"Jack, Gwen just called and said the Rift is still quiet, but she and Toby will stay at the Hub for the night. Rhys is with Emma at his parent's place and she is taking the chance to avoid the visit." Ianto popped his head into the hallway and looked upstairs to see if Jack had heard him. "Jack?"
"Yeah, I heard." A somewhat muffled answer came back, followed by a high pitched giggle.
Ianto smiled and put the phone down on the kitchen counter before grabbing a few packets of fruit juice, stuffing them into his backpack. A glance at his watch told him that it was time for them to leave. His brother Dylan was celebrating his 50th birthday and they had to drive to Bristol for the party. Ianto was looking forward to it; it had almost been a year since he had last seen his brother and he missed him.
Just when he had slung the backpack over his shoulder and stepped into the hallway, a small girl with dark brown hair shot down the stairs. He managed to catch her around the waist and swept her up into his arms.
"Hey little lady, where are you going?" Pressing a kiss to his daughters head, he shuffled her onto his left hip and tickled her naked belly, making the girl squirm in his arms and giggle happily. "I'm sure I put you in your new dress just half an hour ago, so why are you running around naked now?" Lifting his eyebrows he looked seriously at the young face.
She stopped squirming instantly and looked guiltily at him. "Don't like the dress."
"Well, you wanted it for your birthday and Auntie Gwen was so nice and bought it for you."
"But I wanted the blue one, not the pink." Wrapping her stubby arms around his neck, she snuggled into her Tad's arms, hoping that he wouldn't be mad at her.
Ianto smiled and hugged the small form of his daughter to his chest. He'd had a feeling that she wouldn't like the pink. He had said so much to Gwen, knowing the stubborn streak of his daughter and her fable for blue clothes, but Gwen had wanted to dress her as a little princess and had bought the pink dress. Shaking his head he chuckled. They could probably go to the shop and exchange it for the blue one.
When he turned around and looked up the stairs, he found his partner smiling down at him, their son on his hips, the pink dress in his free hand.
"I see you caught the fugitive."
"Yes, and she surrendered." Tickling her belly again, Ianto laughed when she started giggling.
"Well, Josh and I are ready to go, maybe you should get up here and get your daughter ready as well?"
"Why is it, Katie is always my daughter when she acts like the little trouble she is and your daughter when she is all sweet and behaved?"
"That's the right of the parent who carried the kids in his belly for ten months," Jack answered with a smug smile and hopped down the stairs. "And she is always well behaved when she is with you. She is a Tad's girl."
Katie had followed the conversation with big eyes and was now pouting heavily. "I'm no trouble."
Jack laughed when he reached his partner and now ruffled through the toddler's hair. "Yes, you are sweetie, but you're our trouble and we love you."
Josh, who had been quiet the whole time lifted his head from his father's shoulder and looked at him questioningly. "Am I trouble?"
Chuckling, Jack looked down into the blue eyes that reminded him so much of Ianto. "Sometimes you are sprog, but we love you as well."
"Tad, I don't want to wear a dress. I want to wear jeans like you, Daddy and Josh!" Katie suddenly piped up, squirming in her Tad's arms again.
Ianto sighed and slid the backpack from his shoulder, handing it to Jack. "You sure about that? Uncle Dylan loves to see you in a dress; he calls you his little princess. Are you sure you don't want to dress up for his birthday?"
Exchanging a look with Jack when the little girl shook her head furiously, they came to the silent agreement to stuff the dress into the bag in case she'd change her mind again.
"Okay then, up we go." Grabbing Katie under the arms, Ianto swept her into the air and caught her again before climbing up the stairs with the giggling and squirming toddler in his arms.
Jack watched them leave and felt his heart swell for the millionth time since he had found the courage and asked Ianto to be his civil partner. It had been a year after Tosh and Owen had died and they had become extremely close over the course of that year. So much had happened and they had supported each other and found strength in their partnership. It had been a surprise for both of them when Jack had become pregnant with their twins shortly after their ceremony. That was four years ago and Jack wouldn't want to miss one second of it.
Looking down at the quiet boy in his arms, he smiled. It was obvious that Josh was taking after Ianto, while Katie was the spitting image of himself.
"What do you say buddy, are we going to man the car and let the girls get on with dressing themselves?"
"But Tad's not a girl." Blue eyes were looking up in confusion. Josh was already developing the same frown his father had when he was thinking hard.
"No, you're right." Jack smiled at his little boy, admiring the quiet intelligence that lay behind the young eyes. "Okay, let's get you into the car." Swinging the backpack over his shoulder, Jack grabbed the car keys from the holder and made his way to the door. Josh had already retaken his position snuggled up to his chest, with his head on his shoulder and Jack didn't think he could be any happier now. He had never seen himself as the settling down type but being with Ianto had changed that. And when he had been pregnant with the twins he had felt absolutely complete for the first time in his life. He finally had a family.
He opened the door of their SUV and settled Josh into his car seat, strapping the little boy in before giving him a kiss on the head. Smiling, Jack climbed into the driver's seat. It had been a fight as to which car they would buy, but Jack finally convinced Ianto of the benefits of a SUV, arguing that the car would have the much needed room, but wouldn't look like a boring family car. Ianto had finally caved in when Jack had played the "I'm pregnant with your kids"-card and agreed to buy a SUV of the same model they had for Torchwood, but minus all the tech stuff.
"Daddy?"
"Jup."
"Why did you call Tad a girl?"
Turning around, Jack looked at the toddler in the backseat and smiled. Even at only four years old, Josh was constantly thinking and absorbing everything around him. But he wasn't old enough to understand irony.
"I was only making fun of Tad."
"But Tad said it is wrong to make fun of other people."
"And he is absolutely right, sprog. I apologize." Reaching back, he ruffled through Josh's hair and shook his head. He had to watch his tongue with the little one.
"You should apologize to Tad," Josh stated matter of factly and looked very pleased with himself.
