Gwen's eyes widened as the Captain looked between the two of them.
"You didn't tell him." Owen said.
"You didn't either." Gwen shot back. Owen looked between the Captain and Gwen before limping as fast as he could out of the Hub. Gwen shook her head in disbelief. "Coward."
She turned back to Jack who was staring at her in shock.
"How...when...what?" He frowned.
"It's complicated." She answered. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me." He challenged. Gwen looked away from him. "Start by telling me what happened with you and Rhys. I thought I told you not to let it drift. I thought you were making it work. After what happened with Bilis, I thought it made you stronger. You sacrificed everything to get him back, why would you -"
"I'm pregnant Jack." Gwen shouted.
"And how does Owen come – oh my God, he's the father." Jack realised.
Gwen closed her eyes and nodded. Tears slipped from underneath her eyelids.
"I tried so hard Jack." She whispered. "I tried so hard to make things work with Rhys. I tried to stop...after you left I...I found out I was pregnant. I knew...I just knew it wasn't Rhys'."
"How?" Jack asked.
"Well...despite everything that happened between us, somehow...me and Owen started our affair again." She answered. "It was before you left and before everything with Bilis...and ever since, I wasn't able to...I couldn't be with Owen then go home to Rhys and...be with him. I just felt...dirty and disgusting but I couldn't stop. When I found out I was pregnant, I couldn't lie to him any more. I had to let him go. I told him the truth and he left. After that, I refused to tell Owen. I was so scared of him wanting nothing to do with us and being alone with a baby. I thought if Owen knew I was pregnant but I didn't tell him the baby was his, he'd be there for me as a friend. He'd help me out and he'd see his child but just...not know. Tosh found out, then Ianto and they both said that I had to tell him. I had to tell him the truth so I did. He didn't take it well at first. No one saw him for a week. I thought my fears had come true. But he came back and he said he'd thought about it and he wasn't going to run out on his responsibilities. He promised to look after us both and he asked me to marry him."
"And you said yes?" Jack frowned.
"Yes." She nodded.
"Why? Do you love him?" He asked.
"Well...he makes me laugh, he does things for me, I know he'll look after us." Gwen shrugged.
"But do you love him?" He insisted.
Gwen looked away and a few minutes of silence passed between them before she looked back at him.
"I don't know." Gwen admitted.
"And does he love you?" Jack enquired. Gwen didn't answer. "Then why are you marrying him?"
"Because I want my baby to grow up with both their parents who love them very much." Gwen answered.
"But do you want your baby to grow up in a loveless marriage? Kids aren't stupid Gwen. They pick up on these things. Do you want your child to be unhappy, because their parents certainly aren't." Jack argued.
"I need stability Jack. I need something normal in my life and so does my baby. With Torchwood already hanging over our heads, this child's not going to live a normal life like everyone else. I want my child to have a family so they can have that one shred of normality." Gwen argued back.
"You're making a big mistake." Jack told her. "Your baby can still have a normal life without you and Owen getting married. You can still bring this baby up together but you don't have to be married or living together. Lots of parents are doing it these days. Don't you think that'd be better for your child?"
"Me and Owen get to decide what's best for our child." She replied.
"Sorry." Jack replied. "But what if you find someone that makes you happy? What if you fall in love? What if Owen does? And do you really think Owen's going to stay tied down to one woman?"
"He promised he wouldn't...be unfaithful." Gwen mumbled. "And I believe him."
"Come on, this is Owen we're talking about. How long before he gets bored? Or strays?" Jack argued.
"Do you think this isn't running through my head all the time?" She shouted. "Every time I look at him or every time I see him look at another woman, I wonder if he'll turn his back on us and it scares me. But he promised me he wouldn't...and I have to believe him. I have to...otherwise I can't do this."
Jack saw the deep sadness in her eyes and he had to look away.
"What about Rhys? Don't you love him?" He asked quietly.
