Muri clung to Jack's neck the entire way inside of Torchwood. Her bottom lip poked out when she didn't see Ianto waiting to greet them. "Where's Auntie Ianto?" she asked curiously.
"Sent him and Gwen out to get takeaway as soon as your Dad said what time you would be arriving. They should be back in a bit," Jack replied affectionately as they made their way downwards in the lift. "I'm sure Gwen will be happy to see you."
Muri's eyes lit up. "Oh! May I stay with Auntie Gwen and Uncle Rhys one night?"
"Certainly," Jack said with a grin. "In the meantime, let's go feed Myfanwy… Otherwise, she'll be all over the Chinese when Ianto and Gwen get back."
888
Jack and Muri were flinging large cuts of meat into the sky when Gwen and Ianto returned with the Chinese. Ianto took one look at Muri and another at the large bags he was carrying and frowned. "Well, that certain explains the excess food," he said wirily. "We were thinking maybe you were just feeling nostalgic and missing Rose and the Doctor."
Myfanwy swooped down to catch the last of the piece of meat and then soared upwards to make her escape from the tower. Jack wiped his hands on his trousers and turned toward his team mates. "I thought I told you both that Muri was coming to stay with us for a few days?" Muri smiled smugly and shifted to stand closer to Jack, who waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, what's it matter, she's here now, isn't she?"
Ianto eyed the young child, his lips pursed. To be honest, he really couldn't stand her. She was by far one of the most stubborn, arrogant, know-it-alls he had ever had the misfortune to meet. Although he figured part of that at least was due to being the Doctor's child; he'd met the bloke several times and seen the same behaviour come from the time travelling alien his lover was so fond of as from his daughter.
Muri had a bad habit of stomping around like she owned the place whenever she stayed with Jack while her parents got some much deserved -- and probably much desired -- time alone. To say the child had both Jack and Gwen wrapped around her little finger would be the understatement of the millennium. But Ianto wasn't fooled by her for a minute.
Then again, once Jack had explained the fact her father was, quite literally, the last lord of all time and space, the arrogance was explained somewhat. But one would think that, with a human mother, she would be a bit more humble about her role in the scheme of things. Or that she would have better manners. But Muri's manners were sometimes no better than Jack's… leaving half filled tea cups of tea laying around, disassembling appliances and "making them better," and that she was the ultimate authority on anything and everything.
Not to mention her fixation with calling him 'Auntie' Ianto. He really. Really. Really hated that. And she knew it, he knew she knew it, because almost every time she said it, she would smirk up at him smugly. Jack thought it was cute, however, and encouraged her by using it too.
888
Over dinner, Muri regaled them with tales of her travels with her parents. Gwen listened, wide eyed with shock, as Muri gave rather detailed and graphic descriptions of the flesh eating acid saliva of the Brangox People on Parianius Gamma -- it was apparently used as a very effective torture method in those parts as it slowly stripped away the flesh layer by layer. She talked about the time she and her mum were taken prisoner and held hostage whilst her Dad tried to save the civilization from certain death.
After some even more lovely descriptions that made Ianto push his box of Chinese away, Jack and Muri ran through the Hub, shooting at each other with a laser tag set that Jack kept hidden in his office especially for her visits. Finally, at just about half ten, long after Gwen had left for the night, the girl started yawning and rubbing her eyes.
When Jack and Ianto returned from making sure everything was locked up and secure, they found her curled up asleep in Jack's desk chair, clutching the fuzzy little plushie that was practically her constant companion. Ianto found it amazing how such an annoying child could look so sweet and peaceful whilst asleep.
Ianto watched as Jack carefully scooped the girl into his arms and smiled gently. He thought to himself that, if it had been some other child, the image Jack presented, of a doting uncle, would have been nearly irresistible. Jack always treated the little girl as if she were the most precious thing in the universe. And in some ways, Ianto couldn't help but be just a little bit jealous.
"I'll be back," Jack whispered.
Ianto nodded tersely and stepped aside to let Jack out of the office. Jack toted Muri down the steps to a small sofa under the Torchwood sign on the wall before retrieving his greatcoat from a nearby chair and draping it over her. He grinned down at the child before jogging back to his office.
"Why do you care so much about a child you only get to see a few times a year, if you're lucky?" Ianto asked curiously.
Jack looked down to where Muri slept peacefully and smiled softly, "To be honest, she's part of two people I love. How could I not love her too?"
