Torchwood: Divergence Book Four: Hatchweliad Chapter 1

Three weeks found the Torchwood team squarely into March, and things were running fairly smoothly once more around the Hub. Ianto had been in touch with his sister, he and Jack even having made a trip to St. Woolos Cemetery to leave flowers at Mica's grave now that the earth had settled and the stone was in place, with a slight side trip on the grounds to do the same for the Welshman's parents. Harkness had told the team that the colour etched marker for the little girl was absolutely beautiful though equally sad to see. But he hadn't shared that he'd had to talk his partner down from a building seizure when they'd come across the small stone nearby that had the younger man's name and the years 1983~2009 on it. He also hadn't admitted to sneaking into the cemetery the next night in lieu of his normal "highest perch" time with an anti-gravity clamp to remove the marker and smuggle it back to base where he sank it in the boat dock cavern.

The Rift had been running hot and cold, leading to days where they'd all been run ragged and others where there'd been time for play and short staff. Gwen and Rhys had finally had Jack and Ianto over for the long-ago planned dinner, both quite surprised by the young Changeling's cooking skills. Williams had even gotten his chance to hear the twenty-six-year-old sing, when he'd agreed to help put Ebrill to bed for the night and won her instant compliance with a soft rendition of "The Sound of Silence".

The only continued hiccup in day-to-day matters, was Cooper's lingering fixation on their leader. No amount of introspection or self-condemnation had lessened the sudden, incredibly powerful desire she'd developed to have a mad, passionate affair with the American. The urge had come and gone in the past, but this time it refused to be put down. Even Rhys noticed the way she watched the immortal Captain lately, and had made a few pointed comments as well as giving outright chastisements.

Today had been consistently busy at work so far, but the former PC couldn't get the issue off her mind regardless, likely because of the rather sharp-edged conversation she'd had with her husband the night before. So, when the afternoon progressed, Matha took off for the UNIT meeting, and the Rift stayed fairly quiet, she decided to act.

"Jack," Gwen called evenly as she came to where the Captain was looking over a report with his partner. "Can I have a word in private?"

"Sure," Harkness nodded, wondering about the look she was giving him and the markedly less than friendly glance she flicked at the young Welshman beside him. "How about the Boardroom?"

The two headed that way, Ianto casting a worried look after them before moving to put away the report and go up to make more coffee. He had a really bad feeling about what Cooper was wanting to discuss with Jack, the emotions showing in her eyes just now making his guts go cold. He truly hoped that he was wrong.

Gwen tripped the lock on the Boardroom door once they were inside, stepped over to disable the phone and CCTV, then turned off her earcomm. The American nearby shut his down as well out of courtesy, but was feeling increasingly uncomfortable now that they were alone.

"Okay," he began quietly. "What's wrong that you couldn't talk about in front of the team?"

"I…" the former constable facing him began shakily. "I want to know if there was ever any way you would've wanted me… loved me…"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Harkness frowned. "You've been with Torchwood how long now, and suddenly you're asking if I'm interested? More than just a day late and a pound-note short, PC Cooper. Let it go."

"Were you ever interested?" Gwen prodded stubbornly.

"It doesn't matter," the Captain snapped. "We're done here."

"I need to know, Jack!" Cooper insisted with the wide-eyed look she'd always used to get her way in the past, pointedly staying between him and the door. "All the trouble over it recently has it on my mind constantly. If I hadn't married Rhys, would there have been a chance for the two of us?"

"You did marry Rhys, and I don't want to have this conversation," Harkness stated coldly. "You have Rhys, I have Ianto… end of story."

"I can't accept that," the raven-haired woman growled desperately. "I want to, but I really can't. So many times, I've seen something in your eyes that tells me you want me. And no matter how much I remind myself that I have a wonderful husband and beautiful daughter, I still find myself thinking about you… wanting to be with you. I need to know if what we both want ever would've happened."

" If you hadn't married Rhys," Jack said tightly, his blue eyes steely and his expression mirroring disgust both with himself and his current SIC's behaviour. " If I hadn't let myself fall in love with Ianto. If they'd both stayed in the Dark when they died… maybe. But that's not reality, that self-destructive fantasy. Focus on the here and now, Gwen. Leave. It. Alone."

"I swore I'd never betray Rhys again the way I did with Owen," Cooper breathed, both hands clenched into fists. "Not after we were married, not with the baby. But for even one night with you, Jack, I would. Please…"

" No," the immortal American refused sharply.

"I know it makes me a bad person," Gwen whispered as tears began to fall. "It would hurt Rhys, and Ianto, and both of us. But I'd still do it. And I don't think anything will ever make my need for it go away."

"Because you don't want it to," the Captain offered flatly. "You like that little bit of danger the fantasy represents. But this is one thing you have to give up on. I have… you need to. This stops now, Gwen. You made your choice when you said 'I do', and freed my heart to make another commitment entirely, one it should've made long before that. If it hadn't, I would've stayed when you begged after the 456 incident. The very fact that I avoided you for six months searching for ways to be with Ianto again, and didn't stay for you after that should tell you all you need to know. Especially since I don't think you'd ever endure two minutes of torture in Hell just to see me again, let alone two years. You may still be tempted, but I'm not. I told Ianto that I know where to draw the line between guilty fantasies and life's realities, and I meant it. I'm sorry if that hurts you, but it's the truth. You aren't who I need to face eternity."