"I'll always love Rhys." Gwen answered sadly.
"Well, I know he loves you. I'm sure he'd forgive you and he could help you raise this baby." Jack said.
"It wouldn't be right." She said, shaking her head. "I'd be forever looking at my child and at Rhys and knowing I'd betrayed him. Then there's Owen. I couldn't stop him from seeing his child but I know Rhys would refuse."
"And...what about me?" Jack asked.
Gwen's breath shook as she stared into his eyes which were gazing sadly back.
"Do you think I haven't thought about you?" She asked. "Do you honestly think I haven't once wished things were a little different or what it might have been like if..."
"Seeing you and Owen...throwing..." Jack couldn't bring himself to say 'together'. "Your lives away and being unhappy...it'll kill me."
"I'm sorry Jack." She whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leant her head on his shoulder as he hugged her tight. "There will always be a piece of my heart that belongs to you but we're just...not meant to be." She pulled back and held his hands as she looked into his eyes. "I have to do this Jack. I want the best possible life for my baby."
Jack nodded and gave her a sad smile.
"How far gone are you?" He asked.
"Just under three months." She told him.
Jack looked at her and noticed for the first time, the smallest of bumps. He saw the sparkle in her eyes and her skin was glowing. She'd never looked so beautiful.
"Well...I should probably say...congratulations." He said.
"Thank -" She was cut off as Jack pressed his lips to her cheek. Her eyes slid shut of their own accord and she breathed in his unique scent. When he pulled away, her heart was hammering against her chest. "I...I should go."
"Just think about it. Don't rush into this." He said.
She grabbed her jacket and bag and quickly ran out of the Hub. Jack watched her go sadly before his shoulders drooped and he hung his head.
When Gwen arrived at Owen's flat, which she still couldn't get used to calling home, Owen was in the kitchen.
"Hey, want a coffee? Decaf obviously." He called.
"Bloody decaf." Gwen mumbled and walked into the kitchen. "Yes please."
"Are you ok?" Owen asked as he turned and saw the tear stains on her cheeks.
"Yeah, I just...on the way back...tears of relief, I guess." She lied.
"Are you sure?" He frowned.
"Yeah. Positive." She nodded. "Anyway, Jack...Jack knows everything. I told him, with no help from you, bloody coward."
"Yeah...sorry about that." He mumbled. "How did he take it?"
"You can probably imagine." She sighed. "He wasn't happy but...he said congratulations. On what, I don't know. Having a baby or...getting...getting married." She wondered if it was just her or if they both wanted to shudder. "Both, I suppose."
"Right." Owen nodded. "So...are we in for a lecture tomorrow do you think?"
"I've had my lecture and I refuse to go through another one. It's your turn." She answered.
"Oh cheers. Thanks for your support." He said sarcastically.
"Aaw, don't mention it." She smiled.
They both laughed and smiled at each other. When their laughter died, silence fell between them and tension filled the room. They both turned away from each other quickly. Gwen left the kitchen and went to sit on the sofa while Owen made the drinks. He followed her in a few minutes later and handed her her drink.
"One decaf coffee." He said.
"Cheers." She replied unenthusiastically. "I blame you, you know. For this decaf torture. You knocked me up."
"Oh I did didn't I." He smirked as he sat beside her. "Good and proper. That's what happens when you do all your best work in one night."
"Look who's full of themselves." Gwen laughed.
"Oh come on, you can't say it wasn't one of the best nights." He said. Gwen smiled and looked away, not wanting to give him the satisfaction...again. Owen grinned and she couldn't help but giggle. "Knew it."
"Yeah, alright, whatever." She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Come on, put the telly on. Let's find a programme about other people getting covered in alien shit for a change."
