I slaved over this chapter. Ate an excessive amount of Lovehearts for research. Never doing that again! Right, not gonna update again until chapter 13 is finished... shouldn't take too long, but not in the mood tonight and busy all day tomorrow... maybe Thursday.
With a yawn and an over-exaggerated sigh, Owen shattered the heavy silence which had hung over the Hub all morning. He stretched out, the leather on his chair creaking and squeaking as he leaned back in it and swung his feet up onto his desk.
"Is anyone else hot, or is it just me?"
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Are you ever going to get tired of that joke?"
"Who said I was joking?" Owen demanded, shooting her a cheeky grin, which showed she'd played directly into his hands. "That's your mind doing the work for you, Gwen, not me."
"That would only be because work is something you have no concept of," Gwen shot back. "Go and find something to do, stop bothering us."
"I've got nothing to do!" Owen whined, tipping his head back so he was looking up at the ceiling. "I'm so bored! On a scale of one to ten, with one being not at all bored and ten being so bored I might die, I'm at an eleven!"
"Lucky you. Some of us have work to do."
"Some of us did it yesterday while some of us were off swanning around with Jack," Owen retorted.
"Oh not this again!" Toshiko groaned. "Just let it go, Owen!"
"What? I'm just taking a friendly normal interest in Jack's affairs." Owen shrugged and turned back to Gwen. "So, seeing as we're talking about Jack and all-"
"I wasn't!" Gwen pointed out.
"No, but I was. What's the deal with this Tala kid?"
Gwen pasted a blank look onto her face. "Don't know."
"Oh come on! You went to get the kid with him, you must know something!"
"I don't!" Gwen shook her head. "Owen, I've got work to do, just leave me alone! I'm not talking about this with you."
She turned back to her pile of paperwork which she could have sworn had multiplied over night. Maybe that was an alien thing they should investigate: the miraculous reproduction rates of Torchwood paperwork. Gwen would suggest it, except she knew what the outcome would be before she even began: yet more paperwork. The heat was even worse today, making it even harder to concentrate, and being tired enough to consider crawling under her desk and sleeping wasn't helping. She found her thoughts more and more often going up above, day-dreaming about a day in the sun, a pub-lunch, long lazy pints in a beer garden.
Her computer screen flicked back into life from the screen saver it had been running on for the last fifteen minutes, a slideshow of pictures of the Torchwood team. Now, a small box had popped up on screen.
Owen +Doctor Love+ says: Hi.
Gwen sighed with exasperation. "Owen!" Whenever he got behind that stupid instant messaging service, he always acted like he'd never seen a computer before, sending messages all over the place. "Owen, I really don't have time for this today!" There was no reply from him.
At least, no verbal reply.
Owen +Doctor Love+: You said you weren't gonna talk about it with me. So… type!
Reluctantly, Gwen typed a message back.
Gwen +loves Rhys+: That name is tragic.
Owen +Doctor Love+: And yours is so great?! The lady doth protest too much methinks…
Owen +Minesweeper Champion!+: Better?
Gwen +loves Rhys+: Hardly. Go away, I'm busy.
She turned back to her paperwork, realizing she'd just made a huge error in her expenses for that month, and scrawling a line through it. Then her computer pinged again.
Owen +Minesweeper Champion!+: Whatcha doing?
Gwen +loves Rhys+: Expenses.
Owen +Minesweeper Champion!+: Niiiiice.
Owen +Minesweeper Champion!+: What you putting in for?
Gwen +loves Rhys+: Petrol. Having to dry clean my jacket cause of that bloody pterodactyl. The usual.
Owen +Minesweeper Champion!+: How dull.
Gwen hated herself for replying again, it was just what he wanted. Not for the first time, she thought how like her sister's other child, a two-year-old boy with a distinct attention-seeking streak, he was.
Gwen: What did you put in for?
Owen +Minesweeper Champion!+: This and that.
Gwen firmly shoved the keyboard away from her, refusing to play this game any longer. She'd barely even picked her pen up before another message appeared on screen.
Owen +Minesweeper Champion!+: Well, if you're that interested…
Gwen: I'm not.