"What did you do now, Jack?" Ianto had just reached the car with Katie in his arms and opened the door when he heard Josh putting his Daddy right. Inwardly smiling, he looked sternly at his lover.
"I apologize for calling you a girl," Jack grinned and had to stifle a laugh when he saw Ianto's indignant expression.
"Tad is not a girl!" Katie piped up, when Ianto strapped her into her seat. "I'm a girl. Tad has a penis, that's why he is a boy."
"Katie!" Ianto looked genuinely shocked at his daughter's words while Jack burst out laughing and almost fell out of the car. It took a while until he calmed down again and could look at his partner.
"What?" Jack was still suppressing the urge to laugh and made strange gurgling noises. His daughter wasn't any better, happy to make her Dad laugh like that, she had joined him and even Josh was giggling like mad.
Ianto could only shake his head as he looked at his laughing family before he chuckled as well. "You will pay for teaching her words like that so soon."
"She was asking!" Jack defended himself. "You know how they ask about everything and nothing and last night when the kids were taking their baths, Katie asked why Josh has another finger between his legs and she doesn't. What was I supposed to answer?"
"I just wish she wouldn't ask things like that so soon," Ianto sighed and climbed into the car. Turning around, he fixed Katie with a stern look. "Promise me, you won't say that word in front of other people, okay?"
"Okay Tad," she replied happily, not really understanding all the fuss.
Jack finally started the car and pulled out of their driveway. They made it almost to the motorway before Katie asked for the first time, if they were there yet.
Ianto shook his head smiling. The girl had the same energy as her father and couldn't sit still for five minutes. Josh on the other hand was looking at one of his picture books, sitting quietly in his seat and letting his sister jabber. Sliding his hand on Jack's thigh, Ianto smiled when his partner covered his hand with his own. Since they had the kids they had become extremely domestic, but Ianto loved every second of it. He had never thought he would have a normal life working for Torchwood and now he had a husband and two wonderful kids.
He popped a CD with sing along songs for kids into the player and soon Jack was singing silly songs with his daughter, while Ianto leaned back and enjoyed the time with his family, happy that they had the opportunity to spend time together in the first place.
After Jack had become pregnant with the twins, Ianto had put his foot down and they had recruited six more people for the team, which had turned out to be a very good thing since Gwen had decided to join Jack in the pregnancy business then. Ianto looked back in dread to the time when they had had two pregnant people in the Hub. The hormones of Jack and Gwen had driven the team mad and everyone was extremely relieved when the twins and Emma finally made their appearances.
And the extra personnel had given them the opportunity to live a reasonably regulated life and there was always someone present to take care of the kids. Jack had even gone so far to employ a woman to look after the kids all day. And by now Katie, Josh and Emma weren't the only kids running around in the Torchwood kindergarten. Shauna and Toby had a boy as well and Andras had a girl with his wife. Another change had been the new rule Jack had established for the Torchwood personnel. If they wanted, they could tell their partners what they were doing at Torchwood. He had seen how it was better for a relationship if Torchwood wasn't a secret with Gwen and Rhys. And by now Rhys was even helping out sometimes at the Hub.
Working for Torchwood was still dangerous and they had survived many crises, but they had all accepted the danger and didn't let it rule their lives.
"Tad?" Josh's voice pulled Ianto from his thoughts and he turned around to look at the small boy everyone said looked exactly like him.
"Yes?"
"Can I give Uncle Dylan his present?" The boy had put on his puppy dog face and Ianto wondered not for the first time, if he really looked like that sometimes, because the expression reminded him suspiciously of Jack.
"But I want to give Uncle Dylan his present!" Katie piped up, already pouting.
"I though both of you made your own presents for Uncle Dylan?" Ianto asked, raising his eyebrow.
"I did," Josh said proudly. "But yours is better."
"I don't think so, sprog. Uncle Dylan will be amazed when he sees what you made for him," Jack smiled and looked at the boy in the rear-view mirror.
"Really?" Doubtfully frowning, Josh craned his neck to look into the boot, checking if the present he made was still in the basket.
"Of course, Josh. Your present is way better than everything Daddy and I could have bought for Uncle Dylan."
"And mine?" The trembling lip was a telltale sign that Katie was close to bursting into tears.
"Yours is perfect as well, sweetie," Jack quickly cut in, managing to avoid a tantrum from his daughter.
Ianto sighed, Katie needed to learn that she couldn't always be in the centre of attention, but it was hard to teach her that with a father like Jack as an example. He fumbled in the backpack at his feet for two packets of fruit juice and popped the straws into them before giving them to his children.
"Okay, listen you two. Why don't you give Uncle Dylan your presents first and then we give him the present from me and Daddy all together?"
"Okay Tad," both kids replied in chorus and returned their attention to their books, happily sucking on their straws now.
Ianto sighed and caught Jack smiling at him. "What?"
"You are really good with the kids, you know that?"
"Ha, that was an easy one!" Ianto smiled back and laced his fingers through Jack's. "You should see me when they fight over who is going to decide what show to watch on TV."
"Oh, I've watched you and you're brilliant."
Ianto blushed slightly. Even after all these years, Jack could still abash him.
"You're a wonderful Tad."
"So are you."
They smiled at each other, not believing how soppy and domestic they sounded, when a voice from the backseat made them chuckle.
"Are we there yet?"
"No Katie, but I'll tell you what. If you start to count to a hundred now and repeat it five times, we will be there." Jack winked at Ianto, who had to bite his lip, knowing that the girl would jump at that challenge. And right on cue he heard her happily counting on the backseat.
"One, two, three, four....."
"Taaaaad!" Josh whined at the loud voice of his sister.
Ianto smiled at his little boy and heard Jack chuckle next to him. Looking at Katie, he pondered for a way to shut her up for the moment. Grinning, when he had an idea he winked at Josh, who fell silent instantly with a grin of his own.
