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“You lied to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ianto didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. Jack frowned.
“Why?”
“You said it yourself. If I had told you, you would have killed her.”
“You didn’t trust me.”
“You didn’t trustme, either.”
“I did. Of course I did. I wouldn’t have let you in here if I didn’t trust you. I wouldn’t have let you stay after-hours so often, working on something in the lower basement where there’s no active CCTV if I didn’t trust you.”
“But you didn’t trust me at first. I read the others’ recruitment files, I saw how you handled letting Gwen join. I’m the only one who had to put in effort.”
Jack sighed. “It’s not that I didn’t trust you. I didn’t trust Torchwood One. Never have. I saw what they were doing but didn’t have the authority to stop it. And the way they trained their people…. Yeah, I didn’t trust you, but not because of you. Because of London.”
“But I proved to be an asset to you.”
“Yes.”
“And that’s why I haven’t been retconned out of existence yet. I can still be an asset.”
Jack passed a hand over his face and sighed. “I like you, Ianto. I think you could do good here. And…I do know what it’s like to lose a loved one. I understand why you did it. That’s why you haven’t been retconned out of existence yet.
“But I will retcon you, if I have to. I’ll kill you if I have to. Tell me why I shouldn’t.”
Ianto sat in silence, not meeting Jack’s eyes.
“You’ll miss my coffee.
Jack couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re right about that. How about this: one month prohibition. Prove to me I can trust you, and I’ll let you back in.”
Ianto took his time answering, brows furrowed and lips moving minutely. Jack knew that look, the look that said he was working through the pros and cons of each option.
Then Ianto looked up and with a single nod said, “Yes, sir.”