A/N: There have been comments that this story has turned into a Gwen-bash fic. That is not my intent, but nor did I have any intention of following Russell T Davies' example and completely ignoring Gwen's faults, and letting her make mistakes that get people killed without having her face consequences for those mistakes. Anyone who knows me would be aware that I hate Gwen, but I am working hard to portray Gwen realistically in these stories - as a flawed character who still has the potential to improve and do good.

If there are readers out there who consider any story that doesn't treat Gwen as perfect to be a Gwen-bash fic, then I'm sorry but I will not be false to the AU of this series that I am writing. Jack and Ianto's history in these stories is different to the show. The dynamics of the team are different and therefore the interactions will be different. Owen can still be a bastard, but he isn't the man-slut that he was portrayed as on the show. I don't intend to have Gwen so easily led astray, either. Tosh is more assertive and confident, primarily because she knows she has the trust and support of Jack and Ianto.

Gwen is not perfect, just like none of the other characters are perfect, and she will be written accordingly in this series. Not everything I write will be Gwen-friendly, but I don't believe she will ever be beyond redemption, either. She will make mistakes. She will be taken to task for making those mistakes. She will be forgiven and provided the chance to do better. That's how it is.

Now, please, enjoy... :)

Listening in on the comms for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Ianto knew that something dramatic had happened. He heard the dismayed exclamations when they found the multiple piles of ashes and he heard the shouts when they found Carys. He heard what sounded suspiciously like Jack snogging Carys senseless, and the follow-up remark about not expecting a particular reaction. Ianto wondered bemusedly whether perhaps Carys had passed out. It would certainly account for Jack's indignation.

Then, he heard Gwen begging the alien to leave Carys and use her instead, and Ianto very nearly knocked himself out when he tried to face-palm himself with his plastered hand.

Gwen had more than demonstrated that she had plenty of heart but as yet she wasn't doing so well on the common sense front. When he finally had a chance to sit her down and go over the basics with her, one of the first things he intended to teach her was that self-sacrifice invariably helped no one. It was something that he was still trying to make Jack understand. The second thing was that age-old adage – assumption was the mother of all fuck-ups.

Beyond Gwen's pleading, Ianto felt his stomach drop at the sound of Jack giving his approval, but he held his tongue. Above all else, he trusted Jack and he refused to do or say anything that might undermine Jack's authority.

The silence that followed was maddening. When Ianto heard the distinct sound of the SUV doors slamming, he finally surrendered to his anxiety and spoke through the comms.

"Someone had better tell me what's going on, or I'm going to come after you all, broken arm or not."

It was Owen who answered.

"Relax, teaboy. It's over. It's dead, Jack killed it."

"No, I did not," Jack growled. "It was already dying. We just stopped it from taking Carys with it." He paused and then added, "We're taking Carys home. I'll talk to you when we get back to the Hub."

Talk about Gwen, Ianto thought ruefully as Jack cut communications. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Whilst she had shown signs of promise, so far the negatives unfortunately seemed to outweigh the positives. He wouldn't go quite so far as to say that hiring her had been an unmitigated disaster, but it wasn't all that far off, either.

On the plus side, she was compassionate (to a point) and determined (or stubborn, depending on the situation). However, she had so far also showed tendencies towards being narrow-minded and judgemental, and those were traits that none of them needed to contend with.

With reluctance, Ianto headed to the coffee machine to make beverages in readiness for the team's return. He put extra special effort into making Gwen's just right for her – fully anticipating that come the next day Torchwood Three would be back to four members and that Gwen Cooper would once more be just another local plod with the Cardiff constabulary.

"All right, people," Jack announced once the gear from the SUV had been put away and coffees had been drunk. "Go home. Paperwork can wait until tomorrow."

Tosh and Owen immediately grabbed their things and were gone before Jack could change his mind. Gwen lingered, though, watching Jack uneasily. Jack turned to face her, knowing she would have to be dealt with before he could hope to be alone with Ianto.

"Well, Gwen?" he asked. She tried to smile, but couldn't manage it. Instead, she shuddered but managed to avoid the tears that had been threatening all the way back to the Hub.

"This has been the worst first day ever."

Jack sighed, then, and the stern look on his face softened a little. He could see she was scared and the last thing he wanted was to scare her, despite prior conversations with Ianto. When he spoke again, his voice was stern but not harsh.

"You made mistakes, but you weren't the only one. What I want to know, is can you learn from those mistakes and do better next time?"

Gwen let her breath out in a rush as it sank in that she was going to be leaving Torchwood that night with her memories intact.

