Gwen gets her just deserts! I think... Can't really remember what happens in this chapter. Although I do feel that the Jack/Anwen interaction is adorable.

Chapter 11: From the Mouths of Babes

Gwen was slumped over on the bench in the cells, head in her hands looking the very picture of someone who was horrified by their own existence. She hadn't meant... oh God. Oh God, oh God... Jack was going to murder her. It had been an accident. She hadn't known what she was doing... She'd been so confused... For the first time in a long time Gwen Cooper was in her right mind and she had never before wished so hard that she wasn't clear-headed enough to understand what she had done. Even down here, deep in the bowels of the Hub, she'd heard Jack's agonised cry of loss and then that scream... That scream had set her teeth on her edge and her hair on end. Oh God...

Jack swept into the corridor, looking murderously angry and grief stricken, a dangerous combination. Deep in the back of his mind, he knew that this was partly his fault. If he hadn't gone messing about with her head all those years ago then this might never have happened. But... "You killed him." Those three words were a long, low hiss of a tangle of emotions. Gwen's head snapped up, until that moment she hadn't noticed that Jack was there. Her eyes widened and instinctively she pressed back against the wall, bringing her knees up, making herself a smaller target. "I didn't mean to... it was an accident... Jack I swear..." The Captain brought a hand up sharply, still the flow of her words. "Enough. I don't want to hear it!" His voice cracked with grief on the last words. If Ianto had been mortal still, Jack would be mourning his lover right now... As it were... He stared at the woman in the cell and turned away. "Come morning you'll have no memory of this place. I will Retcon you into a drooling vegetable." And he wasn't just making idle threats. If Ianto had truly been dead that was exactly what would have happened to her.

Ianto was waiting by the doorway into the cells, just inside Jack's line of sight so he could see him, and he kept their bond open too, to reassure Jack he was still there. He listened to what jack was saying, and what Gwen had tried to say. He felt Jack's grief and sent soothing thoughts to him, reassuring him more.

When Jack turned away from Gwen and looked at him he sent Jack a thought. Is that fair on Rhys and Anwen though? It had been different when it had just been Gwen with a boyfriend, but Gwen had a family, and she seemed more lucid now too. Plus, it was too much like Torchwood One would have done, what Jack would have done when he hardly knew Ianto, but Jack had changed and become more human over the years, and Ianto didn't want him doing something he would regret.

Gwen had gone to protest at that, begging him not to do that because of Rhys and Anwyn, but she wasn't putting up much of a fight. Maybe she wanted to forget she had killed one of her friends, but maybe it was harsher letting her live with that memory.

I'm not actually going to do it. Jack's mental voice was snappish, sharper than he had intended, but the strain was getting to him. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, shielding his eyes with one hand as he sent a silent apology back. "I'm going to let you out and you are going to go home to your daughter and husband and stay there until I decide what to do with you." Jack's voice sounded defeated, even to his own ears. He turned away from the Welshwoman, shoulders tight as he clicked a button on his wrist strap to release her cell door. "Go. Get out of my sight."

Gwen walked past him, slowly, as if she were being sent to her execution. She, still slowly, moved towards the door leading towards the main hub. The person she saw in the doorway made her pause and her eyes widened before she murmured something too low to hear in Welsh before they rolled back in her head and she collapsed in a faint.

Ianto raised an eyebrow at Jacks snapped reply but as he could feel the stress from Jack he let it slide, sending Jack a comforting feeling as he apologised. He looked mildly surprised when Jack told her to leave. He watched as she walked towards him then spotted the realisation that there was someone in her way, then comprehension at who it was. As she slumped to the ground Ianto looked at Jack. "Maybe we should have told her."

Jack gazed down in clinical detachment at the woman slumped almost at his feet. "Maybe." He allowed, head tilted, examining the Welshwoman as if he'd never seen her before. With a sigh, he knelt down and scooped her up, standing up with a grunt but able to carry her easily. "I'll set her on the couch and then call Rhys to come get her." This was directed as much at Ianto as it was spoken to himself.

Over the years Gwen's husband had become a valuable member of the team, despite his insistence that he only work occasionally, citing that Anwen had needed at least one parent available at all times. That had been a sound argument and Jack had agreed. The little girl had even, when no babysitter could be found, stayed in the Hub on occasion and the team had quickly fallen for the child's unconscious charm and sweet demeanour. She was a calm child and rarely made a fuss and Jack had come to enjoy her presence in their lives, loving the little girl as if she were his own.

Gently, Jack set the young woman down on the couch that was almost in the exact same spot as its predecessor. In fact, the Hub they'd rebuilt was as close to matching the old one as they could get. No-one had really wanted anything different and they'd all needed the sense of normality, well, as close to normality as one could get in this job, to ground them after almost loosing so many team-mates and the scare with the children. With a sigh, Jack made sure Gwen was settled on the couch before moving over to Ianto and winding his arms around the younger man, resting his chin on the Welshman's shoulder. Holding his lover to him, the Captain flipped his phone open and called Gwen's husband.

Jack gave Rhys an edited version of events and the Welshman said he'd be right over. Soon enough the cog wheel door which had, amazingly, or not so amazingly when one thought about it, survived the blast. The alarms blared and Jack caught Rhys rolling his eyes. "Honestly, you could quit with the noise mate, I'm here to visit, not invade the place." The Welshman muttered. Jack cracked a smile at the old, familiar argument. A child's delighted shriek of "Unca Jack!" had his grin widening although only Ianto would have caught the shadow of pain behind his eyes. The thought of the last child to call him "Uncle Jack" always hit him hard. The first time Anwen had called him that he'd had to leave the room before he started crying.

