Title: Thrice Blessed 10/?
Author: totally4ryo
Word Count: 3499
Rating: PG13 (might go up to NC-17 later chapters)
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys (mentioned), Toshiko and Owen (remembered), OCs: including new Torchwood Three members: Tabitha Adams and Dr. Shandi McNeil; Iola Jones – Ianto's younger sister, Gladis and Michael Jones – Ianto's parents.
Spoilers: Not really, but post TW series 2 and DW series 4.
Warning: MPREG, M/MM
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.
Summary: Jack's pregnant – with triplets! Will Ianto survive?
Chapter Summary: Jack and Ianto spend a weekend with Ianto's sister.
Notes:
Huge thanks to the most wonderful gracie_musica for the beta - not only catching my grammar goofs, but willing to talk things out that make me think, and inspire me more.

A/N: Thanks for the new reviews, especially after it took me so long to update. Starting tonight I will be updating a new chapter every other day or two, and one the other day updating Echoes.

Jemma Grax - I hope it continues to hold your interest. Unfortunately my smut muses went away and I don' want to subject anyone to any poor attempt at smut, so I prefer to reference that they have an interesting sexlife than going into anything explicit. It's just better that way. :)

Jack and Ianto entered their flat to find Iola sitting on the couch, watching the telly. She was holding Drew in her lap. She looked up from speaking to the baby. "Well, it's about time. People can starve around here." She looked back down to the baby, who was gripping her shirt. "It's a good thing you weren't waiting for Uncles Ianto and Jack, and you're all nice and fed now. Aren't you, sweetheart?"

Ianto smiled and went over to his sister, setting the bags he carried on the coffee table. He kissed her head and took Drew from her. His smile turned tender as he held his nephew in his arms. "Well, hello there. I'm so glad you didn't starve. But knowing your mother, she'd rant on and on and still not get to eat yet."

Jack was smirking as he placed the bags he had on the table. He smiled over at Iola. "I'll go get the plates. We'll eat in here tonight." He left the lounge to enter the kitchen.

As they ate, Jack and Ianto explained their tardiness as work related. Iola knew from experience not to ask more questions about work then what they were willing to discuss. They spent the rest of the evening playing with Drew and when they put the baby down to sleep, the three settled for watching movies until they went to bed.

Jack and Ianto woke up Sunday morning to the aroma of breakfast drifting through the flat. It was no surprise, as Iola always had breakfast going by the time they would find their way out of the bedroom. Having an 11-month-old tended to make Iola rise early. Before Jack got pregnant, he did not require much sleep. He would stay in the bedroom and not putter around the house as normal when Iola was there. Other than not wanting to wake the sleeping woman on their couch, Jack did not want to raise any suspicion other than he was a normal 45 year old human.

The night before, as they lay in their bed, Ianto and Jack realized they might have some difficulty keeping that illusion. They were going to have to tell Ianto's family that they were planning to move once they closed the deal on a house. The questions would come up on the type of house and that would only lead to more questions on what the two of them were planning to do with such a big house. That would be their cue to announce that they had found a surrogate and were looking forward to being fathers and saw a need for a bigger house. The biggest problem would be telling Iola that until the babies were born and home with them, she could not visit them anymore. They were still figuring out an explanation.

As Jack entered the kitchen, he went right over to Drew. The baby was in the portable bouncer that Jack and Ianto kept at the flat for him. Jack lifted the little boy, who threw his arms up in greeting when he noticed Jack to say good morning. As the baby clenched onto his braces and gurgled happily at the attention, Jack realized that he was going to miss seeing Drew. Eight months was a long time in a baby's development and Jack was going to miss it.

So he could have his and Ianto's babies.

After saying hello to Iola and handing Drew to Ianto, so the baby could get attention from his other uncle, Jack started to take out the plates for their breakfast.

"Do you want some tea, Jack?" Iola asked.

Jack looked over to where Ianto deftly made coffee while still holding the baby and making him laugh.

"No thanks. Coffee will be ready soon," Jack replied.

Iola shrugged. She was used to Jack waiting for coffee. There were some mornings that Jack would be downstairs before Ianto and would have tea with her until Ianto came down and started to make coffee.

Ianto turned and looked at him. Jack grinned and shrugged. He was allowed at least one cup of caffeine a day and given the choice, Jack preferred to have Ianto's coffee over breakfast tea.

