Author's note: So here lies the final chapter, I can't quite believe it myself. Apologies it is a day late - I wasn't very well yesterday. Thank you everyone for four years of support, if it wasn't for your reading and your reviewing I wouldn't have made it. So thank you to all of you that have come with me on this journey. I wanted to post this today as it felt very neat, 4 years to the day after the story was begun. It is also Pride tomorrow in the City in which I am living so it felt rather appropriate to delve into that a very little.

I hope you enjoy, thanks again for your support and thank you for reading. I hope this is the first of many projects here (though I hope no future project will take me quite so long to complete!)

enjoy,

Beth xx

Two weeks later the team finally got round to celebrating Gwen's birthday. Much against Jack's wishes Gwen had invited Andy along as well and the 5 of them were sat sipping pints in a small pub down a back street in one of the quieter areas of Cardiff. It seemed, despite an invite for Andy's plus one, his attempt to move on from Gwen had been a little ambitious and had finished almost as quickly as it had started, much to Rhys' amusement. So Andy instead sat sour-faced next to the haulage director, trying not to feel out of place sandwiched between two couples with his fruit cider. He'd ignored the captain's wink as he'd placed his order, noting that both Ianto and the American were on the real ale.

"Well, Happy Birthday Gwen!" Jack raised his pint, reminding them all of the reason they were sat here.

"Yeah Happy Birthday my love," Rhys piped up as they all raised their drinks, "Better late than never," he winked and Gwen responded by elbowing him in the ribs.

"Oi," he yelped in a pitch that made Ianto raise his famous eyebrow and Andy choke on his drink. Jack merely slapped Rhys on the back and congratulated him on finally getting in touch with his feminine side.

Andy left after only a couple of hours, mumbling something unconvincing about an early start in the morning; though no one bought it. The remaining four decided to move on, time to get to a bar and liven the evening up a little – Gwen would have her celebrations in style. Jack winced as they walked into a bar blasting out the latest 'House tracks', at least that's what Ianto informed him it was, sounded like an awful lot of crazy noise to Jack. "What happened to the beatles?" he yelled over the noise, "or Queen, real music?!" Ianto shrugged, amused, "out with leg warmers and tank tops," he shouted back. They had already lost Gwen and Rhys fighting their way towards another drink and Ianto could tell Jack was not overly inclined to stay.

"Come with me," he signalled to Jack who immediately took his hand. Ianto negotiated his way towards another door, knowing that it lead back out into the cool Cardiff night air. When they finally reached it Jack realised they were heading for an outside smoking area, a quadrangle of patio, surrounded by a large fence that looked as if it had seen its fair share of scraps over the years. The quadrangle looked out over the bay and was occupied by a couple of young girls, who looked barely 18 smoking and giggling in the corner.

Sending a quick text to Gwen Ianto looked over at Jack who was still nursing his ears from the noise. "I really am getting to old for this," his boss frowned at his own words "did I seriously just say that?"

Ianto snorted. "If we jump the fence there's a little path that can lead us back to the main front again," Ianto informed Jack, glancing back into the packed bar.

"What about Gwen?"

As if to answer Ianto's phone buzzed with a responding text from none other than Gwen herself. "She says to go on," Ianto waved the phone at Jack, "Rhys has just thrown up over one of the bouncers so they're heading home."

Jack tried not to laugh, "Wow, he really knows how to finish a night,"

Ianto rolled his eyes, glancing back at the bar to ensure they weren't being watched. "So?" He looked purposefully at the fence and Jack nodded, "Please lead on,"

Back on the harbour front Jack regained his bearings, looking around he began to get quite excited. "Ianto I know a lovely little place not far from here, fancy a peek?"

Ianto was both tentative and curious, Jack had never recommended a bar before, having always relied on Ianto's good taste, he was unsure what to expect.

"oh why not," Ianto rolled his eyes, not wanting to wipe the glee off of Jack's face, "Lead on," he mimicked the captain. To Ianto's surprise Jack held out a hand for Ianto to hold. He wasn't used to walking hand in hand in public, it just wasn't something either of them seemed comfortable with. Ianto cautiously took it, before having his arm nearly yanked off by Jack pulling away excitedly down a sidealley.

