Title: A Torchwood Costume Party
Author: bookwrm89
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, they belong to the BBC & RTD. I just have fun with them once in a while.
A/N - This idea came to me the other day...not sure why. Hope you enjoy it! The setting is sometime after ep 9-Something Borrowed. Also, for the purposes of this fic, I'm ignoring the now-canon fact that Ianto actually has a hairy chest. (Although I can't seem to block his lovely chest out of my head...) The story was originally supposed to have the team go undercover at a costume party to investigate some strange activity, but I decided to concentrate more on the team than trying to come up with something for them to investigate.
Summary: Cross dressing Ianto (yes, I went there).

***

"A costume party?!? Gwen, whatever gave you the idea to throw a costume party?" Tosh exclaimed.

"Rhys and I were watching a special about Mardi Gras the other night and it looked like fun. Since no one really remembers our wedding reception, we just decided to have a party. You guys are all invited and I won't take no for an answer, Jack Harkness, so quit shaking your head." Gwen glared at each of them in turn. "Oh, and it's a masked costume party…unmasking at midnight."

The team all sighed and gave up; they knew how stubborn Gwen Williams could get. Surprisingly, Ianto was the only one that looked pleased about the idea. There was a faint smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes that, when Jack saw it, sent a shiver down his spine. He had a feeling that the rest of them were in for a big shock. The young Welshman had a wild streak that no one except Jack had seen.

"Ianto, my office…"

"I'll catch you up, Jack. Just have to talk to Gwen for a minute." Ianto knew Jack was going to try and weasel what costume Ianto would be wearing out of him, but it wasn't going to do any good. Gwen wasn't the only stubborn Welsh in the building.

Gwen looked at him curiously as he walked over to her desk, "What's up, Ianto?"

"I need your help with something. Let's go get a coffee." He felt Jack's eyes following them as they walked out of the hub. In fact, he was willing to bet Jack followed their progress on the CCTV monitor in his office once they stepped outside.

"So, what can I help you with that we needed to leave the Hub to talk about?" Gwen smiled up at him.

"Well, remember that Halloween party you threw while Jack was gone?"

Gwen looked up, startled, and then started laughing. "Oh my god, Ianto! You mean Jack has never seen…?"

"Nope. Ceryse doesn't come out to play very often anymore." Ianto laughed.

"Jack is going to implode!"

"That's the idea. And that's why I need your help. He's going to want to go to the party together, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. So, let him know that you need my help with decorations or something would you?"

"Ok, should I warn Owen and Tosh too?"

"Probably be a good idea. Think they can keep it secret?"

"Owen won't say anything. Especially since he didn't recognize you the last time and spent the whole Halloween party hitting on you." Gwen snorted. "Tosh will be just as anxious to see Jack's reaction as I am, so she won't say anything either."

"Good. By the way, can I get ready at your place? I wouldn't put it past Jack to camp out in front of my flat trying to catch me."

"Of course!"

*************************************************

Jack spent the next week trying to find out what costume Ianto would be wearing to the party, but Ianto refused to tell him. He'd even threatened to withhold sex, but Ianto just raised an eyebrow and said, "I can wait if you can, Sir." Jack knew by the glint in his eyes that Ianto wouldn't fight fair if he actually tried it, so he gave up. He was starting to get a bit pouty about the whole thing. He'd walked into the kitchen once when the rest of the team was there, having coffee and laughing about some party Gwen had thrown while he was away. They'd immediately stopped talking and left for their workstations soon after he came in. From the grumpy look on Owen's face and the smiles on everyone else's, he figured they'd been teasing the doctor about something. Feeling a little lonely, he walked back to his office.

"Jack?" It was Tosh's soft voice at his door.

"Yes, Tosh, what is it?" was the gruff reply.

"We didn't mean to exclude you. It's just that things happened while you were away. We all got closer as a team."

"I know that, and I'm glad you did. I guess I'd just like to hear about it sometime." Jack sighed.

Tosh giggled, "Oh you'll probably get an earful Saturday night. It's just that Ianto is so excited about this. He really wants to surprise you. Don't ruin it for him."

Jack smiled for the first time that day. "Oh, really?"

"Mmmmhmmm. By the way, what are you going to wear?" Tosh asked; glad to see that the blue eyes had their sparkle back.

"I thought I'd go as a WWII RAF officer. What do you think?" Tosh just gave him a look. "No, huh?"

"It's supposed to be a costume party, not wear what you always wear, Jack," she scolded him.

"What about you, what are you going to be dressed as?" Jack found himself really curious about Tosh's choice.

"I'm going as Arwen Undomiel." She sighed when she saw the blank look on his face. "Honestly, Jack, don't you ever read anything except those trashy space novels? She's a character from The Lord of the Rings books by JRR Tolkein."

Jack was surprised. "You're into fantasy, Tosh?" He'd always pegged her as curling up with some new tech journal to read.

"We all are in one way or another, Jack." Tosh rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed. Owen and Ianto both love Terry Pratchett and Douglas Addams, you should hear some of their discussions, especially since that death thing came through Owen. I'm a Tolkein and CS Lewis fan. Gwen is addicted to the Harry Potter books." Tosh laughed. "You should've seen us at the Comic Expo in Bristol a few months ago! We were like a bunch of kids."

"Bristol!" Jack exclaimed. "What the hell were you guys doing there?"

"An alien came through the rift and we tracked him there. Apparently he's addicted to Star Trek and was looking for some memorabilia."

"That's just…huh…must have been from Risa." Jack mused. He shook his head, "Why didn't I know about this?"

