TORCHWOOD THREE, THE HUB

"Ianto! C'mon, we're going to be late!" Jack bellowed as he strode across the Hub.

"Not going to be late," Ianto said. He made a few final keystrokes and stood up from his workstation. "And, Jack, you really don't have to do this. I'd be happy just grabbing a curry and a movie."

"But it's your birthday." Jack put his arms around Ianto and kissed him lightly on the forehead.

"No. Last week was my birthday, and you took me to dinner then, remember?"

"You said I ruined it, remember?"

"Hm. Let me see," Ianto said. He pulled out of the embrace and cast a stern eye at Jack. "Do I remember? Was that the night you flirted with everyone in sight?"

"Ianto, you know me I…."

"Or was it the night I came back from the men's room and found you with the waitress on your lap?"

"I think you're overreacting. She…."

"The manager came over and asked you to stop distracting the staff."

"Hypocrite. Did I tell you he tried to give me his phone number?" Jack chuckled, but the look on Ianto's face quickly stifled it.

"Jack, look, I know who you are. I accept who you are. But, I do occasionally tell myself… maybe it's childish of me, but I think I actually expected, just once, for my birthday, you'd at least pretend to focus on me. Only on me."

"I know. I know. And I really do want to make it up to you."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to enjoy it if this dinner is your punishment. I can think of other ways to make you miserable. Ways I might enjoy."

"Who said I'd be miserable? This is going to be fun!"

AU BORD DE LA MER, TABLE FOUR

They stepped inside the restaurant holding hands, and Jack nibbled lightly on Ianto's ear.

"Jack!" Ianto pulled away.

"What?" Jack asked, mustering maximum faux hurt. "Can't I show my man some affection on his birthday?"

Ianto raised a skeptical eyebrow. Jack snorted. They were interrupted by the host, who took their coats and led them to a table with an intimate semi-circular booth. They sat close enough to whisper without leaning in. Jack asked, "Would anyone who's not completely devoted to you bring you here for dinner?"

"No one I know would bring me here for dinner. Seriously, Jack. The word 'extravagant' comes to mind. You know, there are people in this country who can't afford anything to eat." Despite his protest, Ianto could see the bright side. A meal this pricey might just be phenomenal. Plus, if Jack's behavior did get embarrassing, no one he knew was likely to be a witness.

"Yes, and there's one person on this planet who deserves the occasional extravagance…." Jack was interrupted by a tiny man in an impeccable tuxedo, his ample gray hair swept back in a coronal wave.

"Jacques," he purred. "How good to see you." He held Jack's hand in both of his.

"You, too, my friend. Laurent, this is…."

"Ah, this must be your Ianto." Laurent was now holding Ianto's hand in the same manner. "He is even more beautiful than you lead me to believe, Jacques. You are a very lucky man."

"Watch out, Laurent. I'm not sharing." Ianto tried hard not to smile.

"Yes, well. As I understand this is a special day for you, Ianto, I ask you to accept my small gift of champagne. I find it is a requirement for any real celebration." As Laurent spoke, another man brought a bottle of champagne, a bucket with a floor stand, and two champagne flutes.

Laurent opened the champagne himself and poured for Jack and Ianto. He then bowed slightly saying, "Felicitations, mes amis," and left them.

Jack raised his glass and said, "Happy Birthday! " He licked Ianto's earlobe playfully and whispered, "You are so sexy."

"You better believe it," Ianto said, shifting an inch out of Jack's reach. "But I'm saving the sexy for later. Right now, all I want for my birthday is a lovely dinner and a conversation with you."

And Jack tried; he really did. But when Jack focused his attention on Ianto, the last thing he thought of was a conversation. He found himself staring into the beautiful blue eyes, drooling over the plump curve of Ianto's lower lip. He'd memorized the look, the feel, the smell, the taste, of every inch of his lover's body and he simply could not get enough. Ianto didn't mind, although it did make him a bit self-conscious. "Jack. Look at your menu."

"Not what I'm hungry for right now."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Lines like that ever work for you?"

"By the end of the evening, all my lines work."

"Right. Well, since this is my birthday dinner, I think we'll avoid your proven speed dating techniques and just enjoy spending time together. In public. With our clothes on."

"Spoil sport."

The waiter arrived and Jack ordered without taking his eyes off Ianto. "My friend will have the filet with the cognac and truffles, medium, and I'll have another bottle of champagne."

Jack handed the menus to the waiter who left with a silent nod.

"Jack, what are you doing?"

"Sorry?"

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"Ianto, my sweet. I thought we'd agreed that this meal is all about you. And, as I mentioned, what I want isn't on the menu here, so why don't you just sit back and enjoy your birthday dinner."

"It's always one extreme or the other with you isn't it?"

"I don't know what you mean. " Jack flashed his most extravagant grin. "Hand me your napkin."

"Why? Use your own."

"Please." Ianto handed him the heavy damask napkin and Jack tucked it into Ianto's collar with the ease of an expert.

"Now," Jack said. "You really should try some of this bread. It's fantastic. Laurent makes it himself." He tore off a piece, spread on a small amount of butter and popped it into Ianto's mouth.

Ianto chewed quickly, anxious to speak but not willing to do so with his mouth full. "Alright, buddy. Who are you and where is Jack?"

