Doctor Who - 03 - The August Sky

.8. Everyone but You

Gwen was staring down, at her hands clasped together on top of a long, polished table. She hardly listened to Jack and Martha, speaking in turns; and to Ianto and Mickey, providing much needed, but slightly irritating comical interludes. Her fingers were twitching; something inside her was twitching as well, and she would have mistaken it for Junior moving in her belly if the feeling was nice. But it wasn't. It was gnawing, and twisting, and anxious kind of twitching, and she was sick of it.

Jack apparently finished the meeting, and was gathering files Ianto had spread before him on the table. Mickey jumped from his chair, clearly relieved and ready to go. Gwen cleared her throat, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Wait a moment, Jack," she said quickly. "Just one more thing."

Harkness looked up at her, his blue eyes narrowed. She knew he knew what she was going to say. It didn't make it any easier. She cleared her throat again.

"Now, what about that angel-creature? Is anybody going to ask the obvious question?" She looked around at the rest of the team. "Was it..." she stuttered. "Was it him?"

Ianto looked down, biting his lips. Jack clenched his jaws. Martha's eyes were moving from one face to the other, her breath withheld.

"Do you mean...?" she started.

"No," Jack said harshly. "It can't be him. He's gone. He's..."

"We're talking about a man, who cannot... cannot... well, not die... Who cannot cease to exist," Gwen said.

"It's not him," Jack repeated.

"Are you saying that, because it was you who have made him undead in a first place?" Gwen spat angrily. "Cause that's just denial."

"It wasn't Owen!" Jack shouted. His chair tipped backwards and rammed on the floor as he sprang up. "So, stop it now! Owen's gone!"

"Jack. Jack. Jack!" Gwen was shouting as well now. "Running away won't help. Jack?!"

Harkness didn't stop. He rushed towards the exit without even a look back. He slammed the door behind him. The rest of the team was silent.

"What?!" Gwen yelled, looking at Ianto. "What now?! Somebody had to say it! For God's sake, you named it the King of the Weevils yourself!"

"I just..." Ianto swallowed hard. "Seemed a good idea at the time. To clear the atmosphere. I didn't really mean it."

"Well, you said it," Gwen snorted. "And it certainly didn't clear the atmosphere."

"He's right, though." Ianto got up quickly and started backing towards the door as well. "Owen's gone."

Gwen slammed her hands against the table. She bit her lips looking at them, leaving the room one by one, regretting Rhys hadn't been there for the meeting. He'd back her up, she was sure of it.

"Or maybe it's common sense."

She looked up, at Martha standing next to her chair, arms crossed on its high backrest.

"What?"

"Maybe it's not denial, but common sense," Martha repeated.

"What's so sensible about not considering all of the possibilities?" Gwen asked. "Isn't it what we're supposed to be doing here? Isn't it what Torchwood is for?"

Martha sighed and sat down again. She was moving the folders Jack had left on the table.

"And if it is him?" she asked finally. "What then?"