#thisisntwales

[thedoctster]

TEXT MESSAGE: RHYS

DOCTOR: Hope you've managed to fix your phone!

DOCTOR: Mickey doesn't remember a thing from last night. Be a doll and don't mention anything else to him about his marriage. This is what he wants.

[onesyllables]

Last To Know  ✗  Gwen+Rhys

This would be Day Four- or was it Five? -of her second (third?) stay in the Pocket world. Gwen was not adjusting well and wasn’t sure how she could ever have been expected to be but she picked up some of the habits she’d had before. Her plan now was to consider her time in twenty-four hour segments. She could work or she could sleep, and she’d eat, drink, or bathe when both of those other options seemed hopeless. 

Avoiding the blogs was easy enough after she’d exchanged plesantries with her old friends and got some information from Rose Tyler in a private chat. Somehow, she’d just failed to realise it before but the internet was evil. It was supposed to keep the Pocket’s prisoners distracted and only too happy to spill their secrets. Gwen left a strongly worded letter to the Committee in a private post they could access easily before she signed off, thinking it would be for good. 

Unfortunately, Gwen was still very human and held back by the physical and mental limitations of her own body. She had needs that went beyond the constant desire for booze, coffee, or a good old amnesia pill and she begrudgingly let herself out of the Hub with food in mind. The grocery stood with the same location and layout she remembered, which was at least one small bit of good news. She picked up a box of sugary breakfast cereal and tore it open without ceremony. With no currency and constant surveillance, who would care? 

Wandering aimlessly down the next aisle, Gwen stuck her hand in and let her eyes scan the shelves as she ate stale oat pieces and coloured marshmallows from the palm of her hand. Her best bet for food to stock up on would be something that could be prepared on a simple stovetop as she had yet to encounter a functioning toaster or microwave oven. Two seconds away from fully committing to the same diet her informant in Cardiff University had, Gwen sensed another lifeform approaching, touched the gun in her back pocket to be sure it was still there, and then promptly froze in place. 

She held her breath and listened for signs of whether or not this was a threat. What she heard was nothing short of impossible so she finally had to go and see for herself. She rounded the corner then gasped and immediately pulled back to use a display of ‘discounted’ pasta for cover until she felt like her heart was beating fast enough to actually break her chest open and escape. 

It hurt. It was wrong. It couldn’t be... But she had to know for sure. Gwen dragged herself back into the open with not much more than thirty feet and a couple hundred cans of beans and sauce seperating her from- No, no! It can’t be! - “Rhys?!” If that shock wasn’t enough, Gwen had just caught sight of someone she hadn’t detected and couldn’t possibly have been prepared to see. And that was too much. It wasn’t- She couldn’t- 

Gwen turned her head so quickly that her hair flipped and covered her entire face for a moment, long enough that it caused her to stumble and ruin her escape. She caught herself on one of the shelves, knocking a few glass jars to the floor and realising that she now had no choice but to turn and face reality. She did so like a deer in the headlights: confused, wide-eyed, and too stunned to bolt. With all of her instincts and training now apparently useless, Gwen offered up the only truth she had ready. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” 

[aroundthepocket]

gwen is cheating on rhys.... with rex

First it was Owen, and then we suspected Jack, and now it’s Rex?

Poor Rhys.

[torchwoodshead]

Sin Like Me ↯ Jack, Gwen, and Rhys

TAGGING: Jack Harkness, Rhys Williams, Gwen Cooper

TIME FRAME: July 2, late at night.

LOCATION: Gwen’s room, aboard the ship.

GENERAL NOTES: After his fight with Rhys and his talk with John, Jack goes off to find Gwen to warn her. Only to be faced with an angry Rhys and an even angrier Gwen.

Jack had been looking for Gwen for most of that evening, so when he saw her enter her room, it was no surprise that he started to quickly follow her. However, he had to quicken his pace when he saw Rhys angrily rushing towards them. "No-no, sto-" Rushing into the room and closing it behind him, Jack slammed his back against it before giving Gwen a wild look. "Okay, a few things. Rhys knows nearly everything about Anwen, Amy, myself, and Doc. Also he over heard about a few things about the past like Owen and Retcon and well, you'll be pleased to know that Doc and I have made up and I'd really like my battery back for my phone because I found I can't live without it-" Jack inhaled deeply after catching his breath before relaxing against the door. "I'm about to let Rhys in, I'm very sorry." Stepping aside from the door, the Captain moved to stand protectively in front of his best friend.

Gwen was clutching a tub of ice cream that may or may not also have a few pickles stashed inside. It looked to be a very rare occasion where she'd have the room to herself but that relief died in an instant. She tensed, too late to stop the approaching trouble but on-edge nonetheless as she stared fearfully at Jack. Too many emotions crashed over her. "You didn't!" There was no time to address any of those issues, but Gwen shrieked, "Don't!" Her hand stayed pointed accusingly at Jack and she murmured darkly about what he could do with that phone battery. It was all she had to offer even when she locked her apprehensive gaze on Rhys and a fight she wasn't ready for.

Rhys saw Jack and began to rush after him and nearly caught him but was too late by the slamming of Gwen's door in his face. Kicking at it and banging his fists against the door, Rhys let out a slur of curse words-both Welsh and English-Before slamming his weight against it. However, when the door swung open, Rhys nearly fell in and very quickly composed himself before taking a swing towards Jack's face. "Get. The. Ever-​loving-fuck​. Out. Of. My. Room." Seething, Rhys spit at Jack before turning a sharpened, and very angry eye towards Gwen. "Oh woman, you've got a lot of explaining to do."

Jack sighed at Gwen's muttered threat before turning to look at Rhys. Though, when he did, his face was met with a fist and the Captain went flying to the side. Clutching his jaw, he looked up at Rhys. "Not until you've settled down. I'm not leaving you alone with Gwen, not like this Rhys." Standing back up, Jack rubbed at his face before moving to stand once more in front of his best friend.

Gwen unhappily set her ice cream down on the nearest flat surface. "Rhys," she snapped as soon as she made sure Jack was alright, but it was more of a plea than a warning. She could have handled this herself but it was Jack's bloody mess so if he didn't insist on staying, she would have made him. Thinking on what she'd learned from the policy academy long before Torchwood, Gwen wouldn't admit to anything until she was actually accused of it and, even then, there wasn't proof. And that was wrong. That was so wrong. She should not have been so deeply invested in the years of lies and half-truths she'd given her husband, but it had all been for the best until now. She could take for granted that she wouldn't get hurt physically. Even without the baby in mind, Rhys wasn't like that and so she moved, not in front of Jack but beside him. She couldn't count on him to take her side with everything, especially because she was absolutely not changing her ways; but he'd moderate and hopefully not let things go too far. "Where.." she sighed, hating that she already looked so defeated. "Where do you want me to start?"

Rhys gave Gwen a very pointed look before raising his brows and then looking Jack up and down, sizing him up and wondering if he should attempt to take him out. Especially since the man had moved to stand directly in front of his wife. Offended that it seemed Jack would assume that he would even hurt his wife, the Welshman felt a whole new swell of anger surge through him. However, he was caught off-guard by Gwen's question. Turning back towards her, he snapped "From the fucking beginning."

Jack started to hold out his arm to bar Gwen, realising the unpredictable nature within Rhys. He stopped when she stood by his side and decided to focus more onto Rhys. Though, when he spoke he was directing it towards her. "Tell the truth to him, Gwen. Don't lie or hide anything, alright?"

Gwen gave a single note of unamused laughter, "No way." Then, because it would have been easy to mistake her meaning, she shook her head and clarified: "I'll have this kid and he'll be three years old before I can tell you ​ev-ry-thing​. What d'you want to know that actually matters now?" She sent a look Jack's way, speaking a non-verbal language the two of them had developed in the field and conveying two things: she was very uncomfortable, and she blamed him.

Rhys nodded towards Jack, actually and finally agreeing with him before giving Gwen a very tight and very unhappy smile. "You think it's funny?" Laughing along with her, minus the humour, Rhys continued to laugh until he couldn't anymore. "Well if it takes three bloody years, then so fucking be it. Why did you drug me, Gwen? You didn't think I could handle the truth? That... you fucking Owen would stop me from loving you? Yeah, I'm properly mad, but I'm not going to hate you for it. I'm hurt, and I'm betrayed, and it's only been made worse by the fact that ​you fucking drugged me​ like a cowardly cunt."

Jack closed his eyes at Gwen's reply before listening with a concerned-yet quiet rage at Rhys' rant. After Rhys finished and threw out his slur towards Gwen, Jack pointed at him "Watch it, Rhys." before turning to sit on Gwen's bed to listen, and making himself available in case things went flying.

