Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Owen breathed a sigh of relief as his mum left the house, slamming the door behind her. He'd never got on well with his mum and most days would end in arguments and at least one of them storming out.
This time however, hadn't ended in an argument. Once a month for a week, his mum would spend that week at a friend's house claiming to go to health spas and relaxing. Owen knew it was all a lie. He knew she spent the week at whatever bloke's house she was seeing at the time and get pissed all the time. Why she bothered lying to him, he didn't know.
He always looked forward to these weeks as he had the house to himself and not have to put up with her nagging at him. He'd invite his friends over, mainly, but most of the time, people he didn't even know would end up coming too. He'd drink his mum's stash of beers and get hammered, maybe he'd get lucky with some random girl.
At sixteen years old, Owen already had a reputation. He wasn't sure whether he was proud of that or not at times but most of the time, he didn't care.
As Owen was looking to see what his mum had in her stash this time, the phone started to ring. He quickly went and answered it.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"Owen, it's Lucy." A female voice replied.
Lucy Jones was his fourteen year old cousin on his mother's side and probably the only family member he got along with. She too didn't get along with her parents so they'd spent most of their time together just to get away from them when they were younger. They were more like siblings than cousins to be honest.
As she'd grown though, she'd become a bit of a goody two shoes and a teacher's pet in school. He'd tried to put a bit of distance between them now that they were older as he didn't want his mates laughing at him. But Lucy wasn't exactly one of the most popular people in school and she got picked on quite a lot so Owen felt it was his duty to protect her. This meant she always had to stay relatively close to him so he could jump in if he needed to. He'd lost count of how many guys he'd beat up and girls he'd made cry for picking on her.
"Hey Lucy. What's up?" He asked.
"I just wanted to ask you something." She explained. "You see, when I went down to Cardiff for a week, I met this girl called Gwen and she's sort of become my best friend. She's down in London for a week." So that's why he hadn't seen Lucy this week. "Tonight's her last night and I was just wondering if I could bring her to the party. Her parents are a little...old fashioned. You know, the religious sort so we told them she's coming to mine for a sleepover. So can she come?"
"Yeah, whatever." He answered. Great, another one of Lucy's few giggly, girly friends. "Bring her along."
"Thanks Owen. Oh, I think you'll love her. She's really cool." Lucy said excitedly.
"Great." He replied unenthusiastically. "I'll see you later Lucy."
"Bye Owen." Lucy said and put the phone down.
Owen sighed and wandered back into the kitchen. At least the house would be full so he might not even bump into this Gwen. He was happy that Lucy had made a new friend, he just knew what her friends were like. Always dressed in pink and giggling and gossiping about boys, though neither of them had ever been in any kind of relationship with a boy. Most of them had a crush on him and were always staring at him and creeping him out. He generally tried to stay out of the way when she was with one of her friends.
Owen cringed as he remembered the last time one of her friends had come to one of his parties. She'd clearly never had alcohol before and had gotten drunk after just two bottles of beer. She'd thrown herself at Owen and tried to kiss him. She wasn't the smallest of girls and they'd tumbled to the floor. It had taken two of his mates to pull her off him so he could make a quick exit. Luckily, he hadn't seen her after that. Lucy had had some kind of argument with her and they hadn't spoken since.
He was going to do his best to avoid a repeat performance tonight or he'd have to ban Lucy from bringing friends over – even if it meant upsetting her.
Later that night, the party was in full swing and Owen was having a laugh with a group of friends when the doorbell rang. He rolled his eyes as he went to answer it. Only Lucy ever rang the doorbell, everyone else just walked straight in.
"Lucy, how many times have I told you to just come in?" He sighed.
"It's rude to just walk in." Lucy argued. "Anyway, this is Gwen Cooper, the girl I told you about."
Owen glanced at the girl just behind Lucy and nodded slightly. He had to double take as the girl did not look like any of her usual friends.
Gwen's dark hair fell down to her bare shoulders, shaping her face. Her sparkling, green eyes were outlined in thick eyeliner and her full lips painted a pale pink. She was very well developed with all the right curves in all the right places and she wore clothes to show them off. Her tight, strapless top showed off the right amount of cleavage. His eyes drifted to her long, slender legs revealed by the short skirt she was wearing. She wore heels to give her more height, not that she needed it. Even without them on, he could tell she was taller than Lucy and she looked a lot older. He was finding it very hard to keep his eyes off her.
