Title: Gwen Bloody Cooper

Author: Word Waterfall

Pairing: Gwen/Owen, Owen/OC

Summary: Based on the preview for 1x10, So it is spoilery in a 'it hasn't happened yet, and it probably won't' way 

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm scared" Owen breathed without a thought.

A soft laugh bubbled from his side, he could feel her chest move against him. Her hair tickled his shoulder, making a shiver pass through him.

"A man? Scared?" A voice came, her entertainment obvious. "Where I come from admitting fear means you're weak"

Owen closed his eyes, feeling panic rise within him. He pulled his arm from around the female form, and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. The springs of the bed seemed to laugh at him, so did the blinking lights outside the window. He was pathetic.

She placed her hand on his back, running fingers of ice over his skin. Her breath was burning against his ear. "What are you scared of, love?" He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself, jerking forward away from her. This curse that was plaguing him. He stood up, and wandered to the window, picking up his jeans where he had discarded them some hours ago. He pulled them up to his waist, and buckled his belt.

"Cold, Love?"

"Don't call me Love" He bit back, as the female form drew up next to him, still fully undressed. This time he didn't even feel temptation through his guilt, and his fear. There was silence for a few minutes, until she went stiff as a board beside him.

"Are you in a relationship? Have I just- in your bed?" She looked horrified, her eyes all wide, Owen looked away, watching the glittering water outside. "Are you telling me, that I just had an affair with a Married man?!" Her panic was obvious, and the fact that she didn't belong to this time was apparent. "Have I just slept in a marital bed?!"

"I'm not married" Owen answered, still not looking at her.

"Engaged-?!"

"-No"

She stilled, and watched him with a confused expression.

Owen clenched his jaw. He couldn't believe anything he was doing. He was an idiot. He didn't know his problem, but he did know that Gwen hadn't been here for over a week. Hadn't kissed him. All because he couldn't bear to see her hurt. That small glimpse of hurt he saw every time she climaxed, almost brought him to tears, because it reminded him of her death. He had never been so attached. That was the last time they had sex. When he had to reassure himself she was still alive, she was okay, she was safe. She would stay. She had cried in his arms, and she had stayed all night.

He cared too much. He was an idiot, he promised he would never be that attached to a person ever in his life. Then Gwen bloody Cooper was thrown into his life, and control was thrown out of it. She couldn't get her face out of his mind.

When he realised he couldn't stop himself around her, he knew he had to stop it. Push her away, far away. So that he couldn't feel fear like he did that day, the day he had almost cried. The day Gwen bloody Cooper had almost died.

And he had been so fucking scared. She had forgiven him everything, for Suzie, for his attitude. She put up with it all, and now he was hurting her. She had betrayed Rhys for him, because she had felt something, and that had scared him. He had only just realised how fucking scared he was all the time.

And now. He may have ruined everything. Shit.

"So what? Is it me? Do I scare you?"

Owen turned around, leaning his bare back against the glass and looked at her carefully.

"I didn't say that" He said slowly. She shivered, walking to the bed and pulling the sheet up around herself. She nodded "You couldn't look at me two minutes ago"

"I was thinking"

"About what?" The way she cocked her head to one side reminded Owen of Gwen when she was considering something. His heart skipped a beat, and anger swelled.

"Jesus, Girl! What is this 20 questions?" She stepped back alarmed, and he shook his head, moving over to where his t-shirt lay and tugging it over his head roughly.

There was that laugh again, that bubbling laugh- and then came the words. "You love someone else, that woman. I thought there was something when you looked at her. Tosh told me that I reminded her of Gwen" The girl looked up, no doubt in turmoil and the belief that she had been used, or something along the lines of that. "You love her!"

And for Owen the realisation was like falling into an ice bath.