Sit a While Longer
Title: Sit a While Longer
Author: Timelordshines
Characters: Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper
Rating: PG-13
Words: 792
Spoilers: S1E13, S1E1, S1E8
Disclaimer: Characters and situations belong to RTD and the BBC - I’m just borrowing them.
Written for hc_bingo prompt "Bodyguards"
Author's Note: As always, comments and criticism are welcome and would help me to improve.
“How long’s she going to do this?”
Ianto turned and started at him incredulously. Tosh just shook her head minutely and continued watching the screen showing the CCTV of Gwen pacing around the small morgue where Jack’s cold body lay on the slab ready to be interred for the rest of time.
Owen persisted “Someone needs to go and talk to her.”
“You’re the doctor” Ianto threw at him before stalking off in the direction of Jack’s office.
Tosh turned and looked up at Owen “He’s right. You should go.” She said quietly.
Owen sighed dramatically, but left anyway.
“Hi” Owen greeted Gwen as he entered the room “I brought you a chair,” he said putting it down beside her.
“Any change?” he asked looking down at Jack’s still body.
“Not yet”, she replied tearing her eyes away from their boss to look up at him.
Owen moved to the back of the room and sat down leaning against the banks of freezer drawers, purposefully not thinking about the bodies on the other side, most of them former torchwood employees. He patted the floor next to him in invitation for Gwen to sit down. Owen raised his arm for his ex-lover to snuggle into his side. It was weird, he reflected, when they were shagging, that’s all it was. They were friends and they fucked but there was no tenderness there. But now that their physical relationship had run its course they somehow felt closer emotionally.
“It’s been forty eight hours Gwen”
“You think I don’t know that?” she interrupted, snapping at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“Shh, its ok” he kissed the top of her head “but you can’t stay here for ever watching over his body, you need to take a break and get some sleep”
“I don’t want to leave him on his own. What if he wakes up when I’m not here?” Owen squeezed her shoulder and resolutely didn’t look at her.
“You don’t think he’s waking up do you?” she asked bitterly.
“It’s been two days Gwen. He’s still cold.”
“He came back after you shot him” Owen’s shoulder stiffened under her head.
“When I joined torchwood he told me he couldn’t die.”
“He was wrong.” Owen stated. “Wait, he told you that?”
“Yeah, when I started to break through the retcon he had given me, I was up on the plass, trying to remember what it was I had forgotten, and Suzie found me. Then it all came flooding back to me. I made the link between her and the knife and those murders. She pulled her gun on me and was threatening to shoot when Jack came up on the invisible lift. She obviously knew about the lift so the perception filter didn’t work on her, but I had no idea he was there until she turned and shot him.”
“When we brought her back, he said she had tried to kill him. I didn’t realise she had actually succeeded!”
“Yeah she did. But he wasn’t out long.” Gwen smiled “you should have seen the look on her face when he stood up!”
Gwen sobered quickly, looking up at Jack’s still body. She pushed herself up off the floor and went to stand by his head, running the backs of her fingers down his cheek. “Why is he so cold?” she asked in a small voice.
Owen sighed and went to stand behind her. He put one arm around her shoulders and reached down with his other hand to feel Jack’s neck for a pulse. Not surprisingly he didn’t feel anything. He turned Gwen to face him, cradling her head against his shoulder. “Gwen love, he’s dead. He’s not coming back.”
“I have faith in him.” Gwen said, tearing herself away from Owen’s chest and gazing down at her captain again. “He said he couldn’t die. I just need to give him more time.”
Owen kissed the side of her face “Alright. You can give him another twenty four hours. Then, as your doctor, I must insist that you go home and rest.”
Gwen sat down on the chair and reached out once more, this time running her hand gently through Jack’s hair.
Owen rested his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. Gwen brought her other hand up over the top of his and returned the squeeze. “I know you’re hurting Gwen. We all are. But there is nothing we can do.”
“I know” Gwen said, a single tear escaping and rolling down her cheek. “Just, please, leave me to sit with him a while longer?”
“Ok” Owen said leaning down to kiss the top of her head before turning to leave, “I’m going to go and help Tosh sort out the hub.”