"Err, Jack?" Ianto had no idea where Jack was taking him; the main bars were in the other direction and Ianto had never been to a bar in this part of town. Ahead of them Ianto saw a sign swinging in the wind, lit up dimly, 'The Fighting Cock', the great outline of a proud cockerel stood tall underneath the words, faded and aged. Despite its rustic exterior there was the gentle hum of people inside and it sounded like someone was playing the guitar.

"Come on," Jack grinned at Ianto, "It's been years since I've been here."

Ianto couldn't help but thinking there was probably a good reason for that but followed his partner inside anyway. The pub was lit by candles, flickering romantically at tables, each in their own little booth, occupied exclusively by men, or so Ianto thought. As his eyes adjusted he noticed a few women sat at their own tables, holding hands and talking quietly – the atmosphere was calm, romantic even and no one seemed to have noticed their entrance. Jack walked over to the bar and after a short exchange with the barman was carrying 2 pints of the finest local ale.

"Well don't just stand there gawping," he told Ianto, "let's find us a booth."

Ianto wordlessly obeyed, scanning his eyes until he found an unoccupied one and lead Jack towards it.

"Jack is this…" Ianto's eyes widened in sudden realisation.

"one of the oldest Gay bars in Cardiff," Jack smiled proudly, "though not many people know it."

Ianto looked around, it wasn't quite what he would have imagined, subdued, dark – no men in drag, no lavish expressions of sexuality, just calmness. He looked at Jack questioningly.

"this, once upon a time was one of the few safe havens in which we could meet," Jack told him, "no one wondered this far away from the city centre – no one raided such an ordinary looking pub looking for us."

Ianto stole another glance at the pub, "it's not quite what I'd expect,"

"Exactly," Jack smiled, holding Ianto's hand on top of the table, completely relaxed, "We wanted our own sanctuary, somewhere everyone could be themselves, could have a romantic meal and sip a pint in peace." Jack gestured at a board brandished with the weeks specials. It was hardly the Ritz but Ianto was beginning to understand the charm of the place.

"we?"

"I helped set this place up," Jack looked around in admiration at his achievement, "100 years on and its still here, it's like coming home"

"100 years!" Ianto exclaimed, struggling to comprehend the Victorians meeting here in secret, hiding their true identities from society. Jack nodded, "it's been a long time since I've trod these wooden boards," Ianto noted there were tears in Jack's eyes and he lifted a hand to wipe them away, Jack responded by kissing it, holding it against his cheek fondly.

"The Fighting Cock," Ianto raised an eyebrow, "Not the most subtle."

Jack grinned, "well people don't see what they don't expect to see – to those of us that knew what to look for – well, it was almost too easy."

Ianto treasured each piece of the jigsaw, adding each to the whole that was the mystery of Jack Harkness. He couldn't begin to imagine what it must have been like for the 51st Century man to have found himself in a time and place that he was unable to express himself openly. For the ever-flexible captain it must have been so frustrating, even with the forward-minded Torchwood to keep him going. He wondered how many people had found solitude within these four walls, how many still were.

"I think it's wonderful," he whispered quietly, leaning over the table so Jack could hear. Jack responded by meeting Ianto's warm lips with his and slipping his tongue inside his mouth, pulling his head in closer. Ianto was only too happy to comply, caring not that they were in public where the whole pub could see them. It suddenly felt so silly that he found it uncomfortable to be with Jack like this in public., with staring eyes and whispered conversations following them. But here the outside world seemed to have disappeared. Every couple in their own booth had their own pocket of time and space, a bubble surrounding them and nothing outside it seemed to matter. Ianto could understand what Jack meant when he'd said it was like coming home - though Ianto had never set foot in this place before he already felt like he belonged here, secluded and safe. They could have been anywhere in time and space in this place and Ianto could sense how special that was to Jack. Here anything was possible, here they were just a normal couple, here they had forever.