Chapter Eleven: Fifteen Weeks Along
May. 12th, 2010 01:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ericadawn16Title: Knocked Up!
Author: Ericadawn16
Prompt: Knocked Up
Character/Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Rhi/Johnny, Ianto/Lisa
Rating:R
Warnings: MPreg, sex, language
Spoilers:Character from COE
Word Count:68,599
Disclaimer for TW and the movie you are using:I own nothing.
Summary:Ianto gets a promotion at work, meets Jack and things are never the same...
Beta: BIG Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
madkatstar_pir8 pirate4evrnavy2 and surreal_44
Author's Notes: This story is very AU. Chapter Ten: Fourteen Weeks Along
Chapter Eleven: Fifteen Weeks Along
Jack was feeling a lot better about things since Ianto seemed to be relaxing more. It had been a few days since their appointment and he was in Ianto's bed. It seemed that his housemates made Ianto uncomfortable. He understood they could be a bit...scary at first. Ianto just needed to know them better.
"Do you see anything?" the younger man asked with a hand rubbing below his cock. Jack looked at the area. It didn't look all that different to him.
"It's a bit red," he described and he heard a gasp from the top of the bed.
"What do you mean it's red?" he asked in a worried tone.
"Well, you keep rubbing it, of course it's red," Jack told him and gave him a look between his legs.
"But it's...there's no extra holes?" Ianto questioned.
"The only hole I see is an asshole" he answered and proved his point by sticking a finger in it. This elicited a lustful giggle from Ianto and he watched one of his breasts jiggle at the same time. The young man caught him looking and covered them with his arms. He was still so self-conscious about them.
"You should be having fun with them," Jack told him and Ianto pouted.
"I don't want to be having fun with them, I want them gone," Ianto complained and Jack leaned over him with his elbows resting on both sides before kissing him on the lips.
****************************************************
Ianto was writing up a report on an earlier incident when Martha came up to him.
"You haven't come to see me since last week," she said and crossed her arms, "It's very important for the development that we maintain a regular dialogue."
"I know, it's just...," he started but he didn't want to voice his suspicions aloud. They came out in a whisper, "What if you find something wrong?"
"Or we could find that things are progressing better than we could have hoped," Martha said and squeezed his shoulder.
"Perhaps," he told her.
"I want to see you next week. You'll be sixteen weeks then," she said in a low voice, "Now, any new symptoms? Feeling any fluttering? Going to buy new clothes?"
"I have a headache and I have to piss every five minutes. No, I haven't felt anything," Ianto complained, "and why should I buy new clothes when I can borrow Jack's for now?"
Martha rolled her eyes and commented, "Someone's in a good mood."
"Headache," he reminded her. She kissed him on the cheek before saying, "Take care of yourself and I will see you next week. Bring Jack if you want."
******************************************************************
Jack sat on the couch with Ianto as everyone else dressed up in their suits for paintball.
"Are you sure you don't want to come paintballing?" Owen asked, brandishing his special rifle. Jack waved them off.
"Have fun, guys, but watch the eyes," he told them in stern warning. He didn't want a repeat of last time when John had deliberately him in the eye with a paintball.
"All right," Owen agreed with a nod.
"See ya, Yan," John said and winked at both of them.
"Peace" Mickey spoke before exiting.
"Bye," Owen uttered, then turned to Ianto, adding, "Are you sleeping alright? You look tired. Maybe you should rest. Are you having night terrors?"
Should Jack been paying him more attention? They hadn't seen each other in a few days, but he seemed the same as ever.
"Wouldn't you if you were in my shoes?" Ianto asked with a hand over his belly. Jack felt his insides twist at this. He should have noticed and Owen frowned in sympathy.
"Talk to...your work, manager, whatever...you need to be having an afternoon nap until you can get a more restful night's sleep. Try having a warm milk with it, too," Owen stated and turned to Jack, "and no keeping him up. He needs his rest, doctor's orders."
With a final wag of his finger, he left the room. Ianto looked over at him and looked so young.
