The quiet neighborhood of Kestral Close showed no signs of the traumatic event which had occurred there not too long ago. A group of people stood at the end of a walkway leading to a small house that was tucked away in one end of the cul-de-sac.

"Ready?" Jack asked the young woman who stood by his side. Sian Davies looked up at him and nodded. She could see that extensive work had been done to the exterior, with a new bay window on the front of the house, replacing the old ones which had been damaged in the attack.

"Yes, I'm eager to see how different it is," she said. Sherry stood by her side, ready to support her if it should prove too difficult for her to take in after everything that had happened. But she had become quite close to Sian over the past few weeks and she knew that Sian was more than ready for whatever memories she encountered. Sherry looked over to the man who stood behind Jack and off to the side.

"Let's go in then," Ianto said with a nod and a smile aimed at the two women. He led the way up the walk, Sherry and Sian following behind him with Jack bringing up the rear. When they reached the door, Ianto held out his palm. A key glistened in the wan winter light. "Here you go."

Sian took the key from Ianto and inserted it in the lock. The door was new. It was a lightly stained wood with etched windows in the frame. She opened the door and peeked in before taking a step inside. When she saw the room inside, she gasped softly.

Jack watched indulgently as the two women entered, leaving Ianto and himself to follow behind. Jack stood in the doorway and watched as Sian marveled at the work they had done. The room looked entirely different from before, with a bright color scheme that was cheery and light. A soft carpet had been laid down on the floor, and the furniture very tastefully matched the same style as the rest of the house. There was no sign of the devastation that had taken place only a few short weeks before.

"Oh Ianto, it's lovely!" Sian exclaimed. She made her way around the rocking chair that was near the hearth and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Ianto smiled down at her.

"I'm glad you like it," he said after returning her hug.

"It's perfect," she replied. "It couldn't be better." She turned to Jack. "Thank you, Jack. It will be a beautiful place to raise my child."

Jack returned her smile, happy that things had worked out. "We're glad you like it. We've added a few things here and there, but if there's anything else you need, just let us know. We'd be happy to help."

"Oh, you've done far too much already!" She protested. She crossed over to where he stood and gave him a hug. "But thank you."

"You're quite welcome," he told her in reply. He smiled down at the woman who positively glowed, her pregnancy making her more beautiful than before. "Now we're going to let you get settled and if there's anything you need, just let Sherry know. We've gotten used to spoiling you," he said, waving off her protests.

After another set of hugs, Jack and Ianto headed out the door, leaving Sherry to get Sian settled in. They had already moved in her clothes, food and everything she needed to get settled. The two men headed down the walk, satisfied with the way it had gone.

"Time to head back?" Ianto asked. He had the keys to his car in his hand. Jack nodded and they got inside. "I'm glad that went well."

"Yeah," Jack said. He watched as Ianto started the car and shifted into drive. They turned around in the small cul-de-sac before heading back towards the city center. "I love a happy ending."

"Yeah," Ianto responded. He glanced over at Jack a tiny smile on his face. "You're just a romantic."

"You think so?" Jack asked as Ianto turned a corner. He used the opportunity to lean across and briefly touch shoulders before moving upright in his seat again. "Well, that's not such a bad thing."

"Didn't say it was," Ianto commented with a smile. He continued on the straight away before taking another turn.

"Hey, the Hub is that way," Jack said. He looked out the window at the turn they should have taken.

"So it is," Ianto replied.

"Ianto, are you kidnapping me for some nefarious purpose?" Jack asked in a teasing voice.

"Nothing nefarious about it," Ianto replied calmly. "I checked in with Todd and everything's quiet, so we're heading home." Jack smiled. Home. A home that wasn't a subterranean level of the Hub. He liked the sound of that. He remained quiet as Ianto entered the industrial area where the Torchwood owned warehouse was located. Ianto pulled into a nearby parking space and shut the engine off. They got out and headed towards the warehouse door. Instead of Jack using his vortex manipulator to gain access, Ianto used his key. They stepped inside and Ianto closed the door, allowing Jack to lead the way upstairs to their flat.

The warmth of the lighting met them as Jack opened their door. He sniffed as he caught a whiff of food. "Oh, that smells good!" He turned in surprise as Ianto closed and locked the door, setting his keys on the small table in the hallway. "How did you manage that?"

