37
Rhiannon walked to the SUV and watched Jack help Ianto into the back. As he returned the scooter to its bay Rhiannon leaned in and before Ianto could react she reached out and touched his stomach.
"Ianto?" she said softly, "Is that…is that a Tumour?"
Ianto remembered their grandfather and his slow painful death as the liver cancer ate him alive and he swallowed as he saw it from her point of view.
"Get in" he hissed and she clambered in as the door started to close.
"This is a secret, a big, huge, unbelievable secret and don't you dare go off on one" Ianto growled and she nodded as she sat and waited, watching the little boy as he fussed with Byrd's car seat affectionately.
"I am an experimental test subject" Ianto began as Jack climbed into the driver's seat and then froze as he saw the extra passenger.
"Testing for what?"
"Male pregnancy" Ianto replied, "You see, it's a new thing and it is still in the experimental stages, will be years before it's public. Still bugs and you know how the medical licensing board is, well it's a bloody nightmare Rhia, and the paperwork, Christ on a donkey, years! Anyway…Jack went first to see if it would work. Byrd is ours and Jack carried her. This time it's my turn and I am carrying our son."
Ianto pulled up the clothing to reveal the healthy little bump, "A boy. I am having a wee stinker."
Rhiannon stared and then looked over at Jack, "So…that's why you were sitting at the table like that, all crunched under it that time? I thought you didn't have pants on or something."
Jack stared at her with raised eyebrows, "We just tell you a state secret and that's your response?"
She shrugged.
"Jones" Ianto said softly, "Jones all the way."
Jack sniggered softly, "Right. Yes. I was pregnant, Byrd was cooked in me, now our little boy is growing in his Taddy. This is all delicate and secretive and if the other drug companies got wind of it we would be in a shit-storm, not to mention the ethical dilemma."
"Ethical?" she frowned.
"They might claim the kids don't have souls as they are genetically created, or that no mother means no soul or some shit" Ianto shrugged, "They might try to kidnap me, imagine a pregnant man means big money to the right people."
Now Jack saw her face transform in to the Jones Glare of Doom and he knew they were safe, turning back to start the engine, "Can I give you a ride home Rhia?"
"Yes please" she settled happily and clipped in, "This is a lovely big beast of a thing."
"Bigger than the old one" Jack agreed, "You don't know anyone that wants one do you? The trade-in price they offered was a bloody joke so I said no without realising it means I have to get rid of it myself."
"Oh" Ianto blinked as he listened to Jack lie and realised what he was doing, "What about you Rhia? Gods, I would love to free up the garage again, three vehicles is stupid. We only need one each so when Jack is at work I still have this one for the kids and groceries. Mama Dahlia doesn't drive ya see."
"You sound like a stay at home mom" she giggled.
"Well, I still work part time but I am finding myself enjoying this whole parenthood thing" he gushed, "This was a surprise when Jack bought it home but isn't it grand? The last one was lovely but having his Mama living with us as well, it needed a lot more room for soooo much shit. I had no idea babies need so much."
"Tell me about it" she huffed, "David's footy gear, Micha's horse riding stuff…oh thank you by the way. The riding lessons were such a lovely idea. She looks so damned cute up there."
"I got the last picture you sent on the fridge" Ianto grinned, "She needs new jodhpurs soon, text me her sizes and I can get that as part of her Christmas gift."
"Oh you spoil them" she sighed.
"Well, you don't let me spoil you so I have to do something" Ianto teased. "The other SUV, you want it?"
"It's just a size smaller than this one" Jack called over his shoulder, "purple."
She gasped as she clasped her hands together "Purple? I love purple, almost as much as pink! But… you cant' afford it."
"With what the company is paying us? Are you kidding?" Jack laughed, "We're gonna be rich over this MPreg breakthrough!"
Ianto grinned at his husband in the rear view mirror and then covertly texted Tosh to find a purple people mover please. After all, Jack had been lying like a trooper about having a spare but knew Ianto wanted to gift one so badly. So did Tosh who guessed right away, the text reply was a picture of one, it's paintwork flecked with pink sparkle in the deep purple and he told her to get it thanking her for remembering his sister's love of all things pink, grinning as he held the phone up to Rhia, "see? Soooo not me."
Her squeal was epic.