I come bearing a new fic. A slight prequel to my story 'Of Angels and Aftermaths' in which we discover more about Ianto and Lyn's friendship over the years. You don't have to have read Of Angels as everything here happens before that. But before the fic, here's the info:

Title: Peas in a Pod

Disclaimer: Altough Lyn is mine, Ianto isn't (of course). All credit for Ianto and the world of Torchwood goes to RTD.


He stayed as still as was humanly possible, hiding away in the warm sanctuary keeping the world around him at bay. He couldn't go, not now; he was safe here, no one could hurt him here. He brought his knees to his chest as he tried to make himself as small as possible, hoping the ground below him would swallow him up. Ianto Jones lay shaking; he was terrified. If he stayed still, he could be forgotten and the threat would pass like a bad dream, the slightest remnant causing him to shudder if he tried to remember it fully.

'Ianto?' The man's mocking tone seeped through his cover as he held his breath. Please, he thought, just leave me alone. 'I know you're there. You should know you can't hide from me.' Ianto could hear the smile in the man's voice and he shuddered when he felt him sit to his side. He knew what was coming and all Ianto could do was let out a startled yelp.

'Don't.' But his plea proved fruitless as the figure loomed over him... and began to tickle him through the bed sheet. Ianto tried to squirm away and hold in the laughter he knew his father was after. He wasn't going to laugh; this wasn't a day for laughing. It was Monday morning and it was his first day at proper school, with lots of other kids and having to stay away from home until 3pm. That was his entire day that was going to be taken up by the stupid system, then he would be up at the table all evening doing his homework and he wouldn't have time to play. His father had laughed at him, but he knew he was right because Rhiannon had been going to school for two years now and she never had time to play with him anymore. It was just so unfair.

'Dad, stop it. Not funny.' The little boy managed to pull the covers away from his face and look his father straight in the eye. Ivor Jones met his son's gaze as he ruffled his hair, making Ianto squirm underneath him. He then pulled the bed sheet down further, extracting more whimpers of disapproval from his son.

'Come on, time for little boys to be out of bed. Big day, remember?' Ivor's smile fell slightly as he saw the look of pure misery flood his youngest child's face. Ianto bowed his head and fiddled with his pyjama top, slightly too big for his five year old body but his mother was insistent that he would grow into it.

'Don't wanna go,' Ianto mumbled. 'School stupid.' He felt slightly hurt when his father let out a chuckle and scooped the young boy into his arms.

'And how would we know that, hmm?' Ivor perched Ianto onto his hip and poked him in the stomach. 'We haven't even had our first day, have we?' He could tell that there was no way he was going to win this argument. Although Ianto was only five years old, Ivor Jones could tell his son was going to grow up with a level and slightly stubborn head on his shoulders. 'Come on, Mum's made pancakes, but they're only meant to be eaten by children who go to school. Are you going to let your sister eat all of them?' He smiled as his son shook his head fiercely and tried to wriggle free from his father's hold. Setting his son down, he watched with pride as the young boy flew down the stairs and into the kitchen.

*****

'Yuck. Ianto.' Rhiannon sat opposite her little brother with a look of pure disgust on her face as she watched Ianto pour golden syrup all over his pancakes, his little tongue sticking out in concentration as he tried not to get it all over the table as well. Ivor just smiled as he bent the newspaper down in front of him to look at his family, shaking his head at his son's fascination with the gooey substance that covered his plate. Ianto scooped up the pieces of pancake his mother had cut up for him and chewed them down before they had time to cool on his fork. Ianto finished quickly and licked his lips, smeared completely in syrup.

'Yummy,' Ianto proclaimed as Phyllis Jones bent down and placed a kiss on top of her son's head.

'Well, now you've got all that sugar in you, how about we see how quick you are at getting changed into your uniform.' Phyllis took a sip of coffee before reaching for her camera. 'Want to make sure I get a picture of my little man looking so smart on his first day.' She was, of course, completely unaware of her son's unhappiness until her daughter spoke around a mouthful of pancake.

