10 of 14, complete
Author: veritas6_5
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating: M for adult situations
Pairing: Gwen C., Jack H., Ianto J., Toshiko S., and Owen H.
Words: 1,062
Classification: After S1, slightly AU; S2, then completely off canon
Genre: hurt/comfort, angst
Disclaimer: All characters belong to BBC and RTD. I mean them no harm. No copyright infringement is intended. I just take them out to play with them. I'll put them right back. Beta: karaokegal, the finest everWait. Chapter 10—"Mind if I get comfortable?"
When she arrived home, Gwen spent some time in her flat, dusting and generally cleaning up. She hadn't been there much in the past few weeks, and although it was tidy, there was an air of neglect. She found the bits of housework calming after the scene in Jack's office, but she noticed that she still felt a bit shaky. She put water on to boil for tea, and stood in front of the open refrigerator, looking for something to eat.
Her doorbell rang, but she ignored it. It rang again, more insistently. "Oh, for god's sake," she exclaimed. She pressed the intercom button by the door, "who is it?"
"It's Jack, let me in, would you? It's freezing out here."
She sighed heavily, pressed the release button, and opened the door. Jack bounded up the stairs, his arms laden with takeaway bags. "I thought you might not want to cook tonight."
She took the bags from him. "I do not want to cook tonight, I can't cook tonight, there's nothing in my fridge that isn't covered with mould." She started taking cartons out of the bags. "Just how hungry are you, Jack? There's enough here to feed an army. Not even a small army."
"Are you complaining? I love it when you complain." He shucked his coat, dropping it on a chair, and flopped down on the couch. "Maybe I thought it might last us a few days."
"What are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "What? I brought you dinner. Mind if I get comfortable?"
Gwen brought dishes and the cartons into the living room and put it all on the coffee table. She handed Jack a pair of chopsticks, and sat primly next to him, but deliberately not too close. "I'm sure you'll please yourself," she said. "Now tell me, really, why are you here?"
He let his gaze roam around the room. "You've made some changes, I see."
"Ianto helped. He has quite a discerning eye." She opened a carton and took a small bite. "So you're still determined not to answer questions?"
He put his arms on the back of the couch. "I think one should never have to discuss the obvious.
She gave up the pretense of eating, and sat back on the couch. "Let's see. You're impetuous and heedless."
He made a rolling motion with his hand. "And from this you infer . . ."
"That you have no intention of giving me even one moment more time to think."
He pointed at her with one hand and tapped his nose with the other. "She gets it in one! Give the girl a prize."
"And you're the prize?"
He moved closer to her on the couch, and drew her close. His expression turned more serious, and he brushed her hair back from her face. "You said you had been mourning me for six months. I've been yearning for you over a year. You shouldn't have to wait any longer. I don't want to wait any longer." He kissed her cheek, and then moved to kiss her lips.
She didn't even close her eyes. He pulled back. "I'm sensing resistance," he said.
Gwen sat perfectly still. Then she pointed at him with one hand, and tapped her nose with the other. "He gets it in one."
Jack released her and moved to the other end of the couch. "Then what was that in the office all about?"
"Jack, I couldn't help that. But I didn't expect to have you follow me home."
"I just brought you dinner," he protested.
"And I'm the pudding?"
He stared at her. "Let's start again. It's just dinner."
She moved to another seat and picked up her chopsticks. "Okay, dine, then."
He sat back on the couch and sighed heavily. "Actually, I wanted to talk with you tonight. Not in the Hub," he pointed out. "It's about Ianto."
"Jack . . ." she warned.
"No," he said, holding up a hand to forestall her tirade. "I wanted to tell you more of what happened when I talked with him last night." He pressed his lips together, apparently unsure of how to begin. When he finally started to talk, he looked away from her.
"I asked if I could see him alone, and he agreed, but he wanted to meet in a restaurant, neutral ground. I wanted to gently let him know that I was . . . not here to resume our relationship. Gwen, I do love him, and I always will, but I want to have a different kind of life with you. It only seemed fair to tell him outright."
He drew a deep breath before he continued. "The little bugger beat me to it! He said it had been fun, but it was, after all, just a way of passing the time, and he had moved on. He said he'd thought it through, and he really wanted a wife, and a family."
"Oh, Jack," Gwen moaned, trying to keep from smiling.
"And then he kissed me, on the forehead, and went on to tell me about how his sister had been introducing girls to him and how much fun he had dating them."
She couldn't tell if he was amused or upset. "Did he tell you about the score card?"
"You knew about this?" Jack's face flushed.
"Well, yes." She put a sympathetic hand on his. "His sister was just trying to help him fill in the blanks. He made his own decision. I know he will always treasure you, and the time you were together." She was shocked to discover that he actually was upset. "Jack, we didn't know if you were ever coming back. Can't you find it in your heart to be happy for him?"
He made a little grimace. "Yeah, I know that's the right thing to do."