"Katie?"
"Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty...."
"Hey sweetie..."
"Thirty- Aw, Tad now I miscounted," Katie pouted and looked at her Tad reproachfully.
"Just start again, but this time, try to count quietly in your head, okay? And if you manage that, I will dance with you at the party."
"Really?" Looking at her father excitedly, Katie missed the satisfied grin of her brother. Ianto had already promised to Josh that they would dance, but he had sworn the boy to secrecy as to not excite Katie.
"Really." Winking again at Josh, Ianto turned in his seat again, not hiding the big smile on his face.
"You know, that wasn't really nice," Jack whispered, chuckling.
"Why?"
"Because you would have danced with her anyway."
"But she doesn't know that." Looking out of the window, Ianto saw that they were already at the outskirts of Bristol and he used the time they stopped at a traffic light to steal a quick kiss from Jack.
"You're sneaky."
"You have no idea." Leaning back in his seat with a smug smile, Ianto didn't react to the look Jack was giving him. "You need to turn right at the next crossing." He loved the fact, that he could still throw Jack off balance with comments like that and he savoured every second of it.
The next few minutes it was extremely quiet in the car, something that happened only rarely, but it didn't stay that way for long. Not with someone like Jack on board.
"Okay kids, we're almost there. Ready to go to a party?"
"Yeeaaaaahh!" The high pitched screams from the backseat were enough to make Ianto cringe and he shook his head smiling. Jack was winding the kids up again so they would be totally hyper when they reached the hotel his brother had booked the ballroom in.
"So, who wants to dance?"
"Me! Me!" Katie squealed happily, clapping her hands together. Even Josh was bouncing up and down in his seat.
"You're so gonna take them on our way through the hotel," Ianto grinned at Jack, who had put his most innocent expression on his face.
"Why?"
"Daddy, are we there yet?"
"Daddy, when will we dance?"
"Daddy, can we dance first and then give Uncle Dylan his presents?"
The kids were yelling at the top of their voices, silence once more forgotten.
"That's why."
Sighing in relief when Jack finally pulled the car into the underground car park of the hotel, Ianto made a point of getting out of the car and straight to the boot to grab the basket with their presents. He chuckled, when he heard Jack grumble, but the older man tended to their kids and released them both from their car seats.
"Okay squirts, no running away. You stay both at my side, let me lock the car and then I'll take your hands. Katie!" Jack raised his voice a bit, when the girl started to run away from the car. "What did I just say?"
"Sorry, daddy." Bowing her head, she shuffled back next to Jack and waited patiently for him to lock the car.
Josh looked around with big eyes, taking in the huge garage and all the cars. Jack had to nudge him on the shoulder to get his attention. He stretched out his hand and smiled when Josh's small one disappeared in it. Holding on tightly, he took Katie's hand as well and followed Ianto, who had already made his way to the elevator. When Jack and the kids reached him the doors were just opening and they stepped inside. Ianto pressed the button for the ground floor and turned around to look at Jack. But his partner had other ideas than looking at each other and leant forward to capture his lover in a kiss, never letting go of the kids.
Just when Katie was getting twitchy, the doors opened again and the kids squealed in delight when they saw their uncle at the other side of the room.
"Uncle Dylan!" Their screams echoed through the lobby and made Jack and Ianto aware that they weren't alone anymore.
"Hey sprogs!" Dylan was smiling from ear to ear and squatted down with open arms when he saw his niece and nephew.
Jack let go of the squirming kids and watched chuckling as the two of them shot through the hall and flung themselves into their uncle's arms almost toppling him over in the process. He and Ianto followed them slowly smiling when Dylan checked the two toddlers over.
"Wow, you've grown! You're almost as tall as your Tads!" Ruffling through the hair of the kids, Dylan got back on his feet and grinned at his brother. "Hey youngster, good to see you!"
Grinning back, Ianto shoved the basket into Jack's hands and reached out for his brother, pulling him into a crushing embrace. "Good to see you too, old man. Happy Birthday."
"Uncle Dylan, we have presents for you!" Katie was jumping up and down, her face red with excitement.
Pulling back out of his brother's arms, Dylan looked down at his niece. "Really?" He chuckled, when the little girl nodded fiercely and her ponytail bobbed up and down. When he felt someone pulling at his shirt, he turned around and was met by two blue eyes, which looked so much like Ianto.
"I made something for you." Josh said, shyly.
"You did? Wow, can I have it now?" Dylan squatted down again to be at eyelevel with the kids and smiled when Josh went over to Jack and pulled the basket down. The little boy fiddled with something in the basket, before turning around and holding a neatly wrapped present out to him. Dylan took it carefully and turned it in his hands. "Can I open it now?" When Josh nodded fiercely, he carefully unwrapped the package. He had to push back a few tears, when he finally held a self made picture frame in his hands with a photo of himself and Josh in it. The boy had painted patterns on the simple wooden frame and embellished it with dried flowers and stickers.
"Wow, Josh. I don't know what to say..." Dylan looked at the small boy, who was obviously not sure if his uncle would like his present. "This is amazing! Thank you so much!" He pulled the boy into a tight hug and smiled when he felt two arms wrap around his neck.
"Uncle Dylan..." Katie had been surprisingly quiet, letting her brother go first with his present, but now her patience was running thin. She had already grabbed her present from the basket and was twisting it in her hands now. She smiled shyly when her uncle let go of her brother and turned his attention to her.
Ianto stretched his hand out, lifting Josh up into his arms when the boy stepped over to him.
"He liked it!" Beaming with joy, Josh snuggled into his Tad's arms and watched his sister hand over her present.
"I told you, he would love it, baby," Ianto whispered, and pressed a kiss to the boy's head.