Author: Timelordshines
Characters: Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper
Rating: PG-13
Words: 792
Spoilers: S1E13, S1E1, S1E8
Disclaimer: Characters and situations belong to RTD and the BBC - I’m just borrowing them.
Written for hc_bingo prompt "Bodyguards"
Author's Note: As always, comments and criticism are welcome and would help me to improve.
“How long’s she going to do this?”
Ianto turned and started at him incredulously. Tosh just shook her head minutely and continued watching the screen showing the CCTV of Gwen pacing around the small morgue where Jack’s cold body lay on the slab ready to be interred for the rest of time.
Owen persisted “Someone needs to go and talk to her.”
“You’re the doctor” Ianto threw at him before stalking off in the direction of Jack’s office.
Tosh turned and looked up at Owen “He’s right. You should go.” She said quietly.
Owen sighed dramatically, but left anyway.
“Hi” Owen greeted Gwen as he entered the room “I brought you a chair,” he said putting it down beside her.
“Any change?” he asked looking down at Jack’s still body.
“Not yet”, she replied tearing her eyes away from their boss to look up at him.
Owen moved to the back of the room and sat down leaning against the banks of freezer drawers, purposefully not thinking about the bodies on the other side, most of them former torchwood employees. He patted the floor next to him in invitation for Gwen to sit down. Owen raised his arm for his ex-lover to snuggle into his side. It was weird, he reflected, when they were shagging, that’s all it was. They were friends and they fucked but there was no tenderness there. But now that their physical relationship had run its course they somehow felt closer emotionally.
“It’s been forty eight hours Gwen”
“You think I don’t know that?” she interrupted, snapping at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“Shh, its ok” he kissed the top of her head “but you can’t stay here for ever watching over his body, you need to take a break and get some sleep”
“I don’t want to leave him on his own. What if he wakes up when I’m not here?” Owen squeezed her shoulder and resolutely didn’t look at her.
“You don’t think he’s waking up do you?” she asked bitterly.
“It’s been two days Gwen. He’s still cold.”
“He came back after you shot him” Owen’s shoulder stiffened under her head.
“When I joined torchwood he told me he couldn’t die.”
“He was wrong.” Owen stated. “Wait, he told you that?”
“Yeah, when I started to break through the retcon he had given me, I was up on the plass, trying to remember what it was I had forgotten, and Suzie found me. Then it all came flooding back to me. I made the link between her and the knife and those murders. She pulled her gun on me and was threatening to shoot when Jack came up on the invisible lift. She obviously knew about the lift so the perception filter didn’t work on her, but I had no idea he was there until she turned and shot him.”
“When we brought her back, he said she had tried to kill him. I didn’t realise she had actually succeeded!”
“Yeah she did. But he wasn’t out long.” Gwen smiled “you should have seen the look on her face when he stood up!”
Gwen sobered quickly, looking up at Jack’s still body. She pushed herself up off the floor and went to stand by his head, running the backs of her fingers down his cheek. “Why is he so cold?” she asked in a small voice.
Owen sighed and went to stand behind her. He put one arm around her shoulders and reached down with his other hand to feel Jack’s neck for a pulse. Not surprisingly he didn’t feel anything. He turned Gwen to face him, cradling her head against his shoulder. “Gwen love, he’s dead. He’s not coming back.”
“I have faith in him.” Gwen said, tearing herself away from Owen’s chest and gazing down at her captain again. “He said he couldn’t die. I just need to give him more time.”
Owen kissed the side of her face “Alright. You can give him another twenty four hours. Then, as your doctor, I must insist that you go home and rest.”
Gwen sat down on the chair and reached out once more, this time running her hand gently through Jack’s hair.
Owen rested his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. Gwen brought her other hand up over the top of his and returned the squeeze. “I know you’re hurting Gwen. We all are. But there is nothing we can do.”
“I know” Gwen said, a single tear escaping and rolling down her cheek. “Just, please, leave me to sit with him a while longer?”
“Ok” Owen said leaning down to kiss the top of her head before turning to leave, “I’m going to go and help Tosh sort out the hub.”