Disclaimer: I do not own anything, sadly. Wish I did though. =P

A/N: This is just something I pictured when I was listening to Katy Perry. (I'm sort of addicted to Katy Perry) I've re-written this because a better idea came to mind when I listened to the song again. It's sort of the same thing but a little different. I've given up trying to write something different! =P

Gwen watched Rhys storm out of their flat after their fourth argument that week. She sat down on the sofa with a sigh. She tried to remember how the argument started.

She'd come home early for once and they were enjoying a romantic meal together but she couldn't concentrate. Her thoughts wandered elsewhere and Rhys noticed her absence. When he'd commented on it, she'd snapped at him. She realised it was a little harsh but recently he'd been starting to irritate her.

Her phone vibrated and started to ring, Owen's name popped up on the screen. She growled when she looked at the screen and debated whether to answer it.

A week ago, he'd broken things off with her after what had happened with Diane and ever since they'd been at each other's throats.

She snatched up her phone and answered it.

"What do you want?" She snapped.

"Jack wants you at the Hub, we've got rift activity." He told her and put the phone down.

Her jaw clenched as she put the phone down.

Reluctantly, she made her way to the Hub.

She tried to ignore Owen as she entered but some invisible force turned her face to look at him. He was staring back at her. It was in that moment their eyes met that she knew she was in love with him and it was the reason why their arguments hurt her so much. They looked away quickly and she made her way over to Tosh's computer where everyone was gathered.

"I'm sorry if we disturbed anything." Jack said.

"Oh don't worry about it, there was nothing to disturb. Me and Rhys had another argument." She sighed.

"Maybe you should go home, sort things out. We'll be fine here." Jack suggested.

"No, Rhys will get over it. " She replied.

"You promised me you wouldn't let it drift." He pointed out.

Gwen looked away from him uncomfortably. She wanted to tell him that it was a bit late for that but she decided not to.

"So, I noticed that the rift spikes were starting to occur more frequently and they were a lot bigger than usual." Tosh said quickly, changing the subject. "Then when I checked the CCTV footage for anything strange I found this."

She pulled up the CCTV footage on her computer. A couple of Weevils climbed out of a manhole and stood in the middle of the street. They sniffed the air for a while before climbing into the sewers.

"What are they doing?" Owen asked.

"I don't know. It's like they can sense something coming." Jack frowned.

"Or waiting for something to happen." Gwen added.

"It's definitely not usual Weevil behaviour. They'd never miss the chance to hunt." Ianto told them.

"Exactly, that's what I don't understand. What's going on?" Tosh frowned.

"I don't know but I think we should keep a close eye on the Weevils in the cells, we might be able to figure out what the hell is going on." Jack told them.

"I'll check some more footage, see if I can find something that might help us." Gwen said.

"Like that's going to make any difference. You'll just find more or less the same thing." Owen mumbled.

"Well at least I'm trying to help. I don't see you doing anything helpful." Gwen retorted.

"What is there to do? Come on, you suggest something." He shouted.

She grabbed the nearest thing off the desk and held it up.

"I'll suggest something. I suggest you shove this stapler up your -"

"Ok you two, calm down. Just…stay away from each other and forget about it." Jack ordered.

"Don't worry Jack." Owen said. He turned around and glared at Gwen. "I already have."

Gwen felt a sharp stabbing pain in her chest. She felt the breath being knocked out of her and tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. Quickly, she turned on her heels and ran down to the vaults.

Owen suddenly felt guilty as he watched Jack run after her. He knew he shouldn't take things out on her, it wasn't her fault and he hadn't really meant it. She was all he could think about all day, every day and that's what made him angry. He'd just lost Diane and already he was thinking about another woman. Sitting down at his computer, he sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

When Jack found Gwen, she was sitting on the floor with her back against the door of an empty cell, her knees pulled up to her chest. Tears spilled down her face as she sobbed into her hands. Jack sat down beside her and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. Just ignore me I'm being silly." Gwen mumbled, wiping the tears from her face.

