(Untitled)

[gwencoopa]

Who: Jack, Gwen, Owen
When: After Jack gets back, Evening
Where: A bar in Cardiff
What: Jack takes half of the gang out for drinks. And an alien creature attacks the patrons! Dun dun dun.
Status: Incomplete

Comments

[capj_harkness]

Jack was exceedingly disappointed that Ianto had stayed behind, but he hadn't pushed unduly. Again, he understood that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Ianto, of all people, by making a scene. So he held his tongue. But he was restless and was waiting for their evening at the bar to be over so he could go back to the Hub before Ianto left and perhaps, finally, speak to him alone. It was the only way he was going to find out of the Welshman was even remotely pleased about Jack's return. Maybe he wasn't. Maybe that was the problem.

Jack didn't voice the insecurity he felt in regards to Ianto that was nibbling at the edges of his mind. He sat down across from Gwen in the booth and ordered a beer. Nothing stronger. He needed to not be sloshed when he talked to Ianto. The last thing he needed to do was make things even worse by making a complete idiot of himself.

"I'm sure they had their reasons," was his only answer to her observation.

[deadmandances]

Owen had probably the lightest approach of the situation among them, but that wasn't too much of a surprise. Quite glad to have a scene quite similar to those he was used to, he sat down in a smooth move and put his whiskey glass on the table. After glancing at its texture for a while, he finally rose it again and, looking from Gwen to Jack, toasted them silently.

[gwencoopa]

Gwen nodded solemnly to Jack's words, realizing she wasn't going to get much out of him. Not that it was much of a change, but she just wished her boss would open up sometimes. Plus, she might have some sort of womanly intuition about these sort of things, especially when she had spent tons of time with Ianto recently, while Jack had not.

She watched as Owen returned to the table with a glass of whiskey, which was comfortingly familiar. Although she wished their other two companions had joined them, it was still nice to be out. She watched the people for a moment as she drained her beer with ease.

"I can't remember the last time we went out like this," she said, "Or I guess I can't remember the last time I went out at all." Obviously, that was her own fault since she never got home in time for her and Rhys to do anything.

[capj_harkness]

Jack interpreted that to mean she was too busy. As in too busy doing his job because he'd abandonned them.

"Sorry," he said (the apology coming almost automatically at that point, his elation at returning to the team melting into guilt for leaving them to start with) before taking another long sip of his beer.

"So fill me in," he told them, looking between Gwen and Owen. "What's new with you two?"

[capj_harkness]

"I'm not surprised at all that he still wants to marry you," Jack said simply, taking a sip of his beer. "So what's bothering you?" he asked. "Really, I mean."

[gwencoopa]

Gwen was surprised by how curious Jack seemed about her life with Rhys. Sure, he was always supportive of it, but she had never had too deep a conversation with him about it--and she had never been all that open about it, either, Must be the beer.

She leaned back in the booth, letting out a sigh, "I guess not being able to be honest with about everything is getting harder and harder," she said, looking at Jack, "I know it's for his own good, but it's hard having to lie all the time. And he's not a complete idiot, I know he suspects something."

[capj_harkness]

"Oh," Jack said. He'd been hoping it was something more pedestrian. Like... what did they call it? Cold feet.

"Knowing what we do would endanger him," he reminded her, not that she necessarily needed reminding. She could have told Rhys all about Torchwood in his absence. Who would have stopped her? But she didn't.

He took a sip of his beer.

"But I can understand that you feel like you'd be starting your marriage under false pretenses," he added.

[gwencoopa]

Gwen nodded several times as he spoke. She had heard the speech before, and she knew that as long as she had this job, she'd have to lie to Rhys. "I guess it's a good thing I'm good at lying then," she said, as her empty glass was whisked away and replaced with a fresh one.

She took a long drink, then shrugged her shoulders slightly, "I guess I'll just put off picking a date for as long as I can because there's no way I'm quitting," she said, offering him a smile. "Nothing wrong with a long engagement."

[capj_harkness]

That stung a great deal more than he was capable of admitting so he let it pass.

"Go around that way," he told her with a wave. "I'll keep it occupied over here. I'll try and get a blow in, but I want you to go for its neck while it's distracted."

If that's okay with you, he thought.

[gwencoopa]

Gwen knew this was no place to get in yet another argument about him leaving, so she quickly nodded to his direction. "What are you going to do to distract it?" she wondered aloud before crouching and moving towards the back of the creature, keeping a keen eye on its tail.

Her arm was throbbing, but she ignored the pain, hopeful to avoid another blow from the creature. She tightened her grip on the cleaver, waiting for whatever Jack was going to do.

[capj_harkness]

Jack leapt towards it with the knife, but he wasn't trying to do it much harm. He was, as he'd told Gwen, trying to distract it.

It snatched at him with its claws and pinned him against a wooden booth.

"GO NOW!" he shouted, swiping at the creature with the knife to little avail from his present position. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would when it bit into his neck.

[gwencoopa]

Gwen watched as it moved swiftly toward Jack, pinning him against a booth. She sprung up and made her way over to it by climbing across the various tables and jumping over a swipe by its tail. Luckily, the creature seemed uncaring about her hopping around as it bit into Jack.

She rushed over and leapt onto the creature's back, pressing the thick blade into its neck. It quickly let go of Jack and attempted to swat her away. She avoided a swipe and used her other hand to apply even more pressure with the blade until the creature fell onto its back, trapping her beneath it as it continued to writhe and expose its midsection. "Jack," she said, through clenched teeth, "Stab it." Blaze goo oozed out of the wound on its neck, but it was still struggling against her.