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I. Family Obligations:
B. Holidays
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Christmas, 2007
The good thing about working for Torchwood was that it was never dull. Cliché as it sounds, on any given day one could expect the unexpected, and most days one wouldn't be disappointed.
The bad thing about working for Torchwood was that there was a certain flexibility expected when one put in for vacation time. If leave got approved, it was more of an "of course you can go home and visit the family, barring any unforeseen bog monsters/weevil parties/sight-seeing aliens who want souvenirs/government agencies run a muck" than an unconditional reprieve from the bizarre things they worked with most days. In fact, that particular clause was written into the leave request forms (in not quite so many words), courtesy of a slow day in the tourism office a few years back.
Thus, when the weevils started sneezing at four in the morning on Christmas Eve, Gwen knew what it meant, and was somewhat relieved by the reprieve. By the time she and Owen made it to his mother's house, it was almost midnight and they were both ready to drop. The Weevil Flu had turned out to be nothing serious, but it meant that they were still around when the equivalent of an intergalactic tour bus stopped in as part of a whirlwind survey of Christmas decorations across Europe. One thing led to another, and it was dark long before Gwen and Owen made it out of Cardiff.
Once they arrived, things didn't exactly get off to the best start.
"Hi, you must be Gwen. I'm James, and this is my wife, Janet."
Gwen closed her eyes and took a deep breath, cursing Owen under her breath before opening them again. "Your name is Janet?"
"Yes." Janet gave a depreciating smile. "After the ballad of Tam Lin? Mum was a bit of a faery nut." There was an awkward pause, and Gwen could hear Owen talking to his brother in the background, So, uh, welcome to the family?" She opened her arms in obvious invitation.
"Thanks." Gwen tentatively accepted, stepping into the hug and returning it. As she pulled back, she looked her sister-in-law over again. "Your name is Janet."
"Yes." Janet frowned. "Is there a problem?"
"No. No, not a problem. If you could excuse me just a moment..." Gwen stepped away and looked around for the source of her confusion. When she couldn't immediately find him, she resorted to the tried and true method. "Owen!"
"In the kitchen!"
When she found the kitchen, and her errant companion, she gave him a solid smack to the back of the head before moving on to introductions.
"Ow. What was that for?" Owen rubbed the back of his head, but didn't bother getting up from his seat at the breakfast bar.
"Your sister-in-law is named Janet. What the Hell do you think that was for?"
"It's not my fault you slept the whole drive away, now is it. Missed my whole explanation of who's who, you did."
"If I might interrupt, I'm Owen's mother. Am I correct is my guess that you're the Gwen I've been hearing such lovely things about?"
Gwen blushed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, well, I did mean to, but I didn't mean you to see it. It's been a long day." She took a deep breath, and found herself greatly reassured by the arm Owen settled around her waist. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Harper."
Owen's mother waved a hand in dismissal of the offence. "Don't worry yourself about it, child. Owen's had far worse owed to him over the years, he needs keeping in line. And call me Betty, everyone else does. Would you like a cuppa?"
Gwen smiled, and slid into the chair beside Owen. "Betty, I would love a cuppa."
--...--...--
Gwen awoke the next morning to the sound of a thud and a rather colourful stream of curses. She rolled over and squinted at the source of the noise. "Owen?"
"What?"
"What are you doing on the floor?"
"Three guesses." He gingerly got to his feet and crawled over her back into bed on the side against the wall.
She slumped back against the pillows with a groan. "We both fit perfectly well last night, don't blame this on me."
"I fit perfectly well last night. You were downstairs talking to Mum until all hours. Budge up."
"I was not-" The sound of a doorbell interrupted her response, and she looked back at Owen. "Who's that?"
"That, would be my lovely sister Annie."
"Annie?"
"Older sister. Much older." He shifted, pinning her as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Probably want to make a good impression, but mmm, not with that hair." He pulled away, standing and heading to the door. "Save me some coffee, love! Can't promise on the hot water!"
