Jack became aware of a small bedroom. There was a boy lying on the bed, who closely resembled the man who stood next to Jack.

"Have you ever memory walked before?" Ianto's soft welsh vowels asked. Jack soundlessly shook his head. "It's quite simply. We're watching what happened, but we cannot interact with the past. Just like when watching a film, you can yell at the characters all you want, but the story isn't going to change."

"Like the Christmas Carol?" Jack asked. Ianto's lips quirked up and he nodded. "How old are you here?" Jack asked softly.

"Nine," Ianto murmured. There was a crash and a a scream. A little girl ran into Ianto's room and closed the door. The younger Ianto scrambled up. For a second, the children exchanged a frightened look. Then Ianto went to the girl, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the corner of the room. He huddled around her, protecting her.

"What did he do?" He asked her in a hushed voice.

"He pushed her down the stairs to the garden," the girl whispered. Ianto's small, slightly chubby face, paled and his lips parted in shock.

"But he had clients over," He whispered. The little girl nodded. Ianto's eyes were intensely worried. "Stay here, Rhia," He told her, and stood up. She grabbed his hand.

"Don't go!" She whimpered.

"I have to go see," He told her. Her face creased and tears flowed down her cheeks. The boy's blue eyes looked heartbroken. "Rhiannon," He whispered. "I have to check on Mam," He told her and she nodded, releasing his hand.

Ianto and Jack followed the young Ianto down the stairs and into a kitchen. There sat the worried couple his father had been entertaining.

"Hello," The woman smiled. "You must be Ianto," She added kindly. "Your mother was telling me all about you." Ianto looked unsure.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I'm not really sure. Your father's taking care of it though," She smiled. Ianto looked afraid.

"what did he do?"
"What do you mean, dear? Your mother tripped," Her smiled wavered. Ianto ran to the door, peering out.

"What really happened?" Jack asked the adult Ianto softly. Ianto sighed.

"Just watch," Ianto returned, and Jack returned his attention to the scene. The young Ianto ran outside, down the large step.

"How is your house so big?" Jack frowned.

"This is our estate in the English country side. It was my Granddad's. He owned a clothing shop. My father took over as master tailor a year before this memory. It goes out of business in three years, but as of now it makes the finest eveningwear in the UK." Ianto said. "We stay here during the weekends. Other than that we stay in Cardiff or when he entertains guests." The young Ianto's shocked cry startled them outside.

"Call an ambulance!" young Ianto yelled. The woman looked outside to see Ianto's Mam lying on the ground surrounded by blood. His father was nowhere to be seen. The woman quickly picked up the phone. Ianto's father entered the back yard. His face was covered in tears.

"She started to go up the stairs and fell again," He sobbed. Ianto looked doubtful. "Please, Jenny, hurry," Pleaded to the woman, who heartbroken rushed through the operator's questions. She hung up and looked down at the father and son.

"They're coming," She said, rushing down. Her husband followed dutifully. Ianto started crying. His mother hadn't moved. "Hush love," The woman cooed, pulling him into a hug. "It will be okay," She assured Ianto. The man checked his Mother's pulse.

"She's alive," He assured. Ianto's face suddenly looked startled.

"Rhiannon!" He exclaimed, rushing away. Jack turned to follow, but Ianto caught his sleeve.

"I don't have memory of getting her," Ianto cautioned. The scene shifted so fast that Jack was sick to his stomach and his vision went black.

He came to full awareness in a hospital. Ianto's mam was lying in the bed, his father in the chair next to it, holding Rhiannon. Young Ianto was sitting staring out the window. "This is two days later. My memory doesn't exist in between this and then," Ianto looked strained and Jack slipped his hand into the younger man's. Ianto smiled sadly at him.

"Ifan," his father said sharply. Ianto turned to him, and Jack was startled to see a large bruise on young Ianto's face. "Come sit by me," his father ordered. "Don't you have algebra?" Jack frowned.

"You're nine," Jack protested. Ianto shrugged.

"He was adamant I be as studious as possible." Ianto flinched suddenly as young Ianto walked to over to his father, and his father gripped his wrist. He pulled him close, and examined Ianto head to toe.