Gwen did her best to keep a defiant expression. It was probably scarier that she just took it, stood still and taking the time to phrase her response carefully, only flinching at the end. Using Jack as a good reason to stall for time, she gestured towards her bedside table where he could find the phone battery if he felt like pawing through some rubbish first. "Stay there," she demanded a bit uneasily. The only thing worse than forcing Jack to witness this exchange would have been doing it all alone. She'd knowingly kept Rhys waiting for a good few seconds and now took a stance that would have seemed threatening if the baby bump wasn't in the way. "Did someone tell you it was Owen or did you assume?" She began with a deceptively calm tone before deciding the answer didn't matter. "He's dead, Rhys, and I ended it a long time before that. Oh, I wish I could tell you it was just once and it was awful.." There went the darker, more resentful pitch. She had nothing good to say on the subject of Retcon and resolved to deflect with the details of her affair instead. "Something happened on the job that changed me- it was a long time ago, when I first started -I was scared. I was angry. I-" She made a little choking sound and shook her head. "I felt like he understood, that's all, okay? It's done. It doesn't matter anymore."

Rhys glanced at Jack as the Captain began to rifle through Gwen's table before turning to look back at his wife. For one solid indignant moment, he realised that he might have made a mistake-though him admitting it would never happen. "It wasn't that hard to assume. I knew it was Ianto and Tosh isn't exactly your cup of tea. And I've already tapped the Jack well, so really-who else does it leave? Martha? Fucking please." But then Gwen went on to further explain and Rhys found himself nearly regretting on bringing it up. Taking a step closer towards her, he shook his head allowing a bit of betrayal to strike through him from her reasoning. "No, you're right. The affair doesn't matter anymore, but the fact that you couldn't trust me enough and you had to use a drug on me still stings, Gwen. I'm now stuck wondering how many times you've done it to me, or if you're going to do it again. The lies need to stop, they really do." Rhys softened and gave Gwen an expression of hurt and love. "Because if you can't trust me to take all of this, then why are we even together?"

Gwen honestly would have preferred to keep talking about her affair. It was less shameful and easier to make sense of. As twisted as it was, she couldn't find much relief in Rhys agreeing that it no-longer mattered. She opened her mouth, ready to insist that it had only been the one time, but she winced, feeling a twitch inside and genuinely upset because the kick took her by surprise and she was not stalling on purpose this time. No, it was very important she get her words out quickly and carefully. With a hand over her stomach hopefully slowing any further movement, she locked her eyes on Rhys. "Because I need you. We're good together, we always are. It was one little pill..." she was begging, but not quite sure what for. "It doesn't matter now either. I'm not the same person. I can tell you things now I wasn't allowed to before or- okay- or I didn't want to." She braved a step closer, lowered her voice to a whisper with no less emphasis. "I'm really sorry. Trust me. ​Trust​ me."

Rhys let his eyes fall to Gwen's stomach where she rested her hand before looking up to meet her gaze. Forcing his face to remain blank so that he didn't show emotion, Rhys waited until she finished her speech before giving a longer pause before even attempting to answer. "Tell me," He pulled his head back and held out his hand to stop her from coming closer to him as he took a step back. "Tell me the whole truth since you've arrived her. No lies. And swear to me, swear on your dad that you will not lie to me again. Ever." He stared her down and frowned before closing his eyes and sighing, attempting to hold back tears and trying to make himself from not having to say what he really had to say next. " And if I catch you in a lie, or find out you've lied, so help me, I will leave you and take the kids and you will never speak to any of us again. Do you understand?" Reopening his eyes, Rhys allowed his tears to freely fall, "I'm trusting you, and I love you, but don't take it for granted because we will be finished."

Jack had found his battery and replaced it in his phone the whole time the two were arguing. He only looked up when voices were raised, but otherwise he concentrated on his mobile and made sure that he didn't miss any important messages or calls. However, when Rhys gave Gwen an ultimatum, Jack looked up and focused on the Welshman before slowly shaking his head and mouthing a 'don't' before standing to take the back of Gwen's arm. He understood why Rhys said what he did, and even a little bit of him agreed with the man, but he still felt that they needed to at least try to stick together. Silently, Jack gave Gwen's arm a squeeze before he moved past her and gave Rhys a look before moving to exit the room, realising when he needed to give the couple privacy.

Gwen , somehow, was not crying because, worse than anger, worse than heartbreak, she was scared. She froze in place, mouth open and one foot forward in an uncompleted step. Unfair as it was, she allowed herself an ounce of hope when Jack took her arm. He could tell Rhys just how unfair that was or help sort out what was and wasn't on a need-to-know basis, but then he was gone and she let out a tense exhale. Gwen caught herself shaking her head and wondered how long she'd been doing it subconsciously. The verbal response that she eventually managed was broken and desperate, like the words actually belonged to someone else and she had so few to work with. "Y-you don't mean that and don't say it like ​lying's​ the worst thing there is. I was only tryin' to protect you." Gwen curled both of her hands into fists and held them up, level with her chin like she was grasping at something invisible for support. "What d'you want? You want to interrogate me?" Her voice broke with no defiance left in her. "Rhys, I'm not saying no." Her hands trembled with the emphasis. "But ​think​ about what you're asking, okay? I've seen things here that, if I had a choice, I'd forget them. I didn't want you dragged into it."

Rhys inhaled sharply as he waited for a rebuttal from Jack, but when he didn't receive one, the Welshman exhaled and ducked his head when the Captain left the room. Quietly, he nodded and then ran his hand slowly over his face before dragging his eyes up to meet Gwen's. "That's just the thing, Gwen. I do. I honestly do mean it." He turned his head to the side before narrowing his eyes. "Lying ​is​ the worst thing for us. An affair I can bloody well handle, you chasing aliens and fighting invisible threats? I can handle. But lying? It's killing me!" He began to raise his voice as he stared her down. "P-Protect me?!" Stumbling over his words in disbelief, Rhys' jaw nearly dropped. "I'm a grown man! I don't need my wife protecting me from whatever she thinks she's protecting me from." Shaking his head in frustration, Rhys held up both hands to silence her. "I know what I'm asking for, alright? I don't give a flying fuck what you've seen, just fucking tell me."

Gwen was shaking her head again, senselessly this time. "No, no," she said, until a point worth vocalising came to mind. "It's my job. It ​was my job​ . It was mad and I loved it and you were safe-" she choked. "You were so normal. That's what I was protecting: us! Outside of it all.." She'd known all along that death could part them, but she'd taken for granted that nothing else would. Gwen took a deep breath and moved to sit down on her bed where Jack had been. She exhaled very slowly and finally forced herself to start, not looking at Rhys and speaking with the low, careless tone she'd used when she drugged herself. "Time works different here, but I think it was August. I woke up with Jack in the little town we had before this ship. We don't remember anything after Esther's funeral- it's true, he'll tell you the same -but we were in different clothes. I had different injuries and I can't explain it. I met a woman called Meg. She was a demon. Yeah- really." Gwen cast her gaze down towards the floor, wondering if cheating really was less of an offense than leaving truths out of her story. "I stayed at hers for awhile. I sort of.. snogged her." That barely covered her first fortnight in the Pocket and Gwen was already exhausted, emotionally and otherwise. She rushed though the next line to cover that confession, but maybe not quickly enough: "She's gone now, I dunno where."

Rhys moved to place himself opposite Gwen, plopping himself down on Esther's bed. "Listen," he sighed heavily while shaking his head at his wife. "I know that you wanted us to live this normal and happy life but look around, nothing's been normal since the day you got that job at Torchwood." Holding his hand up to stop her in case she tried to interrupt. "I see that Torchwood was the best thing to happen to you-aside from me-but honestly, we can be happy and not normal, that matters to me. So please Gwen, please, I'm begging you not to lie to me anymore." Reaching forward he took her hand in his and kissed it lightly. "August? Wait that doesn't... the child is older than...Jack said for certain the baby is mine and that Doctor bloke did too... Was I here before?" Raising his brows, Rhys stared Gwen down for some sort of truthful answer.

Gwen wouldn't offer up any more of her story if Rhys wasn't going to press for it. She only looked up when he took her hand and that was with some ridiculous amount of relief that dissolved too quickly. He had a point: 'happy' and 'normal' weren't always synonymous, but she'd kept him away from Torchwood until it took over their lives entirely. She waited in quiet dread for Rhys to do the maths but she kept her eyes on him this time. "You had to ask Jack?" It wasn't fair, but she was hurt that there had been any doubt. But that last question was worse. Gwen forced herself to nod when the words failed her initially and then the explanation came out in a rush, "It's yours and that's all that matters. I love you-" she stammered. "In any universe and I am so- ​so​ glad you're here, but I couldn't tell you."

