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Anchors In The Orchard

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   Ianto knocked gently on the door of Jack's office, one hand hovering over his stomach, almost protectively. Without looking up, Jack beckoned him in. Ianto stood awkwardly beside Jack's desk, not trusting himself to speak.

   "What's up, Ianto?" Jack asked, still not looking up from a case report.

   "O-Owen found something on the sc-scanner," Ianto replied, tripping over his words. Finally, Jack looked up at Ianto, hearing the worry in his voice. Jack signalled for him to sit in a chair beside him. Ianto sat down and looked at his hands.

   "What's he found?" Jack asked quietly, turning to look at him. Ianto pulled his eyes away from his hands and looked up at Jack.

   "Jack, I'm pregnant," he whispered.

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   "What?" Jack said, staring at Ianto, who was back to looking at his hands.

   "Pregnant," Ianto whispered, linking and unlinking his hands.

   "Ianto, that's-that's wonderful!" Jack cried, grabbing Ianto's twitching hands and bringing them to his lips. Ianto's head snapped up, a look of complete and utter confusion on his face.

   "You're happy about this? But Jack, I'm a man, and men can't get pregnant!" Ianto said. He was clearly worried, but the corners of his mouth twitched up in a small smile.

   "We'll figure that one out in time, but first things first, is it mine?" Jack said, leaning in. Ianto ducked his head in a nod. There was a moment of silence, then Jack let out a laugh of joy, and stood up, pulling Ianto up with him. They stood like that, looking into each others shining eyes, for a few minutes before Ianto's mind properly clocked that Jack didn't seem to think that this was a terrible thing, and he pulled Jack into a hug, burying his face into the older mans chest.

   "Does anyone else know?" Jack asked, not breaking their embrace. Ianto looked up at him before replying, so his voice wouldn't get lost into his chest.

   "Only Owen, and I made him promise not to tell. I wanted to see what your reaction was to possible parenthood before I told anyone else," he replied. Jack pulled back from him, resting his hands on Ianto's shoulders and looked into his eyes.

   "If you're happy, I'm happy. Now, spread the news!" Jack said, turning the young man around and guiding him out of his office onto the walkway above where the team were working at their various stations. Owen was scribbling something down on a clipboard in the medical bay, Toshiko was staring at her computer screen, looking for spikes in the rift activity, and Gwen was sitting at another computer, tying up loose ends from the last alien hunt. Ianto looked down at them. Jack stood beside him and wrapped an arm around his waist. Usually, Ianto would be adverse to most Public Displays of Affection, but today, he really didn't care.

   "You lot," he called down to the rest of the team, who turned away from whatever they were doing and looked up at him, all with questioning gazes, except Owen, whose look was more knowing and smug. "I'm pregnant, with Jack!"

   "Oh, that's brilliant!" Tosh said, jumping up and down and clapping in her excitement.

   "Well done, mate!" Owen said, actually smiling properly now.

   All Gwen did was smile a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

   "Something wrong, Gwen?" Jack asked, his voice cold and hard. Gwen exploded.

   "Where does that put you and me, Jack? Where does that leave us?" she yelled. Ianto, Owen and Tosh froze, waiting for Jack's response.

   "Us! Us! Gwen, there was no 'us'! This," Jack yelled, gesturing violently between Gwen and himself, "was never happening!"

   "Jack, I told you I love you, for God's sake! You knew how I felt, but you still choose him over me?" Gwen shouted, her Welsh accent thickening with each word.

   "You know what Gwen? Fuck you," Ianto spat at her. "You have Rhys, and you should be fucking happy he can't see the real you, because he wouldn't stick around much longer if he did!" At this, Ianto turned on his heel, and disappeared back into Jack's office.

   "Get out, Gwen. Get out, and don't come back until you've shown Rhys who you really are. You'll only get what you deserve," Jack said, his voice bitter, before following Ianto into his office and closing the door behind him. Gwen didn't move, just stared open-mouthed where he had just been standing. Tosh was the first to say anything.

   "I think you'd better leave," she said, not looking at Gwen. Gwen turned on her, glaring. Owen stepped out of the medical bay and up behind Tosh, and Gwen flicked her icy gaze to him.

   If looks could kill, Owen thought to himself. Gwen's eyes narrowed, as if she could read his mind. Then she turned around and strode out of the Hub.

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   As Gwen disappeared, Owen saw Tosh visibly relax, her shoulders slumping. He knew she didn't like conflict, especially among her friends. The Hub was quiet as Tosh and Owen slowly returned to their work stations.

***

   Gwen found herself sitting at a table outside a café, a cup of coffee in her hand. She swallowed the bitter liquid down, refusing to acknowledge that, compared to Ianto's coffee, it tasted like piss.

   Wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't notice a man sliding into a chair opposite her until he spoke.

   "Something troubling you?" he said, his oily voice making Gwen start. She glared at him.

   "Yeah. Can you do something about it?" she said, her voice full of disdain. She took in his appearance with raised eyebrows. His black suit was crisp and clean, and his dark hair was neat, but his eyes made Gwen feel… unsettled. Icy-blue, and with no pupil. Alien, she thought.

   "As a matter of fact, I can," he said.

   "Oh?"

   "Sven Lighgar," he said, extending his hand.

   "Gwen Cooper," she said, accepting the handshake.

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   When Gwen walked through the door of her flat, she could tell that something was wrong. She could see Rhys sitting on the couch, when he should still be at work. And he wasn't home to watch the cricket or football or whatever; the television was off, and he hadn't told her about a match that morning.

   "You're home early," she called out, trying to sound cheery as she hung her keys on a hook.

   "I got a call on my mobile today," Rhys said, not looking at her as she walked past him into the kitchen.

   "Oh yeah?"

   "From Jack."

   "Oh."

   "Mind telling me what's going on, Gwen?"

   "It's nothing. Honestly."

   "Jack said that you're confused."

   "I fight aliens for a living, Rhys. Of course I get confused occasionally. That's nothing to get worked up about."

   "He was talking about your feelings. Towards me."

   "Nothing is going on. You know I love you."

   "Bloody hell, Gwen!" Rhys yelled, standing up and walking towards her. "I saw you! I was going out to buy lunch, and I saw you with some bloke at a cafe. You're always telling me to trust you, and then you never tell me anything!"

   Gwen went to walk past him into their bedroom to change, but he grabbed her arm.

   "Jesus, Rhys! I've had a really shit day at work, can we not talk about this now?" Gwen yelled back, pulling her arm out of his grip.

   "No, Gwen. We can't, because you never want to talk about it. We're married, for God's sake! If we can't do that, we can't do anything!"

   "You just need to give me time," Gwen replied, her voice calm, "and to trust me."

   "Get out."

   "What?"

   "You heard me. Get out!"

   Gwen picked up her bag and reached for the keys on the hook, but Rhys shook his head.

   "Then where am I going to sleep tonight?" Gwen cried.

   "At the bloke's place I saw you with at the cafe, at Jack's, I don't care. Just go," Rhys said, taking the keys out of her reach.

   "Fine then," she said, opening the door and stepping over the threshold.There was a moment of silence before she slammed the door behind her. rhys used her keys to lock the door behind her, before replacing them on their hook. He returned to the couch, where he dug his mobile out of his pocket to send a text to Jack.

   You were right. Thank you.