What Was Left Behind
Title: What Was Left Behind
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Rebekah (mirimeneume)
Rating: G
Genre: Gen, Angst
Word Count: 907
Characters: Jack, Gwen (references to Ten and Rose)
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize? Ain't mine.
Summary: Shortly after she joins Torchwood, Jack takes Gwen to visit Torchwood One in London, to show her what Torchwood used to be, and discovers something unexpected in what's left.
A/N: Takes place before "Small Worlds", when we first see a pair of 3-D glasses hanging on the lamp in Jack's office. I'd been contemplating why they would be there, and this little ficlet sprang to mind.
"Okay, Jack, why are we in London?" Gwen asked, shielding her eyes against the morning light. "And why did we have to leave so bloody early to get here?"
Jack grinned. "Field trip. Learning experience."
"All right. Well, I've been to London."
"You haven't seen this. Trust me."
Gwen stared out the window of the SUV, looking in the shop windows and watching the people on the sidewalk as they passed.
She liked London well enough, but Cardiff was all she ever wanted, all she ever needed. Cardiff had her friends, it had her new job, it had Rhys, and it had Jack.
Gwen looked over at Jack now, studying his profile. His lips twitched and she knew he was aware of her gaze, but she kept on looking.
There was something so different about him, and Gwen just couldn't quite put her finger on it. The way he spoke, the way he moved, the way he thought. Not to mention the "not dying" thing.
Gwen opened her mouth to speak as Jack brought the car to a stop.
"We're here," he said and Gwen swallowed her words, peering out the window.
Jack was already out of the car and Gwen followed suit, coming to stand beside him.
"And where is here?" she asked, looking around.
Jack didn't answer and Gwen narrowed her eyes.
"Wait a minute, this is Canary Wharf, isn't it?" she asked. "Something happened here not too long ago-"
"A battle. Between two of the most fearsome races in the entire universe, with the universe itself at stake."
Gwen nodded. "Rhys and I were away, but it was all over the news."
"A lot of people died that day," Jack murmured, and there was that haunted look in his eyes again. He took a breath and looked up.
"This is Torchwood One, or what remains of it."
Gwen looked up at the towering structure and then over at Jack.
"Why are we here?" she asked quietly.
"I want to show you what Torchwood isn't like anymore," Jack said and started towards the building.
They started in the bottom level and Gwen gasped at the sheer size of it.
"What is all this?"
"Alien technology. Torchwood London's motto was 'if it's alien, it's ours'. Most of it's broken now, result of the battle." Jack smiled grimly. "We took what still worked."
"Did you know anybody who worked here?" Gwen asked as they made their way up through the building.
Jack nodded. "I knew a fair number. They were nice, good people, but I never liked the way they handled things. Too militaristic, too cold."
"But, Jack," Gwen said hesitantly, "you were the same way. My first case with you, Carys. Remember?"
Jack nodded again. "Yeah. You're right. But you'll help make us better."
Gwen smiled a little shyly and Jack grinned at her.
They made it to the top floor and Gwen looked around at the mess. Jack had gone abnormally quiet and Gwen associated his silence with the untouched manner of the room.
"Is this where it happened?" she asked carefully and Jack nodded.
"Ground zero. It's where he would've been, with her."
Gwen didn't know who he meant, but they were obviously important people to him.
She walked over to one of the levers, drawn to the large black object affixed to the wall.
She wanted to ask Jack what it was but when she turned to look at him he was standing in front of the blank wall at the end of the room, just staring at it, hands in his pockets.
Gwen left it alone and moved past the desks, with their disassembled computers and papers scattered about. She walked into the office at the other end of the room, her shoes crunching over the remains of the glass walls.
Clear tarps covered the shattered windows and Gwen looked through them down at the distorted view of the bay.
"This was when Torchwood had to change," Jack said from behind her. She glanced back at him as he came to stand beside her. "We learned the hard way."
"Who were they?" Gwen asked. "The people you said would've been here."
"Friends. He's the most brilliant man in the universe. And the loneliest."
"And her?"
Jack smiled sadly. "She was beautiful and smart and so compassionate." He paused. "Her name was on the list of the dead."
"I'm sorry, Jack," Gwen said softly.
Jack continued to stare out at the bay and then he sighed, looking over at Gwen.
"C'mon. Let's get lunch."
Gwen smiled and touched his shoulder lightly before they turned and left the office. They were almost to the door in the outer room when Jack stopped suddenly and moved over to where some papers were scattered on the floor. Gwen followed and watched as he pushed the papers aside to reveal a pair of 3-D glasses, the red and blue so out of place in the clinically white room.
Jack picked them up, staring at them as if he'd never seen anything like them before.
"Jack, what is it?"
"They're his," he murmured. "They're so out of place, they have to be."
Jack straightened, staring at the glasses a moment longer before sticking them in his coat pocket.
"All right?" Gwen asked.
Jack stayed silent a moment, then smiled down at Gwen.
"Yeah. Let's go."
