"Can we talk?" Ianto questioned the Doctor as he entered the conference room later that night. The Doctor looked up from where he was sitting cuddling Ajessa as he fed her a bottle while Cerys slept peacefully on the couch. He was unhappy to see that the young Welshman was still there this late into the evening. It wasn't that he didn't like Ianto, he had just looked forward to having a night alone in the hub with Jack and his children. It was also the first time since he landed the TARDIS that he had been allowed out of his room for the night. The others had left for the evening and he had free range of the entire hub. He could have been exploring Jack's vaults or hacking the computer system. Instead, he was enjoying a quiet moment with his children. Once Ajessa was asleep, however, he was planning on finding Jack in hopes of getting a massage on his sore back and feet. Seeing Ianto ruined his plans but he still motioned for Ianto to sit. As Ianto drew closer, the Doctor scrunched his nose. He could smell Jack's pheromones on Ianto's clothing and skin. He felt a surge of jealousy flow through him even as he kept his face as blank as possible.
"How can I help you Ianto?" The Doctor wondered quietly, not wanting to disturb the sleepy little girl in his arms.
"I want to talk about Jack," Ianto informed him.
"Alright," The Doctor agreed as he had already had come to the conclusion, the moment Ianto entered the room, that the Welshman wasn't just there for a social call.
"As you know, I have been with Jack for a couple of years now. I wasn't there the first time you left him behind but I was there to pick up the pieces when you left him to be with the Master. It took me months to get him to leave his office again and convince him to rejoin the world," Ianto informed him bluntly. He had thought about what he would say the entire time he was with Jack as Jack had apologized for hitting him by softly kissing every part of the bruises on Ianto's face. In the end, he decided it was best to be straight forward with the Time Lord. Not only was the Doctor intelligent and would be able to see past any game that he tried to play, he was also still drugged heavily making it hard for him to concentrate.
"In case you forgot, I was hurt by my decision as well. I made a mistake choosing to go with the Master," The Doctor answered. He didn't apologize to Ianto for leaving Jack behind as it wasn't Ianto that needed to hear it.
"I know and that is part of the reason I am worried about Jack. He told me about the bond that you two share and how from that bond he knows that you love him as much as he loves you. What I want to know is do you actually want a relationship with Jack? Because if you are just here to recover or to have a safe haven for you and your children until the baby is born, you need to tell him," Ianto told the Doctor Doctor narrowed his eyes at Ianto and didn't respond to him right away. Instead, he moved the bottle from Ajessa's mouth setting it on the table beside him. She sighed, smacking her lips as he placed her against his shoulder patting her back steadily. Ianto could feel the Doctor's eyes analyzing him, even as he tended to his child.
"I care for Jack. He makes me feel safe and I do want to be with him. Once the baby is born, I want him to travel the universe with me and our children," The Doctor finally answered. While it didn't answer Ianto's question about a wanting a relationship with Jack, he hoped that he had made it clear that he wasn't planning on leaving Jack again. "Do you still want to have a relationship with Jack?"
"I do and I know that Jack wants to be with me. He doesn't want to hurt you, though," Ianto answered without hesitation. The Doctor sighed. He could have easily jumped a hundred years into the future giving Ianto a chance to live out his life with Jack. He didn't want to, though, as he didn't want to emerge from the TARDIS to find Jack broken by the loss of another lover or time itself. He wanted the Jack he had now. The one that made him feel safe and who loved him despite the pain that he had caused the man.
"In the fifty-first century where Jack was born, it isn't uncommon for a person to have multiple partners of all different species and sexes. If we were there, he would be able to have you as a lover here at work while living with me and caring emotionally for me and my children," The Doctor explained. With the mention of the children, Ianto looked towards the little girl sleeping on the couch. He knew that she was Jack's child and that it was hard for Jack to accept. He was trying, however, as he didn't blame her for the Doctor's decision to raise her with the Master.
"I don't want that, do you?" Ianto questioned him looking back at the Doctor. The Doctor shook his head no. He felt selfish over the fact that he wanted Jack to himself because neither he nor Ianto were being fair to Jack. Jack had always loved so freely and openly and now they were trying to stop him from being himself by forcing him to make a choice.
"No, but Jack does," The Doctor sighed.
"So what do you suggest we do?" Ianto asked.
"That isn't our decision to make," The Doctor answered. Ajessa was asleep and he was tired of this conversation. Standing up he moved to the small cot that they had found for his daughter. He laid her gently inside of it. He moved to the couched, adjusting the blanket that covered Cerys as she slept. Standing up straight, he looked at Ianto motioning towards the door. Ianto stood up, going ahead of him out of the door. The Doctor followed him, down the stairs pausing at the bottom of the stairs as Ianto continued over to the rift manipulator. Out of habit, he hit a few buttons looking at the rift activity over the last few hours to make sure they didn't miss anything.
"There you two are," Jack called down from the kitchen. "I sent you to ask the Doctor if he was hungry almost twenty minutes ago."
"Starving," The Doctor answered eyeing Ianto before heading towards the kitchen. Ianto followed him. Whether Jack noticed the tension between the two men was unclear as he served them homemade chicken curry with rice. Ianto picked at his food while the Doctor ate the entire bowl followed by a second bowl. With dinner finished, Ianto had no more excuses to stay and bid them farewell for the night. Jack led Ianto to the hub door, kissing him softly on the lips. By the time he returned to the kitchen, the Doctor had fled back to the conference room and his children. Sitting on the floor, he stared at the dark wall. Jack had promised that he would never hurt him, but not all wounds were physical.
"Doc?" Jack questioned coming into the room a short time later. He sat down on the floor next to him placing a hand on his back. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, just tired," The Doctor lied.
"Come on then, I'll help you to bed," Jack told him. The Doctor allowed Jack to help him to his feet and then down to the room that he had been given. He didn't fight Jack as he helped him onto the bed, tucking him in. He fought back the tears as Jack kissed him softly on the side of the head. "Good night, Doc."
"Night, Jack," The Doctor whispered. He waited until Jack turned the lights off in the room, leaving the door open a crack. Curling, the best he could into himself with his pregnant stomach, he waited for morning to come.