"I'm Torchwood," Ianto said with a tiny smile as he walked past Jack towards the larger room beyond.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Jack asked with a confused look on his face as he followed Ianto into the central loft room.

"Jack," Ianto said with a shake of his head, as if it should be obvious. "I routinely deal with at least a dozen issues before breakfast when it comes to work. Why should you be surprised I can also manage to have dinner ready when we get home?" He pulled off his suit jacket and hung it up, trying to hide his smile at the look of bemusement on Jack's face.

Jack shook his head, not trying to think about it any further than Ianto's explanation. He removed his greatcoat and put it on the coat stand which stood off to one side. "It smells fantastic," he said as he turned around to see that Ianto was rolling up his shirt sleeves.

"Thank you," Ianto replied as he headed towards the kitchen, Jack trailing behind him. "Something to drink?"

"Let's see, you've got a roast cooking, let's go for some wine," Jack said with a grin as he leaned back against the island. Ianto nodded agreeably and selected a Pinot Noir, setting it out on the table before checking on the roast. Jack opened the bottle of wine and was just about to pour when the situation hit him – they were being domestic. He paused, the mouth of the wine bottle poised over one of the glasses and tested out how it felt. His smile grew. It felt good.

"The wine won't pour itself," Ianto pointed out as he leaned his chin on Jack's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his waist. Jack chuckled and resumed what he was doing. "What stopped you?"

"Us," Jack responded. "It just occurred to me that we've become settled down." He poured the second glass and put down the bottle. Picking up both, he turned in Ianto's arms and offered him one of the glasses. Ianto pulled away to accept the glass. He had a thoughtful look on this face.

"Strange, isn't it?" He said, quirking an eyebrow as he smiled wryly. "I have to admit it is something I never would have imagined for either of us." He took a sip from his glass, Jack mirroring his action.

"Never say never, Ianto," Jack said with a grin. "Something will always come around to challenge it."

"Very true," Ianto acknowledged with a smile of his own. "We still have a bit to wait until dinner's done. Shall we?" He asked, indicating the sofa. Jack nodded and together they walked over to the sofa and sat down. Ianto reached for the hidden remote control and music started playing on the stereo system. Jack smiled at Ianto's choice. He turned so that he was facing Ianto and raised his glass.

"A toast," he proposed. Ianto raised his glass as well.

"And to what are we toasting?" Ianto asked. He had his hand poised as he waited for an answer.

"To us," Jack said. "And to our team for allowing us to be an us."

Ianto frowned thoughtfully. "I don't think that is grammatically correct," he said as he considered what Jack said. "However, I do agree that our team is to be lauded for doing a fine job." He raised his glass. "I think that there would always be an us, however. Whether it's in the Hub, out on the docks retrieving something from the rift or here in this space."

Jack's eyes glinted with amusement. "Are you saying that we would be a couple regardless of the location?"

"We have been," Ianto said with a nod. "Though never in so many words." He clinked his glass against Jack's and they both took a sip. They looked at one another for a moment without saying anything. "I do admit it feels a bit weird though."

Jack nodded in agreement. "You too?"

"Yeah," Ianto said. "I keep on waiting for something to happen. Another disaster that takes down the city, or something comes after us from out of space. This quiet is…" Ianto paused as he tried to find the appropriate words.

"Unsettling?" Jack asked with a smile. Ianto nodded at his selection.

"Yeah, that," he said. "What else have we known over the years? The fact that there is a team that can function without us having to be there is a bit strange as well. I trust each of them and know they're the best. But I do have to admit it's a bit unsettling. That's a good word for this feeling, actually," Ianto said with a nod.

"Don't you think that after all this time you deserve a break?" Jack asked. Ianto smiled at him. "After all, it's about time you learned to live a little."

"Pot, kettle, black," Ianto said taking a sip between each word as he spoke. Jack laughed out loud at his response. "Jack, if anyone has earned that right, it would be you."

"Ya think?" Jack asked, sounding a bit skeptical. Ianto nodded.

"I do," he replied. He shifted closer to Jack and then leaned on the back of the sofa so that he could kneel. Jack watched with amusement as Ianto straddled his lap. "More than earned by several lifetimes of service," he continued. Jack had put an arm around his waist to support him as he leaned back so he could look down into Jack's eyes. He leaned down for a kiss. Just as their lips touched, the bell went off for the timer. Ianto sighed. "Even here, we get interrupted."