"I'm Owen Harper, Lucy's cousin." He said, gently moving Lucy to the side so he could stand in front of Gwen.
He held out his hand for her to shake and she took it with a smile. Was it just him, or was there something...mischievous in that smile?
"Hi. It's nice to finally meet you Owen." She said. Owen loved the sound of his name coming out in that Welsh accent of hers. "Lucy's not stopped talking about you all week."
"Gwen's fourteen like me. You wouldn't think it though, would you?" Lucy giggled, unaware that both Gwen and Owen were hardly paying any attention to her.
Their hands were still gripping each other's tightly and their eyes locked.
"I'm fifteen next month." Gwen said quickly.
"Come on Gwen. Let's go inside and see if that guy I was talking about is here. He is absolutely gorgeous." Lucy told her.
She tugged Gwen's arm and pulled her away from Owen. He watched them go into the house, hypnotised by the way her heels made her hips sway as she walked. Gwen turned in the doorway and smiled the most radiant smile at him before disappearing inside. He quickly followed them back in and went to join his friends.
He positioned himself so he could watch Gwen while still seeming to be listening to the conversation he was meant to be involved in. Owen felt a twist of jealousy in his stomach as he watched some lad walk over to Gwen and start talking to her. He grinned as he walked away looking dejected.
"Hey, who's that girl with your cousin? She is smoking." One of his mates said in his ear.
"She's Lucy's new friend. Her name's Gwen or something." Owen shrugged. "I wouldn't bother trying anything though, she's got a boyfriend."
"Really?" He asked.
"Oh yeah." Owen lied. "Big, tough guy. Lot older than she is and you really don't want to mess with him."
"That's a shame." He sighed. "Still, might give it a try. Never know with a girl like her."
"Don't you dare go anywhere near her." Owen growled, pointing a threatening finger in his friend's face. His mate held his hands up in surrender and Owen quickly composed himself. "Sorry, it's just because...she's my cousin's mate. I'm looking out for her, you know."
"Yeah right." His mate laughed. "Bet you just want to keep her for yourself so you can try it on with her." Owen glared at his mate and turned away. "It's alright mate, I'll back off."
An hour later, Owen looked over and noticed Gwen was standing on her own, leaning against a wall. She looked up at him and smiled the smile she'd given him when he shook her hand. He looked around him to see if she was smiling at someone behind him but there was no one around. Picking up his bottle of beer, he casually walked over and leant on the wall beside her.
"Where's Lucy?" Owen frowned.
"Bathroom. She's chucking up the last beer she had." Gwen told him.
"That sounds like her." Owen sighed. "She's not so good at handling alcohol. You, on the other hand, look like you can handle anything." She took a long swig of her beer and wriggled her eyebrows at him. He blushed and looked away quickly. "You having a good time?"
"Yeah, it's great." Gwen nodded as she sipped her beer. "Better than the parties I've been to back home."
"Do you...go to parties like this often?" He enquired.
"All the time." She grinned. "Just to piss my mum and dad off."
"Lucy told me about them. Bit religious she said." Owen said.
"A bit? They tried to get me to go to church every Sunday but as soon as I was twelve, I told them to piss off. My mum has always tried to raise me as this perfect little girl but that's not me. So I started taking control of my life and I've been rebelling ever since." She told him.
"How did a girl like you become friends with someone like Lucy?" Owen laughed.
Gwen sighed and looked away.
"I was hoping she'd be a good influence on me." She said. "Look at her." Lucy staggered back into the room and shied away from all the guys calling out to her. She froze and turned to run back into the bathroom. "She's so sweet and innocent."
"And you're not?" Owen asked.
Gwen snorted into her drink and raised an eyebrow at him.
"I lost my innocence a long time ago." She answered. "Sometimes I regret it and wish I could be more like Lucy. But others..." Her eyes roamed over Owen and she smirked as she looked back into his eyes. "I'm glad I did."
"You...seeing anyone?" He asked, casually looking around the room as if he didn't really care.