Rhys gave Gwen's hand a squeeze before sliding back and pushing himself to stand from the bed. "I had to ask Jack about Amy, but that came up and you know how I get when I get mad." Sighing irritably, Rhys pursed his lips and lowered his head in defeat. "I love you too. I have no doubts in that. Nor do I doubt that the baby is mine. Because deep down, I just know, but right now? I think I need to sleep somewhere else tonight. Just to clear my head, you know? I'll be back tomorrow, might even bring you breakfast." Leaning down, Rhys placed a gentle kiss to Gwen's forehead and then a much softer, but lingering one to her lips. "Goodnight, Gwen. I'll be next door, I'm taking Martha's old bed for now, alright?"

Gwen started to say something about how Rhys didn't ​have to​ ask Jack about anything but she'd said enough and wisely shut her mouth. Sleeping in another room was fine- more than understandable, given that it would prevent this fight from getting any worse. She was only poised to object to the one her husband had in mind. "With Jack?!" In a better mood she might have teased that, of course, he'd rather share that space with Jack than let her do it. Worse, it meant she couldn't go complaining to her best friend either. Wrong as it was, she actually pouted, not responding much to either kiss but soon regretting that. She turned her attention to her melty forgotten ice cream and pretended to be less upset than she was, "Yeah, fine."

Rhys frowned heavily at Gwen's obvious tantrum. "It's for the best, love. You know it as well as I do." Sighing, the Welshman gave her one last look before turning to exit the room completely. "And don't think you're fooling anyone with the 'hidden' pickles. I could smell them the moment I walked into the room." Smirking, he left, closing the door behind him only to lean his back against it and sigh before turning to walk past Jack's room and towards the kitchen of the ship where he would spend the rest of his evening.

Gwen , without thinking, put on a very genuine smile and laughed briefly before scooping out her latest weird craving. If nothing else, it was a good indication that some things would never change. She glanced at the door once it was shut and finally nodded to herself, willing some composure back before Esther would return to settle in. Hopefully the baby would behave and let her go right to sleep. Things would not automatically improve in the morning, but the night still couldn't end soon enough.

[torchwoodshead]

You Mucked Up ↯ Jack, Rhys, and John S.

TAGGING: Jack Harkness, Rhys Williams, John Smith

TIME FRAME: July 2, late at night.

LOCATION: Jack’s room aboard the ship.

GENERAL NOTES: Rhys confronts Jack about Amy and everything else involving Gwen. They get into a fight that John over hears and tries to stop.

Rhys unhappily replied to Amy's message and waited a few hours for her reply before angrily getting up and storming out of his room he shared with Gwen and Esther. It was an awkward arrangement and something that he didn't want to keep doing, but he knew that Esther was there first and the only reason Gwen wasn't leaving was due to the fact of their neighbour: Jack Harkness. Angry and still very much riled and ready to fight after Amy's little snip towards his wife, the Welshman-without knocking-barged into Jack's room, all ready to accuse and prompt the immortal to start talking.

Jack was cooling down and mentally smacking himself for being such an idiot with John when he heard his door open. Looking up expecting his friend, Jack's face fell as he sighed and rolled his eyes at Rhys. "Yeah, come in, why not."

Rhys set his teeth on edge as he slammed the door behind him. "Shut it, Harkness." Kicking stray items out of the way, Rhys moved further into the room and sat on the empty bed to face the Captain. "Amy, who the hell is she and why the fuck does she think she can tell my wife what to do?"

Jack sat up knowing this was going to be a long one, and stared rather bored at his opposite. "First you tell me to shut up and now you want answers, come on Rhys, you gotta make up your mind." Smirking ever-so-slightly, Jack dropped any hint at teasing before shaking his head. "Maybe you should ask Gwen these questions and not me."

Rhys glowered at Jack before lurching forward and grasping him by the collar, "listen here you fuck, we both know Gwen wouldn't tell me the fucking truth, so why not help me out and get me sorted before I fuck up and end on the wrong side of the argument." Tightening his grip around Jack's collar, Rhys could tell that he was beginning to choke the man.

Jack sat back and tightened his jaw before setting his teeth on edge as he defiantly stared up at Rhys. "Fine." But not before giving Rhys a shove to push him off and send him crashing into the opposite bed. "But don't attack me over it, I haven't done anything to you." Straightening his shirt, Jack frowned at Rhys, clearly able to tell that the man was violently ready to take him out any second. "Amy Pond, married to Rory Williams, mother of River Song. It's complicated between them and they were all companions to my Doctor at some point." He paused and narrowed his gaze at Rhys, "Gwen asked Amy and Rory to watch Anwen when it wasn't safe for her to and I believe Amy took it a little too far and now Gwen hardly gets to see her daughter. Actually, you do know Anwen is your daughter, right?"

Rhys, after crashing into the bed, stood up and was ready to deck Jack before slowly sitting down and waiting impatiently for his reply. "Yes, yes I know that Anwen is mine. I also know the baby is mine-it is mine, isn't it? How long as Gwen been here? Why is the baby growing faster than normal? Is it alright? Is Gwen alright?"

Jack sat back and stared Rhys down. "The baby's yours. Gwen's fine and the baby's fine." He wasn't about to say more, especially how long Gwen was here, and he knew that distracting Rhys would be fine enough to not have him know-or at least hope for Rhys to not find out. "You really should be asking Gwen and not me. I don't owe you anything, and I'm not your friend, remember?"

Rhys snarled before standing back up. "How long has she been here, Jack?" Rhys demanded, balling his hand into a fist. "And fuck you for thinking we're not friends or that you don't owe me anything. You owe me a shit ton, Harkness, and we both know it."

Jack stood up to meet Rhys' gaze head on, "I'm not going to tell you that, Rhys." he hissed, making it painfully clear that he wasn't going to relay all information to the husband of his best friend. "Find out through her, or enjoy being in ignorance. Which I know you're used to, and besides being stupid suits you."

Rhys' nostrils flared with anger as he leaned back to headbutt Jack before sending a punch towards the other man's stomach. "Fuck you," he yelled before shoving the Captain backwards. "I came to you for help and you always do this piss poor job with me. You'd think after all we've been through, you'd be nice to me. I hope you get stuck in this fucking place and stay miserable and ​alone​. Because that's what you deserve. You're so self righteous when it suits you. You don't give a damn about anyone but yourself, don't even pretend that's not true."

John Smith had been heading back towards Gwen's room to check on the TARDIR when he heard the sound of raised voices. Jack, he recognised immediately. The other he wasn't familiar with, but judging from the conversation, it sounded like Gwen's husband. And he sounded like he was an inch away from breaking something. John hoped it wasn't Jack's face. He liked that face. Leaping straight into territory where angels feared to tread was second nature to him, so he didn't think twice before poking his head into the room. "Hello!" he said, all chirpy. "What's going on here, then?"

Jack cupped his nose, feeling that it might be broken from Rhys' headbutt before doubling over from the punch and then falling flat on his back when he was shoved. Blood trickling form his nose, Jack gritted his teeth into a feral smile before he stared up at the Welshman with a darkness he'd only ever shown a few people before. "Maybe I do belong here by myself, but that'll be ​my choice​. Get the hell out of my room before I decide you're actually worth it to fight-" Jack paused, suddenly aware of John being in the room. Turning to look at his friend, the Captain switched his gaze towards Rhys. "Someone didn't get his way and now he's being a brat about it." Giving Rhys a kick, Jack frowned at him before avoiding looking at John.

Rhys felt the kick and socked Jack right in the thigh before turning to look at John. "Oi, fuck off. This has nothing to do with you." Turning his attention back towards Jack, Rhys grabbed him by the collar once more. "It'll be better if you told me, you know. At least then I'd have time to cool down and accept that my wife has been lying to me." Still wanting to hit Jack, Rhys relented before shoving him back into the bed as hard as he could before standing up and straightening his shirt out. "Oh just fucking great. I've got your blood on me. If I turn into Rex, you'll be sorry."

John Smith winced when he saw blood leaking from Jack's nose, before catching the look in Jack's eyes - and his expression sobered immediately. Moving further into the room and straightening to his full height, he shot Jack a quelling look that flickered to Rhys as the captain stood down. He was too far away to stop Rhys from going after Jack again, and the man was lucky that he did no worse than shove Jack backwards. Nevertheless, the violence made something flicker in him, and he snagged Rhys by the collar of his shirt, twisting the fabric and applying pressure just so, such that fabric tightened around the man's windpipe enough to whisper of threat. "You injure my best friend in front of me, it very much becomes my problem," he said, a strength in his grip that was distinctly not human. "I'd advise you to tread very carefully. How about we all sit down and have a nice cup of tea, and maybe I can answer some of your questions, eh?" He smiled sweetly.

