Without Love (A Schmoop Bingo story)

[aviv_b_artwork]

Author: Aviv_b
Fandom:  Torchwood
Schmoop:  Singing
Title: Without Love
Words: 2960
Rating: PG-13
Characters:  Gwen/Rhys, Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Not mine; Aunty B's and RTD's
Warnings: Refers to canon events but not canon timeline.
Summary: Gwen loves Rhys; Rhys loves Tom Jones. Can they all find love and happiness in a small flat in Cardiff?

AN:  A story so sweet, you will have cavities by the time you finish reading it. With bonus music videos cause is there anything schmoopier than Tom Jones? I don't think so.

Gwen had always loved Rhys for as long as she could remember. They met in high school and became sweethearts not long after. They dated steadily and often talked about the future. Rhys would get a job with his cousin’s trucking firm and Gwen would get a job too. And just maybe, with a little luck and hard work, they would have enough put away so that Gwen wouldn’t have to work full time once they started a family.

Gwen had gotten a job as a receptionist with the local police where they were impressed enough with her intelligence and determination that they sent her for training as a patrol officer. Rhys couldn’t have been prouder. Though he was a typical man in that he liked footie and darts and beer and hanging out with Banana Boat and his other guy friends, Rhys supported Gwen's career ambitions and never shied away from doing his share around the flat. He could cook better than Gwen which didn’t embarrass either one of them one bit.

They had a comfortable routine, with quiz night once a week at their neighborhood pub with her friends and a second night watching rugby at a different pub with his pals. Rhys would cook on most other nights and Gwen would wash the dishes. Often they would sing together as they worked in the kitchen. Tom Jones was a favorite of Rhys and they knew all the words to his songs. If the day hadn’t been too tiring they might have a few choruses of “She’s a Lady,” and Rhys would strut around the room doing his ever popular Tom Jones imitation. If the day had been tiring they would invariably wind up singing “The Green, Green Grass of Home,” as they put the last of the dishes away.

Rhys received a promotion at work and they had begun to talk about marriage. Everything was perfect.

That is, everything was perfect until Gwen got involved with Torchwood.

Gwen couldn’t help but admire Captain Jack Harkness. He was handsome and dashing and smart and funny. He could wrestle weevils, come back from the dead, defeat strange creatures of biblical proportions; there wasn’t anything that Captain Jack couldn’t do.

She’d blush when he flirted with her; her heart beating a little faster in his presence. He would smile that smile, or wink at her, and she would feel herself get weak in the knees. She knew he was just teasing, but she couldn’t help but react to him.

She loved Rhys, really she did, but Rhys was so ordinary. Jack, well, Jack was like a beacon in a world of darkness. An incredibly tall, sexy, powerful and perfect beacon. And when he turned his thousand watt smile on her, how could she not want to bask in his glow?

Rhys couldn’t hope to compete with Jack Harkness. He was sweet and kind and generous to a fault and Gwen loved him for it. He could cook, drive a truck, talk about rugby, play a respectable game of darts, but how could that compare with saving the world on a weekly if not daily basis?

She knew that something was going on between Jack and Ianto, and she respected that, but she couldn’t help but be a little jealous of their closeness. Owen joked that Ianto was just Jack’s part-time shag, but she knew better. She saw the way Jack gazed at Ianto when he thought no one was looking, and recognized it as a look of longing and hope and perhaps a little lust thrown in for good measure.

***

It started with a small incident. She came home late, exhausted from helping round up a troop of weevils. She had showered and changed clothes at the Hub, but she could still smell the hot stinking breath of the weevil that tried to maul her. And on top of that Owen had yelled at her in front of the rest of the team for not being quick enough in spraying the creature. She had yelled back and that had started a row that only ended when Jack stepped in and told Owen to back off. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so angry, or so tired. She prayed that Rhys would be out with his friends or asleep as she was in no mood for conversation.

As she walked up the stairs to the flat, she breathed a sigh of relief. Home at last, peace and quiet. She opened the door to find Rhys in a jovial mood. ‘Great, just great’ she thought. As she went to hang up her coat in their front closet, Rhys grabbed her and spun her around as he sung:

 “What’s new pussycat? Woah, Woah.
What's new pussycat? Woah, Woah”.

 “Stop! Rhys just stop,” she shouted. Rhys looked stunned. “I’m tired, and I’ve had a bad day, and I really, really, just want to be left alone.”

“But sweetheart, I’ve made you a nice dinner, and I thought we might watch a movie after and…”

“What part of I want to be left alone, don’t you understand,” she shouted as she burst into tears and ran from the room.

Rhys sighed. This Torchwood job was really starting to get to Gwen. With each passing week she became more irritable and distant and she had never refused a nice hot meal after a long day before. Rhys ran his hands through his hair. He was at a loss. He was planning a whole future with Gwen and he couldn’t understand what was happening. He resolved to try harder, to be more understanding, supportive, whatever she needed.