Tosh just looked pointedly at the stack of files on Jack's desk. Jack looked sheepish. "Oh yeah, well, we've been busy."

"We aren't now…start reading. Oh, and think of a costume…you've only got two days left!" She walked out the door.

Two days…as if life wasn't complicated enough fighting aliens and saving the world every other week.

Two days passed and the Hub was deserted early. Ianto and Gwen had taken off to set up the decorations and Owen and Tosh had left soon after to get ready for the party. Jack locked up and headed for the SUV. May as well keep it close by, just in case there was an emergency. He shifted a little once he sat down, it had been awhile since he'd worn the leather pants but they still looked damn good on him. He parked outside of the hotel where Gwen had rented the ballroom and walked into the party. There were already several people there although he didn't recognize anyone. Of course, it was kind of difficult as they were all dressed in costumes with masks on.

"Jack!" He heard Gwen's voice coming from behind him and turned. She was dressed as a princess, of course. "You're a pirate! That isn't a real sword is it?" She sounded a little apprehensive.

"Of course it's a real sword. All dashing heroes have swords. Besides, it's always a good idea to be prepared. It's the 21st century and we have to be ready you know." Gwen just rolled her eyes. Jack laughed, "Have you seen Ianto?"

"He's around someplace. Go on, get a drink."

Jack walked over to the bar and ordered a scotch. He stood to the side and looked around for Ianto. There were a few possibilities, but he couldn't be sure until he got closer.

A rather tall Goth woman walked up to him, "Mmmmm, a pirate," she said. Her voice was low and husky. "Very dashing. I love the leather." She reached down and spanked him lightly on his butt. He was a little startled, but Captain Jack Harkness was anything but shy.

He gave her his trademark grin and said "Hi, I'm Captain Jack Harkness. And who might you be?"

Her dark red lips smiled mysteriously and she trailed her long black nails down his chest as she said, "My name is Ceryse. I'll be seeing you, Captain."

Jack watched her walk away. That was one hell of a sexy woman. Tall and very graceful, she was wearing a short black velvet dress that ended a couple of inches above her knees, with a corset that cinched her waist in. Her height was enhanced by the knee-high black platform boots with silver buckles that she was wearing over thigh-high, fishnet stockings. He caught a glimpse of a black lacy garter belt strap as she walked away. It was a good thing Ianto wasn't the jealous type, Jack thought. Ceryse would make the pope drool. Especially with that long black hair that flowed all the way down her back.

Looking around the room, he finally spotted Owen and Tosh. Owen was also watching Ceryse, with an enigmatic look on his face. Probably lamenting the lack of blood again, Jack snorted. He walked over to the pair, taking in their costumes. Tosh looked beautiful with her hair down, wearing a blue velvet, floor length dress that looked like it would fit in perfectly in the 12th century. She was wearing an intricate silver necklace and a matching silver circlet in her hair. Owen was dressed up as the grim reaper.

"Tosh, you look lovely." Jack said when he got close enough to talk to the pair.

She smiled up at him, "Thank you, Jack! You look rather gorgeous yourself!" She replied, taking in the black leather pants, black flowing pirate shirt, eye patch and sword.

"PIRATE, HUH?" Owen's voice sounded strange and then Jack realized why.

"Owen, you're not supposed to take artifacts out of the Hub anymore, remember? Where did you find the voice modulator?" Jack shook his head in exasperation.

"IANTO GOT IT OUT OF THE ARCHIVES. HE SAID I COULDN'T BE DEATH UNLESS I SOUNDED LIKE I WAS TALKING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS."

"Where is he anyway? Will one of you please tell me what his costume is now?" Jack pleaded.

"Nope, sorry, we promised him." Tosh giggled.

Jack sighed and continued searching the room for his elusive lover. Half an hour later and Jack still hadn't spotted him, although he did see Ceryse talking and laughing with Gwen, Rhys, Owen and Tosh. He drifted closer, but just as he got to the small group, the DJ started playing music and Rhys led Gwen out to the dance floor. Surprisingly, Owen and Tosh were right on their heels. Ceryse had spotted him walking toward them, so he couldn't very well turn and walk away.

"Captain, we meet again." The husky voice sent shivers up his spine. "Would you like to dance?"

Seeing no sign of Ianto, Jack shrugged. "Sure, why not?" It was a party after all.

They made their way out to the dance floor, Jack noting again how tall she was. The black eye mask she was wearing made it difficult to see her eyes, but he thought he caught a glimpse of blue. He looked over her shoulder, still searching the room for Ianto. As they started to dance, Ceryse's hand moved up from his shoulder and settled on the back of his neck, her long fingernails sending goose bumps down his arms. Jack was suddenly suspicious; Ianto had done that when they danced together at Gwen's wedding, well minus the fingernails. He looked around the dance floor and spotted Gwen & Rhys and Owen & Tosh watching him closely. His eyes widened and he looked back at Ceryse, his suspicion turning into certainty as he saw the familiar look in the eyes behind the mask.

"Ianto?" Jack's voice was incredulous.

"Was there something you needed, Sir?" Ianto's laughing voice spoke through the red lips.

Jack stepped back and looked at person standing in front of him. His shock quickly turned to delight at what he was seeing. Ianto Jones, his calm, cool, collected, suit-wearing Ianto, was dressed in drag. And obviously very comfortable with it, as if it was something he had done often before. Jack was suddenly so turned on he could hardly stand it.

"Yes, there's something I need," he growled. "You, right now."

"Good thing I reserved us a room," smiled Ianto.

***

Next story in series - Private Unmasking.