Chapter Thirteen:

"What did she want?" Ianto asked, gasping. I looked at him and couldn't help smiling- he looked so cute with his shirt unbuttoned revealing his pale chest and abdomen, and his hair ruffled like waves. I pressed 'end call' on my phone and smiled.

"Nothing," I shrugged, tossing the phone away. "But we have to meet her in about an hour." I looked him directly in the eyes. Even through all the pain, suffering and disappointment he's gone through because of me, I still find it a miracle that Ianto Jones- my Ianto Jones- still loves me. Just a couple of hours before, he was too fragile for anything. He was too scared, too vulnerable, but right at that moment his oceanic blue eyes seemed to reflect nothing but the love we felt for each other, which told me he didn't care about any pain he was in, he just wanted to make that love he felt real. I slid my arms around his waist and pulled him closer, kissing him, and he kissed back longingly. He pulled away after a few seconds, and purred; "I know that you have been waiting for this." He laid himself on the bed, and I gently lay myself on top of him, scared that I would crush his delicate frame.

I took great care undressing him as he did with me, carelessly tossing our clothes anywhere they wished to land. Within minutes, we were naked, and he was beneath me, stroking my hair as I kissed his neck, and kissed my way lower...

Lower...

Lower...

Lower...

In the flat beneath Jack and Ianto's, Mr. Daley looked up, wondering what that strange scraping sound accompanied by that odd trampoline-like noise could have been.

In the flat to the left of Jack and Ianto's, Casey Lake was wondering what that rhythmic banging noise could have been.

In the flat to the right of Jack and Ianto's, the old couple, Joe and Trudy Llewellyn, were wondering where that moaning and those crude Welsh profanities could have been coming from.

In the flat above Jack and Ianto's, the euphoric screaming scared the Bagshot's two young daughters so much that they wanted to sleep in their parents' bed that night, leaving Ronny and his wife Carla to wonder what the hell was going on in the flat below theirs.

I looked at Ianto as he cuddled into me, just under my chin. I stroked his hair as his eyes closed, and he smiled. I was taken by his beauty, and his endless patience. I felt my own eyes start to droop. "I love you, too" I whispered, stroking his neck, before falling asleep for the second time in seven years.

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Just over an hour later, Ianto and I arrived to meet Sophie and Gwen at the new Hub. Gwen didn't even chance a look my way or Sophie's- she was too concerned with Ianto, perhaps still trying to digest that he had come back to life.

"Now," Sophie addressed us, wrapping her arms around her body. "You three all know why you're here, don't you?"

"Actually," a small voice spoke up. I turned to Ianto, and instantly felt a stab of regret mixed with horror when I realised I'd forgotten to tell him. Sophie's eyes widened and Gwen turned to stare at with eyes full of laughter.

"Jack!" Sophie whined. "You didn't tell him?" I shook my head, 'no'. "Bloody idiot." She muttered under her breath. "Okay, basically, I've discovered why the 456 specifically want children. There's a film covering the pituitary gland in children below the age of twelve. The film is composed of excess hormones, namely somatotrophin. What this does is it fixes up the child's emotional balance, like makes him or her know what happiness is, what sadness is, you get the picture. Now, from what Jack's told me, the 456 wanted the kids because they produced chemicals which made them 'feel good', and now we know what these 'chemicals' are- excess growth hormones. When the 456 got a hold of the kids in 1965, they probably came in peace to do something like find out how our species worked, and they wanted some kids to experiment on. What they found while experimenting was a load of hormones, which they must have breathed in, and got addicted to. Because the main ingredient of the film is the hormone which recognises happiness and sadness, the 'chemicals' made the 456 'feel good', and that's why they wanted the kids." She stopped for breath and looked at the three of us, seeing our stunned faces.

"Oh. My. God." Said Gwen, covering her face with her hands. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh, but she is," I whispered, looking directly at Sophie. "You see, she's a genius! Now all she has to do is figure out what the hell the 456 want with our kids."

"That's simple enough, Jack!" Gwen cried, taking her hands away from her face and glaring at me. "They want payback! You bloody killed their ambassador seven years ago, and now they want revenge by taking my family away!"

"Actually," I corrected her. "Our families."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Ianto and I are going to get a kid." I casually shrugged. Gwen and Sophie gaped at me as though I'd said "The world's going to end and the only way we can stop it is if we all have sex right here right now."

"You're joking..." Sophie smiled. "Oh, can I be the godmother?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," I said quickly. "Now we have to figure out when they're coming back and what they intend to do next time."