"I can try," she offered sincerely.

"Do better than that," Jack warned her. "Tomorrow, you'll start training properly by learning the manual and all the basic safety protocols. It's going to be a long and boring day for you tomorrow, Gwen. I suggest you go home and rest. I don't want you having to keep relearning things because you aren't alert enough to fully understand them."

Visibly grateful, Gwen hurried from the Hub. Once she was gone, Ianto joined Jack on the couch with a second offering of coffee, which Jack accepted happily.

"I really thought you were going to retcon her," Ianto admitted. Jack savoured a mouthful of the delicious brew before answering.

"I won't say I didn't consider it. She made some bad mistakes today that got people killed, but she wasn't the only one to blame, either. I don't know... Maybe I shouldn't have tried so hard to save the coral. Maybe I shouldn't have tried so hard to save the coral. Maybe I shouldn't have let Carys escape."

"I can't really tell you whether than was the right choice or the wrong one. All I can say is that I understand the choice you made. That coral is irreplaceable."

Jack smiled weakly.

"I didn't want to have to explain to the Doctor why I didn't have it anymore... and I couldn't stomach the thought of it being destroyed. It's a living thing, not some... some..."

"Some seaside souvenir?" Ianto asked lightly. Jack huffed softly.

"Yeah. That."

"Understandable. So, you're going to give her another chance?"

Jack nodded.

"She could be a good agent, provided she's trained properly and she stops doing idiotic things. Were you listening over the comms when she offered herself to the alien?"

"I heard. It was a noble gesture, but she's going to have to learn that noble gestures usually only end up getting someone killed. How did you get around it, by the way? I mean, I heard you say yes..."

"I never had any intention of letting it get anywhere near Gwen," Jack reassured Ianto. "I went along with it because I knew Carys didn't have much left in her to fight with. If it didn't leave her, she was going to die. So when it left Carys and headed for Gwen, I used the containment disc that Owen used to stop Carys from escaping this morning when we found her at her house." He fished the disc out of his pocket and dropped it into Ianto's waiting hand. "It was an energy based containment field. It kept the alien contained just long enough for it to die. I didn't want to, but it wasn't going to give up. The disc is useless now. The battery is dead and we have no way of recharging it."

"Useful bit of tech, though," Ianto mused. "Must keep an eye out in case any more turn up. Alternatively, the next time the Doctor looks in on us, I'll see whether he can charge it up for us. I don't think he'd object. Anything that gives us the option to avoid violence is preferable."

"Yan..."

"Mm?"

"Something happened tonight."

Ianto looked at Jack quizzically.

"Are you going to tell me what?" he asked lightly when Jack hesitated.

"Carys was losing the fight," Jack explained. "She didn't have any strength left, and the alien was killing her."

"Yes, you said that."

"Well, she needed a fast boost, so I kissed her."

Ianto's eyebrows shot up. It didn't escape his attention that Jack was looking almost mortified with himself, and Ianto didn't need to make wild guesses to know that his partner and lover was nervous over making the admission.

"Okay, then. Did it work?"

"I'm not sure. She kind of went all glowy while I was kissing her, and then she passed out."

It took Ianto a good deal of effort not to laugh at him over that one.

"Not quite the reaction you would have been expecting."

Jack grinned as relief took hold.

"Well, it is me we're talking about. The thing is, when we were cleaning the scene, Owen pulled me aside. You probably should let him know that you've told me about the accelerated healing. The poor guy nearly fell over himself trying to get his point across without giving anything away. I think what he was getting at was that I might be the one who's doing this to you... that I might be transferring what I've got to you when we kiss, or when we have sex."

A frown creased Ianto's forehead.

"Okay, that does make sense, but this isn't a sexually transmitted disease we're talking about here. Stop talking like it is."

"But if I am doing to you... Aren't you angry?"

Ianto was baffled.

"Why would I be? Cariad, I think we both know that I'm not immortal but if what you're doing when we make love... however you're doing it... is causing me to heal faster, then I don't see how that could be anything but good."

The relief on Jack's face, then, was palpable.

"I just thought that you'd be mad," Jack admitted. "After all, you said you don't want to be immortal like I am."

"Jack," Ianto said quietly, "look at me."

Slowly, Jack lifted his eyes to meet Ianto's gaze, his expression showing all the vulnerability that he was so careful to hide from everyone else. Ianto was starting to wonder whether he would ever lose that deep-set sense of insecurity that the long years of imprisonment had instilled within him.

Forever was an awfully long time to have serious trust issues.

