And another chap today as I am way ahead of the story LOL

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25

The children were excited as they explored and the mattresses from a large cupboard for mass camping were pulled out by Henry and Abner to line around the fireplace. Gwen sat silently as if thinking and Ianto had an uneasy feeling about it so he went upstairs and started unpacking from some of the large boxes from the Hub that had travelled all this way.

He was strangely touched to find the cufflinks he had given Jack for Christmas along with those braces and one of his ties he had been missing. Sweet.

Then he opened another and found some archive pieces of tat, deciding to display them on the shelves that had been for files and such. As he got down near the bottom of the box his hand brushed against something and he felt a strange tingle. He pulled it closer and looked down into the dark corner of the box, surprised to find a small knife in there. He pulled it out and looked at it on the palm of his hand and wondered why it was in there, maybe it was just something Jack used like a letter opener? It seemed ineffective as a weapon.

"Ianto" Jack called from down below and Ianto rose, sliding the knife into his pocket out of concern for the little light fingered babies getting about and he hurried down to see what the matter was.

Gwen looked triumphant as Ianto entered and he saw some sort of argument underway. Jack turned to see him enter and straightened up, "Ianto. The medicals were last month, right?"

"Yes sir. Three weeks ago exactly tomorrow."

"Was Gwen pregnant and you didn't tell me?"

Ianto frowned, "Sir?"

"I told you" Owen scoffed, "Ianto handled all the files, he is the one who put them in the system for me because I was hung over. She was not preggers!"

"No" Ianto shook his head, "Gwen was not."

"Well I am now" she said happily, "I feel it in my waters."

Tosh was waving a scanner over her clasped hands and then she looked to Jack as she shook her head negatively.

"Gwen, a scan…"

"No!" she roared unaware that one had just been done, "Nothing will harm my child. You have no idea what the rays from one of those things might do to such a precious thing. No. No scans. My baby will be born with the best natural food and love."

Rhys looked to them for help, his face long with concern.

Ianto gestured him away as Gwen sat and patted her belly gently.

"What the fuck!" Rhys hissed.

"She believes she is" Ianto shrugged, "She feels useless. I think she had been wracking her brains trying to find some reason for us to need her. To be important. We are pandering to the children so she had decided this is it. She will provide a child and we will think she is important."

"And when no baby comes?" Rhys asked.

"Look, this is some sort of psychotic break" Owen said softly, "Tomorrow, next week, next month…one day she will wake up fine, over it and probably embarrassed she even tried it on. If it makes her feel better than what is it hurting? Anyway, in nine months when nothing happens she will be hard pushed to keep it up. She won't. She will snap out of it once she accepts that this is our life now."

"I think Owen is right" Ianto nodded, "She tried the childish route and we ignored her tantrums, she is trying a child in another way. If she can't be one, she will have one."

Jack nodded and they moved back into work mode, Ianto touching Jack's arm, "Jack, there was a small knife in one of the boxes, a letter opener or something. I don't want the kids to play with it."

"Whatever you think is best love" Jack said absently as he looked over at Gwen, "Just a blade, use it as you want"

Ianto nodded and decided to keep it in his pocket. He might need a blade for the work he still had to do, never know when you need a good blade.

Rhys settled next to Gwen with a heavy heart, determined to support her through this episode as Owen had called it while Owen sat with Tosh going over the medical supplies. His memory was keen and although not eidetic like Ianto's he was able to identify almost all by touch and Tosh was comforted knowing he knew what he was doing.

Abner watched as they all came together, Ianto and Andy sorting a meal from the ample food they had brought with them and Ianto was glad he had thought to have enough to last them several months. He wanted at least a month before they went near a neighbouring farm or village.

The quieter they were the better.

This war was just beginning.