Just Imagine...

Colombia vs Wales

"I'm a little nervous." Sam admitted as she and Ianto walked along the street towards the bar. There was a lot of shouting and cheering from inside, which only added to Sam's anxiety.
"You'll be fine." Ianto assured her.
"Ianto, I'm walking into a bar in Cardiff full of hyped-up Welshmen in a Colombian jersey," Sam said, "I'm liable to get attacked."
"No you're not," Ianto said, "just be yourself, everyone in there will love you no matter who's team you're on."
"If you're sure..." Sam murmured as Ianto held the door open for her. She stepped into the bar and everything ground to a halt. All eyes were fixed on Sam in her yellow, red, and blue jersey with the word "COLOMBIA" written across her chest in bold black letters. Sam cleared her throat. "Hola." She said quietly, then followed Ianto right up to the bar. Everyone watched her for a few seconds before slowly returning their attention to the football game on the screens near the ceiling. Sam breathed a heavy sigh, leaning on the counter. "No chance Gwen's gonna be here?" She asked Ianto.
"I don't think," Ianto murmured sympathetically, "you wanna go home?"
"No, no," Sam said, "I'm here now, I might as well stay. Besides, I could probably take every man in here. If you help." Ianto chuckled.
"I'm here if you need me." He said. Sam was momentarily distracted by a familiar face across the room.
"Rhys?" She called over all the shouting, "Rhys Williams?"
Rhys looked up and spotted her and Ianto. Sam beckoned to him.
"What're you doing?" Ianto whispered to her.
"I wanna say hello!" Sam hissed back.
"He's not supposed to remember us." Ianto reminded her.
"Do you really think Gwen retconned him?" Sam asked dryly, "intellect says no."
"Sam?" Rhys asked as he walked up to them, "Ianto?"
"Told you." Sam said quietly, "hi Rhys! How's Gwen?"
"Good," Rhys said, "what are you two doing here?"
"Watchin' the game," Sam answered, "what a coincidence that there's a Colombia vs Wales match while I, a Colombian, am living in Wales."
"Yeah..." Rhys murmured.
Ianto's phone rang in his pocket.
"Sorry." He murmured, walking a few paces away to answer it.
"So, how's it goin', Rhys?" Sam asked, trying to act casual.
"Fine," Rhys said, "or... as fine as I could be after seeing... what I saw."
Sam nodded empathetically.
"Is that what Gwen does every day?" Rhys asked. Sam nodded again.
"Yeah," she said, "pretty much. We all do."
"I can't believe it."
"Believe it. There's so much more to the universe than what the people like you see."
"People like me? What's that mean?"
"Normal people. Who don't work at Torchwood. Who never see life beyond Earth."
"Well that's not me anymore because I have seen it."
"Good point."
"So what does that make me, then?"
Ianto returned at that moment, looking flustered and apologetic.
"That was Jack," he said, "I forgot we had a date tonight. I'm sorry, Sam, I have to go."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Sam said, waving her hand dismissively, "I've got Rhys here to keep me company. Tell Jacksie his Mama says hi and that he better have fun and get you home before midnight." She winked and pointed a teasing finger at him.
Ianto glanced awkwardly at Rhys before leaving the bar with one last muttered apology and a promise to come pick Sam up when she wanted to go home.
"It's so weird hearing you call Jack that." Rhys murmured.
"Call him what?" Sam asked, frowning.
"That nickname you have for him. 'Jacksie'."
"Oh, he loves it. He pretends he doesn't but I know he does."
"You have a family."
Sam paused.
"I do." She said.
"Can you tell me what it's like?" Rhys pressed, "working for Torchwood with somebody to go home to? I know it's weird but I... wanna understand what it's like for Gwen. She won't talk to me about it."
"No, I get it," Sam said, nodding, "it's... hard. I won't lie to you. On top of the stress of keeping yourself alive, you gotta worry about someone else too. Someone who... well, what am I saying, Jayjay would bash in a Weevil's head with a frying pan to protect our kiddos - and then use the same pan to make pancakes - but you still worry about them. And about what you'd do if, by chance, you weren't there to protect them."
Sam bit her lip and glanced at the tiny mark she had carved into the bar with her nail.
"It's worth it though, yeah?" Rhys inquired, "working at Torchwood?"
"Oh, absolutely," Sam replied, regaining her bravado, "best job I've ever had. It's addictive, kinda like caffeine. Hard on the head and the digestive tract but you just want more and more and more. It's not for everyone, obviously, but it suits me fine."
There was a short silence between them.
"I never got to thank you," Rhys murmured, "for saving my life."
Sam blinked in surprise, then shook herself.
"It was Owen who saved your life," she said, "not me. I just gave Owen my scarf so he could use it as a tourniquet. I didn't like that scarf anyway... don't tell Jay I said that, he got it for me as a Christmas gift when we first got married and he'd kill me if he found out I didn't like it."
Rhys chuckled.
"Alright, I won't tell him."
"So... you come here often?"
"Whenever there's a game."
"Oh yeah? How's Gwen feel about that?"
"Guess."
Sam laughed loudly.
"What about you?" Rhys pressed, "what do you lot do outside of Torchwood anyway? Gwen won't tell me."
"Did she tell you about last week when we saved a kids' birthday party and they let us all go in the bouncy castle?" Sam murmured, a smirk appearing on her lips.
"No!" Rhys spluttered, "I'm having a hard time imagining Jack Harkness jumping around in that giant coat!"
"Oh, he was a child!" Sam cackled, "we ended up callin' him 'Jumpin' Jacksie' for the rest of the week! It was Ianto who looked like a fool, bouncin' around in that suit!"
"Why wouldn't Gwen tell me about that?" Rhys demanded, grinning.
"Simple," Sam answered, "she respects Jack's opinion too much."
"And you don't?"
