There were times that Jack regretted the choices that he'd made. More often than he cared to admit, he wished he'd forsaken Torchwood and stayed with the Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS. It was far too tempting to bundle up Ianto... and Toshiko, too... and just flee the planet entirely. He could do it, no doubt about it. The Doctor had, albeit reluctantly, left him with a fully functioning vortex manipulator, and Jack could have easily used it to go anywhere and any-when.

And therein lay the problem.

The Doctor trusted him to be responsible, and Jack had sworn an oath to make the agency into something the Doctor could be proud of. Running away meant abandoning Torchwood to the dubious control of UNIT, and that was not an acceptable option.

Jack understood what his problem was. He simply didn't cope well with change. A by-product of so many not-so-distant traumas, Jack had found that once he was comfortable with things being just so, he really didn't like it when changes happened.

It hadn't always been that way. Once upon a time, he'd relished change, and then ability to adjust to new situations had been as natural to him as breathing. Now? Not so much. Now, the idea of his world changing significantly in any way sent a spark of very real fear through him. He craved stability and balance – two things that Ianto was able to provide in direct contrast to the insanity that was Torchwood.

Tosh and Owen offered a degree of stability, too, in their own unique ways. Though their arrivals had marked a shift in the balance, it was a shift that Jack had been prepared for. Suzie's treachery had been the first thing, though, that had threatened to send Jack into psychological retreat, and it may well have happened if not for Ianto's unwavering support. There was a new challenge facing him now, however, and it went by the name of Gwen Cooper.

Against his gut instincts and better judgement, he'd decided to give her a chance for two reasons. First and foremost, it was because Ianto saw a spark of promise in her. Secondly, loathed though he was to admit it, Jack saw something of himself in the woman. It had been his own curiosity and persistence that had led him to eventually being recruited by the Time Agency, setting him on the path that had led to where he was now. In all truth, he couldn't fault her tactics and there was something to be said for her refusal to dismiss out of hand everything she'd witnessed.

On the other hand, Jack intended to watch her like a hawk for the foreseeable future. Mistakes would be tolerated – no one was infallible, not even the Doctor – but if she did anything to put her new colleagues at risk, then Jack would not hesitate in dosing her with enough retcon to wipe her memory clean.

Ianto knew he felt that way, and had agreed to the stipulations. As far as Gwen would be aware, she would simply be working on probation for six months before being eligible to become a fully-fledged Torchwood field agent, and Jack had no intention of taking it easy on her. If she made it, it would be because she deserved to make it, through good, old-fashioned hard work.

The delicious aroma of coffee filling his nostrils served to effectively bring him back to reality. He blinked and looked up at Ianto.

"Stop thinking so hard," Ianto teased lightly. "I could almost hear you over the top of the coffee machine."

"Very funny," Jack retorted but at the same time he couldn't resist a small smile. "Am I really that obvious?"

Ianto lavished a loving kiss on the top of Jack's head.

"Only to me, sweetheart. Want to share what's on your mind?"

"I was thinking about Cooper... I mean, Gwen. If the rift stays quiet, we could bring her in tomorrow and start her training. Just the basics, to begin with, you know? Have her read through the new charter, learn the most commonly used protocols and rules, and maybe some basic weapons proficiency training."

Ianto nodded his agreement, please with Jack's carefully methodical approach.

"That sounds like a great starting point. It might not be a bad idea to take her into the field for anything that isn't high-risk, either, like basic search and retrieval."

"No way," Jack growled. "I'm not taking a newbie into the field. Even Tosh and Owen were here for two weeks before they got to leave the Hub."

Ianto coughed.

"Not quite that long for Owen. Thank God you spent that time with him on weapons training."

Jack glowered at Ianto.

"I was thinking about making sure he didn't accidentally shoot himself or someone else, not that he'd need to go out and confront a race of alien game hunters. You could have gotten him and yourself killed. No, she won't be going anywhere until I'm satisfied she won't put herself or anyone else at risk."

"Calm down, love," Ianto murmured. "I only meant take her strictly as an observer." He held up his plastered hand and wiggled his protruding fingers, enticing a giggle from Jack. "As long as I'm on desk duty, you might as well."