"I should...I should...I should have noticed," Jack spoke, "I'm sorry that I'm not good at this."
"It's fine," Ianto insisted, shaking his head and putting a hand on his.
"No, I'm going to fix some of that hot milk and make you comfortable on my bed," Jack told him.
*******************************************************
It was a little weird, but Ianto appreciated Owen being concerned. He just didn't like being coddled. When he woke up from his sleep, he popped in one of the movies lying around. Ianto supposed he should try and be supportive of Jack's hobby...business...whatever. Almost as soon as the film started, a topless woman appeared.
"Tits! Tits! Tits!" Ianto yelled in Jack's direction. He ran in with only his briefs on.
"Hold on, pause it. Pause it. Pause it," Jack told him.
"Tits and pussy," Ianto stated and pointed. If only he actually liked that sort of thing instead of feeling a slight perversion. Jack jumped onto the couch beside him and picked up the clipboard to take notes. He seemed excited so Ianto would play along.
"Good tits," he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.
"Those are good ones! We're only about thirty-five seconds in," Jack agreed.
"Right over the opening credits," Ianto said before adding silently, because it's that classy.
"Nice, credit nudity, you never get opening-credit nudity," Jack stated with a smile and un-paused it.
"I know. That's so crazy," he said and slumped back against the cushioning.
"But your tits are better," Jack uttered in that way that would normally be sexy if he hadn't used the phrase 'your tits'.
"No, no, they are abominations. They are simply side effects of a medication I took, like sleeplessness or suicidal thoughts. They will go away," he said and crossed his arms over them. Jack paused the DVD and turned to him.
"I mean it, they are beautiful and I've seen a lot. I know you don't like them right now, but I hope at some point you can let me show you how good they can be," he told him. Ianto still didn't feel comfortable with 'beautiful' especially when he felt bloated, he was having cramps although apparently not the bad kind and those breasts, that Jack was so keen on, had visible veins all over them that the lady on the telly did not have. He didn't say anything.
"Fine," Jack said at his silence and turned the movie back on.
*************************************************************
Jack was driving in his car when his mobile rang. He had a pretty good idea who it would be.
"Jack, Jack, I'm scared," said Ianto's voice through his blue-tooth speaker.
"What is it, baby?" he asked.
"Don't call me that. This is your boyfriend, that is all," Ianto spoke in such a curt manner that Jack had to remind himself that it was just hormones.
"Okay, so what happened? What has you so scared?" Jack asked in his most supportive tone.
"It's nothing, it's probably nothing. I thought about seeing Martha, but we're seeing her tomorrow anyway. It might be some female thing, but I can't reach Gwen so I went home sick, but it's the same," Ianto stumbled on the other end. Jack glanced at his GPS. He was getting closer to his destination. A Dalek had been found. Inactive at the moment and with any luck, it would stay that way. Jack knew Gwen must be there already and had somehow been able to give Ianto the slip before leaving.
"In plain English, Ianto, please," he requested of the other man.
"It just...it feels weird, like there's a butterfly or a worm down there, just wriggling...not all the time either, it comes and goes," Ianto spoke, "Do you think something's horribly wrong?"
Jack couldn't help laughing.
"What? What are you laughing for? This is serious," Ianto complained which only made it more difficult to contain his composure.
"Ianto...Ianto, that's the baby," he explained with a smile. At some point, he'd be able to feel it, too. Jack wondered if Ianto was alone, but he would have to resolve this Dalek thing first.
"Really?" his boyfriend asked.
"Yeah, I have some errands to do first, but I'll come later if you want," Jack suggested as the light turned red.
"Bring Italian, not pizza," Ianto said and he replied, "Will do, see you later."
*************************************************************
Ianto ate more of the pasta that Jack had brought. He had felt so alone when he phoned him. It was easier now that he knew what the feeling was; it was the baby. It was reassuring that he could feel it. If he could feel the movement, that meant everything must be fine. Johnny had picked the kids up from school and dropped them off. A little after that, Jack had come and now there was plenty of noise and people. The three of them were in the pool while he sat in a chair on the side. Mica and David teamed up against Jack. At the same time, they splashed the adult.
