14
Jack was helping Dendy with his plate of Hangi when he realised Ianto wasn't there, neither was the little princess. He looked around, seeing the little boy was gone too, coming to the conclusion Ianto had simply stolen the child so there would be no further discussion.
He walked up to the lighthouse and could hear Owen's soft voice, then Owen was exiting the bathroom with a look of thunder, "Jack. The woman that had that boy. Which one is she?"
"The red floral dress that is following the one in the big black sombrero hat thing out by the food tent you can't start a fight. Not here" Jack warned.
"Oh I won't do anything. I'm going to talk to the Nanas. They will soon sort her out" Owen puffed as he slid past and clambered onto the four wheeler motorbike Jack hadn't even noticed.
"Where did you get that?" Jack asked with surprise.
"Whetu and Heruia gave it to me. It's mine" Owen said petulantly, "I needed to get around and horses don't like my masculinity. It's one of the harvest bikes."
Jack nodded, remembering the bikes traded for some beautiful greenstone carvings and such before the last harvest. They had been needed in the swampy terrain where horses might slip. Apparently it was preferable to almost kill yourself rolling a motorbike than risk a horse's leg. Such a strange people that even the life of a horse was considered equal to that of it's rider.
Jack went in and found Ianto sitting on the closed lid of the toilet watching the two children in the bathtub. The skinny child looked even more stark against the bubbles and Ianto's face was one Jack knew too well.
Dragon was gonna flame someone.
"Dendy is eating with Toshiko" Jack said as he crouched to flick bubbles at his daughter her scream as she threw her head back echoed by an excited little boy who seemed to be getting over his shock at the snatch and grab that had happened.
"Oi, you there?"
"Bathroom Nana" Ianto called back and a huge woman blundered through the kitchen to look in on the children, her cheeks sucking in as she looked at the skinny tot and she made a strange noise Ianto knew was one of censure.
"We got some clothes and things for the Tama" she said as she gripped the doorframe and Jack rose.
"Thank you Nana Audra, I'll walk you back love" Jack knew she would puff all the way back down the hill and to have walked up here had been quite a feat "Would you like to sit and have some of Ianto's lovely lemonade first? We can see what fits the little fella."
She waddled gratefully to the sofa and flopped down, groaning as she looked around, "your fella made this place lovely, brighter."
"Ianto always does make things brighter" Jack said affectionately as he scooped his daughter up and left the boy to Ianto, knowing she would get jealous fast otherwise.
Soon the little one was dressed in a nice pair of shorts and a t-shirt with the superman symbol on it that he had snatched at with glee.
"Do you like that one Julius?" Ianto asked gently and there was a little flicker of something he had seen before so he leaned in closer "What is your name? Tell Uncle Ianto your name darling."
"Kombi" the little one whispered and Jack reared back.
"Wait, she's been even calling him the wrong name?" Jack spluttered with horror, "Does she even know what kid she has? I don't understand, what the hell."
"Right help me up baby!" Nana was pissed, her mouth a thin slash as she held out her arms and Jack helped her up then let Bella run from the lighthouse out into the sun with screams of glee, following with the woman led gently on his arm.
Ianto watched them go knowing it was all settled now, Nana would tell the other Nanas and this child would not leave this Marae. He turned to the child standing eyeing the fruit bowl with hungry eyes now. Ianto knew food would be a major thing for a while before Kombi knew it would always be available so he smiled as he slid a chair by the sink.
"You can climb this to reach the bowl, it's up there so Bella doesn't throw the peaches everywhere. She thinks they are fuzzy balls the mad thing" Ianto explained and soon the little boy sat getting juice all over himself and his new shirt as he hummed around the largest peach he could find.
No matter.
Ianto sat and sorted more clothes from the loving tribe.
Kombi was his now, his mind already moving to sort another bed and some bedding. If Dendy had shown any hurt he knew he would have passed the child to another within the tribe. He was unsure how happy or alarmed he was with yet another new element in his life and he smiled softly as he wondered what Rhiannon would say if she saw him now.
Ianto remembered the servers and made a mental note to ask Tosh if their personal files from their PDAs had been saved too. So many pictures he would like if possible.
A life gone but not forgotten.
All was precious.