Snowblind

Rating: G
Characters/Pairing: Jack/Ianto; OCs: Seleny Williams, Olivia Burns; mentioned: Gwen, The Doctor
Spoilers: None, but after TW 02 and DW 04, so anything goes.
Disclaimer: I don't own Jack and Ianto (heavy sigh), I'm pretty sure they own each other. I do know the BBC and RTD owns all things Torchwood.
Warning: m/m, MPREG
Summary: Ianto and a very pregnant Jack return from a weekend in the countryside - in an unexpected snow storm.
Notes: Set in Time After Time 'verse, while Jack was having Stephanie. Written for Day Four of Red Is My Colour at LiveJournal in early 2009. The prompt was a picture of a car on a road in a blizzard. This is set at "It's Just Another Day".

Thanks to PCJanto for the review! :)

Ianto squinted, peering out the windscreen. He let out a frustrated sigh. "It's getting worse, Jack."

"Trenton said it's not too bad in Cardiff," Jack replied, also looking out the windscreen as a second set of eyes.

"It's just getting to Cardiff," Ianto muttered, gripping the steering wheel.

Jack gazed down at the GPS. "Seventeen more miles, and we should clear the worse of this. The outskirts of Cardiff."

"It's just getting through the 17 miles," Ianto commented dryly.

Jack shook his head and leaned back in the seat, hand resting on the swell of his belly. "It was a good weekend," he said.

Ianto nodded tightly.

"It was a brilliant thought. A weekend away from the Hub, relaxing. Just you and I in a cabin in the countryside." When all Jack got was another nod, Jack continued. "You did check the weather. No one was expecting this. Especially in March. Hell, we hardly get snow in January."

Jack stopped talking when Ianto slowed the SUV down further than the near crawl it was already going. He steered the vehicle over to the side of the road. "What's wrong?"

"Lovely. Just look, Jack. I can't see the bonnet, never mind the road. Zero visibility. We'll just have to sit here and wait it out until the visibility gets better."

"Ianto, we'll be fine." Jack touched Ianto's arm. He could feel the stretched nerves even through the other man's coat. "And don't start blaming yourself."

"I did hesitate about taking this trip. Taking you away from the Hub, but…." He sighed heavily. "You were so tense, it really did seem like a good idea to go away for the weekend to somewhere remote."

"And it was. I still feel the effects from it." Jack ran his arm along the wool of Ianto's coat. "Don't let it wind you up. It did you good too."

"What if we end up needing emergency services, then what?" Ianto turned and his blue eyes settled on Jack's swollen tummy.

"We use the perception filter, that's what. It worked well enough walking around town this weekend, and getting around Cardiff." Jack shrugged, seeming unperturbed by the inconvenience.

"What if the snow closes the roads?" Jack asked.

Then we wait until they open. "We have food and even coffee in the boot." Jack smirked, as his fingers interlaced with Ianto's. "Only you would pack provisions enough for a trip to London for a one hour trip."

"It was already snowing when we left. I wasn't taking chances. Are you getting cold, Jack. I can chance running the engine for a while."

Jack smiled. "Nah. I'm fine. Besides, I have ideas on how we can pass time."

"Jack! Really, not here. Even if it is out here in the middle of nowhere. We don't know when a emergency vehicle might happen by."

"See? That means we might not be stuck out here all night."

"We better not," Ianto commented. "I'd prefer to be back by dark." He shook his head. "Maybe we should have stayed put until the snow cleared up?"

"Considering why there is snow right now, it would be best if we were both back in the Hub."

Ianto nodded again. "At least the aliens waited until the day we were supposed to leave to make nuisances of themselves."

Jack suddenly looked away, gazing out the side window.

"Jack…," Ianto warned.

"Actually… do you really believe the snow came down suddenly upon the spaceship's entry into our atmosphere?"

"When Jack?"

"Last night. The team said they had a handle on it. And they do. They managed to get it land off Barry Island, and most of them should still be working on what to do with the ship."

"Alien vacationers using the Rift," Ianto muttered.

"At least it was a private cruiser," Jack replied. "We don't need something else like the Titanic falling out of the sky again. They miscalculated in coming through the Rift, which caused malfunction to their engines." Jack sighed. "And caused the disruption in atmospheric conditions. We weren't expecting anything like this." Jack indicated the snow.