Owen +Minesweeper Champion!+: But you're still reading.
Gwen glanced away from the screen to see Owen, grinning all over his stupid face, from where he was sitting – no, lounging – in his chair. She immediately turned away from the computer and tried to continue. For a few minutes, the harassment stopped and Gwen was able to finish filling in her expenses form, signing it at the bottom and putting it aside, ready to hand over to Ianto later. Now, the next job was to fill in yet another health and safety form, declaring that, yes, she'd been given the latest training by her health and safety rep. Gwen had no idea who that even was (though she suspected Toshiko was probably in the running) and hadn't received a bit of health and safety advice after Jack had advised her in her first week that, if she could, avoiding sleeping with Owen would be a step in the right direction. This was all Torchwood One's doing, she noticed, from the address in the top right-hand corner, and the instructions to "Call Phil if you have any problems" and a London extension number. For half a moment, she wondered what this Phil was like. It would be nice to talk to someone connected with Torchwood for once who wasn't off their rocker. She wondered if Phil was the guy to talk to about harassment in the workplace, and whether she could report Owen. She imagined Torchwood One would take it pretty seriously.
Owen +Minesweeper Champion!+: Anyway, as I was saying before you so rudely told me to shut up
Gwen: I didn't, actually.
Owen +Minesweeper Champion!+: As good as. Anyway, what me and Tosh were wondering was… hold on
Toshiko +REAL Minesweeper Champion+ has just joined the conversation.
Gwen: Hi Tosh.
Toshiko +REAL Minesweeper Champion+ says: Hey. How's the paperwork going?
Gwen: Slow. Nice name. Take note, Harper.
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: OK, enough with the pleasantries, Cooper. What's going on?
Gwen: Nothing, like I told you.
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: And we don't believe that, do we, Tosh?
Toshiko +Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ+: Much as I hate to agree with Owen, no. Where were you all day yesterday?
Gwen considered how much she could say. She'd told Jack she wouldn't tell them anything, but there were some things she felt sure could be disclosed without really breaking that promise.
Gwen: London.
Toshiko +Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ+: You drove to London and back?!
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: Alright, Tosh, it's not the moon or anything. Is that where Tala comes from then?
Gwen: Wow, no wonder you became a doctor, Owen, your intelligence knows no limits.
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: I'm choosing to ignore that sarcastic remark.
Toshiko +Bill Gates is the anti-christ+: So where did she come from? Why is she here?
Gwen chewed on her lip, and then noticed Owen watching her keenly from his desk. She hastily typed out a reply.
Gwen: She's just the daughter of a friend. He's looking after her for a while.
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: Jacky-No-Mates has a friend?!
Toshiko +Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ+: That is a horrid nickname, Owen.
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: I bet he calls me worse. Is she his?
Gwen: No.
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: Ah! So you asked him?
Gwen realised her mistake and tapped out a reply.
Gwen: No.
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: He volunteered information?
Toshiko +Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ+: Got to admit, Gwen, that doesn't sound like Jack.
Gwen: OK, maybe I asked. I was curious.
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: So what else did you find out?
Gwen: Nothing! And even if I did, what makes you think I'd tell you?!
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: She knows something.
Gwen: No I don't!
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: What do you reckon, Tosh?
Toshiko +Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ+: Leave her alone, Owen, she doesn't know anything. Sorry Gwen, didn't mean to disturb you.
Gwen: Not a problem.
Toshiko +Bill Gates is the Anti-Christ+ has left the conversation.
Owen +the doctor will see you now+: You're hiding something. And I'm going to find out what.
Gwen: Right, cause I'm that easy to get round, aren't I?!
Owen +trust me, I'm a doctor+: Well, you changed your name soon enough after I pointed it out. Anything you'd like to share?
Gwen has left the conversation.