Owen leant forward and grabbed the remote off the table to switch the TV on. As he sat back, Gwen watched him and began to think about what was happening between them. Ever since Gwen had moved in, everything seemed to become awkward between them. They never knew how to act around one another or know what to say when they were alone. They couldn't be how they used to be. It was as if the baby and the engagement and her moving in changed everything. The only ice breaker was when Owen cracked a joked about sex or when they actually did have sex. Even that was starting to get weird.
Gwen started to wonder if Jack was right. Were they making a big mistake getting married? Was it necessary just because they were having a baby? She knew what her mum would say. Yes it was.
"Owen...what are we doing?" She asked.
"We're...watching television. Aren't we?" Owen frowned as he looked around.
"No, I mean what are we doing...with us? Is getting married a mistake?" She asked.
"Well..." He shrugged.
"Why are we even doing this? I mean, is it just because we're having a baby together and it seems like the right thing to do?" She asked.
"That's what we initially agreed on." He nodded.
"I know but...I don't think getting married just because there's a child involved is the right thing to do." She told him.
"You sound like you've been thinking about this." He replied.
"Well it's a big decision we're making here." She replied. "I don't want to make the wrong one. We have to think about what's best for our baby. Is it fair for them to be growing up in a marriage where their parents don't...love each other? How is that going to affect them with relationships in the future? We're not exactly setting a good example. Unless...there's another reason behind why we're doing this."
"Like what?" He laughed.
"I don't know." She lied. "Anything...you can think of?"
"No." He answered. "Gwen, I get what you're saying and maybe it's not a good idea when you look at it like that. But I know what it's like to not have a dad around – and sometimes a mum – and I don't want that for our baby."
"Me neither. I want us both in our baby's life but...do we have to get married to do that?" She asked.
"Seriously, what's brought all this on?" He laughed. "What's Jack been saying to you?"
"It doesn't matter. I just..." She sighed. "Forget it. We'll just...keep doing what we're doing."
"Right." He nodded.
He looked away to watch the television again but Gwen kept her eyes on him. A few moments of silence passed before she broke it.
"Seriously, you can't think of any other reason at all why we're getting married?" She asked.
Owen thought about it then shook his head.
"No." He replied.
"Oh." She said quietly. "I'm going to...go for a bath."
She tried her hardest to hide the disappointment in her voice and facial expression as she got up and left. She didn't even know why she was so disappointed just that the sinking feeling in her heart and the pit of her stomach were not good.
That night, Gwen and Owen climbed into bed and as always, there was a huge gap between them. They were facing each other, almost teetering over the edges of the bed as they smiled awkwardly at one other.
"Well...goodnight." Owen said.
"Yeah, night." She replied.
They were quiet for a couple of moments before Owen quickly leant across the void between them and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. He withdrew just as fast and rolled over so he was facing away. Gwen was shocked. Twice in one day he'd spontaneously kissed her without an ulterior motive. That had never happened once before, never mind twice.
It was a few minutes before Gwen could get over the shock and lie down properly. She lay facing him and stared at the back of his head thoughtfully as she drifted off.
The next morning, she felt herself slowly waking up. Something soft and warm was wrapped around her and she couldn't help but snuggle into it. She was pressed against a warm, solid body and she could feel skin brushing her own. Her lips pressed a kiss to a chest. Suddenly, she remembered where she was and the only person that chest could belong to. She opened one eye a touch, then the other and came face to chest with him. Her eyes travelled slowly up until green eyes met brown and they were looking back at her with just as much surprise and confusion as hers. After a few moments, they slowly pulled away and Gwen saw that they'd rolled and met each other in the middle during the night.
"Sorry, I didn't..." She mumbled. "I didn't mean to – I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologise." Owen told her. "You didn't do anything wrong, it was just a...cuddle. It was just...unexpected that's all. But it was nice, don't get me wrong."
"It was nice? Do you really think so?" She asked hopefully.
"Yeah, it was." He nodded. "Did you not think so?"
"Oh, yeah I did. It was...nice." She agreed.
