Notes: No, Jack has not informed Ianto of his pregnancy yet. Yes, I have alluded to the pregnancy progressing faster than the normal nine months. I have my reasons, you just have to follow along to find out.
And while she will probably never see this, I want to thank my Little. After a visit with her, and allowing me to throw ideas off her, I settled on how to complete this chapter. She had no clue what I was talking about half the time, but she sat there nonetheless, and therefore you can thank her, too.
Chapter Spoilers: None, but is the aftermath of my cover of episode 2.04 (Meat). Doctor Who – none
A little over an hour later, Jack and Ianto were startled from their deep sleep. The cog wheel rolled open and the accompanying alarms blazed and echoed through the previously silent Hub.
"Jack, what time is it?" Ianto asked groggily, trying to turn and see the alarm clock, but failing with Jack's weight still cuddled up on top of him.
Jack grunted, not wanting to shift from his comfortable position, but realizing he needed to find out who arrived and what, if anything, was going on. He looked at the alarm clock to answer his lover's question, while rising to get out of bed and put on more clothes.
"Almost three," he answered, looking back at Ianto who was now attempting to get out of bed. Jack could now see more of the bruises that Dale and his crew left on Ianto, and could see that exhaustion and pain riddled throughout his body with every move. "Ianto, stay in bed, get some more rest, I'll deal with this," he ordered in the most caring tone possible, without leaving any room for argument.
But Ianto would protest anyway. "Jack, what if it's a threat and…" he trailed off once they heard someone shouting from the main area of the Hub.
"Jack! Jack, where are you!?" The shouting would pause, there would be a few scuffling sounds, and then the same searching shout would come again.
Both men rolled their eyes, and caught each other in the act. They smiled at each other softly.
"I know you don't want to deal with her right now, Ianto, especially not with everything that just happened," Jack broke the silence first, getting back to business. "I'll find out what she wants, send her on her way, and be right back down, okay?"
Ianto nodded, but added, "I'll wait and listen, though, just in case?"
Jack knew it was the best compromise he could get from the Welshman. He's more stubborn than me sometimes, but that's one of the many reasons why I love him. "Okay, but stay down here unless I absolutely need you, please?"
Ianto nodded again, now trusting Jack to be able to handle the wretched woman without his own insecurities boiling over. Jack finished putting on his bottoms and shirt before heading up in the main area of the Hub to deal with Gwen bloody Cooper; the root of most of his problems.
The first thing Jack noticed was the overall ambience.
Jack and Ianto never put the Hub into complete sleep mode before their discussion. They were too uncertain of the outcome. By the time they finally headed off to bed, they were too tired to focus on anything other than going to sleep. Now, however, the lights were faded; bright enough to see where everything was, but dark enough to be romantic. Shit, Jack thought.
There was music playing that Jack surprisingly didn't recognize, but from the overall sound and feel, was to be romantic, fitting with the lighting.
Jack finally spotted Gwen over in the kitchenette. He scrunched his nose in distaste. That's Ianto's domain, apart from the archives. No one else belongs there, not even me. He watched as Gwen pulled out a pair of wine glasses, and then opened the bottle of wine she brought with her. This really needs to stop.
Jack opened his vortex manipulator, which he only just realized he still had on since he normally takes it off before sleeping. With the press of a few buttons, the lights went back to full capacity and the music stopped playing, as he stepped out of his office, leaving the door open for Ianto to listen.
"Hey! There you are!" Gwen exclaimed excitedly; too excitedly for Jack's tastes. She gathered up the glasses of wine she finished pouring and began working her way up to Jack.
Jack didn't want her anywhere near him. He was angry and frustrated by her blatant disrespect and insults earlier. But then you can't technically scold her about it now, since you let her get away with it earlier, Jack's conscience provided, causing a pang of guilt inside the immortal.
"What are you doing here, Gwen?" Jack quickly got down to business while she was still making her way to him.
"I came to spend the night with you," she answered honestly. She put on her most seductive voice and added a sway in her hips after her response.
Jack noticed, and thought it repulsive. How have I never noticed that before? "You should be with Rhys, y'know, you're fiancé."
Gwen was now ascending the steps to stand with Jack outside his office, hoping to get him inside so they could have their romantic evening together. "No, I should be with you. You just admitted you love me, and I love you," she responded, handing Jack the glass of wine.
"Gwen I don't love you," Jack immediately voiced, refusing the wine, "or at least not in the way you want me to or think I do."
But his denial went in one ear and out the other. "Don't be silly, Jack," she laughed; half with amusement, half with flirtation. "You said so yourself, after I said I wouldn't know any different if I was retconned and didn't remember you all, that you would. And you would because you love me, you need me. I see the way you look at me Jack, with such longing, and need, and desire." Gwen purred the last of her statement.
"You're wrong, Gwen," Jack denied her statement harshly, knowing now that being brutally honest was the only way he was going to get through to her.
"What am I wrong about, Jack?" Gwen scoffed, still not willing to believe what he was saying.
Jack took a deep breath, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but knowing it was needed. "I don't love you. If I look at you longingly, it's because you remind me of a friend I lost, and I desire to have her back in my life. I have no desire for you other than a friend and colleague, and that is also the only way I love you. I need you on my team, but that's it. I don't need you as anything more, and I don't want you as anything more."