The Captain knelt down, opening his arms just in time to be hit by a giggling toddler who squirmed happily, flinging her arms around his neck, giggling. Jack stood up, cradling the little girl close. "And hello to you too Miss Anwen," he chuckled, beaming as the toddler babbled away at high speed. Jack nodded gravely, as if he understood every word and whatever the child was saying was of national importance. Rhys, with barely a glance at where his daughter had raced off to as soon as they'd passed through the doors, had moved to his wife's side. Anwen always headed for Jack whenever he was near. She was fond of Uncle Ianto too, but Jack was her favourite out of her adopted Aunts and Uncles. Rhys sometimes grumbled that Anwen liked Captain Harkness far more than she did him. Jack had simply smirked at that one and muttered something about being irresistible.

Ianto followed Jack up to the main hub and then held Jack as he made the phone call. That done, he gave Jack a kiss then went and made some drinks thinking they could all use one, even if it wasn't alcoholic. He made Rhys his and a juice for Anwen, knowing that she'd be here too.

He was just about to give Jack his coffee when the door alarm went off, so instead he put it on the table because sure enough Anwen came running over to Jack. He saw and felt the pain in Jack eyes and comforted him through their link. He loved seeing Jack with children, and so wanted some of his own. Could just see a little Jack or Ianto running around, but things were complicated. For starters, both men and also both immortal.

He handed Rhys a coffee and then Anwen her juice telling her not to spill it over Jack, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, which she returned with a giggle not letting go of Jack. He wouldn't be able to get near Jack for a while then. He felt a little sad that they couldn't have a child of their own, but it was an old argument and one they couldn't really do much about.

"Fank 'oo Unca Yan-toe," Anwen grinned toothily up at her other Uncle, clutching the juice. Jack mirrored her grin, beaming at Ianto with love shining clear in his eyes. The little girl giggled and clutched tighter to her Uncle as she accepted the juice with her other hand. Jack tightened his grip on her in response, making sure she didn't fall. Rhys wandered over, after having ascertained for himself that Gwen was okay. He wanted to know the full story. Jack shot a pleading look at Ianto, he didn't want to have to go through it again. Please. He begged, knowing he didn't have to explain what. I can't.

Anwen, sensing something was wrong hugged her Uncle Jack tightly. "Unca Jack?" She asked, the picture of confusion. Jack immediately turned his attention to her. "Yes sweetie?" She smiled and pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek. "Wha' canna oo do?" She lisped the question innocently. "An' why Unca Yan-toe sad 'bout no have baby? Oo have me." She beamed up at them both, clearly proud of herself for getting all that out and 'solving' their problem. Jack gazed down at her in shock. How had she heard all that?

Ianto looked at Jack in shock. Even Rhys was frowning confused. But Ianto hadn't voiced about children, just felt it, so how was she picking up on that. But then again, children always picked up on things adult couldn't. Maybe she could hear things, but when she got older could learn to block it out and then forget that she ever had.

Ianto turned to Rhys and took him to one side, explaining what had happened with him and Gwen so Anwen couldn't hear. Rhys looked murderous. "So Jack messing about with my wife's brain turned her into some psychopath!"

"Daddy!" Anwen piped up from Jack's arms. "No yell a' Unca Jack." She frowned at her father rather impressively for a three year old. "No mean." She huffed and folded her arms in a rather good impersonation of her mother. Jack grinned down at her. "You agreed to it Rhys," he reminded the Welshman softly, unconsciously leaning into Ianto for support.

Rhys scowled. "I didn't know it was going to make my wife flip and think she's with you, and then kill Ianto!" he said, still loudly. Ianto had returned to Jack's side and wound an arm around Jack's waist. "Rhys just stop." he said. Rhys stared at Ianto. "Jack and I are truly sorry, but we've all been through hell. You have no idea what it's like to come back from that, so we've all suffered. We're tired, Gwen is ok now and that's that. We'll decide what happens once we've all had a rest."

Rhys looked like he wanted to hit his countryman but a soft growl from Jack had him pulling up short. "Come on Anwen, we're going home." The Welshman scooped up his wife from the couch. "I'll take your mother out to the car and then come back for you okay sweetheart?" Rhys had managed to gentle his tone when talking to his daughter but the hard glare he shot at her 'Uncles' would have had Jack reeling back a pace if he had been anyone else. Anwen looked unhappy at the prospect of going home so soon but nodded with a quiet "Yes Daddy." When her father had left the Hub, cradling her mother to him, the girl buried her face into Jack's shoulder and clung on. "Don' wanna go home." She mumbled. Jack curled his arm around her and held her tighter, the other wrapping around Ianto's waist as he leant back against him.

With Anwen's face buried in his shoulder and her long hair just a shade darker than Ianto's... Jack stopped that train of thought. No... That couldn't happen. It was impossible here and in this time. But a soft smile came over his face at the thought anyway. He wasn't aware of it, but a flash of how this must look to outsiders passed through his mind and made its way into Ianto's. The small girl curled up in her father's arms as he leant back against his partner, smiles on both their faces... A burst of longing went with it, so strong that it almost forced Jack to his knees. Until this moment he hadn't... He'd never entertained the thought but... Now... Now he wanted it almost desperately.

Ianto watched Rhys take Gwen out then relaxed against Jack, the tension of the confrontation ebbing away. He rested his cheek against Jack's shoulder, happy to see Jack smiling at Anwen, looking for all the world as if she belonged there. He moved his head to look at Jack when he saw that image and felt that desperate need. He looked at Jack with happy tears in his eyes, the need echoing back to Jack. Just then Rhys came back in for Anwen, who left with her father, sulking as she did.