Author's Note: I will outright admit that this will probably be the weakest section, because I have a very hard time writing Owen. However, he's an integral part of the show, and I can't short him. And 'Fragments' was one of the few episodes where I actually liked him ('Out of Time' was another). Also, my youngest niece is six, so I may have overdone the baby-talk by Corey. Sabrina really didn't talk much around me when she was three. Oh, and I can't take credit for the 'change your religion' quote. That came from the 1993 version of The Three Musketeers.

Chapter Six

Owen: Making Adjustments

West Virginia

June 2004

It was his first week in his new home, doing his new job, and once again, Dr. Owen Harper couldn't sleep. Everything was foreign and uncomfortable, and there was something about his new boss's wife that reminded him of Katie. She didn't look like his lost fiancée (truth be told, she was pretty average-looking), for which he was incredibly grateful, but like Katie before she got sick, she wasn't inclined to put up with bullshit. Then again, she was married to Harkness and probably put up with a lot from him. Truth be told, he was a bit afraid of Alexandra Harkness. . .Owen made a remark to one of his new teammates during dinner on the first night that she didn't like, and she responded by grabbing his ear and informing him that if she ever heard something like that come out of his mouth again, she'd apply a switch to his hindquarters. And damn if Owen didn't believe her, too.

Of course, he also said it around her daughter, who was a toddler, so he could kinda see her point. Still. He would make it a point to stay clear of the small but terrifying Lacey and her even smaller and twice-as-terrifying daughter Corey. His two new teammates, Suzie and Toshiko, both clearly adored the little girl. . .and they were almost as frightening as the mother-daughter combination. Suzie Costello was gorgeous, brilliant, and viciously protective of everyone else. . .including Harkness. Toshiko Sato was cute, just as brilliant, and evidently considered by Suzie and Lacey to be their baby sister. Harkness actually commented on that at one point, observing that Suzie and Tosh made his wife miss her younger sisters a little less.

Harkness. Owen didn't know quite what to make of him. Evidently, he tried to save Katie, but was ignored. But because of him, Owen feared he was losing his mind. He wasn't sorry for taking a swing at the bastard (especially not since Owen then thoroughly humiliated himself by laying on top of the bloke and sobbing into his chest), but. . .but he was also the first person to truly try to comfort Owen after Katie's death. Not by reassuring him that the pain would ease, but because he simply held him. Everyone was so sorry about Katie and wasn't it terrible, but Harkness was the first person who gave him a way to deal with it.

He still found it vaguely creepy, the way the man flirted with everything that moved, but his wife was well aware of that, and seemed to have no problem with it. Something Owen honestly didn't understand. . .then again, there was nothing about that relationship which made sense to him. Harkness was a good-looking bloke. . .what did he see in Lacey? She was okay-looking; nothing special, but Harkness obviously did love his wife. Owen could see that even before Toshiko told him about how Harkness reacted when someone insulted Lacey. Suzie thought a lot of her, but he didn't get how birds thought a lot of the time. Except his Katie.

But if he was truly honest with himself, Owen had to admit the creepiest thing of all was that deep down inside, he kinda liked that Harkness flirted with him. Not that he fancied the bloke. Hell no! However, he knew that if Harkness hadn't flirted with him, the way he did with everyone else, Owen would have been. . .well, that would have angered him. Like Harkness didn't think he was as good as everyone else. Suzie and Toshiko both told him about how Harkness taught them to shoot. . .sounded like the same way he started Owen's gun training. The same way he taught everyone to shoot, including his wife (another good reason to be afraid of her. . .she was a good shot. Almost as good a shot as Harkness). And like Owen said earlier, he was a good-looking bloke. . .eerily so.

A sound interrupted Owen's musings and it was a sound that was out of place, even with the unfamiliar sounds he learned to accept over the last week (had he mentioned that he really didn't like rural areas? Well, he didn't. . .not at all). The young doctor drew his gun carefully, remembering what Harkness told him about the proper time and place to use a gun. . . but even though he wasn't too sure about most of his new teammates (including, or rather especially, his new boss), he wouldn't let anyone hurt any of them. He followed the sound, which he now recognized as groans. . .and found both his libido and fear checked at the sight that greeted him when he reached the open door of the gymnasium. Or what passed for the gymnasium around here. Harkness was straddling a chair, his head resting against the back of the chair and his arms hanging limply at his sides as his wife massaged the nape of his neck and his shoulders, gently chastising him for not telling her about 'this' earlier. Harkness sounded sleepy as he responded in a mumble that Owen couldn't quite understand. That drew a smile from Lacey as she kissed the top of his head.

