Nineteen: The Other Men

PC Andy hated Gwen Cooper, and if he kept this up long enough he might even believe it himself. That he had trusted her and she had—damn it, he hated her.

"Andy," the voice caused him to turn, blinking upon seeing one of the Torchwood group standing near him, though truthfully he didn't know who it was. The man was about as tall as he was, maybe taller, and had light brown hair and dark blue eyes, a plain jacket and jeans on, his hands in his pocket.

"What do you want?" Andy asked.

"I wanted you to stop being a prat, but that's a little hard when what's happened has happened."

"What?"
"Gwen stood you up, got married, then told you she would never let you into Torchwood. On top of that...you still have feeling for her, wish she'd have dumped Rhys when you admitted to liking her, and also want her back as your partner. You wanted her because you love her for all that she was, and she doesn't seem to realize that."

Andy glared at the man. "Who are you?"

"My name's Marius," the young man told him, "and I know exactly how you feel."

--

"Three years ago?"

Andy wondered how he had gotten into the pub with this man, talking. It wasn't really talking either. Marius was from bloody Torchwood, of course he would--.

"I didn't know."

Andy looked at him sharply, causing Marius to smile before a small voice said, Alien, psychic.

"Brilliant."

Marius laughed. "That's close the full extent of what I can do now. I have a...restraint."

"What, because you were bad?"

Marius quickly downed his glass of water. "No. Because I got caught by someone who was bad. The worst, maybe, and he didn't need me leaving so he trapped me in this form, and here. Until it decides to malfunction and come off, I'm stuck with it."

Andy looked at him dubiously before asking, "And you?"

"A year or two. I even kissed her, gave her tea and cookies when she was down. Granted, she's divorced now, and probably enjoying it, but..." he sighed. "It's not that I couldn't compete with the guy, I probably could, but she's now just the one that got away, not the one for me. If I measure every girl up against her, then...well...it'd be like I was just waiting for her. I'm not going to do that to her or myself."

"So what happened? I know she got interested, but..."

--

Earlier that week

Marius was ignoring the whole of the conversation, in fact not even wanting to be part of it until he felt something from Gwen, a type of conflict before she had left. He waited, asking as she left if she'd like some company to that Searchlight business.

"No, fine, thanks though Marius."

Marius nodded, sitting back down and turning over when Gwen came back, full of energy.

At that, and her start of research, he left heading away from the Hub. It wasn't that he didn't care, but more that he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with it all right now. He only came back for Gwen's report...

--

"Why didn't you help?" Andy asked.

"I had other things on my mind."

"Like?" Andy watched Marius look down before he heard him say it.

"I'm technically not going to be their Caretaker soon. When a new one is found, I'll be taken back and more then likely put into a psychiatric ward."

"Why?" Andy didn't realize things would be that severe with this alien race.

"Because they feel that a connection I made with one of the Torchwood personnel is more then what it should be, and they want to study it. I can't tell them that because then they'll try and call in a favor from a few people, and I don't need them being involved either."

"Would they know?"
"Not unless they were told."

"So what happened at the meeting?" Andy finally asked after a long pause.

--

Earlier that week

Ianto knew that Marius was being closed off; he had been ever since they had stopped the Night Travelers and Marius had gone off to do something else. Ianto had attempted to help, but it had been met with simply the occasional 'go away' through their connection, or even a verbal one.

So Ianto didn't know what was bothering Marius, but he did know that it wouldn't affect Jack or him, as Marius wouldn't let it. That connection seemed very one-way, something Ianto wished wouldn't happen but that Marius insisted on keeping despite all that had happened.

So Jack shouldn't be so angry at Gwen for being herself and worrying, looking into nearly seventy people that had gone missing during a Rift spike. Jack shouldn't be acting like this towards Gwen at all.

Ianto tried to calm Jack down when he stormed out, but it hadn't worked. He only noticed Gwen and Marius being the only two in there, then he felt Marius' vague touch after Jack left him in the hallway.

Find out what Jack knows. I'll deal with Gwen.

How?

Quietly.

...why?

There was a long pause in this before Marius made eye-contact and said to him, So she can know, and figure out what to do. She's being directed in a sense between two forces, and the longer it goes on the more likely she'll tear herself apart or get herself killed. I'm not feeling that again, or having you all go through that. She needs to find this out, Ianto.

Ianto didn't nod or acknowledge Marius before turning, his mind telling the Sidra, I'll see what I can do.

--

"You can be devious."

"You started it."

Andy sputtered in his drink. "What the bloody hell--"

"You didn't come to her for seven months, instead you waited until she was married to tell her. On top of that, you tell her she's changed and she's harder, that she used to care about people, and that the others don't matter beyond Jonah. To her, they matter. She's too empathic for that to not happen. And Torchwood didn't make her harder, Andy...life did. Life beat at her, made her realize things she never would've, and you threw that in her face like a challenge. You knew she'd take it, and now you're mad she did."

