Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or its characters
A/N: So the vote is in on whether Jack and Ianto find out the gender. You shall find out in the chapter ;-)
The Gender Debate
Ianto yawned and stretched his arms over his head as he watched the computer screens. He hadn't slept too well as he was still getting used to feeling the baby move at night. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was a strange feeling, like bubbles. He would never admit it to anyone but every time he felt it move he couldn't tell whether it was the baby or wind. He knew Jack and Owen would never let him live it down!
He looked down and gave his tummy a rub. Any day now it would be the next scan. He couldn't wait to see the baby again and how much it had grown. He and Jack had discussed whether to find out the gender but no decision had been made. Ianto felt torn. Part of him wanted to keep it a surprise, but the organised side of him wanted to find out as it would be easier to choose clothes and colour schemes. Jack hadn't indicated a particular preference to finding out.
He jumped as the alarms sounded and Gwen came in through the cog wheel door. The others were out on a rift alert and Gwen had been given the morning off after pulling an all nighter.
"Hi Gwen. Coffee?" Ianto called.
"Hi Ianto! Yes please!" she replied coming up the steps. She put her jacket over her chair.
Ianto was about to go to the coffee machine when his mobile rang. He answered as he saw it was Jack.
"Hi Jack. What's happened?" he asked.
"We're on our way back. We should be about 20 minutes. Ianto this item is dangerous and you need to leave the Hub. Not just up to the tourist office but at least across the Plas. If Gwen is there why not go out with her? Perhaps you can go round some baby shops and get some ideas of what we need. Could be fun! Then we can go and you can show me the sort of things we need as I'm clueless."
"I don't need a babysitter Jack. I can go by myself. Gwen's just got here so she will be able to help you" Ianto replied.
"Baby shopping will be more fun with another. And she can give you opinions from a woman's perspective."
"Jack why do we need a woman's perspective on prams and clothes and anything else?" Ianto was starting to feel irritated now.
"Ianto please" Jack pleased.
Ianto huffed. "Fine. Give us 5 minutes and we'll be gone." He hung up before Jack could respond. He went to Gwen who was reading a message.
"Owen said I've got to get your pregnant backside out of the Hub and drag you round some baby shops" she said.
Ianto sighed. "Trust Owen to put it so bluntly. Yes the object they got is apparently super dangerous for me so we're both getting the boot."
Gwen put her jacket back on and passed Ianto his. "Could be fun though. If nothing else you could start a list of what you will need." She winked. "Jack says you're good at those."
Ianto coughed. "Let's go. They'll be here soon and apparently Jack wants me really far away." He rolled his eyes.
Gwen linked arms with Ianto. "Ready? There are some big shops in St Davids but I know there are some small independent shops down some of the side streets."
Ianto nodded. "Sounds good."
A couple of hours later Ianto and Gwen were enjoying lunch in a small cafe in one of the side streets. They were having a giggle over the previous shop assistant assuming they were a couple and Gwen was pregnant.
"Well I couldn't exactly say it was me!" he said laughing.
"I know I know but it was still so funny. The look on your face when she said we look like a very happy couple!" she wheezed.
"I can just imagine Jack's reaction!" he said. They burst into new hysterics.
Their food arrived just as they were starting to calm down. Ianto found he was famished and wolfed down his food. Gwen watched with amusement.
"Just a little hungry Ianto?"
Ianto nodded. "I swear I'm making up for it from the first few months. I'm rivalling Jack on the eating front now."
Gwen snorted. "I don't think anyone can beat him on that front."
They ordered cake and finished that off. Gwen went to pay but Ianto stopped her. "Jack ordered us out so it's Torchwood's treat. I deal with the accounts so I say so. It's a working lunch" he winked. Gwen laughed.
They walked round the corner from the cafe and spotted a shop that sold baby clothes. Gwen dragged Ianto in.
"Oh my god look at these! They're so cute!" she said picking up a pair of pink booties. "They're so tiny!"
Ianto smiled and looked at some yellow and green cardigans.
"Are you and Jack going to find out the gender?" Gwen asked as she noticed the colours he was looking at.
Ianto shrugged. "I'm not sure. Jack doesn't seem bothered either way. Part of me wants to keep it a surprise, but the other wants to know whether I should buy the pink or blue booties."
"Is there a particular gender you want?" she asked, pulling out some dresses.
