AUTHOR'S NOTE: You guys are getting this a day early because my beloved candybree is going to be on a plane on Sunday and I don't want her to miss the posting. I can just see her eyes lighting up lik a child on Christmas morning when her inbox sings to signal te little treat that I have posted here - okay. Enough with the sap and on with the story. Where were we? Oh yeah - angst. I like to think that there isn't so much of that in this one. Hope you enjoy it!
Ianto rolled over and draped his arm around the body pressed against his, it's smell was familiar enough to pull him a little from sleep. "Lisa?" he whispered, inhaling deeply.
"Yan?" A female voice muttered from his side. "Did you say something?"
Ianto opened his eyes to see Becca. "No, don't think I did."
"Oh." She buried her face in the pillow before snapping it back up quickly. "Ianto?!?"
"Yes?" he smiled sleepily over at her, resisting the urge to move her hair from her face.
"What are you doing in my bed?"
"I should be asking you that."
Becca rubbed her hand over her face and frowned. "It was your mother's tea..."
Ianto nodded slowly. "Got it in one."
"I can see your bed's not cold either, little brother." The voice from the doorway teased, making Ianto grit his teeth.
"What do you want, John?" Ianto turned to face the doorway as Becca turned away.
"If you two are done with your pillow talk, you should get dressed and come to breakfast." John turned to leave, then turned back. "Mum says so."
"Don't call her that." Ianto growled, punching the bed and making Becca jump.
John smirked and clomped down the hall in the direction of the kitchen. Ianto growled deep in his throat. Becca touched him and he jumped.
"Whoa," Becca soothed, following through with her earlier touch. "What about him makes you so angry?"
"It's nothing," Ianto lied, starting to sit up. "He's just an ass. I don't care much for him. Del can do better."
"Any more empty reasons you want to put out there?" Becca sat up, smoothing her hair down as best she could.
Ianto glared at her, hoping she would say nothing else. His hope was fulfilled when Becca stood and looked at herself in the mirror, trying to pull herself together for breakfast.
"You look fine," Ianto assured her, looking at her out of the corner of one eye. "Besides, it's breakfast, not a fashion show."
It was Becca's turn to glare. "I need a shower."
"Come on," Ianto offered her his arm again. "Let's go eat – then you can get a shower. The girls probably have something you can borrow." He smiled down at her as an apology. "Oh, and remember it's their birthday..."
**--**--**
"Another!" Myfanwy squealed, her voice carrying down the hall.
"Okay, but no fair using your hands this time," Jack's voice answered with a laugh. "If you get whipped cream on your nose, then you have to leave it."
"Not fair." Ianto could hear the pout in Myfanwy's tone.
Gwen protested. "I had to leave mine. What makes you so special?"
Myfanwy thought for a moment. "I'm prettier?"
"We're twins..." Gwen reminded her.
"I'm still the pretty one."
"We're identical."
"You would say that – me being prettier one and all. It's a way to make yourself feel better..."
Ianto cleared his throat as he walked in. Jack stopped feeding Myfanwy mid-bite and looked at him. The air grew heavy as the two looked at one another. Ianto started across the room, his eyes never leaving Jack's. The older man sucked in a breath and held it without realizing as Ianto neared him, then leaned over to where Jack was still holding the fork with waffle on it. Myfanwy watched as her brother dipped his finger in the whipped cream on her breakfast and put a dot on her nose to mirror Gwen's.
"There. Now you are identical," Ianto announced before leaning over to kiss Jack.
Jack smiled as Ianto pulled away from him and swatted at Gwen to move.
"You can sit over here, sugarplum," John patted his leg, ignoring the look that Ianto and Jack were giving him in favor of the smile Gwen now wore.
"Already getting tired of me?" Del asked, watching as the girl flounced over and threw herself in John's lap.
"Though you wear me out, I'll never get tired of you," John informed him, glancing at Mrs. Jones when she cleared her own throat.
"How did you sleep, Jack?" Becca asked, trying to change the subject.
