29
Ianto was running, deep cleansing breaths as he powered along the river bank and considered things rattling around in his cranium. Nainny. Food. Birthday plans. Footprints. More sanitary patrols and….
Footprints?
Ianto stopped running and turned to stare back at the footprints he had just jogged past, then cursed softly, following them down to the water.
"Hope?"
Hope was standing on the edge of the river bank watching the flow of water under the thick shelf of ice in Wolfling form to protect against the hash cold, almost transfixed by the swirling water. She turned to look at him with surprise and guilt all over her face "Taddy?"
"Who else would you expect? What the hell are you doing out here?" he demanded, "You are supposed to be with Daddy today!"
"I sort of told him it was my day with you" she said with discomfort, "I was going crazy, I needed sunlight."
"I know baby, I understand that but what about when he suddenly remembers what day it is and goes mental looking for you before I discover that he lost you?" Ianto asked calmly, "Like … now? Listen to the bond, his heart is racing."
"Oh man" she sighed, nodding to run back with him and Ianto felt a surge of affection for his first born. As they lopped along she turned to regard him and asked "Is the baby in Mimi going to be Nainny? Would that be weird, Poppy and Nainny being like … what. Cousins or something?"
"I don't know" Ianto replied, "It's all a bit hazy ya know. I really don't know anymore. You don't feel it either, right? Mimi is not strong enough in the bond."
She nodded and they slowed as they entered the tunnel and were soon in the vehicle bay where Jack was running about looking in vehicles and calling her name softly.
"Cariad" Ianto called and Jack spun with the same guilty look of surprise their daughter had shown at the river. "She's with me."
"Oh thank the gods!" Jack sagged with relief, "I was sure it was my day."
"It is but I wanted to show her something, she's back now. Sorry Cariad, I thought I had told you" Ianto lied and he felt the affection from his daughter as she looked gratefully at him and then skipped over to lean against her father.
"No worries love, you OK?" Jack asked.
"There you are!" Rhys said happily as he came over, "Your big sister was looking for you, she wants to try hemming that dress for you."
Hope looked at her parentals them took off for Alice and they both laughed at her enthusiasm. Alice had spent ages sewing the damned thing and even though Hope did not actually like the colour pink for a dress she was careful not to say so and the bond thrummed with her secret annoyance as she gracefully accepted her sister's offering. She was old enough now, she understood. It was Alice's favourite colour so she was gifting her something in it. She would accept it and wear it. Who knows, she might even like it once she tried it on. For her sister's love … she would love it.
"So big for a little girl" Jack said softly as he slipped his hand into Ianto's' a squeeze of affection. "She's going to be ten. Double digits. Crazy huh?"
"Yeah, all kinda of crazy" Ianto laughed easily, "My kinda crazy."
"You seem happier, you needed to blow those cobwebs away didn't you" Jack went to say something else but it's hard when slammed against a rock face and kissed so hard you almost faint form lack of oxygen.
"Cariad, I wanna be balls deep in you" Ianto snarled, Jack's eyes widening with silent shock as Ianto pushed him towards an empty cavern and soon he was indeed accommodating his Holdfast in the most glorious way.
Afterward with Ianto pinning him to the rock, kissing and licking as Jack came back on to earth he found himself wondering what had brought that on, "No condom?"
"I am selfish and sometimes forget this is not just my journey. If I gain spark, then I shall accept it with good grace. Same if it's your turn. It's not up to us, it's for the Gods to decide and really … for what it's worth … I don't mind either way. Like you said, Hope will be ten soon. Imagine that, already a leader and scary little monster. We can do it, we can do more. Gods … we can fill a village."
"That's the spirit" Jack laughed as he held on to Ianto.
"I place too much on Pip, I give too much. He is a little boy and needs to be that more. I know that, so does he. There are days he is just my little boy. I need to see that more" Ianto decided as he stroked Jack's cheek "I need to stop treating him as grown, let him be a baby"
"Agreed" Jack whispered, as always Ianto was right.
Pip needed time to be himself too.
