Vodka and Poodles (attn: John Hart)

Another lousy day, another 'end of the world' averted, and Gwen needed a drink more than anything. Rhys was away, again, and she really didn’t feel like going straight home to an empty bed and the television.
She declined the usual pubs they went to, avoiding the bay altogether and heading further into town, enjoying her slow walk and the evening summer breeze.
Walking down the deserted streets she decided to go to the seedy bar just off the main high street. The lift was broken and the stairs grimy, but she decided not to be deterred. The bar was dank, dark and smelling of cigarette smoke, apparently the management didn't enforce the smoking ban. She shuffled slightly nervously past the burly blokes playing pool and placed herself down on the only empty stool at the bar.
She smiled weakly at the bartender and pulled a tenner out of her pocket.
"Vodka and coke, thank you."

The high-street wasn't so busy, most people having opted for the pretty pubs and bars at the bay, he was looking for something with a little more grit. He knew one technical hitch was his lack of cash, but any old cash machine would solve that problem. He wandered over to a bank waiting behind a lady with a pram. An old man seemed to be taking his sweet time with the machine. The young lady looked at him. He rocked back on his feet, hand resting on the hilt of the samurai sword. He smiled at her, and she turned away.

"Can we hurry this up folks." he strode to the front of the queue, despite the queues complaints, waiting as the old man hobbled away. He stood in-front of the machine, flicked his wrist strap open, pressed a few buttons, and collected the cash the machine gave him. "This century is so delightful." He grinned as he walked away, the whole queue shouting abuse at him.

He made his way to a slightly gritty looking bar that was otherwise his kind of place, except for the patrons, they all appeared to be gloomy depressed types. No fun at all. He sat himself down at the bar, waving the bar tender over. "One of Everything."


"Vodka and coke, thank you."

He turned to the familiar voice. "And another one of those for her."

The bartender looked confused, but then he lay the cash on the bar, and he got a whole less confused. He flicked the wrist strap open and turned the music up a bit. Some pop/dance mix, agreeable for now. He picked up the first drink down for him and lifted it up, downing it, aiming a smile at Gwen. "CHEERs sweet cheeks!"

Gwen mentally sighed when HE walked into the bar. Just what she needed, the infamous, arrogant, and ever so charming Capt. John Hart.
She practically banged her head off the bar, if there was ever a ligitimate occassion to start smoking, this would be it.
The bartender placed another drink down infront of her, so she downed the one she had bought and chocked slightly.
Well, at least he was buying.
"Captain." She raised her glass and took another hearty drink motioning her glass to him.

"PC Cooper.." He smiled. Watching the bartender scimp on his drinks. "In fact just give me that bottle." He pointed at the tequila. The bar tender seemed to like this idea a bit more.

"You'll be going over your limit mate." The bartender finally stopped eyeing the money up.

"And you'll be limiting your self to six feet of dirt, now MOVE!" The bartender handed the bottle over warily. "And the pretty lady will have another 4 of those." She seemed to be getting on well with the first to after all."

"So PC Cooper, tough day at Torchwood?" He gave her a sly wink. "Or just not satisfied with the boyfriend anymore.."

"Oh Hart, you wish. There was just a tiny disaster at work today and I needed a drink. And no, everything is perfectly fine with my boyfriend, thank you very much."
She finished her drink and stared at the four infront of her the bartender had just put down.
"I can't drink those you know, I'll fall off the stool."
She grinned at him, the lack of food and the two quick drinks starting to take effect.
"So what brings you here, death and destruction?"

"World nearly end again? Happens an awful lot to you people" He put back a great deal of the bottle. "And I wouldn't want to fall off a stool in here." He looked at the floor, taking one of her drinks and adding to his own collection, he took a little bottle from his pocket and added some to his tequila bottle. "Twenty fist century humans have no stamina." He shook his head, gulping Tequila down.