"Hey little princess, you have something for me as well?" Looking at the little girl, Dylan could clearly see how much like Jack she looked. He smiled warmly at her, when she gave him another nicely wrapped package. "Can I open this as well?" Smiling when she nodded, he carefully pulled at the string that held the package together and unrolled a piece of paper. It showed a drawing of him and Katie in a park. He was quite stunned at the accuracy of the drawing, but he knew the twins were far ahead of kids their age.
"I wrote you something as well," Katie piped up, and pointed at the scrawled writing at the corner of the painting.
"You wrote this all by yourself?" Dylan was more than stunned now and looked amazed at the little girl.
"Tad helped a bit," Katie admitted. "But only a little."
Dylan read the few lines and again felt some tears prick at his eyes.
'Happy Birthday, Uncle Dylan! You are the best uncle in the world. We need to go to the park soon and eat ice cream. I miss you. Katie.'
"This is wonderful, princess. Thank you so much." Pulling the girl into his arms, he blinked a few times to hold the tears at bay.
"Tad and Daddy have something for you as well," Katie piped up, after hugging her uncle for a moment. Squirming out of the embrace, she toddled over to the basket to get the present, but Jack grabbed her around the waist and lifted her on his hip.
"Hey, we said, we would give it to him all together, remember?" Bending down once more, Jack grabbed a simple white envelope from the basket and held it out. "Okay then, everyone take hold of the envelope." He waited until Ianto, Josh and Katie each held a corner of the envelope. "And one, two three.... Happy Birthday!"
Dylan laughed at the cheering family in front of him and took the envelope, making a bow. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
"Wait until he opens it," Jack stage-whispered to Ianto, who only grinned.
Now intrigued as to what his brother and Jack had gotten him for his birthday, Dylan flopped the envelope open and pulled out two tickets. Turning them around to read what they were for, his eyes almost popped out of his head. "A cruise?!" Disbelievingly staring at the tickets, he felt a lump forming in his throat. It was his dream to go on a cruise for like since forever and now his little brother was giving him the opportunity to live that dream. Now not able anymore to hold the tears back, he looked at Ianto.
"This... this... I don't know what to say."
"Well, 'thank you' would be a good start, Dillow." Smiling Ianto stepped forward and pulled his brother to his chest with his free arm, mindful not to squish Josh between them.
"Thank you, Yanyo!" Dylan repeated, chuckling when they both used the names Ianto had called them when he was a toddler and couldn't yet pronounce them correctly.
"Yanyo?" Jack grinned, always happy to be around Ianto's family and learning new things about his lover.
"Don't you even start!" Glaring at Jack over Dylan's shoulder, he gave his brother a kiss and prompted Josh to do the same. The toddler quickly agreed and pressed a sloppy kiss to his uncle's cheek.
When Dylan pulled out of the embrace, he winked at Jack before hugging the other man. "I'll tell you about Yanyo later, mate. But thank you so much for the cruise, you have no idea, what it means to me!"
"Oh, I have an inkling," Jack smiled, and pulled Dylan close, chuckling when Katie was squirming between them. "By the way, I booked you the luxury package so I hope you and Sheila will come back very relaxed. Jack wriggled his eyebrows seductively at Dylan, while Ianto only rolled his eyes, putting his son back on the floor when he saw Sheila heading for them.
"Stop it Jack." Then he bent down to Josh and pointed at Sheila. "Look who's there." He turned the boy around and chuckled when Josh gave a happy squeal and threw himself in his aunt's arms. Katie of course didn't want to stay back and now squirmed heavily in Jack's arms.
"Okay, okay. I'll put you down!" Chuckling, Jack put his daughter down as well and watched as the toddler shot over to her aunt, pulling at her jacket to be lifted up as well.
"Those two are not lacking any energy," Dylan observed, holding his presents to his chest like holy grails.
"Tell me about it!" Ianto chuckled, and grabbed the basket and the backpack from the floor, handing the basket over to Jack. "Could you take that back to the car?"
"Sure honey," Jack replied and chuckled when he earned himself a glare from Ianto. Quickly making his way out of his partner's reach, he strolled over to the elevator, whistling quietly to himself.
"You two are like an old couple," Dylan observed, and laughed when he got the same glare from Ianto as Jack. "You know, when you introduced Jack over five years ago, I didn't think you two would last."
"Me neither, but I'm glad we did," Ianto admitted, looking back to the elevator, watching Jack just disappear through the doors.
"So am I. He is good for you, little brother and you are good for him. Even a blind man could see that." Smiling, Dylan put a hand on his brother's shoulder. The age difference between the two was immense, but Dylan had always taken care of his little brother, he felt more like a son than a brother. "Come on, I'm sure Tad wants to see the little troubles here." Pointing with his head to Josh and Katie who were still chatting eagerly with his wife, Dylan put an arm around Ianto and led him to the big ballroom of the hotel. "Hey sprogs, what about saying hello to Grampsy?" He laughed when both toddlers shot around and started to look frantically around the hall. "He's in there." Pointing to a big door, he grinned at Ianto, when both kids started running to the ballroom.
"I hope he is sitting, otherwise they will run him over," Ianto said worriedly, watching his kids running at full speed. "Katie, Josh stop running!" But the kids had already vanished through the door and only their high pitched squeals were to hear, when they found their granddad.
"He will be fine. Now come on, there are quite a few people waiting for you. You've made yourself rare in the last year."
"I have to agree, Ianto. You need to visit more often." Sheila cut in and pulled her brother-in-law into a tight hug. "I miss the kids and Jack." Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she smiled. "And you of course."
"I know. It has been a crazy year, but I promise, we'll try to visit more often in the future."
"You and your bloody Torchwood." Dylan shook his head, but he was proud of his little brother. He didn't know much about this Torchwood, Ianto was working for, but he knew that his brother was doing important stuff and that his work was keeping them all safe. However, he was worried as well, he had heard quite a few stories and they all had sounded dangerous, but he also knew that Jack would do anything to keep Ianto and the kids safe and he had a lot of faith in the American.