Gwen on the other hand was getting angrier by the minute. She got ready for bed as she heard Rhys cleaning up the kitchen. All she wanted was some peace and quiet and what did she get? Rhys singing his stupid Tom Jones songs. Would Jack sing Tom Jones songs? Of course not. She snorted. She was sure that if Jack sang to Ianto it would some beautiful tender love song from the 1940s. She heard Rhys coming toward the bedroom and turned away from the door pretending to be asleep.

Week passed and the harder Rhys tried, the more irritable Gwen became. The more she compared Rhys to Jack, the less enamored she became with him. She began to pick fights with him about their flat not being clean, or that he did the laundry wrong, or he made that stupid lasagna again. And Rhys, being Rhys, would look hurt and chalk it up to the pressure of her secret ops job. Finally, as good-hearted as he was, Rhys began to push back.

The final straw happened one Friday. The day had been quiet and Jack had sent everyone home early. Gwen had driven half way home when she realized that while she had taken her car keys she had left her purse under her desk. ‘Damn,’ she thought. ‘Now I have to drive all the way back to get it.’

When she entered the Hub the lights had been turned down and she assumed that Jack had left as well. She grabbed her purse and as she turned to leave she heard soft music coming from Jack’s office. She couldn’t imagine what was going on but crept up to make sure Jack was alright (and she was a little curious truth be told).

Jack was better than alright. As she watched from the shadows, Jack was swaying slowly to the music with Ianto in his embrace. ‘Come Rain or Come Shine’ was playing on an old fashioned phonograph in Jack’s office.  ‘Figures,’ she thought. As the song ended, Jack pulled back a bit and kissed Ianto gently. Ianto was flushed and had his eyes closed while Jack was gazing at him with an affection that radiated from his face. As Ianto responded with a scorching kiss, Gwen felt her heart ache at the sight of the two men. Rhys was never romantic like that; affectionate, but not like that.

By the time she got home, Gwen had managed to work herself into a tizzy about how unromantic Rhys was. She ate supper while Rhys fussed over her. He mentioned that he had to work the next day and Gwen accused him of not caring about their relationship. Rhys exploded.

“For fuck sakes, Gwen, you spend all night on stakeouts, and now you’re mad because I have to work one Saturday. Do you know how many nights I’ve sat here worrying about you? Do you know how many casseroles have gotten burned because you don’t even have the courtesy to call and let me know you’re not coming home?” Rhys was so angry that Gwen was worried he’d have a stroke.

“I can’t help it Rhys, my job isn’t like yours; I never know what I’m facing day to day,” she said trying to be reasonable.

“I’ll tell you what, you keep this up Gwen and you’ll be facing a life without me, that’s for sure.”

Gwen was shocked by Rhys’ retort. Just where did he get off with that remark? “I don’t need your boring lasagna, or you worrying about me like you’re my mum, and I don’t need your bloody, stupid Tom Jones,” she yelled.

Before she had a chance to say anything more, Rhys had grabbed his coat and stormed out of the flat.

Gwen sighed. How did things get to this point? Ok, she admitted that she probably could make an effort to get home on time more often, and she probably could be a bit more appreciative of everything Rhys did around the house, but really, how heroic was cooking and taking the trash out?

Part of her wanted to marry Rhys, part of her wanted to run as far from him as she could. She sat in the lounge and watched TV for an hour or so but Rhys didn’t come back. She started to think of what she would be giving up if she and Rhys parted ways. He wasn’t as handsome or sexy as Jack, he didn’t save the world on a daily basis, but Rhys was reliable. He was always there for her; always putting her needs first, always supportive, always loving her without question. But a little part of her longed for a lover like Captain Jack who would sweep her off her feet.

When Rhys wasn’t back by midnight, Gwen finally went to bed. Sleep eluded her as she continued to think about Rhys, then about Jack, then once more about Rhys. She finally fell asleep only a few hours before she had to get up.

The next morning she saw that Rhys side of the bed had not been slept in. Feeling upset, she launched into a silent berating of Rhys as she got ready for work. How dare he not come home; couldn’t he imagine how she would worry about him, was he so insensitive…as she entered the lounge to grab her purse, she saw that Rhys was fast asleep on the sofa.

His clothes were rumpled and she could see that he had been crying and from the smell of it, drinking as well. He looked so sweet and sad that she leant over and kissed him on the forehead.

On the way to work she pondered her situation. She did love Rhys, she just wasn’t sure she wasn’t settling for something less than she deserved.

The next few days went by in a blur. She and Rhys danced around each other in their flat mostly in silence. They hadn’t talked since their fight, just gave each other one-word answers. Rhys continued to sleep on the sofa.

Then Ianto noticed funny weather patterns, and they went to visit a woman named Estelle who told them about fairies. Now Estelle was dead, and Jack had given that innocent child to those evil creatures. How could he?

