Gwen let herself into her flat, limping due to the wound in her side. She could hear Rhys in the living room watching something on the television. He smiled up at her as she walked into the room. When his eyes fell on her blood stained jacket, he jumped up and ran to her side.

"Gwen, are you ok? What's happened?" He demanded.

"It's ok, it's not as bad as it looks." Gwen told him.

"What the hell happened?" He asked.

"It was...just an accident at work that's all." She shrugged.

"Oh here we go. It's always something to do with work isn't it. You never give me a proper answer, it's always just work." He argued. "I just want to know what happened to you Gwen. You're my girlfriend and I'm worried about you." She looked up into his eyes and felt her own start to fill with tears. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, ignoring the pain in her side. His arms went around her waist as she buried her head in his shoulder. "Hey, what's up?"

"Rhys, I love you so much." She whispered.

"I know sweetheart. I love you too." He told her.

"I can't lie to you any more." She sobbed.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

She pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"I know this is going to be hard to believe but you have to trust me. Every word I say now is the truth." She said.

"What is it?" He frowned.

Taking his hand, she led him over to the sofa and sat him down. She clicked the television off before sitting next to him.

She explained everything about Torchwood and the rift. When she got to Owen, she found it hard to look Rhys in the eye.

"I'm so sorry Rhys." She said after she'd finished explaining. He was staring at the floor, speechless. "Say something."

"Why did you lie to me?" He asked.

"My job is dangerous. I don't want to see you get hurt because of it. I was trying to keep you safe." She told him. "That's why you can't tell anyone what I've told you."

"Even if I did, no one would believe me." Rhys muttered. "So this Owen, do you have feelings for him or are you just sleeping with him?"

"I told you, it was just the once. But...yes, I do have feelings for him." Gwen answered.

"So who is it then? Him or me?" He spat.

"Rhys it's not as easy as that." She said.

"Well let me make the decision easier." Rhys said, standing up.

"What are you doing?" Gwen asked.

"Leaving. I'll be back for my things tomorrow." He said and left the flat.

She pulled her knees up onto the sofa and hugged them to her chest. For the next few minutes, the silence of the flat was broken by her sobs.

She eventually dragged herself to bed and lay with her back to Rhys' side. She ignored the pain in her side, it was nothing compared to the pain in her chest.

As she slowly drifted to sleep, the events of the day played through her mind. The last image was of Evan, the head of the village, leering at her. His hands reached towards her neck.

"There's no one to save you now." He whispered.

She screamed and her eyes snapped open as she sat up. She looked around the pitch black bedroom, breathing heavily and shivering with fright. She fumbled for her phone and dialled Owen's number. She had to keep starting again as she shook too much and kept making mistakes.

"Hey." His voice answered groggily.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She told him.

"No it's fine. What's wrong?" He asked. Gwen looked around once more. Every shadow seemed to move, every creek she heard she thought someone was in the flat with her. Frightened, she started to sob once again. "Gwen, what is it?"

"Can you come over? I don't want to be alone tonight, I'm so scared." She cried.

"Alone?" Owen asked.

"Rhys left. We've broken up. Owen, please, I'm frightened." She sobbed.

"It's alright Gwen. I'm on my way." He told her.

"Thank you." She whispered. "I'll open the doors, just come straight up when you get here."

She hung up and hesitantly got out of bed. Unlocking her front door, she went into the living room to unlock the main door downstairs. She hurried back to her bed and sat with her back pressed against the headboard and the sheets wrapped tight around her. Why hadn't she turned the lights on? The darkness seemed to swallow her. She was too scared to leave her bed again. She knew it was silly but she felt as if someone was going to grab her in the dark.

It seemed to take a lifetime for Owen to arrive. When he did, he found her trembling as she clutched at the sheets. He sat next to her and pulled her into a hug against his chest. She grabbed onto him for dear life, never wanting to let go.

"It's ok. It's ok." He whispered comfortingly as he rocked her. Running his hand up and down her back, he kissed the top of her head. "Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head and closed her eyes. He waited until she'd stopped shaking before he loosened his grip. As he got up, she grabbed him again and started to protest. "It's alright. I'm not leaving. I'll sleep on the sofa. If you need me, just shout or come out to me ok?"

"No, don't go. Stay here. Please." She begged.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded.

He stripped down to his underwear and climbed in next to her. She snuggled into him, regaining her grip on him. He wrapped an arm around her and ran his hand through her hair. Her breathing slowed as she drifted off and Owen watched her as she slept. She looked as if she'd always belonged there in his arms.

Eventually, he fell asleep too.

The next morning, he woke up feeling content and he smiled. When he looked down, he found the bed empty. Lifting himself up onto his elbows, he looked around the room. Gwen came in carrying two steaming cups in her hand.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I'm ok. A man told me he slaughtered innocent people and ate the remains because it made him happy. I was shot in the side by a teenager scared for his life but other than that...I'm ok." She sighed. "Thanks for coming last night. You didn't have to if you didn't want to."

She passed a cup to him and sat down beside him.

