-1My new story.

A lot of babbling about Owen and Gwen.

Love Hate-

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Owen and Gwen have a love hate relationship.

What is love without hate or hate without love?

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"One more", Gwen pleaded with Tosh, "Just one more drink then you can go".

Tosh shook her head and hiccupped, "You've already had enough".

Owen watched on in amusement. The three of them had started the night at their usual pub but after getting kicked out had relocated to his flat. Gwen loved to drink but just couldn't hold her liquor, Tosh on the other hand knew when she'd had enough.

Tosh stood and Gwen lunged at her, grabbing her feet. Tosh fell over and landed on the couch. She looked down at Gwen who sat giggling drunkenly on the floor.

Owen laughed at them and Tosh glared at him.

"If you-if you-", she started drunkenly just making him laugh more, "Help me!".

Owen got up from his chair and came around to help Tosh. Together they lifted Gwen up and deposited her on the couch.

She fell on to it giggling then turned serious.

"Shhh!", she told them with a finger to her lips, "be quiet or mom and dad will wake up".

This caused Owen and Tosh to laugh out loud.

"God", Owen said wiping his eyes, "She's really sloshed, hey?"

"Yeah", Tosh laughed, "I have to go cause you know we can't all call in sick tomorrow".

"Well, what do I do with her", Owen gestured at Gwen.

They turned and watched as she struck up a conversation with a throw pillow.

"I'm not dragging her home", Tosh told him, "Just let her sleep on the couch".

Owen sighed, "This-hiccup-is the last time we get drunk at my place".

"That's what you said last time", Tosh reminded him.

She grabbed her purse and headed to the door. Half way there she changed her mind and came back to them. Owen raised an eyebrow at her and she winked, pulling out her camera phone.

She snapped a few pictures of Gwen talking to her 'friend'.

"Blackmail", she explained, "You never know when it might come in handy"

Owen grinned.

"Night", she called disappearing out the door.

Owen turned and watched Gwen for a bit.

"You know", she was saying to the throw pillow, "He's not actually that ter-teribable- he's not that bad!".

Owen smiled and Gwen went on oblivious of him watching her.

"He can be an ass. Oh, boy can he be an ass", she hiccupped, "But-but the way he saved me when we were in the country. I mean, wow. She-hiccup- he was great. Oooh, you shoulda seen the dirty look Jack gave him. Do you think he likes me?"

She paused, obviously waiting for an answer.

"No, no! Jack not Owen", she continued, serious, "I already know Owen likes me".

Owen turned quickly and headed for the kitchen deciding he needed a drink.

He stood in front of the open fridge, running over the conversation he'd just heard.

"I already know Owen likes me"

He reached into the fridge and instead of the bottle of malt liquor his hand fell on a bottle of water.

Grabbing it he took a swing. Feeling a bit more sober he decided to deal with the problem on his couch.

He walked over to Gwen and looked down at her. He eyes were shut and she was breathing deeply, her arms wrapped tightly around her new friend the pillow.

Owen let his eyes graze over her critically. She wasn't what you'd call drop dead gorgeous but she was no where near ugly. She had a certain air about her, something special. The way her eyes light up when she was happy. They way her cheeks had a cute little red tinge to them. The way she forgave and looked for the best in people. The way she was herself.

Gwen stretched and moaned lightly in her sleep and Owen found himself smiling.

"Alright Sleeping Beauty", he pushed up his sleeves, "Time to get you to bed".

"Five more minutes", she muttered, "five more, Rhys".

Owen bristled at the name of her boyfriend but gathered her up in his arms all the same.

"Gwen", he called in her ear, "Gweny".

She hit him sleepily and he protested loudly.

"Do that again and I'll drop you", he warned.

She responded by sighing happily and leaning her head further against his chest.

Owen smiled and continued carrying her to his bedroom.

-----------------

Gwen eye lids fluttered then closed again. She heard the phone ring and she rolled over, knowing Rhys would get it.

She could hear a male voice answer the phone. A voice that couldn't belong to Rhys but sounded so familiar.

Gwen opened her eyes again and looked about. Her eyes were met with large windows that surrounded the entire bedroom. Her eyes closed again trying to place these surroundings.

There was only one place she'd been to the had windows like that and it was the one place she was never meant to be. Owen's.

Owen's!

Gwen sat up quickly and was welcomed by a pounding head ache.

She groaned and dropped her head into her hands. Owen looked over at her and she glanced up.

"Morning", he mouthed.

She looked bewildered and Owen smiled reassuringly at her.

"No, it's fine", he spoke to the person on the phone, "Give me ten minutes. Yeah. No! No, don't worry. I'll pick her up on the way. Yeah, Bye Jack".

Owen hung up the phone and bounded over to the bed, collapsing next to her.

"Good morning", he smiled at her.

She scowled back, "Is it?"

"What's wrong?", he asked her.

"What's wrong? You tell me what's wrong! I woke up in some place I don't belong. I can't even remember what happened the night before and all of a sudden you're here!"

Owen frowned, "Gwen-"

"Don't you Gwen me!", she snapped standing up quickly.

Owen looked away from her and Gwen looked down at herself. Gasping she ripped the sheet of the bed and wrapped it around herself.

"You took off my pants!", she yelled at him.

"Gwen", he reasoned with her, "Listen-"

"No!", she shook her finger at him, "This was not to happen again. I have a boyfriend for chrissakes!"

"Gwen", Owen told her calmly, "Nothing happened".

"Nothing happened?", she repeated.

"Nothing", he reassured her, "Do you remember anything at all?"

Gwen frowned, "We got kicked out of the pub and came here. I remember Tosh being here. You made some weird concoction of drinks and tried to convince me to drink it then nothing".