As per the usual Sunday breakfast when Iola was there, black pudding was included. Jack usually enjoyed it, and many times was caught sneaking a second helping.

When Iola brought their breakfast out to the dining table, Jack took one look at it and quickly excused himself. He found himself in the bathroom, hugging the toilet. He sat in the bathroom alone after he felt he had nothing left to come up. He was surprised there had been anything to start with; he had woken up in the middle of the night and had lost whatever he had for dinner the night before.

He was still feeling nauseous and decided it would be wise to stay put a while longer. As he sat on the bathroom floor, near the toilet, he realized the thought of any of the breakfast that Ianto no doubt was saving for him did not sit well with him.

By the time he started to leave the bathroom, Ianto appeared in the doorway. Jack was expecting him to be there. He did not feel comfortable having anyone with him while he was sick, and let Ianto know to continue what he was doing, and not to worry about him. If he needed help, he would let Ianto know. Being true to form, whenever Jack opened the bathroom door, he would find Ianto waiting for him.

"Iola's changing Drew, so I thought it a good time to slip away with this." Ianto held out a piece of dry toast.

Jack gagged at the sight. Ianto rolled his eyes. "Take it and eat it," he stated in a no-nonsense tone. "Or do you want me to repeat something even you told Iola countless times when she was having Drew?"

Jack glared at Ianto. Hesitantly, he took the offered piece of toast and grumbled. Under Ianto's steady gaze, he had a bite.

Chewing the toast, he asked, "What did you tell Iola?"

"Since you were the only one who had the mystery meat kebobs, I told her you weren't feeling good after we went to bed." He gave Jack a sympathetic gaze. "Which is not a lie. Anyway, I don't think she'll be ordering any mystery meat when she's here." He smirked. "Now to convince you of the same."

"It's not mystery meat," Jack commented, chewing the toast. "It's beef. They just marinade it differently then the regular beef. I like it." He took another bite of the toast.

Ianto handed him a bottle of water and guided him from the bathroom toward the door to their bedroom. "Go rest for a while. And if you go without protest, I'll be there shortly with coffee for you."

Jack shoved the rest of the toast into his mouth and wiped that hand on his sweat pants. He leaned over to lightly kiss Ianto. "I'll be waiting." With a wink, Jack headed into the bedroom.

"Don't try it," Ianto warned. "My little sister is here with her infant son. Besides, you need to rest."

Jack poked his head out. "I rest better when you hold me." He gave Ianto a tender smile and then closed the door.

Ianto shook his head, smiling affectionately. He turned to the doorway leading into the lounge, expecting it to be closed, since he made sure he closed it. Instead he found it open and his sister leaning against the frame with a grin.

"What?" he asked, wondering how much she had heard.

"You two are so adorable. When I first met Jack, I'd have never believed that he could be like that."

"You should have seen him when I first met him. But I learned that once Jack trusts you and is comfortable around you, little by little he peels away those defense layers." Ianto smiled warmly at his little sister. "That he can act like himself around you says much about how he feels about you. And it has nothing to do with your being my sister."

Iola nodded and turned to go into the lounge. Settling down on the couch, she said, "I know. Because I noticed Jack around Mam."

"She doesn't always make him feel welcome," Ianto stated with a sigh as he sat down next to his sister. "I know she tries. Meanwhile, Tad and Jack act like best friends when they get together."

Iola laughed. "Except if I'm around, because it's obvious I'm Jack's best friend." She made a face at her brother, and made him laugh.

"If you insist," Ianto stated.

"You know, he's not the only one," Iola stated. She looked back when they heard gurgling and cooing from Drew. She had left the baby on his playmat on the floor by the coffee table. "Why don't I entertain your nephew and tell him his favorite uncles will play with him later. Go take care of Jack."

Ianto smirked. "It's not like you don't know how to get comfortable around here."

"Who's fault is that?"

"Jack's," Ianto deadpanned. "Definitely Jack's."

His sister laughed as he stood up. He stooped down by Drew for a minute, tickling the baby and making him laugh before he left the room. As he walked to the bedroom, he realized it was not going to be an easy talk convincing his sister to stay away from their new home for a while. They were going to have to come up with a good reason that she would believe.

