Title: 4am
Characters: Gwen, Jack, Rhys and Owen mentioned.
Pairings: Implied Gwen/Owen
Words: 843
Summary: "What are you doing here, Gwen?"
"What are you doing here, Gwen?"
To say he scared the shit out of me would have been an understatement; I flipped myself around and bounced straight off his chest.
"Whoa!" He muttered, catching my upper arms "Sorry to startle you", I looked up into his face, I felt like I owed some sort of explanation. I wondered why he hadn't heard me come in, what was he doing? Sleeping? No, He doesn't sleep.
"What are you doing here so early?" He looked concerned; I couldn't remember him looking at me like that before. "It's not even four am" The American accent had always got on my nerves before he came along.
"I- um- Well-" Oh Christ, now the tears were back, burning at the back of eyes, raising that lump in my throat. I felt like I needed to throw up. What would I tell him? Jesus, I didn't want to cry in front of him. I've cried in front of him so many times, he must think I am some kind of pathetic twat.
"Jesus, Gwen" He looked startled "What's happened?" I felt my lip wobble and my eyesight went blurry. Suddenly his hands were gone from mine, and were wrapped around me, pulling me to his chest, and I let the barricade crash down.
I was sobbing. I couldn't get any words out; I just cried and let him soothe me. He whispered comforting nothings into my ear, telling me to 'hush now' and that it was all right now. He had me after all.
I didn't want to tell him what I was thinking, what I had done. How Rhys had taken his bags, how I had sat on Owen's doorstep for an hour after that, how my bullet wounds ached everytime I felt ashamed. How I had stood for hours in the cold before I came here.
He pushed me away slightly, to look me in the eye 'Are you alright?"
I said nothing, just shook my head. He took me by the hand, and led me over to that sofa that looked like it had survived a hundred years, plopped himself down and pulled me onto his lap. It was affectionate, and it reminded me of when I was small and my father would hold me to his chest, rocking me as I cried. I had an odd sense that Jack was reading my mind, or he knew this somehow, I don't know how, but some how- because it was just as comforting now, as it was then. Maybe even more so.
"You don't have to talk about it now," he started "But I want you to know that you can, just because you work with me, all of us. Does not mean we can't be your closest friends too"
Maybe if he told me that earlier, I wouldn't have run to Owen. Well, I like to think that, but I think I would have run to him anyway. Rhys and me, we had been braking, I couldn't tell him anything, and I didn't want to. I thought maybe if I got him involved he would be involved, just like I was. He may not be as smart as me, although that sounds so egotistical, but he is not stupid. Then again, how well did I really know him? I was always so involved with work and making a life for myself, a husband just seemed part of the package that I wanted, and then there was Rhys. We liked to say we knew each other well, but wasn't that what everyone else said? That their lover was their best friend. Was anyone ever really telling the truth?
"He offered me the choice I always knew he would-" I said, my tears having abated enough to allow speech.
Jack gave a soft laugh "Torchwood or me?" he recited in a lousy welsh accent.
I found more tears swimming down my face, "Yes"
"Everyone does in the end" he said sadly "It was the same with Torchwood one, Yvonne, she ran Torchwood one, stopped hiring people in relationships after a while. Said it distracted them"
This comforted me, somewhat. I was not alone at least, Jack sounded like he understood.
"So, Rhys is gone?" I nodded, and I felt numb. "Well, At least you've got Owen"
I moved my head quickly, clipping him on the chin. He moaned rubbing the offended area.
"Ouch, Gwen"
"You know. How do you know?" I was panicked now, Jack knew, does that mean everyone else knew. My side ached. I wanted to cry again.
"Of course I know, I wasn't about to miss an important turn around like that"
"Who else knows?"
"No-one"
I looked at him, he wasn't looking at me. "Does it change anything?" I asked carefully.
He looked at me, considering me, evaluating me "It means that you'll stay, I was afraid that our runt in the countryside would finish you off"
"Me too"
"But it didn't. I think we should thank Owen for that"
I smiled faintly "Maybe"