A/N:

Ok, for Jack's little hissy fit about a quarter of the way down, you have to have seen John Barrowman in Hotel Babylon (I don't watch it, I just caught the clip on YouTube. If you're not familiar, type in "John Barrowman tits"… it is an hysterical few minutes… )

And as always, thank you for reading!

Chapter Twelve: Eight Months

True love is when you have to watch a friend leave, with the knowledge that you might never see him again.
But you know he'll be in your mind and heart forever...

"Suki…" Ianto couldn't help the brightness of his smile when he came out of the restroom stall to find a familiar young woman at the sink washing her hands. According to Jack, public toilets had gone co-ed sometime in the middle of the twenty fifth century… Ianto could just imagine his mother's horror at the thought of ever having to share the restroom with a bunch of strange men.

"Ianto Jones," Suki returned his smile. "How's your partner?"

"Moaning that he can't see his feet," he grinned. Then he stopped smiling. When he'd met her, it had sounded like there was a good chance Suki's partner might lose their baby… He gave her a look he hoped was apologetic enough if he'd just put his foot in it.

Her smile remained warm, however. "We've made it to month six. With a couple of good scares," she added. "He hasn't into labour again, but it's been an uphill battle… his body is still trying to reject being pregnant. They're going to deliver the baby next week… hopefully by then we'll have settled on a name," she was having a much less difficult time smiling than she had when they met two months ago.

Ianto smiled, too. "I'm so glad…" although he still couldn't help but feel a bit blown over by how it was considered safe to deliver a baby at just six months… it must have shown on his face.

"I know, I know… scary, even with fiftieth century technology," she rolled her eyes. "I'm just glad this isn't a couple of thousand years ago."

He gave her an odd look.

Suki chuckled… giggled really. "I guess I should explain. I'm a history professor here in the city… medical history… probably not the best field for someone trying to help her partner through a difficult pregnancy. I can name just about everything that can possibly go wrong in a pregnancy and what the procedures were for correcting it for most of them for most of the last few thousand years," she managed a smile despite the obvious stress her knowledge had caused over the course of her partner's pregnancy. "My students say I know so much about the past I could have lived there."

Ianto smiled. "You hardly look like any of the teachers I ever had," he told her – and realized after the fact that that had sounded an awful lot like a come on, something he hadn't intended all intending…

She laughed again, seeming to understand perfectly.

Just then Jack stuck his head in the door to see what was taking so long. "Ianto…?" It only took him a few seconds to assess the situation.

He stepped fully into the bathroom and settled his hands on his hips, looking every bit the disgruntled husband. "Oh, I see," he moaned melodramatically, "here I am waddling around looking like a beached whale and here you are chatting up pretty girls in the loo!" he flashed enough of a grin to convince his partner he was only teasing. As if the exaggerated and clearly feigned hurt in his tone wasn't enough to make that clear.

Suki was just barely containing her laughter. "Your husband, I presume…?"

Ianto wasn't fairing much better when it came to not laughing out loud. "Suki, this is Jack… I'm sorry," he said back in her direction. "I never caught your last name…"

"Dunhill. And it's pleasure to meet you, Jack," she stepped forward, her hand extended. "Might I add that you're the handsomest beached whale I've ever seen."

He very nearly blushed. Ianto knew it was the hormones (he was crying at the drop of a hat lately, too), but it was cute.

"Ok, I approve," the Captain declared. "She can come home with us."

Suki lost her battle against the laughter. "I think my partners might have something to say about that…"

He shrugged it off. "The more the merrier."

She turned to Ianto, "What a handful you've got here, however do you manage?"

"Most days, just barely," he intoned.

"Um… excuse me," Jack gave his partner a dark scowl. "I am standing right here you know. I don't know how you can miss me," he gestured dramatically at his midsection.

Ianto snickered.

Jack continued to glare, although it was obvious that he really was still teasing.

