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Description
It was dark. The only natural light was that of the distant stars and the waning moon, which was partially obscured by clouds. Ianto had his gun drawn and a flashlight so he could see to aim. Not that it would be easy to get a clear shot; the area was heavily wooded, and over grown. Al this vegetation made it even more difficult to spot whatever it was they were looking for.

It might also have been helpful to know what they were looking for. All they knew is that the computers had picked up rift activity here, a bit farther out than usual, and very strong. Something had definitely come through. The question was what was it, and was it dangerous.

Ianto, along with Gwen and Jack had all headed out, and then spread out to search for it. It seemed wrong, just having the three of them; he still wasn’t used to it. Not having Tosh there on com, keeping them up to date on any developments. Ianto found he even missed Owen’s whining, it just wasn’t the same. It had been months since they’d been lost, and Torchwood kept going, they all kept going.

Jack wouldn’t let them give up or despair. He had been there for them both, for Gwen, and for Ianto. In turn Ianto had been there for Jack, so he didn’t have to be the one shouldering it all alone. So he didn’t have to be strong for them, so they could cry on each other’s shoulders. They had each other, and that was good. Ianto didn’t know what he would do if he had someone how lost Jack, but maybe it impossible to lose him, he always came back. Maybe that was part of the reason he had fallen in love with him, it was safe to love him, and he would never die.
A sound brought Ianto out from his thoughts, someone coming up behind him. He spun, to find it was only Gwen, he lowered his weapon.

“I haven’t been able to find anything; the rift signals were strongest in this area, according to our calculations. So I thought I’d come give you a hand.” She explained, “Sorry for startling you.”

Apparently she hadn’t understood what Jack meant by, we’ll cover more ground if we spit up. Ianto nodded, “right, it’s fine, just fine.”

Gwen nodded, the moved off, shining her flashlight into the under growth. “I hear something,” she said, Ianto heard it to, a strange rustling, followed by scratches, and some sort of chirping. She pushed her way through the bushes, and Ianto followed.

Gwen stopped, there lying on the ground, was what looked to be a very large egg. She lowered her gun, kneeling down to examine it. It was definitely alien in origin, no creature on earth laid. eggs like that. It was as big as water melon, similar is shape as well, through its color was a deep purple.

Ianto pulled up their leader on the com. “Jack, we’ve found something.” He said, watching Gwen as she continued to examine the egg, he kept his gun trained on it. It might still be dangerous, after all. However, Gwen thought, despite the fact that it was clearly alien, there didn’t seem to be any harm in touching it, so she picked it up. It wasn’t that heavy, about ten pounds or so.

She wished there were better light to see by. Once they got back to the hub they could examine it properly. Suddenly it began to tremble, he could feel whatever it was moving inside.

She had half a mind to drop the thing and back away. Instead she turned to Ianto, holding the thing at arm’s length, towards him. Suddenly it split open, revealing inside a new born alien creature. The creature looked fairly humanoid, except for the fact it was light blue in color, had pointed ears, its deep violet eyes were round and very large, and its fingers were rather like those of a tree frog. It was facing Ianto, and looked up at him wide eyed.

He took a step forward, gun still level. Still it didn’t seem dangerous and alien or not, it still felt somewhat odd to be pointing a gun at a new born. However, for all he knew it was a new born man eating killer. Of course, he couldn’t a clear shot anyway, not with Gwen holding it, he might hit her. So he put his gun back in its holster. “Just hold still, I’m going to grab it.” Ianto told her.

He made to grab the thing, when it leapt forward, landing against his chest. He froze, afraid it was going to attack, but it didn’t, it merely clung to him. The creature cooed softly, and nuzzled him, then began to sniff him. Gwen raised her gun, pointing at the creature.

“Gwen, I’d rather you not point a gun at me thanks,” said Ianto, who was keeping very still.

It was at the moment Jack came bursting through the trees. “What is_ he was mid sentence when he saw the thing which was currently clinging to Ianto. “My God,’ he breathed, his tone was shocked, but he didn’t seem worried. Jack looked to Gwen, “put the gun down, it’s alright.”

“Jack, what is it?” asked Gwen.

“It’s a baby Kogalha. Huh, I’d never thought I’d see one again, wow, she’s a galaxy away from home.” His voice was gentle, light.

“So it isn’t dangerous then?” said Ianto, relieved, so it was ok to simply hold it. So he did just that, cradling the alien against him. It really was very cute, and it seemed, almost regardless of species, something about small, young things made you want to care for them, made them cute. The Kogalha cooed again, seeming very happy to be held, then continued to sniff.

Jack’s eyes went to shards of egg shell which littered the ground. “She just hatched, Ianto, you were the first thing she saw?” He asked, seeming a bit alarmed by this.

“Yes, is that bad?” he asked. “And why exactly is it sniffing me?”

“Well, not bad, it’s complicated. You see, Kogalha imprint, like ducks or geese.” Said Jack, “its memorizing your scent, they imprint on sight, but learn recognize their
parents by scent, touch, everything. They form a very strong bond to their parents.”

