A/N: The Red House belongs to Helen Pattskyn's "Bonnie Welshman" series of stories. She very graciously gave me permission to use it in this chapter, and I am very appreciative of that. If you haven't read her stories, I strongly recommend it. They're awesome, especially if you're fond of cross-overs. (Seriously, she writes the greatest Torchwood/NCIS crossovers that I have ever read in my life.)

Jack stood on the hilltop, struggling not to shiver despite the protection of his greatcoat. He hadn't worn it for months now, but it was important that he be dressed in his old World War II style in order to ensure this little ruse went smoothly. He shifted restlessly, and his fingers brushed over his very slightly expanded belly beneath the coat. He was far more comfortable now in leather and denim than in this old retro getup, but needs must.

He was there on that chilly hilltop for two reasons - to meet with Gwen one last time, and to avoid running into problems with UNIT or any of the other government agencies that had it in for him since the 4-5-6 debacle. He wore the greatcoat for two reasons - to ensure Gwen didn't see anything that might help her to remember New Orleans and Ianto (Ash insisted she couldn't remember, but Jack had made the mistake of that assumption once before to his detriment), and to hide the fact that he was nearly eight weeks pregnant.

A tiny smile flickered across his lips as he remembered the day just over a month ago when he'd walked into Sanctuary, and Aimee had taken one look at him and shrieked like... Well, like a girl. When they'd finally managed to calm her down, she'd simply pointed at Jack and choked out, "Pregnant!"

Needless to say, the men had roared with laughter at the seemingly ludicrous statement. It wasn't until Simi arrived on the scene with Ash that all doubts were squashed well and truly.

"Oo," Simi said with enthusiasm, "the Simi's Jacky is going to have a baby, just like Akra-Tori!"

It had almost been worth it, watching at least two Dark Hunters and several Weres spit out their drinks at Simi's announcement. It was one thing to dismiss Aimee as mistaken, but no one who valued their life laughed at Simi.

"Oh, that is seriously fucked up," Fang had said as they'd gathered around Jack. "I know that Savitar can be a bastard, but this is taking it too far, even for him!"

"Actually," Jack said wryly, "Savitar had nothing to do with this. Ianto and I achieved this completely naturally."

"Actually," Cherif said incredulously, "I think that might be even more fucked up."

Jack shrugged.

"I'm from the fifty-first century. Male pregnancy isn't exactly common by then, but it's not unheard of, either. And yes, the only way for the baby to be born is by Caesarian. I don't have a birth canal."

"Too much information right there, Harkness," Ash said as he joined the group. Jack smirked, but there was less provocation there than usual. Everyone present could see it. The Arcadian immortal was practically glowing with joy.

"Does Ianto know about this?" Ash asked. Jack smiled proudly.

"We found out together just this morning."

Despite the oddness of the situation, congratulations had flowed freely, and so had the drink - although Jack had politely declined alcohol in favour of water, much to the approval of all present.

It had later led to a serious talk with Ash, though, who had agreed that Jack could not stay on Earth whilst he was pregnant, that the temptation would be far too great for the likes of Stryker, and other such enemies. And so it had been decided that Jack and Ianto would leave with the Doctor, travelling to a future time and place where Jack could safely carry and deliver the baby. If they chose to return to Earth afterwards, they were assured that there would always be a place for them within the Dark Hunter and Were Hunter communities.

Then, as they were in the final stages of preparation with the Doctor, a message reached Jack, via the Doctor from Martha. Gwen was looking for Jack again - she had found his vortex manipulator in the wreckage of the Hub.

Bizarrely, it was the Doctor who had suggested that Jack use it as an opportunity get his manipulator back, and put Gwen off his trail once and for all. And so, a plan was hatched.

Jack would contact Gwen, and arrange to meet her, to retrieve his manipulator. Ash would take Jack back to Cardiff for the meeting, whilst Ianto went with the Doctor in the TARDIS, and they waited in orbit above the Earth to teleport Jack off Earth while Gwen watched. It would be up to Jack to make Gwen believe he was leaving Earth for good; something that Jack didn't think he'd have a problem with.

