Fic: The Evening Star's Child Chapter 9/10
Title: The Evening Star's Child
Fandoms: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Pairings/Characters: Jack/Ianto, Caden/Tosh, Rhys/Owen, John/Kathy, Donna, the Doctor/the Master, Martha, Estelle, OC's
Summary: For Jack there is nothing that means more to him than his mate, Ianto, so when they learn Ianto is pregnant his life, their life, feels complete. But when someone seeks to harm Ianto, they learn exactly far Jack is willing to go to keep Ianto and their unborn child safe.
Rating: R
Beta: RoyalLadyEmma
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood; I do own Caden, Ianto's people and home world.
Art by: vismur see of her amazing work here
Written for the Mpreg Big Bang Round 1 and a furture Alien!Ianto story
Chapter 9
Ianto sighed and shifted position on the sofa for the third time in ten minutes; for some reason he was finding it very difficult to find a comfortable position to sit in for very long. As he folded the baby clothes that the people of Aiedail had gifted him and Jack with, boredom began slowly creeping in to his mind. It mingled unpleasantly with the worry he was feeling.
Determined that Ianto should enjoy every moment of his baby shower, Jack had done everything in his power to make sure that the mood remained light, fun and memorable. However, once they were alone he kept his word and informed Ianto about the injured guards and that Aeron was suspected of responsible for them and of being in the castle. Hearing about his old friend had really upset Ianto and the news brought forth a flood of hormonal tears. It took some time to calm his mate back down, but once Ianto was back on an even keel, Jack had then ordered him to stay put in their chambers while he went to check in with Zosimos and offer his services.
After a long, lingering kiss, Jack proceeded to lock Ianto in the room with heavily armed guards posted just outside the doors. They'd been given strict orders that absolutely no one be allowed to enter the room and that Ianto was not allowed to leave it. Jack didn't need to add 'on pain of death' to his instructions; the four men would have gladly given their lives to protect their King and his unborn children.
'Jack is very lucky I love him so much and understand why he's gone into overprotective mode, otherwise he'd be sleeping on the couch for the next month!' Ianto vowed as he finally gave up on folding the tiny baby clothes; instead he crossed his arms and glared at nothing. "Jack has a lot of making up to do when he gets back here!" the expectant father announced with a grumpy pout to the empty room.
A soft, unexpected noise broke Ianto from his growing thoughts of how all the ways Jack would be making things up to him. With a flash of fear Ianto clambered to his feet as quickly as he could, and stood looking around for the sound's source. He blinked in surprise as Noam came out of a secret passage hidden next to the fireplace, but it was the sight of the man who followed after the seer that had him reaching out and grasping the table for support. "Noam, what are you thinking?" he hissed. He knew that the guards outside would be in his room in a flash if they thought anything were amiss. "All entire castle is up in arms looking for Aeron! Jack will go insane if he finds him here!" Even as he spoke, Ianto's mind began thinking of the best route to get Aeron safely out of the castle.
'Ianto! Aeron is there with you? Hang on, I'm on my way!'
Ianto winced as Jack's worried and furious voice came across their bond. He mentally cursed himself for letting his shields slipped even for a moment and because of that lapse, Jack managed to catch the stray thought. Now his mate was in full-blown over-the-top protection mode which meant he wasn't thinking straight which meant that anything could happen.
Knowing he had to make full use of the short window of time that he had, Ianto studied his former bodyguard and he couldn't remember the last time he had seen the knight looking and acting so defeated. "Why are you here, Aeron?" he asked gently.
Slowly Aeron fell to one knee and bowed his head. "I have come to seek punishment for my actions taken in the past. I await your judgement, my King."
Ianto studied the kneeling man before him. To an outsider, he appeared calm and in control, but Ianto knew better; he could see the tiny tremor running through the knight's body. "Aeron, your actions were not your own, I know that, Noam knows that, we have all always know that. My uncle bonded your soul to his and took your freewill from you. I cannot and will not kill you but I will free you from your duty to my family, if that is what you wish."
Startled by what he was hearing, Aeron looked up and studied the young king. He could see so much of Ianto's parents within him, Queen Ehrentraud's gentle soul and King Balaraja's loving heart and strong sense of duty. Ianto was absolutely nothing like his uncle and he firmly believed that he was the true king that their people wanted and needed. "It would be my honour to serve you, my King."
Thundering footsteps could be heard echoing down the hallway and Ianto couldn't help but smile and roll his eyes as he listened to Jack barking orders at the guards. As the doors flew open, Jack came charging in like a unstoppable bull with the others right behind him.
