9

Ianto did not want to announce yet. It felt wrong to do so when so many milestones were being met by others. In typical Ianto Jones fashion, he was trying not to be too much.

Jack was not able to be so discrete and the third time he visited the 'Baby & Me' room to pick through the things for a newborn baby it became clear that he was choosing things Toshiko already had or would not want. He was choosing things to create a nursery, not add to an existing one.

It took another couple of days of people watching Ianto sample foods, screw his little nose and so Jack would rush back to the buffet table to choose a different dish before the rumours filled the vessel.

"Oi, you are rumbled" Owen said as they walked calmly along two weeks after Jack's jig.

"Excuse me?"

"The baby, the lead gossip item the last day or so. Everyone knows one of you is up the duff as every bugger has asked Lucia to her face. They know it is one of you, or Jack has a secret wifey on the side… or you do… some even suspect you both have a woman concubine at this point in the gossip chain." Owen chortled at the last one "Like either of you would share one another with a third party. That one tickles a certain skinny Captain so bad."

"I know it disappoints John but anyone else knows better than to even think such a thing in my vicinity, I would cut their eyeballs out of their heads with my blade for even considering my mate capable of that" Ianto huffed.

"See? Scary little fucker."

"Little?" Ianto raised an eyebrow and Owen laughed.

"Well, how would I know. You don't let me near you lot for an examination of your anatomy. So secretive now I know why. You have both reproductive organs. You have to understand, on a medical standpoint alone this is so interesting to me. How does it work, like… a hermaphrodite or something?" Owen asked.

"Or something… you know… well. I suppose… I will make sure the medical files are released to you on our basic anatomy and the reproductive side for the males. I shall then let you examine me one time and if you make a single disparaging remark I shall bever forgive you. Not all of us can do this… it is like… a defect. Or some sort of regressive gene that pops up now and then. We believe those in the vessel that came here were scientifically enhanced so they could populate a planet quickly once one was found stable enough to support life." Ianto finally said amicably "I think… three or four in a generation of thirty or forty kids."

"So… one in ten?"

"Sort of. Muchly. Yeah, not exacting and, like me… never admitted to so who knows" Ianto stopped walking and turned to look Owen in the eye "This is a secret thing, a sacred thing and in some cases in history… an embarrassment. I do not know how to feel, it has been all through the royal bloodline so I guess it should not be such a shock."

"Inherited, there is family history… so you should just accept it like the colour of your eyes or the height of your stature. Something inherited is not your fault. You should not be embarrassed about heritage. This is simply part of your DNA."

"Yeah, but so is hemophilia I believe."

"What?"

"Is that sleeping with dead people?" a voice asked behind then and Owen swung with horror to find John Hart following with an apple he was throwing into the air with a flick of his wrist.

"Necrophilia" Ianto calmly answered "Is wanting to sleep with the dead… Hemophilia is a blood disorder that means when you bleed, you can't always stop it. A problem with clotting of the blood."

"Ah." John nodded like the conversation was not slightly bizarre, even for him. "You have this?"

"No, but my grandmother does, as did my mother. Why her death was brutal and… messy." Ianto shuddered, knowing far more about that particular event than he would ever let on.

"So why are we talking about genes and disorders?"

"I have inherited my grandfather's desire to scalp people. He had a reputation for swinging his blade with open malice when in a temper. Most unfortunate but… every now and then a cocky little rooster comes along and I just…. Itch to peel his scalp from his skull" Ianto said, his eyes roaming over John's hairline as he spoke, and John's hand automatically went to cover his forehead before he burst into gales of laughter.

"Almost had me there"

"I know but your hair is too short to get a good grip, once the blood start so flow it might slip and I would hate to wreak a good scalping."

John laughed some more as he ambled off and Owen frowned as he stared after him "Do you think he heard anything we were discussing?"

"I assume he gleaned all of it the way his eye slid to my gut a few times. Yeah… he knows." Ianto sighed as he wondered if John Hart would keep his gob shut.

Bad luck to announce too early.

Some traditions were made to last.

.

.

"So, if you could keep it to yourself for a while…. It's a tradition he sez. More like… a luck thing. They are a superstitious lot and announcing before the three-month mark is bad luck to them." Jak was hissing as he resisted the urge to throttle the man who had loudly just called him 'Daddy' with a smirk.

"I can't' stop imagining how..." anything else he was about to say was muted… well… choked off. Jack's hands are large, like other parts of him if ya get my meaning and right now John was being very well taught that those hands also have a bloody good grip.

"I am not playing here Johnny" Jack snarled so close their noses were brushing "Not a word."

"You know… he threatened to scalp me in a most… delicate way and now…. Why?" John asked once he had put up his hands in surrender and been released to massage his throat.

"Our child,,," Jack hissed then tried to calm down "Our child will one day lead. As in… rule."

"A child of a Crusty….. ooooohhhhhhh" John blinked.

"Yeah, apparently royal marriages are usually within the realms of the 'chosen' pool" Jack sighed "Old farts with tomes of family trees making sure there is so much separation between them to not have mutations but also close enough so the bloodline is not diluted.. blah blah."

"So, Ianto choosing you… oh."

"Yeah, they might have accepted me as his concubine and him marrying another of their kind in due time. By getting preggers to me… he is making it clear that when he takes his chair, the one next to him is mine." Jack softly explained "Some will be…. Pissy."

John finally understood.

It's not just for the safety of the baby due to tradition or superstition.

Ianto feared backlash.