"Who said I didn't want to? I told you, night or day, if you need me, I'll be here." He said. She leant in and caught his lips in a gentle kiss. "What was that for?"

"Just my way of thanking you." She shrugged.

"I'll have to do things for you more often then." He said.

They sat staring into each other's eyes before Gwen quickly looked away.

"We should be getting to work." She mumbled and left the room.

They got ready in silence, stealing quick glances at each other. Owen's hand brushed Gwen's as they both reached for the door handle causing both to blush a deep shade of red.

"Erm...do you mind giving me a lift? I was too tired to drive last night so I called a taxi." Owen said.

"Yeah, of course." Gwen nodded.

As she went to grab her car keys, the picture of her and Rhys caught her eye. She stopped to look at it and sighed.

"Are you ok?" Owen asked.

"Yeah, it's just...it's hard to believe it's over after all this time. He said he'll come back today to pick up his things. I don't know whether I want to be here when he does or whether it's going to hurt too much." She told him. Owen placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she placed hers on top, squeezing it gently. After a few minutes of silence, Gwen turned and headed out the door. "Come on."

When they reached the Hub, they were greeted with the stares from their team mates. Gwen glanced at Tosh who surprisingly, seemed to be ok. Toshiko gave her a small smile before turning back to her work. The Captain however, didn't look happy.

"You two, a word." He ordered. The two looked at each other before following Jack into his office. He closed the door silently behind them and turned to face them, his arms folded. "Listen, I can't stop whatever is going on between you but I will put a stop to it happening here. This job needs full focus and I can't have this affecting your work or the work of your team mates. I will not have my team divided, it weakens us and could put everyone in danger."

Owen turned to Gwen.

"Could you leave us alone for a few minutes?" He asked. She frowned as she left the office. Owen watched her through the window. "Jack, I'm not going to lie to you. I like Gwen. I really like Gwen. I've never felt this way about someone I've only known a couple of months. But she's just split up with Rhys. I'm not going to do anything until she's ready." He turned back to look at his Captain. "Nothing happened last night. She called me because something scared her and she didn't want to be alone. She was so frightened, it even scared me. What was I supposed to do? Tell her 'you're a big girl now Gwen, deal with it yourself'? Do you ever get scared Jack?"

"Of course I get scared. I get scared every time I have to send one of you into a situation you might not come out of. I get scared that maybe one day, something will come through that rift that we can't stop and this whole world will suffer because of us." Jack told him. Owen saw the look in his eyes and bowed his head. The older man's expression softened and he smiled at Owen. "You did the right thing. You helped a team mate when they needed it. But it's not just you and Gwen I'm worried about this having an effect on."

Owen stared at him in confusion before he realised who Jack meant.

"Toshiko." Owen said. "I don't understand what this has to do with her."

"She's had feelings for you for a long time. Just think about how this might be making her feel too." Jack told him.

"Am I supposed to ignore these feelings I have for Gwen just because she's got some crush on me?" Owen demanded.

"No, just...be a little more sensitive about it." Jack sighed. The younger man nodded. "Have you told Gwen how you feel?"

Owen shook his head.

"I don't know how. I've never felt like this before." He admitted. "And like I said, she's just come out of a long term relationship. She's upset enough about so much already, I don't want to add another reason."

"I think you should tell her." Jack told him. "You could make her happy."

"Or I could just confuse her even more. Or scare her off. Or -"

"You won't." Jack interrupted.

"How do you know?" He asked.

"I just do." Jack shrugged.

"So...how do I tell her? What do I say?" Owen asked.

"I can't tell you what to say. Only you know what's in your heart, just tell her that. You could start by maybe, inviting her over for a pizza and a movie or take her out to dinner, something romantic. She'd like that. Then when you feel the moment's right, you tell her." Jack suggested.

He watched as Owen thought about it, nodding his head slowly.

"Yeah...yeah, I can do that." Owen nodded.

He left the office and joined the girls at their stations.

"What did you say to him?" Gwen asked curiously.

"I just explained what happened last night. Gwen, there's something I want to talk to you about but I don't want to do it here. Do you think – I mean you don't have to if you don't want to – I'm not forcing you, I just -"

"Owen what is it?" She laughed.

"Do you – do you want to maybe, come out for dinner or something with me tonight?" He asked nervously.

"Sure, I'd love to." She smiled shyly.

"Great. I'll pick you up at six, if that's ok." He said.

"That's fine." She nodded.

"Cool. Listen, I really need to talk to Tosh about something so..."

"I'm going." Gwen sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'll be up in the meeting room. Or is there someone up there you need to speak to as well? I think the only person left is Ianto who I think went down to the archives."

She smiled at him before she turned to leave. He only realised he was wearing a goofy grin once she'd disappeared up the stairs and he groaned in embarrassment.

"Real smooth Owen." He mumbled to himself.

Tosh cleared her throat behind him and he whipped around as he remembered she was standing there. She laughed at his expression and shook her head.

"You wanted to speak to me." She reminded him.

"Oh...yeah..." Owen nodded. "Jack told me."

Tosh's eyes widened.