AN: Thanks for the reviews and notifications. Just so you know the stuff about the women is pretty dark.
Thirty three year old Chloe Swanson walked through the street lamp illuminated streets of Cardiff. She'd just come from her older sister Kathy's fortieth birthday party and decided to walk home to try and ease off the nausea she felt. However the six month old kicking mass in her stomach was making sure it didn't happen. It had been a surprise to her and her fiancé David to find out she was pregnant after they'd spent three years trying for a baby. Chloe already knew she was having a boy; the nurse who did the ultrasound had told her at her twenty-week scan but Chloe had kept the news from David; he had wanted it to be a surprise. She wanted to call her son Liam or Anthony or maybe Mark. Chloe took a shortcut down an alley and felt a tingling sensation on the back of her neck. She was being followed. Chloe walked faster and could hear the footsteps following at an increasing pace. Fear crept into Chloe's heart as she remembered what was on the news and she began to run. But she couldn't run for long and the last thing she remembered before it all went dark was something hitting the back of her head.
~~~~~~TW~~~~~~
Imogene slowly dragged herself out of her bed. The morning sickness had abated a few weeks before hand; something she was thankful for. It was hard enough vomiting in the mornings in London even though Laura and Grace could sleep through a bomb exploding. Imogene dressed in loose jeans and a baggy green hoodie before going down to get some breakfast. All she could manage in the mornings was weak tea and a slice of unbuttered toast, anything else made her nauseous and even the scent of strawberries had her feeling like she was going to die without any. Imogene had researched pregnancy on the internet and figured out her craving would be strawberries. In the kitchen Alex and Listelle were bickering while eating their cereal.
"Right you two are you ready to go to school?" Jack asked.
The twins nodded and ran to get their schoolbags. Imogene sat down at the table and turned her attention to the morning news.
"A second body has been found and it's believed that the body is that of nineteen year old Nikki Roberts who had been seven months pregnant. Ms Roberts vanished without trace two weeks ago and her family have been informed. Ms Roberts is the second missing woman to have been found dead after the body of Sophie Anderson was found on Monday. A third woman, Jamila Mousset is still missing. Police are asking that anyone who has any information on any of the three women to please come forward. This is Gregory Smith reporting for BBC Wales in Cardiff."
"Horrible isn't it?" Ianto said turning away from the television.
"It's for the police to deal with, not us." Imogene shrugged and went to climb into the car beside the twins.
In the hub Imogene was greeted with hugs from Tosh and Martha and Owen and Mickey welcomed her back. As they sat talking about what had happened while Imogene had been away, little Adeola toddled over and gestured to Imogene that she wanted up. Imogene picked her up and rested her on her knee. As Imogene held Adeola, she couldn't help but think that in five months' time she'd have a child of her own. Martha and Tosh noticed Imogene's changing emotion and shared a knowing look. It was a look Tosh had seen on Jack when he would worry about being pregnant and it was a look Martha wore throughout her pregnancy. It was a look that meant 'how the hell am I going to look after a baby?'
At lunchtime Martha and Tosh left the hub with Imogene and sat down in a sandwich shop after getting their sandwiches. Imogene devoured her chicken and lettuce sandwich before looking at Martha and Tosh.
"Imogene, is there anything you'd like to tell us?" Tosh asked gently.
"No," Imogene replied wiping her mouth.
"Then can you explain why you looked at Adeola as is she scared the life out of you and why you've not been acting like yourself all day and also, nothing personal but you seem to have put on some weight." Martha pressed.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Imogene denied swallowing half her strawberry smoothie in one.
"Don't try and get one over on us. You're pregnant aren't you?" Tosh asked as they finished their sandwiches and left the sandwich shop.
Imogene couldn't deny it anymore. Her eyes filled up as she nodded. "Four and a half months."
"Who's the father? Does he know?" Martha asked gently.
"John doesn't know and he'll never want to." Imogene replied trying to stop crying.
"John Hart is the father?" Tosh asked and Imogene nodded.
"We had finished it. I couldn't leave the twenty first century and he couldn't stay. His life was travelling through space and time. My life was here and now. I know I was pregnant until a week later when I was late." Imogene confirmed.
Martha hugged Imogene. That was the same reason she had stopped travelling with the Doctor. She couldn't keep jumping through space and time having adventures. Her family had needed her and she'd worked her ass off for her degree and she didn't want to give it up. The Doctor could never have stayed on Earth. Tosh slipped a supportive arm around Imogene's shoulders as she and Martha twigged the rest of the story. She hadn't told the others yet.
