Nadolig Llawen
"Merry Christmas darling!" Rhys exclaimed, sitting carefully on the edge of the bed. In his hands was a tray holding their breakfast. Gwen rubbed her eyes and grinned at him. However she looked at it, Rhys was more than she deserved and more than she ever could have asked for. She betrayed him and she still had no idea why.
"What're you looking so serious for?" he asked, laughter in his voice. She hadn't realised that her smile and slipped. She fixed it and sat up in bed.
"Are we going to eat that or just look at it?"
"I don't know," he joked, "you could name it 'my boyfriend is fabulous'. I can see it becoming a big hit." She laughed and grabbed a slice of toast, taking a bite out of it. "Oh, you've gone and ruined it now!"
"Destroyed the art and beauty of it!"
"I don't think it could become less beautiful because of you. I was thinking more the opposite," he explained, sliding the tray onto the bedside table, his back to her. She placed her arms around his shoulder and swooped down on him, tenderly kissing his neck. He turned around and pushed her down onto the bed, running his hands through her silky hair. She hadn't felt such passion from him in a long time. She could feel the need for her in him. He greedily explored her mouth as his hands wandered down and pushed her nightdress up slightly.
"I love you," he told her as he pulled his head away from her and stared deep into her eyes. She was about to speak but the silence was broken by the sound of her mobile.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered and pushed him gently aside, reaching for her phone on the bedside table. She checked the display- work. 'I have to get this, Rhys." He opened his mouth to speak but she'd already answered the call and was walking out of the room.
"Hey, Gwen, it's Jack," Jack informed her from Torchwood's hub. He sounded hassled and as if he'd been crying but Gwen thought it best not to mention it.
"Merry Christmas, Jack."
"I'm sorry to disturb you," he said, as if only just realising it was Christmas, "but it's important. You have to come in. You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't vitally important. I need your help, Gwen. I'll explain when you get here."
"Okay, I'm coming." She heard the dial tone and turned to face Rhys. He stood beside the Christmas tree, a look of pure abandonment on his face. "I'm sorry, Rhys."
"Please don't go. I never see you any more," he begged.
"They need me."
"I need you too."
"You've got me," she informed him, placing her hand on his arm.
"Do I?" he questioned, "do I really?" He moved away from her and sat down on the sofa. It pained her that he felt that way but there was little she could do.
"It's important, I thought you understood that." It angered her that he just didn't understand. They'd both known that things would be different when she went to her new job. They'd both known that she'd be away more often and they'd both accepted it. Or, at least, she'd thought they had.
Rhys looked across at her and said; "it's Christmas day, Gwen," breaking the silence.
"I know," she whispered, kissing the top of his head, "and it will be when I get back, I promise."
"I've heard a lot of these promises lately and I'm not seeing anything solid," he replied calmly, but the tears in his eyes gave him away.
"A promise is all I can offer you, and the guarantee that I will try my best." She was trying to remain calm and reasonable. She didn't want to lose her temper with him on Christmas day. After all, it wasn't his entire fault. She had promised him that they'd spend Christmas alone together. Another promise broken.
"Well, maybe it's not good enough." He got off the sofa and went back into the bedroom, slamming the door shut. Gwen sighed and rushed out of the front door.
---
The Torchwood base was deathly quiet when she arrived. Jack was standing at the top looking down over the hub and silently descended the stairs as he saw her.
"What's going on, Jack?"
"The weevil's escaped. I don't know how it happened, exactly. It attacked Ianto and escaped through the emergency exit lift. We have to find it before it does any more damage," Jack told her, his voice free from emotion, his face the perfect picture of stoicism.
"Oh my god," Gwen shivered, "is Ianto okay?" she asked and Jack nodded slowly. "Wait, what was Ianto doing here on Christmas day?"
"He was… erm…" Jack cleared his throat and then met Gwen's eyes, "he was here to see me."
"Ah." For once, Gwen did not know what else to say. "How did the weevil figure out how to use the lift?"
"I don't know… I don't know how any of this happened to be honest. And I'm not one who likes to be kept in the dark." Jack looked saddened.
