A/N: Well…before anyone asks, I'm still writing the last chapter of The Compass. I really am. It's just taking me a long, long time. In an effort to battle my writer's block on that story, I've decided to write this.

Anyway, this story fits into the timeline of Bittersweetness. It's not necessary that you read that story before this one, but if you have, you'll already know what's going on. If not…no worries. This isn't War and Peace. Hell…this isn't even The Wheel of Time series.

Also, this story was in part inspired by Lady Clark-Weasly of Books's The Rift Child, which has to be the single most adorable story I've ever read. Go read it, if you haven't already.

Disclaimer: Torchwood's not mine. Neither is Gwen. They belong to the Beeb and Mr. Davies. Carys, on the other hand, is my own character. Not that it matters, in the long run, because she's part of a story that – technically – doesn't actually belong to me, but…meh. Figured I should mention it.

Spoilers: Um…generalities for...the whole series, really. Very general, though. And also for my story Bittersweetness, which I've already mentioned.

Pairing: Implied Jack/Gwen

Warning: It could be cheesy. It probably is, but I'm not too worried. Also, it's been about eight years since I've had to tell a four year old a bedtime story, so it may seem a little off to those with more experience with such things than I. Hopefully it's not too bad though. Enjoy!

Happily Ever After

"Mam, tell me 'bout the dark prince again!"

Gwen looked down at the excited four-year-old. Already bathed and in her pajamas, Carys was bouncing up and down on the bed, blue eyes shining.

"How about the time I met your father?" Gwen countered. "I first met your da' at –"

"No, no! The dark prince story! Like a fairy tale!"

Gwen sighed. "Only if you stop jumping on the bed."

At the top of her arc, Carys folded her legs underneath herself. She landed with a thump on the mattress.

Gwen smiled and sat on the bed next to her daughter.

"Once upon a time, there was a young woman who –"

"Was she a princess?"

"– there was a young princess who –"

"Did she kiss a frog?"

"Carys, if you interrupt one more time, I won't tell it."

"Sorry, Mam." Carys looked suitably contrite for interrupting her Mam.

Gwen pulled back the covers, and Carys climbed under them.

"Now. Once upon a time there was a young woman who wanted to guard her city against thieves and brigands. Because the social order allowed it, she joined the city guard though she never got to a higher rank than a police constable."

"I thought she was a princess!" Carys said indignantly, and then clamped her mouth shut at her mother's raised eyebrow.

"One night, when it was raining cats and dogs – not literally," Gwen added to forestall another interruption, "the young woman saw something that changed her world forever. She saw a man come back to life."

"Was that Uncle Jack?"

"No."

"But Uncle Jack can come back to life, I saw him. When he got in the way of that car and his head got all spun around, he stood up again, even though Mrs. Wiggins was screaming –"

"Let me finish."

Gwen winced at the memory that Carys spoke of; Jack had pushed Carys out of the way of a car, only to get hit himself. He hadn't completely died, but his neck had been broken so that when he stood up, his head was on backwards. Mrs. Wiggins had to be retconned, and Carys was left with the impression that her Uncle Jack was invincible like Superman and that this was cool. At least it was better than her daughter being scarred for life.

"Now; before the man came back to life, all the guards were trying to figure out how he'd died. Because the young woman was only a lowly constable, she wasn't allowed past the cordon. She had to stand there with her friend Andy and keep people out. And then the dark prince and his cronies arrived."

Carys giggled and squealed in anticipation.

"The dark prince and his cronies told the guards that they were no longer needed. This angered the guards, because they wanted to see justice done for the poor murdered man. But the dark prince held the highest authority – even higher than the Lord Mayor!"

"Higher than the Queen?"

Gwen hesitated. "Sometimes."

"Yay!"

"Shh. Because the young woman was angry at being pushed aside, and curious at what was happening, she climbed the nearest tower and looked out over the edge in secret to watch. One of the dark prince's cronies was putting on a metal glove. As the young woman watched, the lights grew brighter, and the rain stopped – and then the dead man woke up!"

Carys gasped in horror, even though she knew what was coming.

"The young woman was so shocked, she couldn't even scream. The dark prince and his cronies asked the man questions, but after two minutes he was dead again. And then the dark prince looked up, because he'd known the young woman was there the whole time!"