Owen was already backing away and holstering his gun, when Lacey looked up and saw him. She murmured, "I'll be right back, darlin,' I think there's a draft." She kissed the nape of his neck, and then headed for the door. But rather than slamming the door in Owen's face (which he really expected her to do), she said softly, "I need you to do a favor for me, Owen. I have a heating pad in the kitchen. . .can you bring it here? It's in the left hand side of the stove as you're facing it." Trying to figure exactly when he started taking orders from this woman, Owen found himself nodding and heading for the kitchen. He heard the door close behind him.

In the kitchen, he realized that there was someone else who couldn't sleep. . .Suzie, who was poring over something. She looked up as he entered, gave him a once-over, and then returned her attention to whatever she was doing. However, as he headed to the stove, she said, "If you're looking for the heating pad, look in the drawer, not in the cupboard. Lacey sometimes forgets to specify that." Owen turned to look at the woman, who added, "Let me guess, you found Lacey giving Jack a non-sensual massage and she asked you to get the heating pad?" So, this was a common occurrence? Suzie explained, "Jack sometimes forgets that he's just a human being, albeit a very limber and supple one." Ew. Owen did not need that image in his head! Suzie snapped, "Oi, get your head out of the gutter, Harper! And people think Jack has a dirty mind!"

"He does, but not as dirty as everyone seems to think. Contrary to popular belief, my husband is quite capable of behaving with decorum. It's just the flirting they remember, as if he's not memorable enough already. Thanks, Owen. Suzie, since I really need to get back to my stubborn husband, can you get the muscle relaxants out for me? He hurt himself when we went up against that hybrid, which isn't what that really was. I still don't know what it's called, but we encountered one of those before, on my twenty-first birthday," Lacey commented as she accepted the heating pad from Owen. Suzie closed the book she was reading and Lacey added, "I'll make it up to you, I promise. . .I know you've been waiting for that book for ages."

"Don't even worry about it, Lacey, I was getting ready to go back to bed anyhow. Is that where you learned to subdue that Predator type thing?" Suzie asked as she eased her very attractive body out of the chair. Lacey stopped as she headed back out of the kitchen and shook her head, her face growing grim with what was likely the memory of that particular birthday. Owen had a really bad feeling about whatever she was about to say.

"No. I killed the first one we encountered. Jack was. . .unable to fight back, and it would have killed a college student. So I broke cover. . .Jack had me hiding among the trees. . .picked up Jack's big gun and fired. I missed on the first shot. . .so, I figured out the best leverage and fired again. The top half of its body completely disintegrated. It was the first time I had killed anything. . .and I realized after Jack woke up, that I would do it again to protect him or anyone else I loved," Lacey replied. Owen swallowed hard, both at the story and at the quiet determination in the young woman's voice. She sighed quietly, and then added, "I should get back. Thanks for your help, Owen."

Suzie was already following her out the kitchen, bottle of muscle relaxant pills in her hand. But as she crossed the threshold of the kitchen, she stopped and turned back to face Owen. Her own expression was implacable as she said, "I know you've been trying to figure out what Jack could possibly see in Lacey. She isn't stunningly beautiful as most people understand it. But she loves Jack, she accepts him, and she would do anything to protect her family, short of betraying her friends. She doesn't think I know about that particular fear, but I hear more than people realize and Lacey is far stronger than she realizes."

There was a warning in Suzie's words, and Owen accepted that warning with a simple bob of his head. The second young woman followed their boss's wife out of the kitchen. Owen looked around the room, then muttered, "Oh, bugger this. . .I'm the damn doctor!" And with that, he left the kitchen. Lacey was Jack's wife, and no doubt adept at taking care of the man after years of marriage, but she wasn't a doctor.

It wasn't until much later that he realized he thought of his boss by his given name.

TWTWTWTWTW

"Feeling better?" Lacey murmured as she sat down on the bed beside her husband. Owen and Suzie were back in bed, and she checked in on Corey. She was sound asleep, probably the only person in the entire base/house who was. Jack nodded, his eyes remaining closed. She pressed a light kiss against his sternum, whispering, "This brought back a lot of memories for us both. Is that why you didn't tell me that your shoulder was still hurting after that hybrid damn wrenched it out of its socket?"

