Jack - Chapter One

"So what's going on?" asked Suzie, standing beside Jack as the others wandered into the room, looking equally curious. "This is the second meeting with the Doctor in three months."

"New floor manager," murmured Jack, glancing around to see if he could spot the new face. The entire restaurant staff—cooks, servers, bussers, and more—were gathered in the main dining room as they waited for the owner, Dr. John Smith, to arrive and begin the meeting. They had two hours until opening, and though he was curious, Jack was also impatient to begin prepping that night's menu. It was always a bit chaotic in the kitchen, but he tried to keep things running on schedule, and that meant getting started on time. He tapped his foot impatiently. "Hope he's hot."

Suzie rolled her eyes. "Because things worked out so well with the last dining room manager you shagged?" she asked dryly, and he pretended to groan.

"Don't remind me," he said. "I'm hoping she didn't put me off managers for good."

"You're incorrigible," said Suzie with a shake of her head.

"Always have been, always will be," Jack replied with a laugh. He was forced to cough into his hand when Dr. Smith arrived with the man who was presumably their new floor manager. He would be overseeing everything that went on up front, from tables and chairs to servers and bussers, and from what John Smith had shared with the managers in an earlier email, the man was a strong host as well. He was apparently experienced, organized, and efficient. Given the disorder that had been the dining room while Lucia had run it (not to mention the disaster that had been their short but torrid affair), Jack was looking forward to a calmer, more stable environment in the dining room. He hoped to get along better with the new manager than he had with Lucia.

"If you don't mind, I need everyone to take a seat so we can get started," called Dr. Smith into the crowd. The staff began to settle down, and Jack studied the man standing with the Doctor. He was tall, dark-haired, and handsome. Good start. Though he appeared rather young, he was dressed in an impeccable black suit with a matching waistcoat and a silver tie that appeared to match bright, intelligent eyes. Or maybe his eyes were blue, Jack wasn't sure. The newcomer had long sideburns that Jack found curiously dated yet incredibly sexy, full lips that immediately drew Jack's attention, and a slim body that made Jack's hands itch to explore under the sharp-looking suit. Jack nodded in appreciation, and felt Suzie step on his foot before he could whistle under his breath. He winked at her.

"This is Ianto Jones, come home to Cardiff where he will be taking over the vacant position we've been scrambling to cover for the last month."

Jack glanced over at Lois, who had done most of the covering when John Ellis had retired only three months after taking over for Lucia. John had been unable to deal with the changes in the business since he'd started and had left them abruptly shorthanded until Lois had only recently managed to get a handle on things. Lois appeared relieved, however, and smiled broadly at their new manager. That was a good sign; Jack always hated it when new folks came in and the current staff grew resentful. Lois would likely go back to lead server, which probably fit her circumstances much better. If Jack remembered correctly, she was going to school part-time, hoping to get her degree and a job in the Home Office, though why she'd want to work for the government, Jack had no idea. He imagined, though, that managing the floor on top of her studies had been difficult.

The Doctor spoke some more, but Jack let his mind drift, as he usually did during staff meetings, from inappropriate thoughts of Ianto Jones and his suit to all the things he needed to prepare for the menu that night. He almost missed the Doctor dismissing everyone and calling the other managers up front for brief introductions.

"Mr. Jones, this is Alex Hopkins, our General Manager. He runs everything when I'm not here, which is most of the time, I'm afraid." The Doctor nodded at Alex and continued as Ianto shook hands with Alex. "Toshiko Sato, our bookkeeper for Cardiff and systems expert for all three restaurants, and Owen Harper, our beverage manager." More nods and hand shaking. "This is Lois Habiba, she's one of our servers and has been running the floor since our last manager left. You'll shadow her for a few days before taking over."

Jack watched as Ianto smiled warmly at Lois, shaking her hand and murmuring something Jack didn't catch but that made Lois blush. Then it was Jack's turn, and he stood up a bit straighter, offering a blinding grin as the Doctor and Mr. Jones turned toward him.

"And this is—"

"Jack Harkness, executive chef," Jack finished, offering his hand with his usual brash enthusiasm. Ianto raised an eyebrow at Jack's spirited greeting.

"Ianto Jones," he replied, and Jack grinned even wider. The man had the most delicious Welsh accent. God, he loved being surrounded by Welsh accents.

