Disclaimers: I do not own Torchwood or any of its characters.  I am making no money from this.  It is purely for entertainment
purposes only.

Summary: Ianto has a secret.  Set during series one, after Cyberwoman.

Warnings:  MPREG!!  I am a HUGE fan of Mpreg.  There are also hints of past child abuse.

Notes: Please remember that I am just another stupid American.  Please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors as I must
rely solely on my own knowledge and my irritating spell-checker.

More Notes:  Still set very close to 'Out of Time.'



Expectations



Part Thirty-Two



After lunch, Ianto dozed.  He didn't fall asleep, but he wasn't completely aware of his surroundings either.  Owen was sitting on
the bed beside him, lounging with his feet stretched out in front of him.  Between them on the bed, Owen had set up a laptop
that apparently Tosh had loaned them.  It was loaded with movies and games to make their stay more bearable.  Ianto didn't
know when she had set it up, but he vaguely remembered her working on a laptop while keeping him company when he was
resting on the couch earlier that morning.

There was a movie playing.  Ianto only heard a few words now and again, missing entire scenes at times.  But that was okay,
because he wasn't terribly interested in the film Owen had chosen.  There was something about global warming, and a lot of
snow, and people in a library.  He couldn't keep track of it.  The background noise was calming though, as was the reassuring
sound of Owen grousing throughout.

Rhiannon was downstairs.  Ianto didn't know what she was doing.  He knew she had things to do.  Her life couldn't stop just
because he was visiting.

A sudden loud noise jerked him back to reality.  He jolted, lifting his head from the pillow and looking to the door.  He recognized
the sound as a door banging shut.  Not slamming, but perhaps closed a little too quickly to keep from making an abrupt sharp
sound.  As Ianto listened, voices drifted up from downstairs.  Rhiannon chiding, and a less familiar but not unrecognizable male
voice apologizing.  Johnny.

Ianto looked nervously at Owen.  Rhiannon had told him earlier that she intended to tell Johnny about his condition.  Ianto wasn't
so sure it was a good idea.  He didn't think Owen liked her plan much either.  But he couldn't force Rhiannon to keep his secret.  
The only way he could do that would be to Retcon her and he didn't want to do that.  He liked how kind and considerate she
was toward him, how understanding.  He didn't want to lose that.  The progress they'd made would be erased if he took her
memories and he'd have to mend the burnt bridges between them all over again.  He didn't think he had the strength to expose all
of his insecurities and fears again.  And to do it without revealing his pregnancy to her would only feel like a lie and he couldn't
lie to her, he'd never been able to.  Rhiannon wanted to tell Johnny, so Ianto would just have to cope with it.

The voices were getting closer.  Rhiannon and Johnny had reached the stairs.  They were talking in the hall, discussing him.  
Ianto was not looking forward to this.

Owen sighed, reaching out and closing the laptop.  "Let the fun begin," he muttered as he slid off the bed.  He headed for the
door, giving Ianto a sympathetic look before he left the room.  "I won't be far," he assured.  Then he was gone and Ianto was
alone with his nerves.  Well, almost alone.  He curled up a little more, wrapping his arms lightly around his middle.  A faint smile
tugged at the corners of his lips at the familiar feeling of his child kicking.

The door opened and Ianto's weak smile fell away.  He wondered if he could hide under the blankets, but decided that his
stomach distended too much to be confused for a fold in the fabric.  He heard the word 'pregnant,' among Rhiannon's words,
but couldn't hear anything else above the pounding of his own heart.  Rhiannon was one thing, but he didn't know Johnny well
enough to trust him implicitly.  Would he yell?  Would he accept Ianto for how he was?  The unknown was making him fret.

Rhiannon walked in, her smile genuine and warm.  Johnny stepped in behind her.  Ianto risked a glance at the other man, taking
in the shocked features on the face that had gone pale.  Johnny's eyes were fixated on his stomach and Ianto couldn't help but
clench his fingers a little tighter into his own skin.

Without a word, Johnny turned on his heel and left the room, yanking the door shut with a slam behind him.  Ianto couldn't stop
the convulsive shudder from rippling through his body and he turned to hide his face in the pillow.  Rhiannon was at his side in
an instant, stroking a hand down along his shoulder and upper arm.  "I'll take care of it," she promised and pressed a kiss to his
head before she, too, left the room.



*****



Rhiannon was furious.  She'd made a promise to herself that no one would hurt Ianto again, least of all her own idiot husband.  
Johnny wasn't a bad bloke.  He didn't have a temper, had never raised a hand to her or the kids.  In fact, he was great with the
kids.  But sometimes he didn't handle surprise well.  Show him something that rocked his vision of the world and it took him
time to deal with it.  Most of the time, Rhiannon was fine with that.  She'd usually give Johnny his time and let him cope in his
own way.  This, however, was not one of those times.