Jack had gone into his office and slammed the door which was just as well because they were all furious with him. Ianto hadn’t been there so he just listened as they all told him about the terrible thing Jack had done. Looking up at the office, Ianto thought for a moment and told the others to go home. They hesitated, it was early afternoon and they weren’t sure that Ianto had the authority to dismiss them.

Finally, Owen and Tosh left but Gwen lingered behind. Ianto looked at her in puzzlement. Eventually, Gwen got the courage to speak.

“I’ve wanted to ask you something, but I’m afraid you’ll be upset or embarrassed and angry with me.”

“Just ask Gwen, the worst that can happen is I won’t answer you.”

“That’s OK…but honestly, Ianto what’s it like to be with Captain Jack?” Ianto blushed. “Oh not that,” she said relaxing a bit, “I’m sure that’s fantastic, but as a person, what’s that like?”

Ianto thought carefully. Gwen mistook his deliberation for not wanting to answer. “I’m so sorry love, I shouldn’t have asked…”

“No, it’s Ok,” Ianto said taking her hand. “Honestly, Gwen, being with Jack is like being caught up in a hurricane. I never know what's going to happen. He can be totally loving one minute and then perform the most ruthless acts the next. He can build you up and then tear you down just as fast.  He’s wonderful and terrifying, and I can’t imagine not being with him.”

“But you know what he did, Ianto?  Doesn’t it frighten you to be with someone who could give up a child like that?”

“Yes, it does,” Ianto responded. “But what else could he do…let the whole world be destroyed? Jack does what he does because there is no one else to do it. You can’t idolize or demonize Jack. If I want to be with him I have to accept that he just is who is he. And I do.” Gwen nodded.

When she got home it was early afternoon and Rhys wouldn’t be home until around six. As she sat in the lounge, thinking about the fairies and the little girl, it suddenly struck her. Ordinary wasn’t so bad. In fact, ordinary was pretty remarkable. She could fly close to the sun with someone like Jack and risk getting burned or stay grounded with someone like Rhys and have all the things she wanted – a home and children and a loving, devoted husband. Rhys might not be the dashing hero saving the day, but she finally knew for certain that she wanted to spend every ordinary day with him.

She smiled as an idea formed in her mind.

Rhys trudged home after another day of work. ‘We have to work this out, somehow. I can’t make Gwen leave Torchwood, she’d resent me for it. But she’s not the same person. Why doesn’t she see what that place is doing to her?’

As he entered the flat he was surprised to hear soft music playing. It was Tom Jones’ ‘Without Love.’ 

   I awakened this morning
   I was filled with despair

All my dreams turned to ashes and now they are gone.

And I looked at my life it was barren and bare

 

Without Love I had nothing at all.

 

Without Love I had nothing 

Without Love I had nothing at all.

I had conquered the world

But what then did I have?

Without Love I had nothing at all.

 

Gwen came out of the kitchen with a sheepish look on her face. “I’m so sorry Rhys; I’ve been a total monster these last few weeks. I let the job take over my life, our lives, and I almost ruined our relationship. I didn’t appreciate everything you do for me, how I can always depend on you and how much you love me...and how much I love you. Can you see it in your heart to give me another chance?” Gwen finished bursting into tears. 

Rhys shushed her and motioned her over. He kissed away her tears and looked at her…in exactly the same way she had seen Jack look at Ianto several weeks before. They swayed to the music as Rhys crooned in her ear:

I once had a sweetheart

Who loved only me

There was nothing that she would not give.

I was blind to her goodness and I just could not see

That a heart without love cannot live.

 

Without Love I had nothing

Without Love I had nothing at all.

I had conquered the world

But what then did I have?

Without Love I had nothing at all.

 

As the song ended, Rhys snogged her shamelessly.

“Want to take this somewhere more comfortable?” Rhys asked suggestively.

Gwen smiled. “Yeah, I would.” 

As they moved toward their bedroom, Rhys began to sing:

What's new pussycat? Woah, Woah
What's new pussycat? Woah, Woah

Pussycat, Pussycat
You're delicious
And if my wishes
Can all come true
I'll soon be kissing your sweet little pussycat lips!
Pussycat, Pussycat
I love you
Yes, I do! 

Gwen purred, “So what’s my Tom Cat up for tonight?”

 Rhys lay down on their bed and pulled her on top of him.

 “What ever you like sweetheart, just as long as I can put my tiger in your tank.”

 Gwen snorted, “Oh Rhys,” she teased, “you say the most romantic things.”

 “That’s me, Mr. Romance,” Rhys snarked as he began to tickle Gwen.

 “Rhys you stop that right now,” she said giggling.

He pulled the covers over them, right over their heads and continued to tickle her. Gwen was laughing hysterically until Rhys kissed her long and hard. As he began to unbutton her blouse he whispered how beautiful she was and how much he loved her.

‘Duw,’ she thought, ‘I’ve been such a fool. Ianto can have his hurricane;  I’m happy to have Rhys to come home to after the storm.’