"Vacationers. Jack, we should consider a port to control traffic through the Rift. And we could make a considerable amount of money too."

Jack chuckled. "I've thought of it over the years. If we could get away with it, I'd do it. It's a shame I never paid much attention to history of Earth around this time. I'd know what we're supposed to be prepared for, and I would also know if I'm not changing time by setting up such a port."

Ianto gazed at Jack. They were joking about the port. It was a running joke over the years. Yet Ianto knew that at some time in the future, maybe near or maybe not, they would probably do something like that.

"Do you miss the stars?" Jack asked, startling Ianto with the question coming out of nowhere. "Or even traveling with the Doctor?"

"If it's a choice between stars and the Doctor or you, you win, hands down," Ianto replied without hesitation. "What about you?"

"I made my choice back when I returned just before John showed up. He asked me to travel with him again, and I turned him down. For that year, all I could think about was you, the team. I realized I had a life here, and I could have a home – for the first time since I found myself stranded on Earth."

"What about the years when I wasn't around?"

Jack shrugged. "Sometimes," he admitted. "Sometimes I'd stand on the rooftops to gaze at the sky, knowing what was out there and feeling like there was nothing here for me anymore. Then I'd remember the team, and I'd look down from the sky and onto the city. And all those people. I would realize then that I couldn't abandon them. That even without you, I was still home. You made sure of that, even years after you were gone. And now?" Jack grinned, patting his swell. "I have other things more important than thinking about roaming the stars. I definitely have everything to make me happy. But maybe one day… not to leave, but one day, I'd love for us to take her to see the universe, to learn all that is her heritage."

"We could always ask the Doctor when we feel she's old enough," Ianto suggested.

Jack snorted. "Ianto, I'm thinking family vacation. You know, sightseeing, learning new cultures, showing Stephanie the wonders of the universe. Do you really believe we could do that with the Doctor?"

"Do you have any other means of traveling off this planet?" Ianto asked.

"Not yet. Probably not for a long time, but we have that now, don't we?"

Ianto smiled at Jack. "Yes. We do. Our daughter included."

"Look, let's move into the backseat, where we can get more comfortable," Ianto suggested.

"Sure. Let me just make a call to Trenton and see what's the weather like between us, and if there's any chances of a plow showing up."

"You do that. I'll get some snacks and the coffee, along with a blanket from the boot."

Jack leaned over and lightly kissed Ianto's lips. "That's one of the things I love about you, Ianto. Always prepared for comfort."

Ianto grinned and kissed Jack back. "Let me check for ice too before you get out of the car. Don't need you taking any chances of falling. Especially with current situation."

"Fine, Ianto. I'll wait for you to open the door and help me the three steps to the back."

"Very funny. I'm serious, Jack."

"Okay." Jack pouted a little, which caused Ianto to laugh as he got out of the SUV.

"Okay, now I'm getting cold," Jack complained three hours later. "Even being snuggled under this blanket with you. And we're out of coffee."

"You're whining, Jack," Ianto patiently said, pulling the other man closer. "Do you want me to turn the engine for a few minutes?"

"I want to get out of here. Be home. And I can tell you that Stephanie isn't happy about this anymore."

"I can tell. She's been kicking me in my side for the last half hour." Ianto studied Jack. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

"I'm just getting uncomfortable. That's all," Jack replied. "How about giving Trenton another call while you're up there for an update. Maybe someone from the team is back and they can help us."

"Jack, if we can't get through the snow, what makes you think they can?"

"They have the primary SUV. It's better equipped than this one."

"I'm not sure this. Sit tight, Jack and I'll get some heat on. And nibble on some breadsticks if we start feeling ill."

"I'm not feeling ill."

Ianto gave him a stare. Jack sighed, and then reached for the sack where there were still snacks. "Fine."

"Jack, is there anything you want me to pass onto Livvy?"

Jack shook his head. "No." Suddenly he dropped the package he was holding and doubled over. "Shit!" he cried out.

"Jack? What's wrong?"

Jack gritted his teeth for a few seconds until he was able to gasp out, "Contractions."

Ianto's eyes went wide. He had sense something wrong with Jack in the last few minutes, but he didn't consider that. It was too soon for contractions. They still had another 10 weeks until Jack was due to deliver."

