Ficlet: Standing In

[lefaym]

Title: Standing In
Author: lefaym
Beta: Many thanks to 51stcenturyfox
Fandom: Torchwood
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Jack/Gwen
Summary: Missing scene, set between Day Four and Day Five of CoE: Gwen has to do it, it has to be her, because she's the only one left.
Rating: NC-17 for dark and angsty PWP.
Disclaimer: RTD and the BBC own these characters.
Spoilers/Warnings:

Comments

[iris_imer]

Are you trying to kill me?!? Bringing up all these old wounds! *cries* This is really lovely and just so sad. You made me fall apart when they realize there really can be no comfort. *sobs*

[lefaym]

Awww, I'm sorry! *hugs* If it helps, I started writing this in July, but it's only now that I managed to finish it, because it was too painful to work on it for a while.

Thanks for reading, and for your lovely comment. :)

[rm]

Jesus, I read this with trepidation and I was right to fear but for totally different reasons than I expected. This is really good and really difficult, and you know, every time I think I'm fucking over it... something like this shows up. Wow. Great stuff.

[lefaym]

Wow, thank you. As I said to the above commenter, writing this was really difficult -- I wrote a bunch of it in July, soon after CoE aired, and then I found it too painful to continue with until just recently. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it.

[quean_of_swords]

... Meh. Yeah, I'm not over it, either. *sigh* Very nicely done. Oh, the PAIN!!

[lefaym]

Oh, your icon! :(

Thank you for your comment.

[axeslade]

Oh. Oh God. Yeah, definitely still not over it. Damn. This was really hard to read, but in a good way. And this part just really hit me in the gut.

she can’t help noticing the way he flinches when he finally shrugs, unassisted, back into his coat.

Ow

Great work.

[lefaym]

Thank you -- I was hoping people would notice that detail; I'm glad (in a sad way) to know that it had an impact.

[firefly124]

Oh wow. This is utterly brutal and so true to them both.

Gwen knows that he’s not really seeing her, that it’s Ianto’s face that’s swimming before his eyes right now-Ianto and perhaps a thousand other lovers who died too young. It’s not her neck that he’s kissing, and it’s not her hands fumbling for his cock, and that’s okay because it means that she isn’t really doing this; she isn’t cheating on Rhys, she isn’t breaking her wedding vows, she’s just standing in for Ianto and for all the others Jack has lost, and she has to do it, it has to be her, because she’s the only one left.

This. You absolutely gutted me with this. And then the bit about the coat at the end was the kicker.

[lefaym]

Thank you. That paragraph you quoted was actually the first part that I wrote for this fic -- I wrote the rest around it, so I'm glad it stood out to you. :)