Then, the Doctor would take him and Ianto to Arys Major in the sixty-fourth century, where Jack would be able to get the right sort of medical care needed to see his pregnancy through safely. After the baby was born, it would be up to Jack and Ianto what they did and where they went. Ianto was no longer beholden to Artemis and, as the keeper of the young Dark Hunter's soul, Savitar had given his approval for him to choose his own path.

So here Jack was, standing in wait on a lonely, freezing hillside, all the while wishing he was in the TARDIS with Ianto, on their way to Arys Major.

"You still haven't learned patience," Ash said dryly. He was out of sight, hidden in the shadows, but Jack could hear him as well as if he was standing beside him.

"I waited for the Doctor for more than a hundred years," Jack pointed out.

"I'm eleven thousand years old, Jack. Don't try bullshitting me. A hundred years is a drop in the ocean by comparison."

"Nineteen hundred years buried beneath Cardiff, and another hundred cryo-frozen?" Jack offered.

Ash smiled wryly.

"Okay, I'll let you have that one, but you're still just a child, as far as I'm concerned."

Jack grinned, unable to stop himself.

"I can live with that... Grandpa."

"Smart ass," Ash growled, but his tone was awash with affection. He knew he could never give Jack the comfort of telling him what he'd done to cause the Time Agency to take his memories, but he could and would see to it that Jack and Ianto were helped and provided for in any way he could manage. Here was a man who had risked his life for a child that all but one human had either rejected or lusted after. It was a debt that Ash believed he should never forget, and could never repay.

"Here they come," Jack murmured, his expression sobering quickly as he spotted Rhys and Gwen coming up the hill.

"Do what you need to do," Ash said quietly, "and teleport away when you're done. I'll meet you in the TARDIS."

Jack inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement of Ash's directive before turning his focus towards the newcomers.

As they reached the crest of the hill, Gwen offered him an exhausted smile, and though that smile was friendly enough, Jack thought he could see a hint of accusation in her eyes - accusation at leaving her, he supposed. He didn't deny that it stung, but when all was said and done, he knew he'd chosen the right path. He had no regrets, and nothing Gwen could say or do would make him feel guilty for that.

"Couldn't have just chosen a pub, could you?" Gwen puffed as she reached him. Behind her, Rhys grunted in agreement.

"It's bloody freezing."

Jack grinned, though this time it felt forced. All of a sudden, he just wanted this to be over with, and to be safely on the TARDIS with Ianto and the Doctor. He adjusted his coat around his body a little, irrationally afraid that somehow Gwen would see through the material, and spot the baby bump that was just beginning to form.

"Oh, I missed that, the Welsh complaining." He paused, eyeing her far more swollen stomach and his expression softened a little. "You look good."

"I look huge," she scoffed, but the pleasure she felt shone through on her face.

"She's bloody gorgeous," Rhys countered, somewhat possessively, and Jack smiled at that. Slowly, as though he was a flighty rabbit in danger of bolting, Gwen walked towards him.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

Jack let his breath out in a huff, watching his breath form a cloud of frost briefly in the air before responding.

"Yeah."

It wasn't hard to put a touch of melancholy into his tone. He needed only to think of how things might have worked out if Ianto had not taken Artemis up on her offer; if he hadn't learnt about what had happened with Ianto... So many possibilities, and they still gave him nightmares.

Before he realized it, she was reaching out to touch his collar and straighten it, much to his private irritation. Whether it was conscious or not, she was emulating Ianto, and he didn't appreciate it at all.

"So… Did it work?"

Jack shrugged a little, pulling out of her grasp with the same gesture.

"Travelled all sorts of places. This planet is too small. The whole world is like a graveyard."

And oh, how bitterly true that was.

"Come back with us."

It was less of a suggestion, more of an imperative, and when she said 'us', he knew she really meant 'me'.

"Haven't travelled far enough yet. Got a lot of dirt to shake off my shoes. And right now, there's a cold-fusion cruiser surfing the ion reefs just at the edge of the solar system, just waiting to open its transport dock. I just need to send a signal."

He chose his words deliberately, and as though on cue, Gwen held up her finger in a 'just a moment' gesture before digging into her pocket and produced Jack's vortex manipulator.

"They found it in the wreckage of the Hub. Indestructible, just like its owner."

Jack barely avoided flinching at her words as he took the manipulator and secured it to his wrist.

"We put on a new strap for you," Gwen told him.

"Cost me fifty quid, that," Rhys called out. Jack smirked a little.