Owen appeared from behind the computer screen and gestured for them to follow him. "I believe it's travelling in this direction," he said, pointing to a part of the onscreen map. "For what purpose, I don't know."
Gwen moved closer to the screen and followed a road with her finger. "Wait, isn't that where your friend, Mark, lives, Owen?"
"You're right… but…" Owen started.
"But what, Owen? It makes perfect sense. The weevil wants revenge for what was done to him. He's angry and he's not going to be happy that he didn't manage to kill Ianto, though it's early days yet." Jack swallowed hard and stared at the computer screens. Gwen tentatively placed a hand on Jack's shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly.
"Ianto's going to be fine…" she assured him. "But for now, we need to focus on the weevil. It doesn't have any reason to go after Mark, not really. I mean, isn't that what weevils do naturally?"
"I don't think so. No, I think that weevils aren't quite what we originally thought. You look at them and you think, sharp teeth, angry looking face- they're made for killing. But who knows? We don't know that what they've been doing isn't just in a defensive mode. We don't know how long this weevil fighting has been happening and if it's been happening for as long as I think then there's a chance that the weevils assume we are here to cause them pain."
"And so it's going to want to go after one of the men causing all of this- Mark Lynch," Owen agreed. Gwen simply listened and thought about what to tell Rhys. She'd never be able to explain all of this to Rhys. There was no way she could make him understand just how important this all was.
"Where's Tosh?" Gwen finally asked, placing in her earpiece.
"She's away with family, can't make it," Owen explained, continuing to track the weevil. "I'm going to stay here while you and Jack try to track him."
"I don't think so, Owen, that's my job," came Tosh's voice as she approached her desk. No one had heard her come in.
"I thought you couldn't make it," Jack commented as Owen, Gwen and he turned to leave.
"Yes, well… this is more important." Gwen turned back and smiled at her before leaving.
They decided that it was better if Gwen drove. Verbally it was said to be because it left Jack to focus on tracking the weevil, but really he wasn't up to driving. They could see the pain in his eyes. He didn't even realise he was hurting that much. He just felt so guilty. If it weren't for him, Ianto never would have been there. He'd be with his family somewhere sitting around opening presents. Instead he was now sitting in a hospital bed while the others had been dragged away from their families to track down a missing weevil. This wasn't the Christmas that Jack had planned.
"It's still heading South," Jack told them, pulling on his seatbelt as Gwen started the engine. She could tell that he was holding it together… just.
"Alright," Gwen said, turning the car away from the square, "let's go try and save Mr Lynch."
---
He still didn't understand why things had turned out like this. Before her transfer to special ops, Gwen and he had been happy. He'd thought that one day they'd get married, have kids and grow old together, sharing everything together. But now that seemed like a distant dream for the most part.
He loved her still, and he was sure that she still loved him but things had changed. She was so distant and secretive now. He knew that there were things about her job that she couldn't say but he was sure that it didn't have to be this way. She didn't need to be at work all of those hours and she didn't have to lie all of the time.
It hurt him so much that she could lie so easily and so freely. The words just cascaded out of her mouth- a waterfall of deceit. He didn't know what she could be lying about anymore. Was she really at work all of the time? Was she having an affair? Was she even working in special ops? He didn't know. He wasn't even sure if he knew her at all these days.
But, despite all of that he wanted it to work. He wanted to wake up beside her every morning and fall asleep with her every night- when she wasn't at work. And he knew, to do that, he'd have to start to adjust more to the way things had become. Love was all about sacrifices. He couldn't ask her to quit her job or break whatever secrecy act she may have been under but she had to give a little too. She could try to be around more, and lie to him less.
He knew it wasn't a question of her love, though. He still felt that passion within her when they were together, when they made love. He still felt her quiver beneath his touch. No, he knew she loved him.
The problem was that he couldn't help but think that it was all because of him that he'd been arguing. He couldn't help but think that she belonged to Jack Harkness and the job now and not him.