Jack was half dozing when Ianto got into the bedroom, so he carefully climbed onto the bed, and held Jack. Jack nestled against Ianto's body and fell asleep soon after. Ianto remained awake, content to hold him and watch him sleep, and aware of the irony. Usually it was Jack who was the one up and watching while Ianto slept.

The arm draped across Jack's hip shifted and he lightly stroked Jack's stomach. He took care not to tickle his sleeping partner, or wake him up. Once again, Ianto was taking the time to get used to the fact that Jack – Ianto's very male civil partner – was pregnant. With triplets. Since he found out, there were times when they talked about the babies and Jack's pregnancy. It was on their minds as they looked at houses to buy. Other times during the day, it was as if everything was the same. On missions Ianto would usually be too busy, supervising Tabitha while Jack ran operations from the Hub or the back of the SUV. If Ianto stopped to think about it for a moment, he'd remember why they were training Tabitha for the field while Jack stayed out of the action. It would be just for a moment before Ianto's mind would go back to the mission. He had to make sure Tabitha would return unscathed from a mission, while also watching Gwen's back when she was not watching his. One thing he had noticed in the short time since their announcement was that Gwen became even more protective of him when they were on a mission. Ianto had not approached his friend about it yet, but he figured that she decided to make sure to do her part that the babies would have both their daddies.

At the moment it was all Ianto could think of. He had spooned against Jack before, holding him as they drifted off to sleep after making love. If Jack fell into a doze before him, it would not be long before Ianto would be asleep. The position was familiar to Ianto, but he was also aware of the differences. He knew he could not feel the babies yet, but he still felt a sense of awe that there was new life growing. It was still hard to believe at times, but he had seen the scans and Jack's increasing pregnancy sickness.

It was a little over an hour later when Jack started to stir awake. While Jack took a shower, Ianto heated up the omelet Iola had put away when it was obvious Jack was not going to finish his breakfast earlier. He made more toast and took some fresh cut fruit out. He wanted Jack to at least try to eat some of the breakfast. He was grateful that Jack was able to eat the night before, but knew it did not help with nourishment when Jack got sick in the middle of the night. He was keeping a weekly diary on what Jack ate for Shandi.

After a late lunch, which Ianto noticed Jack ate only half of, they sat in the lounge. Jack and Ianto played with Drew. Iola sat on the couch, paying more attention to her brother and his partner than the TV.

At one point, Jack was holding the baby up so he could blow raspberries on the little tummy, making Drew squirm and giggle with delight. Two chubby hands latched on each side of Jack's head and little fingers clenched whatever hair possible.

"Careful, Drew," Iola commented.

"It's fine," Jack said with a laugh. "He isn't pulling. Yet." He lowered the baby to rest against his chest. Drew still held on, his face level to Jack's. The older man made faces that caused the baby to laugh and attempt to imitate Jack. The baby moved his hands to clench the material of Jack's tee shirt. He started to giggle and squeal happily while bouncing on Jack's lap, the older man helping the baby along.

Iola smiled tenderly. "You're both so good with Drew," she commented. "Look at Jack. He'd make a wonderful Tad one day. Have you ever thought of adopting?"

Ianto looked over to Jack, who stopped bouncing the baby to return Ianto's look. "Well," Ianto started, then gave Jack another look.

Jack sighed. "We've been thinking about it," he admitted. "But you know, being that we're both men, it could take a little time." He shrugged and then made another face at Drew, causing the baby to laugh.

"Meanwhile, we need to think about some changes to make before then. This flat is fine for the two of us and the occasional guest, but not for a family," Ianto stated, grinning at Jack. "Of course, we're not saying anything until we know for sure – with anything." He winked at his sister, rubbing her arm.

"If there's anything I can do to help, let me know." She smiled warmly at Ianto. "And I want to know as soon as you know anything. Have you been signing up with agencies already?"

Jack cuddled Drew close, his arm wrapped around the baby. "We're thinking of finding a surrogate," he stated. "Someone to carry a baby for us."

Iola raised her eyebrows. "And which one of you would be the father?"

"Both of us," Ianto commented. He shook his head. It was a good thing they had already worked out the surrogate cover story. "We're thinking of supplying samples from both of us, and whichever one takes…." He shrugged and gave his sister a half grin. "Don't expect me to go into too much detail, being you're my little sister."

