Fic: Exchange Program (2 and 3)

[rosetintedview.livejournal.com]

Title: Exchange Program: Parts 2 and 3

Rating: PG-13?

Notes: Gwen bashing yet not Gwen bashing. Figure that one out.
Warning: Possibly language.

Spoilers: At the moment, none.

Summary: With Torchwood anything is possible. In this case, Torchwood Three had the chance to meet a very interesting woman.

--

To Part 1: http://community.livejournal.com/antigwenallies/165471.html

2. …There is a Beginning.

 

“You are Gwen Cooper, correct?” Ianto Jones asked with a suspicious look as he looked over the older woman who appeared in place of his co-worker, and former-Police Constable, Gwen Cooper. This woman did not wear Gwen’s typical jeans and some style of t-shirt, instead she wore a white dress shirt with black slacks, and her brown hair was pulled back in a bun. The oddest thing was the fact she wore white cotton gloves and holding a clear box with the alien device that Toshiko Sato had been scanning into the computer when Gwen picked it up and accidentally activated it.

 

“Yes, but if it helps my full first name is Gwendolen.” She answered in a raspy voice before she glanced down at the box in her hands. “Can I sit this down before something else happens?” she asked as Ianto nodded and motioned for her to sit it on the desk by Tosh’s keyboard, which she did so.

 

“Ianto, that is our Gwen. The device just added a few years.” Owen hissed out as Gwen turned to them and then glanced up at Jack before turning to Tosh.

 

“What year is it?” she asked as Tosh shook her head, dispelling her shock, and sat back in her computer chair.

 

“2009, why?” she asked as Gwen frowned.

 

“I was sent back in time four years.” She told the Japanese young woman while removing her cotton gloves and tucking them into the pockets of her slacks.

 

“Did you finally marry Rhys?” Jack asked, having heard Gwen’s answer, as all attention turned to him.

 

“Who?” she asked as her facial expression reflecting her confusion as no one spoke for a couple minutes due to surprise. “The closest to marriage I got was when I was twenty, but my fiancée’s name was Nigel.”

 

“Tosh, run a full scan on that device and see if we can identify it.” Jack ordered as he was down the stairs and looking directly at Ianto and Owen. “Ianto show Ms. Cooper to the conference room, Owen help Tosh with anything she may need.”

 

“This way, Ms. Cooper.” Ianto politely told Gwen as he motioned for her to follow him, which she did so.

 

“What am I supposed to do?” Owen demanded as Jack glared him down.

 

“Just help Tosh while Ianto and I question Ms. Cooper.” He stated patting the doctor on the shoulder and making his way towards the conference room, ignoring Owen’s glare.

 

--

 

Gwen sat back in one of the five comfortable chairs around the table as Jack entered the room. “Ianto, could you grab a couple cups of coffee?” he asked as the Welshman nodded and slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him. “You know what is going to happen now, don’t you Ms. Cooper?” he asked her as he moved around the table to take the seat across from her.

 

“What any other person would do in this situation, an interrogation.” She answered while crossing her arms over her chest. “What do you wish to know, Captain Harkness?”

 

“Let’s start with your full name and age.” Jack stated as he placed his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together, staring at her much like a hawk would its prey.

 

“Gwendolen Elizabeth Cooper, twenty-nine.” She promptly answered as he nodded.

 

“Have you ever worked for Torchwood Three?”

 

“From age twenty-three to age twenty-five as a liaison between Torchwood Three and Crossroads Travel Agency, due to several issues that came up with a rise in the weevil population and storing objects dropped by the Rift.” She answered without any hesitation. “My job, during that time, was to aide Ianto Jones with his archiving while completing my training to be a field agent. Due to being understaffed I occasional aided the team in the field if the situation called for it.”

 

“You were not recruited by me, then?” he asked, leaning forward as she shook her head no. It was at this time that Ianto entered the room with a tray that had three mugs of coffee on it. “When were you recruited by this travel agency?”

 

“Age eighteen, they put me through college for museum studies and business.” Gwen recalled with a chuckle as Ianto handed out the mugs. “Thank you, Mr. Jones.” She told him and sat the mug down while Jack sipped his and Ianto sat down beside Gwen.

 

“Museum studies?” Ianto echoed a she turned to him with a laugh.

 

“My grandfather was a historian and he raised me after my parents were killed when they made a stop in Breacon Beacons when I was five, so I spent most of my time in museums learning and behind the scenes.” She told him with a wistful smile, bowing her head a bit as she picked up the mug of coffee. “He died in the first Cyberman attack while I was visiting Rome.”

 

“With the information we have on our Gwen, and assuming you are telling the truth, it is safe to say that we can eliminate you as being from her future.” Jack announced as she lifted her head and stared at him blankly for a moment. “Main reasons being that her parents are still alive and she is dating a Rhys Williams.”

 

“What now, sir?” Ianto asked as Gwen sat her mug down, keeping silent.

 

“We wait for Tosh to finish her work.” Jack stated as Gwen watched him.

 

“You are forgetting about Rhys.” He deadpanned as Gwen peered into her mug now, patiently waiting for their verdict.