"You had enough to deal with, Lacey, and it's not your job. . .oh God," Jack gasped as Lacey used her mouth to stifle any further comments. For some reason, his entire torso was always incredibly sensitive after a massage, even a non-sensual massage like the one she just gave him. And right now, she really didn't want him telling her what her job was and wasn't. She wasn't in the field with them when they took down the hybrid, but she saw the aftereffects. . .and it was her job to take care of her husband. One she greatly enjoyed doing. Once Jack got his breath back, he rasped out, "I think I've taught you too well. God. Have I ever mentioned how much I love the way you touch me?" Lacey ignored the spike of desire that shot through her with his words and instead, grinned down at him impishly.

"I think that's been mentioned a few hundred times, yes, love," she replied, before rubbing her cheek against his chest. . .making sure that her soft skin rubbed against his nipples. She was rewarded with a husky groan that had nothing to do with his still-tender shoulder. However, Owen warned her after examining Jack that he wasn't ready for bedroom acrobatics. And while Jack might ignore the doctor, citing that sex didn't have to be acrobatic to be fun, Lacey didn't want to take that chance. Instead, she abandoned her teasing to kiss his forehead and murmured, "I wasn't sure about Owen at first, but he's starting to. . .I wouldn't say 'grow on me,' but I'm starting to see why you hired him."

"I'm sure there's a sufficiently dirty response to your 'grow on me' comment, but right now, I'm too tired to think of any. And if you're just going to tease me, would you lie down beside me already? It's not nice to tease if you don't intend to follow through and I'm going to end up hurting my neck if you stay up there," Jack sniped. Lacey rolled her eyes, but lay down beside him, resting her cheek against his forearm. He grumbled again and lifted her bodily, so that her head was pillowed against his chest, mumbling, "Much better. And yeah, Owen's an annoying pain in the ass, snarky as hell, but he's a good doctor. Was before Katie died, can be again."

Lacey stifled her laughter against Jack's skin, whispering, "I've heard people call you the exact same thing. . .an annoying pain in the ass." She felt, rather than heard, his laughter, and murmured, "I tell them that it's one of the many things I love about you. On the other hand, Suzie snarks right back that it helps you do your job, and makes you so damn good at it. She can be terrifying when she goes into protective mode. I dunno if you noticed, but after I grabbed his ear for saying that to Tosh, she kicked him under the table."

"Really not surprised, not after the way she went after those Torchwood One goons when she found out that they ambushed me before my meeting with the Crown," Jack replied. Lacey rolled her eyes. Typical Jack. He wasn't beaten up, he was ambushed. She found out shortly before they left Cardiff that Suzie was right. . .it was five against one, and Jack still managed to put up one helluva fight. Of course he did. She really didn't think it was in her husband to simply let people hurt him. In fact, if that day ever came when he simply gave up and let someone hurt him (unless it was as a distraction), she would know that she needed help to take care of him, over and above her parents, her little sisters, and Suzie.

"They beat you up, Jack. There's no shame in acknowledging that," Lacey pointed out to him. She knew what he would say. . .the same thing he always did. It was a matter of semantics, and they were both right. She wasn't even sure why she always did this when he mentioned their departure from Cardiff three years earlier (aside from the fact she was still furious about it). Jack sighed softly and kissed the top of her head. Lacey snuggled closer, draping her arm around his waist protectively.

"And they would have never been able to do that if they hadn't ambushed me, Lace. I can't let myself forget that. . .the only reason they were able to ambush me was because I let down my guard, and that's something I just can't afford to do," Jack answered. Ah. Now they were getting somewhere. Jack added, sounding more and more sleepy by the minute, "And before you say anything else, there will be times when I can't rely on someone else to watch my back, because there are some things I have to do alone."

"True," Lacey whispered, kissing his collarbone tenderly, "but for tonight, you can let me guard your sleep. And then tomorrow, you're going to let Owen examine you properly. No tissue samples, no blood samples, but let him examine you before he starts getting even more suspicious. I know you're not ready for him or Tosh or Suzie to know the truth about you, but give a little on this, okay, sweetheart?" He grumbled a little more, but tightened his grasp on her. He would think about it, and maybe he would take her suggestion. Maybe he wouldn't. She believed that he needed to trust the people he worked with. He trusted her, and for now, that was enough. She wouldn't betray his trust. Enough people did that already.

TWTWTWTW

August 2004

West Virginia

Owen Harper was a misanthropic, sarcastic bastard who was damn good at his job. But until he went to work for Torchwood and started chasing down stray aliens who thought the US would be a better target than the already-beleaguered UK, he didn't realize that he was absolutely pathetic. And why was he absolutely pathetic? Why, because he came to realize within six weeks of his arrival in West Virginia that he was utterly and completely jealous of three year old Corinna Harkness. And why was he jealous of her? Because she had two parents who loved her totally and completely, and two aunts (Tosh and Suzie) who would willingly sacrifice themselves for her sake. That wasn't taking into account the adoring grandparents and her mother's two younger sisters.

