Previous part of Seperate Ways.

***

Jack was the last one to work. Tosh looked up from where she was sitting and watched her boss cross the room. Jack felt her eyes on him and looked back, almost running into Gwen.

"You're late, yeah," she said, looking up at him.

"Well, yeah," he agreed. "But I had a good reason. Ran some morning errands."

"Had to drop the kids off, sir?" Ianto appeared out of the kitchen, carrying Jack's mug.

"Since when did you have kids, Jack?" Owen's ears perked up at the opportunity to harass the man.

"Since, uh, I don't have kids." Jack looked around, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Ianto raised his eyebrow. "Well, not yours, obviously."

"You picking up random kids, Harkness?" Owen joined the others who were forming a circle around him.

Jack felt like he was on a school playground and the bullies were about to overtake him. "No, Owen, these are not some random kids." He wasn't going to answer something that he wasn't asked. No giving up information without a fight.

"Then whose are they, Jack?" This from the usually quiet Toshiko Sato, who had now joined the group.

He thought for a moment before he answered. His last little chance of having a separate life away from here was about to be busted. He guessed it had all been too easy up to this point, and sighed before answering. "My girlfriend's."

You could have heard a pin drop in the Hub.

"Girlfriend?" Gwen said at last, sounding almost crushed. "When did you get a girlfriend?" She narrowed her eyes at him, hands on her hips.

"I've had a girlfriend?" Jack's attempt at a statement came out as more of a question. Why was it that he felt like he needed to answer to them anyway? "You're just now finding out about it is all."

"Yeah, that would be my fault," Ianto tried to sound sorry, he really did. It didn't work. "I kind of told them about last night."

"Couldn't you just have told them about Erin and left me out?" Jack spun on the Welshman.

"And leave out the part where I beat your girlfriend at Monopoly?" He snorted. "Right. Oh, oh, and let's not forget you with the baby!"

"Baby?!" Gwen was quite rankled now.

"Well, he's almost two ... not really a baby anymore." Jack turned to face her. All the turning was starting to make him dizzy, so he made for his office. The others followed him. "Can I help you?"

They all just stared at him. Jack shrugged and took his seat behind his desk. Four pairs of eyes were unmoving. Tosh was the one that broke the silence. "Jack, we wish we had known is all. You know so much about all of us."

"What Tosh is saying, Jack is that you didn't have to be such a prat and shut us out," Owen reworded when Jack said nothing to his co-worker.

"What was there to say ... team, I have a girlfriend, is that okay?" Jack was livid, stopping himself short of slamming his hands on the desk.

Ianto looked at his watch and started. "Crap ... I have to go upstairs! Erin is meeting me for lunch."

"I'm not done with you, Ianto Jones. You three go back downstairs ... we can finish this later." Jack was irate with the man for sharing this info, and he had to talk to him about it now.

He followed Ianto up thru the maze that lead to the exterior office. Ianto tried to ignore him, but the moment they were in the cramped office, Jack grabbed his arm. "You had no right to tell them about my private life!" His finger was in Ianto's face without realizing it.

"Sir, in my defense, I was telling them about my date last night. You just happened to be in the story." Ianto kept his voice steady and his stance calm. "If you remember, you were the one to mention the kids."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest in indignance. He had been the one to say the thing about the kids. "Well, still." Now he had no one to blame but himself.

"Jack, is there something bothering you about this?" Ianto was busy stacking tour maps as he talked.

He shook his head. "I just wanted something away from here. Once we were over, it seemed easier ... you know?"

Ianto gave the man his knowing smile and turned to the door when he heard the bell on it. Erin was there, along with Susan. "I ran into Susan on my way over. We thought that maybe you could lock up for an hour so we could go to lunch."

The men passed a look between them before Jack answered. "Sure thing, let me just go in the back and call Gwen and let her know where we're going." He went behind the beaded curtain and tapped his comm ... Gwen answered.

"Yes?"

"Gwen, the girls are here, we're going to lunch, can you come up here and relieve us?" Jack half whispered, hoping Gwen would get the clue.

"Sure thing!" He could tell by her voice that she was eager to meet these women ... what exactly had Ianto told them?

"Right," Jack rejoined the others. "Gwen will be coming back from lunch early. Do you want to wait here for her or do you want to meet us?"

"We'll wait." Ianto agreed, slipping his arm around Erin's waist.

Within a few minutes, Gwen was coming through the door, Tosh on her arm. "Jack, Ianto ... you remember my friend Tosh?"

Ianto offered his hand to Tosh and Jack tried not to glare at her as he nodded a hello. Tosh waved shyly at the both of them and put her head down slightly.

"This is Erin, Gwen. And that," he motioned to Susan. "Is Susan."

Gwen squealed as she ran to hug Erin, then Susan. "Oh my gosh! Jack has told us so much about you!" She gushed over the latter. "Your kids ... your job ... everything!"

Susan looked confused as she hugged her again and Jack made a mental note to have a talk with them later. "And you're…?" Susan spoke carefully.

"He didn't tell us you were American though!" She put her hand over her mouth and looked over at Jack. Ianto was loving every minute of this. "Jack, all of Cardiff and you find an American? What are the odds?"

"Yes, what indeed, Gwen Cooper? Now, if you'll excuse us, we have lunch plans." He all but yanked Susan out the door after pushing Ianto out. "Nice to see you again, Toshiko."

Tosh and Gwen waited until they were out of earshot before they began to laugh.

*** 

"She seems nice," Erin remarked as she threaded her arm through Ianto's. He smiled back at Jack, who was stalking along beside Susan.

"Look, Jack, if this is bad timing," Susan began to say, but noticed that he was ignoring her. "JACK!" Susan put herself in his way and, not seeing, he tripped into her.

"What was that for?" He looked down at the woman who was glaring up at him, her hands on her hips.

If it hadn't been for the serious look she had on her face, Jack would have been forced to laugh. Her hair was pulled into a loose clip and the sweater she was wearing hung, unbuttoned. She looked like a cartoon of an angry librarian. "Jack Harkness, quit sulking ... what has gotten into you?"