"You got me. You got me," Jack said with a laugh as he shook off the water. Then, he splashed them back. Mica giggled.
"Uncle Ianto should play with us," David spoke and looked at him.
"Well, is Uncle Ianto up to it?" Jack asked, picking up an inflated ball floating past him. Ianto put a hand on his belly: quiet at the moment. Then, he set aside the takeaway and stood up.
"I have to change first, but you can't be rough with me, understand?" he asked them and waited until they both nodded. Johnny's trunks should fit and he went inside to get a pair. Jack had just stripped down to his briefs, but Ianto wasn't wearing any so that wouldn't work.
SIXTEEN WEEKS ALONG
"There's my favorite patient," said Martha with a smile the next day. She held open the door and the two men filed in. Jack was never sure what to do during these things. He wasn't sure what Ianto wanted from him during the appointments. Usually, he was direct with asking for food or companionship, but not here. Jack could only guess from visible clues. She shut the door and had that serious face again.
"Sixteen weeks is when we do a blood test for abnormalities," she spoke in a very calm voice, "I don't want you to get worked up about it. It's normal and I'm sure everything will be fine. It's just procedure."
Despite her words, he could see Ianto getting upset. He put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
"I'll need you to remove your coat," she prodded in a gentle tone.
"Right...right," Ianto agreed and slipped it off. The baby would be fine. They just had to be positive.
*****************************************************
Ianto sighed. It was the day after the appointment and Martha should be calling any moment except she wasn't. Every second she didn't call, made him more worried, plus, he had another problem at the moment.
"Nice extension, Ianto," said Gwen with a giggle and a glint in her brown eyes. He pushed his chair further under the desk so no one could see the tent in his trousers.
"There's increased blood flow to that area. It's normal, I just wasn't warned that it would be all of that area," Ianto explained while gripping his desk. Gwen continued giggling.
"Did you have a point to this visit or do you just possess radar that knows the most embarrassing moment to appear?" he asked with narrowed blue eyes.
"Yeah, Guppy has you on grunt work so you have a new project," Gwen said and he knew that he would hate whatever it was.
"And that would be?" he asked and one hand touched his belly.
"The annual interrogation of Faith," she replied and he sighed again.
"Ever since she was found, she's only had a handful of helpful things to say and that's been over a hundred years. It's pointless," Ianto complained, but that was why it was called grunt work.
"You're on Guppy's shit-list so unless you're going to explain to her, like we've all told you to, why you're going to be nearly useless in the field for the next six months...I suggest you get something valuable out of her," Gwen told him. She had a point. He rubbed his face and stood up.
"Might want to have a wank in the loo first though," she said and cackled again. He just hoped that would work. A little while later, Ianto carried his laptop in its case in front of him in case anything popped up again.
"Ah, Jones, I've been expecting you. She's in there, but to make matters worse, she's forcing us not to record the meeting," Guppy explained and rolled her eyes.
"Why?" Ianto asked and trying not to be distracted by the baby fluttering again.
"Said the cards insisted on it, I don't know. If I had my way, we wouldn't bother with this, but Yvonne says it's mandatory to bring the brat in every year," Guppy complained, "and since you've had a less than stellar performance as of late, I'm giving you the honors. Give me a report later."
"Of course," he told her and nodded for the guard to open the door. Ianto took a seat at the table across from the girl. She appeared as a twelve year old, but he knew she was far older than that. No one knew her exact age. Her clothes were Victorian, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Her brown eyes studied him and she smiled while shuffling her cards. It made him uncomfortable as she set one down. Her smile widened and she asked, "Do they know?"
"Pardon?" Ianto responded because she couldn't possibly know.
"Those aren't your clothes," she replied and put down another card.
"The doughnuts, they call to me," Ianto said with a forced laugh.
"No, you're..." she started when there was a knock on the glass to his right. Yvonne was there and did a little wave. Ianto waved back and she did a Thumbs Up signal to him. Not sure what to do, he did it back and she left.