"Bill me!" he called back. He figured Rhys thought he was just taking the piss, but Jack almost wished he was around to see the look on the other man's face when he discovered the substantial amount that had been deposited into the couple's bank account. Severance pay, Jack had said simply when Ianto had queried it.

Gwen peered up at him with a familiar look of hopeful expectation.

"You're coming back, right, Jack?"

His expression was open and unguarded as he answered bluntly.

"What for?"

Tears began to well in Gwen's eyes.

"For me! Jack, it wasn't your fault!"

"Oh, I think it was."

He did, too. So much was his fault, and not just where the 4-5-6 was concerned.

Gwen shook her head anxiously.

"No, that's not true, Jack."

He wondered at her desire that he not blame himself when, so often in the past, she'd been all too willing to lay the blame on him when things hadn't gone the way that she expected they ought to. Jack shook his head.

"Ianto, and Owen and Tosh, and Suzie and... All of them. Because of me."

"But you, you saved us. Didn't you?"

She didn't realize how easy she was making it for him, and for that he was immensely grateful. He spoke, forming his words easily as he imagined how his life could have so easily self-destructed if Ianto had truly been lost to him, and he'd been forced to kill Stephen to stop the 4-5-6.

"I began to like it. And look what I became. Still. I have lived so many lives. It's time to find another one."

And oh, how true that was. It just wasn't meant the way that Gwen naturally interpreted it. He stepped back from Gwen and lifted his vortex manipulator, making a deliberate and clear show of pressing a button, causing it to send a continuous beep.

Gwen stared at him, wide-eyed and teary, in what Jack recognized as a well-practiced look. As sympathetic as he still felt towards her, it was a look that no longer held any influence over him.

"Th-they died," she choked out, "and I am sorry, Jack, but you cannot just run away. You cannot run away!"

The teleportation field began to shimmer over Jack. He fought a powerful desire to smile, but even so he couldn't quite keep the hint of a smile off his lips. Soon, he would be back in the arms of his mate, and they would be safely on their way to Arys Major, and the sixty-fourth century.

"Oh, yes, I can. Just watch me."

And then the teleportation light engulfed him completely, and he felt himself being lifted off Earth and shooting skyward, re-materializing inside the control room of the TARDIS.

"Well done, cariad," Ianto said with a warm smile as he and Jack embraced.

"All clear?" the Doctor asked. Jack looked around as Ash appeared, a wry smile on his face.

"That was a bit overly-dramatic, wasn't it? Teleporting a la Star Trek in a beam of light?"

The Doctor smiled unashamedly.

"We talked it over. Jack felt that the greater the visual show, the more likely she would be to accept he was gone, beyond her reach. So now, I just need to wait from the inevitable call from Martha, asking me to find Jack because he's disappeared and Gwen is so terribly worried about him."

"That's almost snarky, Doctor," Jack said in a chiding tone, but he grinned as he said it. The Doctor smiled and looked back to Ash.

"You might want to say goodbye now, Acheron. I don't think it would be a particularly good idea to take you to the sixty-fourth century."

Ash nodded amiably. The truth was that he had no desire to see the future. He got enough of that as it was, with his ability to see everyone's future.

"Take care, both of you," he told Jack and Ianto. "And even if you don't choose to come back to Earth to stay, I want to see the little one when he or she is born. Understood?"

Jack snapped a salute, which Ash responded to with an affectionate cuff across the back of the head.

"Behave yourself, Jack. Don't give Ianto a hard time, or you'll have to answer to Simi when you get back."

Jack's grin softened into a warm smile at the mention of the Charonte demon.

"Give Simi a big hug for me, okay? And tell her I'm going to miss her, but when we get back we'll have a new cousin for her to meet."

"I will," Ash promised. He shook hands with Ianto. "Good luck, both of you, and take care of each other."

Both men nodded in answer, arms wrapped around each other possessively.

"Thank you, Ash," Ianto said fervently. "For everything."

Ash grinned back at them.

"Ditto. See you 'round, fellas."

And then he was gone, teleporting out in the blink of an eye.

"Well, then," the Doctor said, eyeing the two men with a smile. "Next stop, Arys Major."

