20
Ianto was trying to get his head around it. He was … what… fuck me.
It was Martha who noticed him digging though the Fat Files with a strange look on his face. She sat and waited knowing sooner or later Ianto would explain to her what the problem was and finally he did.
Blowing her mind.
DNA. The men did not have babies in their balls because the Baby Blaster could detect the fact the sperm and the host were different DNA. No need for an egg, just estrogen to prove it's a female. So… fuck me. Well… Jack did the fucking really I guess.
"And… you're sure?"
"Yes. Toshiko still had it set for her own scan and I forgot to change anything so… the heartbeat was the first thing that told me I was more than slightly up the duff" Ianto hissed angrily "MARTHA MAE! Focus. What the fuck… how am I even carrying this thing?"
"So… wow. More than half way along, um… you can tell if it's a boy or girl so…."
"Boy" Ianto said softly as he leaned back to rub his belly "They are not all the same sex. I am thinking it's for reproduction purposes. Maybe the Blaster went boy… girl… boy… girl… so that the offspring could reproduce more. If we are right about this gun being to repopulate after a massive disaster or something… stands to reason it would make sure both sexes are represented."
"Wow. I mean… wow. I don't know what to say" Martha shrugged as she read some of the medical notes again, seeing that Ianto was right. They had let some of the rats and monkeys carry almost to term. Oh god. It had been hard, nasty even and none of the male hosts seemed to enjoy the sensation of contractions even as they had no way to give birth naturally.
This is when Martha felt sick. "Almost to term my arse. They must have let some of the monkeys go full term to know they died horribly, two with C-Sections… actually surviving only to be killed for the purpose of dissection to make sure their bodies were OK. What the hell."
"I know."
.
.
"Alright, I don't have time for this" Jack grumbled as he stood with his arms folded, Martha and Ianto trying to explain things and failing miserably.
"Jack, please listen. The tests on rats and monkeys produced male pregnancies" Ianto tried again "Look at the files."
"So you are going to try and tell me this phantom pregnancy is a real one? Come on Ianto, you are clutching at straws now!" Jack was not taking the bait "Seriously. The women need you be supportive right now, not…"
"See?" Ianto spun to face Martha "This is pointless and I don't see him changing his mind. I can rip it out of my gut and whirl it about and he will find some explanation for it. No. He doesn't want this baby so he doesn't want to believe me."
"Ianto, I love you, please. This is going too far" Jack begged, his upset clear as he tried to pull Ianto into his arms "Please baby. Stop. Stop this."
"Come on. Let's just let it go" Ianto said to Martha with sorrow on his face, pulling her to the other room "Even if we play the heartbeat he will tell us it's a recording from someone else's. Come on, once he's decided something, that's it."
"So you will just give up?"
"No, I will give him time to see for himself. It's ok Martha. Jack doesn't need us to force it down his throat. If he doesn't not want to believe us… that's on him." Ianto huffed.
Martha did not know what to think but she knew her cousin had decided.
.
.
Ianto entered the room and found himself slowing as the women all turned to face him. He had that feeling of déjà vu and he started tlkaing before they could "Ya know, Jack asked if he could call this place Torchwood 2.0, since it has some Torchwood originals here and such. At first I was annoyed but then I saw the funny side and pointed out to him that it would actually be T3 because Torchwood Village is already a rename. The hill behind the village with the clearing is torchwood Knoll and they say there were solstice festivals and such held up there in ancient times so… the village was T2. This, technically, would be T3. He liked that and was needling me to let him put up Torchwood Sign and rename some of the little alleyways as streets."
They all stared at him and he sighed, then added "But I told him it did not feel like the village here. Not here, where I come from and belong. But just now… the way you all turned to look at me with your hands over your bumps and those matching looks of… well. I know what this is. You are about to tell me that you don't want me hanging out with you anymore because this group is for the babies."
"Well… it's not like that" Toshiko said as she tried to defuse the clear anger rising on her friend's face.
"Well, actually it is. We are all preggers. Talking about things that are important to us, things you will NEVER understand and frankly, we are a little embarrassed that you know so much already. This is women's work and as such… we need our click." Charlotte said firmly.
Ianto glanced over at Toshiko who sat with her head down, and then he nodded "so be it. I will stay out of your way and not interfere in your baby stuff. To that end… the yoga mats and birthing pools arrived. Get someone to collect them and set them up because I am not doing it."
Ianto stormed off feeling morose and kicked in the teeth.
They didn't know he was preggers too but that was no reason to be so mean.
Yea, hell Jack may as well put up the name plates.
It felt like the village here now too.
Strange how guests think it is OK to insult their fucking host.