"Well, Tosh decided to leave and you begged her to stay then we watched as you began a conversation with a pillow then you told us to shut up because 'Mom and Dad' will wake up".

"Oh, god!". Gwen hit herself in the head, "Thank god you didn't have a camera".

Owen laughed, "Well, actually…"

"Oh, no", she groaned.

"Blackmail! You never know when it might come in handy", he quoted.

Gwen groaned, "Remind me that next time your pissed".

Owen grinned and Gwen managed a half smile.

"Aspirin?", he offered.

"Please", she croaked.

Owen hurried off to be the medicine and Gwen hurriedly pulled on her jeans which had been folded neatly on a chair.

She looked around the bedroom which had become familiar to her.

Her eyes caught sight of a bunch of blankets and pillows on the floor. Gwen blushed as she realised Owen had slept on the floor while she slept peacefully in his bed.

Owen rushed in with a tray. Setting it down on the bedside table he handed her a glass of water and two aspirin.

She took them eagerly and the pills were gone in a flash.

"Thanks", she murmured.

He gave her his small half grin, "Better than some of my patients".

He turned to the tray and picked up another small pill. He handed it to her and she shot him and intermittent look.

"Before you ask, it's alien", he told her.

Gwen opened her mouth to protest but was cut off.

"And before you complain, it's safe. I've used it before".

She stared at the small round pill in her hand then up at Owen.

He smiled reassuringly at her, "Do you trust me?"

She hesitated and his smile dropped.

He got up and quickly left the room. Gwen sat alone with the medicine in her hand.

Glancing at the door where Owen had last been she swallowed the pill quickly, trying to block out the strange bitter taste.

She stood up again and went quietly into Owen's ensuite.

Gwen washed her face quickly and ran her fingers through her hair. Within a few minutes she looked fresh and felt better.

A knock came gently on the door and Gwen turned to it. Owen stuck his head in.

"We need to leave soon", he whispered.

She nodded and he ducked back out of the doorway. When she re-emerged from the bathroom Owen stood waiting.

When he spotted her he held up her jacket for her to slip on.

She watched him warily but accepted his offer.

As he slipped the coat over her shoulders his hands travelled over her back.

Gwen shifted away uncomfortably and Owen felt a stab of disappointment.

"I love you", he heard himself saying.

Gwen turned to him, eyes wide with shock.

"You-you what?", she gasped.

"I. Love. You", Owen repeated slowly.

Gwen shook her head and moved further away.

Owen reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her from retreating.

"Do you love me?", he asked, eye's searching hers.

Gwen hesitated, " I love Rhys".

"I don't care", Owen yelled all of a sudden, "I don't care about how you feel about Rhys. I want to know if you love me".

Gwen looked away, "I-I…".

"Yes?", Owen asked hopefully.

Gwen looked up and met his gaze. Her eyes filled with tears and she slowly shook her head.

"I can't", she gasped out.

Owen placed a hand lovingly under her chin and tipped her head up to look at him.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me", he told her.

"I love you", she admitted, "but I also hate you".

"Hate me?", Owen repeated, "Why?"

"Because. You're selfish, stuck up, unyielding and a real bastard sometimes. Because you're you", she ducked her head.

"Why do you love me?", he asked gently.

Gwen met his gaze and smiled, "Because you're you".

Owen smiled, "It is better to be hated for who you are, than to be loved for someone you are not", he quoted.

"But I can't love you. I can't get to you. I can't reach you and you definitely can't reach me" she told him.

"Why not?", he asked.

She sought for her reason, "Physics won't allow it".

He cocked his head, "How?"

She took a step towards him, "There's till space between us".

She took another space, "Still space".

She took a few more step forward saying the same thing after each movement.

Gwen looked up and Owen stared down at her, his face inches away.

She took another tiny step and his chest brushed against hers.

"Still not there. There's still space".

"What about now?", he asked tipping her head back and kissing her passionately.

She gasped for air and he pulled back, grinning at her.

"There will always be space. No matter how close you are there's still space. And no matter how much you try you can't ever fully reach them", she sighed.

Owen paused, "So you can never be fully close to someone? Never reach them not matter how much you love them?"

Gwen was thrown of track slightly by that little four letter word again, "Exactly", she regrettably whispered.

"So it's the same with Rhys?", he caught her.

She glared at him, "That's not fair and you know it!"

"Is it?", he whispered, coming closer to her.

She reached her hands out and placed them on his chest, stopping him from coming any closer.

Owen felt her hands shake against him.

"Let me try", he told her.

Gwen shook her head defiantly, "No".

"Why not?", he asked.

"Because it will just make me hate you more", she admitted, "And I don't want to hate you".

"Then love me", Owen told her.

Gwen smiled sadly, "We've just been through that".

"Try to love me", he pleaded.

"You can't have the love without the hate", she told him sadly.

"Then hate me too, but for god's sake don't not love me", he cried.

"I can't", she told him almost in tears.

"Guess we're never gonna have a happy endings", Owen sunk dejectedly onto the bed.

Gwen hesitated, "My mum used to say, 'Happy endings are for stories that haven't finished yet'".

"Well, let's finish this story at a happy ending", Owen decided.

He jumped up and stood in front of Gwen.

"Love me?", he asked.

Gwen felt the tears spill over and Owen already knew her answer.

"I'm sorry", she sobbed.

She kissed him gently on the cheek then hurriedly left his apartment.

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Owen and Gwen have a love hate relationship.

What is love without hate or hate without love? They are simply emotions for which no one has any use but together they are the greatest weapon.

The scary thing about love and hate is that you are always at their mercies.

The scariest things is that they have no mercy.

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FIN

R&R

"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me", he told her.

"I love you", she admitted, "but I also hate you".

Owen and Gwen have a love hate relationship.