A/N: This is my first Fanfic so please be kind with the Reviews. Thank you to my Girlfriend Janto-Addict and her friends Gwencooper08 and TheWeddingFairy for their help and support.
Gwen laid the rest of the change on the counter and left the shop with her carrier bag in her hand. She headed down the road to her house and saw a disheveled man sat on her doorstep. He was wearing a blue RAF coat but due to blood was dyed red. He was wearing a blue shirt but it was torn and also dyed red. He looked up, pain and exhaustion shimmering in his eyes. He stood up and faced Gwen then collapsed in a heap in front of her.
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Jack awoke, the world spinning round him. Everything came slowly into focus and Jack realized he was in a house with cream ceilings. Unfortunately, that was the only thing he knew as he was lying down looking up. He then saw A woman lean over him which strangely reminded him of his scary dentist when he was a boy in the Boeshane Peninsula.
"Jack?" She asked softly, her welsh accent was rather grating considering he'd just woken up and had a splitting headache.
"G-Gwen?" He replied, his voice slurring due to nausea.
"Is it really you?!" She squealed. Jack sat up and gazed around the place. Not her original place that was obvious. She was living in a huge house with a bassinette in the corner of the living room.
"Yes, Gwen." He nodded. "It's me."
"Oh my god!" She hugged him tightly and kissed his face several times.
"Whoa." Jack pushed her away. "Calm down."
"Sorry." She blushed.
"Baby." He indicated the bassinette. "Girl or boy?"
"Both." She grinned. He looked puzzled. She took his hand and led him to the crib. It was considerably larger than he thought.
"Twins." He breathed.
"Yep." She nodded, proudly.
"What they called?" He asked, smiling.
"Boy's called Owen Ianto Williams girls called Rose Toshiko Williams." She replied.
"Aww. They're so beautiful." He smiled, a tear twinkling in his eye.
"I know." She agreed. "So…" She turned to him. "You going to tell me what happened?"
"when?" He asked, serious.
"Before! You disappearing 5 month ago! Appearing on my doorstep looking like you've been in a war!" Gwen snapped.
"oh." Jack looked down sadly. "It's a long story." He shrugged.
"No!" Gwen spat. "You are not getting out of this one!"
"fine!" He retorted. Then exhaled. "I ran away coz I was sick of seeing echoes of Ianto everywhere, sick of walking into a starbucks or a suit store and thinking and praying that I'm going to see him buying a suit or slagging the coffee off!" He explained, close to tears. "I needed him… and it's my fault I don't have him."
"No." Gwen shook her head. "It's not your fault."
"It is." Jack nodded. "I was the one who gave the kids in 1965. I was the one who allowed it to get that far. I was the one who hired Ianto. I was the one who took Ianto to Thames house and declared a war!"
"He knew what he was doing. There was nothing you could've done to save him." Gwen hugged Jack and they sat on the sofa and talked. About Torchwood. About the team. About happy memories of Ianto. They laughed together and cried too. Then Rhys walked in. The house was dark as the sun was long gone and the moon had taken over the sky and had scattered its stars like it was marking its territory for the night. Rhys saw Gwen's face stained with tears and mascara and Jack's tearstained face too.
"God, It's like a funeral in here!" he exclaimed then had to double take at the pair on the couch. "Wait... Jack?!"
"Hey, Rhys." Jack replied as if it was the most normal thing.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Rhys yelled.
"Well…" Jack began but was cut off by a fist in his face followed by a sharp pain in his nose and blood trickling down his face.
"You left my wife in tears!" He growled. "You ran away and Gwen couldn't eat or sleep coz you left! I was terrified my baby wouldn't survive. Because of you!" Rhys exploded. Jack turned to Gwen who was looking down.
"You never said you couldn't sleep or eat." He said quietly.
"I didn't want to make you feel worse than you already did." Gwen replied, still looking down. Jack nodded then turned back to Rhys.
"I'm sorry." He sighed. "I just had to get away. From the memories."
"You can't run away from memories, Jack." Rhys smiled, comfortingly.
"I know." Jack nodded. "I'd retcon myself so I couldn't remember the past few years if I hadn't made that damn promise!"
"What promise?" Gwen asked.
"Doesn't matter." Jack shook away the question.
"What did you two say in Thames House?" Gwen asked, affectionately.
"NOTHING!" Jack snapped.
"Sorry, I was only asking." Gwen whispered.
"no, I'm sorry. It's just…" Jack sighed. "Things were said, by Ianto, in Thames House that I wish I'd been brave enough to reply to. Coz my reply would've been true but I was too scared to say it."
"Like what?" Gwen asked.
"I…" Jack begun. "I can't." He finished.
"It's ok… I know, Jack. I know." Gwen nodded.
"Urm…" Rhys interrupted. "You have a place to sleep tonight, Jack?" Rhys offered. "You could always crash on the couch for a bit, mate."
"Thanks. Both of you." Jack nodded.
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Please be kind…
Reviews would make my day.
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