Janto - One shots -Time will heal all wounds.

Into the Unknown ~ Part 2

After some long nights together in the office. Jack notices Ianto more and more and then realises that it is distracting him for work. And that he doesn't flirt with people as much now. And he never flirts with people who Ianto is around which seems almost strange. Maybe Ianto is changing him for the better. But he doesn't know anything about Ianto really. The next time they work late Jack decides that he should ask Ianto out for a drink. And get to know this mysterious man better.

'Sir, do you want me to stay late again.?' Ianto says striding into Jack's office.

'Three things. One stop calling me Sir just call me Jack everyone else does and Secondly no I don't want you to stay late because I'm not staying late. Thirdly, I'm not staying late, I'm going to the pub care to join me?

'Sure, as long as you are sure Jack.' Ianto says purposely dragging out the Jack at the end of the sentence.

'Come on I know a great place just down the road.' Jack says as he grabs his coat from the back of his chair.

As they enter the pub, they find a table in the corner, so they are out of the way of everybody else. Jack then insists on buying the first round of drinks.

As Jack makes his way back to the table with the drinks. Ianto begins to speak. 'I bet you take all of your new staff out for drinks.'

'Nope you would be the first.' Jack says smiling.

'Really? Not even Gwen.' Ianto says instantly regretting what he has just said.

'Ianto how many times do I have to tell you there is nothing going on between me and Gwen. I don't like her like that at all.'

'Sorry.' Ianto said whilst looking down into his drink.

'I'm not mad. Who could ever be mad at you? I... just... like somebody else.' Right there and then Jack wanted to say that he wanted Ianto, but he didn't want to scare him off. So, he just said nothing secretly hoping that Ianto was thinking the same thing.

Over the coming weeks Jack and Ianto go out for drinks at least twice a week if not more often. Eventually the conversation takes a turn for the more sinister. Jack wants to get to know Ianto better and finally decides that it is time to ask him about his past. 'Tell me the real reason you moved to Cardiff. Because as I've gathered you don't like your family that much so I can't see why you could move this way because of that.'

Ianto stares down at his drink not wanting to tell Jack but so desperately needing to tell somebody 'Stuff happened, it changed me.'

'You know if you want to talk to somebody about what happened you can talk to me. I won't judge you.' Jack says, looking Ianto straight in the eye.

Ianto takes a deep breath and begins. 'I was working for a company down in London as an archivist and I was dating this girl from human resources. We had only been dating a few months, but I really loved her, and we had the same hopes and dreams we just worked. But then one day I stayed late at work so she said she would walk back to my apartment to wait for me when I had finished. As she was walking, a drunk driver hit her. She... died. I just could stay there anymore. There were too many memories for her. Of us.'

'I'm sorry Ianto.' Jack says as he reaches out for Ianto's hand.

'It's not your fault.'

'I know but I also know what it is like to lose somebody.' Jack takes a deep breath knowing it will be hard to tell his story, but it might make Ianto feel a lot better. 'When I was twenty, I had just moved back home after selling my apartment because I had got the job of a lifetime in a different state. One night a fire started in the house. I remember it so vividly. By the time I had woken up I could get out my door in order to help the rest of my family, so I had to climb out the window and into the tree not to the window. By the time the firefighters got there it was too late they had all died. My mom, dad and little brother. That's when I moved to Cardiff I could be there. There were too many memories even if I moved nearly cross-country everything just remedies me of them. So, I do get it. I'm going to tell you that the pain gets better, but it gets easier to live your life and to let more people in.'