Title: Rebuilding and Relaxing
Author: gabe1990
Rating: PG-13
Summary: With a new baby to be born in a short amount of time, there still seemed to be so much to do. AU.
Pairings: Jack/Ianto; Tosh/Owen.

Warnings: Contains slight Gwen-bashing and mpreg.

Spoilers: None.

Authors Notes: I plan for this to be part of a series – I have already written two other stories with the same characters – and I will sort it out soon. This was written for the LongliveIanto's bingo card: "Baby – Setting up nursery".
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or any of its characters. I do own this story and my OCs = Jaden Harkness-Jones, Duncan Harkness-Jones, Hayleigh Katie Harper and the unborn baby. Oh and Aoife who is mentioned briefly.

Captain Jack Harkness, now heavily pregnant, winced quietly when his unborn child kicked his kidney sharply. He straightened up from where he was reading the instructions that accompanied the cot, and rubbed his swollen stomach in an attempt to soothe his baby. The child merely kicked out where the hand was, as if objecting.

Ianto Jones paused at the sound and glanced towards his lover. Concerned, he lowered his hands, which were holding a paint roller. He knelt down at his side. "Jack, is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, honest." Jack assured before wincing once more, "your child is mistaking my kidney for a football."

Ianto arched an eyebrow. "My child?"

Jack hummed. "Yep. When the bubie throws a tantrum, she's yours. When she's good, she's mine – it's just plain logic. She couldn't get it from me, so it had to be from you."

"Logic, huh?" Ianto smiled softly as he rested his hand across the curve of his partner's abdomen, using his thumb to caress the skin, "is bubie feeling angsty?"

Jack pouted. "So she stops for you, but not for me. I believe that is favouritism."

"I have magic fingers," Ianto chuckled as he wiggled his fingers, "…Maybe she's trying to tell you something? You've been working really hard recently; between work and now the nursery…maybe you should use today to rest."

"I'm not sick Ianto – I can still work. I'm not incapable." Jack snapped.

"I know you're not Caraid," Ianto assured, "I'm just worried about you. We got lucky with Duncan, we had the Doctor and Aoife there to help, but we don't this time…I just don't want anything to happen to you, either of you."

Jack sighed, slouching in his lover's direction and supporting himself on the man's broad chest. "I know you don't…I just need to do something, anything, to help…I don't want to take advantage…"

Ianto brushed the dark hair away from Jack's forehead, a loving smile on his face. "You could never take advantage Jack…"

Reaching up, the immortal Captain managed to incline Ianto's head downwards so he could steal a kiss. The touch was welcomed and they both moaned on contact. Between work and home life, their social life had lapsed. It was nice to finally have some intimacy.

But, of course, with a house full of young children, it was guaranteed it would not last.

"Daddy, Tad…" Jaden's voice drifted from the doorway of the nursery. The two parents pulled apart to stare, mildly amused, at the six year old. Her narrowed eyes and folded arms were nothing more than adorable with her short stance and bright yellow carebear tucked under her arm.

"You're meant to be working on the nursery," she chided, "where is bubie going to sleep if his room isn't finished?"

Ianto smiled at the girl. "We're getting there Jaden, but we had to stop because the bubie is feeling jumpy."

Jaden's face instantly dropped into concern. Padding across the bare floor, she hugged her Daddy softly around his neck. "Are you alright?"

Jack hugged her gently. "I'm fine, honest sweetie. Maybe I just need to relax…"

"Why don't you take Daddy downstairs and take care of him?" Ianto suggested, "Keep him relaxed and, bubie and Daddy should be fine."

Jaden's face lit up at the notion of taking care of her parent. It was, after all, her new ambition to be a Doctor, like Uncle Owen. Urging her father to his feet, she missed the withering look her daddies shared.

Amused, Ianto waved goodbye to his lover and daughter (ignoring the look on Jack's face, of course). Once he found himself, alone, in the chaotic room, it became clear how much work still needed to be done: three walls still needed to be painted, the dust mat removed; a cot to be built; a baby changer that was halfway finished – and that was before all the new toys and clothes were brought in!

"I'm going to need some reinforcements…" he muttered, mostly to himself, as he searched the back of his head. Luckily, he knew the exact people to help…

X

Duncan giggled childishly as he played with his colourful, musical crawling snail. Since he began crawling, most of his toys encouraged walking and movement. His favourite by far was the crawling machine that he took delight in following wherever it may lead him. From where he was sitting, Jack gently knocked the toy away from the door to the living room to keep the toddler within sight. The young boy followed unfazed, still giggling happily.

Jaden carefully walked into the living room, holding a glass of water between her two small hands. She handed over the drink before moving to stand to her Daddy's right.

"Drink Daddy – it's good for you." She instructed in her most powerful voice, her eyes narrowed curiously.

Amused, he gulped the liquid obediently.

A knock at the door had Jaden yelling, "I'll get it" before Jack had a chance to say anything. He listened intensely.

