Moving Day
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, OC's (including Stephanie, Jack and Ianto's 3 year old daughter)
Spoilers: None, but this is post-TW series 2 and DW series 4 - by about 50 years.
Disclaimer: I don't own Jack and Ianto (heavy sigh), I'm pretty sure they own each other. I do know the BBC and RTD owns all things Torchwood.
Warnings: Slash, MPREG, past character deaths, major fluff.
Summary: The Harkness-Jones family's 1st night in their new home
Notes: Written for Day Three of Red Is My Colour at LiveJournal in 2009. Massively unbeta, so please forgive all mistakes. The prompt was Shakespeare's Sonnet 97.
"How like a winter hath my absence been - William Shakespeare,
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!
What old December's bareness everywhere!"
Jack was settled on the sofa in the family room of their new home. A couple of hours ago, the others from Torchwood had left after helping the family move into the larger house. It was an emotional day for Jack, having to say goodbye once again to their beloved cottage. It had been his home with Ianto for almost twenty years, moving into the cottage shortly after their Civil Partnership. Then when Jack had lost Ianto, he still couldn't let go of it, so for the next 21 years, he had rented it out. Suddenly, Jack was given a second chance with Ianto – his Ianto back from the dead after 21 years, in the form of a 21 year old half-human/half-alien who appeared with the Doctor one night. Stefaine claimed he had saved Jack from permanent death that night, and went on to explain that he was Ianto reincarnated. By the next morning, a second miracle had happened. Stefaine had regained all his memories of his previous life as Ianto Jones. From that day on, he had been Ianto Jones again, only with a double set of memories of his life. He was every bit the man Jack remembered and loved, and yet so much more now. As soon as they were able to, they had moved back into the little cottage. It had been their home for the last eight years. The last three years, the cottage seemed a little smaller, but the little family of three fit with no problem.
Now they were four. Five weeks before, Ianto had given birth to Ifan Harkness-Jones. They knew they needed to get a larger place, but waited until after Ianto gave birth, not to take any chances of someone realizing that there was a pregnant male.
Jack had just put Ifan down in his cot not long before, and needed to sit down and unwind a little. Ianto was somewhere in the house, no doubt turning chaos into organization. Jack looked around the room. All the furniture was in place, thanks to their friends, but most of their belongings were packed in boxes piled up in each room.
Immediately after their friends had left, the first thing the couple did, was unpack the kitchen boxes and putting everything up in cupboards, with Stephanie helping. Jack started to smile as he remembered Ianto's face when they heard a huge clatter from behind them, and they turned to find Stephanie tilting over a box, spilling its contents all over the floor. Jack decided to find the box with Stephanie's stuffed doll collection and set her up in her bedroom, placing her dolls around her new room, giving Ianto a chance to recover.
Once Jack and Ianto was finished in the kitchen, they both went to check in on Stephanie's progress with her dolls. They discovered that day that their little girl's methods of unpacking was much like Jack's, only Jack learned not to spill the contents of a box around Ianto. However, the meticulous way she already had set up her dolls around the room showed she was developing Ianto's knack for order.
The three had a quick dinner, with Ifan in his basket close by. After dinner, Stephanie had gone off to her room, while Jack and Ianto unpacked things they would need immediately in their room, along with items for the children. After that, Jack had picked up Ifan, while Ianto went off to see what else he could unpack somewhere in the house. Jack fed the baby, changed him and settled him in his cot that they kept in their bedroom. They had speakers for the monitor around the house, but Jack had the monitor set for his wrist strap. If any little thing concerning the baby boy needing immediate attention, an alert would go off on Jack's wrist strap.
Jack looked at the time, realizing that if Ianto did not show up soon, he would be the one to get Stephanie ready for bed, because his partner would most certainly be involved in setting more order somewhere in the house. Jack knew he would be able to find Ianto quickly with a press of a button on his wrist strap, but he knew better than interrupt Ianto when he was busy. Ianto would make sure he was in Stephanie's room in time to say good night to her, tucking her in with Jack on her first night in her new room.
A few minutes later, Ianto walked into the room, carrying an opened box. "There you are," Ianto said.
"Yeah. Where were you?" Jack asked.
"Trying to sort out whatever you did in packing up the books," Ianto remarked.
Jack indicated the box Ianto still held. "What's up with that?"
"I was going to ask you. Did you open this?"
Jack shook his head. "No. I didn't come across any books yet. I take it that you didn't?"
"Nope. I know it was taped up when it came in the house."
Jack snorted. Of course Ianto knew that. He had gone through the entire house once the last carton was brought in, checking off everything on a list on his PDA. "What's the big deal?" Jack asked, and immediately regretted asking when Ianto glared at him. He let out a sigh.
"Yeah, I know. It's only a box, I know. But there's a book missing."
"Which one?" Jack asked.
"I don't know."
Jack gave Ianto an incredulous look.
Ianto put down the box and placed his hands on his hips. "I didn't look through the titles to determine that. Especially since this is one of the boxes you packed."
"Oh. Right. How do you know one is missing then?"
Ianto nudged the box, making Jack look down. He saw the empty place where he knew he had packed the box full. "Gotcha. So? We have a mystery?" He glanced up at Ianto. "Stephanie? Maybe she was looking for her books?" He shrugged.
"I can believe she went through it, but this is the classics in this box. We didn't bring her up to these yet." Ianto sat down next to Jack. He noticed for the first time Jack's feet up on the coffee table.
Jack moved them after Ianto continued to glare at his feet for a few seconds. "I couldn't find the pillow," Jack said defensively.
