood since Owen and Tosh, she thinks about Ianto, her arm in his, the unquestioning patience and steady presence at her side while he lets her sort it out.
"I was worried," she starts after a while, realizing they've stopped walking somewhere along the way, standing at the end of the pier arm in arm, facing the water. "Guilty too, I s'pose. When I overheard you and Martha, I guess I realized I've never really payed as much attention to you as I should." She drops his arm and turns to face him. "I guess part of it was jealously too...I mean, ever since Tosh and Owen, Jack's been so distant, and then Martha comes and suddenly you two are best mates and I just...felt left out, is all."
Ianto just looks at her kindly, remains silent so she can continue.
"I feel like I should've been better in the past, stopped certain things, I know we all do, and here was something I could try to figure out. Maybe help. But I went about it the wrong way because you and I, well, we've just sort of missed each other, haven't we? The chance to be better friends. It's my fault."
"How do you mean?" Ianto asks, looking genuinely confused. Gwen looks away from him, out to the sea.
"I mean, with Jack...it seems impossible not to become a little infatuated with him. For the longest time I had it in my head that-" she stops for a moment, ashamed to continue, but she knows she owes Ianto at least this much, "-that...that I was somehow special to him. Different from the rest of you. That he felt the same way I did. I guess, when you and he- I never realized before that it bothered me a little, built up a silly rivalry between us. So when we should have been getting closer, especially after Tosh and Owen, I just pushed you away." She lets out a slightly bitter laugh. "And then I irrationally wonder why you prefer the company of some new girl, why you're telling her your secrets and not me. A bit mad, isn't it?" Ianto smiles and places a hand on her arm, prompting her to face him again.
"Well, we're both a bit guilty there," he tells her, a deep sadness in his eyes she's noticed before. "I must admit that the feeling of competition sort of goes both ways, and I haven't always been forthcoming with you because of it." He sighs, looking down for a beat before catching her eyes again. "Gwen, you must realize that he does love you. Your innocence, your intelligence, how you're unspoilt- unlike the rest of us. He's got his own brand of honor, though, and you have Rhys. I was simply...available." Ianto turns away from her, eyes closing, face pressed into the wind like it will give him some sort of absolution.
"Ianto, you know that's not true," Gwen can't help but deny after a long pause, shocked at how much he's been holding back from her, that they've both been holding back from each other. She should have been there helping him deal with this grief, not adding to it. She puts the self-recrimination aside for later. "You're not just a convenience. Jack does care about you- I can see it when he looks at you." Ianto lets out a cut-off laugh.
"Oh, I know. He cares, in his own way. It's just..." he trails off, but Gwen hears the end of the sentence. Not the same as love. He composes himself and turns back to her. She knows the look on his face.
"How long have you been in love with him?" she asks, willing to listen, to be his friend, if that's what he wants of her in spite of everything.
"Doesn't matter," he says. "Feels like a very long time. I've come to terms with it, Gwen. If he wasn't the way he was, he wouldn't be the man I love. I'm willing to be with him in spite of it, I'm just... not going to hide how I feel anymore. It's not worth it." There's a light that comes to his eyes, that difference she's noticed recently, an inner strength that wasn't there before. She's not sure where it's come from, but she finds herself smiling because of it.
"Well, good. Don't take any shit from him- he does love to dish it out." They both laugh. "But seriously, Ianto, I don't feel that way about him- not the way you do. It's a school-girl crush more than anything. I do love Rhys, and I wouldn't trade him for ten Captain Jack Harknesses. You've got nothing to worry about from my end. Plus, I know just where the big guns are kept in case he ends up hurting you." He smiles at her reassurance. It's just so Gwen; fiery enthusiasm, unflinching morality, and loyalty to a fault.
"I know," Ianto says. He glances at his watch. "We really ought to go get that coffee- I can hear Mickey moaning about caffeine withdrawal from here." She takes his arm as they begin walking again.
"You should know," Gwen says when they're almost to the shop, "you, Jack, Martha, Mickey; you're all my family. You and Jack especially. I love you- even if I don't always have the best way of showing it...I just..." she sputters, a little unused to being so candid with Ianto, "I just want you to know that you can confide in me if you need to- not that you have to or anythin'." That earns her a real smile, one that reaches all the way to his eyes.
"Oh, you'll all hear about it eventually, Nosy Parker," he teases, and she knows he's talking about that mysterious something only Martha seems to know. "In spite of what I may try to do to stop it. I just want to keep it to myself for a while, that's all." He opens the door for her, and she grins before stepping inside.
"Oh, and Gwen?" he says, and she looks back at him, his figure silhouetted in sunlight from the outdoors. "I love you, too."
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