"Step away from my mate!" Jack snarled viciously and his blue eyes were like ice chips as he glared daggers at the man who had already taken his mate hostage once in the past. Jack was damned if that was going to happen again.
Pulling himself to his full height, Aeron stared into Jack's eyes; he refused to be intimidated by the pure hate which he saw burning there. "So you've come to kill me." The disgraced knight had prepared himself for this; after all, it had been the orders of King Thanatos to hunt Ianto down and place him in mortal danger. Aeron waited patiently for Jack to respond.
Every person in that room as well as those anxiously waiting out in the hallway knew that Jack was well within his rights as the King's consort, bond mate and husband to take the life of any man who threatened his mate. Aeron was depending on Jack to do exactly that.
"If I have to I will." Even more than dying himself, Jack hated taking the life of another, but when it came to the safety of Ianto and their children there wasn't anything he wasn't willing to do to make sure they were safe. If he had to he would die a thousand times in order to keep them from coming to harm.
As waves of testosterone swept through the room, Noam rolled his eyes and boldly stepped between Jack and Aeron. "That's enough, Jack; I understand why you're acting like this but please calm down and just listen for a moment."
But Jack's primal emotions were way past the point of rational behaviour and listening to the seer was out of the question. "Move out of my way, Noam!" Jack growled through clenched teeth. "Don't make me go through you, because you know I will!"
The young seer shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that Jack," and as Jack advanced a step closer to Aeron, the knight took a step closer to Jack. Noam ignored them both, saying "Aeron has a connection to your daughter; he is to be her mate."
That unexpected declaration stopped Jack and Aeron cold in their tracks and had Ianto going so weak in the knees that he nearly dropped to the floor, paralysed with shock. Only the lightning-fast reactions of Jack and Aeron kept him on his feet long enough to get him into the nearest chair.
"Get away from him!" Jack snarled, shoving Aeron away so forcefully that the knight actually fell backwards, sprawling awkwardly on the floor at Noam's feet. Jack knelt at Ianto's side, holding his hand and tenderly stroking the side of his face, along his arm, across his belly; he needed to be sure in his own mind that his mate was all right. "Yan? Honey, are you okay?"
Still speechless, all Ianto could do was blink with bewilderment. In all the dreams he'd ever had of his daughter's future, he certainly hadn't seen that coming.
Jack wasn't so quiet however. Keeping Ianto's hand in his, Jack stood up and sought out the seer. "What? There is no way this man is my daughter's mate!" Jack snarled; he felt Ianto squeeze his hand but he paid the warning no heed. "We won't allow it, he's far too old for her!"
Noam shook his head, refusing to be cowed by Jack's anger and disbelief. "I have seen one of your daughter's possible futures and he will protect her with his life. Aeron is bound by his oath to the royal family and only he has the right to decide what his fate should be." The seer adopted a more placating tone; "After all, Aeron did not harm Ianto in any way even though he had several opportunities to do so, both now and in the past.
Seeing that he had Jack's attention, Noam continued. "In his own way, Aeron has been protecting Ianto all this time. You must understand that Aeron had no choice but to follow Thanatos' orders; he was soul-bonded to our corrupt ruler, his actions were not his own. Please remember that, Jack."
Struggling to his feet, Ianto stepping forward and moved past Aeron and Noam to stand in front of Jack. He slid his hands up Jack's chest to gently cup his mate's face. "Jack, if it wasn't for Aeron I would have been dead many times at the hands of my uncle. I say we give him a chance."
Struggling to maintain his level of emotional agitation, Jack finally felt his anger deflate and he leaned into Ianto's touch. "I hate it when you are right," he muttered under his breath as he reached out and snagged an arm around Ianto's waist and pulled him flush against his body. "If this is what you want, then I agree with your decision." Jack bent his head and brushed his lips against Ianto's in a soft and tender kiss before glancing over to Aeron with a murderous glare on his handsome face. "Just so we're clear, there will be no funny stuff with our daughter until she is in her twenties," Jack declared, laying down the law. "Maybe even her thirties."
Aeron looked absolutely scandalized; he didn't think he'd ever been so insulted in his entire life. "I would never do anything until the young princess was of age!" He was grateful that his gifts included personal healing; it would allow him to age slowly which meant that he wouldn't look older than his future mate.