Jack… Jack seemed an interesting character. He'd only spent a few minutes with him but there was something about him that he wasn't sure about. He didn't like how Jack rushed in and took Gwen away from him, as easy as that. She went so freely. Yet, despite that, he just couldn't dislike him. That's what bothered him so much. He'd seen the way Gwen smiled when Jack arrived. He knew what kind of power a man like that could have over a woman. It wouldn't even be Gwen's fault. He couldn't compare with someone like that. He wasn't sure yet if he had to but he knew he certainly hoped his suspicions were wrong.
---
Gwen quickly parked up outside Mark's place and the three of them dashed inside. The door was thrown off of its hinges; the beautifully clean rooms were ransacked.
"I think the weevil got here first," Gwen reported, picking some paper off of the floor.
Owen walked into the bedroom, speaking in an undertone, "I think he did too." Gwen made to follow him but he held out an arm. "Trust me, Gwen, it's not pretty."
"I don't have to be protected, Owen. There's not much I can't deal with now." She did not take another step forward, however. Instead she walked over to where Jack was standing, looking perplexed.
"Bad news," he sighed, "I lost track of the weevil. I just got a message from Toshiko and she said the same thing. I don't know exactly how he managed that bit it looks like we're going blind from here." He turned towards Owen; "how's it going over there?"
"The Christmas massacre if there ever was one." He stood up from his crouched position beside the corpse. "Definitely a weevil, I'd say. And this time I'm feeling pretty accurate. It tore right through the carotid artery, he didn't stand a hope in hell- ripped all of the flesh apart. Not a pretty sight at all."
"That last part- was that your professional opinion?" Jack asked.
"Yes actually, it was. Trust me, Jack, I'm a doctor." He walked back out into the main room and stood next to Jack and Gwen, tearing off his examination gloves. "But, what toy really wanted to know that the weevil's gone and we're far too late to do anything for him. Once the weevil got to him he was doomed."
Jack nodded. "We don't have time to clean anything up. Get some clearance on it to keep the police out," he told Tosh down the earpiece before turning back to Owen and Gwen. "And now we have some weevil hunting to do."
"My favourite sport," Owen quipped sarcastically.
---
Tosh turned away from the computer screen after sending Jack the list of known people to have been involved in the weevil fighting. There was little for her to do now. She flipped open her mobile phone and dialled the number for the hospital. After a few rings her call was connected. "I'm calling about Ianto Jones… no, I'm not family. He's a friend, I just wanted to know how he is." She sighed deeply while the nurse explained that she could not give any information out over the phone. "I appreciate that, but I can't come over and see him right now. Just tell him that Tosh called. Toshiko Sato… no, no, I'm sorry for bothering you. Merry Christmas." She shut the phone and placed it back onto her desk.
She considered telling Jack that she'd called but hadn't managed to get any information but then she decided against it.
She'd never have imagined that Jack and Ianto were together. It hadn't ever crossed her mind. Maybe they weren't, maybe she'd got it wrong. Apparently she got a lot wrong. Or, maybe no one had told her and that was it. No one ever told her anything, she found that out thanks to Mary. And, thanks to Mary, they found out quite a lot about her. She didn't suppose anyone had known how she felt about Owen until Mary came along- or at least that's what she liked to think.
Things had become such a mess. No one ever talked about it but she knew that everyone thought of her differently now. Jack felt betrayed and Owen and Gwen felt uncomfortable and invaded. She didn't blame them, any of them. She would feel the same in their situation, but she didn't take any of what had happened back. In a strange way she was glad to know how they really felt. It allowed her to know where she stood.
Except, of course, she didn't know how Jack felt about anything. He has been the only one she just couldn't connect to. He was the one she knew the least about. It was no wonder that she hadn't known about Ianto.
She got up and poured herself a coffee, her hand trembling as she did so. She'd never really realised how dependant everyone was on Ianto. He was the first to arrive in the morning, the first to leave at night. He ran things from behind the scenes, picked up rubbish, provided the odd joke and light relief when it was needed. He was probably the most vital part of Torchwood. And, if she was being honest with herself, she missed him already.
"God let him be okay," she begged, taking the steaming hot coffee over to her desk. She wasn't sure what good it would do, but there was no harm in asking. They all needed him to pull through, even Owen- though he'd probably never admit it.