"You bastard!!" She grabbed the first thing she could and threw it at him, hitting the door as it closed behind him.
--...--...--
By the time Gwen made it downstairs, she could smell the preparations for Christmas dinner well under way. She found Owen (who clearly valued his own skin, because he handed her a cup of coffee without a word) in the lounge with James and a boy who was introduced as James' son Robert. She lasted all of ten minutes before getting fed up with the football debate and heading into the kitchen to see if she could lend a hand.
"Has anyone seen the cream?"
Janet popped her head up from where she was peeling potatoes. "I brought some last night, isn't it in there?"
"No, it's- Oh, no." Annie's voice cut through Gwen and Betty's conversation, and they both looked up.
"What's wrong?"
Annie held up the carton of cream. "It sat out all night, right over the heat."
Betty dusted her hands off on her apron. "Well, there's always the shop round the corner. Charge an arm and a leg, but they're open. Probably the only thing."
Gwen stood. "I'll go."
"I'll send Robbie out, don't worry yourself." Janet set the peeler down, and turned on the water to wash her hands.
"No, I might as well make myself useful, yeah? I'll get Owen to show me where it is."
Annie set down the carton and stood as well, tossing a smile Gwen's direction which seemed just a touch too cheerful. "Don't bother, I'll take you. Give me a chance to get some fresh air, get to know you a bit while I'm at it."
Gwen nodded with a cautious smile and gestured for Annie to lead the way. After all, she'd faced worse things than in-laws. "Right."
--...--...--
They were halfway down the block before Annie cleared her throat in a way Gwen was all too familiar with. "Gwen, I, um, I'm not sure quite how to say this. How well do you know my brother?"
Gwen took a moment to think before she responded. "Well enough, I suppose."
"And how well is well enough? I thought I knew my first husband well enough, and that landed me in a hole I almost couldn't climb out of. You seem like a nice girl, Gwen. I'm not saying you're not, haven't known you long enough to tell. But I think you need to know what you're getting into with Owen."
"What I'm 'getting into'?" Gwen parroted back, incredulous.
"There was a girl once, he met her just after he'd graduated medical school when he was working as a houseman. Jenny, her name was. James said that Owen was talking serious. Brought her around to meet the family, was even talking about marriage. But then Owen got some hotshot new job, and within two months it's as if she never existed. No explanation, just things weren't 'working out.' He changed, after that. He stopped coming home for holidays, stopped phoning. And now suddenly he's come home for Christmas and he just happens to have brought a wife. Never let us know he was thinking about it, never invited us to the ceremony, we didn't even know your name until he talked to Mum. That's not like Owen, not the Owen I know. And I've known him a lot longer than you have, so forgive me if I'm a bit concerned. Because I don't think you and Owen are going to last; I don't think Owen's capable of keeping a relationship together. I don't want him trapped in something he can't get out of, just because you had a few dates and your biological clock is ticking. I don't want my baby brother hurt when it falls apart."
Anne was still talking as they reached the shop, and Gwen had had enough. She stopped in front of the door and turned on her sister-in-law. "For God's sake, I was sleeping with him long before I ever considered marrying 'im. I bloody well know he's no saint, but I'm not either. He's honest with me, he trusts me, and he won't cheat on me. That counts for a lot. You don't approve, you think he can't hold a relationship, you talk to Owen. Otherwise, leave it be." She pushed the door open with rather more force than necessary and stalked into the shop, leaving a stunned Anne scrambling to catch up.
Before Anne could say anything, however, the sound of a mobile ringing had Gwen checking her pockets and cursing under her breath as she exited the shop. Finally, she found the phone in the back pocket of her trousers and switched it on, not bothering to look at the display. "It's nothing, I promise. Already sorted. Was just talking to your sister. She's worried about you."
"What were you talking about?"
"Nothing important."