Jack , after being shoved, sat up and wiped his blood off his face with the back of his hand before shooting Rhys a glare. "Trust me, we're all already sorry." He mumbled before hanging his head and letting John take control of the situation. Slowly he reached up and felt his nose once more and winced at it, before standing and brushing past the men to head into the bathroom. Looking at how crooked it was, Jack inhaled before setting his nose back to form and letting out a low groan before re-entering the room with a wad of tissues to his face. "Had to set it before it healed." He shot Rhys another glare before sitting gently back onto his bed.

Rhys was ready to lunge at Jack once more when he felt himself being pulled back and the air being cut from his lungs. Gasping, or rather attempting to, Rhys wildly reached up and tried to get a look at John, only being able to nod once in agreement before he was released and could breathe once more. Coughing, the Welshman sat on the opposite bed and looked up between the Captain and the stranger. "Fine." He croaked out before shaking his head. "How long has my wife been here?"

John Smith released Rhys and leaned against a wall, folding his arms and looking at him. Human. Civilian. A part of him felt a flicker of remorse at over-reacting, but it had gotten the signal through loud and clear. "Longer than I have, so I reckon about a year, is that right, Jack?" he glanced over. Mentally noting Rhys' comment about Rex, he stored that for reference later, resolving to ask Jack more about it. In the meantime, Rhys still felt perfectly human, nothing fixed about him. "I'm the Doctor, by the way," he said. "You must be Rhys."

Jack shot John a warning look before closing his eyes when he gave Rhys the truth he'd been after. Throwing a hand up in defeat and then nodding, Jack looked away and cocked his jaw out before replying. "Yeah, about a year." He didn't want to betray Gwen's trust and resolved to telling her about it later, before Rhys could. Looking up, he felt the man in question staring him down. "This is why I didn't want to tell you. This is why you should have asked Gwen, because you don't know what you're getting into Rhys."

Rhys , as soon as he heard John's reply, he shot a deadly look towards Jack and continued to hold it. "Oh, right. Of course you're the Doctor. Jack's Doctor. The one true love of his life that he could never have." He paused and gave John a glance before nodding. "Yep, that's me. Rhys Williams." But then it sunk in and he realised just what Jack meant and just how long Gwen had been here. "Hang on, that would be impossible with the baby and everything. That doesn't make sense, is the kid really mine?"

John Smith smiled, but this particular expression had darkness crackling around the edges like lightning. "Wrong Doctor," he said, softly. He noted Jack's warning glance, and figured - ah, it was probably a human thing. Some things were better heard from the person in question, or something to that effect. "Not impossible, just highly improbable." His mind was already running through how simple it would be to conduct a parentage test, but with Jack's 'you should have asked Gwen' running through his mind, he ventured a question instead. "What, haven't you talked to her about this yet? She says the child is yours, isn't that enough? This a Pocket universe - time doesn't run the same way here as it does back where you came from."

Jack closed his eyes as Rhys brought up his love for the Doctor. Since that time, Jack had waned on it and developed it more for John, but he knew the other man couldn't have known that. Catching John's smile and seeing the hint of darkness in it, Jack sigh and shook his head. "No, right Doctor, but you're thinking of the other one, Rhys." Avoiding having to look at John once more, Jack sat up and stretched. "No, he asked Gwen, she just wouldn't tell him. Rhys is used to her lying to him by now, though."

Rhys sensed the tension between the two men and looked away, realising he shouldn't have said anything about 'Jack's Doctor'. However, before he could utter a 'sorry', he heard what John had to say next and turned sharply to look at him with a curt look. "I like the truth, and Gwen's not very good at giving it half the time. You can't blame me for wanting answers, can you?"

John Smith shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying very hard not to think about what Jack had just said. "Humans and their domestics," he muttered, then glanced at Rhys a bit more sympathetically. "According to Gwen, the child is yours. It's complex, but think of it this way - time isn't a straight line. I'm -- well, you could say I'm a time traveller. Bit of a time traveller. Retired time traveller. Any way, point is, some times, things happen, and other things happen, but the most important thing is that Gwen loves you very much, and she wouldn't lie to you about the child's parentage." He paused. "Although I should mention to you that your child is growing faster than normal. Not sure why, but so far, he seems perfectly healthy."

Jack quickly stood and gave Rhys a look before turning to face John. Tentatively, he reached and grabbed the Metacrisis by the arm before gently pulling him into the bathroom. "Sidebar," he called out towards Rhys before closing the door behind him. "Rhys is right. Yes, the baby is his, but he has every right to ask questions about it. When Gwen was having an affair with a co-worker, she finally confessed to Rhys and then used Retcon on him without his knowledge. She'll do anything if she believes that it's protecting him." Jack paused and glanced towards the door before looking back at John. "Which is why I always insist he talk to her because if she knows what he knows now, she might try to pull something. I love Gwen, but she's dangerous."

Rhys knew about the baby, or at least suspected it. But it was still upsetting to hear it confirmed for him. Watching with widened eyes as Jack dragged the other man out of the room, Rhys got up to listen in. However, when he overheard everything, he smacked the wall with his fist before he could stop himself and quickly made an exit from the room, anger and betrayal now completely fueling him.

John Smith tugged at his ear, starting to feel out of his depth. Lying, he understood. But this felt like an entirely different thing, and at the mention of retcon, his expression darkened considerably before he sighed-- then paused and shushed Jack. Too late, he heard a thump on the wall. "Bollocks," he muttered, then flung open the bathroom door. The room was empty. "There isn't any more retcon," he said, glancing back to Jack. For a moment, he considered going after Rhys, then decided he didn't know where the man had popped off to, and besides, he wasn't his responsibility. His attention flicked back to Jack, then he grabbed a towel from the sink. "You missed a spot of blood. Hang on," he said, then scrubbed quickly at the spot on Jack's face. The action was almost apologetic. "What was that he was saying about your blood?"

Jack muttered a 'dammit' when he heard Rhys leave, knowing that he'd definitely have to get into contact with Gwen and soon. Pausing from going anywhere, Jack let John clean off the blood before nodding slowly. "Back when the Miracle hit Earth, my blood was the key. Rex absorbed my blood and that's how he became like me." He wrapped his hand around John's wrist. "It doesn't make sense and I've been trying to figure it out, but yeah. Rhys and anyone that knows me, knows that I was a reason the Miracle was possible." Letting John's hand go, Jack sighed and turned away. "Also, I'm sorry."

John Smith frowned a little. "That really shouldn't be possible. You're a fixed point, it's not exactly contagious. Unless you count being infected by the heart of the TARDIS." He cracked a bit of a wry smile. "But that's you, being impossible." Sniffing at the blood on the towel, he licked, then made a bit of a face. "Nope, nothing. Just the usual composition of red and white blood cells." Busying himself with washing the towel - probably quite unnecessarily, he took a while before he answered. "Whatever for?"

Jack made a face as John licked his blood. "Which is exactly why I said it doesn't make sense." Lingering by the doorway, Jack paused for a moment, wondering if John heard him, and when he finally got a reply he gave a small shrug before replying. "Earlier, now. Both. Whichever you want to apply it to."

John Smith raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Jack. "For our little text exchange? I wasn't really mad at you." He scratched the back of his neck, a little worried. "Did it really sound that bad?"

Jack let out a hollow laugh. "Let's just say that I took it the wrong way and now Gwen has my phone battery." Shaking his head, the Captain sighed. "As weird as it sounds, I don't think I can handle another me. And I miss the you without 'me'."

John Smith looked sheepish. "I'm sorry," he admitted. "Admittedly, I was a bit peeved that you'd laughed at me for not getting the thing about the innuendoes and the coat." He shuffled his feet. "Well, a lot peeved. Well." He rolled his shoulders a bit. "Well, okay, it was incredibly daft, and I'm not entirely sure why I said the things I did."

Jack gave a shrug. "It's fine. I shouldn't have laughed. And uh, actually." Jack held up his hand before exiting the bathroom to grab his coat. He came back in and wrapped it around John's shoulder. "Take it, you might find something in it. But if you do, don't tell me about the contents of one them. Not until I need to know." Jack smiled at him before standing back. "The coat looks good on you."

John Smith looked a little confused when Jack handed him the coat, before his gaze sharpened. There was an imbalance in the weight, suggesting something hidden - possibly sewn into the lining, since the pockets seemed to be empty. "You mean I look like I'm drowning in it," he said wryly. "But the colour is good. Matches my suit." He took a whirl, looking at himself in the mirror. "Really should bulk up, like I told Donna. Get a bit buff. Stop being a scrawny streak of nothin-- ok, maybe I haven't gotten all the you out of my system yet."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest and genuinely smiled at his friend. A laugh escaped him. "You look fine as you are. You getting buff would be strange. Plus, you're stronger than you look." Raising a brow, Jack backed up and began to head back into the bedroom. "I'll take care of Gwen. Let her know what happened. And hopefully find Rhys before he sinks the ship or something"

John Smith nodded, evidently still admiring his reflection in the mirror. "I need to check on the TARDIR. I'll catch you later, probably back aboard the mothership. Literally mothership." He paused, and when Jack was nearly out of the bathroom, shot him a grin. "By the way," he said, "I lied about number one on my list." Turning back to the mirror, he began humming softly to himself.

