Title: Expectations and a common goal
By: Librarian In Leather
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Founding story in the Encounters verse. I may be taking some liberties about how long Jack has been Director of Torchwood 3 and about Ianto's former job so I apologise in advance.
Summary: Ianto Jones, PA to Director Hartman meets the Director of Torchwood Three for the first time.

***

Ianto Jones, PA to Director Hartman, sat at his desk, reading a report and trying not to snigger.

Ever since the incident with the Trion ambassador two years ago, he went through his paperwork every morning looking for references to Captain Jack Harkness. The Director of Torchwood Three was notorious for, among other things, rubbing Yvonne Hartman up the wrong way and Ianto liked to know when he was going to get screwed up reports thrown at his head.

This latest one was a classic. The alien retrieval team had been sent out to investigate an anomaly just this side of the welsh border. The Director could have signed it off to Captain Harkness but Ianto knew she hated letting anyone else have the glory if she could help it.

When the team had scanned the area and come up with two alien life forms, they followed procedure and stormed the building. Only to find two, many tentacled, blue aliens slumped on a bed with Harkness lying between them wearing nothing but a cat that got the cream grin.

Actually, the report didn't say what type of grin he was wearing but from Director Hartman's rants Ianto knew the captain definitely had, what she described as, an 'infuriatingly smug smile' and he let his imagination work from there.

Ianto had never actually met Captain Harkness in person but, after listening to office gossip as well as reading the reports, he had the feeling that he'd like him if he did. After all, they had a common goal in life; pissing off Yvonne Hartman as much as possible, even if Ianto's efforts were considerably more subtle.

It wasn't long before Ianto's theory was to be put to the test.


Two days later Ianto arrived at the office at his usual time of 7am, to find the door to Director Hartman's office open.

He stared for a minute, then shrugged and went to make coffee. The Director never arrived before eight, but since she and Ianto had the only keys to her office door she must have come in early. Damn, and he'd found a particularly good report on Harkness that he'd wanted to put on the top of the pile before she arrived.

As he entered the office, however, the insincere morning pleasantry died on his lips. Sitting in the Directors chair, reading a report with his feet up on the desk was an unfamiliar, dark haired, absolutely gorgeous, Ianto's brain supplied before he could stop it, man wearing a military great coat.

'Who are you and why are you in the Director's office?'

The man looked up to meet his eyes, with an ice blue gaze which turned Ianto's knees to jelly and answered the second question first.

'Because it'll piss Yvonne off when she finds me in here.'

Ianto suppressed a smirk as the man continued, waving the report he'd been reading in his face.

'This is a good one, but they've got it wrong, it wasn't three, it was four, they missed the one passed out behind the sofa.'

Ianto started as he recognised the reference to the report he had grinned over yesterday about Captain Harkness. And suddenly he realised who this man must be.

'You're-'

'Captain Jack Harkness,' Jack interrupted as he rose to his feet, 'is that coffee?'

The change in subject confused Ianto for a moment and by the time he'd got round to saying, 'Yes sir, I though the Director had come in early so…' Jack had already taken it from him and sipped it.

'Ooooh,' the captain closed his eyes and moaned in pleasure, 'that's gooood, don't suppose you'd be interested in moving to Torchwood Three and becoming my PA would you?

This time Ianto did smirk, 'but then who would Director Hartman throw things at, every time a report about you lands on her desk?'

That startled a laugh out of Jack, who proceeded to sit back down and kick his feet up on said desk again.

'Oh, I like you, what was your name again?'

Ianto decided against saying he hadn't told him his name and just answered the question, 'Ianto Jones, sir.'

'Ianto Jones,' Jack rolled it off his tongue, 'nice, love the accent by the way, no matter how long I spend there I will never get tired of those beautiful welsh vowels.'

Ianto fought to keep a straight face. 'Thank you sir.'

'My pleasure and no need for the sir, you can call me Jack.'

