Fic: What Will Be.
Title: What Will Be.
Author: zorell
Chapter: 38/?
Rating: PG
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Tosh, Owen, Martha, Gwen, the Doctor, Donna.
Pairings: Jack/Ianto.
Summary: Ianto and Donna talk.
Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to BBC and RTD.
A/N: Sorry for the delay, but here’s the next chapter. Hope everyone had happy holidays and that the New Year is treating you well, oh, and the usual apologies for mistakes, bad grammar, dodgy plot etc.
previous chapter: http://zorell.livejournal.com/17886.html?view=93662
Chapter 38.
As Ianto eased the Audi into the line of traffic leading them away from the Plass and the Hub, his passenger turned to look at him as she began to speak.
“ Why do you put up with it ?” Donna enquired.
“ Sorry ?” Ianto asked, a little distractedly as he focused his attention on the erratic driver in front of them.
“ All ‘that’ with Gwen...” Donna began to elaborate still looking in Ianto’s direction. Up until now the redhead had been uncharacteristically quiet since she had accompanied Ianto down to the garage, and they had left to run the aforementioned errands. “...I mean I know you said it didn’t get to you, but personally I think that’s a pile of old crock ! Putting up with the way she is around the Captain has got to have some sort of effect on you, however sure you are of his feelings.”
Ianto let out a small sigh. He had had a feeling that their guest would mention something about the situation that had occurred in the Hub prior to their leaving, and he briefly wondered whether to merely repeat his comment of earlier, but knew that Donna wouldn’t simply accept that. The young Welshman also felt as though he not only wanted to tell her, but also owed his new friend the truth. There was something about the feisty, straight talking, ‘take no prisoners’ secretary that actually made Ianto feel at ease and comfortable, and he had to admit it would be nice to have someone to talk to who wasn’t part of the team and so had a fresh perspective on things.
“ ‘Why do I put up with it ?’... Good question, I guess it’s just easier.” Ianto paused for a moment which allowed Donna to speak up again, instantly picking up on Ianto’s comment.
“ Easier ? Easier than what ? Speaking your mind and putting her in her place about a few things ?” Donna couldn’t believe that Ianto let that woman fawn all over his man for the sake of an easy life at work.
“ Believe me there have been times I’ve wanted to let rip at her, but that is Owens’ style not mine, and anyway it wasn’t my place to set her right it was Jack’s, as both the one involved and leader of the team.”
“ So you just put up with it.” Donna shook her head slightly in disbelief.
“ I meant what I said about being very sure of what Jack and I have and how he feels about Gwen. Whatever she does, thinks, or says, it is me Jack truly talks to and confides in, it is me his eyes search for when entering a room, it is me Jack comes home to, it is me who shares his bed, and it is me he loves. So yes I guess I have just put up with it all, and tried not to worry about Gwen’s flirting and delusional view of things.”
“ It’s great that you are so sure of what you two have, but that doesn’t mean you should have to put up with the way she is around Jack, virtually throwing herself at him, and then there is his reaction, Jack seems to just accept it even though I’ve noticed how uncomfortable he is when she gets so ‘up close and personal’ to him. Why doesn’t Jack just get rid of her ? I mean from what I’ve seen it wouldn’t be a great loss to the team if she wasn’t there. Tosh is your tech wiz, Owen’s the doctor, you’re the archivist and keep everything running smoothly and Jack is obviously the leader. I know Gwen was introduced as Police Liaison but that doesn’t exactly require any specialist skills and any of you could do that easily, so what is Gwen’s forte ?...other than going after already taken men.”
“ Apparently she’s the ‘Heart of Torchwood’.”
Donna couldn’t help the incredulous look and derisive snort that escaped her on hearing Iantos’ words.
“ She’s what ?!”
“ The ‘Heart of Torchwood’...” Ianto repeated, “... ‘She reminds us what it’s like to be human’.”
“ Riiight...like you’d forget that simple fact seeing as though that’s what you are.” Donna stated sarcastically, hardly believing what she had just heard. “ And just how did she become to be considered as that ?...Oh, please tell me that it wasn’t the Captain...”
“ I’ll just keep quiet then.” Ianto replied, glancing over to see Donnas’ reaction before quickly returning his attention fully to the busy road ahead.
The Doctor’s companion gave her head another slight shake, and had the disbelieving look still firmly fixed on her face. Rather than an instant comment back that Ianto had been expecting there was a few moments silence before Donna spoke again.
“ Has there ever been anything going on between the Captain and Gwen ?” Not what the Welshman had been expecting Donna to come out with.
“ No.” Ianto stated, maybe both a little too quickly and firmly.
The Welshman could feel Donnas’ eyes on him. Even though he had answered the redheads question he knew she was waiting for him to say more, and surprising himself, Ianto felt as though he wanted to continue.