The younger man turned his attention back to Suki. "It was good to see you again. I really hope everything works out for you three," he honestly couldn't believe how easily he'd just said that. "But I should probably be getting him home now…"

"Hello. Still here. You can stop talking about me as if I'm not…"

Suki laughed harder, pointedly ignoring the pregnant man in favour of his partner. "Clearly so," she gave a mischievous wink at the pair of them. "I think somebody may even need to be sent to his room," she said in Jack's direction.

Both men blushed.

"Why do I have the feeling you keep your partners on as their toes as I keep him?" Jack was the first to recover. He stepped in behind Ianto and laid his hands on his partner's hips, drawing him in close.

"There's a reason it took two to tame me," she answered with a smirk. Then in a more serious tone, "Would… would you two like to have dinner with us some time? Just dinner," she clarified quickly. "Not that I think Karen or Jaeka would at all mind more than dinner when we're not worried sick about Jaeka's condition…"

"Dinner sounds lovely," Ianto's answer surprised Jack – but the older man smiled:

"We're at the complex across the park," he told her. "Jones and Harkness."

"We'll look you up sometime soon," she promised; with a parting smile she took her leave.

Jack pulled Ianto closer (no small fete given the size of his stomach). "Finally coming out of your shell?" he whispered softly into his Welshman's ear, nuzzling him a bit as he did.

"Maybe… I guess. It can't really hurt."

Jack smiled. "No, it can't. I'm glad."

The younger man turned in his arms. "I think she was right about one thing, though," he said with a lascivious little grin.

"Oh?"

"I definitely need to send you to your room."

Jack smiled into the kiss he placed on his Welshman's lips…

……………………………………………………………..

Ianto unbuttoned the other man's shirt slowly, one button at a time. "I love you," he whispered as he drew the shirt down off Jack's arms. "I love you so much… I have loved you for so long." He kissed his lips… his chest… his neck… He eased him back to the bed, helping him lower himself down into a comfortable position.

"I feel like a house."

"Well you look beautiful," Ianto assured the him as he kissed his way slowly down his body, ending at his swollen belly. "You both do," he whispered to the child inside.

Jack chuckled despite himself. "I love you too, you know," he said.

The younger man looked up; that had sounded suspiciously like a question. "Yes. I do know," he said in a tone that left no room for doubting.

Jack ran his fingers through his partner's hair... coaxed him into looking at him... "How long have you known?" he wanted to know.

He smiled a shy, sheepish little smile. Jack undid the buttons of his shirt, coaxing him into joining him in half-nakedness while he waited for... listened to... the answer:

"A while," the young Welshman confided. "I… I wasn't sure… I mean… that first year… before you left… I knew I was falling in love with you. I didn't want to be," he added, wriggling out of his jeans. "But I couldn't help myself. And then when you left. I knew… I knew I was the only one of us who had been in love. It was all right," he said quickly; it may or may not have been true at the time, but now it was all right that Jack had left when he did. "I know you trusted me to take care of the things you left behind. That meant a lot to me… besides it wasn't like you ever promised me anything," he laid down next to his partner, running his fingers gently over his chest. "And then you came back." He leant in and kissed his arm… his neck.

Jack turned to face him. "You know I'll never leave you again… right?"

"I know you love me, Jack. I understand why left. You needed to find your Doctor. You needed closure on that part of your life. We could never have had what we do now if you hadn't. You would always have been waiting for him. I am glad things worked out the way the way they did… glad he came when he did. Glad you left. Glad you came back. Glad you stayed," he added with a soft smile. "And yes, I know you'll never leave me again. I trust you. I love you."

Jack rolled himself onto his side so he could face the younger man more fully. Those beautiful blue grey eyes… his face… he hoped he never forgot that face. He reached up, caressed his partner's cheek. Ianto took his hand, twined his fingers into his… kissed him. Both of their bodies were reacting to the proximity of the other, to the soft touches being exchanged… stroking fingertips… warm, wandering mouths…