 

“We could always tell him that she contracted the flu and we are forcing her to stay here till it clears up.” Jack declared with a grin.

 

“Sir, it may be wise to let Rhys in on this.” Ianto suggested only Jack did not look happy about that. “He knows about Torchwood and we cannot keep Ms. Cooper here alone if we are all out in the field.” He pointed out, reminding Jack that Rhys would not accept the flu as an excuse nor could they trust her in the Hub without supervision.

 

“I now, officially, feel like a five-year-old.” Gwen muttered with a pout as she sat the mug down, both men still discussing how to handle the situation.

 

3. Meeting Rhys

 

It was just after five in the afternoon when Rhys Williams arrived at the tourist office that masked one of the two entrances to the Torchwood headquarters and he was still trying to wrap his mind around what Ianto had told him. How was he suppose to play host to a person named Gwen Cooper but was not his Gwen? He sighed and pushed those thoughts to the side, deciding it would be best to grin and take this entire matter with a grain of salt. He leaned over the vacant desk with his elbows on the edge and stared at an old poster proclaiming a festival as another question came to mind— how different was this Gwen from his Gwen? He jumped as he heard a door open and Ianto stepped out followed by an older, more professionally dressed Gwen Cooper.

 

Not his Gwen, he reminded himself with a fake smile.

 

“Rhys Williams meet Ms. Gwendolen Cooper.” Ianto stated as she offered a hand, which Rhys shook.

 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Williams, I hope that this isn’t a bother in any way.” Gwen stated with her own smile, but he did notice that it did not really reach her eyes.

 

“No, Ms. Cooper, but please call me Rhys. Mr. Williams makes me look around for my old primary teacher.” He told her with a chuckle as she nodded. “We best be off, I have dinner ready to go into the oven.”

 

“You can drop her off before you go to work tomorrow, since we still have some questions for her.” Ianto told Rhys, who nodded and led her from the tourist office. With them gone finally Ianto heaved a sighed and wondered just how much trouble that the alternate Gwen would cause before the device was figured out.

 

--

 

After the relatively short and silent trip, Gwen found herself curiously poking around the small apartment while Rhys finished the dinner he had made before picking her up. She looked over the few pictures on shelves in the living room and noted that most of them had either Rhys with his family or him with his friends and the only picture of him with a girl, who she assumed was his Gwen, had to be at least couple years old. “Does your Gwen live here as well?” she asked as Rhys emerged from the kitchen area and noted that she was looking over the photos.

 

“Yes, we are actually engaged.” He answered and sat on the edge of the couch and nervously leaned forward to carefully pile up the magazines that Gwen loved to read at the far end of the coffee table, as she turned to face him with a surprised look.

 

“No wonder they asked if I married you. I take it your Gwen must be a lucky one.” She added in a wistful tone and moved across the room to look over the knickknacks as Rhys just stared at her back, shocked.

 

“We never married?” he asked, feeling a hand around his heart as she ‘hmm’ed and continued to look things over.

 

“Honestly, we never met in my world.” She answered in a distracted tone and picked up a crystal figurine of a hummingbird on a pink tinted flower. This caused her host to grip the arm of the couch as she turned to him, holding the figurine carefully in both hands. “Mr. Jones didn’t tell you that, did he?”

 

“No, when he called I thought she was just exhausted and needed a ride.” Rhys admitted with an embarrassed flush as she turned back to the shelf and sat the figurine down and moved to sit on the loveseat to his left.

 

“I suspected that he called when he was getting coffee, it explains why he pushed so much for telling you what really happened.” She mused as Rhys leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and head in his hands. “Then again, that was before he found out that I was really from an alternate world and four years older.”

 

“Bloody Torchwood.” He muttered as she snickered, which prompted him to lift his head enough to stare at her.

 

“That is the most overused phrase in Cardiff, especially by the upper brass of the police. My friends and I used to have a drinking game in concerns to Torchwood investigations and jobs, that was one of the phrases that we would have to take a double shot of whatever we were drinking.” She explained with a grin as he laughed and sat back, a comfortable silence settling between them.

 

“You seem very different from my Gwen.” He muttered as she shrugged.

 

“How so?” she asked as something in the kitchen dinged and he was off the couch and in the kitchen.

 

“You are at least being honest and you aren’t whining about your day.” Rhys answered as she heard the oven door being opened and something being pulled out before the door was shut again. “I decided to try a different recipe today, one that a friend recommended, do you have any objections to chicken enchilada casserole?”

 

“Never had it before so I can’t say.” She admitted as he set about serving up two portions and bringing them into the living room, sitting his down on the table and handing her a plate, before disappearing back into the kitchen and came back with two glasses of ice water, which he sat on the clean end of the coffee table.

 

“So, how is it in your world?” Rhys asked as he picked up his plate, noting that she had already finished off half of the casserole portion he had given her.

 

“It isn’t too bad. My job keeps me on my toes, the hours are weird as all hell, and working with Torchwood adds a new level of insanity on some days but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” She answered and sat the plate on the coffee table and picked up the glass of water and sipped. “Weather is the same, Cardiff is still Welsh and as crazy as ever, and the government still screws everything up because of red tape and the typical lies.”