Owen wasn't the type to admit to feeling much at all. He hadn't talked about how he felt when Diane left, and he hadn't talked about his relationship with Gwen, and yet she pretty much loved him. She didn't know why. He was horrible about her and still her heart childishly raced every time he walked into the room and seared with pain every time he pushed her aside.
"Tosh?" she heard Jack's voice through her earpiece.
"Go ahead, Jack."
"We're on the way now to a Mr Evans around the corner. Chances are the weevil will have gone there next- if it knows what it's doing." She wasn't so sure that it did. So far the weevil had shown to possess limited intelligence and a low telepathic ability- they weren't trained assassins and they couldn't read maps.
"Okay, I'll keep trying to get the trace back. Be careful guys."
"Aren't we always?" Owen's voice chipped in, "we're smarter than you give us credit for."
"Oh shut up, Owen," she heard Gwen's voice demand before everything went quiet. She felt a small tug at her heart.
---
Ianto's eyes flickered open and strained against the bright lights of the side room. A nurse was busying herself with the notes before here eyes moved up to look at him.
"Well hell there, Mr Jones, you gave us quite a scare," she chirped, placing the notes back into their holder at the end of the bed. Ianto ached all over and her brightness was little but irritating. He tried, and failed, at a smile before giving up. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Not that bad…" he replied shortly. The nurse nodded and turned to leave the room, sensing that he did not want to talk.
She'd only made it part of the way through the door when she turned back and said: "Merry Christmas."
"Is it?" he asked, getting a sympathetic smile before she left.
This wasn't even close to what he'd planned for Christmas. He'd turned up for 'work' in the morning with all the good intentions for a great day. Jack had been surprised at his appearance, but, nevertheless, pleased with the company. They had simply fallen into each other's arms and he'd planned to spend the rest of his Christmas like that. Funny hoe plans go wrong- he thought.
Now here he was lying in a hospital bed, having lost a few pints of his blood, alone. He understood, of course, that Jack had a duty to find the weevil. He just didn't like being alone. He'd had such a tough year and things did not seem to be getting any easier.
Just then a stern looking ward sister poked her head into his room. "Oh, you are awake then." She spoke in a harsh, matter-of-fact tone. "Someone called for you. I told them I'd let you know."
His heart started to beat that little bit faster, "who?"
"Umm…" the sister looked at a piece of paper from her pocket. "A Toshiko Sato."
"Oh…" his face fell. "Jack hasn't called, has he?"
Her face softened ever so slightly. "No. I could call him if you want."
"No… no, it's alright."
---
Jack was climbing out of the vehicle when Gwen stopped him. "I can see lights on in the house and at least one person moving inside. Chances are, he's okay. You two wait here and I'll go. It'll look much less suspicious." Jack and Owen both opened their mouths to protest but Gwen was already past the gate and knocking on the front door.
The door opened to reveal a hallway garishly decorated with Christmas decorations picked up from the local supermarket. A child of about eleven stood before her, looking confused.
"Hello there, you wouldn't happen to know where Aled Evans is, would you?"
"Yeah, he's in the kitchen helping mum, d'you want me to get him?" the boy asked, turning his back on Gwen.
"No, no, it's okay. It's not important. Just keep the doors locked…" she told him before running back to the others. She hadn't meant it to sound so suspect but she couldn't risk Aled seeing her. He'd have seen her at the weevil-fighting gathering and she couldn't have him knowing what was going on.
She pulled her seat belt on and Owen and Jack simply stared at her. "That was quick." Owen commented, "I assume he's not dead then? So, the weevil doesn't know where they live. Big deal." Gwen shot him a disapproving look but said nothing. He could be so insensitive sometimes. She hated the fact that she was the only one who looked at things with a little bit of human emotion most of the time.
"Not exactly, Owen, the weevil hadn't ever been here before. That's why we're heading back up the organisational ladder now to a Mr Joel McKenzie." Jack explained, "This was just to see what the weevil was going to do."
"To see if it knew where people lived... I know." Owen pulled on his seatbelt. "Well, what're we waiting for?" he asked Gwen. "Bring it on."