"I won't actively seek out immortality any more than I'm sure you sought it out. But if something does happen, whether it's purely by chance or through someone else's doing, I wouldn't reject it and I would never hate you for it."

"I love you, Yan," Jack murmured as he slid down a little and laid his head on Ianto's shoulder. "I wish I could have you forever but I don't want you to have to suffer like this. It's horrible and it hurts so much when I come back to life."

"I know," Ianto murmured. "I asked the Doctor if there was some way to make you mortal but he said it couldn't be done."

"That's me," Jack laughed, with a touch of bitterness. "The impossible thing."

Ianto grinned and nudged him encouragingly.

"Bet you've been called that before. Now, are we going to go home and shag each other senseless?"

"I don't know," Jack said with exaggerated thoughtfulness. "I'm feeling pretty tired. I don't know if I've got the energy for a shag."

They stared at each other for a good ten seconds before both men erupted into laughter.

"You shit-stirrer!" Ianto choked out as he wiped his eyes. "Bloody hell, Jack, I actually thought you were serious for a second there!"

Jack took the opportunity and leaned in for a kiss, which Ianto enthusiastically returned.

"C'mon. Let's go home."

Rhys was still up when Gwen got home and, bless him, he'd kept a meal hot and ready.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" she asked with gratitude. Rhys grinned good-naturedly at her.

"Not since last night. Now, come over here and have something to eat. You can tell me later how your first day on the new job went."

Gwen barely kept from wincing. Of course he'd want to know, and quoting the Official Secrets Act would only save her from having to talk in specifics. He would still want to know about her new colleagues, and other generalised things. So, what could she possibly say that wouldn't give away what an absolute cock-up she'd made of her first day?

It only took her a moment to realise that she didn't want to hide it from him. She needed to talk and who better to talk to than the man she loved?

"I didn't have such a great day, actually," she admitted, and before she knew it the tears were coming in a flood.

"Hey, hey now," Rhys said in dismay as he hurried over to comfort her. "What's with the tears, love? It wasn't that bad, was it? C'mon, come over here and have a sit. Tell me what happened."

She sniffled and rubbed self-consciously at her eyes.

"I can't say specifically what happened. Government business, and all that. But I made a lot of mistakes, and people... some people got hurt."

She felt sick at the shocking understatement, but how could she possibly explain to him that she'd made mistakes that had gotten at least a dozen men killed? It was hard enough to admit to this much.

Rhys hugged her tightly, and that only made her weep more, feeling that she didn't deserve the comfort.

"Come on, now. What did your new boss say?"

Gwen shuddered.

"He was actually really good about it. They both were."

"They?" Rhys echoed, and Gwen nodded.

"Yeah. That was another thing. I mistook one of the bosses for being a bloody tea boy! God, it was awful, Rhys. I made a total idiot of myself."

"But you didn't get yourself sacked, or anything?" Rhys asked anxiously.

"No, nothing like that. I mean, I thought maybe... but no, they just told me to be prepared to start training properly tomorrow, and to do better. But god, Rhys, it was awful. I think I could really love being there, but I really screwed up today..."

Rhys sighed softly as he cuddled her to him.

"Listen to me. Are you listening? Do you want to quit? Go back to the police?"

"No," Gwen answered immediately. "No, I don't want that. Despite everything, I really liked that we were actually helping someone. That felt really good."

"So, if you don't want to quit, and your bosses didn't say they were going to sack you, then you know what you have to do, right?"

Gwen gathered herself, and looked her boyfriend in the eye.

"I have to keep at it. I can do better. I know I can."

Rhys pressed a lingering kiss to her temple.

"Exactly. Tomorrow'll be better, yeah?"

She uttered a strained laugh.

"Well, it couldn't be any worse, could it?" The instant she spoke the words, she wished she hadn't. "God, I just jinxed myself, didn't I?"

Rhys laughed heartily, and the sound of it brought a smile to Gwen's face.

"Don't believe in jinxes. What's that line from the Terminator movie? No fate but what we make. It's in your hands, Gwennie. You know you can do better, so just do it. Yeah?"

Gwen let her breath out in a rush, and the thought flitted through her mind that she was bloody lucky to have found a man such as Rhys.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Now, let's eat before you start quoting more Sci-Fi movies."

They laughed as they headed to the table, where a steaming lasagne was waiting. Rhys was right, Gwen decided. Today had been bad, but tomorrow was a new day and she could and would do better. She would do everything that Jack and Ianto asked of her, and be the best student she could be.

They would not regret hiring her, she swore it to herself.

Fin.