Slip

Gwen's POV

"I'm going to do it today," I tell myself as I walk through the door. "I can do it. I know I can do it." I collapse on the couch. "I've got to do it."

But then he walks through the door and there's that look in his eyes that never fails to freeze me in my tracks. It's paralyzing and it's terrifying and oh no here we go again.

What will I tell them this time? I said today that I slipped, that the bruise next to my eye was an accident. I can't even remember what I told them yesterday, or the day before. All I know is that each time, every single time, I followed it with I'm alright. I'm fine. I'm okay.

I didn't slip. It wasn't an accident. And I'm definitely not okay. Not even a little bit okay.

I can do this.

I have to.

"Rhys," I start, and he's still staring, glaring. Come on, Gwen. If you can take on killer aliens, you can take this on, too. "I… I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?" For a moment, he seems kind, maybe he'll understand?

I stand up just that little bit straighter, the way I do when confronting creatures from other worlds, "I can't be with you anymore, Rhys, I just can't, it hurts too much."

"What did you say?" It's the kind of What did you say that means I heard you, and I don't like what you said. Usually, this is the point where I back down, give in. Not this time.

"You heard me," I reply, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "I can't do this." Go on, say it… "I won't do this anymore. I just won't."

Saying he didn't take it well is obviously an understatement. Here we go again. He grabs my left hand and jabs his finger at my ring. "You said you'd marry me. And now you decide to leave, all of a sudden? What am I supposed to do with that? You said you'd stay with me, and god damn it, you're going to!"

The physical pain isn't the worst part of the whole thing, I decide as I try and fail to get away from him, over and over again. It's more the why the hell is he doing this to me part that's terrible. Not to mention the fact that I have to lie. God only knows what would happen if Jack and the others ever found out…

Wait a minute…

I quickly reach into my pocket and press the new button on my comm. Tosh said it was a prototype autoplay feature, still in beta testing, not guaranteed to work. But if there's one thing I know about Toshiko Sato, it's that her betas or prototypes or whatever work 99.9 percent of the time. I just hope that this is part of that wonderful vast majority.

All I can do now is make a hell of a lot of noise and hope that someone's listening.

And noise is something I can definitely do.

Jack's POV

"Alright, you guys, go home," I tell the others. Time for another long and lonely night. They all start making for the door when my comm lights up and I hear noise. "What the hell?"

Tosh runs over to the comm and points to a little light. "It's on autoplay," she explains. "Did anyone butt-dial?" Everyone checks their comms and shakes their heads no.

"Gwen," I realize. "Maybe she butt-dialed?"

"Or maybe you could shut up and listen to what she's saying," Tosh says quickly.

"I said yes because I thought you'd stop! I thought maybe if I said yes, you'd stop doing this. But obviously not. And I can't do this and I won't do this anymore. I'm sick and tired of letting you do this and then going to work every single day and lying. I don't even know what they'd do if they knew. They'd probably have your head. But they don't know! THEY THINK I SLIPPED!"

"No," I whisper. "Oh, God, no…" I look at my team and we all share the same expression, the one that makes you want to run crying to your mother. "Let's go." And with that, I make for the door, grabbing my coat along the way, the others behind me.

"Owen, step on it," I command as we enter the car, and we head down the road at typical Torchwood "what the fuck is a speed limit" miles per hour.

This is where everything changes, and we're ready.

We turn down Gwen's street and see a door open. Someone gets shoved out that door. There's no mistaking the silhouette. It's Gwen. I decide not to say anything yet. I'm afraid that if I do, I'll say something that I'll regret.

Gwen's POV

I fall back onto the steps and am immediately soaked by the pouring rain. I hear him scream "And stay out!" and then the door slams shut. And because I'm cold and in pain and scared to death, I just sit there like an idiot instead of run.

Just then, headlights from a car shine right in my eyes. I shield my eyes and instantly recognize the vehicle. And then all four of them are getting out of the car, every single one of them clearly angry, furious, Jack most of all. I'm scared, actually, of that face.

He runs right to me and instantly his gaze softens. "Oh, Gwen…" His eyes are full of something I can't place, something I can't understand.

"Hi," I whisper. I see Tosh coming over to me. "Tosh, it worked, the autoplay-"

"Shhhh," Jack murmurs, pressing a finger to my lips. "We can celebrate that later." He beckons Owen over. "Tell me we aren't going to have to deal with hospitals on top of everything else."

Owen quickly looks me over. "No, I can't see any major injuries. But she's going to become hypothermic if we don't get her out of here quickly. Come on."