A far-too-familiar grinding noise filled the room and those who knew what was happening rolled their eyes, not all surprised that the Doctor was once again very late to the party. To those few who didn't know the Time Lords were quite startled to see a strange blue box suddenly appear out of nowhere.
The moment the TARDIS became solid the doors swung open and the Doctor came bouncing out, an ear-to-ear grin on his face. "Sorry if we're a bit late but the line up on New Earth was killer." The Time Lord babbled out only to stop and scratched the back of his head as he looked at Aeron standing protectively in front of Ianto. "So what did we miss?"
"First of all, Doc, I thought you were going shopping here on Aiedail; how did you end up on New Earth?" Jack looked at his old friend with a truly puzzled look on his face.
With a sheepish look, the Doctor glanced around the room and then at the floor, shuffling his feet, and he actually managed to look embarrassed. "Ummm... well, it was... I mean, I..."
The Master popped out of the TARDIS with a shit-eating grin on his face and danced around like a fool. "He got lost!" the Time Lord cackled loudly with laughter. "I tried to tell him he was going the wrong way, but did this guy listen? Oh no, of course not! He kept insisting he knew a shortcut; he could get us there and back in plenty of time for the party! Who needs a shortcut to the other side of the city?"
"Oh, Doc, really?" Jack snorted with laughter. "Have you learned nothing over the years?"
"Oi!" The Doctor glared between Jack and the Master. "I'll have you know..."
Ianto put an arm around Jack's waist. "Can we deal with this later, please?" He looked at the Doctor? "Please?"
Jack and the Doctor both looked at Ianto with apology in their eyes. "Sorry, Yan," Jack kissed the side of Ianto's head.
"You're right, Ianto," The Time Lord looked suitably abashed, "and I'm sorry, too."
Owen crossed his arms, completely unimpressed with the Doctor and his apology. "Did anyone ever tell you that for a Time Lord you have lousy sense of timing?"
His apologetic demeanour completely forgotten, a bright grin graced the Doctor's face and he nodded his head as the Master groaned at his husband's cheerful answer of, "A few times!"
That statement, actually made with a bit of pride, just caused everyone around him to shake their heads and groan in disbelief.
As he took in the sight of Aeron standing protectively in front of Ianto, the Master sighed and shook his head in exasperation. "Next time I'm driving the TARDIS, because you make us miss all the fun!" and he flounced over to throw himself down into an over-stuffed chair.
Fandoms: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Pairings/Characters: Jack/Ianto, Caden/Tosh, Rhys/Owen, John/Kathy, Donna, the Doctor/the Master, Martha, Estelle, OC's
Summary: For Jack there is nothing that means more to him than his mate, Ianto, so when they learn Ianto is pregnant his life, their life, feels complete. But when someone seeks to harm Ianto, they learn exactly far Jack is willing to go to keep Ianto and their unborn child safe.
Rating: R
Beta: RoyalLadyEmma
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood; I do own Caden, Ianto's people and home world.
Art by: vismur see of her amazing work here
Written for the Mpreg Big Bang Round 1 and a furture Alien!Ianto story
Chapter 9
Ianto sighed and shifted position on the sofa for the third time in ten minutes; for some reason he was finding it very difficult to find a comfortable position to sit in for very long. As he folded the baby clothes that the people of Aiedail had gifted him and Jack with, boredom began slowly creeping in to his mind. It mingled unpleasantly with the worry he was feeling.
Determined that Ianto should enjoy every moment of his baby shower, Jack had done everything in his power to make sure that the mood remained light, fun and memorable. However, once they were alone he kept his word and informed Ianto about the injured guards and that Aeron was suspected of responsible for them and of being in the castle. Hearing about his old friend had really upset Ianto and the news brought forth a flood of hormonal tears. It took some time to calm his mate back down, but once Ianto was back on an even keel, Jack had then ordered him to stay put in their chambers while he went to check in with Zosimos and offer his services.
After a long, lingering kiss, Jack proceeded to lock Ianto in the room with heavily armed guards posted just outside the doors. They'd been given strict orders that absolutely no one be allowed to enter the room and that Ianto was not allowed to leave it. Jack didn't need to add 'on pain of death' to his instructions; the four men would have gladly given their lives to protect their King and his unborn children.
'Jack is very lucky I love him so much and understand why he's gone into overprotective mode, otherwise he'd be sleeping on the couch for the next month!' Ianto vowed as he finally gave up on folding the tiny baby clothes; instead he crossed his arms and glared at nothing. "Jack has a lot of making up to do when he gets back here!" the expectant father announced with a grumpy pout to the empty room.