"No you're not. Gwen, I know how you feel about Owen and I know how much it hurts you when he acts like this. But you've got to understand how he feels too. Give him time to get over Diane and he'll come round." He told her.

"It's not just Owen, it's Rhys. Lately we've just…drifted apart and I don't think there's any way of saving our relationship." She whispered.

"I told you not to let the job consume you. Maybe you should think about finding another job. I know you can salvage your relationship with Rhys." Jack whispered.

"No, I'm not leaving. Even if I never joined Torchwood, we would have drifted eventually. I'm not leaving Torchwood and don't you dare try to retcon me." She warned.

Jack held his hands up in the air.

"I won't. That decision is up to you." He told her.

She nodded and stood up.

Jack shot a stern look at Owen as they made their way back up to the workstations. Gwen and Owen's eyes met for a brief second. She smiled sadly at him and looked away.

Gwen's phone vibrated, it was a message from Rhys. She didn't bother to read it.

"I'd better go home." She sighed.

"Think about what I said." Jack replied.

Gwen looked around the Hub and sighed. She nodded before leaving. Owen frowned as she left and looked at Jack.

"Think about what?" He asked.

Jack shook his head and went into his office.

When Gwen returned to her flat she saw Rhys sitting on the sofa. He glared up at her as she stood in front of him.

"You went to work didn't you?" He said. Gwen nodded slightly and bit her lip. "Well at least now I know which one you care more about."

"What are you on about?" She gasped.

Rhys stood up and pointed at her.

"You obviously weren't bothered by our argument." He shouted. "Well I'm not doing it any more, I'm not playing second best."

"Rhys you're the most important thing in my life." She whispered and stepped up to him. Taking his face between her hands, she looked into his eyes. She felt the love flow through her and she realised she was still in love with him. "I love you sweetheart. I am so sorry, I'll try my hardest to make things right with you again. I don't want to lose you."

Rhys' anger melted and he captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

"Just promise me one thing. Try not to let this job come between us." He murmured.

"I promise." She nodded. Taking her phone out of her pocket, she turned it off and threw it onto the table. "Tonight, it's just you and me."

Rhys smiled and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

The next morning, Gwen decided that she'd give it a week to try and balance things out between work and Rhys. If it didn't work, she'd let Jack retcon her and her and Rhys could live a normal life again.

As she thought about it, Owen's face flashed through her mind. She didn't want to forget him, she loved him too. Once she'd taken retcon though, she'd forget all about it. It'd be as if she'd never met him. Did she want that though?

She tried to avoid Owen as much as she could so it would make it easier if she decided to forget but something drew her closer to him.

Owen knew something was wrong and his impatience got the better of him.

As Gwen was making her way to the vaults with a Weevil, he followed her down. He waited for her to deal with it before cornering her.

"Gwen, what's going on?" He demanded.

She froze and looked into his eyes.

"Nothing, why?" She asked innocently.

"You know why. It's like you're trying to avoid me. Gwen, I'm sorry about the other day, I didn't mean it." He told her.

"I know. Neither of us meant what we said. We were just wound up and things got out of hand." She explained.

"Then why are you trying to avoid me?" He asked.

He stepped closer and he ran his hand down her arm. She backed away from him and looked at the floor.

"Owen, don't." She mumbled.

"Why? Tell me what's wrong?" He insisted and took another step forward.

As she stepped back, she felt her back press up against the wall.

"This…this is too hard. I love you Owen, but I'm with Rhys and I love him too. I can't do this." She whispered, looking into his eyes.

"You…love me?" He whispered.

Gwen pushed him away and ran out of the vaults. She made her way towards Jack's office, fighting back the tears. She hesitated as she reached for the door handle.

Taking a deep breath, she walked in and closed the door behind her. Jack looked up and smiled.

"Hey, anything I can do for you?" He smiled.

"I want you to do it." She told him.

Jack's smile disappeared as he realised what she was talking about.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked.

"Yes. I have to make things work with Rhys. I love him Jack." She whispered.

