15Chapter Three is finally here! I've been super busy, which is why this took so long, but I'm not dead! I swear!
Gwen wasn't really listening to Rhys talking over dinner. She nodded and smiled, trying to focus and be polite, but her thoughts were caught up on Jack. How thin he'd been. All those cuts and bruises...
The vibrating phone in her pocket was what finally brought her hurtling back to Earth. She jumped and scrabbled to reach it, opening it with shaky hands. "Hello?" Her voice was tight.
"Gwen? What's up, you sound like you've seen a -" Owen stopped himself when he remembered that both of them had seen ghosts, "...zombie."
"Owen! What is it? Is Jack alright?" Rhys looked at her, concerned. She shook her head, and gave him the 'don't worry, it's work' look.
"Woah, woah, woah, cut the engine sweetheart." Owen's voice crackled with poorly concealed laughter.
"You know I hate it when you call me that." Gwen growled, "Why are you calling?"
"I need someone to talk to."
"I'm a bit busy at the moment..."
"Come on newbie! I'm stuck here on Jack-watch for the graveyard shift, and it's hardly entertaining to fling words at someone who's comatose..."
"He's in a coma?!"
"No!" Owen said hurriedly, "No, he's just asleep, but it's not looking like he's going to wake up anytime soon, and I'm bored! Come in and have a chat with a teammate, will you?"
Gwen sighed heavily and looked to her boyfriend in apology. "It's work. They've called me in."
"Alright, babe. Be safe."
"Aren't I always?" Gwen kissed him and rose from the table, putting the phone back to her ear, "I'm on my way, you insufferable prick."
"Oh, good. Pick up Chinese on your way, will you? I'm here all night."
Gwen rolled her eyes, and snapped the phone shut.
"Joy." She muttered under her breath, "Late night."
-0l0l0-
"Owen? You still here?" Gwen called, emerging from the invisible lift with her arms piled high with Owen's Chinese delivery.
''Yeah, I'm here!" Owen called from somewhere deeper inside the Hub.
"Great. D'you think you could come give me a hand with this before I drop it all?"
"Why, how much do you have?!" Owen emerged from some hidden hallway behind Gwen, making her nearly jump out of her skin.
"Owen!" She gasped, "Don't do that!"
"Don't do what? You asked me to come and help you with the takeout, didn't you?" Owen replied flippantly.
"Oh, shut your gob, you know what I mean." Gwen snapped, shoving a bag into his arms. "Lead the way, Magellan."
"Magellan?"
"You're the only one that knows the way around this whole place. So take the lead."
Owen shrugged and led her back to where he'd been sitting, put down the takeout, and began to push things around on the desk to make room for everything.
Gwen set the other bag down and absently made her way to the med bay door, peering inside to see how Jack was doing.
He was asleep again. He looked peaceful, she thought. That was good. But he was still remarkably thin. How long had they been starving him?
She let out a shaky sigh and approached the motionless form. She reached down and gently tousled his hair. She smiled down at his sleeping face, taking in every detail. He had a strong jawline, a pleasing complexion and eyelashes that were almost ridiculously long for a man. And he smelled nice, she realized. A mixture of scents that she couldn't quite put her finger on, but mixed together, they were simply...Jack.
She didn't love him by any stretch. No, he was far too confusing for that... But she couldn't help caring for him. As the only normal human being in this place, she also seemed to be the only one besides Ianto who was capable of remembering to care for herself, so as time went on she'd simply...inherited some of the work of reminding the others to do the same.
As her hand came to rest near Jack's cheek, his eyes flicked open. He didn't seem to see her as he reflexively moved away from her hand. He looked scared. No... He looked more than scared. He looked utterly petrified."Jack?!" Gwen put her hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention, bring him back to Earth, "Jack, what's wrong?!"
Owen came running in from the outside room. "What's going on...?"
The male voice seemed to shake Jack even more. "N-no... stay off... stay off..." He muttered.
