Ianto and Jack pulled up to the hub and Jack sighed looking down. He needed to tell Ianto, but in a way he was worried. If he told Ianto about Alice and Stephan then he could lose the Welshman...who wants to be with someone who has a daughter older than you?
"Ianto, I've been meaning to tell you something..." Jack sounded unsure.
"Go on then." Ianto said, reassuring smile on his face as he switched off the ignition.
"I have a daughter...her name is Alice. Her mother and I got together and when I found out she was pregnant, I told her everything I was...I wanted her to know there was a chance that Alice could be the same and when it turned out she wasn't...well...it broke her heart and I wasn't allowed to see her. Alice is older than you by almost ten years and she has a son, Stephan, who thinks I'm his uncle..."
"You two close?" Ianto asked, unfazed.
"I want to be, but she wants nothing to do with me...she resents me." Jack said, wiping at his face angrily. Damn hormones.
"Oh, I'll invite them to the family get together regardless. If Alice wants to show, she can, if not then that's her call." Ianto said, grabbing out his planner and writing a few things down. "The get together is going to be a week from now, I think, before you show too much so you won't be too uncomfortable." Ianto explained, putting his planner back into his pocket.
"I couldn't possibly love you more than I do now...how can you be so understanding...of everything?" Jack asked and Ianto shrugged.
"I died daily for nine months, compared to that...everything else is so insignificant. Why get upset over the unchangeable when you can live in the moment with the person you love. And besides, I love you regardless of your past, or your Doctor fetish or anything else that might come up. I believe that loving you, here and now, is more important than getting pissy over you having had a life before you met me." Ianto explained and Jack smiled. This man was too perfect for him.
"I love you too Ianto."
"Good, it'd be awkward if this was one sided." Ianto said, smiling and getting out of the car. "Coming?"
"Yeah!" Jack said, following Ianto to the hub.
"Morning everyone." Jack said, looking at Tosh, Gwen and Owen, who were sat around whispering.
"I said, MORNING everyone." Jack said a bit louder and watched with amusement as the others jumped apart.
"Alright then mate, to my table with you." Owen said leading the way to his medical bay.
"Be there in five." Jack said, looking at the blushing faces of Gwen and Tosh. "What's this about then?"
"Don't bother sir, they are an unbreakable force. I've tried everything, they won't say a thing." Ianto said, prepping coffee and tea.
"Is that so?" Jack asked, walking closer and looking the girls up and down.
"Yup." Tosh said, turning and running towards her computers.
"Jack...can I talk to you?" Gwen asked and Jack nodded, a smile on his face.
"Let me finish with my check up. Meet me in my office in about twenty minutes." Jack said and Gwen nodded, walking over to Ianto and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry." Gwen said and Ianto turned to look at her.
"Whatever for?" Ianto asked.
"Everything." She said, blushing.
"I see." Ianto said, handing her a cup of coffee.
"I've been a right prat recently and..."
"You have Rhys, don't ruin the chance you have with him because you want someone you can't have." Ianto said and Gwen frowned.
"I could have had him, had I wanted him..."
"You had wanted him and for a bit he had wanted you and when he could not have you he came to me. I was safe, I was able to give him what he wanted without the troubles of a 'normal' life. For me, normal didn't matter...he mattered. I didn't want him one day and throw him away the next." Ianto said and Gwen sighed.
"I was torn..."
"You're still torn. There's really no way around it Gwen. You're the kind of person who really can't figure out their lot in life, and that's fine, as long as you stay out of my relationship with Jack."
"There is no relationship Ianto. He'll leave you before you get old and die." Gwen said and Ianto raised an eyebrow.
"He won't." Ianto assured.
"He will. He hates watching those around him die, and you will die."
"I won't."
"Maybe not today, but one day soon, sooner than he's willing to let you go. Your death will kill him Ianto, and you did this. You made him care and you're going to yank it from under his feet." Gwen sounded sure of herself.
"I can't die Gwen." Ianto said, taking a sip of his tea.
"What?" Gwen asked, eyes narrowed in anger.
"I can't die." Ianto repeated, as though he were talking to a child.
"How?" Gwen sounded furious.
"I don't know."
"Bloody hell...you really can't die?"
"I really can't die."
"I hate you Jones." Gwen said, turning to leave.
"Feeling's mutual Cooper, but I will have your back regardless of how much I dislike you." Ianto said, watching Gwen make her way to Jack's office.
Ianto shook his head and continued looking at the empty cups of coffee before him. The others hadn't come for their cup yet, which meant he'd have to take it to them, which was difficult, given the circumstances of the last ten minutes. Oh how he hated those who couldn't keep to themselves.
"Yan?"
Ianto shook his head and looked up at Jack, who was looking at him with worry.
"Everything okay?"
"Oh...yes...just fine really." Ianto said, placing a kiss to Jack's lips.
"If things get too much for you, you let me know." Jack said and Ianto nodded and finished making coffee for the team. As much as today was over bearing, he would get through it, he had to.
There were timed when he wished he could take Jack and run to a different planet...somewhere they could live uninterrupted and raise their children with little fear of the future, but Ianto was a realist. Jack wouldn't leave, and even if he did it would eat him up that he left the team and the planet defenseless, so he was resigning himself to a fate on earth for however long they lived.
"GET OUT!" Ianto heard Jack shouting and immediately ran to Jack's office as fast as his legs could carry him.
Opening the door he noticed Jack pointing his gun at Gwen with a fiery vengeance in his eyes.
"Cariad, put the gun down." Ianto prompted, walking over to Jack calmly.
"Not until she leaves." Jack said, steadying his hold on the gun.
"What did I do Jack? I was only being honest about your options." Gwen said, flinching as Jack cocked the gun.
"What did she do Jack?" Ianto asked, grabbing the gun out of Jack's hands.
"She told me if the kid was the reason I was with you that I could just abort the damn thing." Jack said, malice in his voice.
"That's not what I said. If you put it that way it makes me sound like an ass." Gwen said, sounding put upon.
"Then what did you say Gwen?" Ianto asked, turning his attention to her.
"Never mind. You're going to take it the wrong way anyway."
"Oh no, please. I would love to know."
"Nothing, never mind. I'll just be going now." Gwen turned and walked out of the office with her head held low. She had crossed a line and she knew it.
"Are you okay?" Ianto asked, grabbing Jack's face.
"I'll be fine." Jack answered as his anger slowly diminished.
"How's the baby?" Ianto asked, changing the subject.
"He's healthy." Jack answered, smile gracing his lips. Their son was progressing perfectly for where he was at in his gestation and Jack couldn't be happier.
"I was thinking of a name for him." Ianto said, taking a seat on the desk.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes. I was thinking of naming him Saben."
"Love it." Jack smiled, kissing Ianto soundly. The day may be salvageable yet.