92

Kris and Alli were moving along the tunnel system early in the morning, rolled in blankets. Although they had all gone to sleep hot it had somehow dropped in the night and it was now bloody cold down there. As they neared the H-J residence Jack came shooting out with a look of thunder, seeing them and pointing at Kris "You come help in case it's a seal issue with the heating. Alli, go to Ianto, it's far too cold…"

Bonnie went sliding around Jack in her nightgown with a blanket making little squealing noises as Alli followed her and Jack yelled back that he felt for poor Boomer left with the children! Laugher told him she didn't care, wanted to be warm.

As the two men headed to the control room Alli followed Bonnie into the pretty cavern with its own little lake and fairy lights around it to another room that had a huge bed in it, another small to one side.

"Get around the other side, we attack from both" Bonnie panted as she dropped her blanket and to Allis's surprise slid into the furs. A soft yelp told her someone was in there, then soft laughter she knew. Ianto? She slid in and found herself in a furnace of lovely heat.

Ianto wriggled to the top, now letting the three of them lay cuddled together, him between them as the heat source that might rival the sun. Alli looked across and saw that Bonnie's eyes were closed as she snuggled against Ianto who had hold of her, kissing her forehead in a brotherly way.

"Wow, this sure makes up for the cold wake-up call" she whispered.

"We have a new night shift roster. I am taking the punt here that the new crew decided to help with the warm evening by turning the AC on with no idea that it could fucking freeze" Ianto laughed "Jack is pissed. Might nut someone. Don't worry, within half an hour of fussing over it with Sean and Toshiko it will even out again and we can go back to a comfortable level. Jack will make another big handwritten NO sign."

Bonnie laughed and whispered "They are over so many buttons and switches. Don't touch. No. Up not down. All written in his angry scrawl."

Ianto hummed softly and they lay there for a while then Bonnie asked "Where are the kids?"

"In the Kid's cave. No doubt all warm as toast in the huddle of loose limbs and unbraided hair. They are all warm so I don't even think this has woken them, Pip over there is snoring, I can hear him." Ianto smiled "The twins are in there too."

"Awwwww, they do look after him when no one is looking" Bonnie smiled "So eerie though, the way they stare at you"

"Why they do it, my sense of humour"

Soft giggles and they wriggled a bit and then Bonnie reached out to stroke Ianto's face "You look tired sweetheart."

"Bad dreams" he grimaced "A side effect of this baby bump. I dream with all my babies. I think … well … my premise here is that they access my memories, thoughts… much like those babies born with pre-cog. How does a fish know when it is born to swim, a chic know how to fly and which direction to migrate? It's all pre-learned. Like a memory passed on through the blood. This is like that. Sometimes I don't know about it, some nights I know a little one is in my mind picking away."

"Weirdo" Bonnie screwed her face up, then squealed as he ticked her softly, a kiss and they settled some more.

"It was my mama. He wanted to see my mama. I don't think about her much, she died when I was little and still … still of all the people and things I have lost my sweet mama still hurts." He stroked Bonnie's hair off her face and Alli felt like an interloper, then his arm tightened around her to pull her closer, let her rest her head on his chest as well. It felt loving, brotherly. He started to talk. "My mama had blonde hair, like the girls have. I thought Hope's would darken like Jack's is but .. Rose will have bark hair. Blonde now but as she grows I know it will got brown, then a darker shade. As an adult it will be dark like Alice's. Hope though … will remain blonde like my mama. Her hair hung in big waves, like wide curls you could fit your hand though. When long, it was done to her tailbone. She cut it towards the end. When she was unwell, she had it cut back to her shoulder blades, still long enough for me to nuzzle in bit … I couldn't hide in it anymore. I think she was pregnant, why she was unwell. Then I didn't know … now … I think so. Another like me maybe, it's hard on the body."

"Hoe old were you when she died?" Alli asked.

"Me Da did a bad thing and left something loose that ….and …she was killed when I was six…almost seven" Ianto replied with a soft chuff of air, "Got away with it, said she fallen into machinery at the farm."

"Oh my god" Bonnie sighed, never knowing this bit.

"I don't talk about it, try not to as it still hurts. My lovely Mama." Ianto closed his eyes "she smelled of Jasmine."

"Why you wanted to know if we could grow some in the underworld gardens" Bonnie finally knew why he had been so excited when it was added to the flower section. "Oh baby, what a sad thing to know, that she died like that."

"I saw it all. Watched him dragging her body, her slipper falling off… so much blood. The local Heddlu were friends of his, walked though the blood to look at her remains and nod then agree she tripped. Left blood in the back of the van he had used to transport her body to the thresher before feeding it in" Ianto snorted then smiled as he cuddled the girls some more "But it's OK. He tried to get custody of me for a few years. My sister Rhia and Sean were gone already at boarding schools being so much older than m. Nainny and Poppy took me in and would not give him any quarter."

"Oh sweetheart, how old were you when he died?"

"I don't know. He just… stopped coming after one night of bad things. Poppy laid down the law and the final words were spoken." Ianto smiled.

"How did he die?"

"Poppy blew him away with the shotgun that night it was finally explained when I was a Grup …and buried him in the front yard" Ianto said, then started to giggle "You know … Poppy. Pippy? Why when he makes that shooting motion at one of the other kids I now they are on a last warning."

They giggled uncontrollably as they all knew the little imp was notorious for waging wars like he was an old gunslinger.

Ianto's heart felt lighter as they laughed softly then he started to whisper about the resurrection of Da, this time making it funny as well as he described how he screamed like a girl as the skeleton hand appeared between the rocks.

It was nice to have sisters.