"No, not at the minute." She answered.
"Really? I bet you've got guys fighting over you." He replied.
Gwen shrugged modestly and took another sip of her drink.
"What about you?" She asked. "You got a girlfriend?"
"No, I'm still single." He answered.
"I find that hard to believe." She said.
Owen raised an eyebrow as he looked at her over his drink. Was she coming on to him?
They spoke for a while, learning things about each other and flirting shamelessly.
"Gwen Cooper, I like you." Owen laughed. "Out of all of Lucy's friends, I like you the most."
"Thanks." She smiled. "I like you too." Both their smiles disappeared as Owen straightened up and stood directly in front of her. "You know, I'm glad you don't have a girlfriend."
"Me too." He nodded. "You know for a fourteen year old -"
"I'm fifteen next month." She interrupted.
"Well, for a girl your age, you're so much more mature and you're pretty hot." He told her.
They stared intently into each other's eyes as Owen took a step closer and gently placed his hands on her hips. Her breath shook as he leant in closer, their eyes still locked. All of a sudden, his lips were on hers, urgent and full of passion as he pressed her against the wall. She fisted her hands in his hair as she responded eagerly.
All too soon, Gwen pulled away and slid herself out from under Owen.
"I should...go check on Lucy." She mumbled and ran towards the bathroom.
Owen watched her go in confusion. He slowly followed her out and watched as she slipped inside the bathroom, taking one last look at him before she closed the door.
A hand landed on his shoulder and he turned see his friend grinning.
"I saw that mate. Nice move." He grinned. "Then again, she did run away. What's up? Did she not like it or something?"
"Shut up." Owen sighed and walked away.
An hour later, he was walking around the house pretending to socialise but really looking for Gwen. He spotted her sitting on the stairs alone, her face in her hands. She hadn't seen him yet as he approached from behind.
"What are you doing out here on your own?" He asked.
Gwen yelped and stood up quickly. She looked down at him over the bannister, breathing heavily.
"Lucy. She's erm...I had to...take her upstairs. She's not feeling too good. Passed out in...well...I don't know whose room it is." Gwen explained. Owen rolled his eyes and shook his head. Lucy always ended up passed out in one of the bedrooms in the early stages of the party. He thought she'd learn by now but it seemed she never did. "The music, it's...I came out here because it's a bit quieter."
"Oh right." He nodded.
He put his hand in his pocket and stood below her, rocking on his heels.
"Yeah..." She said.
Owen reached up with one hand and put it over one of hers on the banister.
"Well, as Lucy's currently unavailable, I guess it's down to me to look after you. Which would be a complete pleasure." He told her. He started to walk around to the foot of the stairs, keeping their eyes locked together. "I just want to say, I'm sorry if my kissing you offended you. I didn't mean it to."
"No, no, it didn't." She reassured him with a breath-taking smile. "It was very enjoyable."
"Why thank you." He smiled. "And I must say I too found it rather pleasurable." Owen walked up the stairs until he was standing next to her. "Want to sit and chill?"
"Got any more booze?" She smirked.
"Just the one bottle." He answered as he held up the bottle he'd just opened. "We could share. I mean, we've already shared saliva so it's nothing new."
Gwen laughed, a sound he was starting to love, and took the bottle from him. Her eyes gleamed as she stared at him and took a sip before she pressed it back into his hand.
"What about your party?" She asked as they sat down on the step.
"It's not really my party, it's just somewhere people come to hang out and get pissed. My mum disappears once a month leaving me with the house. Not exactly the smartest move but then again, it is my mum we're talking about." He replied.
"You don't get along with your mum?" Gwen enquired.
"God no." Owen laughed.
"What about your dad?" She asked.
"Haven't seen him since I was three." Owen shrugged. "According to my dear mother it's all my fault. I don't care though. I really can't wait to get out of here." He was surprised when Gwen's arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a hug. "Thanks." He smiled.
"You're welcome." She smiled shyly. "I think everyone deserves a hug."