Ianto gave a tight smile. "I never thought of you as the sentimental type, sir."
"For them, I am," Jack replied affectionately. "As well as for someone else in my life." With that, Jack advanced upon Ianto, taking Ianto's face in his hands, and pressing his lips against those of his lover.
Ianto opened his mouth willingly and allowed himself to be backed up against Jack's desk. Both men moaned softly as they took turns exploring each other's mouth. Ianto smirked as he felt Jack harden against him and let his hand drift down to gently cup Jack through his trousers. Jack grunted softly and thrust against Ianto's hand before pulling back from the kiss and grinning at Ianto. "I say we take this somewhere the kid can't see."
"Brilliant idea, sir," Ianto quipped with a soft smirk. Jack had a thing for him calling him 'sir,' especially in the bedroom.
And not being one to disappoint, Jack's eyes took on a predatory gleam. "Meet me in my bunk, soldier," he said with a flirtatious wink.
The men stepped away from each other and turned to exit the office. Ianto startled slightly when he saw Muri standing in the doorway wearing Jack's coat and rubbing her eyes with sleepily. Shatner was tucked under her other arm and her bottom lip poked out. The few bits of hair that were not in her face were tucked into the collar of the over-sized coat. She sniffled slightly. "I miss mummy," she said softly, her voice wavering.
Jack knelt down and held his arms open but the little girl walked right past him, heading for Ianto.
"Auntie Ianto, will you tell me a bedtime story please?" Muri asked, wrapping her arms around Ianto's legs.
Though Ianto's usual reaction to being called 'Auntie' was not particularly polite, the look on Jack's face when Muri ignored him in favour of Ianto was simply priceless. Ianto smiled slightly and stroked the girl's hair. "What sort of stories does your mum tell you?" he asked softly.
"Stories about princesses and stuff," Muri said, looking up at him with watery blue eyes. "An' she makes me tea to help me relax."
Ianto stepped back and leaned down to pick the girl up. She was fairly small for her age and was still relatively light. As he rested her on his hip, she instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled against him. "Well then," Ianto said gently. "let's go make some tea and get you settled into Uncle Jack's bunk. I'm fairly certain I can come up with a couple of princess stories."
"Will she live in a really big castle?" Muri asked.
"No, she'll live in an underground bunker that's bigger on the inside," Ianto replied.
"Will she be fluent in thirty-seven alien languages?" Muri said, grinning widely as Ianto carried her out of the office.
"No, she'll be fluent in 623, and be working on learning twenty more," Ianto said as he walked down the steps. "And she'll be a Ju-Jit-su Master."
"You tell the best stories ever, Auntie Ianto," Muri said affectionately. "Will she kick the butt of any prince that tries to kiss her?"
"Without a doubt." Ianto grinned as he heard Jack burst into laughter.
888
Roughly an hour later, Muri was sleeping peacefully between Jack and Ianto. Three empty tea cups rested on the small bedside table and Muri was cuddled up to Ianto's side, Shanter tucked between them. Jack lay on his side, watching the child sleep with a broad smile on his face. Ianto looked at Jack and cocked an eyebrow. "What?"
"I thought you didn't like her?" Jack said, grinning.
Ianto sniffed dispassionately. "Sorry, I can't resist any little girl that is missing its mother. As you well know from when my niece was forced to visit. Besides, I just don't like when she calls me 'Auntie'. It's very wounding to my fragile male ego."
"Liar," Jack teased. "I think you want to dislike her but you are just as powerless as I am to resist her… Especially when she calls you 'Auntie' because you know that means she sees you as an affectionate nurturing figure. Besides, when she goes to stay over with Gwen and Rhys, because you and I both know that no sex goes on when she's around, I'll be sure to re-boost your ego."
"Just because I told her a bedtime story doesn't mean I like her. Now, shut up and go to sleep," Ianto hissed, settling his head back against his pillow and smiled gently as he closed his eyes. Jack grinned to himself, knowing that Muri had finally won over his lover.
888
Rose plopped down on the cushiony bed with a soft groan. Six hours it had taken them to get signed in. Six! And that was with the Doctor flashing psychic paper, making them believe he was Sir Thyme Lord, a very rich and powerful hero from the Kasterboros System, and swanning about acting as if he owned the place.
She looked up at the swirling patterns on the ceiling and giggled. "Thyme Lord?" she asked.
"Oi!" he barked, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto a little table near the bed. "When I made the reservations, I left it to the TARDIS to put in a name and background."