'He's scared, big baby.' Rhiannon smirked at her brother as he looked at her with hurt eyes. He had told her that in confidence, they always shared everything together and now she had just blown his trust in his big sister to the wind.

'Rhi, don't talk with your mouthful,' ordered Ivor as he gave his daughter a stern look. He watched as his son looked away from his sister and down to the floor.

'He's a big baby. I wasn't scared, but he is. He's just a big baby.' Rhiannon never used to tease her little brother, she was always quite fond of him. However, she had just turned seven and was going through that stage where she understood and enjoyed teasing others, but she didn't understand the effect it had on the ones who were being teased.

'Shut up, stupid head.' Ianto shouted at his sister across the table, much to the dismay of his mother who rapped him across the knuckles. That only made it worse and soon big tears began to fall down Ianto's small and flustered cheeks. Ivor Jones knew that this was the time to step in.

'Rhiannon, stop teasing your brother or you can forget about going to Susan's birthday tomorrow.' He saw the look of fear pass through his daughter's face and he smiled inside as Rhiannon scrambled from the table and fled upstairs to get ready. Ivor gave his wife a knowing nod and she vacated the room to let father and son have a chat. 'Come on, my little milwr . Don't let things like that upset you.'

'Rhi stupid, she always stupid.' Ianto huffed and dried his eyes with the back of his hand. Ivor took a handkerchief from his suit pocket and helped Ianto blow his nose. 'Don't like her no more.' Ianto gave another little huff as he looked down again at the floor, not wanting to look his father in the eye.

'You two do like your fights. The strain you two put on my health,' Ivor laughed as he ruffled his son's hair. Then, with a straight tone, he spoke to his son again. 'You know, when I started school at your age, I was scared too.' Ianto's little head shot up and looked at his father square in the eyes. 'Grandpa Jones took me right up to the gate and I wouldn't let go of his hand. He told me not to be scared, that it's another step to becoming an adult and do you know what? I walked into that school and enjoyed every bit of it.' He could see his son's eyes looking over his face, trying to find some flaw or twitch that would tell him his father was lying.

'Really?' Ianto quizzed his father, not wanting to believe the truth. When his father nodded his head, he smiled weakly and flung himself into his father's open arms. He loved his father; he was always there when he needed him and would always be there to give a kind word.

'Let's go get you changed then, huh?' He felt his son nod his head and they went hand in hand from the kitchen and up the stairs to start the new chapter in Ianto Jones' life.

*****

'Comeoncomeoncomeon,' the little girl whinged as she eagerly hopped from one foot to the other as she stood beside her front door. Decked out in her school uniform with cute pigtails tied up by little blue ribbons, she swung her bag as she tried to get her mother out of the house so they could go.

'Lyn Evans, how many times have I told you,' Lyn's mother came out of the living room, brushing her hair with one hand and trying to finish her morning slice of toast with the other. 'School does not start for another 45 minutes, we have plenty of time.'

'Now, now, now!' Lyn couldn't help it, she was just too excited. She knew she was going to make loads and loads of new friends and they were going to have so much fun. She wanted to do all the fun stuff, like drawing and painting, but she also wanted to learn and prove to her father just how grown up she was. 'School, school, school.'

'Alright,' Lyn's mother sighed as she put her shoes on and finished her slice of toast. Opening the front door, she was nearly knocked over by Lyn as she went bundling out of the door, cheering at the top of her voice as she rushed towards her mum's car.

'That child is mad.' Lyn's mother let out a loud sigh as she headed towards the car to take Lyn to the next chapter of her life.


Note: milwr means soldier in welsh, or so the online translator said.

Don't worry, a new chapter of 'Of Angels...' will be up tomorrow and the next chapter for this should be up late Sunday/early Monday. Have fun till then...