Jack huffed in half-hearted annoyance. As much as he hated to concede, he knew Ianto was right.

"Fine, but only as an observer. And if she gets in the way, I reserve the right to lock her in the cell next to Brad."

Ianto smirked.

"Well, I suppose that's an improvement on wanting to shoot her."

"Too much mess to clean up afterwards," Jack said with a shrug. "Then there's the boyfriend to deal with, any ex-police buddies who might get nosey... Nah, I think I'd rather just keep her next to Brad."

Ianto laughed softly. He couldn't describe his relief that Jack was at least willing to give the woman a half-way decent chance. Maybe, just maybe, this would work out after all. There was still one issue to deal with, though.

"Jack, please don't get upset but there's one other thing that you need to decide."

"No," Jack said softly, knowing without having to ask what Ianto meant. "I don't want her to know about my... history with Torchwood."

There was no outburst, no agitation, just quiet certainty. Ianto nodded in understanding and acceptance.

"I understand. I'll talk to Tosh and Owen, make sure they don't let anything slip."

"I just don't know how much she can really be trusted yet," Jack explained. "This isn't like with Tosh or Owen... or even Suzie. We didn't seek her out because she has skills that we need. She fell into it by accident. I didn't trust Suzie enough to tell her, and I recruited her myself. I won't be confiding in PC Cooper until I'm good and ready to."

Ianto smiled and ruffled Jack's hair lightly.

"Better hope the Doctor doesn't show up for a visit too soon. I'm not quite sure how we'd explain him."

"If she reads the Charter like she's supposed to, we won't need to explain anything. A simple 'this is the Doctor' should be more than enough."

A light rap on the door drew their attention, and they looked around in unison to see Tosh in the doorway. The smile on her lips told them exactly what she thought of finding them huddled together.

"Sorry to break this up, boys, but we have incoming."

Jack's eyebrows went up.

"Incoming what? Space junk? Rift activity? Hot alien bikini babes?"

She smirked in appreciation of his humour.

"Incoming meteor, Jack. It'll be entering our skies in approximately five minutes. I estimate it will impact on the edge of the Brecon Beacons."

"Well, at least it's away from the general population," Jack mused. "Okay, let's get our gear together."

Ianto coughed loudly, and waved his plastered arm awkwardly, struggling not to laugh at Jack's pout.

"Jack, it won't hurt. It should be a standard reconnaissance and retrieval."

Jack continued to pout, but didn't argue.

"Fine. Send a text, call her in. She'd better be here by the time we're ready to go, or she'll be left behind."

Ianto smiled and struggled to swallow a laugh as Jack quite literally flounced out his office.

"Fair enough."

It took great restraint on Ianto's part not to listen in on what was happening whilst the team was out. He had no qualms about admitting he was painfully curious, but at the same time he didn't want Jack to think he was monitoring them. After all, it was meant to be a simple reconnaissance trip to ensure the meteorite was just that – a meteorite with no added extras.

Gwen had been nervous upon arriving at the Hub, and Ianto hoped that nervousness might temper any bouts of over-enthusiasm. Basically, as long as she kept her mouth shut, her eyes open and her hands to herself, there would be no problems.

Oh, how Ianto hoped there were no problems.

When the team arrived back, and the first thing Ianto heard was Gwen's incessant apologies, his heart sank. As they filed in, and Ianto took in the varying stressed looks of his colleagues, and in particular the thunderous look on Jack's face, he knew something had gone seriously awry.

"I'm sorry," Gwen said, making Ianto cringe internally. Jack had an incredible reserve of patience, but one thing that would inevitably push him beyond breaking point was time was time-wasting self-pity. Whether she realised it or not, Gwen's relentless apologies were exactly that – self-pity.

"I'm really sorry," Gwen insisted when no one responded to her most recent offers. Jack turned abruptly and spoke in a strained tone that was far more tolerant than Ianto had expected.

"Seriously, stop saying that."

"But I really am," she said, sounding almost on the verge of tears. Ianto sympathised with her, to a point. He vividly remembered his first day working for Torchwood London, and he knew it was one hell of a steep learning curve. Even a newbie coming into Torchwood after an established career at UNIT would find it hard to adjust to the agency, so it was no stretch to accept that a lowly police constable was floundering.