They had reached the ballroom and Ianto was stunned by the amount of people already sitting at the tables around the dance floor. He knew he had a big family, but to see them all in one place always amazed him. He quickly looked around and found his two kids happily bouncing on his Tad's lap, the old man beaming with joy and cuddling the toddlers to his chest. Ianto smiled at seeing his old man so happy, but his attention was quickly claimed but other members of his family when Dylan led him around the room.
He was glad to chat with all of them, but when Jack finally headed in his direction, he happily leant against him, when Jack's arms slid around his waist from behind. He wasn't used to so much attention and it was easier to face all the people with his partner close by, trusting that Jack's charm would make it easier to get by.
Jack noticed the longing glances his lover sent in the direction of his Tad and the kids every now and then and tightened his embrace around the slim form of his partner. He knew that Ianto missed his family a lot and that he loved them, but when confronted with them all at once, Ianto started to pull back. He was just not used to that much attention and Jack tried to shield him from their over-excited relatives as much as possible, making most of the conversation.
When they were yet engaged in another conversation with one of Ianto's aunts, Jack managed to catch Dylan's eye and signal him for help. Ianto had become very tense in his arms in the last couple of minutes and he was just too polite to excuse himself for a moment to recuperate. Jack smiled when he saw Dylan whisper in Katie's ear and the toddler nodded excitedly before looking around for her dads. When she saw them, she hopped down from her chair and bounded over to them.
She stopped right in front of Ianto, tugging at his hand. "Tad, Grampsy wants to say hello."
"I'll be there in a minute, sweetie." Ianto looked down at her and smiled, before looking apologetically at his aunt.
"No Tad, now," Katie whined, and pulled stronger at his hand.
"She is your rescue mission, so you better go with her," Jack whispered in Ianto's ear, smiling when the young man looked at him questioningly.
"Come Tad," Katie whined, and pulled at Ianto's hand with all her might.
Ianto finally understood the twinkle in Jack's eyes and leant forwards to press a kiss on his lips. "Thank you," he whispered quickly in his lover's ear, before giving his aunt another apologetic look and sweeping Katie up in his arms. "Okay then, let's say hello to Grampsy."
Jack smiled, when Ianto used his chance and fled the attention of his relatives to the almost safety of his dad's side. Turning back to Aunt Enide, he gave her one of his most winning smiles. "Those kids can never wait a second. Now where were we?" Jack enjoyed talking to his new family and he was always rewarded with another story about little Ianto, he could tease his partner mercilessly with.
*
"Hey Tad," Ianto greeted his father and bent down to press a kiss to his cheek, putting Katie back down in the process.
"Hello stranger," Selyf smiled, and stretched his arms out to pull his son into a tight embrace. "I'm sure you've heard this complaint a few times now, but you and Jack really need to visit more often."
"I know and I'm sorry Tad. We'll try to come and see you more frequently in the future, I promise." Sitting next to his father, he took the old man's hand in his, carefully stroking over the arthritic plagued joints. He vividly remembered his father when he was still able to use his hands to make the best suits in the area. Now Dylan had taken over the shop and was making his father proud. "I hope the squirts didn't hurt you during their attack." Worriedly looking in his fathers pale blue eyes, he nuzzled his face into the hand that had come up to cup his face, relishing in the feeling of being caressed by his Tad. How ever old he would get, he would always feel like the little boy from once, who was held and loved by his Tad.
"I'm not made out of glass, kiddo. You know how I love your twins and they could never hurt me." Pulling his son close, he pressed a kiss on his forehead, enjoying the fact that even with his thirty years Ianto would still allow him to do that.
"Grampsy said, he will take us for ice cream," Katie suddenly piped up, and clambered on Ianto's lap.
"He did? Now that is really nice of him," Ianto smiled, hugging his daughter to his chest. His attention was then drawn to Josh, who appeared in front of him, stepping from one foot to the other. Ianto quickly realized the tell-tale signs of his son needing to go to the toilet and ruffled through his hair. "Hey tiger, do you need to pee?" Smiling when the little boy nodded quickly, he stood up. "What about you princess?" When she shook her head, he turned around to sit her on his now vacant chair, but his dad was holding out his arms.
"Come to your Grampsy, trouble."
"Am no trouble," Katie pouted, but snuggled in her granddad's arms, sticking her thumb into her mouth.
Ianto chuckled and stretched his hand out to Josh, but the little boy lifted his arms, indicating that he wanted to be carried. Sighing Ianto bent down and picked his son up. "You know, there will come a time when I can't carry you around anymore." But to be honest with himself, he wished that time would never come.
When he walked out of the ballroom, he caught Jack's eyes and smiled when his partner winked at him. Using Josh's hand to wave back, all three of them chuckled before Jack turned his attention back to the woman he had been talking to.
*
The afternoon went by quickly, the kids enjoying the cake and the attention they got from everyone. They were the youngest in the family and so they were severely spoiled throughout the day, making Ianto cringe every time the kids came to him to present him with yet another chocolate bar or lollipop. They wouldn't need to buy sweets for at least three months. Luckily they had established strict rules about sweets and both kids abided by them.
After dinner, when the hotel staff had cleared their tables, Ianto had finally relaxed and settled in. He was talking vividly with Sheila, while Jack had a quiet conversation with Selyf. The kids were running around the tables, already having made friends with their older cousins. Everyone was cheerful and Dylan smiled from ear to ear, enjoying his birthday with all his family and friends.
When the hired DJ stepped behind his table and announced that the dance floor was now open, a squeal was heard and a moment later Katie shot around the next table, flinging herself at Ianto.
"Taddy, Taddy I want to dance!"
Sheila and Ianto looked at her smiling.
"Don't you want to play with Josh and your cousins anymore?"
"No, I want to dance. Pleeeeaase, you promised." Tugging at her Tad's hand, she put a face on only four year old girls could produce, making her Aunt Sheila go aaww.
