16. Guinness
Owen watched Tosh walk away, shoulders straight even as the rain soaked her through. He thought he'd come out and check on her, make sure she was okay, but Tosh was strong. She was amazing, in fact. He didn't always see it, or acknowledge it, but when he did, it almost blew his mind.
He stood at the railing, gazing at the water, thinking about Tosh and Tommy, and strangely enough, Jack and Ianto. Something was definitely going on there, too. He didn't know what, and wasn't sure if it was anything other than a randy shag here and there, but there had been looks, and touches, and he'd seen them in Jack's office, talking quietly. Ianto had seemed quiet, subdued, and almost sad, until he'd practically lunged forward to kiss Jack. And Jack had returned the kiss, taking Ianto's face in his hands and snogging the life out of him. Owen had not watched long, particularly as the two men had quickly disappeared to Jack's room, but there had been real feeling in what he'd seen. Not just lust and desire, but passion and deep affection. He wondered what they had been talking about that had led to such an encounter…and then wondered why he was even thinking about it.
It occurred to him that he may have been slightly jealous. Not that Jack was snogging the teaboy, or that Ianto was shagging the boss again, but that the two men obviously had some sort of intimate connection, someone to turn to on lonely nights. Tosh had gone home with Tommy, and Gwen was engaged to Rhys…but Owen had no one. He was alone, his life consumed by Torchwood. He'd never have whatever Jack and Ianto had, and that was too weird anyway. He'd definitely never have what Gwen had with her long-suffering fiancé. He didn't even have a frozen girlfriend to look forward to defrosting once a year. He was alone.
He was standing in the rain, feeling sorry for himself, when he felt an arm on his shoulder. It was wrapped in a grey World War II greatcoat, and he sighed, knowing one of Jack's pep talks was about begin. He wasn't sure whether to stop it before Jack started, or let it happen and wallow in it.
Jack leaned against the railing next to him, silent for a long moment.
"She'll be all right," he said, nodding to himself.
"Of course she will," Owen replied. "She's been through worse."
"She really liked him, though, and what she had to do…" Jack trailed off, sounding as if he had rare regrets.
"What she had to do sucked," Owen finished for him matter-of-factly. "But that's the nature of the job. It sucks." He was not surprised to hear the bitterness in his voice, though he hadn't expected to express it to anyone, particularly Jack.
"It's what we do," said Jack. "Save the world and all that."
"You mean, sacrifice a good man so he could stop time from splintering and save the world," Owen pointed out. "We did nothing. Tosh was right, it was all Tommy."
Jack nodded. "But Tosh had to push him, persuade him."
"She sacrificed him," Owen said. "And now she has to live with it."
"She's strong," said Jack. "She'll survive."
"I know," said Owen. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."
"Didn't know you cared," Jack murmured. Owen huffed and stood up straight.
"I'm not a total bastard," he said. "It's obvious she liked him, and no one should have to do what she did. But she did it anyway, because when it comes down to it, Tosh is pretty damn amazing."
"That she is," Jack agreed.
"I don't think I could have done it," Owen admitted. "Sent someone I cared about back in time to die. It's not fair."
"Sometimes this job isn't fair," Jack replied. "Like you said, sometimes it sucks." He gazed out at the water, much as Owen had been doing earlier. "She wanted to be alone for a while, but she'll probably need us later. Need a friend." He turned to look at Owen with a raised eyebrow.
Owen held back a snort. "If you're suggesting—" he started, and Jack shook his head, standing as he tucked his hands into his pockets.
"Of course not," he said. "Just pointing it out. I assume, as our doctor, that you'll want to keep an eye on her anyway."
"Christ, Jack, could you be more obvious?" Owen muttered.
"If you wanted me to," Jack replied cheerfully. "But that might get uncomfortable. So I'll remind you of something you just said: she's strong, and she's amazing. And she's right in front of you."
Owen felt his mouth moving, but didn't know what to say. There was nothing to say. It sounded as if Jack was playing matchmaker, and while one part of Owen rebelled against the idea, another found it both intriguing and appealing. He'd always known that Tosh was special, and he'd known for a while that she was interested in him, but he'd never put the two together and considered her as anything more than a coworker and friend. Now it seemed as if Jack was not only suggesting it, but encouraging it.
Before Owen could offer a sarcastic comment, Jack clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go get a pint of Guinness or something."
Owen narrowed his eyes. "It's eleven o'clock in the morning," he pointed out. "And you don't usually drink."
"It was a rough morning," Jack replied. "And I could use it. We can stop and pick up lunch while we're out."
"You check with teaboy about that?" asked Owen as they started to walk away. Jack's face softened into a small smile. The look in his eyes confirmed what Owen had been thinking about earlier, that there was definitely something going on between him and Ianto, something different this time. Jack seemed to come back from whatever thoughts he'd got lost in, and shook his head.
"Ianto's out with Gwen on a retrieval, so we can surprise him," Jack said. "I think this case got to him, too."
Owen wondered about that comment, but decided not to press the issue. It wasn't any of his business anyway. He nodded, and he and Jack headed to the closest pub, where they had a quick pint and ordered fish and chips for the rest of the team. They did not talk about Tosh, or Tommy, or Ianto, but of other things, normal things, and Owen left feeling slightly better—about his life, his job, and what they had to sacrifice some days.
Author's Note:
Pushing canon with Jack's implication here, but I went for it. Why not? It's possible, however improbable. And I am trying to touch on some other than the obvious with each episode. A few will probably be exactly what you expect, of course, but hopefully the next one is a surprise as well. Thank you for reading!