Chapter Nineteen
By the time everyone came back down, Trace had finished her assignments and was idly doodling in one of her notebooks.
She watched from her seat on the couch as Owen ran down to the autopsy bay before heading back up carrying a kit of some sort while her father stormed off to his office, slamming the door behind him.
Ianto and Toshiko headed into the kitchen and she debated joining them. But then she saw the remaining two coming towards her, so she decided to stay and maybe learn what's going on.
However, she decided to move over to Owen's desk when she heard the "happy" couple arguing. As Gwen and Rhys sat down on the recently vacated couch, the teen opened up one of the medic's many computer games (the only reason she would even consider using his stuff) to make her look busy.
After a while, though, Trace became fully immersed in the game she had chosen, blocking out the argument that was currently about whether or not Rhys should be allowed to help.
Soon her attention was drawn away when she caught sight of Toshiko heading up to Owen with a plate of sandwiches in her hands. The girl silently applauded the brilliant woman for finally taking the initiative before turning her attention back to the game.
Every minute or so, she would glance upstairs hoping to see a happy Tosh come out, possibly with Owen. After about ten minutes, Trace finally saw someone leave, but the medic was by himself, carrying both the kit from before and the plate of sandwiches.
Suddenly, her attention was drawn back to the couple behind her and the teen couldn't help but snort when she heard Rhys speak.
"I thought you worked for anti-terrorism or something. That was bad enough. But knowing you're in this much danger…"
"Yeah," Gwen replied, "You'd feel like I do now."
"What the hell do you think you're doing at my desk?" Trace jumped a little, not realizing Owen was next to her.
"What's it look like, genius? I'm playing a game," she replied smartly while cursing the medic in her head for interrupting the couple's conversation.
She watched as his glare became a little playful, which confused her. "I thought I told you not to mess with my stuff," he said walking backwards towards the kitchen, albeit slowly, "I better not come in tomorrow and find your name in the lead."
Trace gave him a strange look, wondering why he wasn't upset, before seeing him turn around and go through the doorway.
"Weird," she muttered to herself as she heard Gwen speak once again.
"Worried sick. You don't have to do this to prove anything to me."
When the two remained silent, the teen realized that Owen had returned. She paused the game and watched him put his stuff away before "warning" her again and leaving.
Once he was gone, she heard Rhys tell his fiancé, "And I'm not leaving you with all these sexy young men," causing her to gag.
"There's only one, from where I'm sitting," Gwen replied.
Then the girl heard silence. Curious, she turned around and saw the two in a lip-lock. She was about to turn back to the game when she caught the Welshwoman open her eyes and look at something.
Wondering what could possibly be so interesting, Trace followed the woman's eyes and saw Jack turn away from his office window. She felt anger and a hint of…protectiveness?...no, just anger at Gwen for staring at him while kissing her fiancé.
The next day, Trace came out of the kitchen with a bagel in her hand to see the entire team (plus Rhys) together by the workstations.
Just as she reached the group, Jack told everyone to head out before turning to look at her. Watching everyone else leave, the teen received a small smile from Gwen and Tosh, a nod from Ianto and Owen, and a huge grin from Rhys, who looked pretty nervous.
Once the cog door rolled shut again, she turned back to her father and waited.
"I don't know how long we're going to be gone today," he started. "I want you to stay in the Hub. I had Tosh set up a program so I'll know if you leave, so I wouldn't even try if I were you."
"What the hell am I supposed to do stuck inside this place all day?" Trace questioned.
"Listen to music, play Owen's games, dance in your underwear. As long as you don't mess with Tosh's computer or the archives and don't break anything, I don't care. Just stay inside," the Captain answered.
He turned around to leave before changing his mind. Turning back, Jack quickly hugged his daughter and kissed her cheek before she could complain, adding a "have fun" and heading out himself.
Groaning in frustration, Trace plopped down in the closest chair, which happened to be Owen's.
Deciding to make the most of her time alone in the Hub, she started going through the medic's drawers while finishing her bagel.
After hours of snooping through desks and her father's office (taking back any and all items confiscated from her), beating Owen at his own games, eating lunch, and reorganizing everyone's workstations (which was not on Jack's off-limits list) the team finally came back while she was lying on the couch listening to music and eating a candy bar, wondering if she should have given Todd her number so she could actually talk to someone.
The teen opened her eyes and jumped up at the sight of everyone. Gwen and Owen were on either side of Rhys, who looked like he was shot. Tosh and Ianto had solemn looks on their faces. But Jack looked absolutely devastated about something.
