ericadawn16 | Jack- December 25th, 2009

Title: But Time Didn’t Stop
Characters: Jack, Doctor, Ianto Jack/Ianto
Rated: PG-13 ANGST COE Spoilers MPREG
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Is it time for the new arrival to make his appearance?
Author's Note: Starts after COE.
Previous Segment: December 7th, 2009, Part Two
Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/63337.html
Happy New Year!

December 25th, 2009

Walking through the TARDIS did nothing to satisfy his overwhelming desire to organize and clean though so Jack ended up giving in to that.

“Why are the apples next to the American cheese?” the Doctor asked while holding a red one in his hand although by that point, he was dusting the cloister bell.

“Alphabetical, I also tried by amount, expiration date and color,” Jack explained as the Time Lord took a bite and chewed, for a really long time.

“And cleaning,” the Doctor commented and the other nodded, “Right, just don’t hurt yourself, don’t rearrange the kitchen again and don’t do my room.”

As Jack watched him leave, he thought for sure that he heard the man muttering, “Nesting! The man is positively nesting.”

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More weeks passed and the need to clean and organize was outweighed by his having to nap every few hours. It also cut down on his visits out of the TARDIS which was beginning to make him a different sort of stir crazy and he’d begun to learn that if the baby was actually asleep, that would be a good time for a nap before he or she work up again, like now, for example. He lay on his side and clutched a pillow as he started dreaming.

Afterwards, he wouldn’t be able to recall much of the dream except that it made him happy and it had everyone that he’d lost and they were happy, too. Ianto was even talking with Steven and Lucia. He made his way downstairs to wait for the Doctor to return and pulled his shirt up to study his belly. His belly button had popped out and when he pulled it forward, it would pop back. After a few more times, there was a kick.

“I’m going to poke you back and see how you like it,” Jack said with a chuckle and poked it in the foot. The foot kicked back and he did it again. Even if he poked a different spot, the baby would kick that exact spot as long as it wasn’t too low since the head was just about resting on Jack’s bladder. He was still playing when the Doctor returned.

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A few days later, the former time agent fell asleep where he was visited by Ianto. If only the dream wouldn’t end, but it did and he tried to remember everything before it slipped into the nothingness. First of all, the lovely dream was real and Ianto wanted him to work on being happy and he called Jack his ‘husband’ and…and the baby was a boy! He tried to bounce out of bed and only succeeded in sitting so he rolled like usual. Then, he hurried through the hall, screaming, “Doctor! Doctor!” His voice carried through the TARDIS.

As he sat in his room later, he wished he could change the Doctor, but that was as hopeless as trying to wish Ianto or Steven alive again. Still, he was trying to have a better attitude like Ianto had said and it was frustrating that the Time Lord remained as depressed as he used to be before the dreams. If only there was something he could do to help him…

“I’m so glad I have you,” said Jack, caressing his bump, “I love you.”

See, that wasn’t so hard. Why was it so hard to say to everyone else? He tried not to think about how his husband told him he’d loved him twice in the dream and he’d never said it at all that time.

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Weeks had passed and Jack sat on the bed when the Doctor entered.

“I didn’t remember a loo there before,” the Time Lord remarked and he shook his head.

“I have to wee every fifteen minutes so she thought that was easier,” the other explained, rubbing his bump which was bigger than he could have ever thought possible. He almost couldn’t remember not being huge at this point as if he’d always been pregnant. The en-suite had been a great relief. He should have complained about the loo being so far away sooner. Two doors down was just such a long way to walk.

“It’s past forty weeks, don’t you think it’s time for him to come out?” the Doctor asked while sticking his hands in his brown trouser pockets. Jack knew that tone. It meant that he felt the right course of action would be to have the baby today and that Jack should agree. However, he wasn’t ready. It was like he’d told him before. If his son was inside him, then he could protect him and that would be a lot more difficult once he was born.
Also, from what he’d read, even in a male pregnancy, there were signs of labor, like the baby trying to burrow farther down or the walls surrounding the baby being absorbed into the body. Being telepathic, maybe the baby would even tell him that he wanted out.

“He hasn’t told me that and if he’s not ready, that’s fine, and I can wait. The longer he can stay, the better it’ll be, right?” Jack responded and the Doctor sighed.

“Until he grows too big to share the space with your internal organs and things go wrong,” the other reminded him and he held both arms around his bump.

“Nothing will go wrong,” Jack spoke with the stubbornness of a two year old and knew he’d won his argument from the other’s expression.

“Fine, I received a psychic message, but I don’t think it should take long,” the Time Lord said and took out his right hand to pat his coat pocket, “I have my mobile so don’t hesitate to call me, yes?”

After nodding, he was left alone where he took up his book again, Bridget Jones’ Diary. He had found it surprising that he was able to find a copy on board from the twenty-ninth century; property of a J.K. Eareckson, according to the front flap. As he read through the entries, his stomach started to kill him. It wasn’t like heartburn; it felt different than that. He tried to ignore it as if it would peter out, but as he was reading about Bridget’s first day at her new job, he felt nauseous for the first time since he couldn’t remember. It had been at least a month. Fluid rose up in his throat which he tried to swallow back down as he stumbled off the bed. He was crawling to the loo as it came back up again and he couldn’t make it to the toilet; the vomit spread across the stone floor. Then, he noticed how most of it was a shiny red.

“Oh, no,” he hissed and tried to remember when he had his mobile last. The Doctor had taken a picture of him…by the console. It was all the way downstairs, but maybe he could make it. He tried even as his stomach continued hurting and he found it hard to breathe. Then, there was darkness.

When he came to, Jack was on a tarp in the garden room. He was naked except for a sheet and the Doctor’s brown eyes were full of concern.

“I thought I might have to do this without you being awake,” the Time Lord said with the laser torch in one hand, “As it is, you’re still dying so we haven’t much time.”
He took the instrument and cut across Jack’s belly. The Time Agent tried to get a better view, but he didn’t have the strength. The Doctor had on only a white undershirt with his trousers and the hands that reached into his abdomen came away bloody. However, they also contained a baby.

“Iefan,” he whispered and was fighting not to die yet. The chirping of the Time Lord’s mobile filled the air a few seconds before a newborn’s wail.

“It’s been going off almost every minute, but what could be more important than this?” The Doctor commented and took the baby in the crook of his arm while running the sonic screwdriver down his back, “Healthy baby boy, nine pounds, and thirteen ounces.”
Jack just caught a glimmer of blue from his son’s eyes before the darkness took him again.

As the darkness lightened, he was being hugged and he knew who it was.

“Ianto,” he uttered and kissed him with all the love and gratitude he could muster for helping to give him that baby back on the TARDIS.

When pulling away, Ianto asked with a smile, “You’re naked. So, we have a son?”

February 23rd, 2010