Series: Journey
Title: Innocence Lost
Author: McRaider
Summary: An alien disease has affected the whole team, plaguing their dreams and making their worst nightmares seem more real than ever—then again some nightmares aren't just dreams.
Author's Note: Loosely based off the idea of Phantoms from Stargate Atlantis and the MASH episode where they all live their worst nightmare. This is obviously Jack/Ianto however it revolves around the entire team.
Rated: PG-13 to R
Disclaimer: Don't own them, though…I can think of two I'd love…

Chapter One:

The Tardis landed opposite of the Plass, when the door opened, Jack and Ianto stepped out, the Doctor in his pin-stripped suit right behind them. "Now then, you'll call me when you reach your ninth month. Be careful you two, that baby is fragile right now, about a month old."

Ianto and Jack nodded, hand in hand. Stepping forward, releasing Jack's hand, Ianto wrapped his arms around the Doctor. "Thank you, for taking care of us."

The Doctor smirked, patting Ianto's back. "I should really be thanking you. You've given him something I couldn't have. I regret leaving you at the Game Station Jack, but it's nice to know you'll be happy again."

Ianto glanced over his shoulder at Jack who nodded. "I'm happy, thank you Doctor."

The Doctor grinned and stepped forward, hugging Jack. "I love you Jack—I'm sorry I never said it. I'm a bit rude this regeneration."

"Oi, your last regeneration wasn't lovely all the time either." Joked Jack as he gripped his old friend.

The Doctor chuckled, burying his face in Jack's shoulder for a moment. "You take care of that little fella, and I'll be back to check up on you all in about six months. Call if you need anything."

Jack nodded against the Doctor's shoulder. "I will." Stepping away, he took the Doctor's face in his hands, like he had so very long ago. Leaning forward he pressed his lips against the Doctor's briefly. "Perhaps I am better off as a hero. Take care Doctor."

The Doctor smiled and stepped back, with a brief glance towards the Plass, he waved goodbye and slipped back into his time machine. Moments later with the familiar engines of the Tardis powering up, and the wind blowing around them, Jack and Ianto watched as the Tardis disappeared.

"Shall we?"

"How long have we been gone then?" Ianto questioned as he slipped his hand into Jack's.

Jack shrugged. "Couldn't be more than a few days, a week at most."

Ianto shook his head. "They'd just love that, watching us go swanning off after everything they've been through."

"They're going to be concerned Ianto—what do we tell them?"

Ianto was surprised to hear Jack ask this question, because he'd been thinking the exact same thing. "The truth, I guess. Owen should definitely know, he's a doctor."

"He's a doctor in the 21st century. It's not normal for men to have babies for another two hundred years."

"He needs to know Jack, what if something goes wrong an' the Doctor can't get here fast enough, he may be your only hope. We'll only tell him, we'll make him promise not to tell the others. Okay? We're going to be fine."

Jack nodded, feeling a little nervous—and not for the first time. "You're not going to go all protective on me are you?"

Ianto chuckled. "Not yet, no, you can take care of yourself just fine. We just have to be careful. Come on then, let's go back and see our friends. Tell them of our engagement an' all."

"You're really excited about this?" Jack asked as they began to make their way toward the main entrance of the hub.

"Course I am! We should probably wait a little while, but I can't wait to be with you forever."

Jack smirked as he squeezed his lover's hand. They opened the door to the tourist office. Moments later they were standing making their way down to the hub. Owen, the only one around it appeared, glanced up from his desk. "Oi! Bout time you two showed up! Been gone nearly two weeks! We got worried."

"Two weeks!?" Ianto said, his voice laced with surprise.

"Yep, we got worried at first, but then Tosh found the CCTV of you going off with the Doctor again. Worried you wouldn't come back. But knew you were also in good hands." Owen glanced at the two of them, holding hands, looking happy. "Everything get taken care of then? All better?"

Jack smiled as he glanced down at their hands. "Actually—Owen we've got to tell you something, where are the girls?"

"Out getting lunch, just left. They should be back soon. What's wrong?"

Ianto pointed to Jack. "He's pregnant."

"Thank you." Jack grunted in annoyance.

Owen's eyes grew wide. "I didn't think you were that bloody different! How far along!? What do I need to do?"

"Nothing." Jack offered holding up his hands. "The Doctor's already checked me out and everything. The baby's roughly about a week along. Normal gestation and everything. I've also been told to give him a call when I reach the ninth month. Please, can we keep this from the girls for as long as possible?"

Owen nodded. "Course, but they're bound to notice when you start growing around the middle."

"Well that won't happen for at least three months, so let's just wait until then shall we? All other good news can wait until the arrival of the ladies. What have we missed in the two weeks?"

Owen shrugged. "Oh—Martha's here. Came to visit a couple days ago, her boyfriend, Tom is trying to get a job at A&E, so she decided to come visit us. If you ask me, I think she's missed me."

"I doubt it's you." Ianto joked as he slipped away to the kitchenette.

"Thanks tea-boy." Owen grunted the reply as he looked at Jack. "To be honest, I think she's looking for a job and just isn't willing to ask yet. She loves her job with UNIT, but if Tom moves here, I think she'll want to follow. Anyway, just so you both know we filled her in on—most of the details of the past few weeks."

"They're serious then?" Ianto question, not knowing what Jack would think or say.

