Fic - When You Were Gone
Written for the seven sins challenge at
I wrote Gwen! *goes for a lie down*
Title: When You Were Gone
Author: szm
Character: Gwen
Sin: Gluttony
Rating: G
Spoilers: nope, well end of season one maybe
“Owen we can’t just move everything, what about when Jack comes back?” Gwen used her most calming yet firm voice on Owen. The one she’d learnt as a copper to use on drunks on a Saturday night.
“He’s not bloody coming back Cooper!” exploded Owen, hands in the air. “I’ve accepted it, Tosh’s accepted it, and even the frigging lovesick teaboy’s accepted it. He sodded off and left us!”
Gwen didn’t know what to say in the face of Owen rage. Tosh was sitting at her computer pretending that she couldn’t hear the argument happening mere feet away from her. Ianto was standing a little distance away, ready to jump in if the fight came to blows. Problem being Gwen didn’t know exactly whose side he’d be on. He’d been even harder to read since Jack was gone. Gwen felt her hands clench into fists by her sides.
“He’s coming back,” she said through clenched teeth. “I know he is.”
“And we’re supposed to do what? Just sit here and wait, like good little boys and girls?” spat Owen.
The rift alarm sounded, ending the fight for now. Tosh stayed behind to coordinate. They caught three weevils. They’d barely got them back to the Hub and contained before Owen announced he was leaving. Glaring at Gwen the whole time like he was daring her to say something. Tosh left soon after. Ianto stayed behind, helping to clean up. They all knew he was pretty much living at the Hub now. Filling in for Jack’s night shift, getting next to no sleep. They all pretended they didn’t. Tosh because she didn’t want to upset her friend, Owen because he didn’t want to end up with the job, and Gwen because she didn’t want to admit it was a long term problem. Jack would be back soon then it wouldn’t matter.
Jack would be back. Soon.
“Night Ianto,” called Gwen as she left.
Ianto appeared from somewhere near the kitchen area. “Night,” he replied.
Suddenly Gwen had to know. She asked the question she’d been avoiding for weeks. “Do you think he’s coming back?”
Ianto’s face changed for a brief instance. The blank, polite smile was gone, replaced by something that Gwen had no name for. Something hopeless and lost. “I think we can’t know if he is or he isn’t. It’s not up to us. However much I… we want…” Ianto trailed off. He looked Gwen straight in the eye then, and there was steel in his gaze. Suddenly he reminded her a little of Jack. The Jack who had retconned her. “But Torchwood has to go on. We need a leader, Gwen.”
Gwen left without another word. Trying to convince herself she wasn’t running from that gaze, that absolute certainly that what they wanted didn’t matter in the face of the almighty Torchwood.
As she drove home she could feel herself getting angrier and angrier. At Jack for leaving, at Ianto and the others for trying to push her into a job she didn’t know how to do. She wasn’t the boss. She’d been at Torchwood barely a year.
By the time she got home she was fuming. Rhys was dozing on the sofa, he jumped awake at the sound of the door slamming shut.
“Love? That you?” he called sleepily.
“Who else would it be? Where’s the menu for that pizza place?” she snapped back.
Rhys came to the lounge doorway watching Gwen root through the drawer by the phone with mild interest.
“Tough day?” he asked.
Gwen glared at him. “I want to get very drunk. However I’ve got work in the morning so it’s pizza instead.”
Rhys chuckled. “The numbers on the pad, you threw the menu out after last time, remember?”
Gwen snorted and picked up the phone stabbing the numbers with her finger. It rang for what seemed like forever. Finally some youth answered.
“Yes,” said Gwen into the handset. “Three large pizzas, two meat feast, one veggie, and do you still do ice cream…”
**
When the pizza arrived Rhys had put on some mindless blockbuster with explosions and a ridiculously high body count without Gwen even having to ask him. She really did love that man. He had some of the pizza but Gwen worked her way through most of it. Rhys let her eat, just sitting next to her watching the film. Gwen let all the nonsense in her head drain away. Torchwood would still be there in the morning. For now there was just the pizza and the film and Rhys.
**
Next morning Gwen was the first one in. Except for Ianto but then he’d never left. She felt really sick. She’d thrown out the number to the pizza place. She’d brushed her teeth three times this morning but she could still taste grease and cheese. She felt disgusting.
