Jack Harkness sat on the edge of his bed in an anonymous London hotel and watched the battery of his mobile phone die. As the last bar of the battery life indicator disappeared and the phone screen faded to black he let out a huge sigh of relief and threw himself back onto the bed – he was free. Ok, it was only for four days but for the first time in eight months he was completely untraceable; no messages asking him where he was and what he was doing, no phone calls demanding to know what time he would be back and no constant barrage of cutesy pictures of kittens that, apparently, loved him "this much". The thought that no-one knew exactly where he was made him feel as if a huge weight had been lifted from his chest and he threw out his arms and laughed, properly, genuinely and loudly for this first time since...since...since he had thrown away Ianto.

Jack stopped laughing, rolled to his feet and fumbled in the bag he had dumped at the foot of the bed. He pulled out the bottle of 25 year old Lagavulin that Ianto had bought him. Jack smiled as he remembered finding the whisky on his desk after a particularly difficult week with a card that said, 'just because I wanted to, OK?' It had made him realise how well Ianto knew him if he had known that Jack's first reaction to the gift would have been 'why did you buy me this?' It was a shame, Jack ruminated as he sipped the smooth drink relishing the after burn in his throat, that he hadn't also realised how very dear Ianto had become to him at that point.

Jack moved over to the soft armchair by the window and, placing the bottle and his glass on the small table, sat down staring sightlessly at the rain beating against the pane. My own fault he told himself miserably, it was all my own fault. He began to recount the incident in his head, telling himself the story as if he hadn't lived through it. It all started, he thought, with that damn pool tournament of Tosh's...

Eight months earlier; Cardiff

'Right' said Jack, 'any other business?' He looked around the table, Gwen, Owen and Ianto shook their heads but Tosh hesitantly raised a hand. Jack blinked in surprise; it was most unusual for the quiet computer expert to speak to anything other than agenda items, 'Tosh?'

'Erm. Owen and I, well, I, really... I was thinking that it might be fun if we had a team night out, maybe go to a local pub and have a pool tournament'

'That's a great idea,' Gwen jumped in before anyone else could speak, 'four of us, that's two teams – me and Jack against you and Owen. Whaddya say Jack?'

Jack frowned, 'There are FIVE of us Gwen, what about...'

Ianto interrupted, 'You'd better count me out' he said, 'I'm pretty much banned from playing pool in most city centre pubs anyway.'

Jack raised an eyebrow, 'misspent youth, Mr. Jones?'

Ianto grinned, 'let me put it this way Jack, the fees for my degree were around £3,000 a year and every year I paid them out of my pool winnings.'

Owen let out a low whistle, 'wow that's impressive, Teaboy'

Ianto ducked his head self-deprecatingly, 'it's all about angles and trajectories and how you handle long wood' he smiled innocently and Jack choked on the last of his coffee.

Gwen cleared her throat, the conversation was getting away from her and she didn't like that, 'so,' she paused significantly until Jack had dragged his eyes from Ianto's smiling mouth and focussed his attention back on her where it belonged, 'a Torchwood pool contest, me and Jack against Tosh and Owen, when do we want to do this? Rhys is out of town until tomorrow evening, so, actually, tonight would be great for me.'

'Why not tonight then' suggested Owen

'Works for me' said Tosh

Jack looked across the table, 'Ianto?' he said

'Ianto shook his head, 'I can't tonight, I have something to do' he said

Jack raised an eyebrow, 'yeah? What?'

Ianto blushed and refused to meet Jack's curious gaze, 'just something' he said evasively, 'something I can't put off'

Ok, we'll pick another night then' said Jack to a general chorus of dissent from the rest of the team.

Gwen placed her hand on Jack's shoulder, 'C'mon Jack' she purred, stroking him gently through his shirt, 'we all need to wind down after the last few days. Ianto isn't even going to play so it's not like we need him with us.'

Jack looked at Ianto who was sitting impassively watching Gwen, Jack could see the brief spasm of hurt that flashed in his lover's eyes at Gwen's thoughtless words but as soon as he had recognised it, it was gone.

Ianto got to his feet and began to collect the mugs and plates for washing onto a tray, 'you go,' he said with a smile that didn't quite make it to his eyes, 'as Gwen said, you don't need me but you do all need a night out, so...go, enjoy yourselves'

Tosh shifted uncomfortably in her seat, damn Gwen Cooper she thought to herself, this was my idea and now she's trying to take over; she just sees this as an excuse to make a move on Jack, (Tosh sternly silenced the little voice in her head that pointed out that she had come with the idea as a way to get closer to Owen) this whole evening is going to be spoilt. 'It won't be fun without you Ianto' she said softly, 'please come'

'Yeah' Owen spoke up unexpectedly, the last person Tosh expected support from 'if you come Jack will spend the whole evening wiggling his arse at you and Tosh and I might actually win'

Ianto gave them both a genuine smile, 'I would love to' he said, 'but I really can't'

Jack wasn't happy, 'what is it you are doing that is more important than watching my arse' he demanded petulantly

Ianto's smile faded, 'something personal, Jack. Something important to me, OK?' and he picked up his tray and left the room.

Present day; London

Jack took another healthy swig of the whisky; I should have pushed it, he told himself sadly, if I had known what he was up to that night it wouldn't have been so easy for Gwen to convince me Ianto was cheating on me. He sighed heavily, that's crap, I should have trusted Ianto the way he trusted me. I should have trusted how much we loved each other.

Eight months earlier; Cardiff

Jack and Gwen fell out of the pub laughing hysterically, followed by Tosh and Owen who somehow seemed to be holding hands. All of them had drunk more than was usual for them.

