14

"I am so dreadfully sorry about this" the man was saying as he looked from the little girl in Owen's lap to the glowering American in the other chair. Ianto was beside himself with alarm, moving around the room touching everything in it, his little office invaded like this.

Ianto's parent had taken off, as he knew they would when threatened with police. They had left the child standing there crying.

"Well. Now you've seen how they are treating her, you cannot in all good faith simply hand her over to them!" Toshiko said as she tried to ignore Ianto's pacing.

"Well… our problem is that they were to have her for the rest of the month and we have to arrange a bed for her now" the man simpered "we were hopeful of a placement here and… this is so unacceptable."

"SIR WILLIAM!" Ianto suddenly erupted from the room leaving them to stare at the slowly closing door. Then Ianto entered with the judge who the welfare worker recognized instantly, paling as he shot to his feet to bow politely with fear.

"Sir William... sir... ah... what a surprise." He spluttered.

"Ianto. Came to se you lad, see if you are recovered, what is happening here?" the man asked, eyeballing the little girl who still had wet cheeks as she sucked a jube.

Ianto led him aside and whispered the story to him, the judge's face changing to one of horror as he looked over at the small child "Your parents? As in Stella and Frank? Oh no.. they can't have a bloody puppy without doing something to it. Damn… no. This is no good."

"Derek, stop simpering. Write out an order for the little one to be placed in the care of… ah…"he waved a hand and Ianto looked over at Owen.

"Doctor Owen Harper… he is Toshiko's partner. " Ianto said, pointing at the woman leaning over to wipe the child's face.

"Right. Write out a request to have the child placed in the care of these two, Ianto can do the spelling for you… I will sign it and we can all move on. I want to know if that first edition of Huckleberry Finn came in yet."

"Yes, it did. I have it here, was going to call this afternoon after court had finished" Ianto said as he rushed to get it and Owen blinked slowly as he tried to work out what had just happened.

The idiot wrote something on a form, the judge singed it and asked Jack to sign as a witness, then he accepted his book and walked off.

"Ianto? Did we… did me and Toshi just foster a kid?" Owen asked slowly.

"Yes… congratulations… it's a girl" Ianto said blandly.

Owen looked at the little girl, then at Toshiko and started to smile "Look. Look, love. We got a little one. Oh my god… oh my god… I … oh my god."

"Ignore him" Ianto said to Jack "he will do that a few more times before his brain kicks into gear. It's like… a seizure."

Jack leaned over "You ever thought about that? A little one?"

"Yeah. Then I think… what if I am wrong. Bad. If I do or say something they did to me... like a tic or something" Ianto leaned into Jack.

"Don't be silly. You do not have a nasty bone in your body. You are so damned sweet I will gain so much weight just rubbing against you, luckily we have special 'events' for burning off again" Jack replied.

"God, corny!" Ianto laughed as Jack knew he would.

"Your birthday tomorrow" Jack changed the subject.

"I know... Whatcha gonna get me? I want at least two carrots" Ianto joked, giggling as he let Jack grope him in the stacks.

"Hmmmmm" Jack kissed him, letting them both revel in the warmth of one another, then he pulled back "Don't know. Am I invited?"

Ianto looked horrified, then realized the prick was kidding "Jack! Don't' do that. I am a cat on a hot tin roof over this."

"Meow… tiger" Jack said softy, slapping Ianto's' butt and taking off as Ianto roared after him.

Jack knew the perfect gift.

The old man had helped him choose it.

.

.

Ianto was in the gym, the weights in each hand being raised from waist to shoulder height and then lowered as he stared into space, thinking about that little girl. He was glad Owen and Tosh had taken her. He would have liked to have done something but… this thing with Jack is still so new. That voice of doom telling him Jack might not stay long enough for things to get the 'family conversation' let alone happen.

Ianto knew he would likely never have a child, his fear of mistreating a child one of the most deep-seated ones he had. He stopped working on the weights and bent at the waist to place them down the floor, the singlet rubbing against the scaring in his back and he ignored it, rising to reach up and seize a high bar, now lifting his body up with ease.

Jack was watching from across the gym, unseen by Ianto. He had long since given up the rowing machine to watch Ianto punished himself as sweat poured off him, the lovely fuzz on his arms plastered to his skin.

Those scars that Jack had felt under his hands in the dark, now stark where they peeked around the singlet's edging and Jack felt a need to do something, rising and walking over to step into Ianto's line of sight. The way his face lit up was worth giving up on the rowing machine as Ianto dropped to his feet and said his name with genuine delight.

"Are you ready for a run around the block?" Jack asked, happy to join Ianto for a jog that lasted several bocks as Ianto showed his stamina.

Jack was glad to find they were well matched there too.