Hey guys, I'm posting a bit early because I'm gonna be out of commission for a week, due to an eye procedure I'm getting done tomorrow. I'd really appreciate being able to come back to find a lot of concrit about this story, it'd cheer me up good and proper post-op! Especially since I'm not entirely sure how people are taking to this story. So, I hope to hear from you guys!
Enjoy!
Chapter 4
Jack woke up to a finger prodding his leg. He blinked and looked around. He found himself in bed with four of his team mates with a small child standing by the side.
'Wow, what're the odds of this happening twice?' he wondered as he and the boy stared at each other. The boy was about eight years old, with dark hair and a button nose.
"Hello." said the boy.
"Hello…" said Jack, wondering where the kid had come from.
"Who are you?"
"Captain Jack Harkness."
"Oh…" the boy nodded as if that explained everything. "I'm Aiden."
"Hey Aiden." said Jack quietly, shifting as Gwen snuffled into his side where she had fallen asleep.
"You should get up soon." said Aiden as Owen's head shot up as he jerked awake, which woke Toshiko, since they had been curled up together. "Breakfast is in ten minutes."
"Ok, thank you Aiden." said Jack as he pulled free of Gwen, who stirred and lifted her head. Aiden nodded and walked out of the room. Jack realised he had forgotten to lock the door last night as Ianto had suggested.
"Who was that?" asked Gwen, grimacing as she wiped at her mouth.
"Aiden, apparently." said Jack as he got to his feet. He stretched and winced as his back popped. "And apparently breakfast is up."
"Oh, good."
Gwen and Toshiko moved to get changed and were back in the same clothes they had been wearing yesterday (twenty years ago) a few moments later. Jack and Owen had slept in their own clothes, the four of them having collapsed into an exhausted sleep on Jack's bed as they tried to figure themselves out and utterly failing. They shared a moment of preparation then walked out into the hall.
"Fuck, look at this place. Torchwood must be doing well on the payroll." said Owen quietly. It was true, the house was modern, beautiful and huge. They moved down the stairs, following the sound of a lot of people talking to each other.
"Kitchen's that way I guess." said Jack, leading the way. They walked it to the warm, inviting kitchen. And stopped dead in the doorway.
A large table took up much of the free space, and it was almost completely taken up by children. The oldest seemed to be about 17 or 18, and there was a small toddler and every age in between. At first Jack reasoned that they were orphans, Rift refugees. But then he looked closer and realised all the children shared similar features. A few were red haired, a few were black, but some of the red heads had the same facial features as some of the dark haired ones, while others had similar body builds. Most of them were in school uniforms. At the oven were Ianto and Michaela, moving around each other with practised ease as the children ate and drank breakfast. A pile of lunchboxes were being filled by Michaela, as orange juice was being squeezed by Ianto.
One of the girls, about twelve suddenly noticed them in the door, and screamed.
"Freda what's wrong?" asked Ianto turning around and spotting them. "Oh! I'm sorry, Jack, I hadn't gotten around to telling the kids about you."
"It's Captain Jack Harkness!" said the boy from before, Aiden, with an air of absolute authority, his hands moving rapidly. Several of the children gasped. The oldest narrowed her eyes.
"That's right Aiden." said Michaela, running her hand over his thick, curly hair. Then she lifted her hands and started gesturing as she spoke. "This is Captain Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato."
"The people from the picture in daddy's office?" asked one of the youngest children, a red headed girl, her hands moving too.
"That's right Deva." said Ianto, his hands gesturing with quick efficient movements. "They worked for Torchwood with me."
The kids all nodded, as Jack realised belatedly that the strange gestures of the hands they were all doing was Sign Language. He glanced around surreptitiously, but was saved from wondering for long when a boy of about 12 or 13 started gesturing silently.
"They did disappear, but they came back yesterday. Remember we told you that the Rift can return people as well as take them." said Michaela, signing to the boy as she spoke.
"Come and sit down." said Ianto, still signing. "You're probably hungry. We've made pancakes."
Slowly the four sat down in the free seats, and Aiden popped off his seat and returned with four plates, which he placed in front of them, while a girl about the same age gave them knives and forks. Ianto set a plate piled with pancakes in front of them.
"If you want more let me know." he said easily, then straightened up and moved around the table, saying, "Right! Introductions. These are our children."
Owen glanced around the table and then stared at Ianto in dull shock, "All of them?"
Several of the kids giggled, the oldest one, a girl, sneered in disgust.
