PART FOUR

RAY OF LIGHT

Storm seemed to cope with the infant formula without any obvious side effects. He sucked down the entire bottle and then Ianto raised him up and cradled him against his shoulder, rubbing his back. The warmth of him against his neck settled the anxiety in his gut and Ianto slowly paced back and forth by the sofa. Storm belched and yawned and eventually Ianto bent down and settled him into the portable cot. The child was asleep within moments. Ianto stood there gazing down at him.

Jack watched from the window of his office as Ianto put the baby back in the cot and straightened up, his gaze firmly fixed on the infant. There was a rare look of contentment on the young Welshman's face and Jack found himself wondering what right he had to take that away from him. Jack shook his head, almost as if to clear it. The baby had to go, before anyone else was drawn into touching it. He sighed and picked up his phone. Two hours later and he discovered that UNIT did not have any knowledge of any Sparrow refugees on Earth that Storm could be settled with. Unhappily he ended the call and got to his feet stretching. The Hub was unusually quiet and he saw his team all working at their respective terminals, the Rift was being quiet, which under the circumstances was a mercy. Ianto had positioned himself on the sofa close by the cot with his laptop and he looked up and met Jack's eyes with a hesitant smile. Jack grinned and signalled for a cup of coffee, which was met with Ianto's famous eye roll. The man carefully set the laptop to one side and got to his feet, straightening out his suit with grace before turning to the girls. It made Jack sad, seeing Ianto offer up shy smiles, almost as if he was expecting to be ignored as he asked if they wanted coffee. Owen obviously heard him as he saw fit to venture up from the depths of the autopsy bay. Jack was surprised to see Owen give Ianto a reassuring slap on the shoulder and the two of them laughed as they exchanged words. Jack wondered if Owen was aware on some level just how bad things were going to get for Ianto. Sucking in a breath he decided to join his team for a well earned coffee break.

The team gathered in the boardroom around the table with a pot of coffee and copious amounts of chocolate biscuits. Ianto made sure everyone was supplied before backing out of the room and resuming his place on the couch, a mug in his hand as he affectionately looked down into the cot from where he was sitting.

An uncomfortable silence brewed in the boardroom and Gwen finally broke it.

"What are we going to do with the child Jack?"

Jack wrenched his gaze back to his team. "I've been on the phone to UNIT, there are no Sparrow here on Earth, so far as they know. They offered to take the child off our hands, but I said no."

Tosh looked extremely relieved. "So what are our options?"

Jack sipped on the amazing coffee and briefly closed his eyes. "I'm not sure. We can't just hand it over to a human family for adoption, that would only sentence them to same problem that Ianto has been lumbered with."

"The kindest thing, what is the kindest thing to do?"

Jack looked at Gwen, he could see all of her maternal instincts right there on her sleeves, in her wide eyes and the way they constantly strayed in the direction of the cot.

"The safest thing for the rest of you is to isolate the child and make sure that Ianto is the only one exposed. It's already affecting you Gwen and you haven't been near it."

Gwen nodded, she couldn't argue the point.

Tosh was wringing her hands. "I have an urge to touch it. I've felt it for some time."

Jack looked at her with concern. "That finalises it then, the child will have to be confined to the cells and only Ianto is to have access."

Owen was nodding his agreement. "I've been monitoring the air in the Hub over the last hour, there are definitely some traces of pheromones in the air that aren't coming off you Jack, so it has to be the Sparrow. Ianto's blood pressure is still too high and he's showing other signs of physical distress, dilated pupils, shallow breathing. I think that for Sparrows that is normal, but for a human..... Add to that Ianto's own insecurities and OCD. The sooner we are shot of that thing the better."

"Owen it's a child!" Gwen snapped, outraged.

Jack raised a hand to silence her. "A child that is having a detrimental effect on this team and Ianto's well being. It is still a threat Gwen and must be treated as such, whether it's actions are intentional or not."

"You make it sound like a disease."

"It's behaving like one." Owen responded. "It's like a parasite Gwen, a virus. It was damned unfortunate that it was Ianto that picked it up, his very nature makes him the most vulnerable to its effects and you are a close second. Quarantine or elimination are our only options if we can't re-home it."

"Owen!"

"He's right Gwen. The fact of the matter is we cannot look after it.... Ianto shouldn't be expected to, this has been forced on him, it's no better than rape. The child is a threat, we can only keep it for so long."

Tosh, who had remained quiet gently grasped Gwen's hand. "So in the meantime we move the cot to the cell and I shall sort out the locking mechanism so Ianto is the only one with access."

Jack nodded. "Yes, thank you Tosh." Jack sucked in a steadying breath. "Like I have already said to Ianto, he is not be sacrificed over this. If that child isn't gone over the next couple of weeks I will deal with finishing the job myself. Ianto cannot be expected to be forced into caring for it and if the child is trapped here on earth it will be forced to live it's life in solitude as an adult and that for a Sparrow is worse than death."

Gwen was looking outraged but the tightening grip on her hand from Tosh made her think twice about protesting.

"I agree with Jack." Owen added.

Jack could've kissed him for it.

Ianto grasped his mug and clamped it between his hands, warming them against the ceramic. He closed his eyes and inhaled the aromas of his Jamaican blend as a wash of content flooded over him. When he opened them he found himself gazing down at pink cheeks, pale downy feathers and the cutest button nose. A smile was on his lips as he sipped the coffee and stared at his charge aware of the overwhelming love that shouldn't be there. He was startled out of it by a firm hand on his shoulder and Ianto blinked up at Jack who sat down beside him.

"Hey."

"How how are you doing?"

"You keep asking me. I'm alright Jack, really."

Jack nodded. "We have to confine the child to the cells, it's starting to affect Gwen. The pheromones, Owen said there are traces in the air. You will be the only one with access it's......"

"I know Jack. It's just cruel, it's not Storm's fault and we have to treat him like..... like an enemy. It's horrible." Ianto's gaze drifted back to the cot. "He's so fragile."

"No, he isn't Ianto, but I know nothing that I say will make any difference to you. Tosh is setting up cell three as it has the best sensors, so we can move all the baby gear down there when the others have gone home for the day."

Ianto knew he had no choice but to agree, his heart sank, he really didn't want Storm locked away in the dark in a cell next to Janet.

"I'll get a camp bed for myself then."

Jack shook his head. "No, I will not have you asleep in there with that thing. You can have my quarters and a monitor so you know if anything is wrong, but under no circumstances are you sleeping in the cell with it."

Ianto turned his head, gaping at Jack. "Him Jack, he's a boy, a boy who has no control over what happened to him, who is alone unless I take care of him. He needs me." Ianto had never felt needed before, even Lisa hadn't really needed him. Jack certainly didn't.

Jack cautiously touched his furrowed brow with his finger tips searching out Ianto's eyes with his own and locking their gazes. "I do need you, I know you don't think that, but I do and I am trying to protect you."

"I don't want your protection Jack."

"Yes, you do." Jack smiled.

Ianto looked away and chewed at his lip. "It's hard, I can hear myself say that I know trust you, that you are right, but.... but I just."

"I'll help you get him set up in the cell, but my order stands Ianto."

Ianto nodded, still unable to meet Jack's earnest look.

"Have you found anyone to help us?"

Jack shook his head. "No. UNIT drew a blank."

Ianto dipped his head, lost. "What about your Doctor friend?"

Jack stiffened, his hand falling away from Ianto's neck. "You're a genius." He got up. "I'll be back in a minute."