He went a bit boneless and looked anywhere but her face. "Nothin'…"

"Bullshit. Now spill it." Her hands were on her hips now and she demanding an answer.

"Do you want us to wait, sir?" Ianto asked, looking back for a moment.

"Go ahead, Yan, we'll be there." Jack excused the man. "It's nothing."

"Like hell. You're going to tell me now or this is over." Susan looked into his eye, daring him to turn away from her.

Jack thought for a moment how amused the others would be if they saw this woman telling him what to do. Here was this woman, who by all accounts, was not a heart-stopping beauty, but he liked her looks just fine. Something about her drew people in, but Jack couldn't figure out quite what it was. Maybe it was the way her glasses were always slightly sliding off her nose, or the way that her eyes laughed when she was trying not to do so herself. Or the way her hips swayed when she walked, making the skirts she always wore dance around her. Or the fact that he could see down her shirt from this angle. That was always his favorite. He wondered what Gwen and Tosh were talking about this very moment and how much of a laugh they were having at his expense. And then he noticed, Susan, her hands planted on her hips, tapping her foot. "Susan, I…" he began, but didn't know where he was going. "I…Oh hell, I don't know."

"Does this have anything to do with Erin's new boyfriend? Or the fact that he used to be yours?" Still with the foot tapping.

Jack was flustered. He shoved his hands in his coat pocket and bent a little to kiss the top of the woman's head in an effort to stall for time. "Susan, it's more."

She backed away from him a bit. "More? What the hell does that mean?"

He knew that he was coming dangerously close to talking himself out of a relationship, so he stepped forward, taking his hands from his pockets and reaching for hers. "It's just that I wanted to keep you to myself."

She looked up at him, confused. "You do know that I have kids, right? That you can never really have me all to yourself…"

He rubbed lazy circles up her arm as he smiled down at her. "That's not what I meant. I meant I wanted you to be my little secret."

Her eyes turned suddenly dark as she pushed him away. "Secret?! What the hell are you playing at, Jack Harkness! I am no one's secret!"

"Okay, so maybe the wrong choice of words. That's not how I meant it at all. Please, listen…" He was now talking to a retreating form. A rapidly retreating form. A rapidly retreating, stomping form. One he had to catch up with quickly. "Wait!" He called, but she didn't stop. Not that he thought she would. Damn him and his bad choices! He could only run after her now, and Jack never ran after anyone.

"Don't follow me." She said loudly, hearing footsteps behind her.

"Please let me explain." Jack spun her around, noticing that her hair was falling from the hasty bun she had swept it into and into her eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"You have five minutes to clarify, Captain Harkness, then, I am walking that way," she pointed behind her, "and not turning back around. Ready? Go."

Jack grabbed each of her arms to get her to look at him. He breathed deeply and started to talk, his eyes never moving from hers. "I meant that I wanted to have something that was mine, something I didn't have to share with my co-workers. I didn't tell them about you because I wanted you to myself. I guess that was selfish of me. Am I forgiven?"

She looked at him for a minute before looking down at the hands that gripped her arms. Jack was afraid that he had said the wrong thing again as she batted at those same hands. "Jack, why can't you tell me these things before they get to this point?" Her voice was soft and maternal. "It might have been different when you were dealing with Ianto, but you have to talk to me. I am not the type to just agree with you and go on like nothing is wrong."

"Susan," his voice came out a little more pleading than he had wanted it to.

"I'm not done." She stood back from him again, sure she had his full attention. "There will be no secrets. And before you can say anything else, I want to let you know that your office might say ‘Tourist Center', but the things you mumble in your sleep say otherwise. I know you can't go into detail, and I'm not asking you to, but I am saying that you have to be as honest as you can with me. Are you hearing what I am saying?"

Jack nodded, afraid to talk. She was good, he'd give her that. Might be worth it to tell her about Torchwood just to have her on the team from time to time. They needed an interrogator every now and then. He pulled her close to him to show that he agreed with everything that had been said. She relaxed against him. "Done."

She let him hold her for a minute, enjoying the warmth, before whispering in his ear. "Jack."

"Yes?" She could feel him listening.

"Tell that Gwen that you work with that I didn't appreciate that. Lies are never cute." She waited for his reaction.

"How do you know she was lying?" He looked into her eyes again.

"Please. Old mother trick ... can't tell you that ... I'd have to kill you." She smiled a little smile at him and kissed him softly on the lips. "Just introduce us right, please? Now, how about that lunch? I think Erin and Ianto have given us the slip."

Jack chuckled. She was right, they were nowhere to be found. "Sure thing, I can do that ... how about now?"

"Really?" Her eyes sparkled as she asked.

"Yes, now, come on, you. We'll go meet the gang and order some takeaway. How's that?" He took her hand in his and they walked back the way they came. He had decided right then and there that Susan would know about Torchwood. After all, if it went bad, there was always Retcon.

***

Ianto turned to his lunch date. "I think we lost them." He laughed a little and opened the door for her. "Should we wait on them?"

"Don't think so. I know Susan ... she had ‘that look' in her eyes. I don't think Jack is going to be to hungry when she gets done with him." Erin sat at the table Ianto motioned to.

"Fair enough, but you have to know that Jack doesn't take orders from anyone." He laughed a little as he sat across from her. "Let's not talk about them."

"Agreed." Erin put her head in her hands. "What's good here?"

"Well, they make really good sandwiches. You know, standard lunch fare." He mimicked her actions and smiled.

"Sounds good." She returned the smile and began to stare at him. He was returning the look, not backing down. They sat in silence for a bit before Ianto continued.

"Look, before someone can interrupt, I just want to know if maybe you want to meet me after work for a stroll around the bay? Nothing fancy ... maybe some wine after?" He was trying not to blush, but was failing miserably.

