It had been a long day at work.

Truthfully, most days at work felt long, and they felt like they were getting longer. It was just a boring, sometimes difficult job, and occasionally you felt it. Today was one of those days.

You wished you could curl up in bed with Gwen after hours away from her, but her own job kept her away at odd hours, sometimes late into the night. Days at Torchwood were much longer than your own. It was a surprise to you that she wasn't more exhausted--but then, she liked her job.

The lock clicked and you opened the door to your flat. Immediately, you noticed an unexpected smell in the air. Curry, you thought. Your eyes narrowed.

Logically speaking, if someone had broken into your flat, they probably wouldn't make food while they waited to ambush you, but you were tired and weren't thinking logically. Instead, you reached into the umbrella stand by the door, where you knew there was a (poorly) disguised shortsword hidden. Apparently, it had been a "Rift gift" and, after proving that it was only out of time and not out of place, Gwen had convinced Jack to let her bring it home.

As you gripped the hilt of the sword, Gwen poked her head around the corner of the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. She gave you a brilliant gap-toothed grin, the kind that was literally disarming to you--you released the blade and beamed back at her.

"I thought I'd surprise you," she said, walking into the living room now to take your bag. You shrugged it off, then went to take off your coat when she set down the backpack.

"Oh, darling," Gwen said, wrapping her arms around you. "It's so good to actually have a night together."

You returned Gwen's embrace, kissing her cheek. "I'm so happy to see you," you said.

Gwen, being no great shakes as a cook--the kind of person who could burn water when she set it to boil--had bought curry on the way home from work today. The Rift had been slow lately, and since she was the only one currently with a significant other outside of the not-so-secret organization, she had managed to convince Jack to give her the night off.

You ate together, hands held across the table, before turning in early. You lay with your back to her chest, and she wrapped her arms around you.