Wedding
Jack stared at the card in his hand as if it was an unexploded bomb. He hated weddings. The last one he had attended had been an unmitigated disaster. Not that he had been invited; not that he had expected an invitation.
Gwen had come into his office the very next morning after Ianto had left and told him that she forgave him for his recent coldness towards her. She understood it was because he didn't want to rub Ianto's face in the fact she had won. She planned to tell Rhys that night she was ending it with him then they were both free and could be together at last. Then she tried to kiss him. Jack recalled the look of confusion on her face as he had backed away.
"But you want me!" Gwen had declared, confused as she looked down at Jack's hand holding her at arm's length. He shook his head.
"I saw the shock on your face when I told you I was engaged. You've been flirting me for months, the looks, the weekend away, your words to me after Rhys got shot, you… you…" she spluttered.
"Nothing happened on that weekend, Gwen you were acting as my PA," he explained.
"But you took me out to dinner, it was intimate, we had a slow dance, several if I recall," she told him. "I thought you took me for a reason, so we could have some time alone away from all our responsibilities here, so I don't understand," she hissed as he looked at her.
"That's my fault, I never meant to give you the impression that we had a future …" he tried to explain
"It's more than an impression. I thought that the way you treated me was a reflection of how you felt about me and you wouldn't take it further because you were sort of seeing Ianto. I respected that you were someone honourable and wouldn't move on me until you had sorted things out with him. I thought Ianto was leaving because you ended it with him to be with me," she told him outright.
"Ianto left because…" he started to say then looked at Gwen who was glaring at him furiously and decided he didn't have to justify himself.
"You're right. I apologise if I ever gave you any indication that there was anything between us. Let me assure you there is not or ever will be an 'us,'" he told her in a tone that left no doubt to how he felt.
"But you're my hero," Gwen told him.
"I know you see me as a hero, but I need someone who sees me for who I am. I am convinced I could never make you happy and I know you could never make me happy. Rhys loves you. Don't throw that away, not for me, I'm not worth it," he told her.
"So what your saying is you don't want me despite all the flirting and hints, words, looks we've shared, field work, gun training, that weekend away, now you tell me there's nothing. You've been yanking my chain all this time, making me a feel a complete idiot," Gwen spat at him, flushing a deep red.
"Gwen I see you as a respected work colleague, nothing more," he told her as he looked her in the eye.
She faced him then slapped him full force across the face. As he staggered backwards she turned then flounced out of his office, grabbed her bag from her work station and stormed out the main Hub door.
She had returned to work two days later and apart from work related issues had not spoken to him, not even passing. So he had not been surprised when he had not received a wedding invitation. The events as they had unfolded the day of the wedding were awkward in the extreme. He had to storm in just as she and Rhys were making their vows, and hunt down and destroy a Nostrovite. Rhys had punched him out for insulting his mother, and they ended the day with having to retcon the entire wedding party. He has managed to rebuild some bridges by asking Gwen for a dance, all the time wishing it was Ianto in his arms.
And now he had another wedding to contend with; another day where he would get to witness a happy ending. He consulted his diary as Tosh came to join him. She took the invitation from his hand.
"Martha Jones and Mickey Smith invite Jack Harkness and Guest," she read with a growing grin. "Are you going?" Tosh asked.
"Unfortunately I have no choice," he told her bitterly.
"Mickey or Martha?" Owen asked him as he joined Tosh in the office and took the card from her.
"What?" Jack said as he snatched the card form him and began consulting his calendar.
"Your reluctance to attend suggests you had a thing for one of them or both and now they're getting married…to each other," Owen pointed out.
"Neither, it's just that the three of us belong to an incredibly select group of individuals and my not turning up would be noted," he explained.
"You never know you could get lucky and end up shagging one of the brides' maids or groomsmen or both…together… threesome," Owen suggested. "Might put a smile on your face and put you in a good mood," Owen added as she saw Jack scowl.
"Did I hear wedding?" Gwen said her eyes aglow as she came in carrying a tray of coffee mugs and proceeded to hand them out.
"Yeah with any luck Jack might get his leg over," Owen said.
"You haven't got a romantic bone in your body have you," Gwen told Owen as she handed him a mug.
"Owen that's very cynical. Have you any idea how many people meet the woman or man of their dreams at weddings?" Tosh pointed out.