Jack's eyes fixed on John. "I slept the sleep of the dead, thank you very much." His tone was brighter than the words he spoke. Ianto thought the words sounded wrong and looked toward Jack to find out why. Jack's eyes didn't waver from John's face – even when John began to smirk.
There was the sound of Ifan dropping his paper in mid-snap as Jack spoke, causing Glenda to look up at him sharply, mid-bite. The girls remained oblivious, as did Becca and Del.
"You slept in the treehouse, right?" Del asked, tucking into his own food. "Ianto spent more than half his teenage years up there. He seemed to like it just fine."
"It was the best place to get away from you." Ianto snorted, reaching for his own plate. "You being afraid of spiders and all..."
John chuckled, shaking Gwen who was still sitting on his lap. "You're afraid of spiders? That's good to know..."
"Thanks, Ianto," Del smiled a strained, tight smile. "I needed John to know that."
"Oh, you're very welcome," Ianto smiled back – his insincere smile. "Should I also avoid telling him that you're also afraid of the dark and that you never really learned to swim?"
"Yes," Del groaned. "Please do avoid sharing that."
"You're really afraid of the dark?" Becca slid into the empty seat between Mr. Jones and Del. "I thought you were just saying that to get girls."
Del grinned wolfishly. "It worked though, didn't it?"
"Not with me." Becca smiled at him and winked at Ianto before turning to help Henry, who was taking great delight in painting the tray of the highchair with the toppings from the waffle he had been given.
"What do we do after this?" Jack asked, looking directly at Ianto now. Ianto wasn't sure quite what he meant, so he answered only the surface question.
"The girls get to pick a movie and we go into the lounge and open presents," Ianto explained, looked from one twin to the other. "Where are your crowns?"
"Mam hasn't given them to us yet," Gwen pouted, earning a squeeze around the waist from John.
"That's because your father didn't bring that box up from his workshop yet," Mrs. Jones glanced across to the paper at the other end of the table.
"I was too busy teaching Tic the family business," Ifan stated, his voice muffled. "I'll go get them after breakfast. You won't have to sit through 'The Sound of Music' without them."
"If we hide the crowns does that mean we don't have to watch the movie this year?" Del asked brightly, earning a punch from Gwen.
"Mam! Make Del stop..." Gwen pleaded, leaning forward to beg her mother, shifting in John's lap.
"Make her stop," John whispered in a groan to Del, earning a chuckle.
"What's wrong?" Del leaned in to whisper back.
"As much as I am enjoying this half-assed lap dance from my boyfriend's sister..." John winced, readjusting himself.
"Think we could maybe get to the movie watching and present opening?" Del asked, patting John on the back as he did so.
"Yes please!" Gwen jumped up, dragging John with her into the other room and winking at Del.
"Okay, you girls get everyone in the lounge and I will help your father bring up the birthday box," Mrs. Jones patted Gwen on the back as she walked by.
"Come on!" Myfanwy grabbed Jack by the hand and yanked him along. He held his own hand out and Ianto filled it with his own, smiling at Jack.
"Becca, can you grab Henry?" Ianto called on their way out the door.
"Gladly!" Her voice was as bright as he remembered it. She turned to the little boy. "Come on, let's wipe off you hands and go and sit with the big kids."
Henry looked at her and a slow smile started on his face, making Becca laugh. Ianto smiled himself, knowing that things were going to be better.
**--**--**
"When the dog bites; when the bee stings; when I'm feeling sad," John sang along with the girls, "I simply start cussing and fussing and busting some head, and then I don't feel so bad!" He flung his arms out and put one around Del, the other around Gwen.
"You've seen this a few times?" Becca looked over at him from where she sat on the floor, Henry in her lap.
"Are you kidding? Del and I watch this at least once a week!" Del punched him in the leg. "What?!?"
Jack and Ianto exchanged looks before breaking out laughter.
"I thought you hated this movie," Gwen teased, leaning across John to her brother.
"He soooo lies," John said, almost under his breath.
"Dead," Del said through a clenched-teeth smile. "You are so dead..."
John smiled back at him brightly, quirking his head. "You can't mean that, snookams."