Glancing at the dance floor, Ianto saw that there were already a few people moving to the music so he sighed and picked her up. "Alright then squirt. You get the honour of the first dance." He laughed at her enthusiastic squeal and made his way through the tables onto the dance floor. Shifting the girl onto his right hip, he took her hand in a dancing pose and started to move to the music, savouring the joyful glee of his daughter when he swung her around.
The beat was fast and he danced around the floor, well aware of the looks of adoration from the people around him. Losing himself to the music and the happy giggles of his daughter, he didn't realize that Jack had joined him with Josh on his arms until the song ended and Jack leaned over.
"I really like your moves; maybe we should go somewhere private later." Jack wriggled his eyebrows suggestively making Ianto laugh.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think my husband would be too thrilled if I would leave with some handsome stranger." Moving closer to Jack, he swung his hips to the now slower music.
"That's too bad, because I have a room in this hotel with a big bed."
Ianto forgot to dance for a minute and just stared at Jack.
"You do?"
"Jup, I thought it would be easier to stay in the hotel as to drive home in the middle of the night. There is an extra room for the kids, so I can have my wicked way with you later when they're asleep."
"Jack Harkness-Jones, you never cease to amaze me and I love you for it." Leaning forward, he captured Jack in a kiss, chuckling when Katie started to tug at his shirt.
"Can I have a wicked way as well?" Innocent blue eyes were looking at him, while Jack snorted.
"Sorry angel, you're too young for that, but your Dad will explain it to you when you're old enough," Ianto answered, and glared at his partner.
"Tomorrow?"
"No sweetie, probably when you're about thirty."
"But that's...." Frowning to figure out how long exactly, Katie ended with a pout. "That's really long!"
"Twenty-six years," Josh piped up, again in his favourite place securely snuggled into his Dad's arms his head resting on Jack's shoulder.
"Very good, Josh." Ruffling proudly through the toddler's hair, Ianto kept glaring at Jack, who was still chuckling.
"I guess that's settled then, you will have 'the talk' with them when it's time." Sending a smug grin his husband's way, Ianto turned in time with the music and started to swirl over the dance floor with his daughter.
Jack only looked after him, shaking his head. "You know Josh, if you're ever considering getting married, be prepared to love your partner even when you want to strangle him."
"Okay, Daddy."
Chuckling, Jack looked down at the little boy in his arms and pressed a kiss to his head. "So, what do you say buddy, can we dance better than Tad and Katie?"
"Yeeeaaaaaah!"
Grabbing his son under his arms, Jack swept him up in the air in time to the music and swirled with him over the dance floor. He then slung his arms around Josh's waist and took Josh's hand with his free one, pretending to do a proper dance stance. The boy squealed happily in his arms, throwing his head back, enjoying the twirls.
When the song was over loud cheers from the people around them erupted and Jack grinned widely, as was Josh, for once the spitting image of his daddy. They took a bow and waved around, taking another bow until the next song started.
"You're really a show off," Ianto chuckled, suddenly standing next to Jack.
"You're just jealous," Jack teased, already swinging his hips in time with the next song. "Ready to give them a proper show?" Jack waited only a second, before he danced off with Josh still squealing on his arms. Ianto shook his head smiling but followed his partner, imitating the moves Jack made until he got the hang of it. Then both men danced in perfect harmony with their kids over the dance floor, not realizing when couple after couple made room for them and a big circle of clapping people surrounded the dance floor.
Everyone gasped when they swirled closer together and it looked like they would collide, but somehow they managed to switch the kids on their arms in one smooth movement and then danced away from each other, swinging their squealing kids through the air. When the song drew to an end, both men danced back into the middle of the dance floor and on the last beat, Ianto went down on one knee, sitting Josh on the other while Jack stood behind them, lifting Katie high over his head.
The erupting applause and cheers were deafening, making the men and their kids smile from ear to ear.
Dylan walked across the dance floor with a huge grin on his face, still clapping like mad.
"How did you do that?"
"Talent," Ianto responded grinning, still a bit out of breath, but positively gleaming in joy. He chuckled when his brother gave him a stop-talking-stupid-glance. "Gwen and Rhys dragged us one weekend to a dancing lesson for parents and kids. That's when we learned to do this. You should have seen Gwen's face, her eyes almost popped out when we did that performance at the end of the weekend. She, Rhys and Emma didn't even manage the Foxtrot. She never asked us to come along again." Ianto laughed at the memory of Gwen and Rhys saying goodbye with an icy smile that evening. The next days at the Hub, Gwen had shown them a cold shoulder and it got even worse when Jack had used the comm system to play music all day and had danced across the Hub, swirling Ianto around every time they had passed each other.
"Well, that certainly was an amazing performance, I'm impressed."
"Sadly it's the only one we can do," Jack chuckled, and pressed a kiss to Katie's cheek.
"Well, I bet you will be asked to repeat it a few times this evening."
"Sorry, but this was a one time only thing," Ianto grinned and shuffled Josh back on his hip, when the boy threatened to slip down.
"Well, it's good then that Sheila has it on film," Dylan grinned smugly and turned on his heel, heading back to his wife who waved a camera at them.
Ianto groaned and rubbed his free hand over his face. "Brilliant."
"Hey Dylan, I want a copy!" Jack yelled after his brother-in-law, grinning happily.
"Daaad, can we dance some more?" Katie got twitchy on her Dad's arm and tugged on his collar.
"Sure angel." Kissing his daughter on the forehead, Jack started moving to the music again, giving Ianto a loving smile when he twirled around him.
Josh looked longingly after his dad, making Ianto chuckle. "So young man, would you like to dance with me?" Mirroring Jack when he pressed a kiss to the toddler's forehead he started swinging to the music, never lifting his gaze from his son's face. Josh looked back at him, mesmerized by the music. Ianto shuffled the boy around so they were belly to belly, his hands supporting the boys bum. Josh put his stubby little hands on his father's chest first, but after a few minutes, he leaned forwards and snuggled against Ianto's chest. His head nuzzled under his father's chin.
