"It'll be fun."
Rhys turned sharply to glare across at his wife, a look of disbelief and defiance on his face. It was no secret that Rhys Williams somewhat disliked Jack. What man liked having to fight for the love of his own wife? Especially when his 'rival' was a Greek statue in fleshy humanoid form. Gwen rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.
"Jack invited you to come eat with us," she said, making a sharp gesture towards Rhys with her head, as her hands were somewhat preoccupied holding the box that contained their meal for the night, "He knows you don't like me coming home late, Rhys. He does like you."
With his eyes fixed on the tourist office door which made up a false front for the Torchwood Hub, Rhys attempted to cool off a bit before he continued talking to Gwen. He didn't enjoy the arguments they had and he was pretty sure that Gwen felt the same way. It was just her job. Her job and her boss. Rhys had been trying to come to terms with Captain Jack Harkness He honestly had, but he was a mystery, even to men alike. The only people he seemed to fit in with were the people he worked with. The people that kept themselves locked away from the real world, battling aliens and some such down in that 'secret sci-fi super base'. A smile popped onto his face and he quickly realised that Gwen had turned to him, offering the box of Chinese.
"What's so funny?" she asked, also smiling, but more out of relief that the tension had subsided in their short moment of silence, than actual amusement.
Handing the box over to Rhys, she quickly let them into the office front, tapping in her code faster than Rhys' brain could keep up with. She shut the door securely behind them and moved towards the desk.
"It's just all a bit bizarre, you know?" he said in reply to her earlier question, looking around at the office and taking in just how normal it was compared to the scenery he'd have in a few minutes, "My wife, battling intergalactic threats and stuff. Bit comic book, isn't it?"
Gwen let slip a laugh and pressed the button so the secret door to the side of the reception desk opened. Rhys hovered by it, waiting for Gwen to lead the way in so he didn't get shot on sight, or whatever Torchwood did upon discovering intruders. Even if he had been invited, a little cautiousness never went amiss. The descent was quick, and soon they were standing on the metal grilled flooring of the Hub. It was still an awe inspiring site, and Rhys still gawped at the thought that this colossal subterranean structure was hidden away under the Millennium Centre and no one knew about it.
"Jack?" called Gwen as she paced confidently into the Hub, gesturing behind her with one hand which Rhys interpreted as a sign to follow, "Ianto? You better not have left."
Setting the Chinese down on Gwen's workstation, Rhys watched as his wife climbed the stairs up to Jack's office. Knocking on Jack's door, she glanced back down at Rhys and smiled. Without waiting for a reply, she went in.
"Jack, dinner's…" she stared for a second and giggled quietly, "S-Sorry, I wasn't interrupting, was I?"
Ianto was perched on Jack's desk, one hand splayed on the wooden surface, the other resting on the thigh of a leg propped up on the leather seat of Jack's chair. Jack was in the aforementioned chair, slouched back and looking as content as she'd seen him in a long time. He had his eyes focused on Ianto's face, watching with: amusement? Curiosity? Adoration maybe? Of course, the pair of them looked like they were sharing a private moment and she could tell it was a somewhat intimate conversation by the way they both immediately snapped to look at her as she had said Jack's name.
It was quite funny actually how they kept their relationship in the shadows, like school kids too embarrassed to bring it to air. The team knew about some of it. The kiss Jack had given Ianto after coming back from the death caused by Abbadon was hardly a secret. Tosh had bought it up in a conversation a few days later saying how comfortable they looked together. Gwen had nodded a little in response, clutching her warm coffee mug in both hands and Owen had made a gagging sound and wandered back to his autopsy.
They were a little more open after that. They still didn't talk openly about anything, and no one heard of any dates, but Ianto may as well have been wearing a sign around his neck that said 'I'm shagging the boss' with some of the remarks he would slip into conversations. Jack's reactions were entertaining to say the least.
It wasn't until a few months later that Gwen had managed to invade on something quite private that really gave their relationship away. Yes, comfortable was one way of describing how they were together. Very 'comfortable'. Ianto didn't need a sign around his neck this time. It was pretty obvious.
Caught up in her memories, Gwen had completely forgotten why she was standing in Jack's office. Luckily, it didn't seem to bother either of the men that she was letting in a draft.
"Did you say dinner?" asked Jack, sitting upright, "Lemon chicken?"
Clearly she hadn't been standing there for too long or else Jack would've been staring at her in that way that he did. With the furrowed eyebrows and the little head tilt. She didn't know what Ianto would do; File her?
She smiled and nodded, "Bingo."
"What are we waiting for then?" he said, bringing his hands down on the desk either side of Ianto and pushing himself to his feet, "I'm starving."
"I'll put the kettle on for some tea, shall I, Sir?" asked Ianto, eyes focused back on Jack as though Gwen wasn't standing right there in the doorway, "Can't have Chinese without green tea."
The Captain was quick to flash one of his amazing grins, "Right as always, Ianto Jones."
Ok, Gwen had to admit that they were a sweet and (very) attractive couple. Despite the past feelings she'd had for Jack (which had thankfully mostly gone since her wedding) she was happy he was with Ianto. Scary how like minded they were sometimes. Very scary. She turned her back to them and wandered out. A glance back saw Jack whispering something rather intimately in the tea boy's ear as he wandered around the desk. The rest Gwen wouldn't know because Rhys, being the saint the was, had sorted everything out and even dispensed of the cardboard crate it came in and she'd quickly made her way down the stairs to reward his efforts with an extravagant hug and a kiss.
"Don't mind me," he said with a grin, "I'm just gunna steal some of them prawn crackers."
"Go on then, but be quick," she laughed quietly, watching the stairs as Jack made his way down, hands in pockets. An intimidating figure if not known well.
He reached the bottom of the stairs and smiled, "Evening Rhys." He said with a gracious nod in his direction.
"Alright mate?"
Gwen could almost squeal in delight as she watched two of her favourite men getting on like old friends. She expected some light-hearted teasing and disagreements throughout the meal, but that would make things all the more interesting. Surprisingly enough, Ianto was good at playful and witty banter and would be the first to set Jack off on one. Funny to listen to, and even funnier to watch. Then Jack would probably tell some crazy stories about his travels across the stars and through time.
Well into the meal, all chairs had shuffled around the sofa which Gwen and Rhys had happily hijacked and got cosy on, feet resting on their original chairs. Jack was doing his absolute best to shovel as much rice into his mouth as he could with a set of chopsticks earning a snort of laughter from Ianto, comfortably set up with makeshift napkin bib to protect his freshly dry-cleaned suit.
It was all so cosy, thought Gwen, smiling at the sight of a giggling Ianto, the shameless way Jack swept stray rice from his cheek and the warm arm that covered her shoulders protectively. She was lucky to have such good friends. Lucky to have met the people she had, even if their lives were taken far too soon. And despite the somewhat sombre thoughts of Tosh and Owen, she smiled.
Then the phone rang.
Jack dropped his almost empty rice pot onto his chair and took the stairs to his office two at a time. It was just their luck that someone would phone in the early hours of the evening. Hopefully it wouldn't be serious. Minutes later, Jack was peering over the banister, yelling.
"Suit and boot guys, we've got a job to do."
At these words, Gwen's heart sank, and she could visibly see Ianto's face drop into his usual neutral expression.
"Bloody Torchwood," muttered Rhys.