Disclaimer: Not mine; never will be. I'm just borrowing it.
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Life and Other Things That Never go as Planned.

Chapter Seven – The Family You're Going to Have.

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Andy stood in the centre of the room, stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

Loudly

"Just a quick announcement." He said in the sudden quiet, "Born Friday, that was yesterday for those who can't remember, at 9.03 pm, Brandon James Cooper. 8 pounds 1 ounce."

Andy glanced around. Several of his colleagues pulled out pieces of paper, studied them for a moment then threw them toward the bin.

Connie Walsh waved two bits of paper in the air.

"Bill and I were both half right." She passed them to Andy, explaining, "Bill got the gender and time. I picked weight and the day."

Andy consulted the 'Master Book of Cardiff Police In-house Betting Records (i.e. a 1973 diary). "You're closer than anyone else." He looked at the running tally, "£739. Small denominations in non-sequential bills ok?"

"Fine." Connie laughed, "But, Bill and I'll have 200 each, put 200 in the youth group's camping fund and get Cooper something nice with the rest, yeah?"

"Yeah." Andy nodded, "Any ideas?"

Bill finally looked up from his book. "A baby sitter." He dead panned.

Andy rolled his eyes. "I think it's a bit early for that, but thanks anyway. Anything else?"

"Yeah." Connie grinned, asking the question that everyone else was thinking, "How much does the poor kid look like Harper?"

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Gwen grabbed at Martha's arm. "There's an alien holding my baby!" She hissed.

Martha skidded to a stop, following Gwen's gaze, hesitating for a moment… "The blonde's Jenny, and the man hovering over her?" Gwen nodded. "That's Jack's Doctor."

Gwen's eyes scanned the Hub, finding Jack, half hiding behind his usual self-assured grin. She glanced back at Martha. Unspoken questions hung in the air.

"It's not my story to tell." Martha gave her a sad little smile, "And Jack's not ready to have everyone know all his secrets."

"Is there anything that I… should know?"

"Don't leave Owen and the Doctor alone". Martha told her seriously, "It'll be worse than that time Owen and Ianto got here early and the rest of us got in late."
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Owen finds her, resting, in Jack's office.

"There's an alien holding my kid! Why is an alien holding my kid?" He beginning to like soft patient mummy-Gwen and life's definitely more interesting when she's yelling at him, "How'd an alien get in here anyway?" But right now he wants to hear her laugh again, "Don't tell me Jack went out and got you a nanny at gun point?"

Gwen laughed for longer than Owen had ever seen her laugh before.

"That's," When she finally stopped, "Probably not a bad idea. I'll have to mention it to Jack," Gwen shook her head at him, "And Donna's human. Unless Ianto's letting aliens into his filing system?"

"Probably not." Owen smirked at her.

"Martha said I should rest and that it wouldn't hurt to let other people hold Brandon," She nodded out the door, "The blonde woman and the man in the suit?"

"The one's Jack's trying hard not to flirt with?"

"They're the aliens, friends of Jack and Martha's." Gwen threw him the towel hanging from the coat rack, "Now where the hell have you been?"

He'd been wondering when she'd get around to that.

"I was looking for a ring."

The shock is clear on Gwen's face. "Owen…"

He put the small matt black box on the desk. "I'm not asking you to say yes. I'm not even asking."

"Then why…?"

Owen pushed the door closed, leaning against it. "I've been… I was engaged once. Before I met Jack, before Torchwood…"

"What happened?" Her tone is a mix of comfort and concern. Curiosity would not be appropriate.

"An alien got into her brain. Everyone thought it was a brain tumour and we treated it like one." He's not looking at her, looking anywhere but her, "Katie, she died. And I ended up here."

Gwen picked up the box. The ring, probably platinum knowing Owen, is a wide flat band of Celtic knot work. It's clean and simple and won't catch on clothing or the light. "It's lovely."

"It's new." Owen finally glanced at her, "It's not…"

Gwen undid her necklace and carefully slipped the ring onto the chain. "It doesn't have to be anything."

Owen let his shoulder sag a little. "Thanks."

"Did you ever think about kids… with Katie…?"

He hung the towel back on the coat rack. "Only in that 'not straight away, but maybe in a few years we'll talk about it' way." He flashed a quick sharp smile, "Didn't really think I'd get around to having any now."

Her hands twisted together. "I put Cooper on the birth certificate."

"I know."

"You are listed as his father," She shrugged helplessly, "Rhys ran off so fast… And Brandon will always have my family if he needs looking after, but… I don't want every man in my life to be uncle something or other. You stayed, told me off when I needed telling off. It makes a difference." Her sudden smile bordered on the hysterical, "And while I'm sure Jack will literally die for Brandon, I don't really want him to be the one to teach him about the birds and the bees and things."

Owen took a deep breath, now seemed to be as good a time as any. "I also bought a house."

That seems to shock her more than the ring. "What about your apartment?"

"The reason why I bought it in the first place isn't at the top of my priorities anymore."

Owen finally looked her in the eyes. He looked very tired. "Is it a nice house?"

He shrugged, going a little pink. "I convinced your neighbours to sell me theirs."

Gwen's jaw dropped. "You did what? Which neighbours?"

"Mr and Mrs Evanson, for more than it's worth actually."

Mr and Mrs Evanson; 90 and 92 years old, too old to be living in the largest house on the street, but unable to afford any where smaller…..

But could they afford to now?

"And don't give me any mummy lectures." Owen was careful not to whine, "We might be good at some things Gwen-" She remembered, "-but living together would not be one of them."

"You really want this, don't you?"
"I'm only just realising how much I really do."

To be continued…

A/N: This chapter is for madbean. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reminding me I need to finish some of this stuff.

The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have.

Ring Lardner.