Jack chuckled and stretched up to give Ianto another kiss. "Forget it. Food is overrated." He found it awkward with having one hand occupied with the wine glass so he had to make do with his free hand holding onto Ianto's belt as he tried to break free to go check on their dinner.

"I'm not burning a roast, Jack," Ianto admonished him. He pushed off of the older man and stood up. "We are not doing take away this evening." Jack gave another rich chuckle as he watched Ianto move over to the kitchen area. He waited a beat, but when Ianto pulled the pan out of the oven he knew that the moment had passed. He pushed himself off the sofa and ambled over to the kitchen, leaning on the island counter as he watched Ianto.

"You're staring again," Ianto said as he set up their plates, his back to Jack.

"You say that like it is a bad thing," Jack said in reply. He knew he would never get enough of this other man. This man who he found extraordinary, and without whom he had felt lost. He shook away those maudlin thoughts of the time without Ianto and focused on the present. He took the plate that Ianto handed to him and they both made their way over to the small table set up against the floor to ceiling window. The table still had the bowl of fruit from breakfast a couple of days ago on it and Ianto pushed the bowl to the side to give them room. He then put a candle down in its place. Jack watched as Ianto lit the candle in the middle of the table before glancing over at him. Jack obliged to his silent request by using his vortex manipulator to dim the lights. They sat down and began to eat, neither one speaking.

Jack reflected on the number of times they had been able to just sit back and relax without feeling the constant vigilance of being ready to jump at a moment's notice. There weren't many of them in the past. He mentally tested the waters of how it felt now to know that he could finally step back. He expected to feel like he was missing something, but after thinking about it for a long moment, he realized he didn't. He trusted the people he had picked to handle it in his absence. It had been a long time for him since he had felt that way. It wasn't as if he hadn't had capable people in the past. He certainly had. But it was only now that he felt comfortable enough with himself to let go.

Ianto watched him, seeing thoughts flitter across his face in the form of different expressions while he ate. He was patient, letting Jack work things out for himself. He enjoyed the meal, knowing that for once they weren't going to have to walk away from it half finished to go on a rift call. Jack finished first, pushing his plate way and shaking his head to a suggestion of more. Instead, he rested his chin in his hand as he watched Ianto finish eating.

Jack stared at the familiar face before him. He reflected on everything that had happened, not only in the last couple of weeks, but in all the years he had waited for this man to be returned to him. He knew he was extremely lucky. It wasn't often that a person got a second chance. But thanks to Julia, he did have that chance. He decided to make the most of it while he still could. As Ianto finally set his fork down, Jack reached across to cover his hand. Ianto looked up at him and smiled.

"Figure it out yet?" He asked in a soft tone, not wanting to disturb the comfortable silence. Jack nodded. "Good."

"What about you?" Jack asked as Ianto turned his hand so that he could clasp Jack's in his own. Ianto nodded. "Good.

"So," Jack said when Ianto didn't add anything other than the nod. Ianto smiled knowingly at him. "What's next on your agenda, Mr. Jones?"

"I thought that might be a mutual decision," Ianto said. Jack raised an eyebrow in a silent question. "We have the rest of the night to ourselves. What would you like to do?"

Jack thought about it for a moment. "Lots of things we can do," he said. Ianto leaned back and stretched his legs out so that they brushed against Jack's.

"Such as?" Ianto prompted. He knew exactly where this conversation was headed and was amused.

"Naked hide and seek," Jack said. Ianto snorted and then looked around at the open floor plan. It didn't afford much in the way of hiding places. Jack followed his gaze and chuckled. "Or maybe not."

"Anything else?" Ianto asked with an expression of amusement on his face. "You're usually full of suggestions."

"There's the usual," Jack said. "Naked chess, checkers, uhm…" Jack watched as Ianto reached into the bowl off to the side and pulled a grape off the stalk. He immediately forgot what he was saying as he watched Ianto peel it with his teeth.

"Go on, I'm listening," Ianto said politely. Jack had to shake himself to get back to the topic at hand. Ianto suppressed a chuckle at the expression on the other man's face. "Both good ideas so far," he commented.

