12
John was in the hydroponic room, looking at the tomatoes with interest when he felt a shift in the room, turning to find Ianto behind him with something in his hand.
"Johnty."
"Yantish." John said, the original name that Ianto derived from in the old tongue.
Ianto seemed to be considering something and (not for the first time) John felt tendrils of fear grasping at his gonads as he watched the man's eyes change colour. A true chameleon, this rare multi-power Mutant was capable of amazing things. Scary and vicious things too, he had seen him in battle during the Cleansings of old, he knew the temper and the swing.
Finally, Ianto spoke "Jack has apologised for omitting you from the reports and I have decided to forgive it, if not totally him. You however… I am still unsure if I want to throw you off or give you a fifth… sixth? How many chances have I given you so far? You keep trying to pick my fruit."
"Maybe… you have given me one less than all I deserve?" John asked softly "Maybe… for old time's sake you might give me one more."
"As always, one more" Ianto sighed, placing down the small bag and as he turned to leave he hesitated turning back to say softly "but one day you will have used up all your lives and you are not as big of a cat as I am John. One day I might eat you alive."
After Ianto had left John let out his breath, leaning against the table as his heart pounded in his chest and he reached out for the bag, opening it with open curiosity and he gasped as a pretty belt bucket peeked out at him, something Ianto had clearly just found at the market. Not an apology when one was not needed… it was a peace offering. An end to the argument.
Two duelling pistols crossed. It looked ancient, clearly an heirloom piece and he knew it must have cost some credits. John quickly changed out his plain gold buckle for the brass one, pleased with the way it matched the buckles on his boots.
Of course it did.
Why Eye Candy had noticed it in the first place. Yantish. Means procurer of sweet things. John sighed as his own name Johnty meant clever but cheeky and Javic? Well, Javic means vicious and protective.
If only they knew.
Ianto was the most vicious and clever of all of them.
.
.
"Tad?"
"Yes love?" Ianto said without looking up, his beloved son sitting on the bed to watch Ianto on his hands and knees sliding things home now he had agreed to move back onto the berth with Jack.
"I think I might have fallen in."
"Into what love?" Ianto muttered still moving things around under the bed and Winston grinned lovingly at his Dam "Taddy… I think I am preggers."
Ianto sat back on his heels, his shock clear "You think? So… you've not asked Uncle Owen to poke about?"
"No, I just… what if it's in my head. I mean, none of the other boys inherited the ability. I am not your strongest child and …" his voice petered out as his hands flapped in a Jack-like way.
"You fear that it's not real and you look like you are trying hard to be like your Dad, like Daniel keeps needling you about?" Ianto sighed "You know… we have children, grandchildren, great grandchildren… I suspect Brekkie is preggers and doesn't want her mother to find out just yet… can you imagine? Five generations?"
"And in all those male offspring … none have displayed the ability to carry" he sighed.
"Well… little Sasha is showing signs of gleaning ya know. I caught her changing her hair colour to match her friend Jenna's the other day" Ianto said with a wide grin "Not another gleaner in the pack… and now one might be there. Why not a male womb?"
"Will you go with me?"
"Don't' be a divvy. Of course" Ianto rose and accepted the hand held out, this thirty year old man wanting to hold his Taddy's hand as they walked along to the medical bay.
And of course Ianto held it.
This was one if his.
He had felt this child grow, become and he had birthed him with such hope, this also the last child he had carried himself. It was only because of his gleaning that he had managed to seize Jack's ability while he was with child as well, both of them pregnant at the same time.
Tam was a twin… the other one carried by Jack was identical in every way down to the little birthmark on the back of the left hand and it had been slightly unsettling to realize Ianto had accidentally gleaned not only the womb but made a copy of the foetus as well. Tam and Sam were also polar opposites. One quiet, the other rowdy proving the development in the womb is as important as their first year after birth. Tam was so Ianto silent it was eerie. Sam brash and loud like Jack.
Of course the chance that Tam had some of Ianto's powers when Sam didn't was not that weird right? Or that both might have Jack's.
And Ianto knew before Owen said it that it was true.
Ianto's gleaning the baby and womb had resulted in also taking the ability to create life. Gifting it to the baby at the same time.
For the first time Ianto felt something else deep down as he pondered the fact he had snatched so much from Jack in a moment of weakness… probably during sex.
Was this twin also blessed with Jack's healing powers?
None of their children had been, as none had gained Ianto's chameleon… until this little one he had been watching seemed to have it.
Genes are a crazy crap shoot.
And the other question… if Tam can… can Sam?