"I don't think so. I guess I follow the old cliché of as long as the baby is healthy I'm happy. Part of me though would love to have a mini Jack running around." He spotted a particularly beautiful pink dress Gwen was holding. "Then again some of these dresses are beautiful!" He picked another one off the rack and sighed. "Now I sort of want to know. Then again if we have a girl she'll have two very overprotective Dads and will probably hate us for chasing off any potential boyfriend or girlfriend."
Gwen laughed. "I can imagine Jack chasing them across the Plas waving his webley at them."
At that image they both started laughing. Ianto bent forward as he got a stitch from all the laughter.
"What about these?" Gwen picked up some yellow booties with ducks on them after they'd recovered from laughing.
"They are gorgeous!" Ianto rushed over. He turned them over in his hands.
Gwen watched Ianto as he looked at a white pair with a bear on them whilst clutching the yellow ones. It was good to see Ianto so relaxed and really enjoying himself. He always wore that mask she had seen the first day they met, but seeing him now, she wondered if this was what he was like away from Torchwood and the Hub. She had never seen him so enthusiastic. Maybe it was hormones, or maybe this was really Ianto with his mask off. Or maybe a bit of both. Whichever it was, she hoped to keep seeing it.
"Ok I'm definitely getting these" he said as he held up the yellow and white pairs. "Let's have a look at some of the outfits"
In the end he brought a little white dungarees set with bears on and some yellow sleepsuits with safari animals on.
"I wonder if we will find any clothes with aliens on?" he wondered out loud.
They looked at each other then started laughing again.
"I know Jack would approve of even the most outlandish outfits but I think even he would say no to Weevil print vests and sleepsuits" Gwen said as she caught her breath.
They linked arms again. "I've really enjoyed this Gwen. Thanks for coming out with me. It's good not to be on my own" he said as they started walking back to the main high street.
"We should do this again sometime without the reason of dangerous alien artefact" she agreed.
Suddenly Ianto's phone rang. He saw it was Jack.
"Hi Jack. Safe for us to come back now?"
"All good now Ianto. Where are you?"
"We're in the city centre."
"Can you both get back here asap?"
Iantoheard the urgency in Jack's voice. "Jack is everything ok?"
"It's fine Ianto. I just miss you and want you both back asap."
Ianto rolled his eyes even though he knew Jack wouldn't see. "Fine we're on her way."
He hung up as he watched Gwen hang up on her phone. "That was Owen. He wants us to stop cooing over baby outfits and get our arses back to the Hub." She rolled her eyes.
Ianto nodded. "I got a slightly more polite version from Jack but yes they seem to want us back urgently." He frowned. "I'm worried."
Gwen put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sure everything's fine. Come on let's get back before they start blowing up our phones with more calls and messages."
Ianto and Gwen walked in via the cog wheel door to Jack, Andy, Owen and Tosh all standing there. Jack grinned and pulled Ianto in to as big a hug as he could with bump. He then rubbed the bump affectionately.
"Looks like you brought a few bits" he said noticing the bags.
Ianto nodded. "Some clothes. Jack why did you want us to hurry back?"
He looked over Jack's shoulder to see everyone smiling at him with knowing looks, even Gwen. He narrowed his eyes. "What's going on?"
Jack grabbed his hand and pulled him along, depositing Ianto's bags on his desk. He turned and saw the others following. Jack stopped by the medical area where he saw it had been transformed. There was a large screen on the wall that was currently showing a blue screensaver. By the bottom of the steps was a machine he didn't recognise. It had what looked like some sort of handprint device, and next to it was something that resembled a pen. He looked at Jack confused. Jack put his arm round him.
"I'm sorry I had to lie to get you out of the Hub but I wanted this to be a surprise. I recognised it as soon as I saw it, and it was in perfect condition. It's from the 35th century" he explained.
"What is it?" Ianto asked.
Jack took his hand and led him down the steps, Owen following them whilst Andy and the girls stayed at the top. Jack led Ianto over to the device.
"Ianto you trust me don't you?" he asked.
"You know I do. Why?" he asked warily.
Jack smiled then turned him to face the screen. He put Ianto's left hand onto the main part of the device. Ianto watched as a red line flowed across like a printer scanner. It vibrated and it felt warm. After a minute there was another buzzing. He jumped as he suddenly saw a 3D human male figure on the screen turning. He saw there was something red in the abdominal area. He gasped as he suddenly realised what it was.
"This is a scanner?!"
Jack smiled and nodded. "That's the general view. And if you look over there.." he pointed to another screen he hadn't noticed.