"Wandering. Freelance Time Traveller, I wander." He smiled at her. "Now your boyfriend is he open minded? Well it may be perfect with him, but one night you could have it better with me..."

Gwen decided now would be a good time to get off the stool and find a proper chair with a back and everything before she drank anymore.

"World nearly end again? Happens an awful lot to you people"

"Tell me about it. I'm going to get a proper chair and table, seen as you're buying you can join me."
She grinned and waltzed off to the local chair. She took off her jacket and placed it on the chair.

"Now your boyfriend is he open minded? Well it may be perfect with him, but one night you could have it better with me..."

"Yeah, right Hart, you might have been able to keep jack entertained, but women are a completely different matter." She paused realising something was missing. "I haven't in years but I could really use one, and well they don't seem to mind in here, do you have a cigarette?"

Great experience in bars made the maneuver easy for him, bottle and nine glasses moved at once with two hands, like a bloody party trick.

"Yeah, right Hart, you might have been able to keep jack entertained, but women are a completely different matter."

"I did more then keep him entertained. I taught him all the tricks in the book and a few the book ain't thought of. He was just an innocent kid when he met me." John smiled at the memory of it, a sweet faced young Jack. "And woman, men, plants, variations in-between and jack are all different matters, and I have yet to receive a complaint." He gave her a sly grin.

"I haven't in years but I could really use one, and well they don't seem to mind in here, do you have a cigarette?"

"Oh sweet cheeks your feeling rebellious today, I like." He pulled out various bottles and packets from his trouser pockets, which contained more then they let on, and eventually found a lighter and a pack of Richmonds. He flicked the pack out and offered her one, grabbing his own between his teeth and lighting it. Holding a light out for her. "Who would care if they cared?"

He carefully removed his sword which was hitting the ground and lay it between the ranks of drinks and his pocket's inventory. He took a swing from tequila bottle offering it to Gwen. "Live a little. Special blend."

Gwen leaned forward the cigarette in between he lips for him to light. She looved that first drag of a cigarette. She supressed the urge to cough, it had been a while since she'd last had one.

"Live a little. Special blend."

Gwen grinned at the tequila bottle and almost took a swig before remembering wat it did to her.
"Oh, special blend? No I shouldn't, I'll be sick, trust me on that ok."
Instead she took a modest sip of her drink hoping to regain some sort of control.
She took a long drag on the cigarette and almost wretched, it was going to take a while to get used to again, apparently.
"So you're freelance now, what you been upto, where have you been?"

"Steady there hunny." He watched her reaction to the cigarette. 21st humans really had no tolerance to this sort of thing. He hoped she didn't mind the colors getting a little brighter, and well the world seeming a bit brighter, because for a PC she didn't seem that observant.

"Oh, special blend? No I shouldn't, I'll be sick, trust me on that ok."

"Bit of 51st century fun, have more, you'll enjoy it." He winked. Watching her reaction to this all with interest. His ancestors really were interesting.

"So you're freelance now, what you been up-to, where have you been?"

He took a long drag and used the floor to flick the ash tray.

"This and that. Visited some stars, went on an 7 galaxy cruise, had a shot in a few wars." He patted the sword. "Had a bit of sword practice, 18th century style. Got some new boots from Italy, old ones were wearing thin, lived a little in a lotta places." He thought back to it all. "Done some jobs. Done alot of appreciating beautiful people. It's what I do best."

He smiled to her.

"What have you and team Torchwood got upto sweet cheeks, any wild parties without me?" He smiled, it was hard knowing that after it all Jack wasn't anything to do with him anymore.

Gwen took another pull on the cigarette, everything a little brighter.
"Oh nothing much, you know Jack, we got a nice day at a spa to avoid ourselves after the day you arrived on our doorstep."
Deciding maybe she shouldn't drink everything infront of her she pushed all the drinks except the one she was working on out of reach.
"We've been pretty quiet, nothing too difficult. You know after that day with you everything changed, we became a team again."

"Done some jobs. Done alot of appreciating beautiful people. It's what I do best."