---
Rhys tipped back the remainder of a pint into his mouth. He'd gotten bored of sitting at home waiting for Gwen, wondering what was so important that she had to leave on Christmas day, and knowing she'd probably never tell him.
Christmas songs were playing on the radio and the pub was fairly quiet. Most people would be eating, or recovering from, their Christmas dinner. There were, however, a few exceptions. There were one couple sitting over to his right who were oblivious to the rest of the world. They were so focused on each other and it made him turn away. At the other side of the pub sat a cheery looking couple with two young children who were chatting excitedly in Welsh. They were not locals.
Near to them was one other man sitting on his own, knocking back the beers like there was no tomorrow. The picture of a lonely Christmas.
It was then that Rhys stood up and headed back to the flat. The pub was no place to be alone on Christmas day. Besides, he was rather hoping that Gwen would be sitting at home waiting for him.
---
They had just pulled up outside of the flat. The door was ajar and Jack slipped through it, gun first, followed closely by Gwen and Owen, also supporting guns.
"You go that way…" Jack whispered to Gwen, waving his hand in the direction of the living room. Gwen obeyed, cautiously opening the door and peering in. She could see the door to the bathroom over the other side of the room and a Christmas tree stood beside her, the lights still on, presents still sitting beneath its lower branches.
"Who the fuck are you?" she heard an eruption from another room in the flat. Owen and Jack's voices followed and she heard the scraping of chairs as they sat down in the kitchen.
Casually, she walked over across to the bathroom and opened the door. There was nothing in there. It could do with a clean, she thought, but that was about it. She was about to leave the room when she heard a crash behind her.
The Christmas tree was lying flat on the floor, the presents crushed beneath it. Her gun was already back in its holster. She made to grab it but the weevil was already advancing on her. She could hear movement from the kitchen, and Owen telling them he was just going to check on her. She struggled and the weevil threw her onto the ground as Owen appeared in the doorway.
"Gwen!" he shouted, rushing to her side. The weevil made to grab him but was stopped with a gunshot.
Jack stood in the doorway, the gun still raised in his hands, while the weevil whined in pain. "That was for Ianto and Gwen." Jack announced. He put the cuffs around the weevil's wrists and placed a bandage around the gunshot wound in the creature's leg before giving it a sedative. "How's it going over there, Owen?"
Owen looked up at him. "She hit her head in the fall. She'll be alright." Jack nodded and stood up to face the owner of the flat, Joel McKenzie.
"This, Joel, is why you don't mess with weevils." Jack explained, pushing the man aside as he dragged the weevil back outside.
Owen took Gwen into his arms and carried her, following Jack back out to the car. He placed her in the back seat next to himself. "This seems to be becoming quite a regular thing, Gwen. I'm not your personal taxi service," he told her as he stroked the hair away from her face. She was so very beautiful. He didn't know why he'd been such a 'wanker' to her.
---
Tosh paced up and down the length of the hub. She hadn't heard anything from them in a while. That wasn't usually good news.
Then, as if they had been reading her mind, Owen's voice came through on the earpiece. "Tosh. Gwen's been hurt… nothing serious, but we're going to come down the emergency lift. Jack can't carry the weevil all of that way."
Tosh ran over to where the lift stopped in the hub. "Are you sure you don't want me to come up there and help?"
"No, no, it's alright. We're just coming." Jack's voice told her.
He wasn't lying. The lift started to descend and Jack and the weevil appeared. Jack looked harassed and tired but, all of the same, he looked fairly triumphant.
"Now all we've got to do is keep it here." Jack grinned and stepped off of the lift, pulling the weevil after him. The lift rose back up to collect Gwen and Owen. "I'll just take him back down to the cells."
"Let me help you." Tosh took the other side of the weevil and, together, they carried the weevil back to his cell. There was no sign of how it got out in the first place.
"He won't be much trouble now, why don't you go home." Jack suggested as they made it back towards the main part of the hub.
"I hope you don't mind… but I was thinking I might go and see Ianto." Tosh picked up her bag from her desk. "I assume you're going."
