Scars
Word Count: ~ 400
Summary: Strong, capable, unshakable Jack … was breaking.
Characters: Rhys Williams, Gwen Cooper, Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones
Pairing: Gwen/Rhys, Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Spoiler: Exit Wounds
Setting: after Exit Wounds
Warnings: Mention of canon character deaths
Author's Note: Written for torchwood_las. The prompt was In The Dark and the additional element to use was Music. I got some positive and negative votes on this one and that pretty much shows what I think about this story as well. I loved it when it had the original length, but after cutting it to match the word count, I didn't like it that much anymore. :) I'm posting it for the sake of having a full set of all my stories. I'll do better next prompt ...
Disclaimer: I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show Torchwood and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.
xxx
Rhys had never expected that it would happen here. Bombs, explosions, death and terror. And his wife in the middle of it. Miraculously still alive. Lying next to him in their bed. He listened to her breathing while, outside, sirens of police cars mingled, becoming the soundtrack of the aftermath. The worst was over but even now, scavengers roamed the streets and robbed shops and homes.
Gwen sighed loudly and in the weak lights coming from outside, Rhys saw that her eyes were open.
"Alright?" he asked and then he gave himself a mental slap. "I mean-"
"I know what you mean. I'm okay." Considering that Owen and Tosh were dead. She touched his cheek. "I'll go check on the guys." With that, she left their bed.
Rhys closed his eyes and waited. It shouldn't take her too long to sneak to the living room and see if Jack and Ianto, sleeping on the sofa bed, were alright. Gwen had brought them along with her when she'd come home for a break, stating that she couldn't leave them at the Hub with all the ghosts. Ianto's place was destroyed – one of the bombs had hit it. Rhys had spent the evening watching them, seeing Gwen cling to the remains of her team and even Ianto, normally so detached, had been unusually tactile. But Jack … he'd been strangely restrained, spending the evening staring out the window, alone by choice.
Rhys sighed and, getting impatient, he followed Gwen. He found her lingering at the door to the living room and was just about to ask her what was wrong when he heard it: sobbing. He followed her eyes.
In the weak lights of the street lamps bleeding through the windows, Jack was crying in Ianto's arms. Strong, capable, unshakable Jack … was breaking.
Ianto's head turned in their direction. He didn't say anything, though, accepting their presence in Jack's name. And then Gwen moved, joining the embrace. Standing there alone, the loss really hit Rhys. He would never again keep Tosh company while she fixed his laptop. He would never again share jokes with Owen while nursing a beer in a pub. Nights out with the team would never again be the six of them. And it hurt.
It was Jack who reached out a trembling hand to him.
And Rhys took what was offered.
END
05/12