"I love you Gwen. I promise that I do, so don't worry, you know that right?"
Gwen looked away from John.
"I know." She said, her voice rough. He smiled at her, a smile so different then the vindictive one that everyone else saw.
"Cause now we have each other."
He pulled her into his arms. She leaned her head into his chest. She remembered when this had all started...
FLASHBACK
Gwen felt John's lips press against hers. At first she tried to push him away, but she gave up as she started to kiss him back. His lips were soft, soft and cool, so different then Rhys's lips, or even Owen's.
After they had thrown the bomb into the rift, she met him again, and was swept away. He was so unpredictable, so different then anyone she had ever known, even Jack. Sometimes he would get up and make her breakfast and softly kiss her awake, but some he would wake her up roughly by his lips kissing her collar bone. He was exciting, and when she was with him she was always on edge. The love between them was different then anything else. It was passionate and impatient, not like Owen and her's, which had been secretive and flirty, or Rhys and her's, which was so soft and gentle. He made her feel like Scarlett O'Hara. He had comforted her when Jack left. He had loved Jack, too, and been abandoned by him as well.
END OF FLASHBACK
Today was the day when they would stop being in the shadows. She was planning to break it off with Rhys.
"I gotta go, Torchwood." Gwen said, sighing as she parted with John's warmth. He looked at her pitifully.
"But Gwen..." She pulled on her clothes and kissed him goodbye. He watched her leave.
God, she was beautiful... Wait, did he just think that? It was hard to believe that one woman had turned him domestic.
He sighed and dressed, too. Perhaps he could look into flats today...
Gwen walked to work, as it was a beautiful day. There were no clouds in the sky. When she arrived at the Hub, everyone was already there. She walked to Jack's office first. She knew she had to tell them, but she wanted to tell Rhys first. Gwen knocked on the door of his office.
"Come in!"
Jack was sitting at his desk and browsing paper work. He looked up as Gwen entered, and was about to say hello when he was a strangely familiar scent filled the room. He sniffed. It smelled so Gwen like, with a strange but weirdly familiar scent of cinnamon and leather. That scent had been there ever since he got back. He sometimes wondered what it was, if was a new perfume or a lotion.
Gwen greeted him. Jack got a particularly strong whiff of the scent when she left.
Suddenly, he remembered where it was from. He couldn't be sure, though.
That night Gwen broke it up with Rhys. It was hard, but she had to do it. She must, for her, for John. She didn't see the SUV in the parking lot.
She met John at the hotel. He took her into his arms and breathed in her scent as she cried. Jack watched from the door, they wouldn't see him. He had a perception filter.
"Come on, love. Bed." John helped Gwen into her pajamas, and they curled up with each other.
"Love you," Gwen said, her voice muffled by the sheets.
"Love you, too," John replied as they drifted off. Jack slipped away into the night.
John couldn't believe that a mortal had turned him so soft. Of course, Gwen Cooper wasn't any mortal. She had found Torchwood, broken through retcon, and in the end joined the secret team. According to Jack, she was a fantastic agent, one of the best. She brought compassion and humanity to the team. Maybe that fact he was in love was a sign. Maybe he wasn't as evil as he had been. He grinned. Nah, he was still evil.
Today was they're anniversary. They had been together a five months. Today was special even more so. His fingers closed around the little velvet box, and he smiled.
Gwen bounced into work, a huge smile on her face. John had proposed! Of course, she said yes, why wouldn't she? She loved him so much. "Oi, what's got you all happy?"
Owen asked, smiling a bit. He liked seeing Gwen happy.
"Oh nothing!" She said, hugging him. Surprised, he embraced her hesitantly. Jack watched from his office, and sighed heavily. John better not hurt Gwen. If he did, Jack would personally kill him cruelly.
"Morning, Gwen!" Ianto and Tosh chorused. Gwen hugged them affectionately.
"Okay, team!" Jack called. "Into the conference room! I want to talk to you."
They trailed after Jack into the room with the long table. Jack drawled on and on. Gwen tapped her fingers impatiently. It was then that Tosh noticed.
"You're engaged!?" She shrieked. Gwen jumped, and then nodded. They both uttered little screams and embraced over the table while the men bemusedly. Jack was shocked, he hadn't expected John to actually propose.
"How did Rhys propose?" Gwen apparently didn't notice the different name.
"He took me out to a fancy restaurant, and then we went for a walk on pier. He got on one leg and proposed!" This time Ianto joined in their gushing about weddings.
"I didn't know Rhys could be so romantic," Jack said. Gwen frowned.
"I'm not marrying Rhys. I'm marrying John." Everyone froze.
"What?" Owen asked, breaking the silence.
"John who?" Tosh questioned, looking shocked.
"John Hart."