Ianto closed his eyes and let the music wash over him, slowly swinging his hips, the boy's legs dangling at his thighs. Ianto savoured this moment, trying to burn it into his mind. He really wished the kids would stay this young, relishing the complete trust Josh had in him now. He remembered his mum telling him how the love a parent has for his or her children is stronger than anything else. He hadn't believed it then, but now he finally understood. What he felt for Josh and Katie was stronger than anything he had ever felt for someone else before. Possibly even stronger than his feelings for Jack.
When the song came to an end, Ianto slowly opened his eyes again and found himself looking at Jack who danced in front of him. The American had shifted the little girl to his belly as well, and was swinging slowly to the music while Katie clutched at his shirt with closed eyes, a happy smile on her face. Jack smiled at Ianto and the two men moved closer together until they almost touched. When the song stopped, they both leant forward and met in a gentle kiss, their children carefully held between them.
Ianto turned around when he felt someone tapping on his shoulder and found Sheila smiling at him.
"Do you mind if I ask Josh to dance with me?" Still smiling, she stretched her arms out and stroked over the boys back to get his attention.
"Do you want to dance with the lady, Josh?" Chuckling when the boy nodded and started to squirm in his arms, he handed him over to his aunt. When he turned back to Jack, he found that Dylan had taken Katie in his arms for the next dance and so the two men stood on the dance floor empty handed. A slow song started and Jack stepped forward, reaching out with his hand, smiling when Ianto laced his fingers through his.
"Do you fancy a dance with me?" Jack asked in a husky voice, making Ianto chuckle.
"I'm sure my husband will allow me one dance with you." Stepping closer, Ianto enjoyed the feeling of Jack's arms wrapped around him and he put his head on his lover's shoulder, his face nestled into the crook of Jack's neck, inhaling the unique scent that he loved so much.
Jack smiled contently, pulling the slim frame of his lover close, enjoying the fact that he seemed to fit perfectly against his body. Ianto's arms found their way around his waist, the hands resting on their usual spot on the small of his back. Closing his eyes, Jack enjoyed the closeness of his partner. Swinging slowly to the music, they moved in a small spot on the dance floor, completely oblivious to the adoring looks of the people around them.
Ianto's family had watched Jack suspiciously at first, surprised by the fact that Ianto had chosen a man to love after his relationship with Lisa had come to a tragic end. But Jack had quickly won them over, his open demeanour and the way he acted around Ianto had soon resolved all doubts and he had been welcomed with open arms. No one in the family knew of course that Jack had carried the twins; the official story was that they had found a surrogate mother. But the news about Ianto and Jack having children had resulted in happy well-wishes and a flood of toys and clothes for the newborns.
When the last notes of the song died out, Ianto lifted his head from Jack's shoulder and they met in a passionate kiss, not caring about the people around them. They gazed at each other for a couple of seconds until the squeals of their children broke the magic moment and they parted again, still smiling.
*
The small family rarely left the dance floor all evening, the kids dancing with their parents as much as with everyone else who swept them up in their arms. Ianto and Jack both shared a dance with Sheila, while Dylan kindly refused the offer with a chuckle, but danced a few times with Katie and Josh.
It took a few hours to tire the kids out but they finally fell asleep in their parent's arms. Jack and Ianto had retired from the dance floor then, sitting next to Ianto's father, talking quietly. Josh was curled up on Ianto's lap, while Katie clutched at Jack's shirt, safely wrapped in her father's arms. Ianto absently stroked over Josh's belly while he listened to a story his father was telling Jack, his gaze wandering over to the dance floor. It was getting late and there were only a few dancers left. Dylan was just saying goodbye to a couple of his guests, Sheila at his side.
Ianto smiled sadly as he watched his brother. He knew how much his brother had wanted kids, but when Sheila had been pregnant with Sara there had been complications that resulted in a miscarriage. As was found out shortly after, Sheila had had uterine cancer and due to that she had lost her child and subsequently the possibility to have children. The couple had been devastated. Ianto remembered the time vividly. He had only been ten years old and hadn't understood everything that was going on, but he had been the only one who could get to Dylan and Sheila. They had taken to him as if he had been their son and he had enjoyed the extra attention, helping them unwittingly over the hard time.
Ianto smiled when Dylan pulled his wife in his arms and pressed a kiss to her lips before heading back to their table. Looking down at Josh, when the boy snuffled in his sleep, he almost didn't realize when Dylan squatted down next to him and looked at the little boy lovingly.
"It's really late, shouldn't you head home? It's quite a drive back to Cardiff."
"Jack has booked us into the hotel. We don't have to drive home today. It's just a matter of going upstairs and putting the squirts to bed." Ianto smiled, when his brother gently brushed a strand of hair from the little boy's face.
"Jack is a good man," Dylan stated without taking his eyes from Josh.
"Yes, he is." Thinking quickly, Ianto came to a decision. "And I would love to spend some time alone with him. Since we have had the kids we rarely have a minute for ourselves. So I have been thinking. If it's okay with you and Sheila and the kids of course, how about you take them for a weekend?" Ianto knew he had said the right thing when he saw his brother's face light up. Until now, he and Jack had tried to avoid leaving the kids out of their sight for more than a few hours, but maybe it was time to let them go. It would do the kids some good and Ianto knew they would be royally spoiled at his brother's place. And it would give himself and Jack the chance to freshen up their love life. Not that they have been saints since the kids were born, but it was difficult to find the time to play these days. Ianto smiled inwardly by the thought of what they could do during an entire weekend just for themselves.
When Ianto looked over to Jack, he knew his partner had heard his conversation with Dylan and the glimmer in his eyes told him that Jack liked the idea of some downtime without the kids around.