"Shit. Hang on, Jack. I'll see if I can get Livvy on the comm." He scrambled out of the vehicle and into the front seat. He turned on the engine, putting on the heat, making sure it was not too high, but enough to remove the chill from the vehicle. Then he contacted the Hub on their comm.

"Livvy said to time the contractions," Ianto said as he got into the back again. "Being that the call was over five minutes and you didn't have another, we should have time." He pulled Jack to him, holding him and kissed his forehead.

"For what?" Jack asked.

"For them to find a way to get here. Relax, Jack. If need, Livvy will commandeer emergency services and cite a medical emergency."

"I don't think the perception filter will work now," Jack grumbled.

"Olivia knows what she's doing. If nothing else, I'm sure she'll have a supply of Retcon on her."

"I hope so." Suddenly Jack tensed up again. "Another." Ianto grasped Jack's hand while he timed the contraction, and planning to take note of when it stopped.

An hour later, Jack was looking bad. The contractions were three minutes apart and lasted for over 45 seconds. Ianto was getting worried, and he could see Jack was trying to keep himself from going into near panic.

Ianto got into the back again after speaking to Trenton. "The plows are finally starting to come up our way and at least the snow stopped. Seleny and Olivia have the SUV right behind the plows. They hope to be here within a half hour. Think you can hang on that long?"

"I hope." Jack grabbed Ianto's hand. "Look, we have a medical kit in the back, equipped for emergency surgery, don't we?"

"Yeah, but…" Ianto spread his hands. "I've done many things in my life, but I can't say surgery is one of them." He took a deep breath. He could not start to lose his calm. It had been a daunting task to remain calm since the first contraction.

"Look, no matter what you do to me, I'll be fine in the end. Don't worry about if you end up killing me. But if you notice any signs of baby stress, you'll have to get her out of me. If it gets to that point, I'll die anyway, and so will Stephanie. Give her a chance and get her out of me."

"She's not ready to be born yet," Ianto yelped. "We don't have the equipment to keep a premature baby alive."

"You'll have to do what you can, but give her a chance. And don't worry about how you cut me open. I'll heal. As long as you don't cut her. We won't know if she has any special healing until after she's born."

"Jack…."

"That's only if it comes to it. Hopefully they'll get here before that."

Ianto ran a hand through his hair, hoping to any god in the universe willing to listen to him. He even tried calling out in his mind for Gwen.

"Jack, I delivered a baby before, but not a male."

"Oh?" Jack was lounging across the seat, and when Ianto joined him, he picked up Jack's legs and settled them across his lap.

Ianto watched Jack lick his lips. He picked up the bottle with water and lifting Jack's head, let him take a small sip. "Yeah," Ianto said softly. "I was on a shuttle heading into an outpost. We were prevented from going into the flight path to the outpost, waiting out a meteor storm. One of the females – humanoid – went into labor. Being I was the only other humanoid on the shuttle, I ended up helping her out. Mother and baby were fine." Ianto smiled softly at the memory.

Jack grasped Ianto's hand. "See that? My Ianto, did it all."

"Far from it," Ianto commented. "But I try." He grinned and winked at Jack. Then frowned as Jack was overcome with another contraction.

"Still holding at three minutes. I'm not sure if it's good. I should try to contact Livvy." He spoke as Jack's grip on his hand tightened. Of course, he was also tracking the time. "I guess you can't tell me if it's normal for you."

"Don't know. That first time around, I never did make it to labor."

"Yeah, of course. C-section day," Ianto muttered.

"I was on a schedule – Time Agency and all…. Missions to go on."

Ianto opened his mouth to make a sarcastic comment when he caught headlamps out of the corner of his eye. He whipped his head around and stared out through the windscreen. "Jack! Snow plow!"

"Thank God." Jack rested his head back.

"God, I hope it's the right plow. Just hang tight back here. If it isn't, at least it means the road is cleared. I'll send them on their way and then start heading out."

"Good plan."

As Ianto got out of the SUV, he noticed the second set of headlamps behind the plow, along with the blue running lights. Ianto stuck his head back into the vehicle. "The SUV is behind it."

Jack started to grin. "Wonderful."

"Hang tight, Jack. Help is here." Ianto closed the door to the SUV and waited alongside the car, sticking his hands into the pockets of his coat.