Jack couldn't remember ever being so absorbed in another human being. Well, he could remember not being able to think about anyone else, but that was in very particular circumstances and only with certain people. This was different. He'd spent the best part of the day in Tala's company and he wasn't even partly bored with her yet. He'd barely spoken a word, apart from a question or two; Tala had carried the entire conversation, leaping from subject to subject, telling little anecdotes with a serious face which Jack found highly entertaining. As the day wore on, and the bag of sweets was slowly but efficiently reduced to just one packet of Lovehearts, she even began telling him stories about the adventures she'd been on with the Doctor. At first, she'd been hesitant, unsure over whether Jack should be allowed in on the secrets. By four o'clock though, it was like she'd known Jack her whole life, cheerfully chattering away about the TARDIS and other planets and the past and the future. She was so chatty in fact, that when Gwen put her head round the door at four-thirty, Jack had to quickly interrupt a particularly exciting sounding story about how the Doctor had decided the best way for Tala to learn about the Norman conquest was to visit it, and how that had led to a particularly confusing situation over exactly where the arrow destined for Harold's eye had in fact landed. Much as Jack wanted to hear the end of it, he was also highly aware that Gwen knew nothing of this time-travelling business, and he meant to keep it that way. She already knew too much, and though he trusted her, perhaps more than any of his other colleagues, for her own sake, he thought it best that what she didn't know remained that way.
"Gwen! Finished your paperwork?"
Tala frowned at him. "I was talking. Mummy always says you shouldn't interrupt."
"Your mummy's right." Gwen gave Jack a teasing smile, delighted to see her boss being told off by a seven-year-old. "What does Mummy say when you interrupt, Tala?"
"Oh, I don't." Tala shook her head, her two plaits swinging from side to side. "Daddy does though."
Jack smiled. "Sounds like your daddy, alright." He raised his eyebrows at Gwen. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah, I was just bringing my folder upstairs before I finished for the day." Gwen put the folder down on the desk. "The sweets went down well then?"
Tala nodded eagerly. "Thank you!"
"You won't have any room left for dinner," Gwen warned her.
Tala turned to Jack. "What is for dinner?"
Jack felt the smile die down off his lips. "Um, I hadn't actually thought that far ahead. Anyway, you've eaten two-thirds of a sweetshop today, you can't possibly still be hungry."
"My sweet tummy's full. But my dinner tummy's not," Tala informed him gravely.
Jack met Gwen's eyes as she tried not to laugh. It was all very well her being amused, she didn't have to magic some sort of nutritious meal out of nowhere. For the third time since he met Tala, he realised what a job parenting was.
"I'm going to the toilet," Tala decided now, slipping down off the desk. She looked at Jack. "I don't need you to come with me this time."
"Great." Jack grinned. "Mind the steps." He watched her walk down the steps and across the Hub floor to the door leading to the toilets, then he shut the office door and turned to Gwen. "Help."
Gwen folded her arms, smiling sadistically. "Oh, you're asking for my help now, are you?"
"Please! What the hell am I meant to cook for a seven-year-old?"
"I thought this childcare thing was a piece of cake," Gwen continued her mockery. "What was it you said? 'How hard can it be?'"
"Pizza?"
"After all those sweets and biscuits?" Gwen looked doubtful. "Does Rose want you to look after her daughter or kill her?" Jack shot her a look. "Okay, sorry, stupid choice of words. But, Jack, you should have thought about this before you agreed to bring Tala back with you!"
"I didn't have a choice."
"But you're hardly father of the year, are you?" Gwen pointed out.
Jack sat back down in his chair with a huge sigh. "I know, I know. What am I going to do?" He rested his head in his hands with an air of despair about him. Gwen had never seen him this way before, even on some of the trickier cases they'd tackled at Torchwood. He'd never given up like this before. It was almost amusing, how a man was able to deal with alien threats and killings and almost certain death with a calm expression and almost ruthless determination, but give him a seven-year-old to take care of and he fell apart. Captain Jack Harkness, who often seemed almost alien himself compared to the other members of Torchwood, was just as human as the rest of them really. It was that that made Gwen take pity on him.
"Oh, alright, you win, I'll take her for tonight."
Jack looked up from his hands. "What?"
"I said, I'll take Tala for tonight. I'll give her some dinner, she can stay over at my flat. Just for tonight though." She gave him a warning look. "Just until you pull yourself together."
