A/N Once again thanks to everyone who keeps reading and reviewing. This is a long one, and thanks to my long suffering beta Orion Lyonesse.

"Little fella's fine, just tuckered out's all." Rhia said when he called a few moments later. "They spent the entire evening with the blocks. He's a bright one, especially for his age. Bethan and Caden's son is 'is age and he can barely make sense. Mind, neither of them has the great good sense of a pot plant. Still, he's closer to Micah," she said.

"He gets it from Jack," Ianto said, hoping that would be enough for his sister.

"Tha's good then, you need someone brainy, you do."

"So, no trouble then?" he asked, hoping to get his sister off the subject.

"Nah, just not wanting his milk, but that's normal enough, like something one day, can't stand the sight of it the next. I gave him his pill and bedded him down for the night. Is your Jack like to be a nervous father?" she asked. Ianto didn't know how to respond to that, either her assumption that Jack was his, or what kind of father he would make.

"I'm not sure," he said finally. "The situation is so new. I mean he's still adjusting." Next to him, his lover sat, staring out the front windscreen, his face distant and unreadable.

"Just sayin'," Rhia said, not pressing for which he was eternally grateful. "Regardless, he's fine and he'll have a good time here. He'll be fine 'til you come and collect him." Ianto agreed with her and then hurried through the goodbyes with an excuse of patchy cell service.

"All right?" Jack asked, not taking his eyes from the road.

"Fine," he said just as he had after calling the Hub to check on them. All they had was a nest of baby weevils, either abandoned or orphaned. Owen had checked, found that they were close to dying of malnutrition or dehydration whichever got them first. The doctor had transported them over to Yvonne, a newer and younger female weevil currently residing next to Janet after they found her a few months ago, injured digging through a bin behind one of the more exclusive restaurants in Cardiff. They had only taken her in because of her injuries and if they bonded well, they would probably send them with her when she was released back into the sewers. Owen was already making jokes about Dr. Harper's halfway house for wayward weevils. Yvonne seemed harmless enough and had attacked no one. They had named her after the former head of Torchwood One as Jack said there was something about her that reminded him of the former director. Ianto agreed though neither one could say just what it was. Still Yvonne she was and Yvonne she would remain, only now with a pair of young ones. They had never quite found the right descriptive for weevil young, though Owen had suggested larvae while Suzie favoured cubs. This once, Ianto mostly agreed with Suzie.

"So Jack, what's your plan?"

The strange woman's voice woke John Hart the next morning earlier than he had any desire to be awake. He may have forgotten a lot of things, alright, practically everything but he knew he didn't like being woken up early. It took him a moment to get his bearings, remember where he was and why. At first there was a movement of almost paralysing fear. Jack wasn't here, neither was his doliche, Ianto. For as long as he could remember, which was only the past week, but still, they had been there when he woke. At this exact moment he would take Tosh or the zombie doctor, hell even Gwen would be better than waking up completely alone in a strange place.

Then the door opened and a familiar little girl came in. Her name was Micah, he remembered. He was with Ianto's sister and her family, and they thought he was a child and Jack was his father. He took a deep breath and got up. The battery pack for his translation unit was on the very neat table between the two beds, one permanent, the other temporary. He put the strap round his neck and pushed the button that took it out of standby mode and into active. Then with a little help from Micah who told him her Mum wouldn't let him stay at the table without his slippers, they both went out to the front room for breakfast.

"There you are, sleepyhead. Alright?" Rhia asked, ruffling his hair. She was nice, John decided, definitely what a mother ought to be, at least that's what the part of his mind that knew such things said. Not the least talking down to him like that Gwen. Also she didn't make those big eyes at Jack, at least she didn't last night, which was especially good since her brother was bonded to him first and her with that Johnny bloke. Not that having Rhys stopped Gwen, but maybe she just wanted to put all four of them together. He didn't know, only that he didn't like it.

"Alright?" she said again, a little more concerned and he realized he had drifted off for a few. He nodded and she seemed to accept it. "Good now, I don't know what you usually have in the morning, but I made a fry up since David has football this morning. You can have eggs or cereal, whatever you want."

"Eggs?" John said cautiously, a little confused. He wasn't really sure what he liked. Mostly he just ate what Ianto brought for everyone. Breakfast just wasn't his favourite meal, coming as it did at the beginning of the day. He just stuffed his mouth with whatever they put in front of him while he dozed in Jack's lap. For the other meals they made him sit in the chair but Jack knew he wasn't good with mornings. In fact, Jack knew more about him that he knew about himself, but that was something else.