Erin reached across the table to him and took his hands from his chin. "That would be grand!" Okay, maybe too eager, she thought to herself, starting to join him in blushing.

"Really?" Ianto acted surprised that she would agree.

"Yes." She giggled at him now and scooted closer. Ianto swallowed hard as she got into his personal space.

"Erin?" He could feel her getting closer and closed his eyes on instinct. Her lips brushed his for a moment before he leaned in to reciprocate.

Suddenly, it was if the world was gone and they were the only two people in it. Erin saw sparks behind her eyes and thought that Ianto mast have been seeing the same ... he was gripping at her upper arms as if he were falling. There was not enough oxygen in the universe, it seemed as Erin began to feel light-headed and Ianto was sure he felt his toes begin to curl. It had never really been like this with Jack, no matter how much he had wanted it to be. They were both reluctant to break away, but did so after what seemed like a lifetime. Ianto opened his eyes to see Erin looking at him, slightly dazed. He knew how she felt. Getting up on shaky legs, he tried to speak.

""I'll just go get those lifetimes...er...sandwiches." He walked away before she could think about what he had said. Before he could think about what he said. Lifetimes? What a complete pratt! But where had she learned that? He would have to ask her more about it later.

Watching him walk to the counter to order, Erin touched her lips. The scene of the crime, she giggled to herself. "Wow." Where had that come from? Her head was still reeling a bit from the experience. She wondered to herself where he had learned to do that, and if he was going to show her more.

She was still in her thoughts when he brought their lunch back to the table. They ate in silence, daring to look at one another only every now and then. And when they did, it was promptly followed by a bright blush and a shy smile.

"About that…" Both started when they had finished with lunch. They laughed.

"Go on," Erin urged, hoping he wasn't going to say something horrible.

"No you," he insisted politely.

"Okay, about that ... do, uh, ummm…" Erin was all at once too nervous to continue.

Ianto smiled and leaned across to her once again. "I would love to try that again later." He raised his eyebrows a little and let a smile drift across his face. It was so easy to talk to her.

"Okay, then." She was still a little dazed. "I'll walk you back to work."

They stood and left, Ianto holding tightly to her hand as they walk back to the door to the Tourist Office. Erin leaned on his shoulder a bit, and Ianto resisted the urge to pull her into another kiss.

"We're here ... what time do you get off tonight?" Erin looked at her feet.

"Around six ... meet you at yours at eight?" He dipped his head down to be in her sight. "That sound good?"

She looked up at him and nodded, leaning a little to give him a kiss on the cheek. But he had other ideas and pulled her in close, hoping for a repeat of what had happened over lunch. Ianto was not disappointed. In fact, it seemed like this kiss was more intense than the last. Once broken apart, Erin swayed a little on her feet and had to be caught by the man who had caused it. "Anything you say," she mumbled before thinking, making Ianto laugh as he opened the door.

"Eight it is." He confirmed. "Oh, and Erin…"

"Yes?" She was gingerly touching her lips, which made him smile wider.

"Thanks." He disappeared inside after watching her walk off in the direction of her flat. Locking the door behind him and turning the sign to closed, he let himself into the main Hub, a giant grin plastered on his face.

***

"And then there is Tallulah ... she's 12," a woman's voice was heard from the conference room. Ianto stopped. He had heard that voice before. But it couldn't be. Jack would never do that.

But he had, Ianto realized as he walked slowly to join the others. He could hear laughter now. They were laughing with her. What was she saying that was so funny? And Jack was laughing the loudest.

"Ianto!" Jack exclaimed as the man opened the door. "Have a seat. There's plenty here ... oh, wait, you just went to lunch, right?"

Nodding, Ianto sat. "Yes, Erin and I just ate, but thank you, sir." He glared at Susan, who was sitting at Jack's right hand and tried to smile. "Hello, Susan."

"Hey there, Ianto!" She drawled back. "How was lunch?"

"Fine." If anyone didn't know the man, they would think he was pouting. But Ianto never pouted, no matter what it looked like.

"Susan, you said your son's middle name is Danger ... how did you come up with that?" Gwen was curious about the woman now that they had gotten over the rough bump from their earlier meeting.

"I took one look at him and knew it was right. Besides, how cool will that be when he's old enough to date?" She laughed and looked over at Owen, who snorted.

"I wish my mum had thought of that," he admitted, passing a picture of the boy in question back to his mother.

Jack intercepted the picture and tucked it into his pocket. "Don't have one of him." He explained, smiling at his co-workers.

"Thanks for the takeaway, Jack," Tosh said, piling her trash on her plate and walking to the door. "It was nice meeting you, Susan."

The women waved at one another and passed an easy smile between them. "Same to you, Toshiko."

Ianto looked then at Jack, who just shrugged. This motion was not missed by Gwen, nor Owen, who made their quick good-byes and left for their desks.

"I guess I should be going too, Jack," Susan said, gathering the things she had spilled from her bag. "Walk me out?"

"Yeah," The man looked down at Ianto, "I really could use a cup of coffee."

Ianto sat, his legs crossed and knee propped on the table. "I'll get right on that, sir," he managed to say through clenched teeth.

"Thanks, Ianto." Jack put his arm around Susan and led her out the door.

Susan turned to Ianto before leaving. "Nice seeing you again. Don't be a stranger."

Ianto watched them walk out before sitting up fully and slamming his fist into the table. He couldn't believe that Jack could be so irresponsible. He'd make he coffee, but he was going to have words with him when he got back.

Susan waved to the others as they made their way back to the tourist office exit. Jack thought it would be too much to take her up the lift and doing so risked having Myfanwy get agitated and curious, something he had managed to avoid. "Thank you for being honest with me, though I'm not quite sure what it is that ya'll are doing down there."

They were standing at the door that would take Susan back out now. "A little of this, a little of that," Jack told her, giving her a kiss as she opened the door. A blast of cool air hit her and Jack noticed she didn't have her sweater. He smiled and shrugged his coat off, knowing it would be far to big for her, but wanting to see it on her just once. "Take this. I'll come by after work to get it."