"Disgusting, isn't it?"
"Leeza!" snapped Michaela.
"Well it is!" snapped Leeza, pushing her plate away.
"Oh shut it Leeza." snapped the oldest boy.
"Make me Archer!"
"Enough!" said Ianto. He did not raise his voice, but the power behind it was unmistakeable. Leeza and Archer fell quiet, along with the rest of the kids. Ianto regarded them all with a stern eye, then relaxed his shoulders and said, "Leeza is our oldest, she's almost eighteen."
Leeza shrugged at them, glaring at her food.
"Then Archer is sixteen."
Archer gave a bright smile and waved to them.
"Toshi over here is fifteen."
Jack raised his eyebrows and actually felt Toshiko's face flush hot as Toshi looked at her namesake with a bored expression and nodded. She had brown hair, and green eyes.
"Eoin –spelt E-O-I-N- is almost fourteen."
Eoin ducked his head shyly and waved his fingers without looking at them. Owen straightened up in surprise.
"Freda and Georgina are twelve, they'll be thirteen in August."
An identical pair of twins gave matching smiles but while Freda had short cropped hair, Georgina had a long braid.
"Jacque is eleven."
Jack looked at the deaf boy who actually grinned and threw him a wink.
"Erin is eleven as well."
Erin was red haired and wore thick glasses, and seemed to be focused on something in her hands.
"Shannon is ten."
Shannon was almost vampiric with her dark hair and pale skin and wide eyes. There was something in her eyes that seemed familiar to Jack.
"Guinevere is nine."
Guinevere also had her mother's hair, and had grown it long, with pink clips in it. A princess name for a little princess. Gwen couldn't take her eyes off her.
"Aiden, you've met. He's seven. Taran is five."
Taran was busy trying to fit a whole pancake in his mouth.
"Deva is four. Christoffer is three and our baby Quinn is two."
Quinn looked up at the mention of his name, then turned back to his mother as she placed a bowl in front of him.
Jack looked over all the children and wasn't sure what to think. Fifteen children. How the hell had these two managed that while running Torchwood? Most marriages in Torchwood had failed completely. This just seemed impossible.
Thankfully they were saved from having to comment because there was a squeal of horror from Shannon, who leapt away from the table as Erin flailed to grab something on the table. Something alive.
"Ew! Mum, Erin's frog is on the table." wailed Shannon, running around the table and hiding behind Michaela.
"Erin, you've been told before, no animals at the table." Michaela scolded as she tried to still a squirming Shannon. Jacque grinned and tried to help Erin catch the animal as Erin cried,
"It's a toad, not a frog. Come back here."
Jack reached out and wrapped his fingers around the toad as it leapt for the plate of pancakes.
"Got him!" he said, pulling his hand away from the table. Erin ran around like a shot and grabbed at Jack's hand.
"Don't hurt him!"
"Easy sweetheart, I won't." said Jack, turning over his hand and opening it. The toad gave an offended croak as Erin scooped it up and held it close to her chest.
"Erin, put him back in his tank." ordered Ianto as he wiped the table where the toad had hopped.
"But daddy-"
"Now Erin." said Ianto firmly. Erin pouted and walked away, whispering to the toad in her hands. Jack noticed she was wearing bright yellow wellies on her feet as she left. Meanwhile, Michaela was trying to get Shannon to sit down again.
"But it's icky!"
"River, a chroí, it's gone now, and daddy's cleaned it up. Now you need to finish your breakfast. Go on now."
Shannon looked very unhappy, but did as she was told. Jacque was making Deva and Christoffer giggle by puffing out his cheeks like a frog and pretending to hop on his hands on the table.
"Right, ok you lot," said Ianto "What's on the agenda today?"
"I've got cello." said Freda.
"I've got my woodcraft." said Archer.
"I'm going out with my friends to the shopping centre." said Toshi.
"Which friends?" asked Michaela.
"What's that matter?" Toshi demanded.
"I'm just curious." sighed Michaela as she wiped Quinn's face.
"It's just the usual ones. Marky, and Celeste, and Parvati." said Toshi in an irritated voice.
"Ok then. Leeza, will you pick Toshi up from the shopping centre?"
"Why do I have to do it?" demanded Leeza.
"You're the only one driving yet and if you want to continue to have access to the car, you'll have to do your bit." said Ianto at once. This sounded like an old argument.
"Ugh! Fine!" Leeza got to her feet and brought her plate to the dishwasher before flouncing out of the room.
