Title: No Kiss Kiss, No Bang Bang
Author: unrequited1984
Rating: G damn
Summary: Missing scene from KKBB. Why did Gwen pair herself Captain John and why didn't Jack question her authority more?
A/N: Alright missing scene that goes between Jack finding out about Gwen's engagement and the assignments in the conference room. More about my though process after this fic if you care to read it. Been on the boards and lurked for a little while and finally managed to get something out of my head and onto paper. This is unbeta'd so any mistakes are mine, and I'm blaming on it being written at 3AM. I still can't believe my first fic for this fandom is G rated, but maybe if the muse continues to be happy I'll be able to get something out for a Smut Sunday soon! Enjoy!
No Kiss Kiss, No Bang Bang
By: unrequited1984
Gwen found him, as expected, in the archives. He was half heartedly filing, most likely the new information their "guest" had given them on Jack. He saw her coming and tried to give her a believable smile. It didn't work, so he gave up the ghost and just sighed, "So did he kiss you?"
He had to ask, she thought. "Ianto…"
Jack hadn't really kissed her. But there had been emotions passed though that kiss; emotions that Gwen couldn't keep to herself. Ianto shook his head, "He did, didn't he? I should have known. I knew I was reading too much into that whole 'I came back for you' speech. What's the first thing he does? Kiss you of course-"
"Ianto!" she interrupted. "It was on the cheek, after I told him about Rhys and me. It was a lingering kiss on the cheek but that's all it was. I kept it platonic; I won't do that to you anymore."
Gwen and he had spent a lot of time while Jack was gone discussing their relationships with the missing captain. Gwen had confessed, to nobody's great surprise, that she was harboring quite the crush, and that their fearless leader's flirtations had kept the little flame in her heart lit. Rhys had been doing a good job of dousing it, and with his proposal had finally woken Gwen up to the amazing man she had right in front of her, even though he didn't have perfect hair or a great coat. Ianto had been a harder nut to crack, but after Gwen had found him one night crying on the small cot in Jack's room he had broke down and confessed some not-so-intimate details about his life with Captain Jack Harkness. Gwen had come to be ashamed of her past behavior and how she had taken the attention away from Jack's real lover to further her own fantasies. She was also sad to see that Ianto felt like he still wasn't going to get all that wanted from their boss.
Ianto took her hand "Gwen it doesn't matter if you kept it platonic. What says the most is that you had to in the first place. He didn't do it himself, he didn't want too. He hasn't changed and he doesn't care about me. So I've decided I'm not going to let him take me in like last time. I want to be more than one of his part time shags! If can't give me more than that then I want nothing to do with him!"
Gwen raised her eyebrow in disbelief, she knew how hard it was to resist Jack when he turned on the charm. But Ianto stood his ground, "I mean it, I don't care how much he flirts with me, how much he casually insinuates himself in my personal space. Or puts us in intimate situations for seemingly innocent reasons, I won't give in. No matter how much he shoves his cursed 51st century pheremones in my face, I will not have just sex with Jack Harkness ever again. If he ever wants me in that way again he's going to have to work for it!"
From just behind the archive door Jack frowned. He hadn't realized the depth of Ianto's feelings for him, or how much he had hurt his beloved teaboy. During his time with the Master he had come to appreciate Ianto's warmth and all the little things he had done to make Jack happy. It was time to make Ianto feel as special as he truly was. 'Guess I'll have to try hard to get his trust back. But nothing ever worth getting is easy. But I think I know a good place to start.'
Jack caught up to Gwen as they went to collect John from the cells, "Gwen I want you to pair us off and put me with Ianto."
That hurt her pride just a bit, he had just come back and already was coming up with reasons not to be with her. But she had promised Rhys that she wasn't going to play this game anymore, Jack was going to be her boss and her friend and that was it. "Why? You really should be with Captain John. You know him best."
Jack shook his head, "He won't open up to me and if he truly needs our help then he knows better than to piss me off with any of his tricks. But if we put on a show, make him think that I don't have any control over the team, it'll make him cocky and more likely to make a mistake. Just take charge in the meeting and pair him with whoever you like. Just put me with Ianto."
She crossed her arms over her chest, "And why should I do that? I don't know if Ianto would be comfortable being paired with you?"
Jack huffed, it had been much easier when she had been infatuated with him. "Look, it's cute that you're being all protective of Ianto, but I don't think he needs-"
"Now you listen to me Jack Harkness!" she cut him off. "Do you know what he's been through the past few months? He's been questioning everything in his life from his involvement with you to even his life with Torchwood. A month after you left I found him, crying himself to sleep in your bunk. He asked me to Retcon him Jack."
She paused to see how that information affected him and was glad to note that it was having the desired affect and that Jack was looking aghast.
"He didn't want to remember his life with us, not with the painful memories of you leaving him contaminating the mess of them! You're lucky I got to him first and took his keys away, or else you would of come back and found us without an archivist. He didn't want to remember you, or the way you played him for a fool. So don't accuse me of being protective. You don't know anything about cherishing the people around you, and I doubt you can recall what true friendship feels like!"
Jack had retreated a few steps at her tirade, but he knew he deserved it. In a way he was glad to see this new side of Gwen. It was nice to see that the team could stand together as a cohesive unit without him there to bind them together. Nice, but at the moment totally inconvenient.
"I know I was a bastard Gwen." He didn't try to get in her personal space, but gave her room to hear him without distracting her. Something he wouldn't of done before, "I used him, hell I used all of you. But I went through some stuff while I was gone." As she started to interrogate him again he held out a hand to stop her, "Right now isn't the time to go into it. I will tell you and the rest of the team soon. What matters is what happened made me look at my life and get some perspective. And I've come to realize how much I've let you all in, and you don't even know it. But Ianto needs to now. I have to try and get through to him. And I can't do that with John constantly reminding him of my sordid past. So please Gwen. Just do this for me, and if I screw it up you don't have to listen to me again. Let me have a chance to make things right. For the team. For Ianto and me."
He didn't even have to fake the tear that fell down his cheek. He really did want his team, and his Ianto, back. What was the point of fixing the universe, of going through hundreds if not thousands of deaths at the Master's hands, if he couldn't come back to the life he loved? It seemed selfish but didn't karma or God or whatever was keeping this world in balance owe him this? 'Probably not' he though to himself 'because you're a con man, and coldhearted and a liar and-'
A warm hand brushing the tear off his cheek broke through his self deprecation. Gwen, whom he had practically forgotten was there, smiled up at him with her soft gap-toothed grin. "Ok Jack. You're with Ianto. Don't make me regret this."
The Jack Harkness Megawatt Grin™ was back. "I won't. I'll make you proud of me, be the man you always though I was. Be the man that he deserves."
As they linked arms to go collect their prisoner Jack couldn't help but think, 'It's good to be home.'
Finis!
A/N 2.0: Ok this all came about because I was watching KKBB and couldn't help but think, "Why is Gwen doing that?" I mean it's Gwen, she never misses an opportunity to put herself with Jack or get Jack's attention on her. So why is she taking the first opportunity to be really alone with him and squandering it? And thus this little tale was born. I also think it gives a little insight into why Jack couldn't wait for a more opportune moment to ask Ianto out. Hope you all enjoyed my first foray into TW fic!