[thedoctster]

Be Still, My Hearts ☤ The Doctor (1 & 2), Gwen, Rhys

TAGGING: the Doctor (1 and 2), Rhys Williams, Gwen Cooper

TIME FRAME: February 6th, afternoon - after 'I'm Not Calling you a liar'

LOCATION: The Town, TARDIS

GENERAL NOTES: Gwen and Rhys bring 'joy' everywhere they go. The Doctor falls for Gwen, tries to fight over her with Rhys. It's a mess.

Rhys was still quite angry over the whole ordeal with Gwen and Jack that he wasn't thinking straight. Halfway back to the house, Rhys kept his head down as he didn't want to talk to anyone. That was until he ran smack into an old man. Looking up, he raised a hand and apologized before continuing on in a rushed hurry. "Even this bloody place sucked in the elderly, is there no limit to it?" He gave a glance towards Gwen, not even caring if he'd knocked the older man with a cane down.

the Doctor was as his first face, and though this one had a harder time getting around, the Doctor still managed it. Grabbing his cane, he exited the TARDIS and his home and began to take a walk towards the Town Hall where he was in hopes of running into Gwen Cooper. Something about her recently had fascinated him, and he just really wanted to talk to her. So when he saw her with another gentleman he came toddling up to them with a wave and friendly smile-only to be ran into by the man and nearly knocked over. "Well, I never!"

Gwen really just wanted to get home. Whatever yelling she still had to do would be best in private, but she and Rhys hadn't got far before they ran into someone else- someone she had yet to explain and maybe wouldn't ever be able to. She pointed to the man and, as a safe bet, put on a smile. "Rhys, this is the Doctor. He's one of the friends I mentioned." Her'be nice' went without saying. "Doctor- my husband. It's, er," she had to lie a little. "Good to see you."

Rhys let out a long drawn sigh before turning around and throwing on the best smile he could muster. "Yes, hello, it's nice to meet you Doctor... Doctor. Gwen?" Placing a hand on Gwen's upper arm, he began to gently guide her back in the direction towards home.

the Doctor beamed between Gwen and her husband, Rhys before realising that they didn't seem to be much in a good sort of mood. "Gwen, dear, do you know how to cook cabbages? I've been hungry for a good cabbage stew, and I just can't seem to figure it out. It would be lovely if you could help me? I haven't really had a proper meal in days... and your husband, Rhys, he's welcome to come along too?" He braced his cane in front of him and leaned against it as he looked between the two of them and waited for an answer.

Gwen might have had less sympathy for a different face. She hadn't met this one in person yet and couldn't be sure what to expect. She started to say that now wasn't a good time before she considered the alternative. As far as Rhys would know, this was a kindly old man with no apparent first name who was genuinely asking help. She'd never been able to resist a stranger in need and had, at times, given them priority. "Yeah," she said on an impulse. "We could do. 'Want to go back to yours?" That seemed like the best plan until she remembered the bloody TARDIS. There was no explaining that. She turned to Rhys with a look that begged and apologized all at once. "You don't have to..."

Rhys dropped his jaw as he looked at Gwen who so readily agreed to go make cabbage stew for this apparent stranger. He even began to wonder if Gwen could even cook. She was decent before, but never anything close to a homemaker. But when Gwen basically insisted that he didn't have to come along, Rhys warily eyed the old man before agreeing. "Yeah fine, only because it's free food and I haven't eaten all day."

the Doctor grinned more than he'd ever let this face grin before, and nodded. "Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! And we can go to mine, I have found the kitchen and it's all set up with everything you'd need and more." Offering out his arm to Gwen, the Doctor smiled politely at Rhys. "You can take hold of the other arm, if you'd like. It's only fair. Shall we?"

Gwen quietly prayed the Doctor was referring to his actual house's kitchen and not one aboard the TARDIS- although the word 'found' was not a reassuring clue. She accepted his arm, offering some support if he needed any through the melting snow and then laughed when he offered his other to Rhys. It was then she resolved that she liked this face too. Humour was important, but, well, so was logic. Gwen had the duration of this slow walk to prepare Rhys for what ridiculousness their setting and conversation would hold, but she had to do so without offending the Doctor. "Remind me," she asked him carefully. "Who's older: you or Jack?" That would establish the 'not human' thing, albeit rudely. Just outside his house, she managed another nonchalant murmur. "I'm really glad you were able to move the ship. I'm sure its, er... heavier than it looks." Hopefully this clue would make sense in a moment's time. She got the door open and didn't let the Doctor go until they were at the door to the police box.

Rhys gave the Doctor a strange look before shaking his head and deciding to trail behind the two. He thought it was odd that the old man had to 'find' his kitchen, but he didn't question it. Though when Gwen asked him who was older, Rhys gave her a quizzical look before stealing a glance at the medical professional. So, he wasn't all that he seemed either. Brilliant. Not bothering to listen to the entire conversation, only picking up the word 'ship', Rhys followed them into the house before stopping behind them to peer at the big, blue box before them. "What the Hell is that thing?"

the Doctor turned to look at Gwen with a bit of surprise before raising his hand to gently pat her arm that was connected with his. "I may look it, but Jack's the older one now, I'm afraid." He didn't admit to how much older, but it was definitely the truth. As they continued to walk, he almost completely forgot that Rhys was there and hummed to himself as Gwen spoke up once more. He smiled at her gently and nodded to her words before allowing her to stop him in front of his ship. "That, my boy, is my ship." Pushing the doors open with his cane, he stood back to allow the couple to enter. "Go on, have a look."

Gwen filed that information mentally for future reference but she smiled in the meantime like that reference to the Doctor's age had been a pressing concern he'd just fixed for her. She offered her arm or maybe her hand to Rhys this time and she sounded a little too amused when she delivered the warning: "You're gonna love this." Those words usually meant he wouldn't, but an actual look was by far easier than explaining it.

Rhys 's jaw dropped for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. He blindly reached for Gwen's hand as he looked around the ship with awe and bewilderment. "I... I...." he let go of Gwen's hand as he stepped inside and spun in a slow circle to get a look around. "Are you a magician? Is this a trick? Because, shit, it's convincing." Eyes widening, Rhys looked over at the old man and stared in impression and fear-before he looked over at Gwen. "Love, what is this? Am I actually standing in a ship? An alien ship? Will, I catch anything?"

the Doctor held his smile as he pushed past the couple and made his way over towards the console. "It isn't as if I haven't been called that before! But no, I'm afraid I'm just the Doctor, and yes, I am an alien. Welcome to the TARDIS, Master Rhys. I hope you enjoy your stay." He smiled politely towards the man, opting to ignore his last comment before turning to look at Gwen. "You know, I do miss the old flooring in here, this glass floor gives me all sorts of headaches."

Gwen gave her husband's hand a squeeze. The Doctor answered most of his questions before she even thought to try so, in lieu of a helpful response, she leaned in and placed kiss below his ear before she repeated, "Master Rhys," with her best playful 'everything's okay' tone and let him go. She beamed at the Doctor then, pleased to have found a face that agreed with her on the TARDIS' design. She was tempted to ask what it had looked like before this apparent redesign but instead prepared to complete her objective. "Where's the kitchen? I need a proper stove, please and not the butterfly room." That last was some unnecessary teasing that she hoped would get a fun response from either man.

Rhys raised both his brows suggestively at Gwen and wanted to wrap her in his arms and kiss her then and there, but was made very well aware of the 'alien's presence. Sighing and then letting it go, he looked down at the glass floor and made a face. "Butterfly room?" Glancing up he looked between Gwen and the Doctor and blinked.

the Doctor chuckled at Gwen before shaking his head. "Oh don't be ridiculous. It's actually just down the hall and through the library and pool. Can't miss it, and do try not to fall in. I'd rather not have you get soaked in those jeans. Also, the books might not like it." Turning to address Rhys, the Doctor nodded. "Yes, I have a Butterfly room around here somewhere. Very lovely and peaceful, if I can find it again."

Gwen once again let the Doctor do the explaining, however vaguely and amusingly, but then she had a question of her own. "Why did you say 'library-and-pool like they're in the same..." Her face lit up and, momentarily disregarding Rhys, she took quick, excitable steps down the hallway. When faced with the books, she thought to look for one on recipes. Of all the things to crave, cabbage soup was strange and she didn't know where to begin aside from vegetable into bits. This was one area of their lives where Rhys was actually the expert, but she wasn't going to admit it just yet. Getting close to the pool purely out of spite, she finally moved on to find the waiting kitchen. "Okay," she said, maybe just to herself. "Soup." Naturally, the potential weapons- knives, pots, and the like -were easier to locate than the actual ingredients.