He gasped again as he saw their baby, in 3D, turning in a circle. It's legs were curled up against it's body and it was sucking it's thumb.
"That's the baby?"
Jack nodded. "It's a medical scanner. It picks up anything that's different with the body and magnifies it. You can capture all the details. Look you can see the baby's heart fully formed." He pointed and Ianto saw the fully formed heart beating away.
He looked up as he heard sniffing. Gwen and Tosh were wiping their eyes, and even Andy looked misty eyed. He realised tears were slowing down his cheeks. He turned back to look at the slow turning image of their little miracle. He watched as Jack wiped away tears on his shirt sleeve. Ianto was so engrossed that he didn't scold him.
"Ok now on to using the scanner for what it is meant to do. Scanning my two patients" Owen said. He was the only one not teary.
Ianto watched as Owen picked up the pen like object. He placed it against Ianto's shirt.
"It's ok" he said as Ianto went to protest. This scans even through clothes.
Ianto watched as Owen pushed the pen gently into his stomach. Suddenly the image zoomed in to the baby's face. Ianto gasped.
"This zooms in to different parts of yours or baby's body. Needless to say I have seen enough of Jack's insides to last a lifetime" Owen said.
Jack laughed through his tears. "You loved it and you know it."
They all watched in silence as Owen examined the body and limbs.
"Well baby all looks good. Now last question, do you want to know the gender?" he asked looking at Ianto and Jack.
"I think you should Ianto" Gwen said. "You said yourself clothes shopping will be a lot easier."
"I think keeping it a surprise would be better. It would be lovely and something to really look forward to" Tosh said.
"At least the baby won't be waiting ages for a name if you know the gender" Andy chipped in.
"If you don't find out we can have a bet" Owen said. Ianto noticed a slight look of desperation on the doctor's face.
Ianto looked at Jack. Jack smiled softly.
"It's your decision Ianto."
Ianto leant forward and kissed him. "I think we should keep it a surprise."
Jack grinned and turned to Owen. "Looks like you've escaped." He turned back to Ianto. "He was worried in case he got it wrong. Although considering what a clear image we have I don't see how"
Owen pointed at the screen. "Well baby has his or her legs curled up so it would be difficult anyway."
Ianto looked back at the screen where Owen had zoomed back in on the baby's face, who was still sucking its thumb. He heard Tosh clear her throat.
"Perhaps we should give the parents to be some privacy" she said.
Everyone nodded and started to leave. Owen passed the pen object to Ianto, who kept it firmly in place.
After they left Jack wrapped his arm round Ianto's waist.
"I'm sorry I lied. But I wanted this to be a surprise." He looked anxiously at Ianto. "I hope this is ok."
Ianto turned his head and kissed Jack. "Better than ok. I don't normally like surprises, but this one, this is so magical."
They zoomed in closer to the baby's face. They both sighed.
"He or She is beautiful" Ianto sighed.
"Well of course. They have our genes. The two best looking men in the universe. There was never any doubt" Jack said proudly.
"And if the baby has suitors queuing round the block for him or her?" Ianto smirked.
Jack growled. "I'll shoot them."
Ianto burst out laughing. "That's what Gwen and I thought."
"No one in the universe will be good enough for our Prince or Princess" he said.
Ianto rolled his eyes and laughed. "You go with the webley, I'll run behind with the sonic cannon."
They both laughed.
A while later they emerged to find the team crowded round Tosh's desk.
"What's up kids?" Jack said as they approached.
"We're just finalising who is betting on what gender" Andy said. "So far we have me and Gwen betting on a girl and Owen and Tosh betting on a boy." He looked at them. "Care to place a bet? £10."
Jack pulled out his wallet and passed Andy a £10 note. "I'm betting a boy." He grinned at Ianto.
Ianto pulled out his wallet. "Well that leaves me placing £10 on a girl then." He passed Andy a £10 note. "I was going to bet on a girl anyway."
"Only because you loved all those dresses" Gwen said winking.
Ianto shrugged. "I appreciate good tailoring." He winked at her.
Jack laughed. "Come on. We'll get some pizza and Ianto can show us what he's brought."
Ianto rubbed his bump as he felt the baby wiggle. Yep it liked the sound of pizza. Going to be just like it's other father.
So Jack and Ianto are keeping it a surprise. I can tell you I already have decided the gender. I know this chapter is longer than the previous ones but once I started writing it I couldn't stop, and I couldn't find a place really to split it so I have left it as is. Thanks for reading and next chapter will be up soon :-)