"Yeah… no, I don't mind. Let's go then." They made to leave but not before Tosh saw Owen step off of the lift, holding Gwen in his arms. Her heart seared with pain again.
"We're here, Gwen." He told her, taking her and lying her down onto Jack's bed. It was the only place he could think that would be comfortable for her.
He considered calling Rhys, but he didn't know what to say to him. He didn't know how Rhys had reacted to Gwen getting called out on Christmas day but he got the impression that Rhys wasn't overly keen on the amount of time she spent at work. He smiled to himself. Rhys didn't realise what he had. And neither did Owen.
Owen had been so caught up in the loss of Diane recently that he'd pushed everyone else aside, including Gwen. He wasn't sure what he'd had with Gwen, but whatever it was he was sad that he'd lost it.
He didn't know if it was just sex, or sex and love, or maybe it was nothing at all, just two people drawn to each other because of their demanding jobs. Either way, he wanted it back. He hadn't meant what he said to her in the car the other week. He'd never get bored of Gwen. She was exciting and amazing. He could talk to her and she made him feel better about himself.
When they were together fireworks sparked, it has been like that since the moment in the cold storage unit. It had been such an intense and adrenaline-filled moment and there she was beneath him, the tension fraught in the air. He had kissed her and he hadn't regretted it. He'd lied and said it was the last kiss of the condemned man. Maybe at first it had been, but in truth he'd enjoyed it.
Then when they were together in the woods things were just the same. He'd told her his thoughts. Told her that he thought that they'd be amazing together, and he wasn't wrong. That evening when they were at his place mountains were moved. It was frantic and it was sweaty and it was a hell of a lot more than amazing. It was the most passionate moment that he'd ever experience. He couldn't have ever imagined in all of his life that he could feel like that.
And then he let things slip. He found Diane and they slept together. It didn't light a fire inside of him quite like Gwen did, but it was something different. It was gentler, more loving. There was a connection between them. There were so many things left unsaid between them but it didn't matter because they knew what each other felt. But, because of that he'd let Gwen go. And now he realised just what he'd let go of.
He could see all of their moments together in his mind. Her first day, the way he'd joked with her about the pizza and how much like a rabbit caught in headlights she looked. And then when he carried her into the kitchen when she got shot in their day in the country, the way she gripped his shoulder and played with his hair as he treated her. The way he helped her up when she fell afterwards, the look on her face when the man held a gun to his head. The way he'd held her that night when they stood by the window, the way she had just simply fallen into him.
Then when he thought she was dead after Suzie had left her to die. The way he held her in his arms and never wanted to let go. The way his insides twisted and he just wanted his life to be over.
Yes, he had feelings for her that were stronger than he wanted to admit to himself. They'd been through so much together and he didn't ever want to see her come to any harm. He hated every time she went out into the thick of things. He wanted to protect her, but she was stubborn and headstrong and would never let him wrap her up in cotton wool.
"And now look what's happened," he whispered, running his finger down her cheek.
"Come on, Gwen. Wake up." He begged of her. He placed his head down onto her chest and closed his eyes, a few tears being forced out as he did so.
---
Ianto closed his book. He just couldn't concentrate on the words. All he could think of was Jack. He wanted to be with him so much. They hadn't had much chance to be together. Everything was always so hectic that they could barely ever catch a single moment in each other's company.
He couldn't complain, he enjoyed his job and he knew that Jack did too, but he just wished they could take a break like normal people did. Then again, Jack wasn't normal. There was something so very magical about Jack. His touch was electric. His kiss was like a breath of life.
He'd thought that Jack was joking at first when he'd kissed Carys, but it was true. The man had something and it had attracted Ianto from the moment they first met. Back then it had just been harmless flirting, but now it was something so much more than that.
It was no good thinking about that all, he knew that. He needed to think about something else. So he thought about the weevil. He wasn't sure how it had gotten out of its cage. He'd walked down there, feeling that it was the season of good will, to keep it company for a little while. Jack was wrapping presents because he hadn't expected to see any of them until tomorrow at least.