"Hey Jack," Owen poked his head around the doorframe, "Ianto called us to help. Is he upstairs?"

Jack nodded mutely.

"Can you do us a favour and watch Hayleigh for a minute?" Tosh requested, coming into the room, holding the hand of the three year old who was toddling beside her. She stood unsteadily before beaming up at her Uncle Jack and Jaden. The six-year-old smiled happily in response.

"Of course I don't mind," Jack grinned, "Go help Yan. I'll just be down here…not doing anything important, or to help…"

"It's only for a couple more weeks – just into the bubie born," Owen assured, going into full-doctor mode, "We know Torchwood stresses you out and that's not a good thing at the moment."

"Yeah, yeah…" He grumbled, slightly annoyed at the lecture he had hearing for the past three months. In all honest, he'd had enough of it – he knew it already.

Owen gave him a small smile. "You can do it Jack. If you really want to help, you could always take over Tea-boy's job."

He just about dodged the pillow that was aimed at his head.

X

Ianto had just finished adding the finishing touches the first wall he had began painting when the happy couple entered the room. He looked over his shoulder at them, smiling brightly, and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. Tosh glanced around the room with wide eyes, glancing at the corners where unopened boxes of furniture were rested against the white walls.

"…I can see why you called us," she commented.

Ianto looked sheepish. "Well…yeah…we, ah, kind of behind this time around…"

"Don't worry – we were still painting the walls when Hayleigh was a month old. She had to sleep in our room with a barrier of pillows around her so she didn't roll over and fall off the bed." Owen reminisced, a small smile on his face.

"And that's not happening again," Tosh protested, amused, "Besides, I don't think that Jaden would approve."

"For a small child, she really is scary." Owen shuddered over dramatically.

Ianto tossed a clean paint roller that the doctor, smirking. The medic fumbled slightly before holding the tool to his chest. "No more playing around," he stated, "we need to get this finished today. Hopefully, with one less thing to worry about, Jack will begin to relax more…"

Owen snorted. "You're asking for a miracle there Jones."

Ianto smiled knowingly. "Hey, we had one before."

X

Jack waddled up the stairs of their two storey house, holding onto Duncan, who was curled against his side and watching the rocky ascend to the top floor with giddy happiness. Jaden, who was holding the hand of Hayleigh were walking in front of them, practically bouncing with excitement at seeing the new room. A few minutes before, there had been a call from upstairs announcing the completion of the room and they had to move to come to the unveiling. It had taken some effort to get up from the creases of the settee but Jaden was persistent. It was obvious she was looking forward to this baby's arrival more than her parents.

I can't wait until you're here bubie, Jack thought drily.

Jaden entered the room first, her excitement getting the better of her, and her faces lit up at the sight of the room as Hayleigh stared into the room with wide eyes, her little mouth dropped to form on 'o'. His excitement rising, the soon to be father of three entered the room quickly, hoisting his youngest up into the air to keep him from slipping. He stopped in the doorway, his eyes frantically taking in the corners of the room as his heart swelled with pride.

For only a few hours work, the new baby's nursery looked amazing. The four walls were painted a light green, like grass; with a cream banner of Winnie the Pooh characters circling the centre. The cot had metal bars, rising up to act as the retraceable cage, with a hood that would shelter their child's head. From there, a mobile of twinkling things had been hung – even the cream bed linens had been put into place. White curtains, with green sequences, hung dramatically from the window on a metal rod. The changing table was set up in the opposite corner of the room, beside the wardrobe that had a tree vine pattern painted skilfully across the smooth white surface. A dream catcher hung from the ceiling; a bookcase had been set up and was already stacked with books that used to be Jaden's and Hayleigh's.

It was truly amazing.

Pregnancy hormones forced Jack's eyes to water and his bottom lip to quiver. His vision blurred behind tears. In an instant, Ianto was by his side, looking concerned. His hand rose to wipe the falling tears away.

"Are you okay Caraid?" he questioned, his eyebrows furrowed.

Jack waved him off. "It's hormones, nothing else – I promise…Guys, this room is just brilliant…I-I don't…thank you…"

"It's no problem Jack," Tosh assured brightly, picking up Hayleigh when the little girl toddled towards her mother, and placing her on her hip.

Owen clicked his back and groaned. "Speak for yourself. Ianto's a bloody slave driver."

Jack arched an eyebrow and looked at his partner, who flushed pink and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "…I wanted to room finished today, and you know Owen needs to be threatened to get anything done in a short space of time so…"

He came to an abrupt stop when Jack grabbed him roughly by the jaw and pressed their lips together. Ianto hesitated for a moment, giving his brain a chance to catch up with the sudden change, and returned the movement with equal ferociously. They parted when oxygen became an issue, resting their foreheads on each others, breathing deeply.

"Thank you Ianto…love you…"

"I love you too Caraid," Ianto muttered, smiling brightly, before leaning in to steal another kiss.