Ianto's hands were strong, his fingers slim, his grasp confident. The moment their hands touched, Jack felt his heart literally skip a beat and his breath caught in his throat at the visceral reaction. Ianto Jones was attractive and Welsh, and though he had just met their new manager, Jack was already imagining very improper things about the man. Which Ianto seemed to sense, for his eyes widened as he slipped his hand away from Jack and back into his trouser pockets with an embarrassed cough.

"Stop it, Jack," said the Doctor. Tosh giggled next to him while Owen groaned and Alex shook his head; yes, they knew him well.

"I was saying hello," Jack protested, but couldn't resist a wink at Ianto Jones. The Welshman rolled his eyes, and Jack almost started drooling right there. It was so incredibly sexy, he was determined to make this man roll his eyes every chance he got.

"Be nice to the new kid, Jack," said Owen with a playful jab at Jack's arm. "He just got here so don't go scaring him off from the playground yet."

"It's all right," Ianto offered with a direct look at Jack. "I don't scare easily." The Doctor sighed.

"Stags butting antlers," he said, shaking his head. "This is my restaurant, gentlemen, not a playground. As you may or may not know, Mr. Jones was my floor manager in London. He comes to us with exceptional skills and experience. I expect he will fit right in here, given how highly I think of all of you."

The unspoken warning was clear: Ianto Jones was highly regarded by the Doctor, and therefore, should be treated accordingly. Jack knew, however, that the new manager would still have to earn their trust. It was simply the way things were in the restaurant business; staff were close-knit, and the internal politics of an upscale restaurant could be difficult to navigate for newcomers, experienced or not.

There was something about Ianto Jones, however, that Jack felt would serve the man well at The Hub. Whether it was his good looks, his quiet poise and confidence, or something else, Jack sensed the man would fit into team. Oh, they would test him, but Jack suspected that Ianto Jones would definitely earn his place at the Hub.

A week later, Jack was working with Toshiko on a large order for the new menu they were introducing when the subject of Ianto Jones came up.

"How's the new floor manager doing out front, Jack?" Tosh asked, sitting back in her chair with a sigh. She reached for the coffee Jack had brought in to keep them going through the tedious process and grimaced slightly as she sipped at it. "And how is it you still don't know how to make decent coffee?"

Jack frowned; it wasn't that bad this time, was it? "Because I learned how to make coffee in the army and cook food at culinary school," he replied. "Next time I'll throw a filet into the blender with some béarnaise sauce and make you a meat shake."

She giggled, a sound Jack always delighted in hearing. "That's disgusting. So how is he settling in?"

Jack shrugged. "Seems to be doing fine from what I've seen. Everything is going smoothly in the back so far and the servers aren't badmouthing him when they pick up their orders. He seems very organized and professional. Lois is impressed, from the few times I've talked with her."

"I think Lois has a crush on him," Tosh murmured, then realized she'd said it out loud. "Oops."

"I won't say a word," Jack laughed. "But he's…I don't know, a bit quiet, isn't he? Distant?" He wasn't sure what the word was, but Ianto Jones was certainly the most soft-spoken and reserved floor manager he'd worked with in years. It was so different from the heated disorder that had been Lucia's floor, or the confused muddle of John's short time running the front. Jack preferred organized chaos himself, which was how he ran his kitchen. He hoped there were no conflicts as the front and the back adjusted to one another's styles.

"Sad?" suggested Tosh, interrupting his thoughts, and Jack nodded slowly. Yes, that could be part of it. He'd talked with the Welshman several times as Ianto had shadowed Lois, learning the layout, personnel, and general way of things at The Hub. Yet the man came across as so quiet and introverted that it was almost painful for Jack; he knew he had a fairly gregarious personality and felt like he was overwhelming the young man at times. He had tried to pull Ianto out of his shell and flirt a bit, but all he got were small smiles that never reached blue—definitely deep blue—eyes and an occasional eye roll that he still found damned sexy. Jack was growing almost desperate for the man to show some spark, sensing more to Ianto Jones than the man put forth.

"Don't get me wrong, I think he'll do great here," Jack replied. "But yeah—he seems sad. And definitely too young to be so sad. Or maybe he's just shy?"

Tosh studied him for a moment before leaning closer. "You do know why he left London, right?"

"No idea," said Jack. "Is he regretting it?"

Tosh shook her head sadly. "I don't think so, from what I've heard. He had a difficult time of it there."

"At Torchwood One?" asked Jack, leaning forward with a frown. "Why? Did they run him out or something?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," said Tosh. "Do you remember the burglary six months ago?"