"What?"

"I'm considering getting the really big gun out of the SUV and blowing your head off. Clearly, you're a shape shifter, doing a passable but flawed impersonation of Jack."

"Ianto, lover, I have to say these mixed signals are confusing me. Do you want my undivided attention or not?" Jack put another morsel of bread in his mouth and Ianto, chewing, was unable to answer.

"Precisely." While Ianto chewed, Jack reached over and held his hand. "You know, Ianto. There is something very satisfying about having such a singular focus during a meal." The sparkle in his smile could have lit the restaurant all by itself.

By the time his steak arrived, Ianto had resigned himself to the inevitable. Not only was Jack cutting his meal into bite-sized portions, he was feeding Ianto every piece. And it was delicious. Exquisite. So good, in fact, that Ianto eventually forgot the indignity of being fed like a toddler. An errant drop of sauce began to roll down his chin and Ianto barely protested as Jack enthusiastically licked the drop off his face. A few glasses of champagne later and when Jack licked the sauce from the inside and the outside of his mouth, Ianto didn't try to stop him. More champagne still, and Ianto found it was easier to lean his head on Jack's shoulder, with one hand firmly on his thigh for support.

AU BORD DE LA MER, TABLE ELEVEN

"Evan! Isn't that Rhi's brother?" He turned to look and she hissed, "Don't look!"

Evan rolled his eyes and tried to enjoy his meal while Susan continued to gawp.

"Who's that bloke with him? He's gorgeous! Like a film star! Like an escort! Oi! I think he just kissed him."

That was more than Evan could take. He turned and looked in the direction of Susan's staring. "Bloody hell! That is Ianto!"

"Told you."

The food was delicious, and it was their anniversary, so they paused for a few moments to eat and stare meaningfully into each other's eyes. But the scene playing out at Table 4 was much too much for them to ignore.

The next time Evan took a chance and glanced over at the other table, he couldn't help but snort and wine came out of his nose.

"What? What happened?" Susan looked but she's missed it.

"The matinee idol was holding some sort of vegetable in his mouth and then Ianto leaned in and grabbed it with his teeth. They might as well be making out in the middle of the restaurant." He looked back at her. "Suze, Ianto's a poufter!"

Susan chewed her bread thoughtfully. "And Rhi never said a word."

"Really? I can't imagine her keeping something like that a secret from you."

Susan shrugged. "Yeah. Last thing I remember her saying about him was he was engaged to some girl he met in London. And then she died."

Evan shrugged, "Maybe Rhi doesn't know.

"Poor dear," Susan said. And wouldn't she enjoy being the first one to tell Rhi. The look on her face!

Some anniversary this was turning out to be. Evan had chosen a restaurant with few distractions. No children, no telly, no mother-in-law calling, nothing but the two of them, in a very romantic restaurant. It was also a very expensive restaurant. He'd saved for months, couldn't remember the last time he'd been to the pub with his mates, just so he could afford to do this one special thing for his wife – for both of them.

He decided to bring her attention back to what was important, leaning over and planting a very affectionate kiss on his wife. He closed his eyes, but he wasn't sure she had.

BACK AT TABLE FOUR

Jack and Ianto were just finishing dessert - bananas flambé. Jack speared one of the bananas – sliced in half lengthwise - on his fork and offered it to Ianto, holding one hand under the fork to catch any of the caramelized sugar that might drip off the fruit. Ianto would open his mouth, close his lips around the banana, and then Jack would pull it out of his mouth in the most obscene fashion. Ianto was just drunk enough that he let Jack do this a number of times before he thought to use his teeth and simply bite off a piece of banana. He gave Jack a triumphant smile. Jack kissed Ianto on the mouth and licked the molten sugar off his lip and chin.

Ianto didn't have a care in the world. Jack, seeing Ianto enjoying himself, felt the burdens of the world a little less. But he had noticed that couple staring at them, and it was beginning to irritate him. Well, he thought, if they wanted a show, he was only too happy to oblige.

Jack pulled Ianto up from the booth by the hand and made sure he was steady on his feet. Then he took Ianto in a deep, dramatic, mind-shattering kiss. He held the back of Ianto's neck in one hand, and gripped his ass with the other. And Ianto, completely drunk at this point, melted into him.

TABLE ELEVEN

Susan looked over at Jack and Ianto and what she saw made her take in a sudden breath. This caused a rather large piece of her chicken forestiere to stick in her throat.

Evan looked up and saw Susan flailing her arms madly. Then she stood up, knocking her chair over. Susan pointed at her neck and Evan understood that she was choking. So, he went around behind her, drew his arms around her middle, and pulled up sharply just the way he'd learned the Heimlich maneuver. It worked. Susan promptly coughed up the chicken bit. By that time, their waiter and several other diners had gathered around her.

"No, no. I'm fine," Susan said. She and Evan sat back at their table and resumed their meal. Susan glanced over quickly, but all she saw was Jack and Ianto leaving.

NEAR THE FRONT DOOR

Jack grabbed Ianto's hand and pulled him, smiling, from the restaurant. He knew that Ianto would be mortified if he knew he'd been seen. Jack knew, but he just didn't care.