"Ooooo, ransom." Susan gladly took the offered coat. "I get to wear the sacred coat ... you must think more of me than I thought."

Jack watched her struggle into the coat and thought for a moment about what she had said. There were only two people to date that he had let wear his most prized possession. One of them was Ianto, and now Susan. He briefly wondered if she would give it back smelling like her. When he had let Ianto into it, it had come back smelling like his favorite Archivist. He sighed at the memory that thought brought him. "I do, Susan, don't ever think that I don't like you." His eyes were hard at the thought that she may have any doubt about how much he liked her ... and respected her.

"Don't be silly, Jack, I know you like me. Otherwise, why would you put up with half the shit I throw at you? No one is that much of a masochist!" She kissed him again and waved as she disappeared out of view, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts.

***

The light of morning came through the blinds, and along with it, the sound of happy laughter on the baby monitor next to the bed. Jack rolled over and saw that Susan had burrowed her head into the pillow in an attempt to get away from the sound. "I'll get him," he volunteered, giving her a kiss on the cheek and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"You are a prince among men," she muttered, rolling over to the side he had been laying on and bunching the pillow he had been sleeping on closer to her, if only to smell him.

"That's a new one," he chuckled, running his hand through his hair, casing it to stick up in places. He had been spending more and more nights at Susan's flat now, and figured it was time he started pulling his own weight, help her out a little.

He padded out into the hall and across to the nursery, where Joey sat in his crib, playing with his stuffed koala and laughing at some private joke the stuffed animal seemed to be telling him still. Jack stood in the doorway for a moment, remembering when he had peeked in on his own son having his morning play. Thomas had been a happy boy, hair as dark as Jack's ... and every bit as unruly. But this wasn't Thomas ... he was gone now. Something seized his heart and he had to go in and get the boy. Joey reached a chubby hand to Jack's face, nudging a tear the man hadn't even realized had been there. "Okay, little man ... let's go get some grub going."

He carried the toddler down the hall to the kitchen, finding the aroma of coffee there to meet him. Along with one Ianto Jones. Ianto Jones wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms with little bunnies on them. And they were pink. His hair was also rumpled and it made Jack laugh. Ianto had not seen or heard him until this point and turned to look at him. The sight of Jack holding the child made him smile. Here was another sight he never thought he would see ... Jack Harkness, leader of Torchwood, wearing his own pajama bottoms and toting a kid. A kid that was smiling at Ianto and clapping.

"'Fraid not, Joe, no coffee for you this morning." Jack told him, putting him in his high chair and going to the cupboard where Susan kept the cereal.

Leaning over where Ianto was, he produced a box of Cheerios and smiled at the younger man. Joey clapped again and started to chant "Hun-gee" as Jack got closer and closer. He then spilled some of it on the tray for the boy before going back for a mug.

"Here, let me," Ianto took the mug from him and began to fix it for Jack, just how he liked it. For one brief moment, it was like old times, the two of them standing barefoot in the kitchen in front of the coffeepot, both in their pajamas, hair unkempt. Jack went to speak to Ianto when he heard the footfalls behind him.

Erin wrapped her arms around Ianto as Jack turned away. "He gets before me?" She mock pouted. "You like him more, Ianto Jones!" Her tone was teasing as she looked at Jack.

"Not true," Jack answered, almost too quickly. "I sign his checks."

They shared a laugh as the Welshman handed the steaming drink to the other man and started to pour one for Erin. She tightened her grip on him and he turned to give her a quick kiss before adding the sugar. "As long as that's all," she teased, taking the mug from him and going to the table. "Hey, JoeDog, how's it going?"

"Bloody hell, I am never drinking again!" The voice called up the stairs. "I feel like a ate a washrag!" Taryn appeared, pushing her dark hair off her face and yawning as she made for the kitchen. "Did I smell coffee? I would sell my left kidney for a cup right now." She slumped into a chair and put her head on the table, hoping the room would stop spinning.

Jack looked at Ianto and shrugged. There was plenty of coffee left, so Ianto poured Taryn some and set it in front of her, black. Erin noticed and got up to get her roommate the sugar and creamer. Taryn smiled up at everyone as she fixed her drink and took a hearty gulp. "Thanks ... I owe you a kidney…"

Ianto laughed poured his own mug before sitting. "That's okay, I was standing there. Glad to be of service."

"Erin? He's hired. When can you start, Ianto?" She propped her head on her hand.

"Taryn, no stealing my staff," Jack warned in fun, seeing Tallulah slog in and pour her own cup of coffee before joining the others at the table.

"You want sugar?" Ianto raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"No, take it black," Tallulah sipped carefully, smiling when it hit her stomach.

"I'm going to make pancakes, who wants one?" Jack turned back to look in the cupboards for the mix he knew Susan kept there.

There was a general consensus that it would be good to have pancakes and Jack rambled around in the kitchen making them as Tallulah got the rest of the things they would need on the table. Susan came out to find the rest of the people in the house sitting around the table, save for Jack, who had heard her and was now standing at the griddle, no shirt on, kitchen towel slung over his shoulder, hair still mussed, flipping her portion of pancakes.

She shuffled her way over to him and went to the coffee pot to get the last cup waiting there. Jack bent to kiss her as she passed, having to push her glasses up her nose before he did so. She sighed and fixed her cup before taking a seat at the table. Jack brought her a stack of pancakes and a kiss moments later and took his own seat again.

Anyone who had been at that house that day would have thought that this was any other normal family enjoying a Sunday morning breakfast. Everyone was cracking jokes and having a good time. Erin looked over at her roommates in turn and smiled to them. Then, she caught Ianto's eyes and the smile between them could have fueled a power plant for half a year. A quick look over at Jack found him looking at Susan with a look she had never seen him give her before. One that almost bordered on love.

"What are your plans for today?" Susan asked Taryn, who was looking better now that she had eaten.

