A/N: set at the end of Season 1 Episode 9 ("Random Shoes").
"It's genuine, then?"
Jack looked up at Gwen with a quick smile. "Oh, yeah. It's the real deal - genuine Dogon sixth eye." He rolled it gently on his desk with a single finger.
She smiled indulgently. "You're like a kid with a new toy, Jack."
He laughed. "Did you have a proper look at it?"
"Not really. I wasn't sure what it would do to me."
He got up, and motioned her to sit at his desk. Standing behind the chair, he looked over her shoulder. "It won't do anything terrible to you. Just… look at it." with one hand on the back of his chair, he leaned forward and placed his finger on the eye again, moving it slowly. "Look at the different shades of blue, how they swirl. Isn't it beautiful?"
Gwen looked at it, truly looked at it. He was right; it was captivating. Her breath caught in her throat just a little as she watched him move the eye, the colours swirling with every movement. "Does it really help you look back?"
"Supposedly. More so if you lick it or swallow it. Otherwise it takes a little practice."
Whether it was the low light of the office, the softness of his voice, the swirl of the eye, or his proximity, she couldn't be sure, but time seemed to slow. She couldn't look away. There was something hypnotic about the way Jack moved the eye so that it swirled.
Images moved through her mind, things she'd done and seen - not as if she were reliving them, but as an impartial onlooker into her own life. She flinched as she saw a series of incidents. I have to stop this thing with Owen. I have to. I have to tell Rhys.
She hadn't realised she was crying until Jack's hand closed over the eye to obscure it from view, and with his other hand he gently swung the chair round so she was facing him. "Gwen?"
She dropped her head into her hands. "I've been so stupid," she sobbed.
"What did you see?" She shook her head, not wanting to tell him. He crouched down, taking her hands in his. "Gwen, look at me. Talk to me. What did you see?"
She looked directly into his eyes, tears streaming down her face. "This… thing… with Owen. I have to… have to stop it. I just…"
He closed his eyes briefly, then reached out a hand to cup her face. "Does Rhys know?"
"No."
"You gonna tell him?"
She bit her lip. "I have to," she whispered.
He stood up, and dropped the eye into his desk drawer. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd actually see anything." He sighed. "I suppose it's no consolation that you're a natural."
She sniffed. "Not really."
He laid a reassuring hand on her back. "Whatever happens, I'm here. You got that?"
She nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yeah. Got it."
He rubbed her back soothingly. "Go home, Gwen," he said gently. "Call me if you need to talk. Phone's always on."
She laid her head against his arm for a moment, his attempts to comfort her easing the heartache a little. "Thanks, Jack," she murmured. "I will."