What's wrong with Gwen? Gwen heard Jack's thoughts as she stumbled into the Torchwood hub. Did an alien attack her?

"In case you all are wondering, an alien didn't attack me or anything." she told the four in front of her, and added bitterly, "It was my husband."

"Be careful to shut out the thoughts you don't want her to hear." Tosh told the others. "It's the same kind of pendant that "Mary" gave me." I hope this doesn't hurt Gwen. I know it hurt me when I heard what Owen and Gwen were really thinking about me.

So I guess I should try not to think about how I would still quite like to make out with Gwen, even though I dumped her. Gwen heard Owen thinking, and stifled a grin. These guys did realize that trying to suppress specific thoughts would make her hear those specific thoughts, right?

"I'll talk to her. She can't hear my thoughts. Gwen, my office, now." Jack commanded, and Gwen followed him.

"Rhys attacked you?" Jack wrapped Gwen in a hug. No one gets to hurt Gwen. NO ONE. If that blood's from Rhys, I'm happy. She did what I could never do. Gwen didn't know why she could hear Jack's thoughts. Hadn't Tosh been unable to when she came in with the pendant? Was this a different version or something?

Gwen nodded. "He pushed me against the wall, and my gun went off. Hit him in the leg. Needless to say, I didn't stick around to bind the wound or anything. He said...all sorts of horrible things about me."

"Owen. Over to Gwen's house, right now, and deal with Rhys's leg. We don't want any questions. And take Ianto with you for lookout." Because we clearly can't have Tosh going with him. We don't need any flirting right now. Jack pointed at the door. Ianto looked at Jack with a raised eyebrow. Is he trying to maneuver things so he's alone with Gwen? No, that's stupid. He's in love with me. Even if he did...Kill Lisa. No, don't think about that. You're not supposed to think about that.

"Tosh, scan for rift activity around Rhys's trucking service, and see if you can find ay alien lifeforms." Jack told Tosh. Tosh nodded and immediately started typing away at the computer.

"Where did you find the pendant?" Jack asked Gwen, once everyone had started doing what they were supposed to be doing. Gwen knew she'd been right to come to him — he knew exactly what to do.

"Rhys did, actually. That...that was why he attacked me. Because of what I was thinking about."

"What...were you thinking about? That he got so angry about?" Well, that's an inappropriate question. But I'm stepping over all sorts of boundaries today, might as well breach another. Wonder if she was thinking about me...No, don't think about that, that's really stupid...

"You..." Gwen admitted. "You kissing me after we escaped from the alien. Among other things."

Shit. I've done it again. Fractured relationships because of stupid, horny me. I knew I should stay away from her. She needed a normal life away from us. None of us have one.

"Good thing that pendant can't hear my thoughts then." He laughed.

You don't know anything, how much I care about you. The only reason I went for Ianto was because I couldn't have you. You don't know how much it broke my heart when you showed me your ring and told me that you were marrying Rhys because no one else would have you. I would have you, Gwen Cooper. And of course I told Rhys that the hero gets the girl at the wedding. I know you love him, and I can't do anything about that. I'm not a hero. He deserves you a million more times than I do.

"Actually..." Gwen smirked. How should she break this delicately to Jack? "I am hearing your thoughts. All of them. Right now."

Shit. Don't think about that. Don't think about her. Definitely don't think about how she probably thinks your flirting means nothing when in fact it means everything. Or that you were actually serious when you made that proposition about Ianto. Especially don't think about how you would love to kiss her right now. Despite the ring on her finger.

"Jack..." Gwen laughed. "All of the thoughts you're trying to suppress right now are floating right to the surface. Just so you know. It's not going to work."

"No point in trying then!" He smiled. Gwen smiled back in relief. This was the Jack she knew, the self-confident one. Was he really this insecure deep down? How was that even possible?

Maybe we should ruin your life outside of Torchwood as much as possible... Gwen heard Jack thinking. He was staring at her lips. Gwen supposed that it was all out there now.

"Maybe we should also clarify some things." Gwen lifted the pendant off her neck and handed it to Jack.

He looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Gwen told him. She didn't have anything to hide, not from him.

Gwen tried to make her thoughts clear, telling him that she honestly had thought no one else would have her, telling him about the conversation she'd had at the wedding with the shapeshifter version of him, and how she knew she could never truly be happy with someone who didn't know what they did at Torchwood, hadn't experienced it themselves. And that had been the only reason she'd turned to Owen. But it wasn't like she could have a long-lasting relationship with him. It was just sexual, and she figured she should leave him alone to fall in love with someone else, whether Diane or Tosh or someone entirely different.

Jack burst out laughing.

"What?!" Gwen demanded. When he didn't reply, and continued to laugh even more, Gwen reached over and pulled the pendant off his neck.

"Oh, come on! I was hearing all sorts of interesting thoughts with that!" Jack told a glaring Gwen.

"Really, Jack?!" Gwen demanded. The only thing that could make this day worse would be Owen reading her thoughts too. She supposed he'd heard all her subconscious thoughts. Not just the ones she'd been trying to direct to him.

"Well, it's certainly all cleared up now," he told her, bursting into laughter. Nervous laughter. Was Captain Jack Harkness actually blushing? Surely her subconscious thoughts couldn't have been that bad in comparison to everything he'd experienced as an immortal. "Note to self — never wear a mind-reading pendant in front of Gwen Cooper."

"What did you hear?" Gwen demanded, although she was pretty sure she knew. She'd had plenty of dreams about Jack, after all...Maybe she did have some things to hide from him.

Jack was laughing so hard and couldn't compose himself, even as Owen, Ianto and Rhys descended from the ceiling. None of them looked very happy. And not just because of Rhys's injury.