"Well, you give very nice hugs. I will definitely be coming to Cardiff to find you when I need one." He told her. Gwen looked away shyly and tried to hide her face behind her hair. He put down his drink and leant back on his elbows on the step above him. She turned to look at him and her eyes travelled over him as his did the same with her. Owen stood up and stepped down to the step below Gwen. He held both her hands in his and pulled her up. Their faces were level and their eyes gazed directly into each other's. He lifted a hand up to brush his fingers across her cheek and whispered. "You're beautiful, Gwen."
Gwen placed her hands on his shoulders and leant in to kiss him again. At first it was slow and sweet and Owen's arms moved to wrap around her waist. He felt his heart skip a beat and when he pulled back slightly, he was sure Gwen had felt hers do the same. There was curiosity and slight confusion in her eyes as she looked into his. Seconds passed before their lips clashed together.
"Lucy said many things about you." Gwen gasped as they broke for air. She pulled his lips back to hers and kissed him hungrily before pulling away again. "But she never told me you were so fucking gorgeous."
Owen chuckled as he crushed his lips back onto hers.
"Let's take this upstairs shall we?" He whispered.
"Thought you'd never ask." She answered as he pulled her up the stairs and into his room. He checked to see if Lucy was in there before he closed his door and pressed her up against it. A hand wandered up the back of her extremely short skirt to cup her backside. She raised an eyebrow and he thought she was going to pull away but she grabbed him by the back of the hair and pulled his lips down onto hers. "What about everyone downstairs?"
"They'll all leave eventually." He told her.
Gwen giggled as he took her hands and pulled her backwards onto his bed. He swiftly moved so she was beneath him.
"I'm going home tomorrow." She breathed as his teeth grazed the skin of her neck.
"Then we'd best make this a night to remember." He whispered.
Gwen gave his shoulders a gentle shove and flipped them so she was straddling his waist. He smirked up at her as she placed her hands on his chest and rolled her hips against his. His eyes slid shut as her hands disappeared under his shirt. He groaned loudly as she kept her hips rolling and dragged her nails down his chest and stomach. As he looked back at her, he grabbed her thighs and ran his hands up, squeezing as he went. Her hand disappeared inside his jeans and his hips bucked up into her hand as he let out a strangled cry. Gripping one of her thighs firmly in his hand, he moved the other one beneath her skirt. Her head flew back and she moaned as he ran his finger over her underwear. She looked back at him hungrily and crushed her lips onto his, plunging her tongue into his mouth. Owen rolled them back over and pressed her into his mattress.
What little clothes she was wearing were thrown to the floor joined seconds later by Owen's. Loud gasps and moans filled the room as their bodies entwined.
This wasn't a new experience for Gwen but the feeling she got from Owen was. With the other guys she'd been with, she always felt dirty afterwards and like an object rather than a person. With Owen however, she felt like he was almost worshipping her and trying to make her feel special. It was almost too overwhelming. There was another strange feeling beneath it all too, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
As soon as Gwen had appeared on his front door step, Owen had felt this strange connection with her. At first he'd thought it was just a physical attraction but when they were talking and he'd got to know her a bit better, he found she was actually a pretty cool person. He didn't normally get to know girls before he got them into bed but something inside him told him to hold back just for a few more minutes and talk to her.
Gwen woke up the next morning and panicked as she found herself in a strange bed. It took her a few moments to remember what happened and she looked nervously at Owen lying beside her. What did she do now? Had she overstayed her welcome?
She hadn't really slept with a guy afterwards. It had always been just a quick shag then she'd pull on her clothes and get out pretty quick.
She sat up and pulled the sheets tightly around her as she continued to watch Owen sleep. Was that what Owen had expected her to do? Would he be mad at her if he woke up and she was still there?
Gwen quickly swung her legs over the edge of the bed and went to get up. An arm suddenly snaked around her waist and pulled her back down. She gasped as Owen rolled on top of her.
"Where..." He whispered, kissing her shoulder. "Do you think..." He moved his lips to the base of her neck and up to her jaw line. "You're going?" He asked and kissed her lips gently but with the same amount of passion as last night.
"I didn't think...I thought maybe I was supposed to leave last night. I thought that might have been what you wanted." She admitted.
"Why would I want you to leave?" He asked.
"I've never spent the night before..." She said.
"Well, there's a first time for everything." He smiled. "So...I'm guessing, you've never done it the morning after either."