On the other hand, wallowing in self-pity would achieve nothing, except to piss off Jack. He was about to ask what had happened when the printer nearby came to life and spat out a sheet of paper. He paused to read it through with growing interest and concern, whilst listening to the heated discussion going on behind him.

"You were throwing things at each other!" Gwen argued, sounding defensive now. Ianto shot a frown in Jack's direction and wasn't entirely surprised that Jack wouldn't meet his gaze. After all, it wasn't the first time that Ianto had chastised him and Owen for acting like irresponsible and hyperactive ten year-olds.

Owen, unsurprisingly, was less guilt-riddled than his captain.

"We didn't miss," he snarked. "Now we've got an alien gas loose in the atmosphere, doing who knows what. Well done, PC Cooper."

There was a biting edge to Owen's words, not dissimilar to the tone he'd often used when altercating with Suzie, and Ianto had to keep himself from reminding the medic that Gwen was not Suzie. To his quiet relief, he didn't need to. Tosh spoke up for their newest recruit, fixing Owen with a warning glare.

"It's only her first day. Leave her alone."

Gwen threw a grateful look in Tosh's direction as Owen conceded and backed off. She then spoke in a tone that held more fortitude than she truly felt.

"I'll fix it. Just tell me what to do."

Jack shot her a mildly withering look before clapping his hands together to draw the team's attention back to himself.

"Okay, let's focus, people. Start looking for reports of anything out of the ordinary. Anything at all, no matter small, might be a lead."

"Well, then, this might be of interest," Ianto spoke up, holding up the print-out. He resisted the urge to side-step as Gwen practically charged up the steps to look at the print-out. "Death in a nightclub. Unusual circumstances, to say the least."

"Let's go!" Jack ordered. As the others headed back towards the garage, Jack paused to steal a kiss from his young lover.

"Thought you'd order Gwen to stay behind," Ianto remarked. Jack was unperturbed by the light teasing.

"She's partly responsible. She'll see this through and then I'll decide whether she deserves to stay, depending on how she performs now."

Ianto sighed in resignation. He knew there was nothing he could say and, to be fair, Jack was being more than generous. He returned Jack's kiss.

"Go on. I'll monitor the comms."

It was hard, so very hard for Gwen to maintain a diplomatic silence in the SUV, but she somehow managed. In her wildest imaginings, she hadn't thought her first day in this exciting new job could be so horrendous. Despite her argument with Owen, prat that he was, she knew she had to accept responsibility for what had happened. She was a mature adult, for God's sake, and she knew damn well that tossing tools around was a bad idea at any time. Her utter inability to throw anything accurately had seen her blackballed from pretty much all sports at school and any delusions she had that her throwing skills might have since improved were just that – delusions.

Of course, knowing she should take responsibility and actually doing so were two different thing. In hermind, she had already done so, via her many apologies on the way back to the Hub. And then, hadn't she offered to fix the problem herself? It wasn't her fault if her new colleagues wouldn't allow her to fix what she was starting to believe hadn't been such a huge mistake.

She sank down in the seat a little, ashamed of herself. She knew full well that her declaration that she'd fix it was just hot air. In truth, she didn't even know where to start. If it hadn't been for that office boy... what was his name...? If it hadn't been for him producing that print-out, they'd probably all still be at the Hub, arguing over what to do.

Her eyes alighted on Jack, but he was seated directly in front of her, and all she could see was the back of his head. Not that it really mattered, she thought ruefully. He was almost impossible to read, and right then she had no idea of where she stood with him. She couldn't work out if he was angry, frustrated, annoyed, all of the above...

Maybe if he'd just yelled at her and gotten it over with, then she wouldn't be all twisted up over it now. He hadn't, though, and she was left to wonder how she could possibly redeem herself. It wasn't until after they'd seen the CCTV footage of the poor kid being turned into orgasmic dust, and they finally tracked the possessed girl to her house barely in time to save another boy, that Gwen started to suspect that she couldn't.

to be continued...