"We would love to take the kids for a couple of days!" Dylan looked at his brother excitedly, already planning on what to do with the kids and how to indulge them properly.
"Okay then, we will figure out a date and then you can spoil them to no end." He chuckled when his brother presented him with an indignant expression. "No it's okay, you are their uncle. It's your job to spoil them. We are the bad parents who take away all the sweets after the weekend."
Dylan laughed and patted Ianto's shoulder. "You are a good man as well, little brother."
They sat a few minutes together in companionable silence until Jack caught Ianto stifling a yawn.
"I think it's time for us to leave the party," Jack said and stood up, Katie still fast asleep in his arms. "If it's alright with you, we'll pop in tomorrow before we drive back to Cardiff?"
"Of course! You can stay for lunch, if you want." Sheila cut in and smiled happily.
"That would be lovely, thank you." Smiling at his sister-in-law, Jack bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Ianto stood up as well, hugging Josh close to his chest, trying not to wake the boy. But the little guy was so out of it, he didn't even realize the change of position.
The adults pressed kisses to the kid's heads and hugged Jack and Ianto, making them promise to come to lunch the next day. They all said their goodbyes and Jack and Ianto left the ballroom, heading for the elevator.
"We didn't bring pyjamas for the kids," Ianto finally stated when the elevator doors closed and silence engulfed them.
"The bag is already upstairs. I brought it to the room before coming into the ballroom earlier."
"You really are a good man, Jack Harkness-Jones."
"So are you, Ianto Harkness-Jones."
When they entered their room, they quickly put their kids to bed. Both toddlers didn't wake up, while their parents changed them into their pyjamas. It seemed all the dancing and the excitement had tired them out completely. Pressing a kiss each to the foreheads of Josh and Katie, Ianto and Jack made their way back into the main room, stopping in front of the bed.
Ianto took Jack's hands in his and tugged gently so his lover made a step forward. "Please make love to me," he said, before capturing Jack in a sweet kiss.
"My pleasure."
Slipping his hands from Ianto's, he slowly slid them up the younger man's arms and down again, finally tugging at the hem of Ianto's shirt and pulling it over the other man's head. The rest of their clothes followed quickly and Jack lowered the both of them onto the bed, pressing feather-light kisses all over Ianto's chest, enjoying when the chest hair tickled his nose. He pushed Ianto's arms above his head and admired the firm body in front of him. Slowly stroking over the smooth skin, he bent down to steal a kiss, then working his way down over Ianto's neck and chest, again peppering the skin with light kisses. When he reached his lover's groin, he was already greeted by a proud erection and he took a moment to admire his lover's cock before starting to worship it with his tongue.
Ianto's eyes rolled back into his head, when Jack's hot mouth closed around his straining shaft. His hands were desperately searching for something to hold on to, finally settling to clutch at the sheets.
It didn't take long before a slicked finger traced over his entrance and Ianto couldn't suppress a loud moan, not even bothering to think about where the hell Jack had hidden the lube. The finger was pushed slowly inside him, while his cock was still tormented by Jack's tongue. Ianto's perception was reduced to just feeling the wonderful things Jack did to his body and he was ready when a second finger entered him, brushing over his prostate.
Jack started to build up a rhythm, thrusting his fingers in and out in time with him sucking Ianto off. He knew when he brushed Ianto's prostate, as the young man's hip arched of the bed each time. Using his free hand, Jack held Ianto steady and entered a third finger, stretching Ianto properly. He knew Ianto couldn't take much more, when the young man started to babble incoherently and was writhing beneath him. Releasing Ianto's cock from his mouth, he smiled at the sweat glistened body of his lover.
Jack withdrew his fingers and quickly coated his cock with lube. Positioning himself at Ianto's entrance he slowly pushed inside, stilling a moment to give both of them time to adjust. Ianto circled his legs around Jack's waist, pressing his heels in his lover's ass, urging him to move. Jack didn't need another invitation and started to thrust into his lover, adjusting the angle so he would strike his prostate with every move.
When Jack felt that they were both close, he pulled Ianto up on his lap, impaling the younger man further on his cock. They shared a passionate kiss while Ianto resumed the movement, fucking himself slowly on Jack's shaft. Then they each wrapped a hand around Ianto's leaking cock between them stroking him in time.
Throwing his head back in passion, Ianto fumbled with his free hand for something to hold on to, but he kept sliding off Jack's sweaty shoulder. In the end, he trusted his lover to hold him and leant back further, Jack's arm around his waist the only thing keeping him from falling backwards.
The new angle provided him with constant friction against his prostate and Ianto felt his balls tighten. It took only a few more thrusts from Jack and he toppled over the edge, biting on his lip to stop himself from screaming his release out, his come coating both their bellies. Jack followed quickly after him, pulling his lover close for a kiss, stifling their moans of pleasure with it.
It took them a while to ride out the waves of pleasure, both pulling each other close, devouring each other's mouths. Jack was the first to break the kiss, gently lowering his lover back down onto the mattress, stroking him reassuringly when the young man whimpered at the loss of contact as Jack's cock slid out of him.
Jack then slid off the bed and went to the bathroom. When he returned he had to smile. Ianto was spread out on the mattress and smiled sleepily at him. His come still a mess on his belly, but for once the young man didn't care.
Jack made quick use of the cloth in his hand, then tossed it to the floor and started to wriggle the duvet out from under his lover.
"Come on, roll over."
"Again?"
"You are a bad boy, Mr Harkness-Jones," Jack grinned and pulled at the duvet.
"I had a good teacher."
Jack finally managed to pull the duvet free and threw it over the naked form of his lover, crawling underneath it a moment later.
Stretching out, Ianto switched the lights off and snuggled into Jack's arms, enjoying the warmth and the safety they provided.
"Sleep tight, gorgeous."
"You too, cariad."
Closing their eyes they fell asleep in a matter of minutes, their slow breaths the only thing to be heard in the room.