"You could live without putting your feet up on the table for a night. We'll find it by tomorrow."
"Ianto, we are going to get some sleep tonight? I don't know about you, but I'm actually exhausted tonight. I could do with a couple of hours of sleep. You must be more. I mean, with you still recovering from having Ifan."
Ianto rolled his eyes. "I'm not still recovering. I keep telling you that. I told you that the day after I had him. Even Olivia claims I healed from the surgery not long after, and yet you lot insist that I still have the six week recovery period. Why?"
"Not taking chances? I mean, I'm more certain than before that whatever made you get your memories back also made you immortal, but do you want to take the chance when you don't have to."
"No, but when everything was healed by the second day after giving birth, don't you think carrying on like this five weeks later is overkill."
"Maybe." Jack pulled Ianto to him. "But that's only because I love you."
"Don't start, Jack. Now, mystery of the missing book."
"Untitled book, since we don't know which one it is." He ran his fingers through Ianto's hair. "Look, it's time to round Stephanie up for bed. Let's ask her, and if she doesn't know, once she's in bed, I'll help you look for it."
"Sure. Use our daughter to get your way."
When Jack looked at Ianto, he saw the other man trying to keep from smiling. Jack leaned over and kissed Ianto. "Go on, you. Come on, bedtime for the imp." He stood up and held out his hand for Ianto.
"Just when I got comfortable," Ianto sighed.
"Ah ha! So you do need some sleep."
"I didn't say that, Jack." Ianto took Jack's hand and allowed the older man to help him up.
The two men discovered their daughter was not in her room. After sharing a look, both wondering what could their daughter be up to, they went on a search around the house. When Jack passed their bedroom, he stopped by the door, putting his ear against the wood. With a grin, he signaled for Ianto to join him.
"What?"
"Shh, listen. I think we solved the mystery."
They heard Stephanie's voice inside their room. Quietly they opened the door, to find the little girl was sitting on the edge of their bed, a large book opened and almost overtaking her lap. Next to the bed, the baby slept in his cot. Stephanie was reading from the book, sometimes stumbling over a word that was new to her, or mispronouncing it. They immediately realized it was Shakespeare.
Realizing she wasn't alone with her brother, she stopped reading and looked up at her daddies.
"Hi sweet pea," Jack said. "What are you up to?"
"Reading, Daddy."
"Really?"
Stephanie nodded.
"Are you reading to your brother?" Ianto asked.
"Yep! Baby Ifan was lonely in the new room, so I came to read to him. I only found the hard books, but I'm trying, Taddy."
"I see. And you were doing very good," Ianto replied, smiling fondly at his daughter.
"I don't know all the words," Stephanie said, frowning a little.
Jack moved across the room and sat down next to the little girl, picking up the book from her lap. "That's okay, sweetheart. That's how you learn. Taddy and I will help you with the harder ones."
Stephanie hugged Jack, smiling. "YAY!"
Jack kissed her head and glanced over to Ianto. Ianto got the message and joined Jack and Stephanie on the bed. Stephanie scrambled so she could be between her daddies.
"We're very proud of you, Stef," Ianto stated, also kissing his little girl.
"And that was very nice of you to read to your baby brother so he wouldn't be lonely," Jack added.
Stephanie beamed at the compliments from her fathers. "I love little brother."
"We know you do, sweetheart," Ianto said softly. He put his arm around her.
"Ifan's happy that we're all together. Can you read for him now, Taddy? Please?"
"Sure sweetheart. I can do that. Will you and Daddy also listen?"
"Yep!" Stephanie exclaimed, nodding her head.
Jack playfully put his hand over her mouth. "Quiet, sweet pea. We want Ifan to sleep too."
"Oh!" When Jack removed his hand, she placed her own over her mouth, causing both the men to smile.
Jack handed Ianto the book. "There you go, Taddy."
Ianto opened the book. "Anything in particular?" he asked.
"Dunno," Stephanie replied.
"On?"
"What's paticler?"
"Par-ti-cu-lar," Ianto enunciated slowly.
Stephanie slowly repeated after Ianto and smiled up at him. "Good?"
"Beautiful," Ianto replied.
"Yay!" she said softly, looking down at her brother. "But what does it mean?"
"Is there anything in the book that you want Taddy to read?" Jack said.
"Dunno," she replied, putting her finger to her mouth.
"Why not?" Ianto asked.
"'Cause I don't know any of the stories."
Jack chuckled, hugging his daughter. "Taddy's choice," he commented, amused.
Ianto closed the book and opened it again. "I'll pick someone on this page. Okay?"
"Yep!" Stephanie agreed. It appeared to be a sound choice to her.
The three sat on the bed, watching over the sleeping baby while Ianto read from the book. Jack started to grin, realizing it was a good way for their family to spend the first night in their new house.
Stephanie rested her head against Jack's side, her finger in her mouth again, listening intently to the smooth, pleasant timber of Ianto's voice as he read.
"How like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!
What old December's bareness everywhere!"
Ianto stopped reading.
"Finish it, Taddy," Stephanie requested.
"I did, Stef. That's it. I can read another if you like."
"Oh." Stephanie looked thoughtful for a moment and then sat up, moving her head away from Jack. She stared up at Ianto. "Taddy?"
"Yes, sweet pea?" Ianto replied.
"What does it mean?"
Jack started to smile, trying not to laugh. Ianto shook his head, smiling fondly at his daughter. Together both Jack and he started to laugh, hugging their daughter.
