7

Tannr was awake, watching his beloved as she cuddled the little one with open surprise. She did not like babies, made no bones of the matter and usually refused to touch them as she claimed they felt weird. Here she was with one in her robe being comforted. It was both a surprise and a relief he did not know he had hoped for so much. They might raise these two children as their own. Right?

"Tannr, hot chocolate?" Ianto asked from the other end of the room and he turned to watch him.

"No, thank you. I do not imbibe before my morning prayers. I was coming to see if Sophia wanted to come with me to greet the sun." he replied politely.

"God no. I do not have to do that bullshit anymore" she replied as she watched the fire intently. Ianto noted the soft frown of the man and then with a polite bow to everyone Tannr stepped outside to kneel in the grass and greet the sunrise, praying to the god of warmth.

"If you are to become his wife you need to be a little more supportive there Sister" Ianto scolded gently "Not like you do not know their ways."

"This time around I will approach this differently" she said firmly to him "I will choose my own path thank you Toto. I do not need your advice"

"My husband was merely warning you that it might not be a good idea with such a new bonding in the wind to piss him off" Jack said with a frown and she spun to face him with surprise.

"Oh, I did not mean it as … I mean… I never prayed with him before. It's something he prefers to do alone and was merely asking me to be polite. He would be quietly annoyed" she explained sweetly and Ianto turned from the sink with confusion at her tone.

He made a mental note to warn Jack later that she was using a fake voice usually used as a child to lull an adult into giving them what they wanted. He didn't want ANY decisions made without his input. Nope.

Whatever thought she had woken with… she could think again.

.

.

The kids were all laughing as they ran about in full mental mode. Ianto was watching Sophia in amongst them laughing like she was one of the little girls, her skirts flying and her long fine legs flashing as they danced about in the garden he tended so lovingly. For some reason he could not quite put his finger on, this irked him.

Jack had come out of his office after a meeting call that ensured the new Hive assignments. He called out that they were all mad things and they laughed, Sophia twirling more so her skirts rose high enough to flash bright red knickers.

Ianto felt himself rising from his chair with alarm and horror as the flashes of lace continued to be visible and so did her man, his face showing his anger in her display. Jack was laughing though and she seemed to be glancing at him as she stepped back into Ianto's garden.

"SOFIA!" Ianto roared with more anger than probably necessary "Is that necessary? Not the garden. For goodness sake, the children know better than to trample my flowers. Some of these are heirloom breeds!"

"Oh pish" she laughed at him as she staggered back out "Don't be a stick in the mud Toto. You need to … ergh…"

Her man had reached her and he seized her wrist to yank to towards him as the other hand went to smooth down the skirts.

"Hey, is that necessary either?" Jack yelled, storming over the step between the man and his mate "I don't know how you lot do it but here we do to abuse our women."

The sharp intakes of breath from both the man and Ianto told Jack a beat too late that he had just insulted Tannr as the man stepped back, releasing her wrist as he looked between them, then his eyes narrowed as he stalled on her face and Ianto caught it too.

A moment of sheer nasty. Gleeful, petulant smugness. Then it was gone and she started to sniffle as she stepped into Jack's arms as he continued to glare at Tannr while Jack comforted her.

Ianto felt himself gaping and closed his mouth as he watched Tannr also catch in to the game she had decided to play and as he stormed from the garden she called out to him meekly "I am sorry darling. I will try to be better… please don't be mad.'

"Come on Sofia. Come on, let's get you inside. Maybe a nice cup of tea, hmm?" Jack led her inside as Ianto stood in silent shock at how easily she had just done that. After all these years she clearly still had it.

Jealous little bitch wanted something so she took it, regardless of who it belonged to or who she was supposed to be with already.

And Jack was a fool if he did not see the gun aimed at his head and Ianto's heart.