Ianto was insecure as it was.  He needed support, all the love and care he could receive from his family and that included Johnny
Davies and his stubborn preconceptions of reality.  Things had changed and Johnny needed to adapt quickly.  Ianto needed them
to be strong for him, so that he could be strong as well.  Buildings collapsed without the proper structure holding them together,
and so would Ianto without them to back him up when he needed it.

Ianto was scrambling to hold himself together.  She could see the cracks in his facade, knew the signs well enough to know that
he was one more trauma away from crumbling apart at the seams.  She had a feeling that this baby was one of the very few
good things he had going in his life; aside from this Jack fellow perhaps, but until she met the man she couldn't tell if he was
good enough for her little brother or not.  But the way Ianto clung to her, even in his sleep, told her how desperate he was, how
much he needed her right now.  She was not going to let him down again.

She stormed out of the bedroom and caught up to Johnny in their lounge.  She paid no attention to Owen who was standing in
the kitchen, pretending not to notice them.  Rhiannon grabbed Johnny's arm, determined that he was going to listen to her.

"Johnny Davies, I can't believe ... How could you?  He needs us!"

"Pregnant!" Johnny blurted.  "Blokes don't get pregnant.  It's not natural!"  He shook her hand off his arm.  "Your brother shows
up out of the blue and drops this bomb on us.  Aliens and conspiracies ... and he's pregnant!  I can't deal with this right now."

He turned to leave and Rhiannon grabbed his arm tighter, forcing him to turn again.  "You listen to me, Johnny.  Get your head
together ... or ... or you might as well not come back at all."  

God, everything was going so wrong.  Johnny was supposed to help, to be her rock, her support while she helped Ianto.  If he
couldn't do that, well then she couldn't risk having him around to possibly upset Ianto.  Ianto needed calm, stability, not to fret
and worry over every little thing.

Johnny looked at her, eyes conveying hurt and betrayal.  "You'd leave me?  Just like that?  For him?"

Rhiannon let go of his arm.  She could see the life she had with him fraying at the edges, threatening to slip away.  But she had
to see this through.  He had to know just how serious she was about this.

"He's my brother," she said, intoning all the emotion and seriousness into her voice as she could.  "You were there before Tad
died.  You know what it was like for him.  When Ianto begged to come live with us and we did nothing because we were just
married, because we had a baby to take care of and no room for him.  I let him down, watched the light that used to be in his
eyes die away and I lost him.  Well, he's come back to me, Johnny.  He's reaching out for me again, trusting me to help glue the
pieces of his shattered soul back together and I will not turn away from him this time.  Don't make me choose between you
because I won't risk breaking his heart again."  She reached up and tenderly stroked his cheek.  "I love you.  But he's my brother
and he needs me.  He's family."

Johnny stepped back, shaking his head.  Whether in disbelief or denial, she couldn't tell.  "It's too much," he muttered.  He raised
his hands and shook his head again.  "I need time to think.  I need a drink."  Dropping his hands, he gave his head one last
shake.  "Or ten."  Then he turned and walked out of the house.

She started to go after him, but Owen was suddenly beside her, his hand on her shoulder.  "I'll keep an eye on him," he said.

"What about Ianto?"

Owen cracked a crooked grin.  "He's alright for now.  But if he needs me, he has my number."

Rhiannon nodded and watched him go.  She took a steadying breath and then another.  When she felt as ready as she ever would
be, she went upstairs and back into her bedroom.  Ianto was just as she'd left him, more or less, and he peeked out at her from
under the duvet, his cheeks wet.

She sat down beside him and clucked her tongue, sweeping his tears away with her fingers.  "You've been crying," she said
softly, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"You, too," he observed, raising a weak hand and brushing a thumb over her damp cheek.  "I've messed everything up, haven't
I?"  His breath hitched and fresh tears spilled from his eyes.

"Oh, none of that now," she cooed.  She grabbed his hand and kissed his palm, mindful of the IV line.  "When Johnny's ready to
take his head out of his arse, he'll come back."  She really wanted to believe that and hoped she sounded convincing.

Ianto nodded, but looked away from her eyes, a sure sign that he wasn't so believing.  "I'm sorry," he whispered and started to
gnaw on his bottom lip.

Typical Ianto, always blaming himself.  Rhiannon sighed, knowing that nothing she said now would make a heap of difference.  
She pressed a finger to his lip and nudged it away from his teeth, stopping him from splitting the skin.  As minor as it would
have been, he didn't need any more pain.

Deciding a change of subject would be the best option, she smiled and gestured to the laptop that had been left abandoned on the
bed near Ianto's knees.  "So what sort of rubbish have you brought to watch?" she asked, opening the device and moving to sit
up a little closer to her brother.  She placed the laptop between them so they both could see it.