Ianto greeted her at her desk with a hot cup of coffee. She was half an hour earlier than her usual time, one day she was going to find out how he did that. She told him she was going to the boardroom and could he please get the others to meet her there? She really could have done without the smug ‘yes ma’am’ in response.
**
When Owen finally rolled in nearly two hours later they were all gathered in the boardroom and Gwen had a plan of action.
“Right,” she said addressing them all. Ianto had a notepad and pan at the ready. Tosh smiled encouragingly and Owen rolled his eyes. “Jack is coming back,” she said glaring at Owen before he could open his mouth. “But we don’t know when, so yes, we need to make some changes. Those plants need to be housed somewhere and Owen’s right, the boardroom is the best place. Ianto? I need you to find a room downstairs for the board room, okay?”
Ianto nodded and made a note. Gwen took a deep breath. That was the easy bit.
“I think we also need to rearrange Jack’s office. So it’s easier for us all to access.” Gwen spared a quick look at Ianto. He had very subtly made it clear that he would be looking after the office. Nobody else ventured up there. He frowned but didn’t say anything, carefully focusing his attention on his pad and not Gwen.
“Finally,” said Gwen. “I’ve drawn up a rota. It means that there will be someone here 24/7. But also you all have ‘off’ periods. Barring emergencies, if you’re down as ‘off’ I don’t want to see you here. I don’t care what you do, but don’t do it here, okay?”
Tosh nodded immediately. Throwing a look of relief in Ianto’s direction. Owen rolled his eyes again but nodded. Ianto had his mouth set in a stubborn line, but he didn’t actually object. That was better than Gwen had expected.
They talked about some of the outstanding cases and ironed out the wrinkles in the rota. Finally Gwen called an end to the meeting. Ianto took lunch orders and they all disappeared to their various jobs. Gwen watched them go.
Gwen didn’t want to be the boss but she could do it for a while. She wasn’t on her own after all. They’d help her and she could look after them, and then when Jack did get back she was going to give him such a wallop for leaving them like that.
When Jack got back.
I wrote Gwen! *goes for a lie down*
Title: When You Were Gone
Author: szm
Character: Gwen
Sin: Gluttony
Rating: G
Spoilers: nope, well end of season one maybe
“Owen we can’t just move everything, what about when Jack comes back?” Gwen used her most calming yet firm voice on Owen. The one she’d learnt as a copper to use on drunks on a Saturday night.
“He’s not bloody coming back Cooper!” exploded Owen, hands in the air. “I’ve accepted it, Tosh’s accepted it, and even the frigging lovesick teaboy’s accepted it. He sodded off and left us!”
Gwen didn’t know what to say in the face of Owen rage. Tosh was sitting at her computer pretending that she couldn’t hear the argument happening mere feet away from her. Ianto was standing a little distance away, ready to jump in if the fight came to blows. Problem being Gwen didn’t know exactly whose side he’d be on. He’d been even harder to read since Jack was gone. Gwen felt her hands clench into fists by her sides.
“He’s coming back,” she said through clenched teeth. “I know he is.”
“And we’re supposed to do what? Just sit here and wait, like good little boys and girls?” spat Owen.
The rift alarm sounded, ending the fight for now. Tosh stayed behind to coordinate. They caught three weevils. They’d barely got them back to the Hub and contained before Owen announced he was leaving. Glaring at Gwen the whole time like he was daring her to say something. Tosh left soon after. Ianto stayed behind, helping to clean up. They all knew he was pretty much living at the Hub now. Filling in for Jack’s night shift, getting next to no sleep. They all pretended they didn’t. Tosh because she didn’t want to upset her friend, Owen because he didn’t want to end up with the job, and Gwen because she didn’t want to admit it was a long term problem. Jack would be back soon then it wouldn’t matter.
Jack would be back. Soon.
“Night Ianto,” called Gwen as she left.
Ianto appeared from somewhere near the kitchen area. “Night,” he replied.
Suddenly Gwen had to know. She asked the question she’d been avoiding for weeks. “Do you think he’s coming back?”