“Wait, so it thinks I’m its mum?” asked Ianto, looking down at the thing, and wishing deeply he could simply set it down.

“Pretty much, and after they see you, there’s no way to undo the imprinting, which is why this is complicated. The babies need to be with their parents constantly, if we leave her alone, she would die. She isn’t just some animal either, Kogalha are sentient.”

“So we have to take care of It.” said Gwen, “same as we would a human baby.”

“No, with a human baby we would take it to the police or to whoever is responsible for caring for looking after missing or abandoned children,” said Ianto.

“Yes, except she isn’t human, and we can’t just send her back through the rift, there’s no guarantee she will get back where she came from, or that someone would be there to take care of her. Not to mention that it would traumatize her if we take her away from Ianto.”

“Why are you so sure she’s a girl. How do you know that much about these things anyway?” asked Gwen.

“All Kogalha are born female, after they reach puberty they can change sex at will, if they want to. Alien biology.” He shrugged, “and I know so much about them because I lived on Kogaln for a while, I dated a guy who was one. They’re not things, their just a different race, a very intelligent race at that.”

Ianto and Gwen both stared at Jack. There was so much they didn’t know about him. All the places he’d been, the things he’d done.

“Sorry,” said Gwen, “I didn’t mean to be bigoted or anything. Right, so its an alien, who isn’t a threat. So we’re going to take care of it...I her I mean.” she nodded, and moved closer to Ianto to get a better look at the baby. It was very cute, she reached out to touch it, but it drew back in fear, burying its head in Ianto’s arms, beginning to cry.

“You scared her,” said Ianto, placing a hand on the baby’s back, “its ok, it’s ok, shh, shh, I'm here, I've got you. Its alright.” he said gently. Even if he wasn’t thrilled to suddenly be in the role of mother, it just seemed natural to want to comfort her.

“Baby Kogalha, are very skittish,” said Jack moving closer, “normally they only let their parents touch them for the first few months, then some relatives can, but normally they stick to their mum, which is exactly what she thinks Ianto is.” Jack moved closer to Ianto, his movements were slow as he held his hand out to the baby. Not trying to touch her, just holding it there. She turned, hesitantly, and then sniffed his hand, before looking up at him. “Hey there little one,” he cooed lovingly, she reached out for him, and Ianto handed the baby to him. She snuggled in his arms.

“Why did she go to you?” asked Gwen.

“Ianto’s scent is all over me, so she thinks I’m her father.” He smiled down at the little thing warmly, “don’t worry little girl, we’re going to take care of you.” until they found some solution.

Description
It was dark. The only natural light was that of the distant stars and the waning moon, which was partially obscured by clouds. Ianto had his gun drawn and a flashlight so he could see to aim. Not that it would be easy to get a clear shot; the area was heavily wooded, and over grown. Al this vegetation made it even more difficult to spot whatever it was they were looking for.

It might also have been helpful to know what they were looking for. All they knew is that the computers had picked up rift activity here, a bit farther out than usual, and very strong. Something had definitely come through. The question was what was it, and was it dangerous.

Ianto, along with Gwen and Jack had all headed out, and then spread out to search for it. It seemed wrong, just having the three of them; he still wasn’t used to it. Not having Tosh there on com, keeping them up to date on any developments. Ianto found he even missed Owen’s whining, it just wasn’t the same. It had been months since they’d been lost, and Torchwood kept going, they all kept going.

Jack wouldn’t let them give up or despair. He had been there for them both, for Gwen, and for Ianto. In turn Ianto had been there for Jack, so he didn’t have to be the one shouldering it all alone. So he didn’t have to be strong for them, so they could cry on each other’s shoulders. They had each other, and that was good. Ianto didn’t know what he would do if he had someone how lost Jack, but maybe it impossible to lose him, he always came back. Maybe that was part of the reason he had fallen in love with him, it was safe to love him, and he would never die.
A sound brought Ianto out from his thoughts, someone coming up behind him. He spun, to find it was only Gwen, he lowered his weapon.

“I haven’t been able to find anything; the rift signals were strongest in this area, according to our calculations. So I thought I’d come give you a hand.” She explained, “Sorry for startling you.”

Apparently she hadn’t understood what Jack meant by, we’ll cover more ground if we spit up. Ianto nodded, “right, it’s fine, just fine.”

Gwen nodded, the moved off, shining her flashlight into the under growth. “I hear something,” she said, Ianto heard it to, a strange rustling, followed by scratches, and some sort of chirping. She pushed her way through the bushes, and Ianto followed.

Gwen stopped, there lying on the ground, was what looked to be a very large egg. She lowered her gun, kneeling down to examine it. It was definitely alien in origin, no creature on earth laid. eggs like that. It was as big as water melon, similar is shape as well, through its color was a deep purple.

Ianto pulled up their leader on the com. “Jack, we’ve found something.” He said, watching Gwen as she continued to examine the egg, he kept his gun trained on it. It might still be dangerous, after all. However, Gwen thought, despite the fact that it was clearly alien, there didn’t seem to be any harm in touching it, so she picked it up. It wasn’t that heavy, about ten pounds or so.