"What?" Jack asked faintly.

"You were listing ideas of what we could do this evening," Ianto prompted. He popped the grape into his mouth and chewed. "Mmmmm."

"I thought of something," Jack said. He reached into the bowl and handed another grape to Ianto. "Do that again, and I'll just watch." Ianto raised an eyebrow.

"What, like watching the telly?" He asked as he accepted the proffered piece of fruit from Jack.

"I was thinking of the more interactive type of telly," Jack said. "In fact, why not retire over to the sofa?" Ianto nodded agreeably and stood up. Jack picked up the bowl of fruit and carried it over to the coffee table. Ianto sat on the sofa, propping himself on the corner so that he could face Jack. He kicked off his shoes and sat crossed-legged while Jack took off his boots and did the same. Ianto had to fight the urge not to grin at the expression on Jack's face. He raised the grape up to his lips.

"Ready?" He asked. Jack nodded and leaned forward. Ianto bit the edge of the skin and began to pull it back. Jack unconsciously parted his lips as he watched, his eyes focused on Ianto's mouth. Ianto waited until he had peeled off the skin. He held the fleshy pulp in his fingers. "Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack said in almost a whisper, his eyes locked on Ianto's lips.

"Where's the interactive part?" Ianto asked in an amused tone.

"Oh," Jack said as Ianto brought his focus back to the rest of his face. "We're getting to that."

"We are?" Ianto asked. Jack nodded and watched as he popped the grape into his mouth. "Seems a bit one sided to me at the moment."

"Here," Jack handed him another grape after reaching blinding towards the table and plucking one off the stem. "Try another one." Ianto's shoulders shook with silent laughter at the expression on Jack's face. He shook his head.

"Nope," he replied. Jack blinked.

"Nope what?" Jack asked with a confused look on his face.

"I think it's time you learned to do that trick," Ianto said with a grin. Jack raised an eyebrow and then looked down at the grape in his hand. "I want to see what's so alluring about it."

"Yeah?" Jack asked as he started to smile slowly. Ianto nodded. "All right then." He looked thoughtfully down at the grape, examining it where it puckered at the edges that had been attached to the vine. He lifted it to his mouth and with his teeth bit the edge of the skin and pulled it off, moving slowly. Ianto watched him carefully as he moved around he grape. "How's it working for you?" Jack asked around the grape.

Ianto shook his head. "Nope, don't get it." Jack pulled the grape away and Ianto nearly laughed out loud at the disappointed look on his face. "Keep on trying, though." Jack started on another bit of skin and began pulling it down, trying to make the movement slow and sexy. When he glanced up at Ianto, he still saw that skeptical look on his face. Jack popped that grape into his mouth and took another one.

"Let me try this again," he said. Ianto leaned back against the armrest and waited patiently. Jack tried again, but he felt like he was missing something. Ianto could see he was getting a bit frustrated and so he decided to take pity on him. He pushed off of the arm rest and leaned forward so that there were just a few inches between himself and Jack. Jack had paused when Ianto moved, his motion arrested as his attention was diverted.

"Wait, I think I got it this time," Jack said as he went to go reach for the now denuded bowl of fruit. Ianto stopped him from reaching the last of the grapes that still clung to the branches. "No?"

"No," Ianto said. "I think we need to practice together," he said. He finger walked down Jack's hand and took one of the last few grapes in the bowl. Then he brought it up to Jack's lips. "Try now," he said. Jack nibbled the edge of the skin. It felt weird, since he couldn't see where Ianto was holding it. But he was game to try.

Ianto reached down with his free hand and propped himself up on Jack's thigh, pulling himself closer so he could teach Jack how to eat a grape properly. Jack had to force himself not to squirm in reaction. He carefully ate the grape as Ianto held it. When all the skin was off, Ianto gently placed it between his lips and he leaned in to give Jack a kiss. They shared the grape between them.

"Was that better?" Jack asked in a husky voice.

"Mmm, think we need to try that again," Ianto responded. He reached into the bowl and brought another grape up to Jack's mouth to experiment again. They barely made it through that one when they abandoned the pretense of teasing one another and just went straight to making love, without the fruit accessories…

Halfway across the city, Dr Julia Ellis sat at her computer console inside the Torchwood Hub. She and Rob were on watch that evening, and she paused to look around the main room, smiling slightly.

