Torchwood: Beer and Lies

[fajrdrako_fic]

Title: Beer and Lies
Author: fajrdrako
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Gwen, PC Andy, Jack
Challenge: jenny-gwen's Jack/Gwen Comment Party!
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine, no claims, all property of the BBC.
Notes:: No spoilers, except generally for series 2 Torchwood. Set after "Something Borrowed". Crossposted to my dreamwidth journal, my LJ, and jack_and_gwen.


Beer and Lies

Andy and Gwen sat overlooking Cardiff Bay, feeling the breeze on their faces. They were in an outdoor cafe, drinking beer and watching the world go by. Gwen didn't see Andy much these days, and it was nice to just sit and relax. Only a few years ago, all her working life was spent with him. Now... well, things were different.

For him too, she supposed.

"You been dating?" asked Gwen, curious. She sometimes worried about Andy. She wasn't sure he was over his infatuation with her, and she thought he ought to get out more. Solitude didn't suit him. Loneliness made him surly.

"With the hours I work? No, no way. Have you?"

"Don't be daft. I'm married. Remember?"

Andy gave her one of those looks.

"What?" she said.

"You know what I'm thinking."

"I'm not a mind reader."

"You're married, not dead. I've seen how you look at your boss."

So that was what was bothering him. She'd known there was something, ever since their talk on the phone. She rolled her eyes. "I don't."

His look this time was even more pointed. He thought he could intimidate her with that look. Hardly. Okay, maybe it worked on the kids spray-painting obscenities on road signs, but she was made of sterner stuff.

So she said, "No, really. Anyway, it wouldn't do me any good. He has a boyfriend."

It was her trump card, and it had the virtue of being true, but it just made Andy mock. "He probably has several. What difference does that make? If you're telling me he doesn't like women you can stuff it, because I've heard the rumours about gorgeous Captain Harkness. Likes men, likes women, likes anything that's warm and breathing."

Gwen remembered Ianto's comments about cephalopods and almost laughed. Ianto had been joking. At least... she thought he was joking.

Andy had more to say. "I've seen how he looks at you, too."

Gwen kept every trace of expression off her face. Andy burst out laughing. "What? You didn't notice? You are so dim sometimes."

"No," whispered Gwen. She didn't have it in her to argue this one. She felt as if he'd punched her. Hard. "So help me God, Andy, if you're making that up - is it true?"

Andy shrugged. "I don't lie. When you look at me like a statue I know I've hit a nerve. The King of Torchwood wants to sweep you off your feet. You want to be swept. What am I supposed to think?"

She frowned, staring at him. She was still flushed. He took another sip of beer, and she knew he was feeling out of sorts. "You're jealous."

"Bloody right."

"Well, you're way off base. He's never so much as touched me, and he isn't going to."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She glared. "Yes, really. He's a gentleman."

"Pull the other one," said Andy.

They sipped in silence. She was annoyed at Andy for misjudging Jack and annoyed with herself for being annoyed because she'd let Andy start the ridiculous conversation in the first place. She tried to settle down, tried not to think about what Andy said about Jack. It didn't make any difference, anyway. How could it?

So why did it make her want to run and hide?

After a while, Andy told her about what DI Martin had said to PC Collins, and after a while Gwen was laughing again, the conversation about Jack forgotten, or at least pushed to the back of her mind.

Until she was leaving, and Andy called after her, standing by their table, looking absurdly vulnerable suddenly. "Gwen?"

"Yeah?"

"You know... I give you a hard time sometimes, but if you have trouble, worries, whatever, you know you can trust me, right? To be here for you? Friendly ear and all?"

He really was rather sweet. "No worries, Andy. Honest."

Andy had the knack of seeing through her lies. She hoped he couldn't see through that one.