A/N: It's time to update! (grins and rubs hands together) BUT, first things first…

THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for your absolutely fantastic reviews, listings and love! I'm still STUNNED by how many of you have joined this mad journey with me. (HUGS)

Awkay, because I have a feeling that you didn't join in for my babblings… Let's go! I really hope that you'll enjoy the ride.

Extreme Family Bonding

In what felt like a mere blink of an eye the pregnancy reached week eight. Jack wondered, sometimes, if Ianto noticed it. Both the passing time and the subtle changes. Over the course of his long, long life Jack had faced so many pregnant people that he pinpointed the signs easily.

Nausea was still an issue. It could strike at any time of the day, sometimes as often as fifteen times. It couldn't be predicted but some scents were definitely triggering. Coffee was, tragically, the biggest source of displeasure but Ianto defended his rulership over the coffee machine with fury that would've sent any Weevil running for cover. The intense sickness, along with Ianto's genes and slim figure, meant that there was no way to see the Welshman's condition. There also wasn't any sort of a magical glow or hormonal outbursts because, well, this was Ianto. But whenever the man himself wasn't paying attention Jack saw a delicate hand brushing the still flat stomach. As though Ianto had been subconsciously trying to get used to the idea, perhaps even starting to enjoy it. Or maybe it was Jack's wishful thinking.

Because although it was definitely an accident, perhaps a horrible mistake or an oncoming disaster that'd lead to nothing but heartache, and Jack was terrified out of his mind… He couldn't smother this tiny, insistent voice inside him nagging that perhaps this was something that he couldn't run away from. And maybe, just maybe, he was even excited. Ianto wasn't the only one going through changes. Jack only noticed Ianto's belly-touching habit because he kept stealing glances towards it whenever his attention slipped. He was hoovering, since he refused to use the words mother henning. Which led to him behaving in a way that probably came close to driving Ianto mad.

They spent pretty much every single night together, it didn't matter in which their bed. In fact Jack barely let Ianto out of his sight. The Welshman wasn't exactly a big eater, even less so now with the constant sickness, and it frustrated the captain. Wasn't a healthy diet supposed to be important? And what about the constant stress of work? Ianto detested being coddled and Jack couldn't help but worry. They fought a lot. Fortunately the makeup sex was great. Well, amazing.

There were two things that they avoided discussing out of some silent agreement. The first and biggest was what, exactly, they were going to do with the baby. Which neither dared to actually call that. The second was if and when they should tell Tosh and Gwen.

As often was the case with them, fate got sick of waiting and answered the second question for them.

The day was about as ordinary as any Torchwood one could be. No Rift activity. No reports of suspicious attacks. For a long time it was surprisingly boring.

A wide smile appeared to Gwen's face when Ianto gave her a cup of coffee. "You're a saint!" she sighed, brushing his shoulder affectionately. "I'm going to need this to manage that report on yesterday's Dream Crab."

Ianto managed to return the smile for a second or two. But then he seemed to smell something. And while Ianto had made hiding his nausea a work of art even he had his limits.

Jack noticed the first signs long before Ianto did. Little by little every bit of color disappeared from the younger man's face. The colvulsive gulping spoke even more loudly. "Do, you… uh… Is that new perfume?"

Gwen gave her friend a brief, surprised glance. "Yeah, Rhys gave it to me yesterday." She then re-focused on her coffee. "Why…?"

Ianto's stomach didn't make it all the way through that sentence. "Sorry…" With that the Welshman sped towards the restroom.

The rest of them could only stare. Jack and Owen with far more than a hint of dread, Gwen and Tosh with well understandable worry and confusion. "What was that about?" Gwen demanded at last. "That wasn't just the perfume's doing."

Tosh frowned. Then, slowly yet surely, her eyes began to widen. "It was morning sickness, wasn't it?"

"Morning…?" Gwen's eyes grew huge, filled with shock, excitement and a little bit of irritation. She spun to face Jack. "Oh, no you didn't…! You were supposed to be careful!"

"We were!" Jack snapped. Unsure if he wanted to laugh, cry or pull his hair at the bitter humor of it all. "It's not my fault that the measly 21st centure condoms…"

Owen immediately lifted a hand with a loudly speaking wince. "Alright, alright! We get the picture. Do you want to make a dead man vomit again?"

This time it was Jack's turn to turn a little green.