Gwen signaled for Owen to get out, but he'd already taken the hint.
"Jack..." Gwen maneuvered herself into his line of sight, "Jack, it's me. Gwen. Remember? You're in the Med-Bay at the Hub. You're safe."
It took a moment for Gwen's words to register with Jack, but as they did, he seemed to relax, slightly.
"Jack, what happened?" She asked, "What was that all about?"
"N-nothing." Jack looked away, "It's nothing..."
Gwen frowned, but didn't pursue the topic.
"Are you going to be alright, or do you want me and Owen to come in here with you?" She asked, instead.
Jack considered for a moment.
"Some company would be nice..." He said, finally.
Gwen nodded, and called Owen into the room, beginning to set up a small table near the bed.
Owen came with the food, faking being annoyed at having to move it all over again, but internally he was glad that there was now a place to set up where they didn't have to avoid papers and documents and bits of machinery scattered everywhere. "Hey, sleepin' beauty." He greeted Jack, "How d'you feel?"
"Better." Jack said, truthfully, though the smell coming of the takeout made his stomach twist with desire.
"Good." Gwen said, "It was awful...seeing you like that... And I can't imagine what it must've been like."
Jack shuddered at the memories still coursing through his head. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't really even want to think about it, but in that, he had no choice.
Owen, paying little attention to the interaction in a way that could almost be callous if it weren't so overwhelmingly Owen, began to serve out plates for himself and Gwen. Jack eyed the food with a look that could only be described as longing, though that was hardly a word that came in conjunction with the Captain under normal circumstances.
Gwen had ducked out for a moment to get something out of her bag, or something of the sort (Neither Owen nor Jack had really paid attention when she'd said) and Owen was alone with Jack when he caught the look. An evil grin played across his face, but it was not entirely without heart.
"Oh, that's right." He said over-dramatically, "You weren't getting any food, were you? Oh, wow, you must be starvin' then, eh?"
Jack ran a hand over his face, with a deep sigh. He'd been with Owen long enough to know where this was going, and he didn't like it.
"Hmmm, this does smell good, doesn't it?" Owen taunted, waving one of the boxes, "I can't imagine going without stuff like this..."
At that moment, Gwen returned to the med-bay. Her eyes widened, then narrowed when she realized what was going on. "Owen!" She covered the room in a few angry strides, and gave Owen a good smack upside his head, "What's wrong with you?! Sometimes I'm frightened to think what goes on in that twisted little mind of yours..."
She snatched the box from him and got out another plate, serving out small portions of everything for Jack. "If you want more, just say so." She said, "I'm not sure how different your physiology is to...normal people's when it comes to how much you're able to eat after something like that."
Jack nodded, and all of them tucked in to their food. As they ate, they talked about simple things. Little distractions.
"So...how's Rhys?" Owen asked, awkwardly, "Is he holding up alright with the odd hours and such?"
"Funny. I didn't think you cared." Gwen said, picking at her own food, "He's fine. A bit frustrated, but he knows I'm doing what I can to spend time with him, and he knows how I feel about the men around here."
Owen raised an eyebrow.
"She means he's not worried about Gwen being too fond of us." Jack ventured with a wry smile.
"So he speaks!" Owen said.
"How could I be too fond of you?" Gwen scoffed at the same time, "You're an insuffrable prick, and you," she turned her gaze to Jack, "are a living enigma."
"Why thank you." Jack seemed to be regaining his confidence as they chatted, amiably.
"I'm hurt." Owen said, putting a hand to his chest.
Jack and Gwen couldn't help but laugh.
Soon enough Jack got to storytelling, and the other two were alternating between bending over with laughing and gripping the edge of their seats, eyes wide.
Everything seemed to be going well. Jack was safe and eating again, and everyone was happy listening to his stories. But in another part of the Hub, trouble brewed…
R&R pretty please!