2010 - Return

"Starting to think it wasn't a good idea?" From the other side of the room, Jack shoots him a death threat condensed in a stare. He shrugs it off and closes the door behind him, keeping his eyes on the view out of the window as he drops his jacket on the chair by the door. Cardiff Bay always looked best from the most expensive suite in the poshest hotel the city has to offer. The one that he managed to secure on very short notice when they arrived in 2010. Jack didn't ask how. He didn't tell.

Shaking his head, Jack lets out a sigh and flops on the bed, hands behind his head, eyes lost in the ceiling. As if conceding defeat before the fight has ever begun. He waits for an answer he knows won't come. So he just takes off his gun belt, sword and all, drops it by the bedside table, and lies beside Jack, propped on his right elbow, looking down, taking in the little details. It's been six months since Jack called him, and he still looks as tired and broken as he did back then. As if he still needed a good night of sleep, a hearty meal and someone to comfort him through the night.

"You knew this wouldn't be easy." Jack nods, absent-mindedly. He places a hand on Jack's chest, warmth seeping through the many layers of clothing. Jack puts a hand on top of his, as if wanting to remind him he is still alive, heart beating under his fingers. "You left, Jack. You left them to fend for themselves for six months before dropping by, picking up your wriststrap and disappearing again." Jack winces. At least, for a change, he is listening. "For Gwen, that was only a month ago. What did you expect, red carpet and a welcome home banner?"

"Not exactly." Jack kicks off his shoes and turns around, moving away from him. He pulls a face and rolls onto his back – Jack will come around, when he wants to. "But I didn't expect her to throw me out either." Yeah, well, it doesn't surprise him that much. Torchwood Three might have taken Jack back after returning from his escapade with that Doctor of his – and if that is who he thinks it is, Jack should be a bit more careful around him – but Gwen may not be so forgiving this time. Even if Jack had all the reasons in the Universe and then some to need to get away.

"So, what's the plan?" Hands behind his head, he stares at the ceiling. "Talk some sense into her? Pull rank and remind her who you are?" To his side, Jack shuffles a bit and moves closer. He brings an arm around him, trying not to think about the still haunted look in Jack's eyes. "Wait until she's out on maternity leave and step in?"

Jack is quiet for a moment. Back in their days in the Agency, he was always talking, even if he rarely said anything. As he loved the sound of his own voice, or found silence unsettling and needed to fill it with something, anything. Cue outrageous stories, most of which nobody really ever knew whether they were real. Cue flirting, trying to distract others from him by turning the attention onto them. All of that seems to be gone now. And it hurts to see it. Slowly, he runs a hand through Jack's hair.

"I don't know." He rolls his eyes, almost wishing Jack got his annoying 'I'm-always-right' persona back. "She's stubborn." Pot, kettle, black. Surely Jack knew that when he hired her. "And she's the only one left." It takes a moment before he can figure out what Jack means, then it hits him. The last one of the team Jack recruited. The last one of the people Jack dragged, in one way or another, to the dark and the danger and the times when still having your skin on at the end of the day meant a good day. He can tell Jack is feeling guilty again, about bringing people to a dangerous job that nobody seems to survive for long, without the added bonus – or curse – of immortality.

Except that Jack is completely missing the point, as usual. From the fragments he had managed to piece together, Jack, as is his style, only put the bait in front of them at the right time to bring them to Torchwood. He gave Owen something to do after his whole world was taken from him and all that remained was anger towards just about everything. He gave Toshiko a new lease of life after she played way out of her league and got caught in more trouble than she expected. He gave Suzie a purpose and a place where her abilities where appreciated and needed.

And then there is Ianto, who did his best and then some to get a job at Torchwood Three and, from what he knows, would only have stopped if Jack had killed him or retconned him into oblivion. And apparently Jack did retcon Gwen, only it didn't take. He even gave him – the psychopathic ex-lover, as Ianto once described him – a place in the team. It only took saving the world a couple of times and proving he wouldn't disrupt the team dynamics too much, but eventually, Jack seemed quite happy to have him around.

So, all of them made their choices. But it would seem Jack still hasn't learnt that he is not responsible for other people's decisions, and still likes to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders, even if it kills him. Because, after all, 'he always comes back'. He pulls Jack closer, knowing full well there is no point in mentioning all of this again. Because Jack's already heard it, and does already know. But still blames himself for everything. So he just leaves a kiss on Jack's forehead, and stares out of the window in the vanishing light as the sun sets, and the day ends.

Later, he somehow manages to wrap the covers around them without waking Jack. Maybe in the morning, after a – sort of – good night of sleep, they'll think of something. Or maybe they'll take to the stars and never look back. Both equally unlikely. With a sigh, he closes his eyes. Jack is not the only one who needs some sleep.