Ianto reappeared a few minutes later, appearing a bit shaky but largely alright. "Sorry about that. I don't know what…" One long look at their faces told all necessary. The young man froze with a visible shiver. "Oh…"

"Sweetie, why didn't you tell us sooner?" Gwen admonished gently. Immediately she folded the tense Welshman to a warm hug. "This is amazing! I can't believe that you two are becoming parents before Rhys and me."

Tosh smiled, unable to keep herself from glancing towards the man's stomach. "Congratulations." She smirked a little slyly. "So, soon this little family will be even more… interesting with the new addition."

Owen grinned. "'Interesting' is one word to describe it. I'd go for fucked up. In this case pretty literally."

In the middle of the havoc that ensued Jack and Ianto's eyes met. It was fortunate, really, that the women were too preoccupied to sense the tension lingering between them. They'd been stalling the inevitable for a remarkably long time but apparently the time to talk about IT was drawing very, very near.

In the end they managed to hold out for the grand total of two more weeks. Two more exhausting, overwhelming weeks. Now that the truth was out Ianto felt like his stomach had become public property. Everyone seemed to be picking him up on his eating habits, watching over every bite he took. He was almost sure that one of them, at least, was also keeping an eye on the times he tried to slip away to vomit with as much dignity as possible. Because every time he came back there was a glass of water waiting for him, without a fail. And the endless parade of questions…! What he'd experienced thus far, had he heard the baby's heartbeat yet, when would he let Owen get the baby checked for the first time… He swore that if he'd hear 'How are you feeling?' a single time more, no matter how well meaning those questions were, he'd lose whatever little composure he had.

Somehow Ianto managed to hang on, to keep his cool and carry on without unleashing all of his inner turmoil. That was until the day he found something after the rest of the team headed for a hunt. There, somehow having appeared to his desk, was a tiny green romper. Along with a message from Tosh.

'Sorry. I know that you don't want a fuss but I couldn't resist.'

Ianto didn't know what came over him, there. Maybe it was all getting a bit too real. Or maybe it was the bloody hormones. But he dashed into the restroom and gasped for five full minutes, unleashing some of the tears that'd been penting up. By the time he emerged he was a picture of professionalism and if anyone would ask about his eyes he'd blame it on fatigue.

Jack, of course, wasn't fooled so easily. The captain noticed that something was off. The hunt was a very ugly one, resulting to Jack dying twice, Gwen spraining her ankle and Tosh receiving quite a bit of bruising. The tension began to built up the moment the team returned.

Jack finally unleashed it while driving them towards Ianto's apartment. "I noticed Toshiko's gift. How long are you going to let this continue before you tell them that there won't be a baby?"

Jack's sharp tone and those very words… They plunged deeper than any knife. "Oh, so you read minds, now?" Ianto's voice was higher than usual but he quite honestly didn't care. He kept looking away, focused pointedly on his trembling hands. "I don't know what to do with any of this and I just… I need you to…" How to express what he couldn't quite put into words?

"Need me to what?" Jack's voice was actually shaking, more than a little. The silence stretched, became impossibly heavy. "Ianto, talk to me! For fucking once tell me what you need because I can tell that you're miserable and it's gotta stop!"

Ianto gritted his teeth. He was so used to bottling things up, to hiding how it really felt, that… "Stop telling me how I feel!" he quite nearly snarled through his teeth, his eyes narrowing at his fisted hands. "I'm not miserable!" The outburst that followed exploded, tickling his throat and eyes in a way that almost drove him crazy. There was no way to hold back the surge. "I'm terrified that I won't be able to give you what you need and you'll run away from me again!"

Another addition to the list of 'things that musn't be spoken of'. Jack's departure, Lisa, the future of his pregnancy… Ianto was sick of it.

He could actually feel Jack staring at him for a long, stilled moment. Speechless for once in his impossibly long life, either out of stun or rage. "Ianto…" But those words – whether they were those of anger, honesty, comfort or false hopes – never made their way out.

Because neither of them was paying as much attention to the traffic as they should've. That's why they didn't notice the white car charging against a red light until it was too late.

The impact hit Ianto's side with enough force to knock him breathless instantly. His lips opened while the whole world spun. Or was it the car? Or his just his head? Quite distantly he heard Jack's grunt of discomfort, was able to distinguish a protective arm shielding him.

At first it was almost eerily silent. Then, just as quickly, it was so painfully loud that Ianto would've certainly screamed if there'd been even a shred of breath left in him. Too much, all of it. And then it crashed to a stop. Ianto felt his head jerk violently and then no more.