Rhys watched Gwen leave and wanted to call out to her but stopped when the Doctor explained to him what exactly the Butterfly Room was. "Right, and do you lose rooms often or?" Scratching the back of his head, he began to feel awkward that Gwen had left him on his own with this apparent alien. "Can we... Can we join her in the kitchen? Or at least in a room that's near by? Preferably with an exit in case of a fire?"

the Doctor blinked at Rhys but ultimately nodded. "Yes, of course we can. We'll go the same route as her-I'll even take you by the pool, that can be our exit in case of a fire." Smiling the Doctor inclined his head in the direction Gwen went before following Rhys through and into the kitchen. "And Unfortunately my dear boy, the TARDIS loves to rearrange her rooms. I've lost my weaponry as well."

Gwen decided to forgo the cookbooks, she searched for a simple recipe on her mobile phone. For Rhys' sake, she found one that had something other than cabbage as the mainingredient. She was starting to prepare the beef before she even glanced at the prep time. No way was she staying for three hours of awkward inexplicable small talk. Overhearing the Doctor's comment about a weapons room, she perked up and spoke carefully, "Don't tell anyone if you do find it, except maybe Jack or John." There were still a number of people she was iffy about trusting. Turning her attention back to the stove, her eyes widened. "What is this- a magic kitchen? There's no way it does meat that fast. Not that I'm...." She laughed. "Did you really need me?"

Rhys was pretty much dumbstruck and unable to do much except for to nod along and follow the Doctor wherever he went. His eyes widened with wonder as he took in the library pool room and his fascination only grew when he entered the kitchen and saw Gwen setting herself to work. "Weapons room?" He realised he sounded like a parrot and quickly shut his mouth until he saw the beef Gwen had been preparing suddenly become cooked. "Yeah! See! Told you he's a magician!"

the Doctor chuckled at Gwen and Rhys' accusations and merely nodded to them. "She's a time machine and she's equipped with only the best technology. Were you truly expecting this to take long?" Musing to himself, he crossed the room towards a door and pushed it open. I have a dining room in here, if you'd both like to sit and eat here?" He glanced around before smiling kindly at Gwen. "My dear, I could always need you."

Gwen got the mix of water, wine, and spices simmering faster than could be believed. She glanced at her phone and reported. "Yeah, three hours and forty-one minutes if we follow the recipe." She gathered quickly enough this wasn't the plan. "Okay, now you just need a thing that cuts up the all meat and vegetables for me." She waved the knife in her hand almost playfully as she said so. It was worth noting the Doctor either hadn't heard or hadn't acknowledged her comment about the weaponry, but at the moment, Gwen was content to focus on the rush of pride at being needed. She'd pulled a similar expression when Jack called her his best friend but with Rhys in mind, she didn't let it stay too long. She nodded towards the offered dining room and then turned her attention back to the soup with a laugh. "Should take, what? Ten more... seconds?"

Rhys listened to Gwen and the Doctor chat and was still absolutely hypnotized by the wonder-kitchen. "Gwen, we should get one of these. This entire thing, it's brilliant." Momentarily, he'd forgotten that Gwen couldn't actually cook or that her stew probably wouldn't taste all that great. Also, he ignored the way the Doctor spoke about Gwen and followed the direction the Doctor wanted them to go in. Looking around the dining room, he moved to sit at the table and smiled as he waited for them to be done.

the Doctor made a face and mentally calculated the time. "Three hours and forty-one minutes, let's see... that would equate to... Ten minutes, precisely. It's a wonder what this kitchen can do, it's only a shame I can't do anything with it. I'm rather horrible at the whole cooking thing, I'm afraid." Smiling softly, the Doctor let out a laugh at Gwen's comment about cutting stuff up. "That would be a knife, I'm afraid there isn't anything much more advanced than that. Well, unless you want to use a laser." Following Rhys into the dining room, the Doctor took the seat opposite him and nodded politely at him.

Gwen nodded emphatically. She did miss using alien technology, even if what came through the Rift usually did more harm than good: they at least how to save time. With ninety percent of the soup already done, she set to work with the knife quickly and kept a comment about the laser to herself. At the moment, she was mainly invested in the vegetables, trying to get them chopped up and into the pot so they wouldn't be too undercooked by the time everything else was done. She did realise this meant leaving Rhys alone with the Doctor, but couldn't worry too much. They'd had the 'not all aliens are bad' talk a long time ago and since she was proving that the Doctor was a friend she was eager to help... well, hopefully, they'd play nice. She dropped the last of the carrots into the soup just as her phone told her that the predicted ten minutes were up. She made a face but finally stirred it a final time and called out, "Okay! Well, I hope you're hungry." She made no promises as to the quality, however.

Rhys the awkwardness that grew between himself and the Doctor as they waited for Gwen to finish the stew seemed to become an ever present entity. Reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, he let out a low chuckle before attempting to start up a conversation. "So, do you like sports?" Realising that he was essentially asking 'how's the weather?' Rhys internally winced as he sat back in his seat and waited. Letting out a relieved sigh when Gwen came into the room with the stew, Rhys couldn't help but mumble an 'oh thank God' and to give Gwen a look of 'save me'.

the Doctor raised a brow at Rhys and frowned as he gave a good thought to his question. "Depends on the sport, I would say. Do you?" However, the conversation was cut rather short as Gwen entered the room. Clapping his hands together with delight and grinning up at the woman, the Doctor leaned forward to get a whiff of the stew and chortled in delight. "Smells wonderful, absolutely wonderful." Standing from the table, the Doctor disappeared into the kitchen and came back with three glasses and a pitcher of water in one hand and a bottle of red wine in the crook of his arm. "Wasn't very sure what everyone's tastes are, so I've decided on both. Please feel free to be generous with your servings." Sitting down, the Doctor placed the glasses and bottles down before snapping his fingers and standing. "Silly me, just a tick." Moving back into the kitchen he came back with three bowls and spoons. "Can't hardly eat stew without a bowl, now can we?" Once settled and with everything on the table (besides napkins, but he didn't bother with those), the Doctor began to dig into the stew. "Gwen, this is delightful. Thank you so very much."

Gwen sent Rhys a look that expressed cruel amusement and asked for forgiveness all at once. As if she hadn't put him through enough lately, they were now dining with a kind of unpredictable alien. She used the short span of time the Doctor left them alone to nudge the wine his way and smiled like the situation much funnier than this, "Now that I think about it, I should have made you do the cooking." She took her seat when the Doctor returned and hadn't even grabbed her bowl by the time she got his compliment. Her eyes were wide with genuine surprise. She turned her attention to Rhys and smirked, "Did you hear that? 'Delightful.'"

Rhys waited until the Doctor ladled his own stew before getting his own. He was apprehensive, that was for sure, and staring at the stew in his bowl seemed to make him feel like it was staring back. Biting his lower lip, he took a large swallow of his wine that he-generously-poured for himself, before picking up his spoon and taking a rather large mouthful. Resisting the urge to spit it out, Rhys chewed a bit before forcefully swallowing. Making a strained face and a tight smile towards Gwen, Rhys nodded. "Yeah,it's... it's something." Almost immediately after he spoke, he reached for his wine glass once more to take another long drink.

the Doctor was far too busy and too happily eating his stew to notice Rhys' rude behavior. In fact, he was so pleased that Gwen was pleased with his compliment that he grinned up at her before reaching over and ladling more stew into his bowl. Getting halfway through it, however, the Doctor began to feel that familiar pull that he'd been getting and realised that another of his regenerations wanted a turn. "Oh, dear me." Setting his spoon down, he gave Gwen a sympathetic look and smiled sadly. "It's time for me to go, I'm afraid. Best of luck with the next one."

Gwen had to try a little of the food for herself and made a face as she did so. It was not delightful so the Doctor either wanted to encourage her or he had some weird alien mouth that liked this kind of thing. Either way, she'd take it and not say a word in contradiction. She focused on her wine instead but then the Doctor gave his warning and she blanched, immediately wishing for something stronger. "No!" She extended a hand toward him. "Don't you dare- please don't!" The wouldn't be any explaining this to Rhys- even with all the time in the world if his first reaction to Jack's immortality was anything to go by. "Shit," she said. "Okay. Please at least be one who likes me."

