Jack- November 6th, 2009, Part Two
Nov. 17th, 2009 10:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ericadawn16Title: But Time Didn’t Stop
Characters: Jack, Rhi, Johnny, Gwen Jack/Ianto
Rated: PG-13 ANGST COE Spoilers MPREG
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Jack goes to visit with Gwen.
Author's Note: Starts after COE.
Previous Segment: November 6th, 2009
Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/63337.html
November 6th, 2009, Part Two
“Yes, they end up together, but that’s after one failed wedding and six seasons of his leading her around because he was scared of commitment,” Rhi informed Jack and his understanding was shattered, “He either thought he was too old for her or that she deserved better or needed to be with someone who wanted commitment or he was scared about marrying for a third time.”
He couldn’t help but grimace at that. It was a look she must have noticed by what she said next.
“How many times were you married before you met my brother, Jack?” she asked while twisting her own wedding ring.
“Twice,” he muttered in a small voice. His hands wanted to clutch his belly for reassurance, but he couldn’t risk her thinking something else was odd. Instead, he put his right hand at the back of his head and touched the thick, brown hair. The younger woman nodded. He thought he hadn’t wanted anything more. Why else had he made such a big deal out of being called a “couple”?
“But you don’t think he meant…” Jack started and tried again, “He said he didn’t like being called a ‘couple’ and…I know he mentioned taking a minibreak together, but…I thought he was fine.”
She smacked him lightly on the forehead.
“Dumbo! Of course, he liked being a couple, he probably just said that because he was trying to sort you out since you seemed to have issues,” Rhi spoke and it made a sort of horrible sense, “He didn’t even want to tell me until he knew what it was that the two of you had. He said he wasn’t sure what it was that he had. That’s fine for the first year or so, but I’m guessing you went out longer than that, yeah?”
“Over two and a half years,” he admitted and saw her point.
“Jack! Two and a half years and you were living together according to Gwen and you couldn’t just concede that you were in a loving, committed relationship?” she questioned and he hated how similar her expression was to her brother’s.
“We didn’t need labels, they were just words…”
“Of course, they were words. Words that we base importance on!” the Welshwoman chastised him, “You would think being immortal that you’d have learned that by now.”
“Yeah,” he agreed and hung his head. He felt like the worst boyfriend in the history of the universe.
“Love, you coming to bed or not?” Johnny questioned as he walked down the stairs in his dressing gown.
“Yep, just give me a couple of minutes,” she told him with that sort of smile that could only occur between two lovers. Her husband nodded and went back upstairs.
“Rhi, I have to tell you something…”
“You’re leaving again?” she guessed and he nodded, “I should have known. Running away never works. Ianto tried that and wound up back in Cardiff.”
“Thank you for everything,” Jack told her and hugged her before leaving.
The next morning, he showered, shaved, dressed and prepared for the worst. If Rhi had taken it that well, what would Gwen do when he showed up? When he reached the Bay, he noticed right away that the hole was gone. In fact, the Plas looked just as it always had. He wondered if the Doctor could still charge his TARDIS where the lift had been. Without his wrist-strap, there was no point in going to the car park or seeing if the lift had been replaced. For workers to come in; there had to be a general entrance. Jack looked around and realized with a shock that the tourist office had been rebuilt. He entered and studied the room. The beads in the hallway were a different color and the clocks were new, but the set-up of the room with the counter was the same. For a second, he almost expected Ianto to appear until he remembered, but he wouldn’t cry. He leaned over to look for a bell. However, there was a buzzer instead and he pressed it. In the old one, there was a button on the underside of the counter to open the door except he didn’t like leaning over more than necessary and didn’t want to walk behind there to look for it. This made a better impression to wait for them; as a guest rather than an employee since he gave that up. The door opened to reveal Gwen.
“Jack,” she said in an even tone befitting a leader and then waddled as fast as she could, “Jack! I’ve missed you.”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him. Her former boss hugged her back and as she let go, he studied her. It was hard to believe she was only three weeks farther along in her pregnancy than he was. The Welshwoman was wearing a blue jumper with maternity trousers and made him look like he was barely pregnant at all. Gwen caught him staring with a smile.
“Twenty-eight weeks along now, I can’t believe I still have three more months. I’m going to be simply huge,” she complained without meaning it, “You want to feel him kick? I say he, but we still don’t know. I think Rhys must be right though.”
Jack knew from past experience that pregnant women tended to take it as an insult if you refused this offer.
