Torchwood: Divergence
Book Two: Adferiad
Chapter 43
When Gwen came into the Hub at half-five, everything was already up and running, the aroma of fresh coffee filled the air, and the office lights were on. She stowed her purse and coat, went to peek into the room that lead to her friend's sleeping area.
"Come on in," Jack insisted, sitting behind the desk and going through some sort of report as he sipped a cup of black coffee.
Cooper stepped inside, wondering if the younger of the pair was still behind the bookcase hidden door nearby.
"Ianto's down evaluating our problem Weevil," the Captain stated without looking up from his paperwork, as though he knew what she was thinking. "Close the door and have a seat."
Silently cursing, the former PC did as she was told and braced herself for trouble, as the American signed off on the report in front of him and dropped it into the Outbox on the corner of the desk.
"I was hoping to have a word with Ianto about last night," she began quietly, not liking the flat-eyed look her boss was giving her. "Apologise if I upset him."
"Not until you deal with me," Harkness countered bluntly. "You've told him more than once to consider you and Rhys and the baby as family. He makes a really sweet, heartfelt gesture to show he does, and you call him out for it? Worse still, you brought up his real family, the one he's trying to protect by never going near them again. Telling him he shouldn't give your daughter that toy was really ungrateful and rude, saying he should've given it to his niece was just plain cruel, and assuming the gesture was a sign we were abandoning Torchwood or the Earth was incredibly selfish. I know you're dealing with a lot these days because of your dad's health, Gwen. But what the hell were you thinking last night when you slapped Ianto down for giving his goddaughter a special gift?"
"I didn't mean to hurt his feelings," Cooper insisted defensively. "I just didn't think it was right for him to give away something his grandfather made for him, something he obviously values so much. I didn't' really think before I brought up his niece, I know I shouldn't've. And… Why am I justifying myself to you instead of him?"
"Because he wouldn't ask you to," Jack growled, his displeasure over the situation beginning to show. "Ianto would never face you down and say 'why were you such an ungrateful ass about the gift I gave Ebrill'. He'd let it go, act like you didn't hurt his feelings at all and probably end up apologising for making you worry about it. Not gonna happen this time. Before you say a single word to him, you need to make up your mind. Either you honestly want him to consider you all as family, or you don't.
"If you've had a change of heart and don't now because of everything with your dad, or the whole watch him die then revive thing is too much, that's fine. He still has me. But you need to tell him flat out, no beating around the bush or sugar coating it. And if you truly do want him to see you as the sister, brother-in-law and niece that he's been deprived of, you damn well better start acting like it. He made the effort last night and though Rhys apparently took it to heart, you shot him down. So, I'm stepping into the ring to sort it once and for all. You don't have to be family to still be friends, but the mixed signals stop now. And to make sure of that, you're off duty till Noon today. Go home, go brave the Boxing Day sales, go to Harwood's to visit with Rhys and the baby. Just think really hard about the do or don't issue and have a definitive answer before you come back to the Hub."
"What the hell gives you the right to lecture me about hurting Ianto's feelings?" Gwen protested angrily. "You bloody well do it all the time."
"And you let me know in no uncertain terms," the former Time Agent behind the desk countered sharply. "Why?"
"Because he won't," Cooper grated. "Because I don't like seeing him upset about things when you're being an insensitive bastard. He puts up with so much shit from you, and it breaks my heart to see him sad and miserable."
"Why?" Harkness pressed, his blue eyes flat and steely.
"Because I care about him!" Gwen shouted. "When he's hurt or upset I want to make it better! He's like the baby brother I never had and I don't like seeing him sad!"
Suddenly she realised what she'd just said, and she stared at the American who stared back with a smug smile.
"Guess you won't need till Noon after all," the Captain shrugged. "And yes, I'm well aware of how low of a trick that was. But you're the one who keeps harping on me to treat my relationship with Ianto seriously. So, I am, and that gives me the right to go to bat for him. As his partner and as the leader of Torchwood, his welfare is very much my concern, and your behaviour last night really messed with him.
"I understand that you've got a lot on your mind right now with how your dad's health is going, I've lost enough loved ones over the years to know how hard this kind of thing can be. But you can't let it taint how you treat your friends, especially when it can have a seriously negative impact on them and you at work. So, I had to force your hand on this, get you to see the truth for yourself regardless of the outcome. Ianto needs family this early on in the immortality game. Yes, he will always have me, but he needs more than that while he's still missing his sister and her kids. He needs you, Gwen… you and Rhys and Ebrill, and any of the team here willing to step up for him. He's trying to let go of the life he may never safely be a part of again, but you have to lend a helping hand along the way, yeah?"
There was silence between them for a moment.
"You are a total bastard," Cooper said at last, her expression a mix of fading anger and guilt. "And I hate when you play the 'holier than thou' card, especially when you're right. I need to go apologise to Ianto, fix my mistake from last night. But you aren't invited. Let me 'eat crow' without an audience, yeah?"
"I do it all the time," Jack grinned, even as the former PC realised what she'd just said and how he was likely to twist it. "He's in the Vaults. I'll stay right here with my reports, unless one of you calls me about the Weevils."
"Sometimes I'm so tempted to bash you in the head with something heavy," Gwen admitted, but she couldn't fully supress the smile his inuendo sparked, and groaned as it bloomed into a grin when he laughed and blew her a kiss. "Don't eavesdrop with your Time Agency gizmo."
Then she was out the door and heading into the lower levels of the base. In the office, Harkness continued to grin as he keyed his Bluetooth to connect to the one he knew his partner was wearing. Of course he was going to listen in… boss' prerogative.
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AN: Jack stepped up for Ianto, and Gwen wasn't best pleased. But it did get her head back on straight for the moment. Now she just needs to apologise to Ianto and see how the day goes.
Thank you to those reading the story. And thank you to those who have followed, favourited, and reviewed. NM