Gwen rolled her eyes, but not as well as Ianto does, Jack noted, and laughed again. "Come on, Jack. You don't need to lie to me," she stated while moving completely into Jack's personal space, ready to lean in for a kiss.
Jack pushed her off and kept the distance between them. "I'm not lying, Gwen," he said sternly.
Gwen was beginning to feel dejected and that maybe, just maybe, Jack was telling the truth. "What about all of those times you flirted with me? Teaching me how to use a gun? What about your confession of coming back to me? Your shock at finding out I was engaged?"
Jack sighed, not realizing just how much he led her on all this time. "I flirt, Gwen because that is just part of who I am. In case you haven't noticed, I flirt with everyone. Only a handful of people have received the real deal, and you're definitely not one of them. Weapons training; I've groped everyone; you can ask the rest of them, even Owen. It's a distraction mechanism. Your engagement was a shock, but not because I feel anything for you. I just figured you would leave Torchwood after, and you're part of my handpicked team. I don't want to lose any of you."
Gwen was now feeling hurt and angry, the latter the more predominant feeling. She realized he skipped over one of her questions. "What about your confession about coming back for me?"
Jack purposely skipped over that question and hoped she wouldn't notice. It's not that he didn't want anyone knowing about his love for Ianto, because he did, but he knew this final confession would be disastrous in the end. "I came back for Ianto," he stated honestly and proudly.
Then hell broke loose. "WHAT?!"
"I came back for Ianto," he stated again.
"Oh, I heard you the first time," Gwen snapped. "But what does the bloody Teaboy have that I don't?" she asked, snarling.
Jack knew he was getting into dangerous territory, but he needed to be honest. Not just to and for himself, but for Ianto. "My heart, my love," he answered honestly.
"So you're telling me I retconned Rhys for nothing, then?" She asked, fuming over the latest discovery.
Jack hadn't expected Gwen to actually follow through. Though thinking about it now, since she thinks I am in love with her and want to be with her, then of course she would listen. "No, not for nothing, because it's protocol."
"Oh, fuck protocol, Jack! I retconned him so we can finally be together!" Gwen protested and tried to make Jack see reason. "I love you, and I know you love me to! Why won't you just admit it?!"
Jack was getting fed up. "Because I don't love you, Gwen!" he finally snapped.
Tears streamed down her face as she threw the wine glasses, ran back down the stairs, and out of the Hub. Jack sighed in both relief and frustration while he watched her retreat. He was relieved that the wretched woman was finally gone, but frustrated that he unintentionally led her on and therefore caused a world of problems; not just for himself, but for his lover and his team.
Jack shook himself out of his thoughts and was about to head down to clean up the broken glass and wine when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Leave it," Ianto whispered into his ear.
Jack turned around and took Ianto into a loving embrace. "So you heard all of it then?"
Ianto smiled and nodded. "Is it okay that I told her I love you?" Jack asked, worried that he might not want their new stage in their relationship broadcasted.
Ianto took Jack's head into his hands and forced them to stare into each other's eyes. "Jack, I love you, and now I know for sure, one-hundred percent, that you love me, too. I may be shy and want to keep my private life actually private, but my love for you never was and never will be a secret."
Ianto didn't give Jack time to respond as he leaned in for a kiss; one full of tender passion and love. Definitely one of the top ten kisses of all time, Ianto thought, then mentally giggled at his Princess Bride reference.
They broke apart when the need for air became necessary. Quickly Ianto became all business. "Well, I guess I need to do some damage control now."
The sudden change from romance to business threw Jack for a loop. "What?"
"Gwen actually retconned Rhys," Ianto began explaining. "But he was shot. We'd have to provide a cover story as to his injuries. We were talking about possibilities before she interrupted with her fit earlier. Since she actually followed through, we need to decide something."
"Oh, right…" Jack had already completely forgot that Gwen followed his orders, but only because she thinks I love her, he scolded himself again for the unintentional result. "Have you come up with a reasonable idea?"
"I believe I have, sir," Ianto said with a smirk, knowing that the 'sir' would arouse his lover again, but also to keep professional. Oh, all his little fetishes.
"Then let's hear it, Ianto."
"Well. His driver died and he was injured. I was thinking that we also retcon Ruth, his secretary, and change all the records to show that Rhys was assisting his driver. During the crash, he was impaled with a cylindrical object similar in shape and size to the bullet. Those involved wouldn't know any different, except us, of course. And then make sure all records of the shipment of alien meat, or the ones involved with this case, altered to show Rhys and his driver going elsewhere."
Jack took a few minutes to think about the suggestion. Of course Ianto would come up with the perfect plan. He always does. Rhys and Ruth are the only Harwood's employees that we dealt with, so wiping their memories, then altering them, would be best and easiest. Ianto Jones; always right and always taking care of us. "Sounds like a plan, Ianto. Should you deal with Rhys or should I?"
"I already called Owen in to handle it. I think it is best you and I keep our distance from Gwen for the time being. I'll go out and handle Ruth; can't have your charms being the reason someone remembers…" Ianto smiles and adds, "again."
Jack nodded that he agreed and understood. Ianto drew Jack closer and whispered in his ear, "And then when we get back, I'll show you just how much I love you," which sent a shiver down Jack's back. They kissed as tenderly as they did earlier before breaking off and finishing their business.