"Call me that again..." Del was interrupted by the phone ringing. Mrs. Jones disappeared into the kitchen before calling Ifan in. "Ifan – it's for you – it's..." she struggled with herself for a moment. "...Gloria."
"Oh," he said quietly, passing the bowl of popcorn he had been holding to Jack, who raised and eyebrow in question at him. Ifan pretended to ignore him. "I'll be right back – don't stop the movie – you won't even miss me."
"We can open gifts when he gets back," Glenda promised, following him into the kitchen and turning. "I'll just get drinks."
Jack and Ianto exchanged looks that confirmed that each of them knew she wasn't going in for drinks. Ianto raised an eyebrow at Jack, who shook his head almost imperceptibly.
"If you two are done having eyesex," Gwen put her leg between them, "Maybe we could play a game of 'sardines'?"
Del, Ianto and Jack groaned. John frowned, "What's 'sardines'?"
Jack sighed heavily. "It's like hide-and-seek, but there is one hider and lots of seekers."
"Sounds good so far." John said, his interest piqued.
"If you find the hider you have to join them in the hiding spot until there is only one seeker left and they lose," Myfanwy added.
"But how is that..." John was confused.
Del smiled now. "In the end you wind up crammed in a tight spot like......wait for it......sardines!"
"Sounds good." John rubbed his hands together, thinking of all the ways this game could go. "Who is the first hider?"
"Not so fast!" Ianto waved his arms around. "We can't play this now! Who's going to look after Henry?"
"Why can't he play?" Becca asked. "We can be a team, right, Tic?" Henry smiled up at her.
"I don't think that's such a good idea. He could get hurt." Ianto asserted. "And please don't call him Tic."
"Aww, isn't that sweet?" John cooed. "Mum is concerned about her cub..."
Del cut his eyes at John. "You have to promise not to cheat." He turned to everyone else. "He always cheats..."
"Where I come from, they call it creative winning. Now, who is the hider?" John stood. Jack felt suddenly sick.
"Really, I would rather not play this now," Ianto grumbled, even as Gwen pulled him to his feet. "There's too much..."
Myfanwy stood and tugged on Jack. "It's our birthday! You have to do what we say," she pouted.
"Okay," Jack relented, getting up. "Always a sucker for the Jones pout. Pull the lip back in sweetheart, I'm in."
"Ianto?" Myfanwy turned on her brother, still wearing the pout, holding Jack's hands in hers as she looked back at Ianto. "Please?"
Ianto huffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. But boundaries are inside the house. I don't want Henry wandering off."
"You think I would let him wander?" Becca was shocked. "Jeez, Ianto, give you a kid and you become paranoid parent of the year..."
"That's not what I meant..." Ianto's nerves were on alert. "Please?"
Becca's face softened. "Yes, mother hen, I will make sure the chick isn't out of my sight. Relax." She patted his arm.
"We never chose a hider," Gwen pointed out, her grip still firm on Ianto. "I nominate...Del."
Del groaned.
"Seconded!" Myfanwy squealed like a small child, making all the men flinch visibly and the other females laugh.
"All right," Del huffed, "Everyone give me three minutes by the clock."
**--**--**
Jack was walking down the hall, trying not to look like he wasn't playing when he felt someone grab his arm and roughly pull him into the laundry room. The sound of the door latching behind him in the dark windowless room made him jump.
"What's wrong? Afraid to be alone with me?" The voice was not the one he expected to hear at all.
Jack looked around for a way to escape and found none. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Whatever do you mean?" A form leaned against the door casually. "We're in the middle of a game."
Jack pressed himself as far to the wall as he could get, tripping over a laundry basket as he did so. "Only that we're supposed to be looking for your boyfriend, not hiding from everyone else." The room began to feel like it was closing in on him. "Can you please turn the light on?"
Light flooded into the room and revealed John's face. "You're no fun."
Jack scowled, trying to work out how to get past the other man and to the door. "John, what the hell was that up in the treehouse?"
"What was what?" John tilted his head a bit.
Jack shot forward and pushed him against the door, causing John to smirk satisfyingly."Don't give me that! You strangled me."