Ianto shifted a bit.  "I don't know."  He reached out a faintly trembling hand and began to scroll through the list of movies and
other programs that had been installed.  "I think Tosh put this together so Owen wouldn't hang himself out of boredom."

"Well, let's watch something," she said.  She checked her watch.  "The kids won't be home for another couple of hours, so we
have the time."

Ianto nodded.  "All right."

He scrolled through the list again.  Eventually, he chose and Rhiannon had to roll her eyes when she realized just what movie he
had picked.  "You're so predictable.  Goldfinger, is it?"

A little wearily, Ianto nodded.  "It is one of my favorites," he admitted.

Rhiannon knew that well enough.  She smiled at the memories it invoked, the numerous times he'd watched it on VHS tape, then
on DVD, always one of the first ones he'd watch whenever he was sick or feeling down.  She'd bought him his first copy for
Christmas one year on a whim, got him a few of the books from a secondhand shop for his birthday the following year when
she saw how much he'd enjoyed it.  They'd sat and watched the movies countless times growing up.

She grinned.  "I prefer Dr. No," she said, full well that this would lead to a timeless argument that would probably never be
resolved.

As expected, he balked and then launched into a detailed analysis as to why Goldfinger was the superior film.  She argued back,
the familiarity of the situation calming her, and him she suspected.  She was delighted to see the light in his eyes, that familiar
spark of energy that she'd missed for all of these years.  It was good to see him happy again.

Abruptly, she bent and kissed his forehead.  "Shut up and watch your film," she laughed.

Ianto continued to mutter that he was right, even as he settled himself with his head resting on her lap again.  They watched the
movie together, although Ianto fell asleep long before it was over, with Rhiannon's fingers sliding delicately through his hair, both
feeling reassured by the gentle contact and closeness between them.


*****


Owen followed Johnny to the nearest pub.  He found him easily, since it was still early in the afternoon and the place was not
full of patrons.  There were a few people, just not as many as there would be come tonight.  Johnny was sitting at the bar,
already halfway through his second beer.  Without a word, Owen slid onto the seat next to him and ordered a pint for himself.

"Shouldn't you be looking after Ianto?" Johnny asked without looking at him.  They'd met in the hall as Owen had been leaving
the bedroom and introductions had been brief.  "You are his doctor."

"Not much to do.  His IV's good, plenty of oxygen in the tank and he won't need another dose of meds for another two hours."  
He took a large swallow.  "I'm here to make sure you don't make the biggest mistake of your life."

"What do you know about it," Johnny huffed.  "This is normal for you and your lot.  Alien chasers, you probably see this every
day."

"Watch what you say," Owen hissed.  "Don't you know the meaning of the word 'secret'?"

Owen took a quick glance around to make sure no one could hear them.  There were no other patrons near them.  And the
bartender was at the other end of the bar, chatting with a girl a good twenty years younger than him.  She was smiling and
laughing in all the right places, but there was a touch of discomfort about her.  That bartender might have better luck chatting
Owen up.

He shook his head, thinking of irritating Welshmen.  "And no, I don't deal with this all the time.  Not everyday, at least.  Ianto's
not the first guy I've seen in this condition."  He took another drink.  "But those other times, it was alien caused, or an accident
with alien tech.  What happened to Ianto was assault, pure and simple."  He slowly spun the glass with his fingers, watching the
liquid inside.  "The people he worked for picked him out because he had no one, because he wouldn't be missed if it all went tits
up and he ended up dead.  They didn't care."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to understand."  Owen took a breath, held it, then continued.  "When he came to us, he didn't tell us.  He
didn't tell any of us until it was forced out of him.  The boss found him out, and I happened in by accident, the rest were by
necessity.  Telling us wasn't his choice.  But coming to you and Rhiannon was.  He didn't have to tell either of you.  But he
trusts you and he needs you to help him through this."

"It's not natural," Johnny muttered.

Owen nodded.  "No, it's not.  You're right.  But that doesn't change the fact that it did happen.  In under two months he's going
to have a son.  When the birth comes ... hell, I don't know what's going to happen.  The tech that did this to him, we just don't
know enough about it, but out of ten test subjects he's the only one still breathing.  Fuck, he thinks he's going to die.  He doesn't
need more stress lumped on top of everything else he has to deal with."

"Is he?"  Johnny asked, suddenly turning to face Owen.

"What?"

"Going to die.  Is he going to die?"

Owen honestly didn't have an answer to that.  Like he'd said earlier, he just didn't know enough about the tech.  "I'd like to give
you an optimistic answer, but I can't.  All I can do is promise to use every last shred of skill I have to keep that from happening,
to either of them."

Johnny turned back to his pint and stared into the liquid.  Then slowly, the corner of his mouth quirked into a faint little smile.  
"A son, huh?"



To Be Continued ...





If you couldn't guess, the movie Owen was watching at the beginning of the part is "The Day After Tomorrow."  I picked it at
random.