1

Ianto sat glaring at the woman as she shuffled her papers.

"So, are you going to tell me why you are here or just sit and drink my coffee while doing your paperwork" Ianto growled softly, "I will start charging you, ya know!"

She smiled and looked up at him, sighing as she slid a photograph over, "Captain Jack Harkness and his wife Gwen Cooper. She has suffered the sickness and is unable to conceive. They have employed three surrogates that proved…unsatisfactory."

"How?" Ianto relaxed as he now understood her visit.

"The wife is a jealous mare" she snorted, "Finally they have agreed to try a male surrogate so she can stop thinking he is playing away with them."

"Ah" Ianto nodded as he started to feel hopeful, "So…I take it this will not be like the last debarkle."

"Look, we had checked him and he showed no history of male bonding" she said with annoyance, "How were we supposed to know he would turn on you like that."

"I was held hostage, drugged, raped and beaten" Ianto snarled, "I told you I would never surrogate again"

"You are a legend, you know your story touched many hearts. You have surrogated three healthy children and they were determined to have you" she begged now, "He doesn't want a traditional coupling, he has agreed to a clinical insemination."

"Not a personal insemination?" Ianto frowned, "You just said I am an old hand at this so why bullshit? This baby could be part me. She's sterile so they would have to splice out DNA for my body to accept the embryo. You want me to create as well as carry a child for them."

"Ianto…"

"I want to meet them first, see if I can survive them" Ianto finally said, "It says here that they want me to live with them until the birth so they can monitor me. If I am about to give them nine months of my life I want to know they don't think they will own me."

"You will set the pace, you will make the rules" she nodded as she relaxed, now knowing he was interested.

"You've said that before." Ianto looked up with a frown, "I want a panic button for a start. He so much as enters my room without permission and I'm gone, the baby will go with me. I want that in there!"

"What?" she spluttered.

"You heard. If they breach the contract the baby is forfeit" Ianto replied, "This will be my last gift. I will not be bullied or abused."

"Thank you" she smiled happily, "I do appreciate this. You won't be sorry, they are offering twice the normal fee. I will set up a meeting, OK"

"OK Yvonne" Ianto rubbed his face as he wondered if he could go through it all again. The pains, cramps, water retention and then the worst part.

The separation.

He knew he would be in for weeks of personal agony as he craved the baby he had to give up, hand away and then seek while half sleep as he thought he could hear it crying.

Picking up the photograph, Ianto studied it again.

He looked friendly, she looked…overly energetic. Both good looking and clearly motivated in their matching uniforms. Both in Law Enforcement so that was good, less likely to lock him in the basement.

Hopefully.