Torchwood: Divergence
Book Two: Adferiad

Chapter 7

For a moment when Turlough arrived at the base in the morning, he thought it was a repeat of the day before. The entire place was dark and there wasn't a sign of movement anywhere. However, this time he could smell fresh coffee, and when he went to bring up his station after turning on the main lights, a message appeared on the screen.

~ 5:30 am – Rift is quiet, gone to have breakfast out. J & I ~

The redhead smiled, trouped up to the kitchenette to get a cup of white coffee, then returned to his normal position to access the project he'd been working on the previous evening. He didn't pay much attention to the time, so he was a little surprised when the cog-wheel door opened and the two Hub residents entered laughing.

"Sounds like you're having a good morning," Turlough commented with a slight smile. "If it's what you had for breakfast, I'd like to borrow the menu."

"Sorry," Jack chuckled, letting his partner take his coat. "Danish and coffee on the walls of the Castle. The high spirits are due to Miss Habiba and her phone etiquette."

"I gave her a list of all the people and groups I normally dealt with when I was working the TIC," Ianto explained with a smile, his eyes shining. "I flagged a few that could be problematic. One in particular is the gentleman from the Arts Council Committee. Mr. Grayce is, shall we say, lacking in certain social skills. Tends to be very overbearing, always trying to demand that the kiosk door has posters for their events on it. He'd learned to stop trying with me, but figured he could cow the 'new girl'."

"She basically handed him his balls on a plate," Harkness grinned. "But she was so cheerful and polite about it, he ended up apologising twice and actually thanked her for her time."

"I suppose after butting heads with old Bridget Spears and facing down the entire Gold Command, Wytherford Grayce was small change," Turlough chuckled appreciatively. "She's quite the wolf in sheep's clothing."

"You have no pictures, you can't prove a thing," Martha piped up as she entered the Hub. "What are we talking about?"

Her teammates explained, everyone enjoying the moment of levity.

"Where's Gwen?" Jack asked when they all went back to their normal duties.

"She's usually here before me," the redhead behind him remarked, never looking up from his work. "And I don't recall her saying she'd be late today."

"Shit…" Ianto whispered, pulling out his mobile and heading for the office, his partner close on his heels.

"What?" the Captain demanded, seeing the young Welshman hit a speed dial even as he started pacing just past the end of the desk.

"Rhys?" Ianto called evenly. "Is Gwen all right? We were worried."

The twenty-six-year-old listened to the other man's reply, closed his eyes with a slight wince.

"Tell her we're fine, yeah?" he breathed after a moment. "You go on to Harwood's with the baby. I'll swing by and pick Gwen up on my way back to the Hub."

There was another lull, the Scieron Changeling stopping to stand with his back to the dual-purpose bookcase, his eyes still closed, left hand nervously tugging at the edge of his trouser pocket.

"No, it's no trouble at all," he reassured, the smile in his voice not showing on his face as he told a flat-out lie. "I was just checking a squeal in the brakes that Jack was concerned about. Easy enough to come around through Penarth. I'll probably be there in about thirty minutes. Yeah… not a problem. We'll be sure to drop her by at a decent hour tonight… You too."

"I don't like that look," Harkness frowned when the younger man ended his call and pocketed his mobile. "What's the problem?"

"Gwen doesn't want to come to work," Ianto sighed, still leaning back against the bookcase with his eyes closed and now lightly banging his head against the books behind him. "Rhys read the copies to her, and she was up half the night crying, and spent the other half having nightmares. She decided this morning that she looked like a hag, and was total rubbish for ever prying about Thames House in the first place, so she wasn't coming to the Hub. Told Rhys you and I were likely cursing her name for poking around where she shouldn't, and she didn't think apologising was good enough."

"Not quite the reaction I was expecting," Jack admitted quietly, rather taken aback.

"I gave her nightmares," his partner whispered sadly, the lost child look in his eyes when he finally opened them, and a slight trembling setting into his hands. "Who's rubbish?"

The American stepped close to embrace the younger immortal, then squarely met his gaze.

"You gave her what she asked for," Harkness stated firmly. "How she handled it has nothing to do with you, yeah? You want me to go get her instead?"

"No…" Ianto shook his head, returned the older man's hug and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "But thank you for offering. My mess, I'll sort it. Don't panic if we aren't back immediately. I may take her by the bakery or that confectioners she likes… try a little chocolate therapy to make up for ruining her peace of mind."

"Only if you bring something back for me," Jack half-smiled, handing over the keys to the SUV. "Don't let it get to you. If you start feeling too overwhelmed, just park somewhere and call me, okay? We'll get Gwen picked up some other way. And don't get pulled over, your license is long expired, remember?"

Ianto nodded, managing a weak smile before stepping away to grab his coat and head out of the office. He was passing through the cog-wheel door when his partner moved back down onto the deck plating near the work stations.

"Everything all right?" Martha called from the mouth of the Autopsy Lab, having just gotten a cup of coffee.

"Gwen needs a ride," Harkness explained, not bothering to expand on the subject. "So… any progress on that mummified looking body we pulled out of the ditch by the power station?"

"Some," the young doctor nodded. "Come on down and I'll show you what I've got."

The Captain headed toward the medical area, silently worrying about his partner and the friend they seemed to have shaken so badly. The morning had started out so well. With luck, they could stave off the day's dive for the murk and get things climbing again.

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AN: I did say that Gwen got more than she bargained for…

Thank you to those reading the story. And thank you to those who have followed, favourited, and reviewed. NM