When he'd gotten down there the weevil was already standing out of its cage. He stood there, paralysed, unsure what to do and it had simply attacked him and left him down there alone. He'd been so afraid. The last thing he remembered seeing was Jack rushing down to him. His shirt had been untucked and he wasn't wearing his braces.
And then he'd woken up in the hospital not knowing whether they'd caught the weevil or not and not knowing when he was going to see Jack again.
The ward sister arrived in his doorway and he sighed, looking miserable. "Good news Mr Jones. You have some visitors. It's that Jack you were asking about and the woman who called."
Finally he managed a smile.
---
Gwen opened her eyes and looked down to see Owen asleep on her chest. She lowered her hand and stroked his head gently until he too, opened his eyes.
"You're awake." He commented, and sat up beside her. He took her hand into his own. "I was so worried about you. So much for you not 'needing protecting'."
She smiled slightly and rubbed her head with her spare hand. "I don't."
"I was thinking about us. I'm so sorry for what I said the other day. I wasn't thinking. I was pissed off and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have done that."
"No you shouldn't have," she agreed. "It's fine, really Owen."
"No it's not," he whispered as she sat up. "You're the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. We're great together. I could never get bored of you."
"Owen…" she said, moving away but he placed his hand around her neck and moved closer to her. When their lips touched it was like every time before. Sparks ignited inside both of them and urged them on. He pushed her gently down onto the bed and hungrily explored her mouth. She was unbuttoning his trousers whilst he stealthily pulled off her shirt.
---
"How're you feeling?" Jack asked, placing some grapes down on the side. Ianto smiled remembering when they sat eating grapes together in the hospital just a few weeks ago.
"A lot better now that you're here." Ianto looked over at Tosh who suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "You too, Tosh."
Tosh smiled and sat down on the chair beside the bed. "I'm just glad you're okay. I had to make my own coffee today. It was awful," she joked.
"You guys never were good at making coffee."
"Talking off coffee, I might go get some. Do you want one, Jack?" Tosh asked and Jack shook his head. She didn't really want a coffee; she just thought that Jack and Ianto might want some time alone together. She felt like she was invading on something, and she'd had enough of that with Gwen and Owen.
After Tosh had left Jack sat down next to Ianto on the bed. "We caught the weevil," he told him.
"Yeah? Is it okay?"
"Typical of you, Ianto. It almost killed you and you're worried about whether it's alive or not. As it happens it's fine, dealing with a GSW but it'll live."
"You shot it?" Ianto asked, sounding surprised.
"Yeah… it'd just attacked Gwen. Enough of this though, I'm sorry your Christmas has turned out so badly."
"It's not that bad. I've got people running around after me for once." Ianto pointed towards the ward outside where the nurses stood.
"I can see the appeal of that… but it's not quite what I had planned for you. Though, I guess it does beat working."
"Not with my boss, sir."
"Well, I guess you'll just have to make up the time on New Year, won't you?" A cheeky smile spread across Jack's face and Ianto grinned like a schoolboy before looking suddenly serious and raising his hand up to his head in a salute.
"Yes Captain!" He laughed.
---
Gwen cautiously opened the front door and walked into the flat. She could smell Christmas dinner and there was the sound of the television from the living room. She walked in to see Rhys watching an old movie from one of their holidays. She closed her eyes, guilt washing over her like a tyrannous wave.
"You kept your promise." Rhys smiled when he noticed her, looking at his watch. "It's only 7:30."
She returned his smile and then went to check the turkey in the oven. "You shouldn't have done all of this Rhys."
"I wanted to say sorry… it wasn't that much work."
"Either way, it's me who should be apologising. I know I promised to be with you today and I wasn't."
"Shh," Rhys whispered, walking behind her and placing his arms around her waist. "It doesn't matter. We're both to blame really. Let's just forget about it and concentrate in spending what's left of Christmas together." He paused. "How did the turkey look?"
"Like a turkey?" She joked.
"Very funny… was it cooked?" he asked and she nodded. He released her from his embrace and took her hand, seating her at the table. He placed all of the food out onto the table and she hungrily dished it out onto her plate. "Someone's hungry," he commented.
"Well, I haven't had much chance to eat anything today. It's been a mad rush. One of my colleagues had been hurt." She said, by way of explanation. At least it wasn't a lie.