"Mam! Mam!" cried Quinn, reaching out with both hands and making grabby motions with his fingers.
"You want to get down Quinn?" asked Michaela. Quinn nodded. "What do you say?"
"Wanna get down! Wanna get down!"
"All right mo leanbh!" she cooed, unbuckling him from his high chair and lifting him out and setting him down. "Hurry up the rest of you, it's almost eight. The bus'll be here soon."
"Mum! I need vinegar and lemon juice!" cried Guinevere.
"For what?"
"Volcano eruption thingy. My teacher said we needed it."
"Ok, go check the pantry, there should be a new bottle and some lemons too. Hurry."
"Where's my bunny! I can't find Puca!" Erin came running into the room. She was pulling at her pockets, looking very upset.
"Where did you last have her?" asked Ianto as he helped Aiden get his bag sorted.
"I don't know!"
"Archer, help Erin look, would you?"
"Sure dad. C'mon carrot-top, lets find Puca." Archer took Erin's hand and they left the kitchen.
"You've got five minutes!" called Michaela. Quinn ran past Jack and the others laughing. Jack watched him go and wondered if he should catch him. "Georgina where's your bag?"
"In my room."
"Go and get it."
"Daddy! My shoelaces!" Taran threw himself at Ianto and lifted his foot, wiggling it expectantly. Ianto bent down and tied the lace, then the other one. "Daddy?"
"Yes Taran?"
"Quinn's gone out to the garage."
"What?" Michaela almost dropped the plate she had picked up and bolted out after Quinn.
"Ok, Jacque, Shannon, go clear the table. Leave our guests alone though. I'll do them."
The two did as they were told, moving with practised ease. Michaela came back with a crying Quinn on her hip, and something small in her hand.
"Erin! I found Puca!"
Jack felt like he was in the eye of a storm, all these kids running around him, talking and pushing at each other and their parents keeping things organised amongst the chaos. Erin came running in and seized a small bunny doll from Michaela's hand.
A doorbell just about made itself heard over the noise and Ianto picked up a phone.
"They're on their way." he said, then hung up. "Kids, the bus! Let's go, go, go!"
As soon as he said this, Christoffer burst into tears and grabbed Ianto's leg, hiding his face in his jeans. Ianto closed his eyes and sighed, then bent down and scooped up the three year old as he walked into the hall. Jack leaned back in his chair to keep watching as all the kids started moving into the hall after Ianto.
"C'mon mab, it's ok. You'll have fun." His voice was gentle, reassuring, as Christoffer wrapped his arms around his father's neck and clung on. "Christoffer, I promise you'll have fun. I know you miss mummy and me, but we'll be here when you get back, ok? You'll go with Deva and she'll look after you. Won't you Deva?"
Deva shrugged, swinging her lunchbox around as she stood near the door. Christoffer did not seem at all comforted and buried his tear stained and snotty face in Ianto's neck. Ianto didn't blink, he just rubbed Christoffer's back and rocked him.
"It'll be ok. You'll get yummy food, and you'll play with the toys…"
"Ianto, they need to go." said Michaela, coming up next to him and rubbing Christoffer's back. Quinn was now whimpering on her shoulder. "Christoffer, it's time to go."
Christoffer began to wail again. Archer, now in his coat and his bag on his back, came up to them and held out his hands.
"Hey little leanbh, come with me, eh? You wanna sit in my lap on the bus?"
Christoffer looked up and wiped at his face as he blinked at his brother. Archer seemed to take that as an agreement and gently took Christoffer from Ianto's arms. Ianto mouthed 'Thank you!' to his son, and then moved and started tapping all the kids on the head.
"Guinevere, Aiden, Freda, Georgina…"
He was counting them off as they pulled on their coats. Jack imagined if he didn't one would probably try to play hookey.
"Ok, everyone's ready. Off you go."
"Bye!" some of them chorused as the front door was opened and they all hurried out, all thirteen of them. Quinn remained in his mother's arms as the two parents watched their kids leave. They seemed to wait until they were on the bus before stepping back into the house and Ianto shut the door, and they both sagged against the door, looking exhausted. Ianto blinked and looked up, meeting Jack's eyes. Jack raised his eyebrows and grinned,
"Busy day?"
Both parents snorted, Ianto sighing heavily, "Oh no. That was a calm one."
Quinn looked at his parents and giggled around his thumb.
Chapter 5 coming soon…
See you in a week or so everyone!
Night's Darkness