'Yes sir,' Ianto turned to leave the office but only managed to reach the open door before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

'Hey, where are you going, Yvonne doesn't get in till 8 o'clock right? I've still got 45 minutes to kill and I could use some company.'

Ianto turned back to Jack, breaking his hold on his shoulder. 'If you knew she wasn't going to be in until eight, why did you come in so early?'

'Because, Ianto Jones,' Jack reached over and pushed the door shut, suddenly serious, 'I wanted to meet the person who single-handedly negotiated with the Inalnah and stopped an invasion without Hartman even knowing there was a threat.'

Ianto stood stock still for a moment, staring at Jack in shock. 'How did you find out?'

'I have a lot of friends,' Jack's grin was back.

Something else occurred to Ianto, 'if you already knew who I was, why did you ask my name?

This time the grin was more of a leer, 'I had to be sure, after all, very few people as intelligent as you obviously are, are also absolutely gorgeous.'

Ianto was beginning to realise that you didn't spend much time in the company of Jack Harkness without getting shocked or flirted with. Or both. He tried not to show any outward signs of shock at Jack Harkness calling him gorgeous but he couldn't help blushing slightly. He knew Jack was a player, but there was a reason for that. Jack could have anyone he wanted and to have him flirting with him had Ianto rather flustered.

But this was Ianto Jones and he'd kept his cool facing more shocking things than Jack Harkness so he just said, 'thank you sir.'

And that just made Jack's grin even bigger, 'Ianto, have I told you that I like you?'

'Yes sir.'

The grin faded slightly, 'and I've definitely told you about the 'sir',' but then the leer came back with full force, 'though I can think of a few situations it would be quite appropriate in.'

'Don't you ever stop flirting?' Ianto exclaimed exasperated.

'Nope, what else am I supposed to do for fun around here?'

The image of Jack, bent over the desk with his ass in the air, that flashed into his mind made Ianto smirk before he could stop himself and Jack noticed it.

'Ah, ha, maybe there is a dirty mind under that indifferent exterior after all.'

Ianto couldn't think of any excuse for happened next, except to propound the theory that Jack Harkness really is as irresistible as he claims to be.

Ianto suddenly stepped forward, backing Jack against the desk and pinning the captain's wrists. He probably couldn't have done it if Jack hadn't been so utterly shocked, but since he was, Ianto took advantage of it. He pressed his body up against Jack's and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

'You know absolutely nothing about what is under my indifferent exterior,' his voice came out in a slow, careful growl. 'Sir,' the last word was laced with sarcasm but he barely had time to finish it before a door slammed in the outer office informing them of Yvonne's imminent arrival. Ianto sprang away from Jack and immediately started tidying up the papers that had fallen from the desk, leaving the captain looking slightly dazed.

Yvonne Hartman stormed into her office and stopped short at the site of Jack leaning against her desk, cradling a coffee mug.

'You! What are you doing here?'

'Why Yvonne, is that any way to greet a fellow Director?

'It is when you're in my office, drinking my coffee,' she spotted Ianto, 'and probably corrupting my PA.'

'Oh, of course I am,' Jack showed an ability to keep a straight face to rival Ianto's own, 'I mean, I'm me, according to you, I corrupt everyone.'

Ianto was glad Director Hartman couldn't see his smirk, but he shifted round deliberately so Jack could.

'Hey, Yan', get me another coffee would you,' Jack said, holding out his mug.

'Yes sir,' Ianto took the mug, keeping eye contact as he called Jack sir.

Yvonne objected, 'Hey, I'm your boss, you obey my orders, not his.'

Ianto looked at her with wide-eyed innocence, 'But ma'am, he's the Director of Torchwood Three.' And with that he left, after all, Jack was perfectly capable of driving Yvonne up the wall all by himself.

When Jack left, leaving a fuming Yvonne behind, he slipped a scrap of paper onto Ianto's desk with a wink and a casual 'see ya.'

When Ianto retrieved it, he found it to read: 'Two heads are better than one' with a mobile number underneath.

***

Next story in series - Bonding over popcorn.