It took a moment, but Trace realized that they must have killed the creature. So, when her father came over and hugged her, closing his eyes and just holding tight, she let him.
She knew she should do something to try to ease his pain, but she still was unsure about the man. She finally decided to awkwardly put her arms loosely around him, her hands barely touching his back. Not that it meant anything; she still wanted to make his life, and subsequently the teams' lives, miserable. But she could tell he needed this.
Jack sighed quietly. While he still hated losing that beautiful creature, he couldn't help but relish the small interaction with his child. With a much louder sigh a few minutes later, he forced himself to pull away.
Trace watched him give her a small grin before gently pulling her towards the autopsy bay. Curious to find out what happened, she followed.
The two joined Tosh at the top, looking over the railing.
"Hero of the hour," the small woman said. The girl looked at her, and asked what she meant.
"Rhys stepped in front of Gwen and took a bullet for her," Jack explained quietly.
Suddenly, they heard Ianto speak up, "Next time, let her take the bullet," causing her to realize the Welshman was sitting on the steps.
"Never. What happened to the blokes?" Rhys questioned.
"We gave them amnesia pills," the Captain replied, "They'll remember who they are, but not what they did over the past few months."
"So they got away with it?" the injured man asked.
Jack reasoned that it could never stand in a court of law.
"And the creature?" Rhys continued with his inquiries.
Trace looked around as everyone quieted. After a moment, her father spoke. "Incinerated." She had been right.
"So there's nothing left. It was never there."
After another moment of silence, Jack suddenly said he needed a word with Gwen before turning abruptly and heading to his office.
Everyone watched the two disappear inside and waited, clearly uncomfortable, for them to come back out.
After only a minute, Gwen came down and she and her fiancé left. Trace saw Jack standing at his office window.
"You better not have replaced all my high scores."
She turned around and said, "Huh?"
"My games," Owen clarified, "Your name better not be all over the high scores."
Realizing the medic was trying to lift the mood, she grinned. "Well then, you better not return to your computer."
She watched as he started climbing the steps, saying, "Come on, then. I'll show you how a real gamer plays."
Trace watched him head towards his workstation and, upon remembering how many times she won at his games and how she rearranged his desk, grinned wider. "Sure you will," she said, joining him.
At first, Owen reacted like a child when he saw his stuff out of place before whining even more about the scores on his computer. Soon, however, he and Trace got locked in a virtual battle against each other.
Tosh had gone straight to her own desk and gave a small sigh, followed by a slight giggle, at her newly arranged desk before going straight to work.
After a short while, Jack came out of his office and joined Ianto in watching the fight for top score between their medic and his daughter.
"Would've joined you sooner but I had to reorganize my entire office and make a list of what to re-confiscate. Who're we rooting for?" he casually asked the younger man.
"I believe we want Trace to win," was Ianto's reply.
A little while later, the cog door opened and Gwen came running in, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and turn around.
"I'm not doing it. I won't drug him," the Welshwoman said adamantly.
The team spoke in quick succession. "You have to." "We can't allow him to remember." "It's the rules."
Gwen became frustrated. "But none of you have any partners outside of this!"
Jack, trying to soothe her, said, "But we understand how you feel."
Suddenly the woman went off.
"No, you don't. No, you don't, Jack. You all think it's cold and lonely out there, but it isn't for me, because I have him. He matters, and I've lied to him for long enough. What he did today was so brave. Braver than any of us, because we signed up for this, but he didn't. He did it because he loves me! And I won't take that away from him! I won't! And if that means I have to quit, or you retcon me, or whatever, then fine. Fine."
Trace raised an eyebrow. She was actually impressed. Everyone watched as Jack walked up to Gwen.
"You really think you could go back to your old life before Torchwood?" he asked her.
"I wouldn't know anything different."
The Captain hoarsely replied, "I would," causing the teen's other eyebrow to go up as she felt a bit angry again.
As the two adults stared at each other, she fought the urge to get up and leave.
Amazingly, after a minute Jack gave in. "Give Rhys my love and I will see you tomorrow."
Once Gwen had left again, Tosh looked questioningly at her leader as he headed back to his office. Ianto lingered by the steps and Owen turned back to the screen, intent on continuing the game against Trace only to realize the girl was gone.
Trace slammed her door and dropped onto the rug. How could he possibly want Gwen? And how could she want him while fighting for her fiancé?