Marius took a long drink before stating, "I'm only partly guilty of that too. I pushed the wrong button on the person I cared for, and in the end she left and nearly got killed. I didn't know what I'd do without her, until I saw her again. She traded her freedom for another scar on her soul, and she'll be the first to not blame it on me, as much as I might try to convince her otherwise."

Andy was silent a long moment before asking, "What did Rhys do about it all? Eat?"

"He gave her a lecture about work vs life, and it somewhat helped her out. He's there to listen to her, as much as he might not like Torchwood for all the danger it gets her in. He also realizes she changes, but he knows when she needs to get a verbal hit in the face to deal with things."

"So?"

--

Earlier that week

"They're busy," Marius' voice made Gwen jump, looking back up at where the two shadows where in the darkened Hub.

"Doing what?"

Marius looked at her, and Gwen looked back only briefly before saying, "oh."

He held up a small bag. "Ianto left you a gift, though."

She walked over, opening it up. "What is it?"

"I didn't ask."

That wasn't like Marius at all...he knew everything about what they were doing, asking or not.

"Marius, what's wrong? You've been off for most of the week."

He looked over at her then back to the computer screen. "I'm behind on a report, and got a nasty-gram about it. Plus it's just..." he sighed. "Nothing. How're things with the missing person case?"

"I was going to ask Jack if I could make it a side-project."

Marius frowned, then shook his head. "He'll say no."

"But..."

"Trust me."

She frowned at him before saying, "Do you want to come with me?"
"I need to finish this."

"What, with them up there?"

"I play guard dog. They don't even know we're here. I'd like it to stay that way until the CCTV footage is watched."

"Which will be?"

"About five days from now. Get going, Gwen. I have to finish this."

With a nod, and a mental note on seeing if Ianto knew what was wrong with Marius, Gwen headed out to see what the present was and where it lead to.

--

"So you declined the offer?"

"You took it up quick enough."

"I wanted in. I wanted to--."

"I'm psychic, remember? I know what you wanted."

Andy glared at Marius, who told him, "You wanted Gwen as a partner again. You wanted to keep her safe, and to see what it was that she saw. She told you later on she wouldn't put you in for Torchwood."

Anger flared in Andy again. "She did."

"I wouldn't either. You're too good a PC to be in Torchwood, and you mean too much for her. If you died, she'd blame you, like Jack blames everyone else. Plus..." Marius paused before adding in, "Gwen came in because she had something, something beyond what most normal people have. You don't have enough of it to help them beyond a liaison to the police and to help her how you can." He looked over before adding in, "If she's Batman, or at least Batgirl, you're Detective Gordon."

"Thanks."

"Gordon helps out more then you can think. Without him, without the others, Batman and his group would push too much, become too much like the criminals they're going after. Gordon is their tie to normal life, like you and Rhys are her ties."

"Only Rhys is larger."

"Stop being mean to the man."

"Why?"

"Because he's nice and he knows you lust after his wife but he puts up with it because he knows you're a good man. Now stop."

"She left me alone."

"Because of you and her decision, Rhys put her on the couch. Jack got annoyed beyond normal with her, and Ianto and I had to go behind his back to find it. Of course, Jack figured that out."

"And she found it, though."

"She did."

"And?"

Marius took a quick drink before saying, "And she sees why Jack tried to keep her from it. Sees why no one can find out."

"So?"

Marius downed his water again before telling Andy, "I have a favor to ask."

--

Despite knowing where he son was, she still had Searchlight up. Not for him, but because Marius had come to her, with Gwen, and spoken to her. Shown her what he could do and spoken to her about Retcon, explained it.

She had declined the Retcon, but asked for his help in dealing with it. Marius had agreed, only if he could talk with the others.

He had talked with Jack, then gone to the island.

Andy stood outside, waiting. The young man had looked worse for wear when he walked in, telling Andy to stay outside and, if anyone yelled for a doctor because of Marius, to call a certain number.

Andy waited, wondering what it was he wasn't being allowed to see, not being able to hear what it was that was going on, until the doors opened.

All the family's walked out, a few looking dazzled and downing a cup of something while others clung to each other for support. A few talked and finally left.

Everyone gone, Andy grew worried before hurrying inside, finding the whole of the room in minor disarray, Marius sitting hunched-over on a chair nearby, Jonah's mother rubbing his back as he sobbed.

"Should I call the doctor you asked for?" Andy asked.

"No," Marius said, "I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

Marius looked over at Andy--

--He offered. He wanted to offer it to her, wanted her to not be alone, even with that sonic rifle and everything he had seen. She might need help one day, the way her Client moved...