"Ok. I'll give you a minute to say goodbye to everyone." He said sadly.

"No, no goodbyes." She turned and looked out the window. Owen had followed her and was stood by the computers. He stared back at her, trying to make out what she was doing. "It'll only make this harder." She whispered.

"If you're sure –"

"Just do it." She insisted.

Owen watched Jack stand and pick up a box from his desk. He froze as he understood what was about to happen.

Jack placed the small white pill in her hand. She looked at it and took a deep breath. As Jack handed her a glass of water, Owen burst into the office.

"Gwen don't do this." He shouted.

She looked up at him and smiled sadly, a tear rolled down her face.

"I have to." She said quietly.

"No." He lunged forward and knocked the pill out of her hand just before it reached her lips. The glass slipped out of her fingers and crashed to the floor. No one took any notice of it. "I lost one woman I loved, I'm not doing it again."

"Owen please…" She sobbed.

"Gwen, I love you. Please don't do this." He begged.

He grabbed hold of her arms and forced her to look into his eyes.

"Owen I have to…Rhys…I can't lose him. I love him and this…this isn't helping." She cried.

"But you said you loved me too. You can't just throw that away." He argued.

She looked away and pulled out of his grasp.

"Gwen, could you wait outside a minute? I need to talk to Owen." Jack asked.

She nodded and left without looking at either of them. Owen watched her leave before turning back to Jack.

"You can't let her go." Owen said.

"This is what's best for Gwen. Don't you want that? Just look at her. She had a normal life before Torchwood and now she's watching that life go down in flames because of Torchwood." Jack argued.

"So, she can quit but she doesn't have to forget it all to live a normal life." Owen shouted.

"This is her decision." Jack told him.

"Fine." Owen shrugged. "She can forget about you, about Torchwood, but I won't let her forget me. If I have to introduce myself to her all over again, I'll do it. I'm not letting her go."

He stormed out of the office. He didn't look at Gwen as he passed her. She tried to grab his arm but he moved out of her way and left the Hub.

Taking a deep breath, she went back into Jack's office.

"Do you still want to do this?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded and held her hand out for another pill. "Will he be ok?" She asked as Jack placed the pill in her hand.

"He'll be fine." Jack said.

Gwen noticed a worried look flash across his face before he pulled himself together.

"What did he say?" She demanded.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Jack told her.

"Ok. When I…when I take it…take me home and if Rhys is there, tell him…I don't know. Just make up some story." She sighed.

Jack nodded as she took a deep breath.

Owen paced around his living room, thinking of ways to get Gwen on her own. There had to be a way. He sat down heavily on the sofa and held his head in his hands.

When the sun shone through the window the next morning, he realised he'd been sitting in the same position all night. He glanced at the time on his phone, it read eight-thirty. Jack would be expecting him at the Hub any minute now. Would Jack come looking for him if he didn't show up?

He found Gwen's number in his phone and sent her a message.

"I need 2 c u. Meet
me outside the
Millennium Centre.
Owen xxx"

He waited nervously for a reply. Would she reply if she didn't recognise his number?

A couple of minutes later, he received a reply.

"I'm sorry. I think u
might have the wrong
number."

Owen growled and almost threw his phone across the room. She'd done it, Jack had let her take the retcon.

Not willing to give up, he replied to the text.

"No, Gwen Cooper I
have the right number.
Please, meet me at the
Millennium Centre.
Owen xxx"

Without waiting for another reply, he ran out to his car and sped off. He didn't know if she'd turn up but he had to try.

He waited for what seemed like a decade before he saw her walking towards him in the distance. She frowned at him as he ran up to her.

"Are you Owen?" She asked.

"Yeah. Gwen it's me. Please remember." He begged.

"Sorry I don't know…have we met before?" She frowned.

"Yes. Gwen it's me Owen Harper. We used to work together." He told her.

"No, I'm sorry. I can't -" Owen grabbed her waist and pulled her into him. She tried to push him away but he crushed his lips against hers. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Who the hell do you think you are? When my boyfriend finds out…"

Owen watched as a sad look crossed her face.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

She looked back at him and realised she was still in his arms. Pulling herself out of his grip, she turned away from him.