"You guys get in the car," Ianto says softly. "I have some words for this Rhys Williams."

"Ianto…" I pull off my ring. "Give this back to him." He nods, and then I feel myself being lifted up off the steps and into Jack's arms, that look I can't placestill so clear on his face.

Ianto's POV

I walk right up to the door and knock four times. The door opens. "What do you want?" Obviously Rhys Doucheface Williams knows I'm with "special ops" and he doesn't like it one bit.

"Inside." I shove him inside and straighten my tie before I punch him in the face. "That was for hurting Gwen." I punch him in the gut. "That was for hurting Gwen." I kick him in the balls, hard. "That was for being a stupid, ugly piece of shit." (I like to change things up) And then I shove him into the wall. "And that was for hurting Gwen. I believe I've made my point."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Ianto Jones. Also known as who really doesn't like it when people mess with my friends. Here, this is for you." I give him Gwen's ex-ring. "Take that back to the store and get all the money you paid for it. And then sit with that money and think, was it worth her? I don't think so." And with that I head for the door, where I see Gwen's purse. "I believe this is hers, also. You would be a thief." And I walk out, slamming the door.

Jack's POV

Tosh opens the door to the back seat, and I get Gwen inside, moving her to the middle and getting in behind her. I don't even bother telling her to buckle up, instead wrapping my arms tightly around her. She locks her arms around my waist, squeezing as tight as she possibly can. "I've got you," I say softly. "I'm here; you're safe." My shirt becomes wet with Gwen's tears and I swear I can feel them through my skin and burning my heart. "Hold on…" I gently push her off of me and take off my coat, wrapping it around her shoulders like a shock blanket. "There we go."

"Jack," she chokes out.

"Shhhh…" I'm on the verge of tears myself, just seeing her this upset. It's a good thing Ianto went in to deal with Rhys, because if I had, I might've killed the guy. "I'm right here, Gwen, everything's going to be okay." Ianto gets into the front seat next to Owen. "Step on it." And we take off again, still fucking the speed limit.

Gwen's POV

I snuggle tighter into Jack's embrace, feeling safe, something I haven't felt in a very long time. He murmurs something that I can't quite catch, but the tone in his voice is so soft and soothing that I can't help but relax, and he starts to stroke my hair, gently, slowly. On many occasions I had come home to Rhys upset over something that had happened at work, and I had always wished he'd do exactly what Jack is doing now. How does Jack know to do this? I wonder. How is it that he knows exactly what I need?

I love him. It's a fact. There's no fighting it. I love him. And I want to tell him, as he's holding me and stroking my hair and telling me that everything's going to be okay. I love you, I want to say, Jack, I love you so much… But he just split up with Ianto and he can't possibly love me; he just can't… He hugs me even tighter and I can hear his heart beating in my ear, and suddenly I'm crying even more because I'm just so goddamn confused and scared and I don't even know what. And I just can't hold it in anymore. To hell with it all, I think. "Jack," I sob into his chest. "Jack…" But I can't get the words out.

We pull up back at the Hub and before I can get out of the car, Jack scoops me up and carries me to the lift. I suppose I can't argue; I'm half asleep and my leg still aches because I landed on it funny and besides it's more time in Jack's arms which I know I'm never going to have again.

The next ten or so minutes are a bit of a blur; all I know is that now I'm in the Hub and warm and dry and snuggled up in bed, and Jack's sitting next to me, gently running his fingers through my hair. "Try to sleep," he says softly, and I can't help but close my eyes. "That's it," he murmurs. "Sweet dreams, Gwen. I'll see you in the morning." He gets up and starts to leave.

I don't want him to go. "Jack," I call after him, but he's gone. All I can do is snuggle under the covers and try to sleep like he said.

Jack's POV

By the time I reach the main Hub, I can't hold it in anymore. I run for the couch and sit down, burying my head in my hands.

Ianto's the first one to reach me. "Hey," he says softly, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "What's going on?"

"What did that man do to her, Ianto?" I'm practically sobbing. "What on earth could he have done to her, to change her from that strong, brave person we're all so used to into someone so scared and hurt… I don't know what to do!"

Tosh walks over to my other side and puts her hand on top of mine. "Just be there for her. It's no secret to us that you love her. I think the only one who doesn't know is Gwen herself. Tell her, Jack. She's lonely and she needs to know that someone cares about her."

"Not to mention, she adores you," Ianto adds. "The way she looks at you, it's obvious. She'd love nothing more than to know that you love her back."