Carys pulled the covers up to her chin.

"The young woman ran away and didn't stop until she was back with the other guards at the guard house."

"Then what?" Carys asked when no more seemed forthcoming. It wasn't for many years that Carys understood the wistfulness in her mother's voice when she recited this part of the story.

"The young woman searched for the dark prince, high and low, to demand an explanation. She found him, and his secret base, and even met his cronies. But because what they did was secret, the dark prince cast a spell on the woman to make her forget. So she ran home, and did everything she could to make sure she would remember. But when she woke again, she'd forgotten everything."

"Including the dark prince?"

"Including the dark prince."

"But…that's so sad!" Tears welled up in the big blue eyes of the four year old, and Gwen was at a loss to confront them. "How can she marry the prince if she's forgotten him? The prince will be lonely, for ever and ever and ever!"

Gwen smoothed her daughter's dark curls.

"Because the young woman managed to leave herself a clue. Just one clue, but it led her back to the dark prince's lair, even though she couldn't remember why that spot was important."

Carys' tears vanished as quickly as they'd formed. "She found the dark prince again?"

"Yes she did. But not before she was attacked by one of the dark prince's cronies, the same one who had used the glove to wake up the dead man. She was jealous and didn't want the young woman to come to the attention of the dark prince again."

"Was she in love with the dark prince too?"

"I think she was."

"But the dark prince didn't love her, right? He loved the young woman and wanted to make her his princess, even though he'd had to make her forget. Right?"

"You'd have to ask him."

Carys nodded as though she cold go out right now and find the dark prince and ask him her questions. "Tell me the rest!"

"Well, there was a brief battle, and the crony died by her own hand, and this shocked the young woman so much that she suddenly remembered everything the dark prince had wanted her to forget."

"Even the bit where he was in love with her?"

"But the young woman didn't know that. She'd only just met him. But because the dark prince had lost a member of his team, he offered the young woman a place by his side."

"And she took it, right?"

"Yes she did."

"And then she fell in love with the dark prince?"

"And had many adventures with him and his team." This was usually where the story ended, with the traditional "and they lived happily ever after…" But tonight, Gwen found herself continuing it. "But then one day, the dark prince left, and his princess was lonely."

Carys eyes got big and round again, and started to fill with tears. The chin quiver started soon thereafter.

"All this while there was a good merchant," Gwen added. "The good merchant loved the young woman, even when she had been a guard. He didn't know about the dark prince or the adventures the young woman was having. He asked the young woman to marry him."

"And did she?"

"She did."

"But she loved the dark prince!"

"The dark prince had gone away."

"That's stupid!"

"That's love."

"Love is stupid!"

"No, love is many things, but never stupid. And the young woman loved the good merchant too, just not the same way she loved the dark prince."

"Did the dark prince come back?" Carys wanted to know. She'd never heard this part of the story before, and she was afraid her mother wouldn't tell her the rest. Grown ups got weird sometimes, and even though she was only four, Carys knew that there was more to this story that her Mam wasn't telling her.

"He did. And he even came to the young woman's wedding to the good merchant."

"Did he try to stop it?"

"At first, because there was a threat of a monster attack."

"What about after the monster attack?"

"He let them get married."

"But why?" Carys exclaimed. "He loved her!"

"Because he loved her enough to let her go."

"That's stupid!"

"Hush, now, and let me finish. Some weeks after the wedding, they were attacked by the dark prince's twisted brother. They lost many people in the battle, including two friends that were part of the dark prince's team. Everyone was saddened at the loss of their friends, and the dark prince, the young woman and the dark prince's lieutenant spent more and more time together. One night…" her voice faltered, not sure how to continue. Carys' curiosity about where babies came from had been largely satisfied earlier that year when her teacher had become pregnant, but this was still uncharted territory for Gwen. She chose her words carefully. "One night, after the lieutenant had gone home, and when the dark prince and his princess, the good merchant's wife, were alone together in his castle…"

"Did they make a baby together?" Carys asked brightly. She had started to cheer up at the thought that the dark prince and his princess would get together after all. "They did!" she added when her mother didn't say anything and looked shocked. "I knew it!"