"Are you going to tell Ianto and Jack?" Tosh asked.
"They're going to go mad. When they found out about me and John the one thing they warned me not to do was get pregnant." Imogene explained.
"You may be able to hide your bump but you can't hide a baby. When we get back to the hub you should just get it over with." Tosh advised as they returned to the hub.
As Martha, Imogene and Tosh waked back to their desks, Jack came out of his office and walked over to the team. "I just had DCI Swanson on the phone. She wants us to help out on this kidnapping case; you know the pregnant women disappearing and turning up dead?" Jack explained.
"Why? She hates us and by 'us' I mean you." Owen stated to Jack in his usual polite manner.
"There's a detail that the media doesn't know about. Both bodies of the women have been found without their baby. They've been cut open and the baby removed." Jack explained. Tosh and Ianto looked at each other, memories of being held captive and almost being butchered by the cannibals in the Breacon Beacons coming back to haunt them with a vengeance.
"So they're thinking we might know something about this?" Mickey asked.
"We've seen something like this before, but that was more 'The Hills Have Eyes' than the caesarean from hell." Ianto explained, repressing the feeling of a meat cleaver being held against his throat.
"There's also another reason. Kathy's younger sister Chloe hasn't been seen since last night. Apparently she left a fortieth birthday party early and walked home but has since then vanished off the face of the earth and Chloe Swanson is six months pregnant." Jack added. "Owen and Martha you have to go and figure out if there are any teeth marks or anything which wouldn't have come from Earth. Ianto, Tosh and Mickey you three try to find anything which might link to this. Unsolved murders, rift activity; that sort of thing. Imogene come with me to talk to Kathy see if she knows anything." Jack ordered. Martha and Owen went to sort out their gear and Tosh nodded at Imogene and mouthed 'do it'.
Imogene chewed her lip and hugged her stomach. "Ianto, Jack I need to talk to you guys in private."
Jack gestured to his office and the three of them walked up the stairs. As the door shut behind them Owen and Mickey looked at their wives who mouthed 'she's pregnant' and gestured to Jack's office where Jack and Ianto could be seen gawping at Imogene.
"What was that?" Ianto asked. It must be one of Imogene's pranks. She couldn't be serious?
Imogene kept staring at her trainers. "I'm pregnant."
"How did that happen?" Jack asked.
"When two people love each other very much," Imogene snapped sarcastically.
"Hey calm down, who's the father?" Ianto asked, dreading the answer.
"John Hart. He doesn't know; we finished it before I found out myself. Besides it's not his fault; it takes two you know." Imogene explained trying not to get John into any trouble.
"Why didn't you tell us when you got home?" Ianto asked.
"I thought you'd be mad and I didn't want to ruin the twin's birthday." Imogene replied.
"We're not mad, just shocked. You're a big girl Imogene; whatever you decide to do is your decision. You're my sister and we'll stand by you." Ianto reassured hugging Imogene and thinking about how good it would feel to castrate John Hart with a very rusty saw…
"Don't even consider it, it's not like he's around." Imogene muttered.
"Stay out of my head." Ianto teased.
"Stop having thoughts of castrating my ex-boyfriend." Imogene smiled weakly and allowed Jack to hug her as well.
"If it's a boy you could call him Jack." Jack suggested. Ianto rolled his eyes and Imogene sighed.
"I don't know what to do. Sometimes I think that I couldn't do it and should have he or she adopted but then I see little kids playing in a park or parents with their babies in their buggies and I think 'I want that'. Then I think about being a single parent in Torchwood. If something happened, who'd look after the child?" Imogene explained.
"Hey we managed it with the twins. Martha and Mickey have managed with Adeola and we'll all help you no matter what. And if something happened what do you think we'd do? Let it starve? Don't be daft." Jack replied.
"Thanks, I was worried you'd hit the roof." Imogene admitted.
"I can't say I like the idea but it's your body and your choice." Ianto said hugging his sister again.
"Right work to do, come on kiddo we need to see Swanson." Jack said and he and Imogene left the office.
"What's happening with Imogene?" Tosh asked. "She told us at lunch," Tosh explained to Ianto's confused expression.
"We haven't decided yet. But if John Hart comes to visit I'll take personal pleasure in ensuring he never has any other children." Ianto replied, and they got to work.