“Sure,” he agreed and she pulled up the woolen fabric so only the thin cotton of the trousers showed. He laid his hand towards the top of the bump where he thought the feet would be and was rewarded with the thump of a kick. It was in stereo as well because his baby kicked at the same time, too. For a second, he was tempted to return the favor and see what her expression would be if he showed her his bump. Then, his senses returned and he just gave her a grin.
“Come to my office and I’ll show you what we’ve done with the place,” she spoke while pulling her jumper back down and motioned with a nod to follow her.
Past the door and down a hallway was a bright red door that could have belonged to a flat building until she opened it with a key. The inside contained a desk, file cabinet, pictures, assorted objects, a wall of gold-colored curtains and what looked like a disguised lift. Then, she opened up the curtains to reveal a view of the whole Hub.
“I wanted something closer to the entrance and without having to use stairs. They even put a private lift on the back wall there and then there’s another lift if you go the opposite way of where we came. I can still see everything though,” Gwen rambled as he looked out. Although this section was finished and there was a floor where tables, chairs and computers sat with Lois and Johnson tending to them, construction workers were still scurrying all over. They were building walls, making holes and carrying electrical wiring.
“It’s not as open as it was, but I thought it’d be safer if we had an extra wall between the main part of the Hub and the outer wall and I’m having them put in extra rooms in case they need them in the future,” she spoke, “Oh, and I have a couple of things for you.”
He turned around to see her holding the coral which he’d assumed had been smashed to smithereens.
“It survived?” Jack questioned and ran a finger up the stem. He’d forgotten how much it felt like concrete.
“Not exactly, but they collected all the pieces in case it was important and when I put them all near each other…they, uh, attached themselves back together,” she explained and her brown eyes were inquisitive.
“So, you figured out it’s not a normal coral,” he said with a smile, “As long as you keep this on your desk and take care of it for me, I will tell you.”
His eyebrows rose to add the question mark and she grinned so that the gap showed.
“Fine, I promise, just tell me what it is,” she vowed and held up her hand in a mock oath.
“It’s a baby TARDIS,” he answered while continuing to pet it. Gwen’s dark pupils grew as big as saucers.
“No…” she declared in disbelief and he just nodded, “Like the Doctor travels in?”
“Well, his is a lot older,” Jack explained and rubbed the little nubs where the future branches would grow, “It likes being touched.”
She extended a tentative hand, probably because of the new information and touched it with a giggle.
November 7th, 2009
Characters: Jack, Rhi, Johnny, Gwen Jack/Ianto
Rated: PG-13 ANGST COE Spoilers MPREG
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Jack goes to visit with Gwen.
Author's Note: Starts after COE.
Previous Segment: November 6th, 2009
Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/63337.html
November 6th, 2009, Part Two
“Yes, they end up together, but that’s after one failed wedding and six seasons of his leading her around because he was scared of commitment,” Rhi informed Jack and his understanding was shattered, “He either thought he was too old for her or that she deserved better or needed to be with someone who wanted commitment or he was scared about marrying for a third time.”
He couldn’t help but grimace at that. It was a look she must have noticed by what she said next.
“How many times were you married before you met my brother, Jack?” she asked while twisting her own wedding ring.
“Twice,” he muttered in a small voice. His hands wanted to clutch his belly for reassurance, but he couldn’t risk her thinking something else was odd. Instead, he put his right hand at the back of his head and touched the thick, brown hair. The younger woman nodded. He thought he hadn’t wanted anything more. Why else had he made such a big deal out of being called a “couple”?
“But you don’t think he meant…” Jack started and tried again, “He said he didn’t like being called a ‘couple’ and…I know he mentioned taking a minibreak together, but…I thought he was fine.”
She smacked him lightly on the forehead.
“Dumbo! Of course, he liked being a couple, he probably just said that because he was trying to sort you out since you seemed to have issues,” Rhi spoke and it made a sort of horrible sense, “He didn’t even want to tell me until he knew what it was that the two of you had. He said he wasn’t sure what it was that he had. That’s fine for the first year or so, but I’m guessing you went out longer than that, yeah?”
“Over two and a half years,” he admitted and saw her point.
“Jack! Two and a half years and you were living together according to Gwen and you couldn’t just concede that you were in a loving, committed relationship?” she questioned and he hated how similar her expression was to her brother’s.
“We didn’t need labels, they were just words…”
“Of course, they were words. Words that we base importance on!” the Welshwoman chastised him, “You would think being immortal that you’d have learned that by now.”
“Yeah,” he agreed and hung his head. He felt like the worst boyfriend in the history of the universe.
“Love, you coming to bed or not?” Johnny questioned as he walked down the stairs in his dressing gown.