Jack looked shame-faced. "Thanks, Gwen, you're…"
"Wonderful? Brilliant? An angel? A mug?" Gwen fired out a few suggestions.
"Amazing."
The word hung in the air awkwardly between them for a few seconds before Jack cleared his throat and stood up. "Right, I better get a few of Tala's things together for her."
Tala walked in the door and, having heard Jack's last words, looked from him to Gwen in alarm. "Am I going somewhere?"
Gwen didn't blame the poor kid for looking like that. The last few days must have been a real shock for her, losing her parents so suddenly and then being dragged halfway across the country by some guy she'd never met. Even stepping foot into Torchwood must have been strange; she'd thought Tala was coping a little too well.
"I thought you might like to come home with me tonight, help me get some dinner and maybe stay over," Gwen suggested. "Just for the night."
"What do you think?" Jack asked. "Sound good?"
Tala looked between them again, warily, like a creature caught in a trap. "Have I done something wrong?"
"What?" Jack looked horrified. "No! Honey, you don't have to go if you don't want, I just thought you might like some proper dinner. Not biscuits."
Tala considered the offer. "Will I be coming back?"
"As and when you want." Jack nodded.
Tala looked over at Gwen and then, slowly, nodded.
"Fantastic!" Gwen grinned. "Now, there's just two questions you need to answer, before we can go. Alright?" Tala nodded again. "Okay, first question. What's your favourite film?"
Tala answered without hesitation. "The Aristocats."
"Good choice." Gwen nodded. "Second question… this is the tough one, you ready for this?" Tala nodded, a small smile spreading across her face. "Do you like Honey Nut Loops?"
Tala looked at her, eyes narrowed, trying to work out what the correct answer was. "Yes…" she said finally.
Gwen paused a moment, before grinning again. "Correct answer. I think we're going to get on fine. Plus, you can try and help me convince my boyfriend Rhys that The Aristocats is one of the classics of all time." She gestured to Jack. "I'm just going to finish up downstairs, okay?"
Jack nodded. After she'd left the room he found himself still staring at the now empty doorway, until he felt a tugging on his hand.
"Uncle Jack, what will I need for a night at Gwen's?"
Jack tried to stop himself wondering the same question as he helped Tala collect some things together.
"You really didn't need to drive us home."
Jack shifted gear to turn a corner and accelerated away, ignoring the blaring horn of the car he'd just cut up. "No trouble."
"No, I meant, you really didn't have to." Gwen winced as they pulled up sharp at a zebra crossing to let a couple of city-working girls, clearly escaping from the office early, walk across. One caught Jack's eye and gave him a slow deliberate smile as she raised a hand to thank him. Jack returned her smile.
"Someone's got their mojo back," Gwen muttered, not meaning for anyone to hear her. She really needed to work on that volume level.
"Yeah baby!" Jack flashed her a cheesy grin.
"What's a mojo?" Tala piped up from the back, around a mouthful of sweets.
Gwen swallowed hard, trying to hide the blush that had crept up on her cheeks. Jack threw a glare in her general direction.
"Nothing, just a joke. Hey, give us some of those sweets! You're getting a nice cooked dinner, what am I going to have?"
Tala handed the packet of Lovehearts to Gwen, who took one whilst saying in an undertone, "I never promised a cooked dinner." She handed him the packet whilst she turned the sweet over in her hand. "'Cheer Up'. Delightful."
Jack glanced down at the one he'd pushed out of the packet. "'Looking Good'. Well, I do try." He sucked on the sweet experimentally as he pulled up, reluctantly, as an amber light changed to red. "This is… interesting." He pulled a face as the acidic taste hit the back of his throat. "Really… interesting. Are these supposed to be eaten?"
Gwen laughed. "They are a bit of an acquired taste. I had a bit of a thing for them a few years ago." She reached out to take the packet out of his lap. "Take it you won't be wanting anymore then?"
"I didn't say that!" Jack made a grab for the packet. His hand closed around Gwen's, and for a second they both froze. Then Gwen dropped the packet and withdrew her hand. The car behind honked. "Oh, fu…" Jack caught his tongue before he could say anymore as he remembered Tala in the back, and instead slammed the car forwards.