"You look like the cat that got into the cream," Rob said as he leaned on the wall near her console. It had been a quiet evening so far and in fact had been a quiet couple of weeks. After everything that had happened, he was happy to see that the rift was remaining quiet. It had a lot to make up for, in his opinion.

"I guess I am," Julia mused as she smiled at her team mate. "We've done well here, Robert. And I just don't mean the resettling of Sian Davies back at home."

"You're referring to your wish that Jack finally relax and find a life, I presume?" Rob said with an amused expression. Julia nodded. "Do you think it will last?"

"Perhaps," Julia said. "Only time will tell. But I do think he's more than earned some time away from this place."

"Shall we take bets how long it lasts until he starts hanging around again?" Rob asked with a grin. Julia frowned at him.

"No, we shall not. Because I'm of the mind to think that he's finally realized that he can't truly take care of the world without taking care of himself and the people around him."

"Which means Ianto," Rob concluded. Julia nodded. He shrugged. "I can just see him getting restless."

"Oh, no doubt of that, but at least he'll be in touch with humanity for a while, which will help ground him. He needs that if he's going to remain sane in all this madness," Julia replied. "And if we don't see him until morning, I will be exceedingly happy that he's finally learning." Rob nodded and after leaving a cup of tea for Julia, turned back to his console where he was working on a report about the latest UNIT experiment with new weaponry. Julia watched him for a long moment. With a nod she decided that he was going to be her next project. After Jack, anyone else should prove easy by comparison.

She turned back to her console and finished off her log of the whole incident that she had dubbed the Kralyro experiment. These were her private notes on the team and the dynamics of the staff as they worked together, along with her observations during the events as they happened. She closed off the account and locked it to her private code. No need for anyone to see those, she thought to herself. She sat back in her chair and sipped her tea. Then, with a sideways glance in Rob's direction, she pressed a button that brought up a new window. It was a CCTV camera that she had tracked to the location of a local warehouse in the docks area. The camera showed the Ianto's new car parked under a streetlamp and she nodded thoughtfully. Glancing again at Rob, she rolled back the playback of the video until she saw the two men leave the car and head into the warehouse building beyond. She switched to another camera view at the top of a nearby building. It showed lights shining in the top floor flat, which she had marked down as that of her team mates. While the windows were tinted and therefore made it hard to see, she was able to track some movement inside. When the lights went off, she smiled in satisfaction and shut down the camera. It was enough to know that Jack and Ianto had settled for the night and weren't going to show up at Torchwood that evening. In her mind, all was right in the world and she could go onto the next challenge without worrying about Jack.

"Rob?" She said as she turned away from the monitor. He looked up from where he had been busily typing his report.

"Yes?" He said as he tried to focus on her and not on weapons that could potentially go rogue.

"Don't you think it's time that you start getting out more?" Julia asked with a smile. "After all, you can't be stuck in here day in and day out. You need to find a life outside of this place."

"Stop it," Rob said with an upraised hand. "No." She opened her mouth and he stopped her again. "I am not becoming your next project, so put that thought right out of your mind."

"But really, Robert," she began and he stood up and started to stride away towards the closest archway. "Where are you going?"

"The firing range. Don't try to follow me," Rob said as he paused in the archway and raised a finger in warning. "I'm warning you right now, I'll be armed. It can get very, very dangerous down there with stray bullets."

"But…" Julia tried to interject, but Rob was clearly not going to let her get a word in edgewise. "Rob."

"No!" Rob shouted as he descended the stairs. "I'm not listening! I'm not listening!" His voice echoed down the stairwell as he went, leaving Julia behind in the main room. She stared after him for a long moment before turning away and smiling.

"Jack didn't want to listen, either, but in the end he did," she said with a smile of satisfaction. She turned back to her computer and opened a new record. She named it Security Observations and with a smile started writing down everything she could think of in terms of things she knew about Rob. The night stretched on, the silenced marred only by the distant reverberation of gunfire from the shooting range and the tapping of Julia's fingers on the keys….

~FIN~

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Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed telling it to you. This story is now complete, and thank you to my readers who have nominated this story for a Children in Time award. I was touched that someone liked this story enough to nominate it, and I thank you for reading!