"I'm fine. It's just…well you won't have to worry about him. He…we broke up this morning." She mumbled.

"Why?" He asked. She turned round and looked at him. "Sorry, it's none of my business."

"No, it's fine." She sighed. "He said something about him seeing how hard it was for me to split myself between work and him. I don't understand what he meant. I've only just started working at the police station."

She frowned at him again. Owen waited to see if she'd remember.

"Do you remember what you did last night?" He said, trying to get her to think.

"I…no I can't. How do you know that?" She asked. "There was a man…in a blue shirt. We were in an office. Jack, his name was Jack."

"Jack, you remember him. Can you remember where this office was? Try to remember. Think, Gwen. There were three other people who worked there too. Try and remember them." Owen told her.

"Why is this so important to you?" She laughed.

"Just do this for me, please. It will help you understand why Rhys left too." He explained.

"I didn't tell you his name. How do you know so much about me? Who are you?" She asked, backing away.

"No, you're ok. I'm not going to hurt you. Look, just try to remember." He said.

"I…I trust you. Why do I – Owen. Owen Harper from Torchwood." She gasped.

Owen caught her before she fell to the floor. She gripped his arm as he pulled her up and into his chest to support her. Her eyes were wide as she gazed into his.

"Gwen? Do you remember? I love you." He whispered.

She nodded and pulled his face down to hers and kissed him.

"I love you too." She smiled.

Owen frowned as she began to laugh.

"What?" He asked.

"I didn't do it." She said. He shook his head, still not understanding what she meant. "I didn't take the retcon."

"You didn't? But why were you…I don't understand." He said.

"I was going to, I wanted so badly to make things right with Rhys. But in the end I couldn't do it. I couldn't forget you, I didn't want to forget you. Then I had to decide between you and Rhys. It was the hardest decision I've had to make in my life." She explained.

"So…who did you choose?" He whispered.

"I want to be with someone I don't have to keep secrets from, someone I don't have to lie to all the time. Rhys would have ended up getting hurt if he found out the truth. Plus, it was fun watching you trying to get me to remember." She told him.

"That's just cruel. Does that mean..?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you Owen Harper." She whispered. He kissed her passionately and felt tears of happiness in his eyes. She curled her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer. They broke apart for air, both grinning. "Come on, we'd better get to the Hub before Jack kills us." As they walked towards the tourist office, arms wrapped around each other she looked up at him and smiled. "Jack told me what you were going to do after I decided not to take the retcon. I don't think he thought you would actually do it though."

"Once I've set my mind on something, I don't go back on my word and I won't give up." He told her.

"I noticed." She laughed. As they reached the tourist office door, her thoughts turned to something else and she stopped laughing. "Owen, after Diane left, why did you call things off between us? And why have you been acting like you hate me?" She asked.

He stopped suddenly, surprised by what she'd said. He turned to face her and placed a hand under her chin.

"I have never hated you. When Diane left…I just needed time to get over it. Every time I saw you though, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I loved you, how much I've always loved you. Then you were all I could think about and I was just so frustrated because I was moving on so quickly. It felt like I was betraying her. But I have never hated you and it hurts me to know that I made you feel that way." He explained.

She kissed him gently and cupped his face in her hands.

"It's ok, I understand. Don't feel bad about it." She whispered.

"Listen, tonight I am going to make it all up to you. I'll pick you up and I'm going to take you out for dinner. Then we can go wherever you want and do whatever you want." He told her.

"You don't have to do this." She smiled. "I don't mind if we just stay in and have a pizza as long as we're together."

"No I want to do this properly. It's our first proper date and I want everything to be perfect." He said.

"It will be." She told him.

Ianto appeared at the door and smiled.

"Sorry to disturb you but Jack sent me to tell you both to hurry up and get in." He said.

Owen rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath. Gwen squeezed his hand and giggled.

"We're coming Ianto." She laughed.