I sigh softly. "I don't know, Ianto. She and Rhys were engaged until about half an hour ago, and I've seen them together. She loved him, I know that."

We all sit there quietly for a few moments, and then I hear a terrified scream and a crash, like someone just fell to the floor.

I run as fast as I can to my bedroom and fling open the door to see Gwen on the ground, tangled up in the sheets and blankets, thrashing and screaming. Pulling the covers away from her, I scoop her up, but she struggles more.

"Let go of me!" she screams. She thinks I'm Rhys. And it kills me.

"Gwen, shhh, it's just me," I say softly, "you're safe…" Still she tries to get away from me, and I swear I feel my heart shattering in my chest. What could he have done to her, to cause her such terrible nightmares?

"Jack?" I look down to see that she's opened her eyes. "I… I thought…"

"Shhhhh," I say again, pressing my finger to her lips. I want to kiss her. I desperately want to kiss her. And not just one little kiss, either. I want to pull her closer to me and shower her with kisses, kiss her until she stops crying. But I don't, instead sitting down on the bed with her in my lap, rocking her back and forth. "You're safe, I promise. Nobody is going to hurt you ever again. I won't let them." It doesn't help much. "I'm here, my love, you're safe…"

She looks right at me. "Jack?"

Shit. "I said that out loud, didn't I…" She nods, tears falling. "I suppose there's no hiding it now," I sigh. "Gwen, I am in love with you, and hopelessly so." I close my eyes, praying that she'll take it well and not hate me for it…

"I love you," she sobs into my chest. "I love you, Jack…" My heart leaps. "I love you, I've wanted to say it for so long but I was scared, I didn't ever think you'd love me back…"

"Well, I do," I reply simply. "I love you, Gwen, I love you…" I say it over and over again, and it seems to be helping, as she starts to calm down. "And everything's going to be okay, because I love you, and you love me, and I'm never ever going to leave you." She looks up at me, and there's clearly something on her mind. "What is it?" I ask gently.

"What… what about Ianto? I thought…" She trails off.

"Oh, Gwen…" I want to hit myself over the head with a baseball bat. "Gwen, I'm so sorry… I didn't love him, I just wanted company since I thought you were happy with Rhys…" I burst into tears, holding her even closer. "I'm sorry," I sob into her hair. "Gwen, I'm so, so sorry, I swear I love you, I'm never going to leave you… please just stay with me, Gwen, I love you so much, Ianto meant nothing, I swear…" I'm incoherent. I've never been quite like this before, but this is the most incredibly painful moment I've ever suffered. It's one hundred trillion times worse than the year that never was, when the Master found my team and tortured and killed them right in front of me while torturing me as well. That seems like a fucking carnival compared to this, to seeing Gwen so hurt by my actions. And so we sit there, sobbing, our pain demanding to be felt.

It's at least five minutes before I stop crying, and she looks up at me with those green eyes that never fail to turn my heart into a puddle. I brush my thumb across her cheek, wiping a few of the leftover tears away, and kiss her forehead, lingering there for a moment as I whisper, "I love you so much, Gwen… please don't leave me…"

"Why would I do that?" she yawns, and she rests her head on my chest, exhausted from the day and from the shit she's been through, while my heart leaps.

I start to rock her back and forth again, brushing my fingers across her temple, playing with her hair, and sense her just beginning to fall asleep. As she does, I lift her off of my lap and set her down in the bed, and then get up to pick up the blankets. "Jack, don't go," she begs.

"I'm not," I explain gently. "Just getting the blankets off the ground." Gwen sighs as I tuck her in and then climb in bed next to her. "See? Never going to leave you, Gwen, I promise." She snuggles closer to me, resting her head on my chest again, and I can't help but kiss the top of her head. She's just too goddamn beautiful. I wrap my arms around her and start stroking her hair again, loving the feeling of her incredibly soft and silky dark hair through my fingers.

"I love you," she whispers, and then she falls asleep.

"I love you too," I murmur into her hair, and then I fall asleep with Gwen in my arms, the one thing I've wanted for a hell of a long time.

Hey guys! Here's "Slip!" I've had this idea for a really long time, but sort of actively avoided it because of the whole "a lot of people really hate abusive!Rhys" thing. But then my Rhys-bashing urges took over and yeah.

As always, love and ducks to Rachel, Jubilee, Emma, and anyone else who wants to join The Lone Shippers (a club for Harcooper shippers), hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, and cookies for all.

Love,

Ofelia xxxx