"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Faith asked and put down another card. It was a woman with a crown on a throne a like a queen.
"What?" Ianto uttered in surprise. How did she know that?
"The cards don't lie," she said with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Oh shit. I haven't told them. I don't know how they'll take it, whether they'll study me or what. Everyone says I should tell Guppy, but I can't work up the nerve," he explained and she nodded as she turned over a card. It had a man resembling a court jester.
"It's okay. You've told everyone who will support you," she spoke and turned over some more. He noticed a card with two coins on it.
"What?" Ianto asked and wasn't sure what he was hearing. Everyone else was keen on his telling Guppy at the very least.
"The less they know, the better," Faith maintained in a voice too mature for her appearance.
"What? What do you mean by that? I shouldn't say anything? You're not going to say anything?" he inquired although he still felt very confused.
"I'm not going to say anything. You could say something to get out of danger, but they can't know the father," she insisted and held a card that looked a lot like Jack in a suit of armor. What?
"I don't understand. What would they want with Jack?" Ianto asked her.
"It's because of what he is," Faith stated and he felt like he understood even less.
"You mean the brain damage? But he seems normal," he argued and rested his hands on the laptop case lying on his belly.
"No, what he has is far more serious than brain damage," said the girl and he took a hand through the back of his hair. For a second, he thought about how it was getting too long. Then, he was brought back to the present.
"There are two paths before you; one where you could have it all and the other where you will lose everything," she spoke, looking at another card, "and I'm not sure if you will be able to choose which path for yourself."
She put another card beside the one she was looking at. The first card had seven cups illustrated on it with weird things inside. The other card had a blindfolded woman with two swords.
"What should I do?" he asked her despite feeling odd for asking someone who appeared so young.
"Protect yourself. Don't pretend you can do everything you could before and don't tell anyone about Jack," she said and a chill ran through him. He'd do anything to protect the baby, but there was another problem.
"We've been talking for almost three minutes and if I can't tell them about the baby, I can't explain what we've been talking about," Ianto pointed out and his chest felt tight.
Chapter Twelve: Sixteen Weeks Along
Author: Ericadawn16
Prompt: Knocked Up
Character/Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Rhi/Johnny, Ianto/Lisa
Rating:R
Warnings: MPreg, sex, language
Spoilers:Character from COE
Word Count:68,599
Disclaimer for TW and the movie you are using:I own nothing.
Summary:Ianto gets a promotion at work, meets Jack and things are never the same...
Beta: BIG Thanks to
madkatstar_pir8 pirate4evrnavy2 and surreal_44Author's Notes: This story is very AU. Chapter Ten: Fourteen Weeks Along
Chapter Eleven: Fifteen Weeks Along
Jack was feeling a lot better about things since Ianto seemed to be relaxing more. It had been a few days since their appointment and he was in Ianto's bed. It seemed that his housemates made Ianto uncomfortable. He understood they could be a bit...scary at first. Ianto just needed to know them better.
"Do you see anything?" the younger man asked with a hand rubbing below his cock. Jack looked at the area. It didn't look all that different to him.
"It's a bit red," he described and he heard a gasp from the top of the bed.
"What do you mean it's red?" he asked in a worried tone.
"Well, you keep rubbing it, of course it's red," Jack told him and gave him a look between his legs.
"But it's...there's no extra holes?" Ianto questioned.
"The only hole I see is an asshole" he answered and proved his point by sticking a finger in it. This elicited a lustful giggle from Ianto and he watched one of his breasts jiggle at the same time. The young man caught him looking and covered them with his arms. He was still so self-conscious about them.
"You should be having fun with them," Jack told him and Ianto pouted.
"I don't want to be having fun with them, I want them gone," Ianto complained and Jack leaned over him with his elbows resting on both sides before kissing him on the lips.
****************************************************
Ianto was writing up a report on an earlier incident when Martha came up to him.
"You haven't come to see me since last week," she said and crossed her arms, "It's very important for the development that we maintain a regular dialogue."
