13
Jack was in the zone, busy hammering together a wall and as some of the others watched Ianto calmly walked to the other side of him to place some chocks in the launch pad that were to stop planes slipping in rough weather. He then walked back around to wait.
"Right, I think we are good to go" Jack called out, stepping to the outside of the framework, "OK, come on everyone let's walk this up slowly."
They all stepped forward, many hands making light work as they raised the wall, Ianto watched it slip onto the chocks and then straighten. Soon two more walls were added and stropped together so Jack could calmly hammer them together, the final wall now being raised.
Four walls.
It was larger than expected and perfectly brilliant. Everyone was excited as Jack then started the trusses for the roof. It was late afternoon when they started to place the roof on top of the box walls, Ianto lifting it while it was suspended under the Away Vessel while Jack called out the instructions from below on the deck.
That night they ate like kings.
The next day everyone watched and Mickey helped happily, the young man proving to be a fast learner. His father Lawrence was also a good strong man who might not know how to do carpentry or electrical work but was eager to help and able to lift the large long run corrugated iron sheets up to Jack. The roof was done, Ianto inside calmly laying wires as the solar panel was now carefully lifted by Owen with Toshiko inside now with Ianto, hooking it all up. Ianto was a dab hand, expertly clipping and crimping as Toshiko nervously checked the numbers "We have a reading."
"You're kidding? In this low light?" Jack called down with delight.
"Enough to power a light bulb or two, in another year or so when we have full sunshine again… we can have full power" she called back, clapping with glee.
"Let's finish putting up the outer cladding and call it a day" Ianto said as he stepped back, tomorrow we can start lining it."
"My god, I do not believe it. We built one that fast?" Cindy said with awe.
"Never been to a barn raising eh?" Jack said with a grin "now that is a big bloody building to build in one day."
"Let's not" Ianto quipped as he stored his equipment inside and then called to the kids to come inside as well because they had spent more than the time he wanted up top.
.
.
"I keep telling you, the UV levels are low. With the crap still in the atmo the chances of bad stuff from the sun s so low, it's like… centuries backwards now" Owen said as he watched Ianto checking Nellan over while bathing him.
"I know, but still I worry" Ianto muttered, "We agreed to not overdo the exposure. I don't want him to OD on vitamin D or something. Nellan has never been in the light, or the other toddlers."
"That is a totally silly thought" Owen huffed as he covertly checked his own baby sharing the same bathtub as the other two now, then he frowned "But we will do better tomorrow, less time topside."
"Thanks Owen" Ianto said softly.
"Nah. We agreed set times and we went over. It doesn't matter if it was safe or not, rules are rowels and if we don't stick to them, how can we expect the kids to learn too" Owen said as he reached to the towels, helping dry the little ones who were so tired Nelly was not even gabbing at them.
"Ianto, can I ask you something silly?"
"Sure"
"You and Jack, I mean… where will you be? Your house?" Owen asked so casually that Ianto could not help the side eye at him and so he added "For reference when we build ours, ya know?"
Ianto sat back from scrubbing the tub to look at him directly, and then get the question. The three little kids racing about the room naked and slippery in the background as Ianto finally sighed and reached over to pat his arm "Owen, wherever we put our house, it will be right next you yours. OK?"
Owen looked a little silly and he shrugged "If ya like. I guess that's OK. Just needed ta know. Lulu, don't put that in your mouth."
"OK then" Ianto went back to cleaning up while Owen saw to the kids. A soft knock at the door before it opened to announce Phoenix was there "Hey Tad. Are they…. Not ready. Come on Dens."
Phoenix knelt to wrestle his younger brother into something that resembled clothes as Ianto calmly forced a nappy on the littlest beat in the brood. Owen had his dressed in the time it took them to dress the other two and soon they were all heading to the Galley with a child each, Phoenix lovingly carrying his brother who was full of bullshit while telling Phoenix all the things he had (not) done that day.
"Right" Phoenix said, understanding the child even as Owen could not decipher a word out of the gibberish and hand waving "A dragon. So, was it a big dragon? Or just a baby one?"
"He does speak properly now, right?" Owen asked Ianto quietly, "that's not exactly…"
"He only does that with Nix. It's like a game, to see if he understands. When he's done he will drop the act and talk to him normally. He speaks really well for an eleven month old" Ianto assured him and Owen nodded, not having been a sibling so he did not understand the weird dynamics of play between kids.
Ianto patted his shoulder and kept walking as he hoped Toshiko might give him many more kids, the one he was possessively cradling was clearly so spoilt and loved as he silently viewed the world with the flannel he wanted still in his gob.
Ironic Owen was asking that when his own almost fourteen month old son rarely made a sound at all.