Jack snapped his fingers. "Yes, I do! Was he rattled by it?"

"Jack, he was there," said Tosh, her voice quiet and sad. "He was closing up that night, and his girlfriend, the lead server, was waiting for him. They were both shot." She took a deep breath. "He survived, but she didn't."

Jack's mouth fell open. "Jesus." He'd heard about it, of course. It had not only been on the news, but John Smith had gone to all three of his restaurants the next day to personally reassure all of his staff that everything was going to be all right and security tightened. "So…he was there," Jack repeated numbly. "I can't imagine." Only he could, because he'd been in firefights before—Iraq, Afghanistan. He knew exactly how it felt to be shot, and what losing someone important was like as well.

"What happened?" he finally asked Tosh, who shook her head.

"I don't know the details, but I do know it's not something he wants spread around as gossip fodder. Alex only told me because I handle the books, and the Doctor made sure he's taken care of." She gave him a raised eyebrow. "And I suppose I'm telling you so you don't stick your foot in it."

Jack nodded slowly. It made sense that after Ianto had lost so much in London, he had come home to Cardiff to recover. And that John Smith would take care of him. Even more, Ianto's quiet demeanor was understandable as well, for the man was no doubt still mourning. Jack understood why the Welshman wouldn't want the entire staff to start gossiping about his past when it was so recent and painful. He was glad Tosh had told him, since he sometimes had a bad habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

"How's Suzie doing?" Tosh asked, changing the subject, though this one wasn't much better. Suzie, Jack's pastry and dessert chef, had been in a car accident three months earlier. She was still undergoing physical therapy for her injuries and taking extremely powerful painkillers to get her through long nights on her feet. Jack assumed she was all right. She didn't talk much except to complain about things, and she had stopped complaining about the accident several weeks ago, which he hoped meant she was moving on.

"She's the only one who doesn't seem to like Jones," Jack added. "No idea why, but maybe she's still struggling a bit."

Tosh nodded in understanding; she and Suzie had been close for a while, though like many other things that had changed recently at the restaurant, they had drifted apart. She was about to reply when the subject of their initial conversation appeared in the doorway. They both glanced up in surprise when Ianto Jones knocked on the half-closed door and poked his head around.

"Ms. Sato?" he asked. "Did you—oh." He stopped when he saw Jack staring at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll come back later." He stepped back, adjusting his sharp navy pinstripe before turning to leave.

Jack jumped up. "No, we were working on the requisitions for the new menu, but we're done. Time to get started with the fun stuff, so she's all yours."

He grabbed Tosh's coffee mug and grinned at the face she made. "I'll figure it out eventually," he laughed. Ianto was watching them curiously. "I can cook, but apparently I can't make coffee," Jack explained as he stepped past the Welshman.

"We all have our shortcomings, sir," Ianto murmured.

Jack grinned; this was not the first time Ianto had called him 'sir', but it was certainly the cheekiest. "No worries, it's my only one."

"And here I thought the potato leek soup was a bit salty."

"What?" asked Jack, thrown for a loop. "It is not!" Tosh burst out laughing, and even Ianto smiled.

"It's not. It's actually one of my favorites."

Jack stared at him, then shook his head. "Right. I'm going to go adjust my seasonings then. Like the suit, though, Mr. Jones."

Ianto cocked his head. "Like the coat, Captain." Jack had his own custom made chef''s jacket, a grey cotton weave with epaulettes on the shoulders and big brass buttons. He liked the old-fashioned RAF feel of it; even better, he liked Ianto's comeback and the new nickname that came with it.

"Thanks, soldier." He offered a mock salute and left the office before Jones could reply.

As he walked toward the kitchen, Jack thought about what Tosh had told him. Though he had no reason to worry, especially considering the Welshman's quick wit in the office, Jack found himself concerned for the Welshman and decided he would keep an eye on him.

Or maybe both if he was wearing another delicious pinstripe.

Author's Note:

Time for another non-Torchwood AU! I'm hoping to post a chapter a week, with two parts/eight chapters already finished. Part One is Jack's POV and Part Two is Ianto's POV. That gives me two months to finish the third part, which will be both points of view. This is a light and fluffy diversion from my other chaptered fic, so I hope you enjoy it! It's quite fun trying to write these characters in a different setting, as well as incorporate certain story elements in a different way. Thank you for reading, and thanks to Taamar for looking it over!