"You actually made reservations?" Rose laughed, propping up on her elbows to watch the Doctor. "Now that is impressive."
"It's the only way to get in," the Doctor said, yanking his jumper over his head and sending it to join his jacket. "Not even the President of the Intergalactic Alliance can stay here without a reservation, and he's the one that started the Horsehead Retreat. And in case you didn't notice the names of some of the other guests, spice names are fairly popular in this century. One of the most notable explorers around this time is Cilantro Trskylovia of Sol Alpha."
Rose giggled again and fell back flat against the bed. "Should I ring up Muri to make sure she's alright?"
"She's fine," the Doctor replied. "She's with Jack. Besides, telepathic link, remember. I'll automatically know if something is wrong with her."
Rose's eyes fluttered closed as she heard the thud of the Doctor's boots hitting the floor, followed by the sound of his zip being undone. She could just imagine him standing naked in the middle of the room, more than ready to pick up where they had left off the night before, when Muri had interrupted them. And whilst that idea was very appealing to her… "I know you haven't just stripped naked in anticipation of getting right to sex," she teased.
"Rose. I can count the number of times we've had sex in the past seven years on my fingers and toes so, yes I did," the Doctor replied. "And I think you're just a bit over dressed, don't you?"
Rose propped herself up on her elbows again and cocked an eyebrow at the Doctor, trying not to let her breath catch as she took him in and failing miserably. He was standing beside the bed, naked and clearly in the first stages of arousal. "My God, I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing you naked," she said breathlessly.
The Doctor's eyes darkened and his nostrils flared as he leaned over her, planting his fists on the mattress next to her hips. "Let's hope not," he murmured before swooping in to catch her lips with his own.
Rose moaned softly and let him press her into the mattress, her arms moving around him as he kissed down her jaw and along the curve of her shoulder. "Doctor," Rose whispered, arching against him. "while I would really love nothing more than to shag you within an inch of regeneration, we just spent six hours waiting in line to check in. My body aches everywhere. I'm not as young as I used to be."
"You're not even thirty yet," he pointed out, pulling back to peer down at her and pouting in a way that immediately reminded her of Muri.
"Still, I'd like to have a nice bath and relax a bit before we get to 'business'," Rose replied. "Not to mention, I'm bloody starving…"
"Rose," the Doctor groaned.
Rose smiled softly. "Never said I had to have the bath alone did I?" she purred, running her fingers over his hair. The Doctor hummed quietly in agreement. "Think of the next couple of hours as being foreplay. Like before Muri was ever in the picture."
"I like how you think, Rose Tyler," the Doctor murmured.
The two had long ago relegated the two and a half years they had travelled together prior to that afternoon at her mum's old flat as extended foreplay. The slide of her hand into his had been the lover's caresses that fuelled desire and made her crave for more gentle and intimate touches. The hours upon hours of running for their lives had been the activities that made their hearts race and filled them with anticipation for what was to come. That long-ago afternoon at Jackie's had been the culmination of all those previous experiences.
Rose still missed her mum a great deal, but she thought that what she felt was what any daughter would go through when she lost her only parent. She had mourned and grieved, and occasionally still wondered what all her mum was doing in Pete's World. Was the child she had been carrying a boy or a girl? And what did they name it? If it was a girl, did Pete want to name her Rose, after his gran? If they had a boy did they name him Tony, after mum's granddad? Did Pete take Jackie to all the fantastic places she had always wanted to visit? Were they happy? Did Jackie regret leaving her daughter in this universe, the way Rose sometimes regretted sending her mum to Pete's? Did Jackie feel guilt, the way Rose sometimes did, that she didn't feel a twinge of regret over staying with the man and life she wanted more than anything?
They were all questions to which Rose would never know the true answers.
"I love you," Rose whispered, putting her hands on the Doctor's chest, one over each of his hearts.
The Doctor searched her face and smiled wickedly, both of his heartbeats speeding up at the sound of Rose saying those three small words. "I love you too, Rose Tyler. Now, let's go get that bath you mentioned." He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers.
The pair jumped in surprise when a loud knock came to their door. A small sliding panel on the door opened and they could see the bottom half of a face and neck. "All guests are required to come above deck in twenty minutes to enjoy in the Horsehead Couples Retreat welcoming tea and to get the itinerary for your first week." With that, the little panel snapped shut.
Rose pursed her lips. "I have a feeling this holiday is not going to go very well…"