"Gwen, we don't– "
"Yes, Owen, we do. Jack's always on about living a normal life, and we probably won't be able to get travel authorization again any time soon. Not with the way things have been acting up." It was a slight exaggeration, but they both knew that travel authorization and actually being able to take three days to see family on another part of the island were two very different things. A lot could happen in the three hours it took to drive from London to Cardiff. "It's not the end of the world; I've dealt with worse."
"So've I, doesn't mean I liked it. Anne's a right stroppy cow when she wants to be, and don't think I don't know it. You wouldn't get all bothered over just anything. She's my sister, not your problem."
"Look, we can talk when I get back, yeah?"
It was a long moment before he spoke again. "Yeah, all right."
Anne came out with the cream a moment later, and they walked back in a civil, if frosty, silence. When they got back, Owen caught Gwen as she walked in the door and brought her up to their temporary room. "Look, I'm sorry, all right? Mum said Annie's been at the eggnog already, and she's a right mean drunk. If I'd known, I wouldn't have let you go out with her."
Gwen nodded, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "She meant well, at least I think she did." She paused, peering at the uncharacteristically clear skies visible through the window. "Who's Jenny?"
"I might have known she'd bring that up." Owen sighed, and pulled out the desk chair to sit across from her. "Jenny was a girl I met when I moved to Cardiff to do my last year as a houseman. We met in the A&E, and things went from there. Jenny was a nice girl, steady. Even with the hours and everything, we made it work. Moved in together, met the family, perfect bloody storybook. And then came Torchwood. Overheard some things I shouldn't have, and got a job offer for my troubles. Jack needed someone in medical, and I was getting nowhere on my applications to the surgery programme. Win-win, right?" He laughed, but there was no humour in it, and Gwen could taste the old pain in the back of her mouth, sharp and bitter, like the dandelion leaves her gran had liked to toss in salads when Gwen had been a child.
"We made it two months before she called it quits, gave me an ultimatum. Said she didn't want to be 'that woman.' That I had to pick - work or her. Torchwood won, because Torchwood always wins."
Gwen knew that nothing she could say would make the memory less painful. Being a part of Torchwood had a price, and all of them knew it. So she fell back on the answer which seemed to work so well for her and Owen, she scooted forward off the bed, ignoring the sting as her knees hit the carpet too hard and too fast, and kissed him.
--...--...--
After the morning's events, Christmas dinner was almost anticlimactic. None of the crackers exploded heinously causing severe burns, Owen sat between Gwen and Annie, and there was an unspoken agreement to keep the conversation centred around innocuous topics like Robbie's plans for after university and the unusually warm weather (Tosh said Global Warming, Jack said that Global Warming was a result of a traffic accident somewhere in the vicinity of Venus, and that when the spilled fuel burnt off things would shift back toward the cool end of the spectrum, although he never actually addressed the hole in the ozone layer. Gwen kept her opinions to herself).
Annie's husband arrived just as dinner was ending, and after a round of introductions and apologies, the two left for another engagement. As people began to adjourn to the lounge, Betty caught Gwen's arm. "Would you mind helping me to clear the table and put the dishes in to soak?"
"Of course not."
"You're a dear." Betty nodded toward the lounge before heading into the kitchen with the first armload of dishes.
Gwen looked up to see Owen standing in the doorway. "Coming, love?"
"I'm just going to help your mum with the washing up."
"Are you sure, Gwen? I can do that if you want to go 'chat' with Janet or whatever."
"It's fine, Owen."
He closed his eyes briefly, confirming her words for himself before he nodded. "Right, then. Don't have to tell me twice." He vanished around the corner toward the lounge without a backward glance.
Betty cleared her throat, and Gwen spun, wondering how long the older woman had been standing there, and feeling unaccountably guilty. Betty just picked up another stack of plates and headed again to the kitchen. Gwen quickly did the same. After depositing the used china on a section of free counter space, Gwen turned to find Betty leaning against the kitchen table, effectively blocking the door to the dining room. "Sit down, Gwen."
"I'm not sure-"
"I don't bite, child. The dishes can wait. The tea will be ready in a minute."