"Thanks, but no thanks."

That didn't stop him from helping her when he was thrown with the job she should've had and no one telling her why, moving mainly paper to put the blame rightfully on the world and Torchwood of that world where the Cybermen had come from, then taking easily over as Caretaker of the Rift, realizing how much he missed her when he saw her again, hiding because of what had happened, because--

--And they still loved them...for everything...--

Andy moved back as Marius let out a long sigh and stood up, holding the chair and Jonah's mother for support. "Sorry."

"I...I didn't..."

"Andy," Marius said, "we'll always be just the other ones in their lives. We need to move on."

Andy felt his shoulder's slump. "I can never be in Torchwood then?"

Marius shrugged. "Maybe one day, but not now. You need to work on being yourself before you can be around her again."

--

Jack walked up to where Marius sat before saying, "I saw the footage."

Marius didn't answer.

"Who do they want you to kill?"

Marius didn't answer.

"Marius..."

"I can't tell you," he finally answered, "because it's not going to happen. I'm not about to endanger anyone's lives because my cousin thinks I should."

"You said you were disowned from your family because of us."

Marius fell silent again, looking away.

Jack moved then said, "If you don't explain this to us, we can't help you."

"There's nothing to explain."

"She said you were being replaced."

"I am," he told him, "but it's still up in the air where they'll place me. Because of the connections..."

"That's bullshit and you know it."

Marius stood suddenly, glaring at Jack, "You'd know all about it, wouldn't you? You keep enough secrets from them because you think it'll keep them safe when it doesn't. I have a right to my secrets!"

"Why? What makes yours so much better then mine, so much safer?"

"They only harm me!"

Jack was silent for a longer time, a good amount of items clicking into place. Ianto had mentioned that Marius tended to have a one-way link to the group, when Ianto knew it could easily go both ways. A minor check with his own had confirmed that. Gwen had mentioned Marius aversion to everything, and that he had said he was working on a report when she got the tracker from him. A check on CCTV as well as on the computers told Jack that Marius hadn't submitted reports for nearly a month, and between talking to his sister and now, Marius was in only a few places: the Hub, on assignment, or in his flat.

The one time Marius had gone out on his own, had gone to talk with anyone else, was after Gwen had taken Nicki to see her son. He had gone over and spoken to Andy, Gwen's old partner, and arranged a meeting with Nicki and her group. With enough Retcon and after a visit to the island, something Jack had been exceptionally wary about considering Marius mercurial control of his powers at times, he had gone in and shown everyone where some of the loved ones were and had been. What Jack was doing to help them, what Gwen was trying to add in as well.

And in the end, the fact of the matter: none of them could come home or be fully repaired. After that, he had offered them Retcon, along with offering to help out if they needed him during the Searchlight meetings.

A few had taken it. The rest had joined, some waiting for news, the others comforting and doing what they could to see about finding and helping others. One or two had managed to contact Jack, offering to help as caretakers or psychiatrists to the walking wounded, most with great credentials. Even after explaining things, even after seeing it, they didn't back down, and Jack took them on as members of the small community.

"Why should you be the only one hurt?"

Jack's question obviously caught Marius off-guard, making the younger man look at him quickly before looking away.

"I won't let any of you be hurt. I can't allow it."

Jack remembered a long scar on Marius' back that had not been caused by a whip, or anything else Ulamo had tried on the young man. Avery told him that he had only barely made it before the Torchwood group, marked for death by the Master, had been attacked. The only one injured had been Marius.

Despite being able to change bodies, Marius had kept that one, and the scar, as if it was a badge. He'd probably stay in that one as well because it was the one they were used to.

And if that was so...

"I know how you feel, but you can't keep these things to yourself. They might hurt us anyway."

Marius was silent again before telling Jack, "No, they won't. I won't let them. I'm sorry, Jack. I can't tell you."

Jack backed off, leaving the room and sighing. Maybe he should've sent in Ianto...

...but that probably wouldn't work either. Ianto and Marius were close, like twin brothers, but the two had their secrets it seemed.

"Jack," Ianto's voice made him stop. "Did you try to talk to Marius?"

Jack looked at Ianto, confused. "Why?"

"I...it was like a small headache. I didn't realize it was because of you talking to him until a minute ago."

Jack frowned, heading over to Ianto's side. "What's wrong?"

"I...he's just sad. He's worried about leaving, but he's sure we'll be fine. He wants to make sure of that. He's also scared."

"Why?"

"Something that's been coming up for a while. He's scared that his cousin will do something, try to force him into something. He's going to fight it as long as possible, but..." Ianto shook his head. "I don't know what will happen."

Jack touched Ianto's arm. "I don't either. But we'll help him."