28A/N: So I had this brainwave a while back and this will go into the post-Remember Me verse…(Timeline: After RM but before Everlasting Journey)
A/N2: I'VE LOST MY WRITING GROOVE! I really struggled with this so be kind.
Word Count: 1659
Gwen was happily typing away when she heard a noise. Blinking, she turned, there was no one in the hub. Tosh had gone home feeling ill after a particularly bad piece of pizza. Owen never stayed later than necessary on Friday nights and Jack…Jack was out with Ianto. The pair had picked up several disturbances in the area and went to investigate. Gwen couldn't say she wasn't jealous but she knew for as much as she loved Jack and he loved her part of him would always love Ianto.
Well my, my, sweetheart… Gwen heard a southern drawl whisper around her.
"Jack?" She called, she had heard him sometimes speaking with a southern twang but even then it was still hard to tell were he was from.
A wind started to blow around Gwen, it was cold and icy. She couldn't breath, the air rushing out of her. She tried to bring her arms up to protect her face as what she thought were bits of glass pelted her. But it wasn't it was pieces of…rock.
Gwen blinked again. She wasn't in the hub anymore, she stood in a street, almost desolate. She heard a siren, it wasn't one she had heard before but she knew the sound. It was a sound the bombs were coming.
Running into the nearest shop, the keeper turned around and looked at her startled. "Hello" He called, in a friendly reminding you of your grandfather manner.
"Hello I don't know if you can help me, what year is this?" Gwen asked.
"1944 love…middle of the second world" He replied as he looked bemused at her state of dress. "Here I thought a pretty girl like you would be going to the party."
"Party?" Gwen asked.
"Over at the town hall. Our boys are flying home for a week and we are giving them a party. Proper thing and all." He gestured to the many tuxedoes and gowns he had on a waiting line.
Gwen nodded numbly as she tried to take it all in. The keeper turned to her, "Tell you what love, I will give you a dress for the evening if you give me your name and let me take you back to my wife for some tea. Hmm?"
Smiling, Gwen laughed, "I'm Gwen, Gwen Cooper."
"Nice to me you Gwen Cooper. I'm Charles Smith but you can call me Ron" Ron smiled and offered her his arm.
"But shouldn't your shop be open?" Gwen asked as she took his arm.
"Oh it will be a few hours before people come back for their things" Ron turned the sign to closed as he and Gwen existed the shop. "Anyway I don't keep my best work in my shop. What with all the raids."
Gwen smiled further as Ron told her about his life and he asked about hers. Suddenly things didn't seem so bad, for now.
"Betty?!" Ron called, "We have a guest…Gwen"
"Gwen?" Betty called as she came into the living room. She took one look at Gwen and smiled, "Well isn't she a pretty thing."
Gwen blushed furiously, "Hello"
"Not from around here?" Betty asked.
"Cardiff actually." Gwen replied, she had forgotten to ask where she was.
"Cardiff is pretty far from London love." Betty turned as Ron busied himself with the tea. "Ron is from Newcastle originally. We met in the first war when Ron was evacuated but when it was time to go home I said to him. I said Ron love, lets stay here in London and we never left."
"He never went back for his things?" Gwen asked interested.
"Oh of course and to tell his parents we were getting married but mostly no we stayed here." Betty sighed happily.
"It's nice to know that the war brought some people together for love." Whenever she thought of war she often thought of Jack in his period dress. He lived and die in the war many times.
Ron set down the cup in front of Gwen as he turned to Betty, "I think Gwen needs some help for the ball."
"I thought so…I don't like to comment but why are you wearing men's trousers." Betty looked at her bemused.
"Leave off Bet, maybe it's a fashion in Cardiff." Ron laughed as he went up to what Gwen would find out was his workshop. Coming back down he brought with him what looked like a sash of emerald satin. Holding it up, it fell out and turning into a full length gown. It was amazing. Gwen couldn't allow herself to wear it.
"But look…it's too lovely!" Gwen felt the fabric gently. It felt wonderful.
"Well you haven't heard the catch yet." Betty smiled. Gwen looked up.
