14

Ianto knew Jack was watching him, knew she had stirred the pot and sooner or later Jack would explode into a snarling mess of demanding questions. Jack had a default that was pure Bastard Mode. Ianto knew this… intimately.

Blerp might eat him. Best to nip it in the bud.

It was late that night once the house had settled and most of the saner people were asleep that Ianto decided he had to man up and stop being so bloody emo about this. Jack deserved an explanation… if they were to progress and Ianto hoped like fuck that they can.

"Right, I have some cocoa for us both. Sit."

Jack sat.

Ianto looked at the fire blazing in the huge stone fireplace, the rest of the house asleep after the evening meal and just them… and a little purple thing who also desperately wanted things to work out. He considered, the just went for it "You were my mate. You, me and Johnty … we were a Triad. In every way. But you and I… he was jealous of that. Complained that he was always just another sex toy for us… the great love affair… called himself Dildo until you started too as well."

Jack laughed softly as it did sound just like John. Deep down… it felt right. True. Like a whispered melody of a song that he could not remember.

Ianto continued "Look… when the time loop happened… no blame on Johnty but we both told him not to push that button, we all fought like animals. He had us trapped, messed with your head like Master had the Doctor's. To my despair, it ended the same way. Like fucking déjà vu. You left. I was with child, tried to tell you but he had convinced you it was likely his. Like I would EVER want his seed… you were so angry. You attacked me. Accused me of making it up to try and trap you."

Ianto stopped talking and took another deep breath as Jack stared at him with an open gob "He tried to stop you and both of you then were injured. He confessed to you that it was yours. You accused him of being in on the scam and you fought some more. Then finally… he begged you to believe it. But the damage was done. Agency Militia had been called and we were all arrested for the fight. Punishment for the Time Loop he had created for this little game with your head, both of you were punished. Since I was with child and a Timelord… so they knew I was above reproach, I was beyond their scope of control, and I simply left as well. I accepted that you were mind-locked. I just never thought you would accept that. I always thought that in time you would unlock it again, as you had in previous missions. You always unlocked a mind-lock withing weeks, but this one… you double locked it. I guess the thought of the child rattled you. His taunts and crapola… I was left alone. In the chaos I found The Doctor and he asked for my help with his own mess. For old time's sake. Fucking twat that I am, I said sure. I wanted the diversion to reset my own way of thinking. To get over the loss of you. Which leads me to here."

"I… I denied our child?"

"You believed him, that it was his. You did. He was so fucking convincing that even when he told you it was a lie, you thought he was just trying to protect me in a vulnerable state." Ianto snorted as he looked up at the ceiling "Me. Vulnerable."

"What… what became of the child?" Jack aske softly "Did it…."

"He survived my pain, yes. He was born healthy and a goddamned replica of you" Ianto smiled softly as he fiddled with the arm of the chair "in fact, he even sounds like you."

"Where is he? What… what happened to him?" Jak asked, the past tense changing to now making him have hope. Was the child alive?

"I was not sure what to do so I took him to your mother" Ianto finally said.

"What. Wait… what?"

"I go back sometimes to visit. He is… growing well. I try to limit my visits to once a year, making it once a week for him, sometimes I am more frequent if I know he needs me. His Gormish died so…. I visited every day in his timeline for the next few years… he seems to be getting over it now."

"Grandmother is dead. He knew her? Wow. My son… how old is he… back with my mother?" Jack asked.

"I have travelled up to his tenth birthday" Ianto smiled softy "I wanted to peek ahead but that's cheating. And you know me… all about order. Besides, I don't want to time-lock him to the fixed event so if he travels of world, he creates a paradox or something."

"What did you call him?"

"Franklin of course" Ianot said like he was thick, "You mother was insistent. She is besotted with him. Frankie is… well… a blessing and so clever. The rest of the settlement all love him too. Spoilt. Some call him little Jax."

"Can we go see him? Can I… meet hm?" Jack asked.

"I don't know if … I need to think. This is all happening so fast all of a sudden. For both of us. Throwing him into the mix will not help matters between us and … we need to bond again."

"It sure as hell can't hurt!" Jack said with anger "My son. My child. I have a right to meet him, at least! Christ Ianto. Once again… you hid from me!"

Ianto felt the physical slap of the words rearing back in his chair before rising to leave, the purple best on the back of the chair making a low hissing noise as it rose as well, not the cute little Blerp but something… more like a hell Hound form the Bowels of Hades.

Blerp was not hiding anymore.

Jack sat stock still, not daring to move until the large beast slouched out the door after his Tadda.

Jack sat to think about things for a long while.

He knew Ianto would agree.

But he also knew he had to handle this right… all of this.

He now knew at least one of his offspring had his Bastard Mode, and that had been… fucking scary.