“Yep, just give me a couple of minutes,” she told him with that sort of smile that could only occur between two lovers. Her husband nodded and went back upstairs.
“Rhi, I have to tell you something…”
“You’re leaving again?” she guessed and he nodded, “I should have known. Running away never works. Ianto tried that and wound up back in Cardiff.”
“Thank you for everything,” Jack told her and hugged her before leaving.
The next morning, he showered, shaved, dressed and prepared for the worst. If Rhi had taken it that well, what would Gwen do when he showed up? When he reached the Bay, he noticed right away that the hole was gone. In fact, the Plas looked just as it always had. He wondered if the Doctor could still charge his TARDIS where the lift had been. Without his wrist-strap, there was no point in going to the car park or seeing if the lift had been replaced. For workers to come in; there had to be a general entrance. Jack looked around and realized with a shock that the tourist office had been rebuilt. He entered and studied the room. The beads in the hallway were a different color and the clocks were new, but the set-up of the room with the counter was the same. For a second, he almost expected Ianto to appear until he remembered, but he wouldn’t cry. He leaned over to look for a bell. However, there was a buzzer instead and he pressed it. In the old one, there was a button on the underside of the counter to open the door except he didn’t like leaning over more than necessary and didn’t want to walk behind there to look for it. This made a better impression to wait for them; as a guest rather than an employee since he gave that up. The door opened to reveal Gwen.
“Jack,” she said in an even tone befitting a leader and then waddled as fast as she could, “Jack! I’ve missed you.”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him. Her former boss hugged her back and as she let go, he studied her. It was hard to believe she was only three weeks farther along in her pregnancy than he was. The Welshwoman was wearing a blue jumper with maternity trousers and made him look like he was barely pregnant at all. Gwen caught him staring with a smile.
“Twenty-eight weeks along now, I can’t believe I still have three more months. I’m going to be simply huge,” she complained without meaning it, “You want to feel him kick? I say he, but we still don’t know. I think Rhys must be right though.”
Jack knew from past experience that pregnant women tended to take it as an insult if you refused this offer.
“Sure,” he agreed and she pulled up the woolen fabric so only the thin cotton of the trousers showed. He laid his hand towards the top of the bump where he thought the feet would be and was rewarded with the thump of a kick. It was in stereo as well because his baby kicked at the same time, too. For a second, he was tempted to return the favor and see what her expression would be if he showed her his bump. Then, his senses returned and he just gave her a grin.
“Come to my office and I’ll show you what we’ve done with the place,” she spoke while pulling her jumper back down and motioned with a nod to follow her.
Past the door and down a hallway was a bright red door that could have belonged to a flat building until she opened it with a key. The inside contained a desk, file cabinet, pictures, assorted objects, a wall of gold-colored curtains and what looked like a disguised lift. Then, she opened up the curtains to reveal a view of the whole Hub.
“I wanted something closer to the entrance and without having to use stairs. They even put a private lift on the back wall there and then there’s another lift if you go the opposite way of where we came. I can still see everything though,” Gwen rambled as he looked out. Although this section was finished and there was a floor where tables, chairs and computers sat with Lois and Johnson tending to them, construction workers were still scurrying all over. They were building walls, making holes and carrying electrical wiring.
“It’s not as open as it was, but I thought it’d be safer if we had an extra wall between the main part of the Hub and the outer wall and I’m having them put in extra rooms in case they need them in the future,” she spoke, “Oh, and I have a couple of things for you.”
He turned around to see her holding the coral which he’d assumed had been smashed to smithereens.
“It survived?” Jack questioned and ran a finger up the stem. He’d forgotten how much it felt like concrete.
“Not exactly, but they collected all the pieces in case it was important and when I put them all near each other…they, uh, attached themselves back together,” she explained and her brown eyes were inquisitive.
“So, you figured out it’s not a normal coral,” he said with a smile, “As long as you keep this on your desk and take care of it for me, I will tell you.”
His eyebrows rose to add the question mark and she grinned so that the gap showed.
“Fine, I promise, just tell me what it is,” she vowed and held up her hand in a mock oath.
“It’s a baby TARDIS,” he answered while continuing to pet it. Gwen’s dark pupils grew as big as saucers.
“No…” she declared in disbelief and he just nodded, “Like the Doctor travels in?”
“Well, his is a lot older,” Jack explained and rubbed the little nubs where the future branches would grow, “It likes being touched.”
She extended a tentative hand, probably because of the new information and touched it with a giggle.
November 7th, 2009
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