40
Jack had been wondering where Ianto was and found him standing at the edge of the infinity pool staring out over the countryside that crept away over the mountains beyond their house, a stark opposite to the city on the other side.
"Sweetling?" Jack said softly, "You know it's safe, the drop is protected with a shield? Our babies will never wash of the edge."
Ianto snorted as he turned to glance at him and Jack saw him in silhouette, the little one poking out in a most obvious way.
"Ahhhh, I see a bubby" Jack crooned as he moved forward kneeling to place his hands under the bump and feel the weight of it "Oh sweetling, your poor back."
"Going to get worse as he grows, another couple of months yet" Ianto said with pleasure in the affection, his hands carding through Jack's hair.
"What's wrong love? You want to change something?"
"Nothing" Ianto smiled softly, "I wish to change nothing at all my lovely husband. No, it is all so lovely and you have worked so hard. You are so nurturing that my only fear is that when my time comes you will have the pains as well."
Jack roared with mirth, "I wish Owen had never told you about sympathy pains, the bloody bugger was stirring us. I was not fat that day, just slumped in my chair. Look, I don't look preggers too do I?"
Jack pulled his shirt up to show that lovely smooth body and Ianto ran his hand over it, "Nope. Nothing but lust and energy in there."
"Lust for my mate" Jack crooned, pulling Ianto as close as he could with a large belly between them and he kissed Ianto gently, a hand squeezing a bum … OK, maybe two bums got squeezes here.
"What is it then?" Jack asked, "Why so pensive?"
"I feel like something is coming, there is some sort of…weight in the air. I don't know what it is but I don't like it" Ianto sighed.
"Well, we will weather it, you know we will. The storm might tear this place asunder but we will clutch to one another with our babies between us and be safe. If only our love to shield us, it is strong enough to withstand a direct hit from a meteor, I believe that" Jack said firmly, "Do you?"
"With all my heart" Ianto smiled as he felt himself melt just a little.
"Come on, let's go check the lower levels if it makes you feel better, the bugs love clustering around you like little satellites, your big moon baby wafting along." Jack said with a baby voice and Ianto snorted as he rubbed the big bump that was indeed a flame to the proverbial clicking moths.
"The size of a moon Cariad?" he asked as they walked towards the elevator and Jack faltered as he realised he might had overstepped then he saw the amusement in Ianto's face and saw he was being played with yet again.
"My moon" Jack said happily, "My moon and our children are the stars."
Ianto laughed as he stepped inside the elevator "Good save."
"Come on lovely mate of mine" Jack said as they descended deep into the bowels of the castle. The madness was instantaneous with Ianto stepping from the elevator into the inner sanctum of the bugs. He was soon in a chair with several bugs fighting for space on the table for their food offerings and Ianto laughed softly as he spied his little boy wafting past with some bugs, waving to him.
"Tadda. You come play?"
"Yes" Ianto said happily, "I came to play with my lovely friends. They are such wonderful friends to have, I do love our buggies."
"Wonderful buggies" Caden agreed as he clasped a claw affectionately, "Brother will love buggies too."
"Yes love, he will"
Jack left them there for a pampered smothering and went back upstairs, calling the Brig to invite him and his little family to dinner, hoping that perhaps a united front might mike Ianto feel safer. After a thought or two he called Owen and added them too.
Something was ruffling Ianto in a way Jack could feel and he didn't like it, not one little bit.
Jack went back to the roof and stood staring up the mountain like Ianto had, wondering what his inner eye had seen.
Landslide?
Flood?
Invasion?
You could go mad trying to keep it all together ya know, trying to sort the main threads of possibility to find which string was attached to your future. Of course Ianto was overweight, a little one also in the mix.
Jack then turned in another direction heading back down and entering a room he never did, hers.
Ianto's mother rose from her needlework with surplus, dropping it into the chair as she stepped forward "what is it? Something's wrong, I feel it. What is it?"
"I don't know" Jack answered, "But I want you with us tonight, down here in the with us for the evening meal in the lower level please."
"Yes" she said with glee, "Of course, but I ate with you last night, he doesn't like me in there too much…I mean…"
"Don't be stupid, it is you who set the restrictions on your time in his presence, not him" Jack snapped, "He loves you. Stop being as self-depreciating as he is. Show him you forgive yourself your sins against him and sit at the table."
"Yes son" she said softly with surprise at his anger.
He was right.
She had to forgive herself, only then could she see that Ianto had already done so.