Rhia helped him up into a chair like the one he had at the hub, only this one had no wheels on the chair underneath and he slouched lazily, waiting for food.

Around him, Rhia kept up a constant stream of talk, urging Johnny to hurry so he could take David to practice before he went to the Home Center for those… He tuned most of it out the way he usually did when they were discussing Torchwood business. After a few minutes Rhia put a plate in front of him. She had cut up his eggs for him but told him he could pick up his sausage and toast. She also brought him more milk, which he still didn't like but people kept trying to give it to him regardless. He thought it tasted like the coolant fluid from a Chula warship and had told Jack as much the first time but on that point he refused to give at all.

After, David and Johnny went, once the older boy had extracted a promise that they wouldn't work on the space base they were building with legos over a quarter of the lounge without him. As soon as he finished the last of his toast and milk, Rhia hustled them both into the lounge so she could get the washing up done, with promises to take them over to the play park if they didn't make too much bother. John was still not sure about being awake so he just slouched over to the couch and threw himself down while Micah fiddled with the video and asked him about movies. He just gave her a 'whatever' shrug and settled down to watch whatever she put on.

Even with all the delays, they got up to London well before sunrise. Jack pulled over at a transport café a few kilometres from the base for food or at least what passed for it. Breakfast was greasy and the less said about the coffee the better in Ianto's not very bloody humble opinion. According to Jack it was not the worst he had ever had, but considering what he called drinkable, that was not exactly high praise.

Ianto had slept most of the way down so he wasn't completely fagged but Jack looked tired and just a bit edgy. "Are you ready for this?" Jack asked as they got back into the SUV.

"As much as I'm going to be," the younger man said. "At least if they succeed I won't have to worry about the clean up." Jack looked at him as if he'd just admitted a secret passion for weevil sex.

"Ianto…" Jack said, then stopped, opened his mouth, closed it again and sat there, clearly trying to figure out what to say.

The Welshman realized that his sarcasm had failed dramatically to calm Jack down, but he didn't know how to take it back. After a couple of minutes of silence, Jack suddenly turned and flipped up the cover over the battered leather strap on his wrist and started pressing buttons urgently After a few moments, seemingly satisfied with what he saw, he did something Ianto had never seen him do before. Jack unfastened the wide leather cuff and handed it to him. Ianto just looked at him, stunned.

"Ianto," Jack said sharply, getting his attention. "Here, put this on." The young man was too stunned to do anything but comply. When he had moved his watch to his other wrist and secured the band he looked back at Jack expectantly, still completely gobsmacked. He never took that thing off, not even to shower. It was so much a part of him that no one had even suggested removing it after Abaddon even though they had taken everything else.

"See this," Jack said, opening it towards him. "It's pre-programmed, if something goes wrong today, I want you to press this button. It'll teleport you out. The range isn't great but it'll get you out of the blast zone. Don't stop, don't hesitate. We'll use your safe word. Once you teleport, call the Hub and have them get up here, and then call Martha. I have a signal set up in the program. Have her call the Doctor, he should be able to home in on the active signal, understand?" Ianto didn't know where to start. He was still in shock.

"Ianto do you understand?" Jack said very slowly. Ianto nodded, still figuring out what to say first.

"Thought it was broken," he croaked finally, the first thing that floated to the top.

"It was, well, it still is, mostly. The Doctor disabled it again last time, but I got the base code off John when he was around before and I've been tinkering with it on and off. It's not much and this may burn it out for good but…" he shrugged.

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about me, just go. I'll be fine, you know that."

"But if I can get you..."

"No," Jack said sharply. Ianto opened his mouth to argue but Jack stopped him. "I don't know that it has enough power for two, that might just overload it."

"Then you should be the one…"

"NO!" Jack said, loud enough to startle him. After a moment he continued more softly. "Ianto, I'll survive, you won't and I need you. I need you to live. Without you…" Ianto looked into Jack's blue eyes, eyes that had seen too much. He hadn't expected the pain and fear he had encountered. There was nothing he could say. Neither of them was good at expressing themselves, at least not with words. But this one gesture said more than all the words ever could, it spoke of things for which words were inadequate. Ianto nodded his agreement. Jack smiled, then leaned over and kissed him tenderly. "I suppose we should get on with it then," he said starting the motor.

"Yep." There was nothing else to say.