There was nothing that had happened in the city like this however when they expanded their search they found that there had been reports of similar murders worldwide. In Sydney, three pregnant women had been killed in 1965. In Dubai five pregnant women had been killed in 1975. In Athens six women had been murdered in 1985. In New York four pregnant women had been killed in 1995. In Cairo seven women had been murdered in 2005. All had been pregnant and all of the corpses had the foetuses removed. There seemed to be nothing all the women had in common apart from the fact they were pregnant. Nobody had ever been brought to justice and the cases had all gone cold.
"Why do I get the feeling this mightn't be aliens?" Ianto muttered running his hand along his neck. Tosh squeezed his hand.
"Hopefully we and the police can put a stop to it." Tosh replied as they tried to find some connection between the women who had been killed and the two now missing; Jamila Mousset and Chloe Swanson.
"We're here to speak to DCI Swanson. She's expecting us." Imogene said politely to the woman at the reception desk at the police station.
"Fifth floor on the right hand side." The receptionist said and Imogene and Jack went up in the lift to the fifth floor. Kathy Swanson was in her office staring vacantly at a picture on her desk.
"Kathy?"
Kathy looked up at the sound of Jack Harkness' voice. She hadn't wanted to do this but she had needed Torchwood's help just in case this was something, as Harkness liked to say 'beyond the police'. She was doing this for Chloe. Chloe and David and the baby.
"You've decided to help us then." Kathy stated.
"We have, just in case this is something that would require our expertise." Jack replied sincerely sitting down in front of her desk with Imogene beside him.
"I don't think we've been introduced and I've have preferred it to be in easier circumstances, Kathy Swanson," Kathy said offering her hand to Imogene.
"Imogene Jones," Imogene replied. "Would you have any information of the other woman? Jamila Mousset?"
"Twenty nine years old and she's expecting her second child. She went missing after a night out with her friends. Her husband is a lawyer and was on a stag weekend when she went missing. As for Chloe, everyone in our family was at my party. The others have already asked me about last night. Chloe had left early because she'd felt sick. I should have got her a taxi, made sure she was safe." Kathy replied.
"It wasn't your fault." Jack consoled.
"Some fortieth birthday. I thought the worst thing I'd wake up to was a hangover or a grey hair. Not that my baby sister has gone missing." Kathy said trying to keep her emotions in check.
"We'll help you as best we can. If we find any leads we'll ring you as soon as we get it." Jack promised as they made to leave. At the door, Kathy spoke again.
"Why did you agree to help? You didn't seem keen when I rang you." Kathy pressed. Jack looked at Imogene.
"You're not the only one whose job it is to protect the city." Jack replied and they left.
Kathy turned back to her desk and the picture that was in the small silver frame of her and her sister with their arms around each other. Kathy was grinning and pointing at Chloe's stomach and Chloe was pulling an overdramatic 'Oh my God' face. It had been taken when they'd found out Chloe was pregnant. Kathy herself medically couldn't have children after taking a bullet in her lower stomach when she was a beat-cop. She had been looking forward to being an aunt and spoiling her niece and nephew rotten. Now she wasn't so sure she'd ever see her sister again…
"Thinking like that will get you nowhere Katherine. Chloe will be alright. She's tough as anything." Kathy scolded herself and made a silent prayer. "Please God, let my sister be OK."
"Poor Kathy, I've never seen her like that before." Jack said. Normally Kathy was as tough as Chuck Norris's fists. You didn't cross her easily and she wasn't afraid to take Torchwood down a peg whenever she could. The fact she'd asked them to help showed how much she cared for her sister.
"I know," Imogene replied looking around. Anything or anyone could be behind this.
"Speaking of which, you need to be careful. If whatever it is that's doing this is hunting pregnant women, you make sure that you're not on the streets after dark and have a weapon on you at all times." Jack warned.
"I know that. No baby-hungry alien bastard's taking my baby without a fight." Imogene vowed running her hands over her stomach. She wasn't sure whether she even wanted to keep her child but you could be as sure as hellfire that she wasn't going to give her baby up without a fight. The pair of them walked down the street and into the black SUV and drove off.
Neither of them saw the being that watched them from an alleyway. Neither of them noticed how he hungrily licked his lips at the sight of Imogene's slightly swollen stomach as their conversation reached his ears.
Neither of them realised that Imogene's life was now in extreme danger…
