3

"Right-O, read it out while I settle him" Yan said as she smiled and placed Lin into the playpen the others were already in, Hero cooing happily in welcome.

"Dear little one." Owen bristled and let the page drop, "See? He starts right in with a fucking insult."

"And?"

"So pleased to see the latest picture of you that Yan sent. Shame you have not grown any from the last one. Archie hopes you are not stunted" Owen dropped the paper again, his look one of woe, "See? He thinks I'm a runt for fucksake."

"Cuss in front of the babies again and I will thump you on the head, ya might actually lose some height" Rhys said calmly as he wandered past and Owen growled, then lifted the paper again.

"You looked cute in the little suit, Archie didn't know they made them that small, he was right pleased" Owen muttered as he shook the paper for a moment, then continued, "Archie's girl sends her wishes and said if she saw you she would like to gobble you up."

Yan was struggling as Jack gaped from behind Owen's chair, the mention of the elusive and sweet Clementine as anything other than saintly prim lady she always seemed to be was unheard of. Jack couldn't let that slide, "Owen, you know Clementine would never…I mean … Archie would cut your stick off."

Jack then noticed Yan's muffled sniggers, "Babe?"

"Lin" she managed to squeak out as she pointed at the page and Jack stared, then looked at Owen and started to snigger too.

"Oh. Nice. You are thinking this is funny?"

"What my beloved Holdfast is trying to choke out is that this is an e-mail to Lin, not you. He calls Lin the Little one. He had that tiny tux on at the after party for Rhiannon's wedding? Ianto sent him a pic? You know Archie and Clementine have an album. Lin. Not you" Jack was laughing as Owen finally got it and started to laugh softly as well. Yan headed over to pick up the baby, wouldn't do to phone Archie without Lin there to coo and gobble down the phone, Archie and Clementine gushing from the other end at Torchwood House like a couple of grandparents on a long distance call.

"If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times" Owen shook his head as Yan headed upstairs, "Archie is a bloody weirdo."

Owen squeezed his little rubber alien as its eyes popped repeatedly out of its head then placed it down beside the miniature toilet, then as an afterthought placed it on it.

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Rhiannon was watching the children play as Dahlia tried to bring the conversation around to babies but Rhiannon wasn't really listening as she leaned in to watch Luc join the children in play, lifting Mimi into the air as she screamed with glee.

The old furniture from the house Owen and Tosh had taken was still in the back yard, now sleeping spots for the animals and occasional the ex-time agent who pretended he was a Captain. Mimi ran, still laughing as she looked back over her shoulder, Luc following with growling and stomping.

Mimi shrunk behind the sofa and Rhiannon saw.

She saw.

The hand swung, reaching for the arm of the sofa and yanking it back with such force that it crumbled. Probably from being outside for months in the weather but she didn't see that, she just saw the child on the ground looking up a Luc advanced.

Rhiannon saw.

Da.

She was shaking as she grabbed the edge of the sink, her knees almost giving out as she remembered the smell of urine.

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Yan was swinging in the chair as she began the call, "Hello Archie. Yan here."

"Yan! Archie was just thinking of you!"

"Well, Lin here wanted to say hi if you have the time" Yan smiled as Lin sat up, as if hearing and interested as he started a little streak of unintelligible babble at the phone, little hands waving.

"Archie hears a story there."

"Wait, you on the laptop?" Yan asked and she reached forward to click a button, the screen flickering to life as the Skype connected and Archie sat with a look of surprise that quickly became glee as he leaned forward to watch the grabby hand monster.

"There he is" Archie chortled, "Clementine, Lin is visiting with Archie on the screen! Look!"

There was a flurry to of activity and Ianto saw the torso and hips of Archie's assistant, her glee apparent as she clutched the back of his chair, "Ahhh, look he's adorable. So sweet."

"Does Lin hear that?" Archie crooned, "Clem says he is adorable, yes she does."

Yan smiled as she wished Clem would bend down, the fact she had never seen her slightly mystifying. Jack had and said she was a real looker, something about some alien tech or something that he wouldn't discuss.

"Archie wonders how old Lin is now"

Yan blinked back to the present conversation "Er … his first birthday was just before Christmas, Archie sent Lin a lovely little glass cat for his glass collection of animals."

Ianto hated reverting to third person speaking but knew Archie was more happy that way, letting the man wave enthusiastically at the baby who laughed and waved back.

Down in the Hub Owen watched the feed with interest.

Archie had never looked so … fake. Was that a wig?