They continued in silence, the only sound was Tala crunching her way through the Loveheart in her mouth. Finally, after what seemed like forever, they stopped outside Gwen's apartment block.
"Thanks." Gwen undid her seatbelt. "Like I said, there was no need. We could have walked."
Jack ignored her and turned to look at Tala instead. "Right. Now, remember what I said. Anytime you want to come back, even if it's the middle of the night, whatever. Just call."
Tala nodded, but could hardly contain her excitement at being outside again. She undid her seat belt and then sat impatiently as Gwen got out the car and opened the door for her. The sun was still warm, casting long shadows across the car park, and Tala looked up at the blue sky as if she'd forgotten what daylight was like.
Gwen leaned back in the car window. "She'll be fine. It'll be good for her, a change of scene. It's probably all a bit much for her down in the Hub. This is more normal."
Jack nodded, but his eyes never left Tala's back as she looked around her. "If there are any problems, if Rhys doesn't want her staying or anything, if anything happens-"
"Jack," Gwen cut him off. "It'll be fine. Rhys won't care. And nothing will happen." Then she relented. "But if anything does, I'll be straight on the phone to you. So. Don't. Turn. Your. Phone. Off." She did her best impression of Jack's usual parting orders when they left work after a long day.
Jack grinned. "Nice. Not quite as good as your Owen, but getting there. Tala!" Tala turned to look at him. "Be good. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you, Jack." Gwen turned to leave.
"Gwen!" She turned back. Jack leaned over the seat and handed her a sweet. "Only two left. I'm watching my weight." He started the engine again. "Stay out of trouble." He roared away.
Gwen looked down at the sweet in her hand. 'Sweet Dreams'.
"Babe! You're home early!" Rhys called from the living room as Gwen opened the door. She could hear the sounds of a tea-time cooking show against the clock on the TV. "I'm just watching this, some good stuff we could have for dinner."
"Really?" Gwen put her head into the living room. "That's great."
Rhys grinned at her and then noticed Tala behind her. He frowned, but didn't say anything.
"Oh, Rhys, this is Tala. Tala, this is my boyfriend Rhys." She steered the little girl into the room, putting her hands on her shoulders. "She's going to stay with us. Just for tonight." Over Tala's head she mouthed "sorry" to Rhys.
Rhys almost imperceptibly shrugged her apology off. "Hi Tala."
Tala didn't reply, looking up at him shyly.
"Tala, why don't you go and put your stuff in my room?" Gwen suggested over-cheerfully. "It's just down the hall."
Tala shuffled out of the room, taking her small red rucksack with her, trailing Cat along the floor. Gwen waited until she was just out of earshot before turning back to Rhys.
"I'm so sorry, babe, I should have called ahead and let you know," she continued her apologies.
"Who is she?" Rhys asked. "And whose is she?"
Gwen wondered how she would ever be able to explain this one. After a moment's thought, she decided to go with the tried and tested method of lying.
"She's my boss's daughter. He's… he's sort of going through a messy break-up, stressed out and everything. I said we'd look after her, just for tonight, while he sorts himself out." God, this would make a good anecdote to share with Jack. "Honestly, babe, I just sort of offered, I didn't think… He said if there were any problems to call him and he'd come and get her straight away-"
"Gwen." Rhys silenced her. "There's no problem. It's just… well, I've heard of taking your work home, but this is a bit ridiculous. I hope he'll repay you for the favour."
Gwen snorted. "I doubt it! He's not that kind of boss."
Rhys smiled. "Only problem is… where's she going to sleep?"
Bugger.
Next time: All that glitters
"That's a bit sinister," Rose remarked.
"Why do you say that?" The Doctor put the sonic screwdriver away and looked over at her.
Rose shrugged. "I don't know. I've always thought automated things are a bit sinister. Out of our control." She looked at the grill. "Can't you override it?"
"I hardly want to draw attention to the fact that my screwdriver can do a whole lot more than put flat-packs together," the Doctor pointed out.