'He would have been OK if you hadn't been so rude to him, Jack' Gwen was scolding

Jack hiccupped, 'how is asking someone if he would like to suck my ball after it had been in his pint rude? It seems unnecessarily courteous to me'

'I don't understand how the cue ball ended up in his glass anyway' chipped in Owen

'Would you believe...trick shot?' asked Jack, hopefully

'Not for a moment' replied Owen

'Well, I don't care, it won us the tournament' chuckled Toshiko

'How much do we owe you?' gasped Jack, trying to control his giggles.

Owen smirked, 'well once the tally got to 200 quid we negotiated tomorrow off instead.'

Jack frowned, 'really? You beat us soundly and all you both want is the day off.'

Tosh spoke up, 'starting from now, Jack. You and Gwen take out rift watch tonight, we have tomorrow off and you do your own night shift tomorrow night. We think we got a good deal.'

Gwen had managed to flag down a taxi, which Owen neatly slipped into, 'C'mon Tosh' he called out 'night's still young, come back to mine and I'll cook you Dr Owen Harper's patented hang over prevention fry up.' Tosh got into the cab with alacrity and cast an incandescent smile in Jack's direction. Jack, who had understood the rationale for the pool tournament all along, gave her a sweet and loving smile in return and mouthed the words 'have fun' at her.

Gwen linked her arm through Jack's 'well Captain, Harkness, ' she murmured, 'looks like it just you, me and the rift for the rest of the night.'

They strolled together towards the plas and Jack gave a heavy sigh.

'I wonder what Ianto is doing' he said

Gwen allowed a ripple of irritation to cross her face, 'I wonder WHO he is doing' she said spitefully.

Jack turned to face her,' he wouldn't' he stated confidently

Gwen raised an eyebrow, 'really? Did he tell you what he was up to tonight, did you get to find out what was so important to him that he couldn't come out with us, even when you made it clear that you wanted him to?' Jack looked at her, uncertainly, Gwen fought to keep the excitement and triumph out of her voice, she had never seen Jack so apprehensive 'have you two ever talked about being exclusive?'

'Well, no' stammered Jack, 'but I haven't been with anyone else since Ianto and I started dating. Ianto know s that'

Gwen administered her coup-de-grace, 'and do you know that about Ianto? We all know how good he is at keeping secrets, Jack. Maybe this is just one other thing he is hiding from you?'

Jack shook his head stubbornly, 'Ianto wouldn't do that, not to me, not now. I won't believe that Ianto would cheat on me, I'd have to see it with my own eyes'

Gwen laughed; she could not believe what she had just caught sight of over Jack's shoulder. In the brightly illuminated window of one of the bars that lined the quayside, she could see Ianto Jones and he was with company; she caught hold of Jack and turned him so that he could see what she already had noticed.

Ianto was sitting at a table deep in conversation with a stunning young man. Both were leaning across the table talking intently. The young man, really he was almost a boy noted Jack absently, was looking down at the table top and running his hands through his shoulder length blonde curls; he seemed distressed and Ianto reached across and took the young man's hand, brushing his other hand across the boy's cheek. Ianto said something and a small smile blossomed on the face of the blonde boy and he nodded slowly. Ianto smiled back at him and the two men stood and pulled on their coats. Ianto threw a few notes onto the table and turned to leave, one hand resting proprietarily in the curve of the young man's back, just above his arse.

Gwen risked a sideways glance at Jack. He was standing rigidly as if turned to stone, his face impassive. She placed a consoling hand on his arm; his muscles were locked as though he had tetanus. Sometimes the universe moves in mysterious ways she thought triumphantly as she pasted faux-concern onto her face and into her voice, 'oh, Jack' she simpered, 'I am so, so sorry.'

Jack made a visible effort to pull himself together, 'It's nothing, nothing' he whispered, 'just a drink in a pub, that boy, he could be a relative, an old friend, anything.'

Gwen smiled as Ianto and the young man emerged into the Cardiff night, the blonde boy hugged Ianto tightly and pulled him down into a kiss. When they broke apart Ianto was smiling, he moved in close and said something in a low voice which made the younger man laugh out loud, together they headed away from the quay. 'Doesn't look much like a "just a friend" to me 'she murmured, 'but at least we know why he didn't want to come out with us tonight, guess he really did have something more important to do' Her voice trailed off as Jack spun on his heel and strode off towards the invisible lift. Gwen ran after him, 'Jack? Jack?' As she joined him on the paving stone, Jack grasped her firmly by the shoulders and looked into her face intently.

Gwen squirmed, 'Jack? You are starting to hurt me' she wriggled under his hands and smiled seductively, 'you don't have to be rough, unless you want to be...'

Jack ran a hand over her face, watching her eyes flutter closed and noting how she leant into his touch. He murmured 'ok; right, then,' pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her, hard.

Gwen gasped, it was as if all her daydreams and fantasies were coming true at once, she wound her arms around him, 'Jack?' she said softly

'No talking' growled Jack, 'no thinking, just doing' and as Jack plundered her mouth a second time the only thought in Gwen's head was I've won, I've won.

She did not have long to savour her triumph, since as soon as the lift reached the floor of the Hub Jack pushed her against the nearest wall, separated her from most of her clothes and thrust into her, sobbing and biting and kissing her. His finger drew trails of electricity on her over heated skin, god his lips were so soft, and his fingers teased her alongside his cock until she came with a loud scream.

'Oh God, oh god, Jack' Gwen was babbling in her pleasure, clinging to him possessively 'we are so good together, I knew we would be. That was intense, it was wonderful, it was...'

'Quite a show' Ianto's voice came quietly from the shadows.