Cooper rubbed at the tears and mascara streaks on her face, gave her boss a tired half-smile.

"So, that's it then," she breathed shakily, receiving a curt nod. "I told Rhys you'd give me another 'sod off'."

" What?" Jack demanded with a thunderous frown.

"He was nettling me about giving you 'come hither' looks, asked if he should be jealous or worried," Gwen shrugged. "Was getting snippy and said I needed to stop it. So, I told him you were too committed to Ianto now, pretty much had been since before Thames House even though you didn't want to admit it. He as much as dared me to test it, he did. Even said he'd forgive a one-nighter if it got it out of my system once and for all. I told him it'd never happen… and I was right."

Harkness stared at her for several minutes, his expression a mix of anger, frustration, disbelief, and obvious disappointment in her behaviour.

"We are done with this subject, yeah?" he finally insisted. "If it comes up again, I swear I'll break out the Retcon."

"I can finally admit defeat," Cooper vowed, though the look in her eyes lent a bit of a lie to the statement. "And in a way I'm glad… means there's no worry about hurting the ones we love."

"I wasn't…" the Captain began, only to be interrupted by a flashing of the room's lights and a brief bark from the intruder alarm. "What the hell?"

Gwen quickly unlocked the door and they both bolted from the Boardroom, heading for the workstations on the run.

"There's no intruder," Turlough called, sounding very irritated. "You both turned off your comms and the damn phone in there. We have a major problem."

"I gathered," Jack snapped.

"Large Rift spike at the old fish hatcher," the redhead stated hurriedly, unphased by the older man's temper. "Possible fire as well because the breach apparently ruptured some combustible tank left in there, and scans are registering increasing heat levels from the location. Ianto went to get you when we couldn't raise you on comms, came back a minute later, grabbed the standard hand gun and extra clip from the go box by the office when he went for the SUV keys, and asked me to Co-ordinate. He said he'd sort it because you two were busy, then took off without his jacket, coat, or PDA, and his headset's off. System only just identified what came through the Rift. It's another of those sodding Death Hounds and from the amount of metal picked up by sensors, this one's at least partially battle armoured. I've tried his mobile, but he isn't answering and he has almost a ten-minute head start because it took the system so long to sort past the plating and match the life form. He's going to get himself killed. Either the Hound or the fire's bound to catch him, because I flagged off the police and fire brigade so they wouldn't end up as bait for whatever came through the Rift, and the heat signatures are spreading. He needs back up and we need to go now."

"Get Lois down here to Co-ordinate," Harkness ordered, heading for the office at top speed. "Turlough, you're medic since Martha's at her meeting. Get the big kit and pull a fire suit from the storeroom just in case. Gwen, we need the RPG launchers, find the new box of implosive rounds we got from UNIT, should be marked and near the launchers themselves. I'm pulling that Tolkath Fire Suppressor from the Safe. Everybody meet in the carpark on the double."

They were on the road in the van in record time, hoping they wouldn't be too late.

"Why would he go alone?" Gwen frowned, trying to tap into any CCTV in the area near the defunct hatchery the Strepto Hag had once called home. "He knows how dangerous the things coming through lately have been. Why would he try to face an incursion by himself, especially not knowing what he'd run into?"

"He came looking for us," Jack pointed out tightly, taking a corner at speed and making the whole vehicle rock. Which means he heard us talking, Gwen. I don't know what part or how much, but he heard us. And if he gets hurt or worse… it's our fault."

The one-time constable was silent after that, her expression both angry and sullen. In the back of the van, Turlough simply shook his head and frowned.

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Welsh Bits:

Hatchweliad – Regression

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AN: As promised, just in time for Ianto's Birthday!

I started writing this in December of 2009, because I simply could not accept the horrific mistakes made in Children of Earth, especially the meaningless death of Ianto Jones. So, 'Torchwood: Divergence' was born. This is Book Four of Five (though it may turn out to be Six as I'm finding some really long chapters that need to be broken up). And as with Book One through Book Three, whether the rest of the Books get posted will depend on how this one is received.

There are Doctor Who characters in this story (even a few bits with Eleven himself) but it is not a Cross-Over.

I am an American and have yet to visit Wales or anywhere else in the UK. I compared 4 sites for the Welsh, so I hope it's okay. I did as in-depth research as possible to get the settings and terminology correct, but there are limits to that and this has neither been Brit-picked nor checked by a Beta. So, anything not quite right… let's just put it down to this having to be Alternate Universe and call it a day. I realise that how I perceive some characters may not please everyone, but anyone who dislikes it is advised to go read something else or write their own. NO FLAMERS.

I will only be able to post once a week, usually on Sunday.

I hope those who read Book One, Book Two, and Book Three enjoy this one as well.

Disclaimer: I make no profit from this story and own only the plot, and the main Aliens involved within it… a certain little dog and a few other creations… but all else is still the property of the BBC and He Who Shall Not Be Named (yeah, that's how I see him), I make no profit, and no copy-right infringement is intended.