"Well, there's that thing with the theater today. And I saw that guy again." She dipped her finger in the remaining syrup on her plate and licked it.

"What guy?" Jack asked, watching her. "You got some hot Englishman on your plate?"

"No," she went for another taste of the syrup. "He's this guy that I keep seeing. I think he may be stalking me ... but he may work for the police, so I might just be acting paranoid."

"Really? What makes you think that?" Jack picked up the cup that Joey threw on the floor.

"Well, for starters, I usually see him getting in a big blue box with the word Police on the side…" She looked at him like he already knew this information.

Jack choked on the coffee he was drinking, making Susan thump him on the back. "He what?!" He quickly looked at the man at the other end of the table.

Ianto looked at him, trying to read his mind, but failing miserably. He was sure that Jack would tell them later and made a mental note to ask him if he didn't.

"Have you heard about him?" Taryn leaned forward on the table, giving Jack a great view right down her tank top.

Jack tried to avert his eyes, but with no luck. "Maybe. Listen, Taryn, two things ... one ... Call me next time you see him ... I'll give you my number and two ... please don't lean on the table like that ... I can see right down your shirt." He gave her a weak smile as he said the last part.

"Is Taryn in trouble?" Tallulah was concerned for the woman who may as well be her aunt.

Picking up on her distress at this thought, Jack reached for her hand. "No, Lu, honey, but you can never be too careful. I'll make sure Taryn is safe. Believe me?"

"Yes." Tallulah's face showed that she was serious and telling the truth, something that almost broke Jack's heart as he sat there. He was suddenly reminded of others he had promised that, only to be proven wrong.

Jack tried to shake all the things that were going on in his head, wondering why all of sudden these things were coming to him in a flood. Susan saw him blink for too long before shaking his head and took his free hand. That one action brought him back to the here and now and he was grateful to her. Now there was the issue of the TARDIS. And why the Doctor would be following Taryn. And whether he should tell them who it was. Jack decided that he'd wait to hear from Taryn before going any further with that. But he and Ianto did need to get into work if any of this was going to be resolved at all. He looked down at the end of the table and, still holding the girls' hands, he talked to Ianto. "We should be getting into work. Gwen will wonder where we are."

"No need, sir. Called her this morning. She said she would call us if it got busy." Ianto smiled back at Jack, and then at Erin. Jack smiled to himself at the way they looked at one another. Ianto was really getting on with his life, so, why did he feel a little jealous? He had Susan, after all.

"Good work, Ianto Jones!" Susan said. "That means we can all have a relaxing day. Well, except Taryn, sorry…"

"No, that's fine." Taryn admitted. "In fact, I'll take Tallulah and Joey with me. I only have that one meeting today and Lu always likes going to the theater ... right, Lu?"

Tallulah brightened at the thought of being able to go and play with the lights again. "Yes!"

"See? All fixed," Taryn was pleased with herself. "With the added bonus of being able to spend the day with my best man!" Joey gave her a full-dimple grin.

"If you're sure," Susan said, making certain she didn't feel like she had to do this. "Then that would be wonderful."

"What are friends for?" Taryn smiled at Susan, "Besides, last time I took Joey, this guy hit on me ... I told him I was the nanny. Works wonders." She got up and started to collect the plates on the table.

Tallulah excused herself and went to get dressed, taking coffee mugs as she went and putting those in the sink to be dealt with later. "How long before we go?"

"Be ready in ten minutes. I mean it, Lu. Don't put a ton and a half of eyeliner on." She was pushing the younger girl down the hall to her room. "Not going to a beauty contest."

She walked back to the stairs to the downstairs and waved at everyone before starting down. She had taken two steps when they heard "Bugger!" and a crash noise. "I'm okay, just missed a step!" She assured everyone.

***

Taryn was going into the theater when she saw him again. The man in the brown suit with the incredible hair. She remembered that she should call Jack, but as Tallulah had her mobile, it would have to wait.

The meeting with the theater owner was very promising ... they wanted to pay Taryn to use her work for a show they needed to fill in their regular season. She had accepted the terms of the contract and couldn't wait to get home to tell the others about it. She had forgotten all about the man when she came out, but she didn't see him, so she took the kids to a small ice cream shop to celebrate. She had gotten the kids their ice cream and got them sitting at a table before going to the bathroom. She never made it there, however, as the man that had been following her blocked her way. Instinctively, she went for her phone before remembering that Tallulah still had it.

She stared at the man before her and set her hands firmly on her hips. "What do you want from me?"

He was calm as she asked her one question. "Are you Taryn Beall?"

"Yes," she answered hesitantly. "Why?"

"I need your help." He blurted, wiggling his fingers in an invitation to her. "And I need it now."

She took his hand without thinking, and, before she knew it, he was pulling her out the door and into the blue box she had seen him going into. She looked around in amazement at the room before her. There was no way that all of this could fit into the tiny box she had stepped into. "How did you do that?"

"It's one of the properties of a TARDIS," he said, matter-of-factly. "But that's not important right now."

"Then what is?" She knit her brows together. "Oh no! I left the kids back there! Susan is going to kill me!"

"Jack can take care of it," he reassured her, turning a dial on what appeared to be a console. "He's good at that sort of thing."

She spun on him. "How do you know Jack?"

Another dial, a lever, hitting something with a mallet. "He traveled with me."

"That's it, I mean it about the drinking, no more for me." She sat on the ragged seat that was near her out of fear of her knees collapsing.

The man laughed at her. "Taryn, it's not drinking that got you here. This is all very real. Hyper-real if you will…"

She took her hands from her head. This was all too much to absorb. "Then what got me here?"

He beamed at her and she had to admit, he was kinda handsome. For a kidnapping maniac. A kidnapping maniac with great hair. "Jack."

"Jack Harkness?" She was really confused now. How did Jack tie into this? Wouldn't he have told her if he had plans for her? Her head hurt and she leaned onto the column in the middle of the room, only to get a slight jolt.