It wasn't fair. He knew it wasn't fair of him to be jealous of a little girl who had what every child should have. But he was. And he avoided the little girl for that very reason. Lacey seemed to sense this, taking the child to her pediatrician in the town (such as it was) when she got the sniffles or was otherwise sick. There was no judgment in her dark eyes, but Owen judged himself. So, maybe it wasn't such a surprise when he started snapping at Suzie and Tosh. Suzie gave it as well as she took it, but Tosh tended to retreat unless she was really angry.

And he was warned, in very explicit terms by Suzie, what she would do to him if he ever made Tosh cry. There was a story there, he was sure, and he really didn't care if he made Tosh cry or what made her so damn special. But he did care about what Suzie would do to him, as he had a feeling that when she threatened to 'change his religion,' it meant something far more sinister than dragging him to the Catholic Mass that Lacey attended. He was quite sure that she intended to remove certain appendages that actually made his life worth living. He was equally sure that even if he found out, Jack wouldn't stop Suzie. He might even help her.

He would definitely help her if Owen made his baby girl cry, which was another good reason to steer clear of the little ankle-biter. And for her part, Corey seemed to understand that she made him uncomfortable. He often heard children likened to cats, especially cats that made a beeline for the people who didn't like them. Corey wasn't like that. She was as leery of Owen as he was of her, and while he didn't want to be around her, he also didn't want her to be afraid of him.

Thus, when the little girl came into his med bay one quiet afternoon, he knew something was wrong. Even before he saw her tear-stained face, he knew something was wrong. Lacey was having a Mommy's Day out, Suzie was working on the latest batch of 'we don't know what the hell this is' shipment from Cardiff, and Tosh was tinkering with the computers. That left Jack and Corey to have a 'Daddy and Daughter' Day. So, it really wasn't a surprise when the little moppet whimpered, "Owen come. . .Daddy hurt."

Owen groaned under his breath. . .what the hell had Harkness done to himself this time? Still, he grabbed his first aid kit and swept Corey into his arms (what? It was quicker!), and trotted off to Corey's room, which was the last place he knew the pair to be. Sure enough, there was Harkness in the middle of the room, lying on his side. What the hell happened in here? A quick glance around the room told him that while the room looked like it was hit with an earthquake (worse than what Harkness and Corey could do together), there were no obvious dangers. However, Jack was unconscious and the only person who could tell him what happened was a three year old girl. And while she could talk, Owen had a bad feeling this was far beyond her ability to explain. For that matter, he was afraid it was beyond his ability to explain.

"Bad ghostie! Hurt Daddy! Bad, bad!" Corey scolded. Owen felt his brows climb into his hairline. Okay. That was actually a pretty good explanation, even if he didn't believe in ghosts. However, he was inclined to re-think that skepticism when a small figure formed in front of him. It looked to be a human child, around five or six years of age, with a distinctly sulky expression. Her (?) arms were folded over her chest, while Corey's tiny hands were settled on her hips, her own expression best described as mulish. Owen bit back his laughter, because it really wasn't funny. But he saw that expression on her mother's face quite frequently, usually when her father was being stubborn.

The ghost/alien child responded in a language that Owen didn't recognize, but Corey was evidently not impressed, because she stamped her little foot, retorting, "Bad ghostie! Corey play with Daddy today, play with ghostie tom'row! Not supposed to hurt Daddy! Corey not play with ghostie no more!" Now that, Owen realized, did scare the little being. Her arms dropped away and she said something in a decidedly pleading voice, extending her hands out to Corey. The little human girl retorted, "Daddy hurt Corey? Nuh-uh!"

There was a groan, and then Jack rasped out, "I believe her, sweetheart. She thought I was hurting you. That's why I put you down so fast, to show her that I wasn't really hurting you, that you were laughing instead of crying. Oh God." Belatedly remembering why Corey brought him here, Owen turned his attention to his newly-conscious boss, who was trying (and largely failing) to sit up. Owen put his hand in the middle of Jack's chest, pushing him back down. Even more worrying, Jack actually obeyed. This was actually worrisome. Corey scrambled over to her father's side, petting his hair, and Jack said something in that odd language the ghost/alien child used. He switched back to English, murmuring, "That's a relief. I was afraid she was one of the Gelfth. Not sure how Corey understands French, but not gonna worry about it."