A soft, unexpected noise broke Ianto from his growing thoughts of how all the ways Jack would be making things up to him. With a flash of fear Ianto clambered to his feet as quickly as he could, and stood looking around for the sound's source. He blinked in surprise as Noam came out of a secret passage hidden next to the fireplace, but it was the sight of the man who followed after the seer that had him reaching out and grasping the table for support. "Noam, what are you thinking?" he hissed. He knew that the guards outside would be in his room in a flash if they thought anything were amiss. "All entire castle is up in arms looking for Aeron! Jack will go insane if he finds him here!" Even as he spoke, Ianto's mind began thinking of the best route to get Aeron safely out of the castle.
'Ianto! Aeron is there with you? Hang on, I'm on my way!'
Ianto winced as Jack's worried and furious voice came across their bond. He mentally cursed himself for letting his shields slipped even for a moment and because of that lapse, Jack managed to catch the stray thought. Now his mate was in full-blown over-the-top protection mode which meant he wasn't thinking straight which meant that anything could happen.
Knowing he had to make full use of the short window of time that he had, Ianto studied his former bodyguard and he couldn't remember the last time he had seen the knight looking and acting so defeated. "Why are you here, Aeron?" he asked gently.
Slowly Aeron fell to one knee and bowed his head. "I have come to seek punishment for my actions taken in the past. I await your judgement, my King."
Ianto studied the kneeling man before him. To an outsider, he appeared calm and in control, but Ianto knew better; he could see the tiny tremor running through the knight's body. "Aeron, your actions were not your own, I know that, Noam knows that, we have all always know that. My uncle bonded your soul to his and took your freewill from you. I cannot and will not kill you but I will free you from your duty to my family, if that is what you wish."
Startled by what he was hearing, Aeron looked up and studied the young king. He could see so much of Ianto's parents within him, Queen Ehrentraud's gentle soul and King Balaraja's loving heart and strong sense of duty. Ianto was absolutely nothing like his uncle and he firmly believed that he was the true king that their people wanted and needed. "It would be my honour to serve you, my King."
Thundering footsteps could be heard echoing down the hallway and Ianto couldn't help but smile and roll his eyes as he listened to Jack barking orders at the guards. As the doors flew open, Jack came charging in like a unstoppable bull with the others right behind him.
"Step away from my mate!" Jack snarled viciously and his blue eyes were like ice chips as he glared daggers at the man who had already taken his mate hostage once in the past. Jack was damned if that was going to happen again.
Pulling himself to his full height, Aeron stared into Jack's eyes; he refused to be intimidated by the pure hate which he saw burning there. "So you've come to kill me." The disgraced knight had prepared himself for this; after all, it had been the orders of King Thanatos to hunt Ianto down and place him in mortal danger. Aeron waited patiently for Jack to respond.
Every person in that room as well as those anxiously waiting out in the hallway knew that Jack was well within his rights as the King's consort, bond mate and husband to take the life of any man who threatened his mate. Aeron was depending on Jack to do exactly that.
"If I have to I will." Even more than dying himself, Jack hated taking the life of another, but when it came to the safety of Ianto and their children there wasn't anything he wasn't willing to do to make sure they were safe. If he had to he would die a thousand times in order to keep them from coming to harm.
As waves of testosterone swept through the room, Noam rolled his eyes and boldly stepped between Jack and Aeron. "That's enough, Jack; I understand why you're acting like this but please calm down and just listen for a moment."
But Jack's primal emotions were way past the point of rational behaviour and listening to the seer was out of the question. "Move out of my way, Noam!" Jack growled through clenched teeth. "Don't make me go through you, because you know I will!"
The young seer shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that Jack," and as Jack advanced a step closer to Aeron, the knight took a step closer to Jack. Noam ignored them both, saying "Aeron has a connection to your daughter; he is to be her mate."
That unexpected declaration stopped Jack and Aeron cold in their tracks and had Ianto going so weak in the knees that he nearly dropped to the floor, paralysed with shock. Only the lightning-fast reactions of Jack and Aeron kept him on his feet long enough to get him into the nearest chair.
"Get away from him!" Jack snarled, shoving Aeron away so forcefully that the knight actually fell backwards, sprawling awkwardly on the floor at Noam's feet. Jack knelt at Ianto's side, holding his hand and tenderly stroking the side of his face, along his arm, across his belly; he needed to be sure in his own mind that his mate was all right. "Yan? Honey, are you okay?"
