1

Her business suit was severe today and she felt like a righteous queen in her kingdom having already fired someone. She knew she cut a fine figure and now wanted to show that she was not too high and mighty as she went to get her own coffee, spitting at one of the minions on the way past that she wanted their shoes changed before she got back or they were next. Not really a heel but … still … they knew the rules. Flats when she is in house. Fucking flats!

She walked confidently across the street to the diner with her ponytail bouncing energetically, humming to herself as she waited patiently in line. She gave her order and waited with a disinterested air, looking around the café and letting her eyes rest on him.

He was seated nearby, his immaculate suit screaming of a businessman but his shoes were built for speed. Idiots. She ALWAYS noticed footwear. She snorted to herself as she walked closer, seeing that he was reading a newspaper, doing the crossword with a pen. How confident.

"Well…" she started to sneer and then felt foolish as the man who turned to look at her with surprise was defiantly not familiar to her. He looked at her without recognition and she spluttered an apology as she backed off, looking around again as those walking past seemed to all stare at her for a moment.

Yvonne rushed from the store for the safety of her building as her heart pounded. She hed left with a bitter taste in her mouth as the Barista called after her with confusion, the cup held up in his hand. Another hand accepted it and he leaned on the counter to offer a tip, nodding to the man with the newspaper who rise, folded it into three then shot his cuffs before joining the human tsunami washing past.

Yvonne reached the front doors to the building and turned, her eyes scanning again and John canted his head with interest.

She was scared.

Good.

He took a sip.

.

.

.

.

Laughter.

Ianto was writhing in the bed as the kids ambushed him, their ticking merciless and Jack stood in the doorway with what he knew was a dopey grin watching as his lover not only revelled in their children but showed they were not causing him any discomfort touching his body.

Fully healed, Ianto was again a confident and handsome man who oozed charm. He could light up a room .. any room with Jack in it and the two of them together were a striking couple. Jack knew this, taking an uncommon pride in their appearances, making sure they matched even if Ianto never once commented on it, merely swapping out a tie on occasion.

The wedding was mere weeks away, everything still to be done on a list pinned to the refrigerator door so as they were done Ianto could put a neat little tick next to it. Of course Jack had helped. He had organised the chairs needed for the ceremony down on the beach and had even found some lovely large mats that would be laid on the sand for the chairs to go on in order for them not to sink into the ground under a startled guest.

The image of this was in his head after Ianto had voiced fears, making Jack grin each time he thought of it.

He had ticked it off with a huge squiggle of mess over the line of text and Ianto had stood for a while feeling that tick of annoyance at a loss of tidiness then he had grinned and done the same with his next one. Jack was right This was meant to be fun.

"Today!" Jack said as he clapped his hands and the kids stopped, turning to face him "First we swing by the store so Alice can kiss her mama and the girls can stay there with that infernal DVD they want to watch. David and me can go look for those little lamp things for along the pathway. I know a place where they sell stuff like that … I know…I know. I will take the colour chart!"

"Colour wheel" Ianto snorted "I thought she would lamp you when you pointed out it was a square card and most wheels are round."

"Yes. Right. Colour wheel. Not chart. Colour wheel" Jack nodded as he sat on the edge of the bed to pull his slippers off in favour of socks and the kids attacked, pulling him back as he yelped, his lover on top now kissing him as the children tumbled from the bed laughing.

"Cariad" Ianto whispered "I love you."

Jack swallowed thickly as he was overcome, as he is often by those storms that pull him into their epicentre.

"Can we have pancakes Tad?"

Ianto blinked and the spell was broken "Of course David love. Why not go get the fixings ready and you can help."

"Really?" David gasped with delight, his love of cooking not lost on his uncle/Tad who was doing all he could to encourage him. "YEAS!"

The kids took off; the girls yelling that they were gonna set the table and let the dog out.

"The dog" Jack groaned as he nipped playfully at Ianto's earlobe "that dog shit in the petunias again. What's he doing, backing up like a goods truck to unload?"

"I don't know why he is doing it, maybe because you like them" Ianto shrugged "He is a cheeky shit."

Monty's barking started outside and Jack groaned, rolling from the bed to go out and see what he was barking at. Ianto knew it would be nothing. The dog had worked out that barking got him outside where he would then find the shit and rage some more. Quite a love/hate relationship there and Ianto wondered if the dog was jealous of Jack or something. Jack was so proud of his garden along the side of the house yet every morning ….

"Ya bloody mongrel!" Jack roared and Ianto felt a bubble of laughter as he finally rose, pulling on a robe to go see if David was ready.

Gods, family life was great.

"I'm gonna rub your fucking face in it!"

"SWEAR JAR DADDA!"

"SHIT!"