"Well it's hard to see him as your boss when he's your son and you found out a couple months ago that his feet are so ticklish he'll kick you in the face as a knee jerk reaction if you try and take his shoes off - true story."
Rhys laughed.
"You really know all his embarrassing secrets, don't you?" He asked.
"Well, not all of 'em," Sam murmured with a shrug, "but y'know, probably like a thousand of 'em."
"Aw shit, the game won't go long enough for a thousand! Tell me the hundred worst."
Ianto returned to the bar, holding hands with Jack, about three hours later, only to find Sam and Rhys locked in an arm wrestling match as the whole bar watched.
"Mom!" Jack exclaimed when he saw her, "what are you doing?"
"Hey, Jumpin' Jacksie." Sam murmured, not looking away from Rhys.
"Don't make me laugh!" Rhys hissed, gritting his teeth against a smile.
"I'm just tryin' to see if Colombia can win twice in a row tonight." Sam added.
There were a few hearty 'boo's from the crowd, but most seemed more teasing and friendly than angry.
"Ay, settle down, amigos," Sam said, "we're almost through here."
She was gaining the upper hand as she said it, Rhys' strength started to waver and he grunted as Sam pushed his arm closer to the table top.
"Give up?" Sam asked, grimacing from the effort.
"Never!" Rhys replied, though he was evidently getting close to surrendering.
"She was nervous when we got here." Ianto muttered to Jack.
"Pfft, was," Sam scoffed, "past tense! I got a little advice for you, Ianto - and everyone else here for that matter - you gotta live your life, or as we say in Colombia, viva la vida!"
She slammed Rhys' hand into the table as she said it, and the bar erupted in applause and shouts of amazement.
"HA!" Sam exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air.
"Wow." Rhys murmured, rubbing the back of his wrist.
"Ey, no hard feelings, huh?" Sam asked, holding her hand out for Rhys to shake. Rhys reached for it and she snatched it away. "Too slow!" She teased, and everyone in the bar laughed, including Rhys.
"Sam, won't Jay be expecting you home?" Ianto asked, "and Rhys, what about Gwen?"
"Jay'll be fine," Sam said, waving her hand dismissively, "he's used to me staying out late for work anyway. He'll probably be happy I'm having fun for once instead of being mauled or some shit."
"Mom-" Jack began.
"Who wants to play darts?" Sam asked, ignoring him.
"Not so fast, Colombian." A low voice grumbled. Everyone turned to see a hulking man in a Wales jersey stomping up to Sam and Rhys' table. Rhys immediately stood up and backed away, and Ianto moved instinctively closer to Jack. Sam just raised an eyebrow.
"You talkin' to me, pal?" She asked dryly, leaning back in her chair.
"Yeah, I'm talking to you," the man said, "I don't know how they do things in your country, but here in Wales the other team isn't welcome in this bar."
He glared at the other people in the bar with cold blue eyes and a few of them backed away, averting their eyes.
"Then maybe it's about time things changed," Sam sneered, "it's not the sixties anymore, in case you hadn't noticed, and it's not my fault if you got butthurt because you're a sore loser. No need to be a bad sport, big boy."
"Do you know who you're talking to?" The man demanded, voice rising in anger.
"No, but I'd be happy to do some introductions," Sam murmured, "the name's Ryder. Sam Ryder," she winked at Ianto, "this here is my buddy Rhys, my son Jack, and my right-hand-man Ianto. And who might you be, beefy bitch?"
The man clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked.
"You can call me The Fists." He growled. Sam stared at him for a moment before the corners of her mouth twitched and she burst out laughing.
"That is the STUPIDEST nickname I've ever heard!" She exclaimed, "why didn't you call yourself Iron Knuckles or Big Biceps? Although I'm sure out on the streets that name is vewy scawy." She cupped her hands beside her face and put on a mocking tone as she said it.
"That's a lot of big talk for someone who's first language wasn't English." The Fists snarled.
"Actually, it was," Sam shot back, "and if you're here just to be an asshole to me because of the color of my skin, you can leave."
"You have no power over me."
"Don't give me a reason to prove you wrong. I could send you wailing to your mama if I wanted. And I don't think it'd be hard either."
"If you're so eager, why not put your ego to the test?"
"I'll test mine if you'll test yours, chunky."
The Fists sat down in Rhys' chair, resting his elbow on the table. Sam took his hand, a look of determination on her face.
"Here's the deal," she said, "if I win, you gotta clear out and never come back to this bar. Ever. Let people enjoy future games in peace. If I lose, I'll leave. You never gotta see me again. Got it, hotshot?"
The Fists nodded gravely, and Ianto found himself holding his breath.

The next morning, Sam still looked incredibly pleased with herself as she strode into the hub.
"What's got her looking so smug?" Owen asked dryly.
"She won an arm wrestling match against a big gang leader last night, got him kicked out of his usual bar." Ianto answered.
"It was amazing." Jack added, eyes sparkling.
"Wait, that wasn't that the bar Rhys was at, was it?" Gwen asked worriedly.
"Actually..." Ianto began awkwardly. He was distracted by Sam answering her phone.
"Hello?" She said, then she grinned, "hey, Rhys' Pieces!" She exclaimed.
"What?" Gwen demanded.
"Long story." Ianto murmured, wishing he hadn't left Sam at that bar last night.
Meanwhile, Sam laughed loudly.
"Do the impression of when The Fists lost to me again!" She said. There was a pause before she started laughing even harder.
"Sam!" Gwen shouted, storming up to her friend.
"What?" Sam asked, "oh nothin', Rhys, just your fiancé. Yeah, trust me, get ready for a lot more of that when you're married."
"Oh no," Ianto sighed, "I've created a monster."