Jack and Ianto exchanged grins. This was a new start for them both and while they knew they would eventually return to Earth at some point, right now they were content with how everything had turned out. They had each other without the fear of loss that had permeated their relationship not so long ago, and they had a child on the way.

All in all, life was good.

Several linear Earth months later

Jack approached the entrance to Sanctuary slowly, not out of trepidation but out of care for the precious bundle in his arms. It had taken far too long to get her to go to sleep, and he knew she'd be woken soon enough by the noise of the club. He wanted to salvage as many minutes of peace as he could before that happened.

"We could have waited, you know," Ianto said with a wry smile as he came to stand beside his lover and mate. Jack shook his head, speaking in a low voice.

"No, we promised. Besides, I want to show off, and it's not as if we can go home to Cardiff and compare baby stories with Gwen."

Ianto rolled his eyes in fond exasperation.

"All right, then. Let's go, cariad."

Unsurprisingly, Dev was standing watch at the door, and his face lit up with surprise and pleasure when he saw who was coming.

"Jack? Ianto! Damn, look at the two of you!"

Ianto accepted Dev's outstretched hand without hesitation, while Jack nodded in acknowledgement.

"Are you two trying to start your own pack?" the bear wondered, looking from the bundle in Jack's arms to the sturdy pram that Ianto was pushing. Ianto chuckled.

"Believe me, it was as much a surprise to us. We thought Jack was having twins, and that was daunting enough. Imagine our shock when the doctor lifted these two out, and found little Ashlyn hidden away behind her brothers."

A grin broke out across Dev's face.

"Ashlyn?"

Ianto nodded.

"Jack and I both agreed. And this is Savitar and Emrys."

Dev nearly choked, and Jack nodded.

"I know, but Ianto insisted on a Welsh name."

"Don't be smart," Ianto chided. "You know damn well why Dev reacted like that."

"When Savitar gave me and Samia a chance to have children, he said he wanted us to name our firstborn after him, but we didn't take it seriously!"

Jack smiled.

"Savitar never asked, or even told us. I thought it was fitting."

Dev peered into the pram at the two baby boys who were curled comfortably in against each other.

"Which one is which?"

"Emrys is on the right, Savitar on the left," Ianto said. "Savitar was technically the first one born, and he's about half an inch longer than Emrys. Ashlyn is smaller than both the boys, but she's feisty enough to make up for it."

Chuckling, Dev opened Sanctuary's door for them.

"C'mon, let's get those little ones out of the night air."

It was no surprise to either man that Simi was the first one to spot them. Abandoning the enormous leg of lamb that she'd been devouring, she sprinted across the room with an excited squeal, throwing herself on Ianto, who embraced her willingly.

"You're back!" she squealed in his ear, making Ianto wince ever so slightly. "And you broughts little humans!"

Simi peered at the boys, and then at Ashlyn, who had woken at the noise.

"They don't have hornays," Simi pouted. "They needs hornays."

"Unfortunately, we can't give them horns, sweetheart," Jack said with a smile as the other inhabitants of the bar gathered around. "But once they hit puberty, they should get their very own sets of teeth and claws."

"Oh my god," Aimee whispered in amazement as she looked at the babies. "They're Arcadian! But how...?"

"I'm descended from an Arcadian bloodline," Jack explained. "Savitar figured it out."

"Do you know what clan?" Fang wondered. "I mean, are you bear, wolf... Something else? Or are you Arcadian in name only?"

"I'll explain once we're sitting down," Jack said. "This little one is getting hungry."

"Dude, you're not... You know... breast feeding, are you?" Quinn asked uneasily.

Jack grinned, clearly taking pleasure in Quinn's embarrassment as he sat down and Ianto handed him a bottle.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no. Fifty-first century men haven't quite evolved that much."

"Smart ass," Quinn retorted, but there was no malice in his tone. Ash ventured closer, looking down at the bundle.

"You did well, boys. She's beautiful."

"We may be biased, but we think they're all pretty gorgeous," Ianto said proudly as he lifted Emrys out of the pram and handed him to a bright-eyed Simi, and then lifted up Savitar. Ash's eyes widened a little.

"Three? Okay, I did not see that coming."

"Meet Savitar and Emrys," Ianto said, indicating the two boys.

"And our little miracle, Ashlyn," Jack added. Ash looked startled, but then his surprise melted into a happy grin.

"Can I...?"