For a little while Jack wasn't fully sure if he was coming back from dead or unconsciousness. Dimly he registered that his injuries were already fast on their way to being healed. Not that there would've been many of them, just some nasty bruising, a bump to the head and other minor sources of discomfort.

Then he heard the sharp gasps and nothing else registered.

Much too quickly for comfort Jack turned his head to see that beside him Ianto was also conscious, at least somewhat. There was a worrying, dazed look in the Welshman's eyes while the archivist panted, one hand pressed against his stomach and the other squeezing Jack's almost hard enough to damage bone. Jack was able to see some bruises and a bleeding gash from when the younger man hit his head to the car's side window. Nothing overly alarming. But they had a third passenger.

"Ianto?" Jack demanded, the tightness of his throat forcing him to cut words to the minimum.

Ianto swallowed, appearing nauseous and panicked. "I'm fine. I'm fine." It was hard to say which one of them that was supposed to convince. "I just have cramps. It hurts."

White, ice cold terror sped through Jack's veins at a terrifying speed. It took all his willpower to hold back a scream. To keep himself from losing whatever little control he had.

"Okay, okay…" That's good. Deep breaths, nice and slow. Jack felt slightly more like himself. "Let's get out of this wreck, okay? And then we'll get you to the Hub. It'll be alright."

Ianto nodded eagerly, no matter how uncomfortable it seemed to make the man feel. Neither wanted to let go of the other's hand but there was fairly little choice. Painstakingly slowly Jack crawled his way out. It wasn't until they made it outside the captain saw the car's full condition. A shiver crossed him and his eyes widened. How many times did it spin around before stopping to the side of the road? It could've ended so much worse…

But now wasn't the time to worry about that. Because absolutely all his attention was needed elsewhere. On the other side of the disaster that used to be Torchwood's transport stood Ianto, appearing pale and just as shell shocked as he felt. The younger man looked at him as soon as he approached, eyes scanning him from head to toe. "Alright?"

In a different situation Jack might've scoffed. Of course he was alright, he was impossible to kill! But there was no humor in that dark, desolate evening. "Yeah, I am." He swallowed and wrapped one arm around Ianto while his free hand pressed cautiously against the younger man's stomach. "The cramps?"

Ianto's jawline tightened. The man was trembling. "Manageable."

Jack could only hope that Ianto was telling the truth this time. Because just then the police appeared. As fast as he could and with far more politeness than he would've expected Jack explained to them what happened. And that yes, both he and Ianto made it through with minor injuries. Of course they'd still visit the hospital, just in case.

Jack was greatly irritated upon hearing that the son of a bitch who rammed on them not only bolted but hadn't been found yet, either. The police was still looking, though, and confident that they'd catch the man. Jack would've very much liked to do the hunting himself.

But right now he had far more important things to focus on. He had to get Ianto to the Hub, for the sake of the man and the baby. He had no idea what'd happen in the future but he couldn't lose his family, not like this.

To Ianto it was all of a bit blurry, most likely due to shock and pain. Answering the questions. Following Jack and the two of them taking a cab. The immortal's presence managed to calm him down slightly and he sunk against the man's warmth, unable to keep his hand from rubbing soothing circles on his belly. It was harder to hold back the tears that wanted to come than it should've been.

At some point Jack made a phone call that he didn't manage to pay any attention to. It didn't register to him who the man called until they reached the Hub and found Owen waiting. There was a tense look on the doctor's face. Some might've gone as far as saying that it was worried.

"Did you get it?" Jack demanded.

Owen nodded stiffly. "Yup. I used up an old favor. Now move it. Tea-boy looks like he won't be able to stand much longer."

Usually Ianto would've retorted but there was no real point in denying a fact. A bit numbly, every single one of his nerves fried, he allowed himself to be led to the autopsy bay. The machine waiting there, however, froze him effectively. Cleared his head, too.

An ultrasound device?

"Jack told me that you've been having cramps", Owen explained impatiently. "We'll have to take a look at what's going on inside you. So get on the bed and lift up your shirt. The faster we get this done the better."

Ianto lay down, feeling more than a little nervous. He didn't quite trust the device Owen had dragged in. The thought of it touching his stomach…

"Ianto?" Owen sounded between worried and amused. "Seriously, breathe."

Ianto swallowed and steeled himself. Furiously attempting to maintain as much professionalism and dignity as possible. "Sorry. That things just makes me… nervous."

"Well you being nervous makes Jack nervous. And Jack being nervous makes me nervous because I don't like the way he's glaring at me", Owen grunted. "So breathe and relax. This isn't going to hurt."