They both looked away and around the room as they tried to think of something to say to each other. It was another one of those awkward moments she hated so much. Why couldn't everything just be normal and easy between them? It always had to get complicated.
"We should...probably get to work." Owen said quickly.
He jumped out of bed and started to get ready while Gwen stayed, facing the spot he'd just left and slowly reached her hand out to touch it. She looked over to watch Owen as he pulled on a pair of jeans and began once again, to think about the things that were changing and the things she was starting to realise.
Owen turned to grab a t-shirt and smiled as he noticed her watching. She smiled back and started to climb out of bed.
"How's your leg?" She asked.
"Not too bad. The pain's died down a bit, it's just like toothache now. Annoying and always there but...not so bad." He answered. "It's a lot better than yesterday."
"Good." She smiled.
"What about you? You feeling alright? No side affects from that paralysing stuff?" Owen asked.
He walked over to check her eyes and he cast a critical eye over her. She suddenly felt self-conscious and folded her arms.
"I feel fine, honestly. Nothing more than the usual woozy, morning sickness feeling." She told him.
"You sure? You're not just saying that just to stop me worrying are you? Because you do realise, even if you're not lying, I'll still be worrying about you." He admitted.
She couldn't fight the smallest of smiles from forming on her lips as she thought of Owen getting concerned over her.
"I'm fine, I swear." She replied.
He watched her suspiciously for a few seconds before nodding and walking away.
They were sat beside each other in the meeting room as Jack gave a team briefing. The Captain could tell they were still reluctant to accept orders from him. They were sat in silence, waiting with expectant and slightly cold stares for him to start. Jack glanced at Gwen but she refused to look at him even though she could feel his stare burning the side of her face.
"Alright." Jack said after a tense few minutes. "So, after last nights events, I've been on the look out for any serious consequences but so far, we've been lucky. I'd also like to say...good work team. You all did extremely well under all that pressure. I know at times it got a bit hairy..." He glanced at Gwen and she looked up at him for the first time. She gave him a small smile which he returned before focusing back on the briefing. "But you all got through it and you made me proud. This team has got so much stronger."
"Yeah, well, we had to." Owen said coldly. "When our Captain abandoned us, we realised how important it was to stick together."
Jack hung his head guiltily and sighed.
"I am so sorry." He whispered. "I can't say it enough. I shouldn't have left without telling you but I couldn't miss the opportunity. After so many years of searching, he came back – my Doctor...and I had to see him. I had to know if he could -"
"Fix you." Owen interrupted. "Yeah well he couldn't, could he? You ran out on us for nothing. Well, I hope it was worth it. After you ran out on us, there were so many times it's been close to you not having a Torchwood to come back to."
Owen's voice was starting to rise and Gwen reached out to grab his arm.
"Owen, calm down." She said quietly. He glared at Jack and took a few deep breaths. "Calm down, it's alright."
He closed his eyes and turned to her. When he opened them again, he nodded and gave her a grateful smile.
"Anything else Jack?" Tosh asked.
"Yeah." Jack nodded, forcing himself to look away from Gwen and Owen. "The company I was observing before I left, Techneworld. Have there been any updates while I've been away?"
Tosh, Owen and Gwen looked at each other then shrugged as they looked back at Jack.
"Since you've been gone, three shipments of new technological devices have been imported from abroad." Ianto announced as he walked in with a tray of coffee. Everyone looked up at him in surprise. "I...thought I'd carry on the research for you. In case...you ever came back or...didn't."
"Thank you, Ianto." Jack said with a small smile. "Do you know what was in those shipments?"
"Not exactly but I took a rift energy monitor with me when they were delivering the crates. They were surrounded in rift energy." He answered.
"So my suspicions were true." Jack grinned. "They've got their hands on alien technology and they're selling it on as their own inventions. What's the betting they don't even know what half of it does? So, I need someone to go in there and find out just how much technology they have and exactly what we're dealing with. They could have anything in there and if they've figured out which ones are weapons, we could be in trouble. After that, we'll retcon the workers and shut the business down."
