gothams3rdrobin | Amser A Ddengys: Croeso Nôl (5/5)

Please see Part One for header and disclaimer.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"I can't believe how quiet it is." Jack commented, tossing the last of the bread out to the ducks and swans gathered around them at the side of the lake.

"It's normal for a Sunday morning," his companion pointed out, "It'll be busier closer to lunchtime, when the playground fills up."

Jack sat alongside Ianto on the steps of the jetty, watching the one or two anglers who had gathered in the vain hope of catching a few fish. He listened to the ducks quacking their request for more crumbs, and stared out at the white lighthouse out in front of them; a tribute to Scott's doomed expedition to the Antarctic. There was another monument down the Bay, he recalled, alongside the Norwegian Church.

"Want to go down the Bay for lunch?" he offered tentatively, "The Craft Folk have set up their stalls on the Plass again this weekend."

Ianto had been looking dubious, but his expression brightened at the mention of the Craft Folk. He had always enjoyed wandering around their stalls during breaks in activity at the Hub.

"So that's where they went! I wondered why they'd not set up at the museum this weekend. I haven't had the chance to look around for a while."

"Shall we go, then?"

"What about Owen?" Ianto's expression became stony. Jack recognised this as concern and wanted to kiss him, distract him. "He's sure to see you on the monitors."

Jack shrugged, "Let him. I'll have to call back into the Hub at some point. And before you fret even more worry lines onto that gorgeous face," he laid his finger on Ianto's lips to halt his protest, "I will not let Tosh get into any trouble; I will take the flack for ‘breaking' your retcon programming. You walked away with no intention to return, and I have to respect that. I just want you in my life anyway, and if he doesn't like it? Tough."

Ianto still looked uncertain, so he pressed on. "C'mon, we can eat at that Chinese buffet you like so much, then walk it off looking at the stalls. Maybe even take in a movie?"

"Okay then," Ianto relented. Then he grinned wickedly, "You can buy me that ice-cream at Cadwalladers instead of the van, then."

Jack beamed, "You got it."

*~*~*~*~*~*

"It's amazing what you don't notice during the day." Ianto observed, leaning on the balcony and staring out over the moonlit marina.

"How so?" Jack queried. He was leaning back against the railing, watching the people walking past or sitting outside the many restaurants. It had been a wonderful day; they had stuffed themselves with Chinese food, walking it off in the rare Welsh sunshine, before heading back into the leisure complex to see a film. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun, in or out of the bedroom.

"Can you hear the pontoons in the Bay creaking?"

Jack turned around, and focused on the sounds coming from the water below. Sure enough, as the gentle waves lapped the walls of the former dock, the mostly empty pontoons groaned and creaked. "Huh. I'd forgotten they did that."

"You rarely spent any quiet time down here." Ianto smirked, "Too low down for you."

Jack had to concede his point. He was more likely to spend his contemplative moments on top of the Millennium Centre, or the roof of the Alto Lusso. He'd even stood on the roof of City Hall once or twice, but it was only two stories high and unsatisfyingly undramatic.

"I used to sit on the bench outside the tourist office sometimes, late at night," Ianto continued, "Just listening to the water. It was very soothing. These days I go down to the lake near my house instead, but it's not the same."

Jack put hid arm around the younger man, remembering the times he'd spot him on the marina's CCTV, sitting alone and staring out across the Bay. He would have joined him on any number of occasions, but Ianto had been giving off very strong vibes of needing to be left alone.

"So what happens now?" Ianto asked, continuing to stare out over the water to avoid Jack's gaze.

The older man frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you say you're back to stay now. Obviously you'll need to go back to work pretty soon."

Jack nodded, "We had this discussion over breakfast."

"But we never finished it," Ianto still wouldn't look at him, and was nibbling on his lower lip in a way that made Jack's heart ache, "What's next for us? I'm not part of that world anymore."

"You're part of my world." Jack insisted, "A bigger part than I ever dared tell you, and you always will be."

"But you left me, Jack!" the Welshman turned to him with hot eyes, his anger finally visible, "If you care so much for me, why did you leave? And how do I know it won't happen again?"

"I told you, I needed answers. To get some closure on part of my past. If I'd had time to say goodbye – or at least leave a note – don't you think I would have?"

"I don't know, Jack." Ianto sighed, the anger on his expressive face receding into sad resignation, "I may have been the person in Torchwood who knew you best, but you didn't tell me much of anything about you."

Jack squeezed his shoulder gently, "I promise that will change, if you'll let me. My place is here in Cardiff, running Torchwood, not swanning through time and space with someone who attracts trouble by simply breathing."