A quiet knock on the door wakes him up. It's not even eight in the bloody morning, so it can't be room service – he left very specific orders, and if there is one thing this hotel seems to take pride in is keeping VIP guests happy. His shoulder complains as he tries to slither away from Jack – he should know by now what holding someone all night long does to him. Eventually, Jack lets go of him, eyes barely open, and he sneaks out of the bed, stretching his hands over his head before grabbing his gun belt and walking to the door, the plush carpet dulling the sound of his boots. He really should have taken them off last night.

Gwen Cooper is definitely the last person he expected to see when he opens the door, right hand resting casually on his gun. She's radiant – he's never quite figured out how all pregnant women manage that – despite looking a bit tired, as if she had had a bad night of sleep. He stares at her for a moment, waiting for her to make the first move. She stares right back, defiant.

"Where's Jack?" He pulls a face. Lets out a sigh. Places a hand on the door frame and leans forward, blocking the way, smiling as if he didn't know what she is talking about. She glares at him. After a while, he looks away, towards Jack, who has just dragged himself out of the bed and onto his feet. When Jack nods, he steps away and lets Gwen in, closing the door behind her. She makes her way to one of the chairs and carefully takes a seat. Her eyes dart all over the room, as if she weren't sure what to do next.

Jack takes a few steps towards her, hands on his pockets, looking a bit less Captain Harkness standing barefoot and coat-less. He takes a deep breath pushing away images of Ianto helping Jack into his coat. Shaking his head, he walks towards Jack and stands beside him, thumbs tucked in his belt. He feels Jack relax just a bit – it's always comforting to have somebody to watch one's back. They wait, until she finally starts speaking.

"If you still want to come back..." She pauses for a second, as if she were wondering whether to apologize. She won't do it, it's not in her nature. At least not when she confronts Jack. "There will always be a place for you in Torchwood, Jack." Jack snorts. No wonder he finds it hard to believe her, after yesterday. After she threw them out not once, but twice: first at what used to be the Hub, where she's still overseeing the clearing and recovery, later at her flat.

"You don't want me here." Jack's voice is cold, and full of pain as it hadn't been for a while. He purses his lips. Maybe his joke was too close to the truth and this isn't a good idea. Jack's been through more than enough in the last year. "You made it perfectly clear yesterday." Jack lets out a sigh. "Twice, for good measure."

"You left." Gwen shuffles in her seat, uneasy, and rubs her hands on her legs in a nervous gesture he's seen before. Clasps her hands together when she notices. Takes a deep breath. "You just left me, after... after the 456, and Ianto, and the Hub. I didn't know a thing! No idea where you were, or whether you were coming back..." Jack makes to say something, but closes his mouth again. She stands up, fingers resting lightly on her belly, and plants her feet firmly on the floor. "Then you show up for that wriststrap of yours and just... vanish again." She swallows and looks away, pushing a lock of hair away from her face. "You left me."

So this is what it is all about. Gwen taking it personally. He rolls his eyes, and has to bite his tongue. He really doesn't want to get dragged into that conversation. He can be diplomatic when he needs to, but bluntness seems to be the only way to get to some people, and he can be quite good at that when he wants too. And surely PC Cooper would object to a couple of truths being thrown her way.

"I didn't leave you, Gwen." There it is again, Jack's patient, teacher-like tone. The one that reminds him of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. He can't help the smile. Oh, Jack's face the first time he mentioned it. Pity he didn't manage to take a hologram of it. "I couldn't stay around. Can't you see that?" Gwen gives her a puzzled look. "I killed Steven. My grandson!" Turning around, Jack sits on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees. "I've done my share of despicable things, but that... No wonder Alice wouldn't even tell me she hates me." Jack looks up, and he really can't understand how anybody could not see what he's trying to explain. "Ianto is dead because of me. The Hub is gone because of me." He gives Gwen a cold stare. "I didn't leave you. I just couldn't stay."

Something seems to finally click in her head. Or maybe the pain Jack is trying to hide is finally getting through to her. Tears well in her eyes, and she almost falls back on her chair. He takes a few steps towards Jack, places a soft kiss on his lips – Gwen looks so cute when she tries to discreetly get a glimpse while not looking that it is hard to miss the opportunity – and gives him a smile and a wink before walking to the door.

"I'll be around, buzz me if you two decide to get at each other's throats again." He grabs his jacket. "I wouldn't want to miss the show." He leaves the room, knowing full well that when Jack calls him, Torchwood will be under Captain Harkness once again.

If only everything in life could be as easily solved.