"Yes, that very one. Oh, mind that, she's a bit testy today." He pulled another lever.

"My roommate's boyfriend? Tall guy, dark hair, always wears this blue coat?" She leaned back in the seat.

"Boyfriend? No matter, that isn't that important right now. What is important is that I managed to get you aboard the TARDIS. Hang on, this might be a bit rough." He put his foot on the console and punched a few buttons on what appeared to be an old laptop.

Taryn felt her world suddenly lurch and she regretted the pancakes Jack had fixed them that morning, "Sir, ummm, I don't feel so great."

"That's just the time shift differential. You'll get used to it in a bit." He waved her off ... trying to concentrate on the precise location he needed to land. "And call me the Doctor, it's easier that way."

"Doctor who?" This was all a little to surreal. "That's it, I'm going crazy. Do you smell almonds?"

He chuckled at her. "I can assure you that you are just fine."

That was all that Taryn heard, however, as she passed out. The Doctor checked for a pulse before deciding it would be much easier to deal with her that way and let her be.

***

Tosh was looking at the activity logs for the past week when warning bells began to go off. She stopped typing to look at the main monitor and access the situation. There was a rapidly moving unidentified object approaching the ice cream shop down the road. And there were Weevil dots approaching it.

"Gwen!" Tosh called out. "We have weevil activity!"

"I'll call Jack," she was pressing the button on her comm as she spoke. "Dammit, Jack! Tosh, he's not answering!"

"Did you try the TeaBoy?" Owen came up the stairs to stand behind Tosh as she tried to get a clearer reading.

"Ianto!" Gwen yelled into the comm. But there was no answer. "Nothing guys, we're on our own." Gwen held her hands up.

"Just like when they were dating each other," Owen mumbled as she went for the SUV keys. "I'll go, you two stay here ... I'll stop by Ianto's flat on the way and see if I can get him."

"Owen, it's too dangerous," Tosh tried to talk him out of it.

"Tosh, I have Weevil spray right here. And if it's too bad, I'll stay in the SUV until it gets better." Owen flipped a canister in his hand, "Okay?"

She nodded and went back to the monitor. "Keep the comm open." Gwen bossed, tossing Owen's to him.

"Right, and if you lot manage to get Jack or Ianto, have them meet me there." Owen put on his coat and went to where the Torchwood-mobile was parked.

He was getting settled when he heard Gwen's voice over the comm. "Listen, Owen, the Weevils have gone. But there's a problem ... a blue police box appeared and took a young woman, leaving her kids behind. You'll need to get the kids and bring them back here. They might know something." Owen sighed audibly.

"Gwen, we are not intergalactic babysitters ... that's Torchwood Four." He shuddered, thinking about the baby weevil that they had had transported there last month. Bloody ugly thing and Gwen's little sister had insisted on just dressing it up and taking it through airport security. The worse part of it was that it had worked!

"Owen, it's Torchwood's job to do cleanup. One of the kids is old enough to remember it." Gwen was using her bossy voice, something Owen hated, but listened to her anyway.

"Fine. But you better get Harkness down to take care of the rest of it. I am not going to be babysitting all day!" Owen clicked his comm off before Gwen could answer, letting out a string of curses.

Pulling up to the ice creamery, the medic noticed the cops outside, already blocking off the area. "Cripes," he muttered under his breath, stopping the SUV and making sure his gun was at his side in case a Weevil decided to make a guest appearance.

Owen loved this part of the job, the one where he got to strut in and announce that he was Torchwood and they could just step off. The officer all but snorted at Owen as he told the others to pack up and move out, dispersing the crowd as he did so. The medic moved on to the interior of the building, hoping to sort this mess out so that he wouldn't actually have to deal with the children that were involved. Really ... Owen felt this was a job for social services, not Torchwood Three's expertise.

Hand on holster, the man swaggered in and saw a girl with dark hair bouncing a baby on her knee and talking to PC Andy. Great. Just when I thought my day was as shitty as it could get…

"Thanks, Andy, I got this," Owen all but picked him up out of the seat and led him to the door. Andy gasped at him like a fish out of water and looked back at the girl.

"You have my number ... call me if you remember anything," he called to her.

"Not bloody, likely, mate," Owen pushed him out the door on this and pulled the door to before walking over and taking his place at the table.

"So, you saw something?" He wearily looked at her. He always hated asking kids questions.

"I see lots of stuff." She snarked back.

Great, another American. Probably here on holiday with her Mum and baby brother. Her Mum who got taken by an alien craft. "Yeah, well, could you tell about what you saw today?" He let out a sigh.

"Well, we went to the theater. I saw that." She was deliberately making it hard for the man in front of her to get answers.

"And then?" Owen rubbed his temple ... he wanted to be anywhere but there right now.

The girl thought for a moment, obviously for effect. "Gee, Mister, then I saw ice cream. What do you want me to tell you about? That strange blue box that we saw?"

Owen's ears perked up at the information. "You need to come with me."

The girl stood, the baby still in her arms. "Yeah, well, my mom said never to go with strangers."

"Yeah and," Owen paused to look around, "Your ‘mom' ain't here. Come on."

"Fine." The girl followed him out to the SUV without any more questioning, settling in the back, her brother on her lap. "You know this isn't safe, right?"

"No. Really?" Owen let the sarcasm drip from the words he spoke. "Who's going to stop me?"

"Andy. I'll tell him." Her eyes met his in the mirror, "He said…"

Owen cut her off. "You know what? Go ahead. Tell Andy. I'm not afraid of that little fanboy."

The girl strapped the baby on the seat beside her and glowered at the back of Owen's head. "Where are you taking us?"

"To my secret underground lair," he deadpanned, starting the vehicle and getting onto the road.

They were close enough to the Hub that they could have walked, but Owen took the SUV thinking that there would be Weevils he'd have to transport back to base. What should have been a five minute drive seemed like eons due to the fact that the surly girl in the back, upon seeing that the SUV was away from the curb, began to sing Tiny Dancer as loud as she could. Owen squinted his eyes shut for a moment and bit his tongue. The less the talking, the better. "Coming in, Gwen," he warned. "One young girl, one toddler."