 

“Gotta love constants.” He laughed and watched as she sat down her glass of water, his appetite temporarily gone. “So, are you seeing someone back home?”

 

“No.” she whispered and bowed her head a bit, elbows on her knees. “I gave up on relationships when I was announced liaison to Torchwood and after my promotion to field agent, unless it was someone in the organization.”

 

“Why?” he asked in shock, feeling a bit angry that she gave up. He thought she was a good looking woman, but he was biased since she looked like his Gwen, and seemed to have an easy going nature.

 

“If I had a relationship outside the organizations I would put the other person through a guessing game. Would I return without any major injuries and how could I explain how I got injured without breaking policies? Would I be caught in my constant lying? Would they really tell my lover how I died or just retcon him?” She easily listed off before falling silent and sitting back, bringing both hands up to cover her face. “Marriage is based on honest and equal parts of sacrifice, or so Grandpapa told me when he gave me The Talk, and having kids implies being around to raise them and not called out at all hours for a mission or job that may take months. I don’t want a relationship based on lies and I don’t want to have kids and never see them.”

 

“Sounds like you really thought that through, but there has to be another reason why you gave up.” Rhys pointed out as she sighed.

 

“There is, but I don’t want to talk about it.” She sharply told him as her hands dropped to her cheeks so that she was glaring at him. Daring him to continue that line of questioning. “What keeps you with your Gwen?”

 

“I’ve loved her since we were kids.” Rhys told her in a fond tone as she let her hands drop to her lap. “Her determination was a good part of her person, even if we never really discussed our goals. Her hours with Torchwood are terrible and I wish she would actually tell me about her job…”

 

“Then who told you about the organization?” Gwen asked feeling a bit confused now as he paused in his answer.

 

“Ianto, he said it was protocol and had me sign a binding contract. I asked him not to tell Gwen because I thought that I could use this as a test, since I was feeling a bit paranoid at the time.” He admitted and looked away from her. “I thought she was cheating on me with someone in the police force and hoped that with the switch, and the secret, she would tell me since we both swore to never keep secrets from one another without a reason.”

 

“You don’t think she has a reason.” Gwen pointed out as he glanced back at her and then leaned forward and sat his plate on the table.

 

“She’s told everyone else but me.” He deadpanned, shutting his eyes and leaning his head back. “On top of that we have been engaged for three years now and every time I set a date, she finds some weird ass reason to put the wedding off. Every time I find a reason to break it off I don’t.” he ranted, getting to his feet as Gwen just sat, frozen in place, and watched as he began to pace the length of the living room. “My mother told me that she doesn’t approve of her, but still smiles and greets her like she is family.”

 

“Why doesn’t your mother approve?” Gwen cautiously asked him, not wanting to accidentally become the focus of his rant.

 

“She told me that Gwen would string me along, that a girl like that is all sweet in public and as rotten as an apple that has been on the branch too long. That Gwen would never commit since that would require her giving up being the center of her own universe.” He answered while turning to stare directly at her. “I want to actually get married and have kids, I want to see the glow of happiness on my wife’s face and my parent’s faces as they fawn over their grandkids.”

 

“Do you believe that?” Gwen asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her.

 

“With her obsessive talk about how Captain Jack Harkness needs her at the office, how he needs her because she is the voice of reason…” he trailed off with a sneer as Gwen frowned.

 

“That's utter bullshit.” She told him as his anger melted into confusion. “Going off of my world, and what little I seen of their group dynamics here, it is most definately Ianto who does most of the work. He is the entire administrative staff, from the taxes to the mission reports and filing, and Jack tends to listen to him eight-times-out-ten with the ninth and tenth time being Tosh and Owen respectively.”

 

“I need to sit down.” He muttered and made his way back to the sofa, plopping down with a shell-shocked look.

 

“Where do you keep your spirits?” Gwen asked getting to her feet as he motioned towards the kitchen. “Keep breathing, keep blinking, and think calm and happy thoughts.” With that she made her way into the kitchen and began going through the cabinets, hoping that she did not just accidentally ruin Rhys’s love life with one simple yet innocent question.

To Part 4: community.livejournal.com/antigwenallies/166890.html

Comments

[janiemc.livejournal.com]

Oh I like a lot, when can I have more?

[bk_forever]

Oh yes, I like Alternate Gwen! She's much more level-headed and honest. Probably from being raised by her grandfather. I get the feeling this universe's Gwen was thoroughly spoiled by her parents, given everything she asked for, allowed to get away with everything and never told 'No' (Which is one of the reasons I dislike the Gwen we get to see).
This is intriguing, looking forward to more.

[wanda1969.livejournal.com]

Indeed (she said, agreeing with the other comments), this Gwen is more level headed, which only goes to highlight the unreasonableness of "our world Gwen"... very worrying...!!

[jsks.livejournal.com]

nice to what 'might have been' had gwen been treated as a an adult and not rtd's very own mary sue.