"I know, it's just...," he started but he didn't want to voice his suspicions aloud. They came out in a whisper, "What if you find something wrong?"
"Or we could find that things are progressing better than we could have hoped," Martha said and squeezed his shoulder.
"Perhaps," he told her.
"I want to see you next week. You'll be sixteen weeks then," she said in a low voice, "Now, any new symptoms? Feeling any fluttering? Going to buy new clothes?"
"I have a headache and I have to piss every five minutes. No, I haven't felt anything," Ianto complained, "and why should I buy new clothes when I can borrow Jack's for now?"
Martha rolled her eyes and commented, "Someone's in a good mood."
"Headache," he reminded her. She kissed him on the cheek before saying, "Take care of yourself and I will see you next week. Bring Jack if you want."
******************************************************************
Jack sat on the couch with Ianto as everyone else dressed up in their suits for paintball.
"Are you sure you don't want to come paintballing?" Owen asked, brandishing his special rifle. Jack waved them off.
"Have fun, guys, but watch the eyes," he told them in stern warning. He didn't want a repeat of last time when John had deliberately him in the eye with a paintball.
"All right," Owen agreed with a nod.
"See ya, Yan," John said and winked at both of them.
"Peace" Mickey spoke before exiting.
"Bye," Owen uttered, then turned to Ianto, adding, "Are you sleeping alright? You look tired. Maybe you should rest. Are you having night terrors?"
Should Jack been paying him more attention? They hadn't seen each other in a few days, but he seemed the same as ever.
"Wouldn't you if you were in my shoes?" Ianto asked with a hand over his belly. Jack felt his insides twist at this. He should have noticed and Owen frowned in sympathy.
"Talk to...your work, manager, whatever...you need to be having an afternoon nap until you can get a more restful night's sleep. Try having a warm milk with it, too," Owen stated and turned to Jack, "and no keeping him up. He needs his rest, doctor's orders."
With a final wag of his finger, he left the room. Ianto looked over at him and looked so young.
"I should...I should...I should have noticed," Jack spoke, "I'm sorry that I'm not good at this."
"It's fine," Ianto insisted, shaking his head and putting a hand on his.
"No, I'm going to fix some of that hot milk and make you comfortable on my bed," Jack told him.
*******************************************************
It was a little weird, but Ianto appreciated Owen being concerned. He just didn't like being coddled. When he woke up from his sleep, he popped in one of the movies lying around. Ianto supposed he should try and be supportive of Jack's hobby...business...whatever. Almost as soon as the film started, a topless woman appeared.
"Tits! Tits! Tits!" Ianto yelled in Jack's direction. He ran in with only his briefs on.
"Hold on, pause it. Pause it. Pause it," Jack told him.
"Tits and pussy," Ianto stated and pointed. If only he actually liked that sort of thing instead of feeling a slight perversion. Jack jumped onto the couch beside him and picked up the clipboard to take notes. He seemed excited so Ianto would play along.
"Good tits," he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.
"Those are good ones! We're only about thirty-five seconds in," Jack agreed.
"Right over the opening credits," Ianto said before adding silently, because it's that classy.
"Nice, credit nudity, you never get opening-credit nudity," Jack stated with a smile and un-paused it.
"I know. That's so crazy," he said and slumped back against the cushioning.
"But your tits are better," Jack uttered in that way that would normally be sexy if he hadn't used the phrase 'your tits'.
"No, no, they are abominations. They are simply side effects of a medication I took, like sleeplessness or suicidal thoughts. They will go away," he said and crossed his arms over them. Jack paused the DVD and turned to him.
"I mean it, they are beautiful and I've seen a lot. I know you don't like them right now, but I hope at some point you can let me show you how good they can be," he told him. Ianto still didn't feel comfortable with 'beautiful' especially when he felt bloated, he was having cramps although apparently not the bad kind and those breasts, that Jack was so keen on, had visible veins all over them that the lady on the telly did not have. He didn't say anything.
"Fine," Jack said at his silence and turned the movie back on.
*************************************************************
Jack was driving in his car when his mobile rang. He had a pretty good idea who it would be.
