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Paul followed Ianto the kitchen and leaned back to watch him. Then he asked "what's it like? Being preggers?"
Ianto glanced back and shrugged, then considered more as he started to work the coffee machine. He got down several containers from the fridge's top shelf and handed them to Paul "Go put those on that trolley over there while I think about it."
Ianto watched the boy look form the table getting covered in containers and the trolley over by the far door and then walked over to get the trolley, bringing it to the table. Ianto nodded with satisfaction as the boy passed a test he didn't even know he was taking.
"It was scary. I didn't know what to expect and the whole… Ripley Alien chest burster thing… it did cross my mind. I had nightmares of the baby ripping its way out or dying inside me and me not knowing … all sorts of horrible scenarios played tough my head. Most of it was like a self punishment for feeling bad. You know when you are depressed you make it worse by telling yourself you deserve to be there… that sort of thing" Ianto stopped as he watched the boy fill the trolley and then head to the fridge and get the milk out for him. Then he added "When he was born …. Wow. My heart … my poor heart. It was all worth it. This time I am not so scared, I know what to expect and this time I have Jack."
"But you are still scared" the boy picks things up fast "And he was not there for you last time?"
"An incident separated us and by the time I realized what was happening to me he was too far away to help" Ianto sad diplomatically. The man listening outside the door with his hands deep in the pockets of his pants held up by both braces and a belt was thankful for that generosity there.
"So … scared still?" Paul pressed.
"More like… nervous I guess. A male pregnancy is higher risk. In the future… like centuries from now, men do routinely have babies too. By then it is all worked out but this is not then, right? This is now and complications happen" Ianto shrugged "Last time I was taken by a spaceship to the right place to give birth. This time… I don't now if I will get that hope. I don't even really know if I need it. Things are different."
"So … it's a different scared" Paul got it as he reached out to take the cups of hot coffee for Ianto "Right."
Ianto did not answer as he made himself a hot chocolate, a reluctant glance the other cups but he had already had a cup this morning and knew he was being watched by the other one able to birth a child if he so desired.
"The fact is … I love my son. I love my life and the thought of another fills me with more joy than dread so … sometimes you fear the jump but you take it for the other side beckons" Ianto smiled as he finally nodded that they were ready and they headed to the conference room where Lucy and Becket were standing before the huge wall sized screen getting it all set up. It was currently split into four screens, one for each Bot that was sitting idle in what looked like a driveway, boots and camo covered legs wandering bout.
"They wear solider uniforms as well as the black ninja stuff" Beckett said as he knelt to fiddle with wires "Easier for the village to think this is a military exercise or something."
"Yes, our military routinely blow up weird houses" Paul scoffed.
"They are UNIT, we never said they were smart" Lucy called back with a wide grin. Yeah, he could be a good little brother for them.
Neil finished the phone call he was on and sat back "Well, they bought the military exercise routine. Said the house was abandoned by the owner as he did not fit the town. The Chief sounds so relieved that the weirdoes are gone that he didn't even think to question why they wanted to blow it up."
"Any sign of other Decayed?" Sarah asked before Jack could and Jack glanced at Gwen who nodded to show she liked her.
"No. No reports at all. They have no idea that it even happened there" Neil grinned.
"We need to quit or something, give notice" Sarah said turning to look at Jack.
"No need. We will send a directive to say you are reassigned to another service, I will get on to Andy Pandy. He can say you are transferred to Cardiff Heddlu then simply close your files" Jack replied with a grin "Andy is pretty high up in the department now, likes to still take the Spooky-Dos himself. More like a consultant now days. You'll like him. He's been in the middle of some weird shit. He visits sometimes and run with us sometimes too."
"Runs" Neil relented, not really sure about that weird comment.
Ianto was about to tell him that he would learn to run very damned well t this place when the screens changed, the Bots getting moved.
"Well… we are almost ready to go in by the looks of it" Lucky sat back and snagged a sandwich from one of the containers "Oh wow… these are chicken and cream cheese?"
"With apricot sauce and lettuce too" Ianto replied, knowing her favourite my now.
Thy settled to what UNIT sent in the Bots.
"Oh yeah… wanna see the Drone Strike while we wait?" Luck suddenly asked.
"Hit it" Gwen agreed around a mouthful of roast beef sandwich.
And Hit it… the Drone did.