Rhys looked up immediately at the Doctor's change of tone and gave a very worried and very confused expression towards Gwen. "What?" Ignoring the stew, Rhys kept glancing back and forth between his wife and the alien, now completely on guard. "'Be one who likes you'? What the Hell is going on now?"

the Doctor gently took Gwen's hand in his and gave it a pat with his free hand before letting her go and granting both her and Rhys a sympathetic smile. "Until we meet again." As if on queue, a light surrounded the Doctor as he regenerated into his second face. Pulling a face, he paused for a moment and looked down at his hands and then his clothes before staring at his stew. "Oh, regeneration does make me hungry." Grabbing a giant mouthful, he immediately regretted it and ended up spitting it all out and all over Rhys. "Cabbage! Why must it be cabbage! Dreadful stuff, should have never existed." Shivering, the Doctor finally realised where he was once again and looked up at Gwen and Rhys in a bit of surprise. "Oh, crumbs. I'm so sorry for your face and outfit, you can use the sink in the kitchen to clean yourself up." Turning to fully face Gwen, the Doctor grinned at her before straightening out his outfit. "Hello."

Gwen didn't think she had time to do anything for Rhys and stammered through her unhelpful explanation: "Remember. He's an alien." She turned her attention back to the Doctor and it took a conscious effort not to look disappointed or horrified. It built up for a few seconds until she couldn't do anything to stop it and finally burst out laughing, but with more shock than actual amusement. She was fairly certain that her husband was more inclined to demand answers rather than clean clothes, but he wouldn't get either if their host wouldn't behave. "Doctor," she prompted with a slight warning in her tone that was usually reserved for Rhys and his temper. "We were just having a nice meal."

Rhys was in a state of shock he'd never thought he'd ever experience again. Staring open-mouthed and covered in spittle and stew, Rhys cut a glare towards Gwen to stop her from laughing before finally moving and pointing accusingly at the Doctor. "What the Hell was that? What the Hell just happened? Who the Hell are you? And What the Hell." By the time he go to the end of his rant, he was yelling and standing. However, he didn't give time for either of them to explain as he reached for the wine bottle and took it with him into the kitchen to clean himself up.

the Doctor tapped his fingers against each other as he tried to look as innocent as possible while Rhys started to yell and Gwen scolded him. Finally, when Rhys left the room, the Doctor made a face in his general direction before muttering to himself about manners and language. "He's cheery." He commented aloud as he turned to address Gwen once more. "You look lovely, this evening, by the way. I thought I should mention it." Smiling at her, the Doctor inclined his head towards his stew before rolling his eyes towards her. "Different face, different taste buds, you understand, yes?"

Gwen covered her mouth with a hand in order to suppress another inevitable chorus of laughter. She had hours worth of explaining and apologizing ahead of her but, right now, with a better idea of what to expect, it was kind of hilarious. "He's not used to this kind of thing..." That wasn't an excuse and it wasn't fair to Rhys. She wasn't expecting a compliment and, in fact, doubted she looked anything but flustered but she put on a slight grin anyway. "Yeah, I understand." She pushed the water pitcher his way and murmured, "I should go after him."

Rhys was muttering in the kitchen as he took a sip straight from the wine bottle. He was so completely confused and angry that he was beginning to get a headache. And drinking wasn't helping, but no one was going to tell him that. Heading towards the sink, he began to clean himself off with a disgusted sigh-the faster they could leave, the better.

the Doctor accepted the pitcher of water and poured himself a glass before downing it and letting out a satisfied sigh. "Wonderful, thank you." Grinning at her, the Doctor set the glass down before his eyes widened and he looked towards the kitchen door and then back towards Gwen. "Him? He'll be fine. I-" he knew what he was about to do would be considered manipulative and childish, but he didn't care. He wanted Gwen's attention. "I don't really want to be alone." Pouting out his bottom lip for extra effect, he gave Gwen an innocent stare and hoped it worked.

Gwen finished half her wine in a single go. She started to object but knew she was in no hurry to start another back-and-forth with Rhys. She could stand to give him a few minutes to clean up and cool down and that was partly for the same reason she hadn't wanted to leave Jack's side: there was a slight chance Rhys would stay calmer in front of a witness. Well, maybe not but, somehow, the Doctor had her sympathy. "You alright?" She had to ask before she found a more rational approach. "If you'd like, I can call someone-" She had no idea who. Maybe someone who'd actually traveled with him who didn't also have family drama to think on.

the Doctor realised that he managed to somehow convince Gwen and even had a brief moment of surprise flash over his face before he thought about her first question. "Well, depends on your definition of alright..." he went back to tapping his fingers together and staring at them. That was until she offered to call someone and he instantly shot his head up and let out a loud "no!" before quieting down and offering a nervous chuckle, "I mean, I'd rather have you here."

Gwen flinched before she started to calm herself down. "Okay," she said, easily enough. She'd certainly dealt with people who were less rational than this, but that didn't make it fair. She revisited her earlier point. "My definition of 'alright', I guess, is are you safe and do you have everything you need?" She'd be willing to help otherwise but now was one of the worst times to simply ask for her company.

the Doctor gave a resentful shrug, knowing that he didn't really have anything to hold her to her spot at his side. Well, except for... "I need a companion. I was always told never to travel alone, and aside from other Doctor, I've been... left alone."

Gwen was honestly flattered that she'd won the approval and had this offer from more than one of the Doctor's faces but some kind of misunderstanding had transpired and, for a moment, she had to let that discomfort show. "I said a day trip and, really, I'd love that." She sounded more apologetic than necessary- like this was a break-up rather than a declined invitation. "I can't. When we get out of here, I've got a family. I've got a place on Earth..."

Rhys during that entire fiasco, had silently walked back into the room and stared with a raised brow at the two of them. "A day trip?" By now he'd drank a bottle and half of wine and was starting to feel the effects. "Why can't I be invited to this 'day trip', then?" Making a face at the Doctor, Rhys moved closer into the room and towards Gwen before looking down at her. "Come on, let's go before he starts making moves on you." He eyed the alien warily and gave him a look that said 'don't you dare' before nodding towards the door.

the Doctor felt incredibly sad that Gwen had rejected his offer and was about to say something about bringing her family along when he remembered who her family was. He looked up and openly glared at Rhys before crossing his arms defiantly over his chest. "You're not invited because I don't like you!" Huffing, the Doctor stood from his seat and pointed back at the man. "Gwen's allowed to do what she wants! Isn't that right, Gwen?"

Gwen suddenly remembered that Jack wanted to travel with the Doctor when they got back to their world. If that was still the plan... Well, it was a bloody time machine- maybethey could work something out for her. Rhys' entrance dragged her mind back into the present moment and the unwelcome look at how selfish she was being. Staring at Rhys, her first instinct was to insist that the Doctor was not making moves on her. Wasn't it obvious that this was just an extension of her relationship with Jack? But then she caught the alien's tone and realised that, shockingly, it looked like he was the one she needed to talk down. She shook her head and asked, "What's goin' on with you?"

Rhys opened his mouth to start arguing but instead stood back and crossed his arms smugly across his chest as he let Gwen take control of the situation. Though, it did seem odd to him that Gwen didn't seem even remotely aware that the Doctor had been hitting on her.

the Doctor blinked a few times and opened his mouth before closing it and then opening it again. "Well, I thought it was obvious." He looked between the two and then sighed in a hunched over defeated manner. "I've developed a crush on you, Gwen." He wouldn't look her in the eyes and most definitely wouldn't face Rhys at the moment, instead, the Doctor began to turn on his heel and started to exit the room. "If you'd like to leave, it's the same way you came in. Mind the randomly new doors, don't know where they lead."

Gwen stood up, looking kind of stupid with her mouth open slightly and the wine glass still in hand. Suddenly, it all made sense. Gwen knew a thing or two about unrequited crushes. A long time ago, her attraction to Jack had been more than platonic and, once or twice, she'd tried to make Owen feel something for her that she'd never return, she'd sent death-glares at any girl who so much as glanced at Rhys... but she knew when things had limits and, although she might have developed some irrational feelings of her own lately, she hadn't expected anything like this from the Doctor and had refused to see it actually happen. Even more irrationally, she felt awful for not properly responding and for technically rejecting him- although that was ridiculous. He knew better! She set her glass down carefully on the table and didn't hide the regret in her tone, "Yeah," she said. "We're gonna go." She couldn't say it in front of Rhys but hopefully the Doctor understood this wasn't the end of this talk.

Rhys wasn't actually expecting the alien to admit anything and when he did, Rhys' jaw dropped quite comically. Though, he instantly sobered up and realised just how upset Gwen was. Quietly, he began to usher her out of the dining room and through the kitchen and back to wherever the Hell they came from. Once they were out of earshot, Rhys wrapped an arm over her shoulder and sighed. "Can't blame 'im. I mean, look at you. You're hot." Smirking, and trying his best to lighten the mood, Rhys couldn't wait to get out of there.

the Doctor nodded quietly, and kept his gaze down as Gwen told him they were leaving. However, the tone in her voice told him that it wasn't over and that he'd be hearing about it later. Which was fine for him, it meant he'd get to see her again. Once they've left, the Doctor promptly sat on the floor and pouted.