"Bet can't go so I would like to ask you if you would go with me, Miss Cooper." Ron extended his hand.
Gwen laughed, "Well I'd love too!"
Gwen was back to feeling self conscious again. The gown was beautiful but as she felt it slid over her skin she knew you could see a fair bit. It was long, so much so Gwen had to carry some of it when she walked, but it had a split down the middle from the knees down giving her room to walk. It was sleeveless with a deep V clinging to her breasts, a band underneath her bust further pointed them out.
Ron smiled at her, "Well look how wonderfully beautiful you are Gwen"
If she had her hair down, Gwen might have been tempted to hide behind it but Betty had sat her down and pinned her hair up with a few loose strands. The crystals Betty had put into Gwen's hair sparkled.
"Shall we go?" Gwen took the offered arm. She had felt so at home with Ron and Betty she hadn't even attempted to look for a way home but currently this party was the best chance she had. Plastering a smile on her face, the two left.
Ron hadn't been wrong when he had said they went all out. The town hall was more like a place with all its high ceilings and long chandeliers. Ron had spotted someone he knew and left Gwen by the drinks, though she knew mostly that it was he thought she was young and wanted to talk to people her own age. But after talking to some of the solider girlfriends she was more inclined to find Ron.
Gwen sat down rather hopeless when her first scanning of the room didn't turn anything up. But turning she bumped into a wall of men.
"Oh sorry." Gwen smiled but it seemed the boys wanted to start the night early. One of them grabbed her arm, not hard but hard enough to piss Gwen off. "Look…let go."
The solider turned and smiled, he leaned over like he was about to smell her hair. Number 1 never invade a woman's personal space, number 2 never mess with the hair. Without thinking she slammed her palm up into the face of the solider. His nose began to pour blood.
"You broke my nose?!" He cried. He lunged at her, Gwen side stepped him due to her lack of alcohol intake, grabbing his arm as she walked past him she slammed him into the nearest wall, his elbow twisted behind him.
"Well, my, my sweetheart I think you've got him." A southern drawl called behind her. Gwen turned, letting the solider fall to the floor. Captain Jack Harkness stood smiling at her in a very dashing tuxedo.
Gwen sat as the commotion was sorted out. The boys had been a bit drunk but they were young and on leave so it wasn't as serious as it needed to be.
Jack or 1944 Jack turned to her, "Now you want to tell me where a lady like you learnt a thing like that?"
"Local community centre" Gwen shot out. Standing up, she tried to side step Jack but he wasn't having it, his hand stopped her. Resting lightly on her hip, the two of them looked at it and then back at each other.
"Who are you?" Jack asked. Gwen took Jack's hand intending to remove it but without thinking she laced her fingers through his. It was so easy because that was the relationship she and her Jack had. Not this Jack.
"I'm…" Gwen heard gunfire then screaming. "Busy!"
The two of them ran to the source of the craziness, it was harder for Gwen in heels and a dress. There were bodies already, casualties piling up. Gwen grunted in disgust at what she had to do. Slowly bending down she pulled two guns off two separate dead soldiers. One of them had been her friend with the nose bleeds companion. She said a quick pray for them and moved on.
With the band under her breasts Gwen made a make shift gun holder under her dress, kind of like a garter, she turned to see Jack staring at her or more specifically her thighs. Jack smirked, "If we get out of this you are going to have to tell me about that."
Gwen smiled back and pulled Jack over to her for a kiss, a first he was unresponsive but after a moments hesitation he pulled Gwen to him. It was a hard kiss as Gwen pulled at Jack trying to get closer to him but he was rather confused when she stilled suddenly and before he opened his eyes she had fired her gun. The body of an intruder fell easily under the shot.
Jack raised his eyebrow, Gwen shrugged a little flushed, "He was too far away before. A girl never likes to miss."
Gwen felt a certain amount of satisfaction as Jack turned to her, "Again…how do you…?"
"Know how to fire a gun?" Gwen let a sly smirk fall onto her own face, "You taught me."
TBC.