"Jack, Jack, I'm scared," said Ianto's voice through his blue-tooth speaker.
"What is it, baby?" he asked.
"Don't call me that. This is your boyfriend, that is all," Ianto spoke in such a curt manner that Jack had to remind himself that it was just hormones.
"Okay, so what happened? What has you so scared?" Jack asked in his most supportive tone.
"It's nothing, it's probably nothing. I thought about seeing Martha, but we're seeing her tomorrow anyway. It might be some female thing, but I can't reach Gwen so I went home sick, but it's the same," Ianto stumbled on the other end. Jack glanced at his GPS. He was getting closer to his destination. A Dalek had been found. Inactive at the moment and with any luck, it would stay that way. Jack knew Gwen must be there already and had somehow been able to give Ianto the slip before leaving.
"In plain English, Ianto, please," he requested of the other man.
"It just...it feels weird, like there's a butterfly or a worm down there, just wriggling...not all the time either, it comes and goes," Ianto spoke, "Do you think something's horribly wrong?"
Jack couldn't help laughing.
"What? What are you laughing for? This is serious," Ianto complained which only made it more difficult to contain his composure.
"Ianto...Ianto, that's the baby," he explained with a smile. At some point, he'd be able to feel it, too. Jack wondered if Ianto was alone, but he would have to resolve this Dalek thing first.
"Really?" his boyfriend asked.
"Yeah, I have some errands to do first, but I'll come later if you want," Jack suggested as the light turned red.
"Bring Italian, not pizza," Ianto said and he replied, "Will do, see you later."
*************************************************************
Ianto ate more of the pasta that Jack had brought. He had felt so alone when he phoned him. It was easier now that he knew what the feeling was; it was the baby. It was reassuring that he could feel it. If he could feel the movement, that meant everything must be fine. Johnny had picked the kids up from school and dropped them off. A little after that, Jack had come and now there was plenty of noise and people. The three of them were in the pool while he sat in a chair on the side. Mica and David teamed up against Jack. At the same time, they splashed the adult.
"You got me. You got me," Jack said with a laugh as he shook off the water. Then, he splashed them back. Mica giggled.
"Uncle Ianto should play with us," David spoke and looked at him.
"Well, is Uncle Ianto up to it?" Jack asked, picking up an inflated ball floating past him. Ianto put a hand on his belly: quiet at the moment. Then, he set aside the takeaway and stood up.
"I have to change first, but you can't be rough with me, understand?" he asked them and waited until they both nodded. Johnny's trunks should fit and he went inside to get a pair. Jack had just stripped down to his briefs, but Ianto wasn't wearing any so that wouldn't work.
SIXTEEN WEEKS ALONG
"There's my favorite patient," said Martha with a smile the next day. She held open the door and the two men filed in. Jack was never sure what to do during these things. He wasn't sure what Ianto wanted from him during the appointments. Usually, he was direct with asking for food or companionship, but not here. Jack could only guess from visible clues. She shut the door and had that serious face again.
"Sixteen weeks is when we do a blood test for abnormalities," she spoke in a very calm voice, "I don't want you to get worked up about it. It's normal and I'm sure everything will be fine. It's just procedure."
Despite her words, he could see Ianto getting upset. He put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
"I'll need you to remove your coat," she prodded in a gentle tone.
"Right...right," Ianto agreed and slipped it off. The baby would be fine. They just had to be positive.
*****************************************************
Ianto sighed. It was the day after the appointment and Martha should be calling any moment except she wasn't. Every second she didn't call, made him more worried, plus, he had another problem at the moment.
"Nice extension, Ianto," said Gwen with a giggle and a glint in her brown eyes. He pushed his chair further under the desk so no one could see the tent in his trousers.
"There's increased blood flow to that area. It's normal, I just wasn't warned that it would be all of that area," Ianto explained while gripping his desk. Gwen continued giggling.
"Did you have a point to this visit or do you just possess radar that knows the most embarrassing moment to appear?" he asked with narrowed blue eyes.