"I'm sure it is. Jack is beautiful mind, in a man way. So are you I suppose, a few life lines, shows you've lived I suppose"

He smiled at the life line comment. "I'm older then I look, trust me. Humans last longer in 51st century, and time travel helps." He grinned. "Glad I could be of some help, getting you a nice face pack."

He watched her pushing the way her three remaining drinks, and downed some of his own. He had four and what was left of the bottle of tequila, and he was only feeling the effects a little. Humans in this century had so much to learn. He motioned to his drinks and barkeeper, who nodded and seemed to understand. His head was getting a little fuzzy, but not much so, not nearly enough so yet. "Rehab was shit."

"Jack's beautiful. But blinkered. He's got a little narrow minded with you folks. No offense. But the universe is full of beautiful people and things, in all different shapes and sizes." He hesitated. "Jack should give you a chance to go see them before you die." He downed another drink, dragging on the cigarette until the filter began to burn, and just ditching it on the floor.

"On to more lighthearted matters. Choose the next song. Any song from this time era." He grinned at her, flicking out his wrist strap.

Gwen giggled, Captain John was a breath of fresh air in small doses.

"Jack should give you a chance to go see them before you die."

"Well Jack has Ianto, and I have Rhys, why would he take me anywhere, ay? I'm the human compassion role at Torchwood, a pretty face and a gun."

"Choose the next song. Any song from this time era."

Gwen faked a look of deep thought.
"Give me some Freebird, can't beat it."

The barkeeper came over as the song changed. Putting a drink on the table, after he and John had exchanged hand signals for a while involving the delivery of the drinks, the man shied at the sword and the numerous packets of powders ranging from white to shocking pink on the table, not to mention the boxes and packets. "Last one mate. Your well gone."

"Listen mate." John stood up with a growl, lifting the barkeeper up by his jacket. "Not got for a long while yet. And while my money is in that machine you'll keep 'em coming." He put him down, and as the man scurried off he carried on talking to Gwen like nothing had happened.

"Well Jack has Ianto, and I have Rhys, why would he take me anywhere, ay? I'm the human compassion role at Torchwood, a pretty face and a gun."

"Twenty first century is where everything changes, and the people are so frigid. Everyone should see something amazing, no matter who they are fucking." he laughed to her. "So I was right about eye candy... Jack likes to surround him self with the pretty ones" He downed the new drink and began to finish his barrage of other drinks.

"I fear soon we will have over stayed our welcome." He gestured to bar. "Can you call in a bar brawl as Torchwood oh mighty PC cooper?"

"Can you call in a bar brawl as Torchwood oh mighty PC cooper?"

Gwen finished her drink and frowned "Not much need is there, would Jack want to know you were back? No I think I better just flag myself a taxi and head home."
She smiled and pulled her jacket from under her stumbling slightly in her standing up.
"Nice running into you John, a pleasure as always."
Pulling on her jacket she leant over and kissed him on the cheek before straightening up and heading to the door with an apologetic grin to the bartender.

"Good night. Oh and you know my speacial blend, enjoy it tonight, and sleep it off tomorrow." He grinned, kissing her on her cheek.

"See you sweet cheeks." He smiled as she stumbled towards the door. Lightweight. He took a deep pull on the bottle. She hadn't even left yet when he was shouting for attention.

"Poker anyone? Everyone loves poker." He shouted through the bar, turning the music down a little. "Play for clothes, cash, drinks or favors. Any currency excepted here ladies and gents." He stashed his pockets again, remembering where all his cards were hidden, and pulling a couple of suckers in. Money to be made, fun to be had.

Walking towards the door Gwen knew she had done the right thing, better to get out now in one piece, because 51st men can burn you up.
But with everything she didn't want to go home to an empty bed, she still couldn't face it, no amount of dutch courage could make her.
She stumbled towars the stairs, deciding maybe the sofa at work would be better. At least then Ianto's coffee would help come morning.