Still speechless, all Ianto could do was blink with bewilderment. In all the dreams he'd ever had of his daughter's future, he certainly hadn't seen that coming.
Jack wasn't so quiet however. Keeping Ianto's hand in his, Jack stood up and sought out the seer. "What? There is no way this man is my daughter's mate!" Jack snarled; he felt Ianto squeeze his hand but he paid the warning no heed. "We won't allow it, he's far too old for her!"
Noam shook his head, refusing to be cowed by Jack's anger and disbelief. "I have seen one of your daughter's possible futures and he will protect her with his life. Aeron is bound by his oath to the royal family and only he has the right to decide what his fate should be." The seer adopted a more placating tone; "After all, Aeron did not harm Ianto in any way even though he had several opportunities to do so, both now and in the past.
Seeing that he had Jack's attention, Noam continued. "In his own way, Aeron has been protecting Ianto all this time. You must understand that Aeron had no choice but to follow Thanatos' orders; he was soul-bonded to our corrupt ruler, his actions were not his own. Please remember that, Jack."
Struggling to his feet, Ianto stepping forward and moved past Aeron and Noam to stand in front of Jack. He slid his hands up Jack's chest to gently cup his mate's face. "Jack, if it wasn't for Aeron I would have been dead many times at the hands of my uncle. I say we give him a chance."
Struggling to maintain his level of emotional agitation, Jack finally felt his anger deflate and he leaned into Ianto's touch. "I hate it when you are right," he muttered under his breath as he reached out and snagged an arm around Ianto's waist and pulled him flush against his body. "If this is what you want, then I agree with your decision." Jack bent his head and brushed his lips against Ianto's in a soft and tender kiss before glancing over to Aeron with a murderous glare on his handsome face. "Just so we're clear, there will be no funny stuff with our daughter until she is in her twenties," Jack declared, laying down the law. "Maybe even her thirties."
Aeron looked absolutely scandalized; he didn't think he'd ever been so insulted in his entire life. "I would never do anything until the young princess was of age!" He was grateful that his gifts included personal healing; it would allow him to age slowly which meant that he wouldn't look older than his future mate.
A far-too-familiar grinding noise filled the room and those who knew what was happening rolled their eyes, not all surprised that the Doctor was once again very late to the party. To those few who didn't know the Time Lords were quite startled to see a strange blue box suddenly appear out of nowhere.
The moment the TARDIS became solid the doors swung open and the Doctor came bouncing out, an ear-to-ear grin on his face. "Sorry if we're a bit late but the line up on New Earth was killer." The Time Lord babbled out only to stop and scratched the back of his head as he looked at Aeron standing protectively in front of Ianto. "So what did we miss?"
"First of all, Doc, I thought you were going shopping here on Aiedail; how did you end up on New Earth?" Jack looked at his old friend with a truly puzzled look on his face.
With a sheepish look, the Doctor glanced around the room and then at the floor, shuffling his feet, and he actually managed to look embarrassed. "Ummm... well, it was... I mean, I..."
The Master popped out of the TARDIS with a shit-eating grin on his face and danced around like a fool. "He got lost!" the Time Lord cackled loudly with laughter. "I tried to tell him he was going the wrong way, but did this guy listen? Oh no, of course not! He kept insisting he knew a shortcut; he could get us there and back in plenty of time for the party! Who needs a shortcut to the other side of the city?"
"Oh, Doc, really?" Jack snorted with laughter. "Have you learned nothing over the years?"
"Oi!" The Doctor glared between Jack and the Master. "I'll have you know..."
Ianto put an arm around Jack's waist. "Can we deal with this later, please?" He looked at the Doctor? "Please?"
Jack and the Doctor both looked at Ianto with apology in their eyes. "Sorry, Yan," Jack kissed the side of Ianto's head.
"You're right, Ianto," The Time Lord looked suitably abashed, "and I'm sorry, too."
Owen crossed his arms, completely unimpressed with the Doctor and his apology. "Did anyone ever tell you that for a Time Lord you have lousy sense of timing?"
His apologetic demeanour completely forgotten, a bright grin graced the Doctor's face and he nodded his head as the Master groaned at his husband's cheerful answer of, "A few times!"
That statement, actually made with a bit of pride, just caused everyone around him to shake their heads and groan in disbelief.
As he took in the sight of Aeron standing protectively in front of Ianto, the Master sighed and shook his head in exasperation. "Next time I'm driving the TARDIS, because you make us miss all the fun!" and he flounced over to throw himself down into an over-stuffed chair.