Disclaimer: Not mine; never will be. I'm just borrowing it.

Life and Other Things That Never go as Planned.

Chapter One — Hiding in plain sight.

Gwen's pulse fluttered rapidly as she tried to focus on Owen's voice.
"-have to take better care of yourself… can't keep patching you up like this"
"Owen"
They were startled by how scared she sounded.
"You'll be fine, just hold still"
"Owen?" Gwen grabbed his hands, catching his eyes "the baby…"

The house felt empty, hollow. Gwen tapped her fingers on the kitchen bench, the sound almost echoing. She glanced at her watch; 10, 11, 12 seconds since she last looked. Gwen stood; crossing over to the window, tapping at a corner of glass, startling the spider that she couldn't quite bring herself to remove. She jumped as the timer buzzed and turned, heading down the hall. In the bathroom Gwen reread the instructions, on the side of the box (1 line for no, 2 lines for yes) and dared herself to look at the small white stick.

"Baby?"
Owen reached for his bag.
"Gwen, what baby?"
Her eyelids drooped.
"Shit" Owen shook her arm "Gwen, how far along-"
"Four-" she sounded faint.
"Four what? Four weeks?"
"Months…" her voice trailed off.
"Almost four months, just over four months. Gwen!?"
Her eyes snapped open, then fell shut again.
"Fuck, fuck. Shit"
Owen rolled Gwen over, noticing that her jacket fell a few inches lower than the ones he remembered. She must've over slept and dressed in a hurry this morning, the price tag still attached to her pants. Owen recognised the label; a franchised maternity wear store. Sleek, classy, well designed and expensive. A cousin had once (and only once), dragged him along, wanting a 'man's opinion'. Gwen had obviously chosen styles that hid any new bumps.

Owen grimaced. She'd landed on a broken bottle, falling with enough force to cut through her clothes. It wouldn't have been serious, if she hadn't already been bleeding else where or pregnant.
Owen activated the coms.
"Jack?"
"We're kind of busy Owen"
Owen heard a crash through his earpiece.
"I'm taking Gwen back to the Hub"
"She alright?" Jack sounded distracted.
"She needs stitches, maybe some blood"
"Get Ianto out here to give us a hand"

For all of Owen's faults, he could work efficiently and competently. He waited until he'd finished stitching Gwen's wounds, started a blood transfusion and discretely printed a few sonogram pictures before allowing himself to think.
Think, about four months ago. That week they'd been in the Himalayas or just back home. There'd been a sudden storm and they'd hidden in a cave. Two small chambers, Ianto and Tosh in the rear, wrapped in their sleeping bags, next to each other and the fire for warmth. Gwen heading for her sleeping bag, Owen to keep watch. How ever it had started; fear, anger, pheromones, or adrenaline, it ended up against the cave wall. Like a quickie in the proverbial bathroom stall.

To be continued…