Jack handed Ashlyn over to her namesake, who cradled her to him with a warm smile.

"You are going to be magnificent," he murmured, even though her future was hidden from him. "I'm sure of it." He looked up at Jack and Ianto with a wide grin. "All three of them are going to be magnificent."

"You said you'd explain about your Arcadian bloodline," Fang piped up.

Ash stepped towards the door that led through to the private part of the house.

"Let's take this somewhere a little more private."

They all filed through to the enormous kitchen that served the Peltier family and all of their adoptees, and there Ash settled into a chair with Ashlyn snuggled comfortably in his arms while she drank her bottle.

To the amusement of all, Emrys was giggling at Simi while little Savitar was comfortably ensconced in his Tad's arms.

"So what's the story, Jack?" Ash asked.

"I'll keep it short," Jack said, ignoring the roll of Ianto's eyes. "Everything went perfectly. The pregnancy, the birth, all of it. The triplets were born without any complications. We had to stay where we were for about six months until they were ready to travel. We were just preparing to call the Doctor when our settlement was attacked by slavers. They took just about everyone, including me and the triplets."

"It was daylight when they attacked," Ianto said bitterly. "One of about fourteen days in a whole year, and I couldn't do anything to help."

Jack leaned in to kiss him briefly before going on with the story.

"They were going to sell the babies to the Red House... It's an intergalactic whore house where children are raised to be prostitutes. The only way out is if someone buys your contract, or you die. And they were going to sell my babies to them."

"Be calm, Jack," Ianto murmured. "Remember, it didn't happen. Not to our babies, or to any of the settlers."

"What happened?" Aimee asked. Jack let his breath out slowly and he took a step back from everyone.

"This happened."

And suddenly, it was no longer Jack standing there, but an enormous black wolf. Stunned silence reigned, followed by raucous cheers. When Jack changed back to his human form, he was immediately swamped by fellow Were Hunters, all eager to congratulate him on discovering the animal within.

"It was a little frightening," Ianto said when they finally settled down. "He couldn't change back at first. It took half a day, and me giving him a full massage to relax him before he was able to change back."

"That's not unusual for a first time transformation," Dev mused. "I'm sorry you had to experience that without anyone to help you out."

"What happened to the slavers?" Ash queried, although he sounded as though he already knew. Jack's expression turned cold as he remembered the dramatic actions he'd taken. He supposed he could argue that it was the wolf in him that had taken over, and he'd had no real control over himself, but he knew that was a lie. And so he spoke the truth, bluntly and without remorse.

"I tore them to pieces, every last one of them."

There was no shock at his admission, only nods of understanding amongst the Weres who were gathered.

"They threatened your family," Fang said soberly. "If anything will bring out the killer instinct in a Were, it's that."

"Ianto?" Dev asked cautiously. He couldn't help but worry at how Ianto might react to such an admission, and hoped that it wouldn't result in Ianto fearing his partner. To his relief, Ianto smiled serenely and reached out to take Jack's hand in his own.

"He not only protected our babies, he also saved the entire settlement. I love him as much as ever. Even better, though, the people saw what he turned into, and what he did to the slavers, and when it was over, they didn't reject him. They celebrated him for the hero that he is."

"Not a hero," Jack murmured. "Just protecting my own."

"So what happens now?" Aimee wondered as she peered at the contented bundle in Simi's arms. "Are you back to stay, or will you be heading off again?"

"We're staying, at least for now," Ianto confirmed. "Maybe when the babies are older, we'll call on the Doctor again and take them travelling, but that'll be some way into the future. Right now, we want to be where they'll have a chance to learn about their heritage, and what it means to be Weres."

"And they won't be taught to hate," Jack said vehemently. "Arcadian or Katagarian, it won't matter. No hate, only acceptance."

"A new generation," Ash murmured with an approving smile. "I like the sound of that." He paused, glancing at them pointedly. "Are you ready for life here again? Because you know it isn't going to be a cakewalk."

"We know," Ianto confirmed. "But it'll be dangerous wherever we go. We stay here, and get caught in the middle of everything, or we travel have to deal with being a rare oddity that some lunatic might want to collect. Either way, there's likely to be some risk. Here, we're at least among friends."

"That you are," Ash agreed with a grin. "Welcome home, boys."

Fin.