Gwen tried to speak, and had to try a few times before any sound came out. She was quite sure her face had gone as red as the bed spread. "The young woman was scared and ashamed when she found out she was with child, because she had broken her marriage vows. She swore never to tell, not even the dark prince, lest she hurt the good merchant. Nine months later, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and the young woman knew that she could never be ashamed of her child again. The good merchant was so happy about being a father that the young woman knew she could never, ever tell him that the child was the dark prince's."

"Does the young woman still have adventures with the dark prince?"

"Sometimes. But after she had a child, the prince became more protective of the young woman and wouldn't let her have as many adventures as before."

"But why?"

"So she could go home to her family every night, and keep them safe."

Carys was silent at this. She leaned back in her bed, and Gwen smoothed the covers around her daughter's small form.

"What happens when the girl grows up? Will she find out who her real dad is and then help him fight monsters?"

"We'll see," Gwen said. "That story hasn't been written yet."

"Will you tell it to me again tomorrow?" Carys yawned.

"Of course."

"Even the bit where the young woman married the good merchant instead of the dark prince?"

"Even that bit."

"Goodnight, Mam."

"Goodnight, my sweet." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on her daughter's brow, and then stood and turned out the bedside lamp. "Sleep tight."

"Mam?"

"Yes Carys?"

"Did the young woman and the good merchant live happily ever after?"

But Carys was asleep before Gwen could answer.

Down the hall, in the living room, Ianto looked up from his coffee.

"I heard your story," he said.

Gwen froze in place, but the brief moment of terror was enough that Ianto saw it too.

"I won't tell," he said. "I had guessed as much anyway, with how you two have been since you told us you were pregnant."

Gwen sighed, sat across from her friend and put her head in her hands. "I don't know why I told her as much as I did, tonight," she said. "I usually stop after the whole 'joining the dark prince on his adventures'. I usually end it with 'and they lived happily ever after.'"

"Did we?" Ianto wondered aloud.

"Maybe not 'ever after', but for a time we were happy."

"All things considered, we still are," Ianto said.

"All things considered," Gwen agreed.

The front door opened and closed then, and Rhys came into the living room.

"Hiya, daftie" Rhys said gently, greeting his wife. "Hiya, Ianto," he added, reaching out to shake his hand. "Not here to steal my wife, are ye?"

"No," Ianto smiled slightly, though the smile was devoid of irony. "It's her night off. I thought she could use some coffee, and so brought it over."

"Ah. That's what smells so good. Kidlet in bed, then?"

"Just finished telling her bedtime story," Gwen replied. "She should be asleep by now."

"I'll just go check on her," Rhys said, and slipped out of the room.

"I should be heading back to the Hub," Ianto said as soon as they were alone. "Jack will be wondering."

"Anything big happening tonight?" Gwen asked quietly.

"Nothing yet. But still. He worries."

"I know."

She led Ianto to the door and retrieved his jacket from the closet.

She gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "All my love to him," she said softly, lest Rhys hear.

Ianto said nothing. He smiled sadly, nodded, and vanished through the door.

"No end of the world tonight?" Rhys asked as he came back into the room.

"I told them to put it on hold," Gwen said smartly. She plunked herself down onto the couch she'd just vacated, and Rhys landed next to her. She leaned her head onto his shoulder, and sighed.

No regrets, she had promised herself. Whatever she had done, or would do, she would not regret it.

"What's up?" Rhys asked.

"I was telling Carys a fairy tale."

"And?"

"I was just wondering. Are 'happily ever after's possible?"

"I think we've already got ours," Rhys said contently.

Gwen sighed again, the secret that she had squirming in her heart. No regrets, she reminded herself sharply.

"Yeah," she said vaguely. "I guess we do."

And with that, she had to be content.

A/N: Sooooooooooooooo…like? Don't like? Lemmie know…and if someone can give me a bit of inspiration regarding The Compass, I'd be much obliged : )

EDIT: I added a few paragraphs at the end because people were telling me the ending was confusing...which I totally get because it totally was. It's what comes of posting when one should be in bed.

Anyway, I hope this makes more sense now...and I hope you still like it. Thanks so much for your feedback!