Ianto couldn't resist a chuckle at that. Jack smiled back, his thumb rubbing soothingly at the base of Ianto's neck. "And my heart belongs here right here, with you." He continued, holding the man's gaze, "I'm not a good boyfriend; I don't do romantic well, and I'm a hell of a flirt. But I do understand the twenty-first century concept of monogamy. I would never cheat on you, or give you any further reason to doubt how much I care about you."

"How long did you spend rehearsing that little speech, then?" Ianto asked, smiling softly. Jack chuckled dryly.

"A year – or a month, depending on your perspective. The bullet points, at least. The point is I mean it. I can't guarantee the future, but I can promise to never knowingly hurt you again."

Ianto sighed, "It is going to take some time, Jack…"

"I've got plenty of it." Jack beamed, feeling more certain of Ianto's trust. Being referred to as Ianto's boyfriend in front of a stranger had shown him there was still a chance – now all he had to do was prove Ianto's faith was justified. "We can play this by your rules; dinner, movies, walks in the park, whatever."

"Are you going to be staying at the Hub again?"

Jack shrugged, "It always made sense before. Since I don't sleep much, I was available to deal with any little emergency.

"Yes, but after you left, we had to come up with a new solution," Ianto pointed out, "The others certainly didn't want a night shift, and Tosh was determined I wouldn't get lumbered with it."

That peaked Jack's curiosity, "What did she come up with?"

"She fine-tuned the rift detector programmes to alert her through her PDA of anything that needed investigating. Depending on the level of seriousness, a message could then be sent to everyone's mobile to get them mobilised."

Jack had to admit he was impressed, if not a little jealous at how well they had coped without him. Seeing the look in his eye, Ianto prodded his shoulder in an affectionate admonishment.

"It means you don't need to stay there overnight if you don't want to," He reminded the older man, "There's advantages to that, if you care to recognise them."

"Such as?"

Ianto scowled at him, "Such as you could live outside the Hub. Have a life of your own, of a sorts."

"With you?" Jack asked, hopefully. Ianto's expression softened.

"Of course with me, you twpsyn! You think I'm going to let you get away from me again?"

Jack beamed his brightest smile, pulling Ianto forward for a tender, yet eager kiss. He held nothing back,wanting to show the other man how much he truly had missed him. He was overjoyed when Ianto didn't hesitate to respond in kind.

*~*~*~*~*

It was inevitable that Jack would have to go back to the Hub, and Ianto pushed him into doing it sooner rather than later. Jack was reluctant to leave Ianto's company, but eventually relented. He let himself back in through the Tourist Office entrance, and smiled as the cog door rolled open to admit him to the main area.

"Where the bloody hell have you been, Harkness?"

Jack's grin widened, as he shrugged out of his jacket and folded it over his arm, "Nice to see you again too, Owen."

"Sod that!" Harper scowled at him, "Tosh tells me you've been back since yesterday morning, yet this is the first time I've seen you. Now tell me where you've been!"

"Are you talking about the last few months, or the last few days?" Jack asked, keeping a straight face. Behind Owen, Tosh was covering her mouth with her hands to hide her smile.

Owen crossed his arms and tried to glare menacingly at him. "We'll get to the past few months in a minute. Where were you yesterday?"

"I stayed at a friend's house, Mom," Jack quipped, "Got a problem with that?"

"I do if that friend is Ianto." Owen's scowl deepened. "He quit, and you know protocol-"

"You know my deep respect for protocol," Jack said, voice sweet and sarcastic. As Owen glared, Jack winked at a now openly smiling Tosh. "Right, today is Sunday, which is traditionally a day of rest in this country. I suggest we call it a night, and start fresh tomorrow. I'll lock up once I've retrieved a few things."

"Where are you staying?" Tosh asked, curious.

"Ianto is kindly letting me stay with him while I settle back into life here again." He leaned in to whisper, "And he'd love you to visit for dinner soon – he's missed you."

Tosh blushed prettily, "I'd like that."

"Oi Jack, quit flirting with the staff!" Owen called out, putting on his jacket. Jack rolled his eyes, preferring to hear that sort of comment from the Doctor, not Owen.

"You're just jealous that my standards are too high for you."

Owen bristled at the insult, but wisely chose to leave without retort. Jack exchanged another grin with Tosh.

"Go on home," he repeated, reaching for her coat and helping her into it, "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

"It's good to have you home, Jack." She hugged him, bravely pressing a kiss to his cheek, "Give my love to Ianto, and tell him I'll see him soon."

"Will do." Jack watched her leave, then glanced around the now empty Hub. It felt strange to be back, after so long. Despite the fact the place had been his home for several years, he found himself surprisingly grateful that he wasn't having to spend the night alone there. His time away really had changed his perspective.

A familiar squawk reminded him he had one other task before he left.

"Hello Myfanwy! Hungry?"