[torchwoodshead]

I'm not calling you a liar ✦ Jack + Rhys + Gwen

TAGGING: Jack Harkness, Rhys Williams, Gwen Cooper

TIME FRAME: February 6th, afternoon

LOCATION: Town Hall, Torchwood Hub

GENERAL NOTES: Jack gets confronted by Rhys. Then he has to sit through a domestic between Rhys and Gwen.

Jack had been sitting at his office carefully pouring over notes he hadn't had the time to go over for since before the Necronomicon. (That and ones that he was doing to replace the ones that burned up since the fire). What Jack wasn't expecting was any visitors that day, in fact, he really didn't want any visitors. But it seemed that more and more these days that what Jack wanted, he usually got the opposite of. Which today, just happened to be the case.

Rhys finally got the chance to get away from Gwen and Anwen and basically anyone in the town that wasn't his family and was now able to focus on his goal of seeking out and confronting Jack Harkness. He didn't care what sort of mood Jack was in, and he really didn't care what Gwen was going to do about it later. Besides, he'd already warned her, she should have known better. Once finding the town hall, he gave a look around before heading towards the basement. He knew Jack liked the sub levels of things, and he figured it'd be a good start. Finding that the door was open, he walked in and looked around before spotting Jack behind a glass door. Pointing directly at the man, Rhys marched over and slammed the door open. "Now listen you, I want answers and I know you'll give them to me. Don't fucking lie to me Jack Harkness, because I've already heard enough of them to make my own fairy tales."

Jack sat back in surprise and a little bit of annoyance when he realised who exactly it was that barged into his office. "Hello to you too, Rhys. Glad to see ya, how have you been? Me? I'm fine, couldn't be better." Cocking his jaw out, Jack knitted his hands together and stared at the man opposite him before letting out a deep sigh. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

Rhys paused and dropped his hand and blinked at Jack for a few moments, not expecting that to work at all. He was even willing to over look the sarcasm the Captain gave him at first. "Alright... yeah," moving to make himself at home, Rhys sat in the chair opposite Jack and stared him down. "Is Gwen, er... ah, like you? I mean, immortal? Unable to bloody die?"

Jack stared at Rhys blankly for what seemed like hours before he finally cracked a smile and broke out into a laugh. "Did she tell you this?"

Rhys narrowed his eyes the moment Jack laughed and opened his mouth to argue when Jack asked him a question in return. "She did, yeah."

Jack clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth before sitting forward and leaning his elbows on his desk. "Well, she has survived death. Is that all she's told you?"

Rhys upon hearing Jack's words, tightened his jaw and looked away from the Captain. Gwen was actually immortal! He couldn't believe it! "No, no, she's told me more. How long have you been here? Who else is here?"

Jack frowned and blinked as he realised that Rhys was still just as dumb as he was when he first met him. "Since October of last year, two thousand and fourteen. Toshiko Sato, Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper, Martha Jones, and a various amount of people from our world that you haven't met yet. Plus two other Earth's that you would never be able to meet unless you came here, so congratulations Rhys, there's such a thing as Angels, Demons, and Sherlock Holmes. Oh and Gray's here too, if you remember him."

Rhys blinked a few times at Jack's honesty before opening his mouth and shutting it again. "Did you just say Sherlock Holmes? How fucking daft do you think I am? Fuck you Jack Harkness, I told you not to lie to me!"

Jack held up his hands and sat back as he let Rhys insult him. For once, he wasn't lying to the man or giving him a half-truth. "If you're going to sit there and insult me then we're done here, now kindly leave and-Gwen. What's up?" Looking up and over the woman in question's husband, Jack lowered his hands and raised a brow at her as she stood in the door way.

Rhys was beginning to stand and reach over the desk to sock Jack one when he heard Gwen's name. Slowly turning, he looked up at his wife and stared at her with confusion and anger.

Gwen , if possible, was feeling more protective of Jack than usual. With the excuse of grabbing something from her desk, she was just going to check on him but, the moment she got into the Hub, she knew something wasn't right. She marched up to Jack's office practically on auto-pilot and then froze in place when she realised what she'd walked into. For a beat, she considered walking away before she was spotted, but, sadly, she couldn't resist a confrontation and she knew she couldn't leave the two of them alone. God knew what had already transpired and then there were two pairs of eyes on her. "My boys," she said with a tense and nervous laugh. In an effort not to panic, she addressed Jack first with a kind of trivial accusation, "Why wasn't the door locked?" In a way, that was the same as asking Rhys how the hell he'd managed to get in.

Jack narrowed his eyes at Gwen as his smile faltered. He gave her a look that she could only understand as 'are you okay?' before blinking a few times and giving a shrug of the shoulder. "It's only me here, well, it was-" he gave a look towards Rhys before looking back up at Gwen "-I didn't think I needed to lock it. Gray knows to stay away from here."

Rhys stood up and looked between Jack and Gwen before finally resting his accusing glare onto the immortal. "Neither of you are telling me the truth and I blame you for making her what she is now. So fix it, or I'll figure something out and kick your arse while I'm at it."

Gwen started to tell Jack that this was precisely why he should have locked the bloody door and that if he wanted space, he'd also have to exercise common sense, but Rhys interrupted and got her full attention. "Goddammit, Rhys!" She snapped, momentarily forgetting Jack and her unwillingness to make him uncomfortable- not that she'd never screamed in front of him before... "I must've said it fifty times. We're working on getting us home, that's way more important than me right now!"

Rhys widened his eyes as he took a step closer towards Gwen, "Oh? Yeah! Yeah! Fuck it, let me just hope my wife is gonna be better once we get home. No! Fuck that, you're getting fixed and he's doin' it!" Pointing at Jack, Rhys turned to look at him, his face red with anger. "You save her, Jack, you save her if it's the last thing you do. Don't let her become you. Don't let her become some soulless fucking monster like you!"

Jack watched the domestic before him with a quiet sort of contemplation. He knew Gwen wasn't immortal, but telling Rhys that would blow a cover that Gwen seemed to have built up. Tightening his jaw as Rhys insulted him, he looked away and tilted his chin up before cutting his eyes back to Gwen. Essentially warning her to stop him now, or he will.

Gwen finally had to make a move. She got between Rhys and Jack with her hands held up. She had to note Jack's unspoken warning before she looked her husband dead in the eyes. "Stop it," she hissed. "I wouldn't 've told you anything if I knew you'd act like this." She leaned forward to bace her palms against his chest, maybe a bit aggressively. She had to say something that would make him back down and also give Jack a clue as to what she was doing. In a desperate and maybe counterproductive effort, she intoned her words from their reunion: "I can't die means you don't have to worry about me."

Rhys narrowed his eyes at Jack before looking down at Gwen's palm on his chest. Tilting his head and ready to fire off another round of angry accusations, Rhys balled his hands into fists before sighing and looking away. "Yeah, fine. Fine, you win, Gwen. You bloody win, Jack. Do what you like, I'm done." Throwing his hands in the air, Rhys backed up and turned to walk out of the room. "You coming Gwen, or are you gonna stay here with him?"

Jack waited for Rhys to walk away and out of earshot before looking Gwen up and down and frowning. "What the Hell do you think you're doing lying to him like that?" Hissing under his breath, Jack leaned forward and tilted his head to the side. "Tell him the truth or I will, you have two weeks. And that's an order. We need all the help we can get and if Rhys finds out you're lying to him, your world is going to fall apart and you know it. So do yourself a favor, and straighten things out now."

Gwen knew damn well that she hadn't won anything. It might just mean the fight was moving to another venue; but at least this got Jack away from the crossfire. She knew that lingering in the room for even a moment implied, as Rhys had suggested, that she was staying with Jack, but she needed to know that he was okay and that this damage was repairable. That was, until the order came. "It's been seventeen years on his end," she said, like it was a reasonable excuse. "I wanted a reason why I look the same and why I can still risk my life to get us out." Jack had a right to know her thought process. Gwen forced herself to nod and she repeated, "Two weeks."

Jack let out a sigh and sat back in his chair as he placed his hand to his lips. "Still, he deserves to know." He stated quietly before nodding as if to dismiss her. "Go before he starts on an affair rumor again."

Rhys turned to look back at Gwen and rolled his eyes. "Gwen!?"

Gwen was probably going to keep this going for every moment her two weeks allowed. She called to Rhys over her shoulder. "Christ, I'm coming! He's still my boss. I..." She gave Jack a nonverbal apology in her forced smile and finally started for the exit.