"Oh bullocks, Ianto," Iola snorted. "You and Jack both were with me through my pregnancy, including the delivery room. I'm sure you know more about me than you wanted, but we're adults now. And talking about families. So don't give me none of that shit."

A laugh came from Jack. When the siblings looked over at him, he laughed more. "She has a point, Ianto."

Ianto tried to affect a scowl. "Why do you always take my sister's side?"

"Because she has a cute baby and lets me play with him. Besides, she's full of stories of her big brother and willing to share."

"And on that note," Ianto commented, with a roll of his eyes. He stood up. "Would anyone like some tea?"

Jack started to open his mouth with his usual complaint about wanting coffee for tea time whenever Iola spent the day with them, but decided not to. "Me," he replied. He started to bounce Drew again. "What do you say, fella? Are we going to have tea?"

Drew started to clap his hands, babbling in agreement with Jack.

"Right," Ianto stated, going over and leaned over to kiss his nephew's head. "One tea and one bottle, coming up." He winked at Jack and turned to head into the kitchen.

Iola watched the exchange, noting the lack of the usual protest, but decided not to push the topic yet. The two men had been doing more than just looking for a surrogate. She was certain of it. She figured they were probably just waiting to hear word of something definite. Smiling, she looked back at Jack. The Captain was always good with her son, but there was something different that weekend. She had noticed it first the night before, but it finally made sense to her. Jack was anxious to have a family with Ianto.

She decided to wait until they felt it was time to tell her. She trusted the two men, despite the bickering she did with Ianto from time to time, as siblings do. She wondered how their mother would take the news when they finally had something to announce.

She smiled at Jack. "Would you like to feed him?" she asked him.

"I think I can manage that," Jack replied. "Feeding, no problem. There's an advantage to being an uncle, you know," he added with one of his disarming grins. "I can always hand him back when it's time to change his nappies."

"That's because I don't let Jack hand Drew off to me for changing when we babysit," Ianto's voice came from the kitchen, making Iola giggle. She laughed harder at the face Jack made.

"Do you need a hand there, Ianto?" Iola called out.

"Nope. I got it. Just sit back and relax."

"Oh, I hope you two aren't planning on pulling out of Mam's birthday party this week?" she asked, as Ianto entered the lounge carrying a tray.

"We'll do our best to be there," Ianto assured her. "But you know how it can be with our jobs."

"Couldn't you just let the others handle it for one night?" she asked with a pout. "You know it would mean a lot to Mam if you made it, Ianto. And you too, Jack."

"We'll be on call that night, just as we are today," Ianto replied pragmatically.

"I wish you would tell me more about Torchwood," Iola pouted. "It would make it easier to understand when you have to cancel out on things."

"Does special ops bring anything of great importance to mind?" Ianto asked. "And we can't talk about our work, because sometimes it's a matter of national security."

Iola frowned. "If you insist."

"La-La, I swear that your mother's birthday is the top of our priorities on Thursday. But if something comes up that the others can't handle, we will have no choice but to send our apologies. Then, hopefully, make it up to her as soon as possible," Jack stated, as he accepted the bottle from Ianto, and settled Drew down to give the baby some juice. He watched as Ianto set a teacup and a plate of chocolate raspberry biscuits on the small table next to the chair. He smiled up at Ianto. "Thank you."

Ianto smiled back and winked. "Enjoy." He sat down next to his sister, who seemed satisfied with Jack's comment about Mrs. Jones' birthday, and was already moving onto the next topic.

"You two seem so happy," she sighed, looking from her brother to her brother-in-law. "Do you think I'll ever find the perfect man? Or does that come one to a family?"

"I'd say you're out of luck with theperfect man, because he's mine," Ianto teased. "But give it time, Iola. One day you'll find someone who is perfect for you."

"Aw, thank you, Ianto," Jack said, truly touched by Ianto's words.

"Jack's perfect, because he's going to change Drew's nappy when it's time," Ianto deadpanned with his usual straight face.

Jack's face dropped. "Do I have to?" he said, almost in a whine.

Ianto nodded solemnly, glad that he did not lose his composure and start to laugh. Iola, however, did not have her brother's restrain and laughed at the look on Jack's face. "It's so nice of you to give me a break once in a while. I love you, Jack."

Ianto could not stop the laugh as he watched the play of emotions go across Jack's face. The older man settled for smiling at Iola, but he was still able to see beyond the smile as Jack built up another pout.