38

Ianto was still fuming but calmer now as everyone sat around enjoying hot chocolate. Most of the worst of the damage was done. Ianto had let David take Daniel across to the other house while no one wss looking, preferring him there. Ianto knew the others would not realize the child was gone, or that there was another house nearby.

Once he knew Daniel was safe, David coming back in to wraith upstairs Ianto relaxed more. Rex was pensively watching Rhiannon as she moved around the room and was about to say something when she drew back her arm and whacked John Hart so hard he flew off his hair to lay dazed at her feet "I am telling you right now, you put your hand on me arse again and I will fucking cut it off boyo!"

John blinked as his mouth opened, then snapped shut. Her gaze of death making him feel something he hand to felt in a long time.

Genuine interest.

Gingerly he got to his feet adjusting his clothing as he looked around at everyone' stuned faces, then his eyes fell on Ianto "She's your blood tight? This woman… your kin. Is she hooked?"

"Is she…" Ianto froze, then his face fell "No. NO no nononononono"

"Ah" John swung to face Rhiannon "Woman. You arouse me. As you are not hooked… may I bait you?"

"Bait…" Rhiannon frowned a she looked over at Ianto "What the fuck is he blathering?"

"He is asking if you are married or not, he wants to er….woo you?" Ianto shrugged.

"Woo. Yes. Slay. God, I bet you buck and … do you bite? I like a biter. Those nails…"

John flew again, his time into the wall as she stomped over after her follow through on that threat "Listen you little twerp. Wind your neck in!"

"I think I'm in love" John sighed from the floor. "what a woman."

Ianto face palmed "Oh god!"

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Jack followed Ianto out, telling everyone they had to secure the vehicles. Then they rook off across the field to the other house where they found an angry family waiting. So angry clicks, whirrs and for some reason hiccups that Jack didn't even know was part of their language, was hurled at them.

"I know. I know. Calm down" Ianto kept saying as he waved his hands.

Jack slipped around the madness to head upstairs where his son ws asleep, then little man's sweet face serene and devoid of any worries. Jack found himself slipping to the floor, leaning on the edge of the bed to watch his son sleep.

Here.

In this moment, he finally saw Ianto in the child's soft smile.

Ianto found him there asleep and after considering things he simply cored him with a blanket and went back down to talk with the family who had calmed down a bit. Seems they needed to make the most of this moment… they might not be able to see him for a long time. Not if this continued to be a problem, it was a better choice to stay away and let him remain hidden over here within this Hive. Even if it means Ianto will once again carve out his heart and leave it behind for a while.

No matter how often he did this, it never stopped hurting.

Never will.

To leave your child behind.

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Godi was calmer now, Jack sitting there with his hair mussed and a half-asleep look on his face as she placed down a plate of food that had him gasping with delight "Ferkil Flaps. Gods, I've not had these in … wow… two hundred years!"

The pancake looking things were a strange colour and Jack was touched knowing Ianto must get them off world supplies now and then for their delicate stomachs. It also pleased him to see his son was allowed treats such as this, ones he had grown up with. As he watched her pour raspberry syrup over Daniel's he said to her happily "There was a family moved next to us when I was about five or six. Sometimes they used out cooking stone as it was bigger than theirs and they would swap some of these for our Gohhit fruit Mama used to pick from the nearby plantations. They could not travel that far in the heat of the day but Mama did with coverings. Such a special treat for me and Gray. Sometimes only enough for us, Mama and Dad would go without, telling us they had already eaten. As I got older I realised they were letting us have them. They loved us so."

"Gray? Is that my uncle Gray?" Daniel asked and Jack froze with shock, looking at Ianto.

"Danny knows he has an Uncle Gray that died from a terrible accident and is gone now" Ianto said calmly, not looking at Jack as he poured golden syrup on his own Flats. "He knows we lost some good friends that day as well as Gray and are really sad. Terrible things happen sometimes and we lose special people."

"Yeah. Death happens" Daniel nodded as he prepared to take a bite "But being sad it the price for being happy. You are sad when they die because they made us happy before. Like … getting these. I will be sad when they are gone but they were so good."

"Yes" Ianto smiled as he reached out for his child's floppy fringe, brushing it away "Imagine never having them again. This is our last ever meal of them. Such a sorrow."

Daniel looked at his Tad, then his eyes slid to his Dad and he said softly "but we don't die. We have that sorrow too. That is a sadness too, right? Why you both hold that so deep. Why you are leaving me again?"

Ianto sat back and sighed, his hands flat on the table as he slammed down firewalls he had not felt the child slipping through "Stop gleaning and eat your breakfast. Some hurts that are deep like that are because we do not like to talk of them love"

He nodded as Jack took his own first bite, groaning with delight at it all exploded in his mouth like popping candy.

Seriously.

His all time favourite breakfast!