"You've put on weight. How much do you weigh now?" His father demanded. Jack examined the boy and thought he looked on the slender side of normal.

"I don't know," young Ianto murmured.

"I'm sorry?" His father rumbled, tightening his grip on Ianto's wrist.

"I don't know, sir," Ianto repeated. "Mother hasn't been there to weigh me," He answered.

"My parents always had an obsession with weight," Ianto informed Jack, who frowned.

"So weigh yourself," His father snarled, pushing the boy to the ground. Ianto obediently sat and pulled a textbook from a bag, beginning on the math.

The scene morphed slightly, so that his father was not there, his mother was awake, Rhiannon was sitting next to her in the bed, and Ianto in the chair.

"For the last time, Ifan, I don't remember what happened," His mother said patiently, though her word choice was impatient. Young Ianto pouted. His mother laughed.

"At the time, I didn't think anything of memory lapses that happened to me. I have a photographic memory, so I didn't notice when whole chunks of time went missing because I remembered so much stuff. But in someone else? They were something so stupid," Ianto sounded bitter. Jack looked worriedly at his lover. Ianto's father entered the room.

"Come along, Ifan. The nurse has agreed to weigh you," His father snapped. Young Ianto obediently rose and followed his father to a scale. The nurse weighed him with a smile.

"34.2 Kilograms, that's perfectly normal for a boy of your age and height," She informed Ianto. "Now, why don't you color a picture for your Mammy? Her room is awfully bland," The nurse smiled and led him away. The scene changed again.

They were back at Ianto's house, and his mother was making dinner. She was fair too pale, too weak and sickly.

"Lucy!" Ianto's father's voice barked. His mother jumped, fright entering her eyes. "Whiskey!" She took a bottle out of a cupboard, poured a glass, and handed it to Ianto.

"Take this to your father," She urged, and Ianto obeyed. Jack and Ianto followed Ianto.

"Son, have a drink of this," Ianto's father said.

"I…I'm too young," Ianto protested.

"Nonsense. One drink will be good for you," his father insisted. Ianto accepted the glass and took a small sip. He hardly flinched. His father nodded approvingly. "Rhiannon!" He shouted. Ianto's little sister entered the room. "Help your mother," His father ordered. The little girl nodded, and entered the kitchen. "Come on, son. Let's play some catch," His father said.

"This is one of the odd times that he was actually fatherly," Ianto informed Jack. They watched the game of catch.

"You've got a fantastic arm," Jack said, watching young Ianto hurl the ball. Then Ianto's mother poked her head out the door, and smiling informed father and son that dinner was ready. The table was full of all sorts of delicious, rich foods. Young Ianto took some of each. He seemed to sense danger when his father didn't pass him the peas. Ianto looked up, frightened.

"Lucy, take Ifan's plate away and fetch a clean one," He said coldly. Ianto's mother hesitated. "Now!" He shouted, and she hopped up, taking away Ianto's plate and quickly returning with a new one. His father took it, and placed 8 peas and 4 cooked carrots on it.

"That is all you may have. You need to lose some of your baby fat. That nurse may think that 32.4 kilograms is perfect, but it is too high for you. You should be as small as Rhiannon," his father announced. Young Ianto opened his mouth to protest. But his father's cold glare stopped him. Jack watched in outrage as Ianto pushed his food away.

"I'm sorry, father. I shan't eat. I won't be a disappointment. I am so sorry," young Ianto whispered. His father nodded triumphantly.

"Correct your weight and we shan't have a problem. But until you correct it," His father paused. "Come here," HE commanded. Ianto stood and dutifully walked over to his father. There was a large crack as his father's palm connected with his cheek.

"Until you correct it that shall be your incentive."

"And that," Jack's adult Ianto sighed. "Was the spark of anorexia in me," Ianto sounded genuinely regretful. "He never seemed to realize that for all he thought that threat was good for, the fear had long ago worn off. All I'd ever known from him was abuse with the odd mixture of affection that just confused the hell out of me." Ianto's voice worried. Jack soundlessly squeezed his hand.