"Wanna come?" Jack said looking at her.
"Me?" Tosh asked as Gwen placed a mug on his desk which Jack picked up and took a sip.
"Yeah fancy a nice meal, dancing, two people pledging eternal love to each other?" he told her trying to keep the cynicism he felt out of his voice.
"Okay you're on. Give me some ideas, you know if ever Owen and I…" she told him smiling then narrowed her eyes at Owen.
"You hitting on my girl," Owen interrupted in mock indignation as he diverted the conversation when he saw a certain look in her eye.
"I'd take you but Tosh might get jealous," Jack told him.
"Damn right," Tosh told him.
Jack picked up the invitation and groaned. "I hate weddings," he muttered.
"How are you feeling?" Ianto asked as he checked Micky who gave him a weak smile,
"Nervous," Mickey told him.
"If you're going to leg it let me know because one of my roles is to stop you getting out the door," Ianto told him seriously as he double-checked Mickey was all set to go.
"And face Martha? No way," Mickey told him. "Not only would she track me down, I would never hear the end of it. Have you any idea how much goes into organising a wedding, let alone the cost? Got the rings?" he asked as he saw Ianto pat down his pocket.
"All safe and secure," he told him. He looked at his watch.
Mickey let out a deep breath. "Thanks for stepping in at the last minute," he said after a few moments. "I should have asked you in the first place," he told him.
"Don't thank me yet you haven't heard my speech," Ianto warned as a head popped around the door,
"Time," the attendant called. Mickey stepped out and Ianto followed.
Pulling at his tie for the hundredth time Tosh smacked Jack's hand. "Stop that. You can loosen it at the reception," she told him.
"As much as I hate weddings I hate formal weddings more," he said in a stage whisper. They heard music begin to play and Martha entered the facility holding her father's arm, wearing a stunning ivory white dress which complemented her beautiful colour. He turned to follow her down, and his eyes flew open as he looked down the aisle.
"Oh god no," Ianto said under his breath as he saw Jack in the assembly.
"Ianto," Jack burst out as he saw Ianto next to Micky.
Groaning Jack wished he could make himself invisible. Unfortunately this was not one of those occasions where this was possible. Aside from the bride and groom he had shared too much with her parents and sister Tish for him to act in any perfunctorily manner. The Doctor was there, dressed in a manner that spoke volumes about the respect he held for the whole of Martha's family. Jack, an ex-con man, managed to fake how happy he was to be there acting as that there was no place he would rather be than right here, right now. After sitting though the meal and listening to the speeches, and the cake cutting he now retired to his table. He had had eschewed the obligatory champagne wanting something far stronger and had a glass quarter full of whiskey which he intended to refill as many times as needed to cope with remains of the day.
As bad as going to this wedding was, the fact that Ianto was here compounded how bad he felt. Every time he caught a glimpse of him his stomach twisted. No matter where he looked he kept seeing him. Right now Ianto was standing at the bar drinking a beer and he saw Tosh join him and give him a light hug.
Jack took a sip from his glass as he brooded. Ianto had apparently come on his own because he had not seen him here with anyone. So what was stopping him from walking across the room and talking to him? He felt a momentum in his body then stopped. If he did he knew what would happen: Ianto would be polite, then walk off which was Ianto's equivalent to a slap across the face comparable with Gwen's. He glanced across at the happy couple chatting with a number of guests. He looked at the Doctor then back at Ianto who was ordering another beer as he continued to talk to Tosh. After what seemed an age they left the bar and went down to sit at the head table and continued their conversation.
Seeing him here today had been a shock and had brought back all the hopeless longing that had haunted him since Ianto had left. He was at odds at what to do, just seeing him, being within feet of him, knowing that Ianto believed he meant nothing to Jack hurt and he felt a wave of despondency engulf him and he took a large gulp of whiskey.
The whiskey burning its way down his throat he stood and began to walk around looking for something. Arriving back as his table he took another sip of whiskey and started to make a list using the pen and pad of paper he had found. Every now and then he looked up and stared into the distance then wrote, adding an item the list he was making.
A while later he sat back then checked each point adding substantial notes against each item. Standing he glanced across at Ianto who was now sitting on his own looking as miserable as Jack felt. He spied the Doctor and caught his attention, joining him he pulled him aside.
