DISCLAIMER: Don't own, highly doubt I ever will – the characters. Except the ones based on the peeps I know. It should be clear who those are – but, just in case, you'll need to know that I don't work for Torchwood. At least not Torchwood Three. Oh! But, do you see those kids they are talking about? Those are mine.

Jack was the last one to work. Tosh looked up from where she was sitting and watched her boss cross the room. Jack felt her eyes on him and looked back, almost running into Gwen.

"You're late, yeah," she said, looking up at him.

"Well, yeah," he agreed. "But I had a good reason. Ran some morning errands."

"Had to drop the kids off, sir?" Ianto appeared out of the kitchen, carrying Jack's mug.

"Since when did you have kids, Jack?" Owen's ears perked up at the opportunity to harass the man.

"Since, uh, I don't have kids." Jack looked around, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Ianto raised his eyebrow. "Well, not yours, obviously."

"You picking up random kids, Harkness?" Owen joined the others who were forming a circle around him.

Jack felt like he was on a school playground and the bullies were about to overtake him. "No, Owen, these are not some random kids." He wasn't going to answer something that he wasn't asked. No giving up information without a fight.

"Then whose are they, Jack?" This from the usually quiet Toshiko Sato, who had now joined the group.

He thought for a moment before he answered. His last little chance of having a separate life away from here was about to be busted. He guessed it had all been too easy up to this point, and sighed before answering. "My girlfriend's."

You could have heard a pin drop in the Hub.

"Girlfriend?" Gwen said at last, sounding almost crushed. "When did you get a girlfriend?" She narrowed her eyes at him, hands on her hips.

"I've had a girlfriend?" Jack's attempt at a statement came out as more of a question. Why was it that he felt like he needed to answer to them anyway? "You're just now finding out about it is all."

"Yeah, that would be my fault," Ianto tried to sound sorry, he really did. It didn't work. "I kind of told them about last night."

"Couldn't you just have told them about Erin and left me out?" Jack spun on the Welshman.

"And leave out the part where I beat your girlfriend at Monopoly?" He snorted. "Right. Oh, oh, and let's not forget you with the baby!"

"Baby?!" Gwen was quite rankled now.

"Well, he's almost two – not really a baby anymore." Jack turned to face her. All the turning was starting to make him dizzy, so he made for his office. The others followed him. "Can I help you?"

They all just stared at him. Jack shrugged and took his seat behind his desk. Four pairs of eyes were unmoving. Tosh was the one that broke the silence. "Jack, we wish we had known is all. You know so much about all of us."

"What Tosh is saying, Jack is that you didn't have to be such a prat and shut us out," Owen reworded when Jack said nothing to his co-worker.

"What was there to say – team, I have a girlfriend, is that okay?" Jack was livid, stopping himself short of slamming his hands on the desk.

Ianto looked at his watch and started. "Crap – I have to go upstairs! Erin is meeting me for lunch."

"I'm not done with you, Ianto Jones. You three go back downstairs – we can finish this later." Jack was irate with the man for sharing this info, and he had to talk to him about it now.

He followed Ianto up thru the maze that lead to the exterior office. Ianto tried to ignore him, but the moment they were in the cramped office, Jack grabbed his arm. "You had no right to tell them about my private life!" His finger was in Ianto's face without realizing it.

"Sir, in my defense, I was telling them about my date last night. You just happened to be in the story." Ianto kept his voice steady and his stance calm. "If you remember, you were the one to mention the kids."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest in indignance. He had been the one to say the thing about the kids. "Well, still." Now he had no one to blame but himself.

"Jack, is there something bothering you about this?" Ianto was busy stacking tour maps as he talked.

He shook his head. "I just wanted something away from here. Once we were over, it seemed easier – you know?"

Ianto gave the man his knowing smile and turned to the door when he heard the bell on it. Erin was there, along with Susan. "I ran into Susan on my way over. We thought that maybe you could lock up for an hour so we could go to lunch."

The men passed a look between them before Jack answered. "Sure thing, let me just go in the back and call Gwen and let her know where we're going." He went behind the beaded curtain and tapped his comm – Gwen answered.

"Yes?"

"Gwen, the girls are here, we're going to lunch, can you come up here and relieve us?" Jack half whispered, hoping Gwen would get the clue.

"Sure thing!" He could tell by her voice that she was eager to meet these women – what exactly had Ianto told them?

"Right," Jack rejoined the others. "Gwen will be coming back from lunch early. Do you want to wait here for her or do you want to meet us?"

"We'll wait." Ianto agreed, slipping his arm around Erin's waist.

Within a few minutes, Gwen was coming through the door, Tosh on her arm. "Jack, Ianto – you remember my friend Tosh?"

Ianto offered his hand to Tosh and Jack tried not to glare at her as he nodded a hello. Tosh waved shyly at the both of them and put her head down slightly.

"This is Erin, Gwen. And that," he motioned to Susan. "Is Susan."

Gwen squealed as she ran to hug Erin, then Susan. "Oh my gosh! Jack has told us so much about you!" She gushed over the latter. "Your kids – your job – everything!"

Susan looked confused as she hugged her again and Jack made a mental note to have a talk with them later. "And you're…?" Susan spoke carefully.

"He didn't tell us you were American though!" She put her hand over her mouth and looked over at Jack. Ianto was loving every minute of this. "Jack, all of Cardiff and you find an American? What are the odds?"

"Yes, what indeed, Gwen Cooper? Now, if you'll excuse us, we have lunch plans." He all but yanked Susan out the door after pushing Ianto out. "Nice to see you again, Toshiko."

Tosh and Gwen waited until they were out of earshot before they began to laugh.

So help me, it's any wonder I am sane. I have Informer by Snow playing behind me accompanying the mad laughter of Taryn. I know she doesn't mean to be insane, but sometimes she is. Oh noes! Now she has made up a dance routine and I must join in to placate her - wish me luck!