Below them, the alarm blares and lights flash as the front door rolls open. Ianto walks in slowly. He looks up. Jack and Gwen are in the conference room looking down through the windows on the hub. Jack nods to Ianto, expression neutral and eyes watchful. Ianto barely nods back.
Up in the office, Gwen glances at Jack. "You'd never have shot him," she says. "Not really."
"Wouldn't I?" he replies, not looking at her, eyes still following Ianto as he goes about his duties.
She rolls her eyes, obviously disbelieving. "Would you have shot me if I'd gone to stand by him?"
"But you didn't."
"If I had, though," she insists, wanting to know, to hear him say he wouldn't.
"But you didn't."
There is a pause, almost awkward, as Ianto starts to pick up rubbish down below.
"Will he stay?" Gwen asks eventually, to a noncommittal shrug from Jack. She sighs. "All that deception. Because he couldn't bear to live without her. So, have you ever loved anyone that much?"
Jack is silent, face blank and unreadable.
She continues anyway. "When she had hold of you, I thought, just for a moment, I thought maybe you could die after all."
Finally, Jack looks at her, eyes glittering. "Wanna know a secret?" he says, and she nods. "So did I. And just for a second there, I felt so... alive."
no subject
It's a few weeks later.
Below them, the alarm blares and lights flash as the front door rolls open. Ianto walks in slowly. He looks up. Jack and Gwen are in the conference room looking down through the windows on the hub. Jack nods to Ianto, expression neutral and eyes watchful. Ianto barely nods back.
Up in the office, Gwen glances at Jack. "You'd never have shot him," she says. "Not really."
"Wouldn't I?" he replies, not looking at her, eyes still following Ianto as he goes about his duties.
She rolls her eyes, obviously disbelieving. "Would you have shot me if I'd gone to stand by him?"
"But you didn't."
"If I had, though," she insists, wanting to know, to hear him say he wouldn't.
"But you didn't."
There is a pause, almost awkward, as Ianto starts to pick up rubbish down below.
"Will he stay?" Gwen asks eventually, to a noncommittal shrug from Jack. She sighs. "All that deception. Because he couldn't bear to live without her. So, have you ever loved anyone that much?"
Jack is silent, face blank and unreadable.
She continues anyway. "When she had hold of you, I thought, just for a moment, I thought maybe you could die after all."
Finally, Jack looks at her, eyes glittering. "Wanna know a secret?" he says, and she nods. "So did I. And just for a second there, I felt so... alive."