Satisfied that her father would be okay, Corey snuggled against his side, resting her head against his shoulder. Jack kissed her head, murmuring, "It's okay, sweetheart. Owen, meet Gisele. She lived here about, oh, I'd say three hundred years ago or so." Jack once more switched back to French, completing the introduction. The child named 'Gisele' curtsied neatly, inclining her head at the same time, and Jack told his daughter in English, "It's okay, baby. Gisele didn't realize I was your father and thought I was hurting you. She thought she was protecting you. We were playing. . .airplane, I think it was, Owen." The doctor nodded but didn't answer otherwise, too concerned with examining his boss. Jack continued, wincing as Owen found a bruise on his torso, "She threw me in a wall to make sure I didn't hurt Corey."

"Daddy not hurt Corey. Gissy was bad," Corey retorted, not moving her face from her father's shoulder. Now Owen realized that when he heard 'ghostie,' Corey was in fact saying 'Gissy,' for 'Gisele.' The little ghost child bowed her head, biting her lip. In spite of the weird factor and the worry of the last few minutes, Owen couldn't help but feel sorry for her. After a moment, Corey raised her head and said reluctantly, "Gissy stay, if Daddy not mad. But no hurt Daddy or Mommy, EVER!"

It wasn't funny. Really, it wasn't. But for a split second, Owen saw both of the child's parents in Corey's stance and in her tone, and he had a glimpse of what she would be like when she grew up. When he hired Owen, Jack warned him that Torchwood operatives didn't tend to live long. Owen hoped that wasn't the case with him. He wanted to see what Corey would be like as an adult. Or at least as a somewhat older teenager.

"That's my girl. I'm not mad at you or at Gisele, but I do need to talk to your grandfather about why we didn't know until now about her. If I promise not to move again until Lacey gets home, Owen, will you help me get to bed? This really isn't very comfortable and I think both Gisele and Corey need a cooling off period," Jack requested. Owen thought about that for a moment. He couldn't find any broken bones and he did need to do a more thorough exam to make sure Jack didn't have a concussion. After a moment, he nodded his agreement and Jack once more switched to French, evidently telling the ghost-girl that she could come back tomorrow, once Corey wasn't so upset. Gisele nodded emphatically, evidently apologizing once more, before fading away. With that little domestic settled (really, what had his life turned into?), Owen helped Jack up from the ground.

After he tended to Jack, he returned to work in the med bay. Corey alternated between lying beside her father and sitting up, guarding him. She really was a cute little kid. Not just pretty, but cute. . .tiny, but fierce. She was as protective of her parents as they were of her, something that Gisele found out the hard way. Suzie got a sad look on her face when she heard about the entire situation, but hugged Corey and told her that she was very proud of her. Tosh wondered if she could figure out a way to alert them of Gisele's presence as she held Corey on her lap. Lacey fussed over her husband and daughter. And Owen was beginning to see what Jack saw in his wife and why Tosh and Suzie fussed over Corey.

But he still avoided dealing with the little girl as much as possible.

TWTWTWTW

Early December 2004

West Virginia

He had a doctor. He had a tech wizard. He had his second-in-command and chief researcher. His team was complete. Suzie asked him about hiring someone to keep their archives straight, especially once they returned to Cardiff. Jack told her that he would think about that, but for now, Lacey was doing that when she wasn't caring for their daughter and the rest of them. A quick phone call to his father-in-law after the initial contact with Gisele reassured him that they weren't told about the little girl because she never appeared to anyone before. Interesting. Very interesting. The child died nearly three hundred years earlier, but this was the first time she manifested herself.

They were a few years into the twenty-first century, and while he couldn't do anything about the rest of Torchwood, Jack was determined that his own little team would be as ready as possible. His wife reminded him that despite one's best efforts, there were some things that one simply couldn't prepare for. Jack hated to admit it, but she was right. That wouldn't stop him from trying. According to the Brigadier, the Crown had told Torchwood Three that his changes would remain in place. . .including his changes regarding the Doctor. That was good to know. Torchwood One was still hanging onto its policies, but that was Torchwood One.

But for now, his team was putting up their Christmas tree. Or rather, the three ladies were decorating the Christmas tree, getting tinsel on each other, and a very uncomfortable-looking Owen held Corey on his lap. That was Suzie's idea, right before she threw some tinsel onto Tosh, and Lacey yanked the rim of the Santa hat over her eyes. Honestly. Those three could act like teenagers at times. It was one of the reasons he loved having them around.

What Jack couldn't have known was that in another five months, it would be two actual teenagers who found themselves in the middle of an alien civil war. . .and that Torchwood would also be in the middle of that same civil war before the following year was out.

Fin (coming within the next few weeks, the Autobots land on Earth)