"Me and Owen will go." Gwen said quickly.
"You sure? Could be dangerous. Don't know if you should go...in your condition." Jack replied.
"I'll be fine. Come on, Owen." Gwen said.
She patted him on the arm and stood up. Owen glared at Jack then followed Gwen out of the room.
"I know what you're doing." Owen said as they climbed into the SUV.
"What's that then?" Gwen asked innocently.
"You're getting me away from Jack. Giving us a breather." He answered.
"And? Are you complaining?" She asked.
"No." He smiled. "Thank you."
He reached for her hand causing her cheeks to flush a light shade of pink. She hid her face in her hair and smiled shyly.
They pulled up a little down the street from the Techneworld building and peered out of the window at it. It used to be an abandoned office building but overnight the Techneworld company moved in and the building was suddenly alive again. Just by looking at it, you knew something dodgy was going on behind those doors.
"Here we go." Gwen sighed as she opened the car door. As she grabbed her PDA from her bag, Owen walked around to stand close beside her so he could see the screen. She felt his body heat radiating from him and it was hard to concentrate. Gwen cleared her throat and focused on her PDA. "Right, well, according to these building plans Tosh sent through, all the technology they're bringing in is being stored in the basement. We've got to find a way in without being seen."
"What about down there?" Owen asked. He pointed down an alleyway beside the building. "There's bound to be a fire escape round back."
"Alright." Gwen nodded.
The two hurried down the alleyway and, as Owen had predicted, there was a fire escape leading up to the top floor of the building. On the ground floor, there was a fire door and Owen walked over to it. Gwen pulled her gun from her belt and gripped it with both hands as Owen slowly got the door open. They crept inside and closed the door behind them.
They were in a long corridor with other corridors and doors leading off it. It seemed empty so Gwen put her gun away but kept it within reach.
"Where now?" Owen whispered.
"We've got to get to the basement." Gwen whispered back.
Someone walked past a door ahead and they pressed themselves against the wall. More people were walking around past the other doors and Owen looked at Gwen.
"Easier said than done." Owen muttered.
Gwen looked around and spotted a smoke detector on the wall. She smiled and walked over to it. She pulled a couple of pieces of scrap paper and a lighter from her bag.
"Always come prepared." She grinned at Owen as he looked in confusion at the lighter.
"What are you doing?" He frowned.
"Evacuating the building." She answered.
She lit the end of the paper and let it burn for a couple of seconds before she blew it out. As she held it under the smoke detector, Owen spotted something else.
"No, Gwen." He whispered loudly. "You'll set off the -" The fire alarm went off but it also turned on the sprinklers. They were soaked within seconds and they just stared at each other. All of a sudden they burst out laughing. Owen's laughter was cut short when he saw people running towards them. Then he remembered they were standing next to the fire exit. After hearing the alarm, they were obviously going to head this way. "Look out."
Owen grabbed Gwen by the arms and shoved her against the wall down another corridor. He pressed himself against her as he waited for everyone to run past. Gwen was staring at him with wide eyes as she gripped his arms. He looked back at her and into her eyes causing her heart to begin to pound against her chest. His hands had moved from her arms to her hips and she could feel them burning through her jeans. His breath was mixing with hers and she suddenly wanted him to kiss her.
"Oh." She whispered.
It was then that she knew her answer to Jack's question. Yes, she did love Owen Harper. She couldn't help but stare at his lips and her own parted of their own accord. She was about to lean in and kiss him but his body was suddenly gone. He'd stepped back and was peering down the corridors.
"That was lucky." He breathed in relief. "Ok, that sign says the lift's that way. Let's go."
Gwen nodded slowly before running after him. They found the lift and took it down to the basement. The doors opened with a ping and they stepped out cautiously, guns gripped in their hands.