"Got cha," came the reply. "We'll meet you at the door."

Owen tuned the off-key butchering of an Elton John song out and turned into the usual parking space held by the black Range Rover. He was never so glad in all his life to be free of that car as he was right now. "All right, everyone out."

The girl obeyed and Owen led them to the door, leading them silently to where he knew Tosh and Gwen would be waiting ... after all, they had heard the word ‘toddler'. Heaving another sigh, this time in relief at having gotten back to the Hub without seriously injuring the girl ... not that he hadn't wanted to. But that victory was short lived as he heard the intake of breath as Gwen took the baby from the girl.

"Honey, let me take you and your brother somewhere comfortable, okay?" She looked back at Tosh as she led them to the kitchen.

"Owen, we have to get Jack!" Tosh was trying her best to whisper, but whisper did not go with frantic very well.

"Why, they're kids, no one is going to believe anything they say." He shrugged.

"No, Owen, that's Joey." No recognition of the name passed over Owen's face. "And Tallulah?"

That did it. Owen groaned and put his hand to his face. Just once he'd like to have a normal day ... was that so much to ask, really? "I'll try the secure connections ... you go and help Gwen."

"Thanks, Owen." Tosh pursed her lips before joining them.

"This is going to be bad…" Owen said aloud to no one as he started back to his desk.

***

Susan yawned and patted the leg of the man sitting next to her. She had not really expected Taryn to take the kids all day; she had really outdone herself. Actually, it was getting to be rather late. "Jack, I'm gonna call Taryn," she stood and went to the get the cordless.

"Relax, they're fine." Jack followed her movements around the room. "Come back over here and let's finish watching this movie."

"Jack, I can't. I have this feeling. I can't explain it; call it mother's intuition or whatever, but there is something really wrong. Where the hell is that phone?!" She was doing no more than pacing now, her hands frantically moving in the air.

He stood and walked to the path she was making. "Hey now, it's fine. She would call if there was a problem."

"What if she can't? What if she and the kids are tied up in the back of a van? What then?" She had a frantic look in her eyes as she turned to him.

Jack suppressed a chuckle and took her hands in his. "Stop it. Really. They are fine. Come back over here and finish this movie." He gave her a somewhat pleading look, causing Susan to crack a smile.

"Okay, I'll wait until dark to properly panic." She let herself be pulled back to the couch.

Susan couldn't remember the last time she could just sit and watch a movie ... and she wasn't really doing it this time either. She was, instead, leaning on Jack, her back on his chest, his head resting on hers. They had been sitting like this for most of the day, save the time that it had taken to eat the takeaway they had ordered, and Susan felt like it was the perfect way to spend the day. Jack hadn't really changed out of what he slept in, save for putting on a tee, and she had traded her usual broomstick skirt for a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Twice, she had jumped up thinking she had heard the baby, only to have Jack at laugh at her and pull her back down to the couch. She could hear his heart beating as she leaned on him, feel the warmth through the thin cloth that was his tee-shirt. Never before could she remember feeling this safe with either of her children's fathers, and it scared her. It was something she promised she wouldn't think of the first time she had really looked at Jack Harkness ... she didn't count the day they actually met, who would?

"You know, Jack, the only thing that would make this better is some wine," she turned to be able to look at him.

Breaking his eyes from the television, he arched an eyebrow in question. "Are you saying I should go and get some?"

A soft smile spread across her face. "Would you?"

He kissed her on the forehead, "You know you only have to ask." He gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Can I take your car?" He was trying to slide out from under her now, but his arm had rebelled and fallen asleep on him.

"Yes, the keys are on the hook." Susan missed the warmth the second he moved and thought that maybe, rather, she would rather have him back with her. "You don't have to go, you know."

"Oh, but I want to." Jack pulled his shoes on. "And I won't be gone long. Try not to freak out and call Taryn while I am gone ... promise?" He flashed the grin that would have turned anyone to putty and leaned to give her a longer kiss this time.

"Okay, I'll try," She slumped back on the now all-to-empty couch, watching as he shouldered that ridiculous coat of his on and closed the door behind him.

Jack looked back as he shut the door, thinking what a great day it had already been. Not that he didn't enjoy her kids, no, it was far from that. But today, he was getting to see who she really was, the woman without her kids ... and for more than a couple of hours. Jack was smiling as he unlocked the car and got in. He made a mental note to thank Taryn for a rare glimpse of Susan and started on his way. He was almost to the store when he heard his comm beeping inside his pocket. He reached in and turned it on.

"Talk to me Gwen," he said with a sigh. He knew the silence was too good to last.

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end before she answered. "Jack, we need you here. It's Susan's kids…"

Jack didn't wait for the last bit, he swung the car around in the middle of the street and floored it to the Hub.

***

Erin smiled as she sat on the side of the bed, coffee mugs in hand. Ianto was propped against the headboard remote in hand. "Be careful, it's hot," she warned.

He smiled. Of course he knew it was hot, there was steam rising from it. He knew it was small talk, designed to make the heaviness of the room go away. And it was working. After a thrilling morning of playing crazy eights and avoiding the elephant in the room that took the form of one very electric kiss. Ianto had spent the night, but it was nothing more than talking until three in the morning and passing out in a tangle on the bed. Now, they had moved back to the bedroom and were watching "Labyrinth" ... something they found they had in common.

"We could go out for lunch," Ianto suggested, sipping a cup of coffee that he would swear was better than anything he had ever made.

"Or we could order in," Erin raised her eyebrow just enough that one would miss it if not looking for it.

"We could," he agreed, looking into his mug for a moment. "That is, if you want to."