“ But there was a time when it was wanted by both sides.” Ianto let out a slow breath.
“ And you’re alright with that ?”
‘Of course I’m not,’ Ianto thought, ‘but things aren’t that simple.’
“ It’s complicated...” the Welshman began, “ At first Jack and I were, for want of a better description, colleagues with benefits, and at the time it suited both of us...” Ianto wasn’t about to go into the whole Lisa situation. “...When Gwen joined the ‘attraction’ between them was pretty obvious. Gwen instantly saw Jack as this matinee idol hero type, who she envisaged sweeping her off her feet like some fairytale romance. And Jack saw someone who had something he couldn’t have - a normal life away from Torchwood and untouched by aliens. He saw someone with a life, someone who was ‘fresh’ and untarnished by it all. The rest of us were all ‘damaged’ in some way, but Gwen wasn’t and that added to her attraction for Jack.”
“ And with this mutual attraction going on, how are you so sure nothing did happen between them ?”
“ Because in amongst all the things Jack has done and isn’t averse to doing even he has a few ‘golden rules’, one of which is not to come between an established couple. Gwen was with Rhys; they had been together for years and were living together, so there was no way Jack would have got involved with Gwen. For him, flirting and longing looks were all it would ever be. Then as time passed he got to ‘see’ what the real Gwen Cooper was like, and that attraction waned pretty rapidly, while things between Jack and I moved from what it had been, to something more meaningful, through to what it is now.” Ianto couldn’t help but glance at the ring on his finger and a small smile graced his lips, which didn’t go unnoticed by Donna.
“ As for getting rid of her,” Ianto continued, returning to Donnas’ earlier comment and wanting to explain why Jack hadn’t yet taken what appeared to be the logical next step. “ Firstly Jack doesn’t like to admit that he’s wrong, and firing Gwen would mean he’d have to admit hiring her was a mistake in the first place. Then there’s the fact that firing her over a personal matter would ‘play into her hands’ as far as her view of Jack letting our personal relationship interfere with work is concerned. As for her less than auspicious work record since joining the team, she would be the first to point out that the rest of us have all had our ‘off’ moments and yet we are still gainfully employed by Torchwood, and that she had just as much right to a second chance as the rest of us......Mind you I’m not sure what number ‘second’ chance Gwen is currently up to !”
“ So the rest of you are expected to ‘carry’ her until the Captain gets his act together and decides to admit he was wrong ? I can see me and Handsome having words when we get back.”
“ Donna.”
“ What ? I’m just going to talk to him. Give him the proverbial kick up the back side to get his act together.” Donna tried to sound innocent, but wasn’t sure she was pulling it off considering the look she got from Ianto.
Donna was saved from any verbal response from her travelling companion as Ianto indicated that he had an incoming call on his com and began reassuring the caller, ‘undoubtedly the Captain’ thought Donna, that except for heavy traffic everything was fine, and that Donna was behaving herself. As Ianto continued his conversation, Donna couldn’t help but find herself thinking again about Ms. Cooper, and as such the former PC was once again the topic of conversation when Ianto’s call ended.
“ Gwen real doesn’t get it does she. Even after what was said earlier, she still won’t see the reality and is just going to keep on believing what she wants to believe; she’s not going to stop, is she.” Donnas’ last words were more a statement rather than question, but Ianto answered nevertheless.
“ I’d like to think she will, but to be honest, I doubt it. She has been put straight about things before, both by the others, and most recently by us when we announced our engagement, but it seems nothing has changed. Talking to her doesn’t seem to do any good. She might hear the words but she doesn’t listen.”
“ So she needs to be made to listen. Make her see the reality.” Donna paused for a moment as a thought came to her. “ As words don’t seem to be getting through to her, what about something visual ? - Show her the reality of you two together. I mean when I saw you and the Captain kissing in the kitchen this morning, no one who saw you would have been in any doubt about what you two have going on believe me, and they do say actions speak louder than words.”
“ We have a rule about keeping ‘us’ out of work.”
“ Rules are made to be broken, and if it makes her ladyship see the reality, see the truth...What ?” Donnas’ tone of voice and expression went from determined to questioning as she noticed the look on Ianto’s face.
“ Your suggestion of putting on a ‘show’ just reminded me of an idea Jack had as a way of setting Gwen straight about something.” Ianto answered, annoyingly for Donna not going into details.
“ Really ? See great minds think alike.” The redhead grinned.
“ Fools rarely differ.” Ianto deadpanned, risking the briefest of glances in his passengers’ direction.
“ Hey !” Donna playfully smacked the Welshman’s arm before inquiring, “ So, Handsome’s idea - come on spill...”
chapter 39: http://zorell.livejournal.com/18424.html#cutid1