Chapter seven
She smiled softly. She heard the phone ring in the living room, she sighed, got up and walked out to answer it. "Hello?" she said.
"Gwen…" came a voice on the other end.
"What do you want?" Gwen sighed, it was her former best friend on the line.
"Gwen please… I am so sorry… Look, Rhys is on the way, pissed out of his head and is very angry…. You've got to get out of there."
Gwen sighed, and closed her eyes. This hadn't surprised her of course. "Okay… where are you and.. We'll come and meet you?" she suggested.
Jack got up and walked into the living room to Gwen and listened to her on the phone.
"Okay…" she said and put the phone down. "Rhys is on the way. Pissed apparently so she's told me… and she's told he to get out before he gets here."
"Okay, so are we going or staying?" he asked her.
"Well… when you're pissed you don't know what you're doing, do you. So I think for both our safety we go."
"Come on then."
She grabbed her jacket on, her comm, put her boots on and pulled him out the door, and locked it.
Jack walked out with her to the SUV.
She kissed him lightly before getting in to the passenger's side. She noticed out of the rear view mirror Rhys's car turn in to the street. "Jack come on!" she said as she did up her seat belt, she was scared for his life, she'd never seen Rhys drunk before, so she had no idea what to expect, all she knew was it couldn't possibly be good.
Jack looked up, saw the headlights of the car and he got in, started the engine and sped off before Rhys got there seconds later. He reached to the side and pulled his seatbelt around him and did it up as he drove.
Gwen gave a small sigh of relief and reached over for Jack's hand.
He took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "So where are we going?"
She looked out of the window for a few moments as he drove toward the local pub. "Here." she said when she saw the familiar short blonde woman up ahead outside of the pub.
Jack nodded and found the nearest parking space and shut off the got out of the car and walked over to her. "Hey.."
The woman hugged her, though the hug wasn't returned, and when Gwen was released, she stepped back toward Jack.
Jack just watched on, standing behind Gwen for support.
"Why are you even here anyway? Actually, why am I even here?" Gwen asked.
"Gwen… we've been best friends for years. You know I wouldn't-"
"But you did!" Gwen cut her off, glaring. "I don't even know why Jack even listened to me. He should have taken me anywhere but near you!"
"But Gwen…" she pleaded. "He told me he'd left you…"
Jack put a hand on Gwen's shoulder to try and calm her.
Gwen turned and looked at him, ignoring her ex friend's pathetic excuses. "I can't do this…" she whispered to him.
He nodded, but said nothing and looked at the other woman.
"It wasn't my fault." she kept her eyes locked on Gwen.
"You could have said no!" Gwen snapped, not looking at her. "Any other friend would have!" she with that she stormed to the SUV, getting back inside.
Jack stared incredulously at the woman for a few moments before following Gwen back to the SUV and got into the driver's side. "Are you okay now?" he asked in a soft tone, looking at Gwen in the darkness.
Gwen was visibly shaking with anger. "Just get me out of here…" she spoke quietly, not daring to look at him or even daring to raise her voice higher than a whisper. Her hands were clenched together tightly in her lap.
He nodded soundlessly and started the car, pulling out of the parking space and starting to drive. After a few minutes, deciding she'd had enough time to at least make a start on calming down, he reached over and placed his hand on top of her hands in her lap, and then let his hand slip to her knee.
She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths and re-opened them, looking over at him.
He stroked her knee with his hand as he kept driving. "Where do you want to go?" he asled.
"Anywhere…" she whispered, slowly unclenching one of her hands and putting it on his.
He smiled at her as he droe toward the bay. "He won't look h ere will he?"
"Ask for Torchwood and people point to the bay remember." she laughed a little. "But he won't know how to get in… I hope…"
He laughed. "He won't have a clue if he's pissed."
She giggled. "True…"
"Are you any better now?" he asked softly.
"Nope… still angry at her… and him." she admitted.
He held her hand gently in his, and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze as he smiled softly at her.
"I trust you."
He nodded and pulled over.
She leaned over and kissed him.
He kissed back, smiling softly as she pulled away and got out of the car, and he followed her out.
She walked with him to the Hub, walking through the Tourist Information Centre, to the secret wall opening and walked down the dingy, dank, dark corridors to the main part of the Hub.
"Anyone in?" Jack called through.
"From the looks of things he went hours ago." Gwen said.
"Looks like it…" he agreed.
Gwen walked over to the computers, checking the CCTV for whenever Rhys decided to show up, and she glanced up at the ceiling not saying anything.
Jack couldn't see any sign of Rhys, nothing on the rift monitors and he looked at her. "Something's bothering you, Cooper."
"It's just… I don't know what he's going to be like… he's always known when to stop with his drink." she said, closing her eyes.
"But he doesn't now."
"Yeah. And that's what scares me."
He walked over and he stood behind her chair, his hands on her shoulders. "He isn't going to touch you as long as I'm around." he told her softly.
She took her eyes from the ceiling and she trned her head to look up at him.
"I promise you." he told her, grabbing a chair and sitting next to her, watching her follow him with her eyes.
She reached over, took hold of his hand and linked their fingers together. "I'm sorry…" she said.
"It's okay. I know you're scared.." he looked at her.
"I dragged you into this mess…"
"I don't care. I love you and I will protect you and love you and take care of you for all the time we have together." he told her.
"I know… and I know it doesn't matter to you but I don't want you to get hurt…"
"I don't care, Gwen. I don't care as long as you're safe." he told her firmly, gently tugging her arm and she stood up, moving and sitting in his lap.
She leaned against him, closing her eyes as she felt his strong, safe arms wrap around her. "I love you…" she whispered.
"I love you too." he smiled softly, carrying her over to the sofa, and he sat down.
Gwen shuffled a little, rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, her arms around his stomach.
He held her close, and kissed the top of her head.
She turned her head upward and she kissed him, putting all of her feeling into it.
He kissed her back with all of his feelings reciprocated, he felt the sparks for he first time in a very long time in his ancient heart.
Her arms reached upward, her hands running though his hair, feeling complete for the first time in a long time, and she remembered what real love felt like.