"Yeah, Guppy has you on grunt work so you have a new project," Gwen said and he knew that he would hate whatever it was.
"And that would be?" he asked and one hand touched his belly.
"The annual interrogation of Faith," she replied and he sighed again.
"Ever since she was found, she's only had a handful of helpful things to say and that's been over a hundred years. It's pointless," Ianto complained, but that was why it was called grunt work.
"You're on Guppy's shit-list so unless you're going to explain to her, like we've all told you to, why you're going to be nearly useless in the field for the next six months...I suggest you get something valuable out of her," Gwen told him. She had a point. He rubbed his face and stood up.
"Might want to have a wank in the loo first though," she said and cackled again. He just hoped that would work. A little while later, Ianto carried his laptop in its case in front of him in case anything popped up again.
"Ah, Jones, I've been expecting you. She's in there, but to make matters worse, she's forcing us not to record the meeting," Guppy explained and rolled her eyes.
"Why?" Ianto asked and trying not to be distracted by the baby fluttering again.
"Said the cards insisted on it, I don't know. If I had my way, we wouldn't bother with this, but Yvonne says it's mandatory to bring the brat in every year," Guppy complained, "and since you've had a less than stellar performance as of late, I'm giving you the honors. Give me a report later."
"Of course," he told her and nodded for the guard to open the door. Ianto took a seat at the table across from the girl. She appeared as a twelve year old, but he knew she was far older than that. No one knew her exact age. Her clothes were Victorian, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Her brown eyes studied him and she smiled while shuffling her cards. It made him uncomfortable as she set one down. Her smile widened and she asked, "Do they know?"
"Pardon?" Ianto responded because she couldn't possibly know.
"Those aren't your clothes," she replied and put down another card.
"The doughnuts, they call to me," Ianto said with a forced laugh.
"No, you're..." she started when there was a knock on the glass to his right. Yvonne was there and did a little wave. Ianto waved back and she did a Thumbs Up signal to him. Not sure what to do, he did it back and she left.
"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Faith asked and put down another card. It was a woman with a crown on a throne a like a queen.
"What?" Ianto uttered in surprise. How did she know that?
"The cards don't lie," she said with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Oh shit. I haven't told them. I don't know how they'll take it, whether they'll study me or what. Everyone says I should tell Guppy, but I can't work up the nerve," he explained and she nodded as she turned over a card. It had a man resembling a court jester.
"It's okay. You've told everyone who will support you," she spoke and turned over some more. He noticed a card with two coins on it.
"What?" Ianto asked and wasn't sure what he was hearing. Everyone else was keen on his telling Guppy at the very least.
"The less they know, the better," Faith maintained in a voice too mature for her appearance.
"What? What do you mean by that? I shouldn't say anything? You're not going to say anything?" he inquired although he still felt very confused.
"I'm not going to say anything. You could say something to get out of danger, but they can't know the father," she insisted and held a card that looked a lot like Jack in a suit of armor. What?
"I don't understand. What would they want with Jack?" Ianto asked her.
"It's because of what he is," Faith stated and he felt like he understood even less.
"You mean the brain damage? But he seems normal," he argued and rested his hands on the laptop case lying on his belly.
"No, what he has is far more serious than brain damage," said the girl and he took a hand through the back of his hair. For a second, he thought about how it was getting too long. Then, he was brought back to the present.
"There are two paths before you; one where you could have it all and the other where you will lose everything," she spoke, looking at another card, "and I'm not sure if you will be able to choose which path for yourself."
She put another card beside the one she was looking at. The first card had seven cups illustrated on it with weird things inside. The other card had a blindfolded woman with two swords.
"What should I do?" he asked her despite feeling odd for asking someone who appeared so young.
"Protect yourself. Don't pretend you can do everything you could before and don't tell anyone about Jack," she said and a chill ran through him. He'd do anything to protect the baby, but there was another problem.
"We've been talking for almost three minutes and if I can't tell them about the baby, I can't explain what we've been talking about," Ianto pointed out and his chest felt tight.
Chapter Twelve: Sixteen Weeks Along