Rhys stood up from the table. "I was going to give you this this morning," he told her, "but, obviously, we never got round to opening the presents."
"Can't it wait until after dinner?"
"Not really. I want you to open it now." He grinned and passed her a small present. She shook it childishly before ripping off the wrapping paper and opening the box. It was a ring. She stared at him lost for words, and he gripped her hand, taking the box away from her, "I really love you, Gwen. I've wanted to do this for some time now… I know things haven't been great recently but they'll get better I promise. I'm going to try harder." She swallowed as tears rushed to her eyes. "Gwen Cooper, will you marry me?" He turned the box around to face her and she nodded slowly. Love surged inside of him as he took the ring out and slipped it onto her finger.
"I don't know what to say…" she whispered.
"Don't say anything. You don't have to."
"I love you, Rhys, more than I've ever loved anyone else in my life." She leaned across the table and kissed him tenderly and slowly, savouring the moment. "I just need to go to get some tissue from the bathroom." She explained and went into the bathroom, grabbing her phone off of the coffee table on her way.
She locked the door and put the lid of the toilet down before sitting on it. Her whole body shook with emotion. She couldn't believe how she'd just forgotten Rhys and slept with Owen. She loved Rhys so much and she wanted to marry him, she really did. She had to make it work. Jack had told her to keep hold of her life and not let it drift. She had meant to do exactly that. He was right, she was meant to be with Rhys.
Whatever she had with Owen, it wasn't anything compared to what she had with Rhys. Sure it was exciting and new, and she could unload everything from work on Owen, but she didn't love him. Rhys was never rude to her, maybe he couldn't know about her work but it was him that she loved, him that she'd always planned to spend the rest of her life with.
She slowly typed out a message on her phone; 'I'm sorry Owen. Earlier, it was a mistake. I'm in love with Rhys.'
She blew her nose and wiped away her tears before flushing the tissue down the toilet and going back to finish her meal with Rhys.
---
Tosh smiled at Owen. "Thanks for driving me home. I thought it was best to leave Jack and Ianto alone."
"Yeah, it's fine." Owen told her. All he could think about was Gwen. He didn't want to live another day without her. He was hoping that when she went home she'd tell Rhys all about them. He knew she hated lying to him.
He heard his mobile go and he pulled it out of his pocket and opened it.
"For god's sake Owen, don't use your mobile when you're driving, you'll get us killed… or arrested." Tosh moaned.
"Calm down Tosh, it's just a text. Anyway, the road is empty." He grinned and looked at the text. It was from Gwen.
It was then that his whole world came crashing down around him. She didn't want to be with him. He wanted to think that she was lying but he knew she wasn't. He'd just been a bit of fun. Just an office affair. Nothing more.
"Owen!" Tosh cried out, but it was too late as the other car crashed into the left hand side of the car.
---
Jack leaned over and kissed Ianto tenderly.
Ianto felt a rush of relief spread through him. "You'd better keep that promise about New Year, sir. I think I have a lot of catching up to do."
"You bet you do." Jack grinned.
---
Tosh pulled Owen out of the wreckage and held him in her arms. "Hang in there, Owen," she instructed, tears streaming down her face. "Please don't leave me. I don't care if you hate me. I love you…"
He opened his eyes slowly, slipping back into consciousness. "Gwen…" he moaned.
"No, it's Tosh… Tosh…" she whispered, unable to control the tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Tosh… where's Gwen?" he asked as she caressed his head gently. Inside she was torn apart. He slipped back out of consciousness and she shuddered with emotion.
"Why do you have to love her, Owen? Why can't you love me?" She asked as it started to rain. She fell down on top of his body as she watched him slip away from her. "God, Owen, don't you dare leave me," she sobbed but it was futile. He was gone. She could hear the sound of the ambulance arriving but she knew it was too late.
She gripped on to him and promised herself that she would never let go. She was angry at him for asking for Gwen, but she loved him anyway. She couldn't believe he'd leave her and Gwen like this without a fight.
"Merry Christmas, Owen," she whispered into his ear.