Title: Knowledge
By: carrymary
Pairings: gen
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: I got bored while sitting in a coach for over 6 hours during a fieldtrip. Fortunately, after what seemed like ages, the plot bunnies bit me. There's plenty of bunnies in Norfolk. Inspired on -yet again, and I do apologize- a Dutch song, Ik weet het niet [I don't know] by Ruben & Nathan. Set before Something Borrowed.
Summary: "Nobody knows more than I do!" And Ianto Jones knew he was right.

***

"Nobody knows more than I do!" he had told them. And in that, he had been right. He knew he was right.

But then again, he did seem to know everything. Everything. In fact, he knew so much, it often scared the others.

For one, he knew Cardiff. As in, he knew Cardiff. Every alley, every post code, every church, monument, government building, nursery school, dental practice, mail box... everything really.

Then, every minute of the day, he knew exactly what was going on in the world. A suicide bomber in Jerusalem, an airplane crash in Sydney, a nuclear power generator locked down in Berlin, a new world record on the marathon for women in New York. But also a shoplifter in Lyme Regis, a gang fight in Cromer, four drug dealers arrested in Gosport. A car accident in Heraclion, Greece. A new heat record for the first week of October in De Bilt, the Netherlands. A young boy kidnapping his best friend's cat in La Cabrera, Spain.

He knew it, all of it. Before the local news got a chance to write a story about it, sent a journalist into the field even, it seemed.

He knew the Hub. Every single room and chamber on each of the seven floors, whereas his colleagues -his boss even- only knew the existence of five floors. He knew exactly which file to find in which drawer in which room on which floor. Where any random alien artifact was stored. Where Torchwood's secrets were hidden. All of them.

He knew Gwen. Gwen Cooper, whose family had been living in Cardiff for centuries. Who loved her fiancé, but also loved Owen. And Jack. Who would start her day with toast, butter and marmalade, and a cup of peppermint tea. Who secretly longed for her previous job as a police constable.

He knew Owen. Arrogant Owen. Harsh Owen. But he knew his secret, and thus knew where the arrogance originated from. He knew where he'd studied, who his coursemates had been. Owen Harper, who'd only use his title when he wanted to impress. Who pretended to hate, but was capable of love as well.

He knew Tosh. Shy, quiet Tosh, obviously in love with Owen since, oh, one year, seven months, one week and, well, four days. Clever Tosh, who'd gone through hell to protect those she loved, only to be arrested by UNIT. Toshiko Sato, who was raised in Japan but formed in London. Who used to sing in her own girlband during secondary school, and who could have won a Nobel Price she's only would have finished her PhD.

He knew Jack was his boss. He knew he was his lover. That he was invincible, immortal and from another planet. That he was over 150 years old, and a former Time Agent. He knew exactly what Jack was.

So perhaps he'd been wrong. Actually, he knew he'd been wrong. He did not know everything, and someone knew more than he did. And he knew that wasn't going to change anytime soon, if it was ever going to change at all.

Because deep down inside, he knew he would never know exactly who Jack was. And that, too, like all those other things, Ianto knew for sure.

***