3

They had hunted the Mighty Dylan and screams of mirth were still echoing as Dylan threw himself at Ianto who caught him easily, lifting him and the kitten up for cuddles.

"You horrible child" Ianto hissed, "What am I to do with you."

"Love me!" Dylan demanded.

"Well, I suppose I must" Ianto huffed theatrically, kissing him before releasing him.

Dylan ran off screaming some more as Jack watched "Good gods, he screams."

"Excitable. Let's remember that he's not spoken for so long that now it's a novelty" Ianto reminded him, "He will settle Cariad."

Jack smiled at the word he liked so much and turned to look at the house again, "Well, let's see inside."

"Oh, yes" Ianto snorted, "Of course."

Jack walked around and whistled at the size of the place, Dylan hunting around like a little cat burglar, complete with cat and he came into the room they were in with big eyes, "Daddy, there's a little boy's room."

Ianto spun on his heel and seemed to regard Dylan for a few moments before he spoke, "that was my son's room. Walter. He is a star too."

"Really?" Dylan canted his head in an Ianto-like way, "How did he die?"

"Dylan!" Jack scolded, "That's rude."

"It's OK" Ianto said calmly as he folded into a chair, "Come here sweetling. My son was hit by a car and he died. My wife died not long after, she had cancer."

"Are they both stars?" Dylan asked.

"Yes, together, like twins. Wonderful. I got two wishes, I was especially excited about that" Ianto whispered, "They came true too."

"Yeah? What did you wish?" Dylan asked.

"When Walter gave me a wish I wished to be happy again one day. When Lisa died I wished someone would hold me again one day" Ianto said and Dylan frowned.

"Yah?"

"Yes. I have you to make me happy and Daddy here holds me in the dark" Ianto smiled as he stroked the boy's hair, "I am happy again. I feel loved again. You want that room?"

"Would he mind?"

"No, he would have loved you for a friend. It is all set up for a little boy, of course you should be in that one. Me and Daddy will be in the big room with the big bed because that makes sense too, right?" Ianto agreed.

"Yeah, cool. Is he the little boy on the pictures in the hall?" Dylan slid from the sofa and ran from the room, Ianto rising to follow as Dylan led them out to the hallway table and a series of picture frames, "See?"

"Yes, that's Walter"

"He's black"

Jack grimaced but Ianto smiled as he knelt and drew Dylan close, "See that one? That's Lisa. See? She was black so Walter was called biracial because he was both black and white all mixed together. He was very handsome."

"Yeah, he has cool hair and a nice smile" Dylan agreed innocently, "We would have been friends for sure."

Dylan then squealed as the kitten ran past and escaped to chase it. Ianto rose and watched Jack as he reached for one of the frames, "Our wedding."

"Ianto, she was so beautiful. Not often a woman can be called handsome but by the gods she seems to have a presence about her." Jack said as the tall elegant beauty looked defiantly at the camera.

"She filled the room with light."

"Brain tumour, right?"

"Yes, she became almost robotic in her movements and we thought maybe it was just some sort of problem with her diabetic medication or something, then Owen did a scan" Ianto sighed, "All over Rover. We lost Walter about a week later, my sister was minding him while we were seeing a specialist and Lisa wouldn't forgive herself thinking it was her fault. She sort of gave up."

"I am so sorry" Jack sighed, "So young."

"We were" Ianto smiled, "I thought she would be the love of my life."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Now I know she was just my first love, still room for more" Ianto shrugged, Jack carefully replacing the frame as Ianto turned to watch Dylan head up the stairs to the bedrooms again, "After all, I did wish for someone to hold me and make it all better."

"I would love to hold you forever" Jack said as he saw the opening Ianto was giving him so generously to prove himself, "I would love to love you, keep you in my heart and soul. I will bleed for you. Kill for you. I swear. Ianto, I… I never thought it could feel like this. It's almost a frantic scrabbling in my chest when I can't see you. My heart panics."

Oh Cariad" Ianto sighed as he leaned against him, "I am always right here."

"Me too"

Dylan's footfalls overhead had them both looking up and smiling as they were reminded that they were never going to be alone.

Not with a Mighty Dylan on the case.