"That would be nice." Erin looked into her own mug. She was finding that words escaped her at the moment, something she couldn't remember being a problem with her before. And why was the bottom of her mug so interesting, anyway? "Ianto, what do you want to do? If you want to go out we can…"

He smiled warmly at her and set the coffee he was holding on the bedside table before moving to take hers as well. "Erin, I want nothing more than to have a day in with you. I have turned off my phone and called into work. Let's order in and just spend the day in here."

Her breath caught in her throat at the very idea of an entire day spent in bed just spending time with him. "Yes, let's do that."

They were looking at each other for a while before they realized that they were, most certainly, kissing again. The need for air became secondary as all of existence blinked out around them. Erin was the first to tear away, but only because she was slipping off the bed. She bit her lip and looked at Ianto. "Ummm, are you going to do that again?"

"I might," he admitted, leaning toward her again.

She put her hands in front of her for a moment, "Then I need to get better situated." She smiled and crawled up beside him.

"So, you're okay with this?" Ianto put his arm around her, noticing how her hair covered his arm ... hair that she normally wore in a ponytail.

"Of course." She smiled at him and he felt his heart leap. How could someone undo his so completely? He thought once that Jack was the one who could do that, but the way he felt with him was nothing compared to this. He thought briefly about Lisa, but that thought was pushed out of his minds by warm lips meeting his again, coaxing him into an ancient dance that has existed since the beginning of time.

Up until this point, no one had ever made him forget about Lisa. Not even Jack. And now, here was this gentle creature, this coffee goddess, and she was thoroughly undoing all the hurt he had ever felt. He never wanted to leave the warmth of her arms, the soft pillows of her bed. He briefly thought of quitting Torchwood and opening a chain of coffee shops with her ... for the first time since he had joined Torchwood, Ianto Jones wanted to grow old.

He was suddenly seized with a panic. He jerked away from Erin and found her looking at him confused. "What's wrong?" She reached for his hands.

"Nothing." He answered plainly. And it was true. There was no more hurt in him ... anywhere. It didn't hurt that as a child, none of the other kids would pick him for sports until last. It didn't hurt that Alice had stood him up for that school dance. It didn't hurt that Lisa was gone. It didn't hurt that Jack was not there for him. It simply didn't hurt at all. "Erin."

She turned to face him better and he pulled at her until she was on his lap. "What is it?"

The tears began in his eyes and he wasn't afraid to show her. She laid a hand on his cheek. "It's all better. All of it."

"What do you mean?" She searched his now leaking eyes, trying not to cry herself.

"I used to hurt so bad, but now that's all gone. I used to think that it was a fairy tale to think that it could all be gone ... but, no." He looked at her hard for a moment before speaking again. "I am so serious when I say this, Erin. Please don't think that I am not telling you the truth, not even for one moment. Ask me anything you want to know, I can't keep secrets from you anymore. You healed my soul. There is only one thing that I can think of right now."

"And what is that Ianto Jones?" her hand were on either side of his face now, and she was loosing herself in his blue eyes. "What is so important to you?"

He took a deep breath and let the words flow. There was no way to stop them anyway. "Erin Alley, I love you."

She swallowed hard and then began to cry herself before covering his face in tiny kisses. "I love you too, Ianto." She sank into another long kiss as Ianto felt his phone vibrate. Looking briefly at the caller ID, he decided Torchwood could wait, he was at the start of forever.

***

"Where am I?" Taryn asked, rubbing her head and looking into the brown eyes of the man who had been stalking her for the past week. "And who are you?"

"The Doctor, remember?" He smiled his best cheeky grin at her, "You're in the TARDIS."

"Too many curries," Taryn decided, sitting up.

"Nonsense - no such thing," the Doctor scoffed, sitting on the part of the jump seat that she vacated by putting her legs down. "Now ... how are you?"

"I've been kidnapped." Taryn wasn't sure who she was telling, everyone on this room should know that already.

"I wouldn't say that," the Doctor tugged his ear as he talked. "Borrowed, maybe ... kidnapped, never! Kidnapping is for bandits and thieves. I am neither." He felt Taryn staring at him. "What?" She looked around the room, finally ending on him. "Oh ... I guess this is all a bit confusing."

"I'll say," Taryn managed. "Why don't you start at the beginning?"

"Oooo ... my favorite place to start!" The Doctor leapt up, excited, and began to pace as he talked. "One ... which I find is the best number to start with ... unless, of course, you want to start with negative numbers, in which case it gets tricky…" Taryn cleared her throat. "One ... you are Taryn. Number Two ... I need your help. The TARDIS put me in your path more than once. And five ... no three ... sorry, bad joke ... you have no idea what I am talking about, do you?"

Taryn shook her head. "Not only do I not know what you are talking about ... nice Python reference though ... I'm having a hard time believing that I didn't drink myself insane. One minute I was with Lulu and…Lulu! What happened to the kids?!" She was at the door, trying to open it, but it was stuck fast. And with good reason, even though she didn't know it. It would not have been good for her to go hurdling out into space.

The Doctor leaned against the console and crossed his arms over his chest. "You can't ... we're already on our way."

She slumped against the door. "On our way where?"

He went to help her to her feet. "Now, see, that's the brilliant part ... I'm, not sure."

She accepted his hand and, dusting herself off, reasoned, "Okay ... pretending I'm not crazy here. Let's try this ... Where am I?"

"The TARDIS."

"Which is?"

"Time And Relative Dimensions In Space."

"In simple words, please?

"A time machine."

"You're crazy."

"'Fraid not."

"Listen ... time machines only exist in science fiction stories. Oh ... and when Susan gets drunk ... she'll tell you how to time travel ... also speaks a fair bit of Welsh then ... irony at it's best ... and ... oh! I'm rambling, aren't I?"

He beamed at her. Yes, this Taryn was going to be fun. He hoped she'd stay for a while. He liked her style. They looked at one another for a moment more before Taryn went back and fell on the jump seat. "Okay, let's say this is true."

"This is true," the Doctor parroted.

"I need some tea."

"Now, that I can do," The Doctor smiled and, taking her hand, led her to the kitchen.

***

Next part of Seperate Ways.