PROLOGUE
The team had all gone out to the Crown & Thistle for drinks and were gathered round a table discussing what Ianto kept calling 'One hell of a day'.
“Okay, so 'Hell'...What's that all about?” asked Owen
Jack shrugged “It was 'Hell' that's all”
“Yeah, but where is it? Are we talking some dimension where your nightmares come true, or...” Owen trailed off. They all stared at Jack, waiting for an answer.
“What?”
“Hell?” asked Toshiko, carefully “The system kept a lock on Ianto, but the coordinates, well, they weren't coordinates, they were wrong.” “Hell. Is it real? Is it a real place?”
Jack paused and laughed, shaking his head “No, course not.” “The system didn't recognise the coordinates because we were in some other dimension.” “Remember Suzie? She told us after you die it's just dark, there's nothing there.”
“She also said there was something watching, waiting.” said Ianto sipping his lager.
“Well...I guess we'll never know.” Jack grinned “It's more interesting that way.
**
Jack simply shrugged off the thought, really not wanting to continue the conversation, hoping for a change in topic. He had put on a 'brave face' as it were, not wanting to reveal any details and disillusion his team, but if questioned, he knew his resolve to withhold would only last so long, despite his better judgement. How could he hurt his team by telling them what really awaited them when they died? Should he be that cruel? Could he be? No, it was best he kept that life-altering information to himself. He desperately hoped that Ianto wouldn't pay too close attention to his face, because he knew the nonchalant facade he was attempting to maintain would be utterly useless against Ianto, his Welshman knew him far too well for it to fool him for long, if at all.
Ianto had surreptitiously watched Jack while they talked and within a few moments, he knew with absolute certainty that there was far more going on with Jack than he was letting on to everyone else. Ianto said nothing, choosing to remain confident that once he had some time alone with Jack, the man would divulge what he was holding back from the others. They had grown in their 'whatever this is' and they often talked about everything and nothing late into the night/early into the mornings, sharing more between them than just incessant shagging like the others assumed.
He caught Jack's eye with a soft smile and when Jack smiled at him, though to anyone else it would seem to be a genuine Jack Harkness smile, Ianto noticed quite easily how Jack's smile was forced and never quite reached Jack's beautiful eyes, eyes that never connected directly with Ianto's and seemed to look just past him. It was proof that Jack definitely was holding something back from the team, which he often did, but more importantly, even though he trusted Ianto more intimately than the others, he was hiding that 'something' from him as well … and that worried the young Welshman.
Jack had seen the near-imperceptible, (well, to anyone but him it was) look of recognition that had flashed across Ianto's face when Jack had smiled at him. 'He's finally figured out that I'm holding something back from all of them.' That knowledge caused him to pay more careful attention and now he noticed how Ianto was watching him from the corner of his eye. Ianto's covert, but nonetheless constant surveillance left him feeling quite exposed and slightly irritated, a feeling which began to give way to enveloping warmth as he realised, 'That's only because knows me so well … and because he cares.'
**
Tosh asked Gwen how her wedding plans were coming along.
“Oh, my god...Rhys.” she fumbled for her mobile, “ Ugh, I said I'd call him, he's probably going out of mind.”
“Maybe this'll help.” said Jack, pulling an envelope out of his pocket, he pushed it across the table towards her. She looked down at it and then back up at him.
“What?”
“Open it.”
She opened the envelope and took out two plane tickets “Paris?”
Jack nodded, telling her she needed to take the weekend off and spend some time with Rhys and do 'coupley-stuff' since it had been very busy lately and she had not gotten to spend time with him. He told her that they would see her Monday morning, and he kissed her cheek, sending her on her way. She left the bar while the others stayed and finished their drinks with Owen complaining, not surprisingly about his lack of a vaction and was interrupted within a few minutes as Tosh's portable rift monitor started it's familiar beeping from her bag. Drinks were quickly emptied as the remaining team members started back for the SUV to check on the Rift.
To be continued .....