Gwen opened her mouth to protest again, but thought better of it and instead slid into the seat opposite Betty. They sat in silence for a long moment, waiting for the water to boil. The electric kettle reached a boil and clicked off just as Owen's head popped into the kitchen. "Gwen, everything all right?"
"I'm fine, Owen."
"Oh good. Is there any more of the pudding?"
Betty let out an exasperated sigh at the inquiry, and pointed to a dish on the far side of the sink. "It's over there. Take it and shoo! Gwen and I are just taking a little break."
He nodded, and appropriated said dessert, although he took his time about it. "I'll just be-"
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Oh, get out already. I know how to scream if the occasion warrants."
He came up behind her and set the pudding bowl down before placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing her forehead. "I know, but you're tense enough you're giving me a headache. If everything's all right, then try to relax, eh?"
"Sorry, I didn't realize..." She winced, and turned her head to give him a brief kiss on the lips. "Forgive me?"
"Later." He pulled away. "I'll leave you two at it, then." He nodded to his mother, grabbed his dessert, and left Gwen alone with his mother.
Betty placed a mug in front of Gwen, adding two sugars to her own before returning to studying her new daughter-in-law. "I like you, Gwen. But I have some concerns about your relationship with my son, some questions I'd like answers to."
Gwen took a sip of tea, and wished she'd had the presence of mind to add sugar. "I'll answer what I can, ma'am, but it's not all mine to tell. Some things, you're going to have to ask Owen. And some things, even he can't tell you."
"My son told me that you work together, that you're special ops. What does that mean, exactly? Owen's a physician, I know what he does. But what about you? Regular hours? Regular vacation?"
"I'm afraid not, ma'am. Owen and I work in the same unit, and it's a 24-hour rota aside from the regular hours. Nothing to be done for it except finding another job, and that's just not an option either of us is willing to consider."
"That's all well and good now, but what about when you decide to have children? You're young now, but accidents happen whether you want them to or not. Maybe not now, maybe in five or ten years. What happens then?"
"There won't be any accidents, Mrs. Harper. Owen and I, we're agreed on this. We can't leave special ops, and we won't bring a child into this world we can't care for properly."
"I notice you haven't told me what it is you do."
"No, and I'm not going to. I'm sorry, Betty, but that's one of those things I can't talk about."
"That's what Owen tells me, too, when we talk at all. I suppose I should thank you for giving me a reason to make him come home, but I can't help but worry about him. He's the baby of the family, you know. Fifteen years younger than James, thirteen younger than Anne. I was out of practice by the time it mattered with him, never knew when to allow and when to forbid. I suppose I should be happy that he's turned out this well, but it makes a mother cautious. The marriage, everything, it all seems so sudden. And pardon me for saying, but you don't act like newly weds."
Gwen stared down at her mug, contemplating her answer. "The lives Owen and I live, the job we work, it's not what you'd call normal. It isolates you; I've seen it happen with my own life. What Owen and I have, it's not a storybook romance, won't ever be. The best way I can put it is that we're making the best of unexpected circumstances. It's not happily ever after, but we are happy."
"I, hm." Betty looked at her thoughtfully, unconsciously tracing the rim of her mug. "I suppose that's all I can ask for."
Gwen swallowed the last of her now-lukewarm tea. "Don't know about that, ma'am. But it's all I can give you."
Betty's fingers stilled on her mug, and for a long moment Gwen was worried that she'd said the wrong thing. It was silly, but she wanted Owen's family to like her. Wanted him to have that connection back, regardless of when he'd lost it. When Betty stood, Gwen did as well, wary of the sudden motion, reacting on training from her time in the police - training she'd almost forgotten in the morass of Torchwood codes and manoeuvres and special directives. Her mind raced through a dozen different situations and possibilities, none of them including the actions Betty proceeded to take. The older woman reached out and pulled Gwen into a hug, tighter and less formal than the one Janet had initiated the night before. Dimly, Gwen could hear footsteps and Owen's voice, but all that registered were Betty's whispered words.
"Welcome to the family, love."
Finis