"No." She answered and shifted her legs to cradle him. "But there's a first time for everything, right?"
"You catch on quick." He grinned.
Their bodies were locked in a passionate embrace when the door burst open.
"Owen, have you seen – what the hell is going on?" A voice shouted.
Gwen and Owen jumped apart to see Lucy standing in the doorway. Gwen grabbed the sheets and wrapped them tightly around herself.
"Trust you to pick the wrong moment to walk in without knocking." Owen snapped.
"What do you think you're doing?" Lucy demanded as she glared at Gwen.
Gwen couldn't meet Lucy's eye and she looked down guiltily at the bed.
"Lucy, I think you're old enough to know what happens between a man and a woman." Owen answered.
"She's fourteen." Lucy argued.
"Fifteen next month." Owen replied, turning to look at Gwen.
She glanced at him and giggled before remembering that Lucy was still stood glaring at them both. She turned back and looked at her friend for the first time.
"He's my cousin, Gwen." Lucy said before turning and running out of the room.
"Lucy." Gwen called as she scrabbled off the bed. She shoved on her clothes and ran out after her friend. "Lucy, I'm sorry."
Owen sighed as he climbed out of bed and pulled on his pants. He grabbed Gwen's heels and followed them out.
The two girls were in the hallway when he joined them, Lucy standing at the door with Gwen standing at the foot of the stairs.
"How could you do this?" Lucy asked.
"I'm sorry Lucy, I really am. It just...happened. It didn't mean anything." Gwen told her.
"He's my cousin." She repeated.
"I know and I'm sorry. At least it wasn't your brother." Gwen tried to joke.
"He's as good as." Lucy shouted. "You're supposed to be my friend. You don't go...shagging your friend's cousin."
"Lucy come on, I think you're over reacting here." Owen said.
"Shut up. I'm not speaking to you, you slept with my best friend." Lucy snapped.
"I'm your best friend?" Gwen smiled hopefully.
"You were." Lucy replied coldly. "When I met your friends in Cardiff, I didn't believe them when they told me you liked to sleep around because I actually thought you were different. But they were right. You don't care about anyone's feelings but your own. I mean, it's alright for you. You can go back to Cardiff and forget this whole thing because you said it yourself, it meant nothing to you. But what about him? What if my stupid cousin thinks he's fallen in love with you?"
"He won't. It wasn't..." Gwen argued as she looked behind her at Owen. Owen's eyes locked with hers before he looked away quickly. "Like that."
"Yeah, really looks like it." Lucy nodded sarcastically.
Lucy shook her head and walked out of the house as Gwen continued to stare at Owen.
"I should...I should go. I have to leave in an hour anyway." She said.
She went to take her shoes from Owen but he held them out of her reach.
"Wait. I think we need to talk about what happened." He told her. "I'll admit, when I first saw you, I was just thinking of ways to get you into bed. But when we started talking, I felt this...connection."
"Owen, please don't. I'm sorry for causing trouble between you and your cousin, I hope you can work it out." She said and took her shoes from him. "Thanks for...last night. I had a good time – at the party. I had a good time at the party...bye."
She quickly turned and went to leave.
"Can I least have your number?" He asked. "If I'm ever down in Cardiff...maybe I could give you a call."
Gwen turned in the doorway and smiled sadly at him.
"I don't want to cause any more trouble between you and Lucy." She told him.
"Hang on." Owen called as she went to walk away again. "So if Lucy wasn't my cousin or if she hadn't have found out or if she was ok with us...would there be a chance of anything happening between us?"
She gazed at him sadly before turning and leaving. Owen hung his head and sighed as he turned to go back up the stairs, ignoring the mess from last night's party. Right now, he couldn't care less.
Footsteps padded back towards the house and he spun back around, praying it was Gwen. When Lucy walked in, his shoulders drooped and he sighed.
"Don't think I've come back to apologise, I forgot my bag." She told him as she walked into the living room to grab it. As she came back out, she noticed Gwen was missing. "Where's Gwen? She already back upstairs climbing into your bed?"
"No." Owen answered. "She's gone."