"Sounds very serious. He's a nice guy; actually, we all went out to dinner last night. Naturally, I avoided the eating part. But yes, it appears to be serious."

Jack nodded as he headed into his office. "Good for her, she deserves to find love."

It was less than ten minutes later when the cog door hissed and the sound of giggling filled the hub. Jack smiled; he felt it warm his heart. He hadn't truly enjoyed being home until now. Maybe the baby was doing things to his hormones but suddenly he felt happier than he ever had before. The girls must have spotted Ianto, because Jack heard Tosh give an excited exclamation. As he stepped out of his office, Jack grinned at the sight of Ianto returning the hug from Tosh with equal excitement. "I'm back." He replied hugging her tightly.

Gwen and Martha spotted Jack, and a moment later he was filled with an arm full of two very lovely ladies. "You were with the Doctor then?" Martha questioned.

Jack nodded. "Yep, he says hi by the way. We traveled to a planet; Ianto and I spent some quality time together. And we're going to be fine. Oh and we'd like to make an announcement."

Tosh, an arm still wrapped around Ianto's waist, glanced up at her friend. "What is it?"

Ianto, grinning from ear to ear made the announcement. "We're getting married!"

Once the hugs were traded, and Owen had disappeared—tired of Disney gag fest—they all sat down in the conference room and started into their lunch. "So you basically took a month long holiday?" Martha joked as she sat down beside Jack.

"Unintentionally, you know how the Doctor is, plans to set you down in one time and he ends up a blood year off. Anyway, it was nice actually, lovely festival on an old planet that I was fond of as a kid."

"So when will you be married?" Tosh questioned, digging into her Chinese.

Jack glanced over at Ianto and smirked. "We were thinking in a year or two. Obviously, we're still getting used to each other, and there's no reason to rush it when we've got forever. But in a year or two."

"This is so exciting!" Gwen said grinning from ear to ear.

They were less than half way through their meal, Jack and Ianto telling them a story about the dancing, when the rift alarm went off. "Oi!" gripped Gwen as she stood up, they all hurried downstairs.

Tosh slid into her usual seat and began typing. "I've got rift activity six miles away in a rural area, looks like an old park."

"How big?" Jack asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"I can't get a visual yet. I'm not reading anything huge, but something definitely came through."

"Got it, Ianto you stay here, Martha and I will go out and get this thing."

"Why me?" Martha asked.

Jack shrugged. "I'd like to have a chat with my favorite doctor." Smirking, he shot Ianto a glance, as if asking if this was okay. Ianto simply nodded and offered him a natural smile.

o0o

"Okay Jack, you've got me in the SUV, what's going on?" Martha asked as they drove towards the designated area.

"Two things actually, I hear you might be in the market for a new job."

She shrugged. "Maybe. Are you asking?"

"I could pay you well."

"What's the second thing?" Martha questioned.

Jack took a slow deep breath. "I'm pregnant, it's Ianto's and it's from the rape."

Martha was silent, her eyes full of surprise. "I'm sorry, I thought I heard you wrong did you just say you're—"

"Yes."

She nodded. "Okay then. Not sure why anything you do or say should shock me anymore. How did Ianto take it?"

Jack looked over at her briefly. "We're both still adjusting, we've gotten past the rape, and we're handling it, talking it out. But—well to say the least, it was a little unexpected."

"I'd say!"

"Jack you're getting really close, do you see the abandoned park?" Tosh spoke into the Blue tooth.

"Yep, I'm pulling up in front now."

Martha glanced over at Jack, watching him closely as they both slid out of the car. The park was empty, and looked to have been deserted for years. There were swings to the far left, one with a broken chain. Jack looked around, confused as to what they were supposed to find here. "Tosh—any movement?"

"No, you're standing right in front of it."

Jack looked around again. "No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you—"

"Children!" Martha stopped them with her own Blue tooth. "Before this becomes an: are too; are not argument."

Jack tried to hide his smirk as he tapped his earpiece suddenly. "Am not."

Martha's glare was well worth the chuckle Jack got out of it. His eyes however, returned to the ground as he began to study it, seeing if he was missing something. "Tosh—how close would it be to me?"

"Maybe a couple feet."

"Tosh—the closet thing to me—aside from the death glare Martha is giving me—is a potted plant."

Martha shifted her eyes from his face towards the ground, and there it sat. Tipped onto its side, a potted plant of some sort, with a single flower the resembled a rose or carnation of some sort. "So the rift has decided to take an herb now, that's interest." Joked Martha.

Jack smirked as he picked up the plant. "It looks like something from earth—though I've never seen a flower quite like this, or a color."

"Could be an experiment, it looks like a cross between a rose and a carnation." Martha suggested as she knelt down beside him.

"Okay—I've never seen what appears to be a neon yellow color like this."

"Fair enough, we take it back to the hub then?"

Jack nodded. "Seems like the right course of action. "Tosh, any reason we should be concerned this might cause problems?"

"I'm not getting any strange readings. But then I'm not a horticulturalist."

Standing, Jack and Martha made their way back towards the vehicle, Jack still studying the plant. "It's an ugly little thing."

"Better not upset it Jack, might bite your nose off." Martha joked as she got into the SUV. Meanwhile Jack looked down at the plant nestled next to his chest, before he moved to hold it out in front of him.

"Better safe than sorry." He mumbled as he put it in the back of the SUV.

TBC