Gwen smiled back and took his hand as they walked from the room.
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Rebekah (mirimeneume)
Rating: G
Genre: Gen, Angst
Word Count: 907
Characters: Jack, Gwen (references to Ten and Rose)
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize? Ain't mine.
Summary: Shortly after she joins Torchwood, Jack takes Gwen to visit Torchwood One in London, to show her what Torchwood used to be, and discovers something unexpected in what's left.
A/N: Takes place before "Small Worlds", when we first see a pair of 3-D glasses hanging on the lamp in Jack's office. I'd been contemplating why they would be there, and this little ficlet sprang to mind.
"Okay, Jack, why are we in London?" Gwen asked, shielding her eyes against the morning light. "And why did we have to leave so bloody early to get here?"
Jack grinned. "Field trip. Learning experience."
"All right. Well, I've been to London."
"You haven't seen this. Trust me."
Gwen stared out the window of the SUV, looking in the shop windows and watching the people on the sidewalk as they passed.
She liked London well enough, but Cardiff was all she ever wanted, all she ever needed. Cardiff had her friends, it had her new job, it had Rhys, and it had Jack.
Gwen looked over at Jack now, studying his profile. His lips twitched and she knew he was aware of her gaze, but she kept on looking.
There was something so different about him, and Gwen just couldn't quite put her finger on it. The way he spoke, the way he moved, the way he thought. Not to mention the "not dying" thing.
Gwen opened her mouth to speak as Jack brought the car to a stop.
"We're here," he said and Gwen swallowed her words, peering out the window.
Jack was already out of the car and Gwen followed suit, coming to stand beside him.
"And where is here?" she asked, looking around.
Jack didn't answer and Gwen narrowed her eyes.
"Wait a minute, this is Canary Wharf, isn't it?" she asked. "Something happened here not too long ago-"
"A battle. Between two of the most fearsome races in the entire universe, with the universe itself at stake."
Gwen nodded. "Rhys and I were away, but it was all over the news."
"A lot of people died that day," Jack murmured, and there was that haunted look in his eyes again. He took a breath and looked up.
"This is Torchwood One, or what remains of it."
Gwen looked up at the towering structure and then over at Jack.
"Why are we here?" she asked quietly.
"I want to show you what Torchwood isn't like anymore," Jack said and started towards the building.
They started in the bottom level and Gwen gasped at the sheer size of it.
"What is all this?"
"Alien technology. Torchwood London's motto was 'if it's alien, it's ours'. Most of it's broken now, result of the battle." Jack smiled grimly. "We took what still worked."
"Did you know anybody who worked here?" Gwen asked as they made their way up through the building.
Jack nodded. "I knew a fair number. They were nice, good people, but I never liked the way they handled things. Too militaristic, too cold."
"But, Jack," Gwen said hesitantly, "you were the same way. My first case with you, Carys. Remember?"
Jack nodded again. "Yeah. You're right. But you'll help make us better."
Gwen smiled a little shyly and Jack grinned at her.
They made it to the top floor and Gwen looked around at the mess. Jack had gone abnormally quiet and Gwen associated his silence with the untouched manner of the room.
"Is this where it happened?" she asked carefully and Jack nodded.
"Ground zero. It's where he would've been, with her."
Gwen didn't know who he meant, but they were obviously important people to him.
She walked over to one of the levers, drawn to the large black object affixed to the wall.
She wanted to ask Jack what it was but when she turned to look at him he was standing in front of the blank wall at the end of the room, just staring at it, hands in his pockets.
Gwen left it alone and moved past the desks, with their disassembled computers and papers scattered about. She walked into the office at the other end of the room, her shoes crunching over the remains of the glass walls.
Clear tarps covered the shattered windows and Gwen looked through them down at the distorted view of the bay.
"This was when Torchwood had to change," Jack said from behind her. She glanced back at him as he came to stand beside her. "We learned the hard way."
"Who were they?" Gwen asked. "The people you said would've been here."
"Friends. He's the most brilliant man in the universe. And the loneliest."
"And her?"
Jack smiled sadly. "She was beautiful and smart and so compassionate." He paused. "Her name was on the list of the dead."
"I'm sorry, Jack," Gwen said softly.
Jack continued to stare out at the bay and then he sighed, looking over at Gwen.
"C'mon. Let's get lunch."
Gwen smiled and touched his shoulder lightly before they turned and left the office. They were almost to the door in the outer room when Jack stopped suddenly and moved over to where some papers were scattered on the floor. Gwen followed and watched as he pushed the papers aside to reveal a pair of 3-D glasses, the red and blue so out of place in the clinically white room.
Jack picked them up, staring at them as if he'd never seen anything like them before.
"Jack, what is it?"
"They're his," he murmured. "They're so out of place, they have to be."
Jack straightened, staring at the glasses a moment longer before sticking them in his coat pocket.
"All right?" Gwen asked.
Jack stayed silent a moment, then smiled down at Gwen.
"Yeah. Let's go."
Gwen smiled back and took his hand as they walked from the room.