She wished there were better light to see by. Once they got back to the hub they could examine it properly. Suddenly it began to tremble, he could feel whatever it was moving inside.

She had half a mind to drop the thing and back away. Instead she turned to Ianto, holding the thing at arm’s length, towards him. Suddenly it split open, revealing inside a new born alien creature. The creature looked fairly humanoid, except for the fact it was light blue in color, had pointed ears, its deep violet eyes were round and very large, and its fingers were rather like those of a tree frog. It was facing Ianto, and looked up at him wide eyed.

He took a step forward, gun still level. Still it didn’t seem dangerous and alien or not, it still felt somewhat odd to be pointing a gun at a new born. However, for all he knew it was a new born man eating killer. Of course, he couldn’t a clear shot anyway, not with Gwen holding it, he might hit her. So he put his gun back in its holster. “Just hold still, I’m going to grab it.” Ianto told her.

He made to grab the thing, when it leapt forward, landing against his chest. He froze, afraid it was going to attack, but it didn’t, it merely clung to him. The creature cooed softly, and nuzzled him, then began to sniff him. Gwen raised her gun, pointing at the creature.

“Gwen, I’d rather you not point a gun at me thanks,” said Ianto, who was keeping very still.

It was at the moment Jack came bursting through the trees. “What is_ he was mid sentence when he saw the thing which was currently clinging to Ianto. “My God,’ he breathed, his tone was shocked, but he didn’t seem worried. Jack looked to Gwen, “put the gun down, it’s alright.”

“Jack, what is it?” asked Gwen.

“It’s a baby Kogalha. Huh, I’d never thought I’d see one again, wow, she’s a galaxy away from home.” His voice was gentle, light.

“So it isn’t dangerous then?” said Ianto, relieved, so it was ok to simply hold it. So he did just that, cradling the alien against him. It really was very cute, and it seemed, almost regardless of species, something about small, young things made you want to care for them, made them cute. The Kogalha cooed again, seeming very happy to be held, then continued to sniff.

Jack’s eyes went to shards of egg shell which littered the ground. “She just hatched, Ianto, you were the first thing she saw?” He asked, seeming a bit alarmed by this.

“Yes, is that bad?” he asked. “And why exactly is it sniffing me?”

“Well, not bad, it’s complicated. You see, Kogalha imprint, like ducks or geese.” Said Jack, “its memorizing your scent, they imprint on sight, but learn recognize their
parents by scent, touch, everything. They form a very strong bond to their parents.”

“Wait, so it thinks I’m its mum?” asked Ianto, looking down at the thing, and wishing deeply he could simply set it down.

“Pretty much, and after they see you, there’s no way to undo the imprinting, which is why this is complicated. The babies need to be with their parents constantly, if we leave her alone, she would die. She isn’t just some animal either, Kogalha are sentient.”

“So we have to take care of It.” said Gwen, “same as we would a human baby.”

“No, with a human baby we would take it to the police or to whoever is responsible for caring for looking after missing or abandoned children,” said Ianto.

“Yes, except she isn’t human, and we can’t just send her back through the rift, there’s no guarantee she will get back where she came from, or that someone would be there to take care of her. Not to mention that it would traumatize her if we take her away from Ianto.”

“Why are you so sure she’s a girl. How do you know that much about these things anyway?” asked Gwen.

“All Kogalha are born female, after they reach puberty they can change sex at will, if they want to. Alien biology.” He shrugged, “and I know so much about them because I lived on Kogaln for a while, I dated a guy who was one. They’re not things, their just a different race, a very intelligent race at that.”

Ianto and Gwen both stared at Jack. There was so much they didn’t know about him. All the places he’d been, the things he’d done.

“Sorry,” said Gwen, “I didn’t mean to be bigoted or anything. Right, so its an alien, who isn’t a threat. So we’re going to take care of it...I her I mean.” she nodded, and moved closer to Ianto to get a better look at the baby. It was very cute, she reached out to touch it, but it drew back in fear, burying its head in Ianto’s arms, beginning to cry.

“You scared her,” said Ianto, placing a hand on the baby’s back, “its ok, it’s ok, shh, shh, I'm here, I've got you. Its alright.” he said gently. Even if he wasn’t thrilled to suddenly be in the role of mother, it just seemed natural to want to comfort her.

“Baby Kogalha, are very skittish,” said Jack moving closer, “normally they only let their parents touch them for the first few months, then some relatives can, but normally they stick to their mum, which is exactly what she thinks Ianto is.” Jack moved closer to Ianto, his movements were slow as he held his hand out to the baby. Not trying to touch her, just holding it there. She turned, hesitantly, and then sniffed his hand, before looking up at him. “Hey there little one,” he cooed lovingly, she reached out for him, and Ianto handed the baby to him. She snuggled in his arms.

“Why did she go to you?” asked Gwen.

“Ianto’s scent is all over me, so she thinks I’m her father.” He smiled down at the little thing warmly, “don’t worry little girl, we’re going to take care of you.” until they found some solution.