You have no idea what you're talking about… Ianto bit back his snide remark and gritted his teeth instead. Prepared for anything.

With how tense his abdominal muscles were it wasn't a surprise that he jolted when the cold gel was smeared on his stomach. He focused on the ceiling and breathing. Because he'd rather get snatched by the Rift than pass out due to a panic attack in front of Owen Harper.

All of a sudden a strong yet slightly hesitant hand grabbed his. Asking for a permission without a single word. Ianto latched on it with as little communication, letting the familiar feel of Jack's skin soothe his fried nerves.

He seemed to keep forgetting that he wasn't alone in the middle of all this, that for once in his life he wasn't facing something of this magnitude alone.

He barely felt the device itself. Owen pressed it surprisingly gently against him, most likely fearing that anything more violent might set Jack off. It circled around, creating patterns that under different circumstances might've been calming. To Ianto it felt like the countdown of a bomb.

And then it went off.

"Bingo!" Owen exclaimed, sounding suspiciously excited. "Sneaky little devil, this one… But as far as I can tell everything seems to be okay." A pair of eyes locked on him. "Do you want to take a look?"

Ianto didn't have the slightest clue if he wanted to see. If he wanted to face it. Because from this moment… It wouldn't be just a nameless, shapeless mass that made him feel sick a million times every day. He even tried to resist it. But in the end some unnamed, primal instinct inside him took over. And he did something that changed the course of his life forever.

Ianto turned his head.

At first he couldn't really tell what he saw on the tiny screen. He frowned, looking closer. A head, the beginning of an eye… Were those arms…? It didn't quite look human. But there was no denying the way his heart was racing.

Looking away was harder than it should've been. Somehow Ianto managed to turn his head again to look at Jack. The immortal's blue eyes were wide and suspiciously moist while they looked back at him. Baffled was the only possible word to describe the man's expression. "Look what we did", Jack managed at last.

Ianto couldn't speak. Couldn't even really think. All that fit into his universe was the fact that the beginning of a life on the screen was actually inside him. Attached to him. And today… Today he'd almost lost it.

Ianto wasn't sure how it happened but all of a sudden he was in Jack's arms, squeezing as tightly as he possibly could. A small part of him tried to nag that the gel on him was staining the captain's coat but it barely registered. Breathing and hanging on was all he could do.

This was one of the most terrifying days of his life because he was finally beginning to realize what he wanted.

What the stunned parents to be couldn't possibly know was that there was a entirely new threat lurking in the shadows.

It hadn't been a task at all for a determined person to get their hands on some CCTV footage. Now a pair of sharp, gleaming eyes watched the events following the car crash. Observed how Jack wrapped a protective arm around Ianto, as though attempting to shield the younger man from the entire world. Noticed how one of Ianto's unsteady hands pressed against the man's stomach, as though feeling or protecting it. An ice cold smirk revealed a row of hazardous teeth.

Gray had been keeping an eye on his brother for a while, now. It hadn't been a tough task to find out about the man's… affair with Ianto. In full honesty he'd had quite a bit of fun observing them. Especially since he made sure that the fertility device ended up into their hands.

This was a highly entertaining game of chess and Gray knew exactly how to make the stakes as high as possible.

Now he could be sure that the first part of his plan had succeeded. Ianto was pregnant and he'd make damned sure that the Welshman stayed that way. Until he'd decide otherwise, of course.

After all the endless years of waiting he felt a little desperate to just get on with it. But he was determined to hit Jack back in a way that'd hurt the most and for that he'd have to wait. Quite alright. Patience was one of those virtues he'd always been more gifted at than Jack.

When the time would be right he'd make Jack's whole world burn and ensure that the man was watching.

Gray smiled. His eyes darkened as his eyes kept watching the footage of Jack's distancing back. "See you soon, brother dear."

TBC

A/N: Oooooookay… So now we have Gray along. Don't forget how close to the end of series 2 this story takes place. (gulps) So, we now know that this whole pregnancy-hurricane was orchestrated by Gray. But what, exactly, is he planning? And how will the parents to be continue to handle their dramatically changing lives?

Thoughts? Comments? PLEASE, drop them to the box down below! It could be your good deed for the day.

Until next time, folks! I REALLY hope that you'll be staying tuned for that one.

Take care!

Guest: LOL! I'll bet they are. This is quite a shock for them! Poor Ianto. (winces) I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy what's to come as much!
Colossal thank yous for the review!