Hey guys, I'm new to this and this is my first ever fanfic and first ever big piece of published writing, so I would appreciate some reviews with some good feedback (please be nice?). Anyway, this is only the first chapter, with many more to come. It will be pretty long, but I'm aiming for one chapter a week if not more. Hope you like it!
They drove in complete silence, broken only by the sound of Jack occasionally asking Tosh for directions through his comm. The air between them was thick with the weight of the past few days. Gwen glanced over at her boss, watching him stare at the road with that concentrated, stoic, expression and those bright blue eyes that were so much older than his face. On the surface nothing seemed to be different, but she could tell there was something wrong beneath.
This was the first time she had actually been alone with him in four days. Four days since she said the words that she could never turn back from: That's an engagement ring, that is. Rhys asked while you were away. She could still see the shocked expression on Jack's face when he felt the ring on her finger. The raw pain she saw in his eyes in that one moment would be forever etched into her brain, and it twisted her heart to think about it. Though he tried so hard to hide it, there was one thing Gwen could not deny. She had hurt Jack, cut him right down to the bone, and she would never be able to forgive herself.
Oh, maybe you're just imagining it, Gwen told herself. There was plenty of time for Jack to make a move if he really liked you as much as you think he does. But even as she thought it another voice reminded her of all the times that Jack had saved her, broken rules for her, sacrificed his own needs time and time again to protect her. Yes, she loved Rhys, and she never wanted to hurt him, but part of her always knew that there was something between her and Jack, something that would only stay dormant for so long. She found herself thinking more and more that Jack would be better for her than Rhys; at least she would be able to talk about work freely with him. She also started imagining more and more how it would feel to be in Jack's arms, with his lips on hers, only to try and stomp the thoughts out a minute later. She was really starting to envy Ianto, she thought to herself wryly, even though he and Jack had split two days before. The thought made her lips twitch into a subtle grin.
Jack stared resolutely at the road, trying his best not to look at Gwen, which proved to be quite difficult because normally he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Ever since he found out about the engagement all he felt was unbelievable pain when he looked her in the eye, pain at the idea of her being with someone else. The image of Rhys in his thoughts alone was enough to almost cause him to run off the road. "Tosh, how much further?" he asked, breaking the silence.
Gwen looked up at him. God she's gorgeous, Jack thought. What he wouldn't give to bridge the short distance between them and press his lips to hers. Then came the familiar pang in his gut when he thought about his hand on hers, feeling the cold metal band around her finger that may as well have been a force field. "Nearly there, Jack. Just two blocks up the road," the crackling voice of his teammate spoke into his ear. He didn't even know what the hell they were looking for, and he wasn't particularly happy that Gwen was with him. If she got hurt… He shuddered slightly at the thought. When he glanced over at her and saw the way her hair blew through the breeze, those thoughts all faded away. He wasn't going to lose her. He couldn't. She meant way too much to him for that.
Gwen stepped out of the SUV and looked into a suspiciously dark alley. She watched Jack get out on the driver's side, pistol in hand, and couldn't help thinking that he looked particularly gorgeous today. She was silently cursing herself when he held out his arm and said, in a voice that sounded like it came from a cheesy movie, "Would you care to accompany me on an alien hunt into this rather appealing alley Miss Cooper?" He smiled that smile that only Jack had, and she felt butterflies flutter somewhere deep in her stomach. Gwen could see there was something brewing behind his eyes, something she didn't quite understand, but she smiled and playfully took his arm. She tried to ignore the way her skin tingled, and drew her gun with her other hand. "It would be my pleasure Captain," she said, laughing.
Rhys sat by the window of his favorite bar, thinking he should probably have stopped after his fifth beer. He stared at his full pint, his thoughts drifting to his fianceé. God only knows when he spoke to her last. She was so busy with special ops and Jack bloody Harkness that he rarely even saw her anymore. He loved her, but damned if he was going to get married to a woman he rarely spoke to more than once a day! Maybe this was just the alcohol talking, he thought to himself. After all, Gwen still came home to him. That's what you think, the voice in his head whispered. She could be off doing God knows what with God knows who and you wouldn't even know.
He returned to staring out the window while feeling the familiar warmth as the drunken buzz really hit him. Movement caught his eye, and his eyes widened as he saw the very subject of his previous thoughts. There was Gwen, his Gwen, walking into the alley across the road, holding onto the arm of some bloke in what looked like a World War II jacket. With a jolt he realized that was Mr. Big shot Hero Harkness himself, walking into an alley on the arm of his fianceé. Feeling a growing anger boil within him, he watched them disappear into the dark, only to emerge a few minutes later with their clothes disheveled and Gwen's hair a complete mess.
Rhys' drunken mind struggled to process what he just saw. At first he stopped and attempted to sift through the alcohol-induced haze, but after seeing Gwen blush at Jack's retreating form, he could put two and two together. Gwen had shagged her boss. She had cheated on him. Whatever sliver of rational thought he had left tried to tell him that maybe he shouldn't jump to conclusions and that he should just talk to Gwen about it, but that part was quickly overcome by the tidal wave of rage and jealous fury. He looked out the window again, only to find a large van blocking his view of her. He turned away and ordered another drink. He would confront her when she got home, and he was going to put an end to her "special ops" escapades.
Hope that was a good opening! Next chapter will be up soon!