Ianto’s face changed for a brief instance. The blank, polite smile was gone, replaced by something that Gwen had no name for. Something hopeless and lost. “I think we can’t know if he is or he isn’t. It’s not up to us. However much I… we want…” Ianto trailed off. He looked Gwen straight in the eye then, and there was steel in his gaze. Suddenly he reminded her a little of Jack. The Jack who had retconned her. “But Torchwood has to go on. We need a leader, Gwen.”
Gwen left without another word. Trying to convince herself she wasn’t running from that gaze, that absolute certainly that what they wanted didn’t matter in the face of the almighty Torchwood.
As she drove home she could feel herself getting angrier and angrier. At Jack for leaving, at Ianto and the others for trying to push her into a job she didn’t know how to do. She wasn’t the boss. She’d been at Torchwood barely a year.
By the time she got home she was fuming. Rhys was dozing on the sofa, he jumped awake at the sound of the door slamming shut.
“Love? That you?” he called sleepily.
“Who else would it be? Where’s the menu for that pizza place?” she snapped back.
Rhys came to the lounge doorway watching Gwen root through the drawer by the phone with mild interest.
“Tough day?” he asked.
Gwen glared at him. “I want to get very drunk. However I’ve got work in the morning so it’s pizza instead.”
Rhys chuckled. “The numbers on the pad, you threw the menu out after last time, remember?”
Gwen snorted and picked up the phone stabbing the numbers with her finger. It rang for what seemed like forever. Finally some youth answered.
“Yes,” said Gwen into the handset. “Three large pizzas, two meat feast, one veggie, and do you still do ice cream…”
**
When the pizza arrived Rhys had put on some mindless blockbuster with explosions and a ridiculously high body count without Gwen even having to ask him. She really did love that man. He had some of the pizza but Gwen worked her way through most of it. Rhys let her eat, just sitting next to her watching the film. Gwen let all the nonsense in her head drain away. Torchwood would still be there in the morning. For now there was just the pizza and the film and Rhys.
**
Next morning Gwen was the first one in. Except for Ianto but then he’d never left. She felt really sick. She’d thrown out the number to the pizza place. She’d brushed her teeth three times this morning but she could still taste grease and cheese. She felt disgusting.
Ianto greeted her at her desk with a hot cup of coffee. She was half an hour earlier than her usual time, one day she was going to find out how he did that. She told him she was going to the boardroom and could he please get the others to meet her there? She really could have done without the smug ‘yes ma’am’ in response.
**
When Owen finally rolled in nearly two hours later they were all gathered in the boardroom and Gwen had a plan of action.
“Right,” she said addressing them all. Ianto had a notepad and pan at the ready. Tosh smiled encouragingly and Owen rolled his eyes. “Jack is coming back,” she said glaring at Owen before he could open his mouth. “But we don’t know when, so yes, we need to make some changes. Those plants need to be housed somewhere and Owen’s right, the boardroom is the best place. Ianto? I need you to find a room downstairs for the board room, okay?”
Ianto nodded and made a note. Gwen took a deep breath. That was the easy bit.
“I think we also need to rearrange Jack’s office. So it’s easier for us all to access.” Gwen spared a quick look at Ianto. He had very subtly made it clear that he would be looking after the office. Nobody else ventured up there. He frowned but didn’t say anything, carefully focusing his attention on his pad and not Gwen.
“Finally,” said Gwen. “I’ve drawn up a rota. It means that there will be someone here 24/7. But also you all have ‘off’ periods. Barring emergencies, if you’re down as ‘off’ I don’t want to see you here. I don’t care what you do, but don’t do it here, okay?”
Tosh nodded immediately. Throwing a look of relief in Ianto’s direction. Owen rolled his eyes again but nodded. Ianto had his mouth set in a stubborn line, but he didn’t actually object. That was better than Gwen had expected.
They talked about some of the outstanding cases and ironed out the wrinkles in the rota. Finally Gwen called an end to the meeting. Ianto took lunch orders and they all disappeared to their various jobs. Gwen watched them go.
Gwen didn’t want to be the boss but she could do it for a while. She wasn’t on her own after all. They’d help her and she could look after them, and then when Jack did get back she was going to give him such a wallop for leaving them like that.
When Jack got back.