With relief, he watched as the plow continued along without stopping, the driver waving to him. Soon the Torchwood SUV was pulling over in front of their vehicle. Olivia was jumping out of the SUV before it came to a stop and rushed over to Ianto.

"How is he?" Olivia asked.

"Still three minutes apart, not over 45 seconds, and I don't notice any signs of stress yet. But he can't deliver yet, Livvy. It's too soon!" Away from Jack's eyes and having their own Torchwood medic with him, he felt himself finally unraveling.

Olivia picked up the equipment case Ianto did not notice she was carrying. "I'm sure I can stop it. Especially after hearing what you said. Relax, Ianto. It'll be okay. Look, go over and help Sel. She got some other provisions. I'm sure you're dying for a hot cup of coffee."

"Yes. Thank you." Ianto went over to the Torchwood SUV, while Olivia opened the back door.

When Ianto got to the other vehicle, Seleny made him get in and sit. "Let Livvy do what she can to help Jack. If you're needed, she'll let contact us. She has her comm on." She handed Ianto a take out container of coffee.

"I regret leaving ours behind. That was stupid. But we both really wanted a nice weekend completely away from Torchwood, so Jack could unwind."

Seleny snorted as she sipped her coffee. "Yeah, leave Torchwood behind on a weekend in the countryside with a pregnant man."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah." Seleny grinned at him. "Look, relax Ianto. From what you've been telling her, Livvy is sure she could stop the labor. Jack might end up on his back for the next two and half months, but both him and the baby will be fine."

"I hope so." Ianto had another drink of the coffee, trying to relax. "So I take it you handled our illegal vacationers?"

"Yeah. We ended up having to sink the craft for now, but we'll do salvage over the next week. UNIT will be able to give us a hand with lifting and transport."

"Good. Jack will be glad to hear that. Except for having to deal with UNIT paperwork."

"At least they aren't as bad as what they seemed to be back when Mam was in Torchwood."

"Jack was subtly influencing them over the years. Like Torchwood, he wants to see them something the Doctor could be proud of. They once were, back when they started. When the Doctor worked with them."

"That's Jack. Changing the world one step at a time. Amazing for a man who doesn't know how to do subtle."

At that moment, there was a rap on the window. Seleny and Ianto started, then Ianto rolled down his window to find Olivia standing there grinning. "How's Jack?" Ianto asked, anxiously.

"Leave it to Jack Harkness," Olivia commented and she turned her head to look next to her.

Ianto also looked to find Jack standing next to her, his arm around her shoulders. "Jack! How are you?"

"Fine. Fine. Don't kill me, Ianto."

"What? What was it?"

Olivia opened the door. "Just get out here and help me lug this one around and get him walking. He'll be fine, especially after he walks it off. Then we get him home, and into a nice warm bath, and he'll be good as new."

"Did you stop the labor?" Ianto asked, getting out of the vehicle. He heard Seleny open her door and get out.

"Labor my arse. It was false labor. He'll be fine."

Ianto already had Jack's arm around him and looked at Jack. "False labor?"

"I didn't plan it," Jack said, defensively. "Really."

"Then what? How?"

"My guess is from being cramped up in the vehicle, along with stressing over the situation. He ended up getting himself over tensed and started false labor. So we get him to walk around a little, work out the tension and then we get him back to yours. If it starts up again when we get back, just get him walking."

Ianto shook his head and looked over to Seleny, who joined them. "What were we just saying about Jack's inability to be subtle?"

Seleny started to laugh.

"Walk, Jack," Ianto commanded, starting to guide Jack through the snow, being careful. It wasn't easy with the build up of the snow."

"I don't think there will be many cars coming this way right now, so get him into the road. Easier, but be careful for ice," Olivia instructed.

"But I'm cold," Jack started to complain.

"In that big coat?" Seleny commented. "Get over it, Jack."

"Movement generates body heat," Olivia added. "Walk."

Ianto grinned at Jack, feeling greatly relieved that it will be all right. "You heard the lady, Jack. Walk."

"When did I lose command around here?" Jack sighed as he started to walk, with Ianto's help. Seleny and Olivia hovered close, just in case he slipped.

"Since when did you have command?" Ianto quipped.

The two woman laughed and Jack grumbled.