"Good riddance." Lucy spat. Owen gritted his teeth and started to walk back up the stairs. "I should have known she was no better than the girls -"
"Lucy shut up." Owen shouted, spinning back around. "Gwen is different from all the others. I was chatting her up, ok? I thought it was just going to be sex but then we had this kiss and I felt so...we would have...you had to go and interfere."
"I was trying to protect you like you've always done me. I didn't want you to get hurt. I just want you to be happy." She argued.
"Yeah well thanks to you, I've just lost what could have been my one shot at happiness." He replied. "No offence Lucy, but I'd rather be on my own right now."
Lucy stood speechless in the middle of the hallway as she watched Owen trudge back up the stairs.
Owen never forgot Gwen Cooper. He went on to Medical School and he dated other women but Gwen was always in the back of his mind.
Some nights he'd leave the curtains open and lie looking out at the stars. He'd think about her and wonder if she ever thought of him. Probably not, she was a beautiful, young woman who didn't want to waste her life moping over him. He certainly didn't want her to.
Then he got a job as a doctor in a hospital where he met Katie Russell. He felt that connection once again and he was finally getting another shot at happiness. Everything was slotting into place. He had a job he loved, a new home with Katie and she'd agreed to marry him. It was all perfect.
Until Torchwood and Captain Jack Harkness came along. It wasn't Torchwood's fault. They hadn't put the alien parasite in Katie's brain. Jack had told him that there was nothing they could have done to save her but to this day, Owen was convinced that they could have done something.
Now here he was, watching CCTV footage of a woman walking around the water tower on Tosh's monitor, thinking about his past relationships. What brought it on, he had no idea.
All he knew was that something about that woman raised goosebumps on his skin. He'd caught glimpses of her throughout the day but not enough of her to make him think he'd seen her before. Yet whenever she was around, he felt this strange feeling. Where did he know her from?
"I don't understand. A woman follows us around all day and I don't notice until it's too late. How could I not notice?" Owen asked.
"I think the more important question is 'what are we going to do'?" Tosh said.
"Nothing." Jack shrugged.
"Nothing? We can't let her find out about us." Toshiko argued.
"So what if she finds out?" Suzie shrugged. "You know Jack's just going to retcon her anyway."
She walked away from Tosh's workstation and went over to her own to resume her work on the resurrection glove, her interest in the situation over.
"Well, look she's leaving now. I don't think she's going to be much of a problem." Owen said.
"Oh, she'll be back." Jack smiled and disappeared into his office.
"Who is she anyway?" Owen asked.
"She's a police officer. She was at the John Tucker crime scene." Ianto told him.
"Yeah, but what's her name?" He insisted.
Ianto shrugged and walked away.
"What's up Owen? Does she look like one of your conquests and you can't remember her name?" Suzie asked from her workstation.
"No, no, of course not." He answered, though he narrowed his eyes and tried to think. "No, definitely not."
He cursed the CCTV footage for not being clear enough to see her properly.
Minutes later, Tosh curiously checked the footage to see if Jack was right.
"Jack, you were right." Tosh called. "She's back and heading in the direction of the tourist office."
"Alright guys." Jack grinned excitedly. "I want everyone to just completely ignore her when she comes in. Act like she's not even there. I want to see what she does. Ianto, go up and let her in. Send her straight down here."
The team nodded and each turned to their workstations to try and look busy. Jack disappeared somewhere in the higher levels of the Hub as Ianto left for his tourist shop.
Owen couldn't help but chuckle as a seriousness seemed to fall on the Hub. He took deep breaths to try and calm himself down. Tosh glanced at him and tried to force back a laugh of her own while Suzie smiled and rolled her eyes at them.
"Jack, she's in." Ianto called over the comms. "She's carrying pizzas from Jubilee Pizza. Seems to know your name. Just logged into the pizza store's records, they've got the tourist shop down under the name Torchwood."
Owen cleared his throat and shifted guiltily. He just managed to get it together in time as the door rolled open and he tried to look engrossed in the book he'd grabbed off his desk. He could hear slow, wary footsteps walking towards them and pause behind them. Owen couldn't hold it in any more and snorted. Tosh covered her mouth as she started to giggle.
"I can't do this. I'm sorry." Owen laughed as spun around in his chair. "I'm -"
"It's you." Owen and the brunette gasped.