John pushed Jack off of him and shrugged. "Thought you'd say something if you didn't like it."
"Well, it's a bit hard to say 'Excalibur' with someone's hands crushing your windpipe now, isn't it?"
"Wouldn't know. Not into that kink, myself..."
Jack's eye narrowed and his hands went to his hips. "That still doesn't answer the question."
"Do you really want the truth, Jack?" John straightened his shirt and drew himself to his full height.
"Yes, John, truth would be wonderful here."
"The truth is..." John started and looked down at the floor. "Oh, hell, Jack! The truth is hard."
"You know what else is hard? Explaining to your partner's brother why you killed his current bedwarmer. But I think I could manage. Out with it."
"Truth is...Truth is..." He met Jack's eyes. "Truth is that I was giving you one more chance to show you loved me before I let myself fall for Del."
"Liar."
"Why does everyone keep saying that? You know me. You know that I am capable of love."
"I know that you are capable of sex."
A smirk played on John's face.
"That wasn't a compliment."
"Come on, Jack. Honest. This is the last time I am going to offer. We were so good together. We could be that way again." John moved to put his arms around Jack's waist.
Jack pushed him away. "What about this makes you think it's a joke – a game? I am with Ianto now."
John's arms fell limply by his sides. "Oh right – and the kid – I forgot about your little 'family unit'." He rolled his eyes slowly. "Please, don't let me stand in the way of your..."
The door handle rattled and both men turned as if they were deer caught in the headlights. Gwen stepped in, a smile on her face. "What are you doing in here?"
John was quick to answer, turning in one motion to face her. "Got lost."
"And that's why the door was locked?" Gwen raised her eyebrow in an oh-so-familiar way.
John's own eyebrows knit together. "Hey, that's right – how did you get in?"
It was Gwen's turn to roll her eyes. "It's an easy shimmy. All us kids know it. Mam and Tad have yet to figure it out. Why are you in here? No, wait! Don't tell me; let me guess. You two were sucking face!"
Jack spoke quicker than he meant to. "No. That is so far off base..."
"Right. Let me in on it and I won't tell either one of them. Can't say the same about Myfanwy – have to tell her. Part of being a twin you know..." She spoke with her hands.
"Gwen!" Jack barked.
"What?" Her eyes were wide and innocent. Jack shivered, thinking how much she looked like her mother at that moment.
"We were not 'sucking face'!" He protested, making mire distance between himself and John.
John caught his elbow. "Now, wait, Jack, let's not be too hasty here..."
"Hey, Mr. Questionable Morals, the best way to get people to believe that you are capable of love is to act like it." Jack reminded him, yanking his arm away.
"Oh, I'm willing to show her love."
"Really, now?" Gwen sidled up to the shorter of the two men.
"And you say Del doesn't have to know – though I somehow think he wouldn't really care..." John's hands went to her waist as she drew closer.
Jack slapped him on the back. "John!"
He spun to face the other man."What?!? She's the one who said. And it is her birthday..."
"John!"
"Pity. Would have been fun." He sighed and dropped his hands.
Jack stood tall. "Listen, you get out of here right now and I won't tell your brothers what you said."
Gwen pouted for a moment before a slow smugness started. "Fine. I'll just go out there right now like a good girl...and tell them that I found you two in here. Alone. Together."
"Gwen." Jack was tired of saying that name in that tone.
"Jack," she countered. "All I'm asking is for some harmless fun. Where is your sense of adventure?"
"Oh, trust me sweetheart, his sense of adventure is long gone..." John smiled, stepping closer to her. "Mine however, is only getting stronger by the minute."
"John, if you move one step closer to her, I swear that I will break your arm – and maybe a few more bones just for fun."
"Chill out. Man, you are whipped."
Gwen smiled over his shoulder at Jack. "Don't worry. He can't be around all the time." With that, she opened the door and walked out into the hall. "You have three seconds to follow me. Then I run to Ianto."
John smiled back at Jack as he watched her walk away. "That one – I like her. She has style."
Jack scowled as he pushed past John and out the door to join the game again.