22

Douglas decided the penalty was for Carl to be eliminated from the room reveal… like… what? The fucker was not going to win anyway, what an empty punishment. He had argued but to his extreme annoyance Jack had agreed, then pulled him aside to whisper that Carl was digging a grave for himself and best keep things nice on thier end… the people's choice votes were pouring in and after this… who was winning by a bloody parsec?

A parsec. Listen to him! Plays a Spaceman on the big screen and learns new words too…. Wow. Ianto knew he was being pissy bit he was tired, frustrated and missed his babies. Ianto was still steaming over the crap with Carl but trying to concentrate as they finished the inside of their house. Only tow more weeks to go. Inside finishing touches with Hallway and Entrance Week… then next week would be outside.

He could do this.

Just two more weeks.

"Hon?"

Gonna bottle him! For sure. Ianto looked up from the corner of the hallway he had been staring at for the past fifteen minutes and grunted, focusing on his husband. "Huh?"

"Ianto? Ideas?"

"Well… what I wrote already on there… I don't know. I … I want something mind-blowing but… I don't know" Ianto muttered and Jack felt the first tendrils of concern creeping in. Ianto had no idea? The final push and he was flagging. He was pissy over Carl and feeling… flat.

"Hey… let's go home."

"why?" Ianto turned to him with surprise. So much to do.

"Let's get some Chinese, go home and have some time with the boys, a good feed away from everyone and a chance to relax. Come back and sleep in our amazing bed and then in the morning when we wake up, we might be focused. You're tired. Tiger… I am too. We need to recharge and the best way is to hold a baby. Come on… we leave now we can eat and then have bath time with them, yeah?"

Ianto stepped into his arms and kissed him "My clever man. I love you."

.

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"Mama?"

Ianto blinked as he stared at his mother sitting there with D.J. in her lap. The little one was clutching her necklace as he stared at her adoringly and she was gushing back at him with delight.

"She was sort of… pushy" Gwen said as she entered the room with some salad to go with their fish and chips that had already been delivered, then she saw the Chinese "Oh… you blinder! I wanted Chinese and out outvoted."

"Yum… Chinese AND chips" Jack gushed as he rushed over to help set the food up, leaning over to kiss his mother-in-law's cheek politely "Hello gorgeous."

She preened happily as she looked around at the bustle and noise "Well… maybe I should…"

"Grab a plate Jen" Jack said as he shoved one at her and she blinked, then Ianto snatched his child up to smother for a while and she found her plate getting filled with food she loved but only ate in times of … oh. Comfort. She watched her son as he held the baby to his face like some sort of filtering system and she knew he was getting to the end of his tether.

Little Nate was in Owen's arms as he ate with one hand, talking to the little fella about the lifecycle of a butterfly and those little eyes blinked back like it was all fascinating.

"So.. I loved the tub" she finally said.

"I love all of it" Ianto muttered as he finally lowered the baby and accepted a plate from his husband "Will be like ripping off a limb to give it away, but the money for the charity is the most important thing. Sacrifice is life, right?"

"So much like your father. He hated the end of each movie became if meant the amazing creations were going to be pulled down" she smiled as he watched him pull a face then take a bite of food and moan as he let his head fall back. He was so tired. Hungry. Her little boy was pushing himself. This meant so much to him.

"Well… I… I am proud of you" she said firmly "It is a wonderful thing you are doing and the house is special… just like you. I could not wish for a better son."

Ianto blinked at her with open shock, then a soft blush started as he looked down at his plate, the baby now on the floor with his sibling as the adults all ate. "Thank you mama."

She felt closer to him in that moment than she had in years.

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"Pink" Jack repeated with horror "you want… pink."

"Yes. Don't look at me like that… I will lamp ya.. I want the candy floss pink" Ianto was trying to talk into the phone as well as argue with his husband and Jack knew he was in range so he took a visible step back lest he get lamped. "No… the three. Yes, I like threes. Yes… also… is there a small version … ah… a single one? Like… yes? Send me photos and… perfect. Thanks."

"You have a vision?"

"Yep" Ianto popped the P with delight "I have it. I want… I want the walls and ceiling white… as per …no… um… wallpaper maybe…. I also want the floor a nice honey stain and I need a runner… hmm…. Jack. Cariad… can you please sort the door for me? The one we liked with the painted glass."

Jack knew the one, had pointed it out and was delighted to learn that his choice was again getting a look-in. He rushed to sort it. Ianto looked the long hallway and stopped at the entrance part, is head slowly turning as he knew what he wanted now. Just need to shop.

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Jack was watching Ianto as he used the glue gun with a look of mild madness, the wallpaper hung and the lamps in place… it was taking shape and it was… madness.

"What can I do now Love?" Jack asked as he looked around the pretty area.

"There is another smaller lamp in that box over there… I want it by the entrance on the little table were our keys and shit goes… almost like a desk lamp thing." Ianto waved a hand and went back to his creating as Jack did his part. When finished… it all made sense.

Carl tried to come 'talk thing out' but was told by their big burly builder to 'fuck off tosser' before he could even enter the house. Such was the mood of the public. The calls from his employer were getting hard to dodge too... seems this might be construed as moonlighting.

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The female judge entered the house first and her gasp at the pretty stained glass door was echoed as she looked at what she had just stepped into.

The top half of the walls were pinstripe, White and pink, thin pinstripe… the bottom half Hampton style paneling and the line to cut the two was…. An entire line of pearls… it was so damned cute. Think of the red and white stripes of a funhouse or circus tent only... muted. The huge standard lamp at the end of the hall they were staring straight at was a rose bush. The wrought iron creation hand painted to perfection as the leaves and thorns against the bare white wall held the three open blooms that were actually lights, the bulbs in the middle of the blooms making them glow.

As they stopped into the hallway and turned to stare at the inner wall they found a photo of Ianto and Jack in their award winning best, Ianto's arms full of awards as his husband clung to him from behind, both of them laughing openly. Another photo of the two men in white soft clothing on a beach… during the Survivor Series between filming when they did not even know they were being photographed, to lovers laughing and cavorting in the surf in their bare feet. The third and final photograph was a family shot with their babes is in their arms, just a normal loving family.

"Wow" a judge said quietly "That is… wow. Look at their love … wow."

"Look at this little sideboard. Room for your purse here… keys in this little glass bowl shaped like a flower … oh wow… this lamp matches the installation… how clever. This is so sweet. Candy floss sweet… it really lets you know that you are in for a treat… hey… look up."

They all looked up and exclaimed as the ceiling above them was… balloons. It was painted like hundreds of helium balloons were floating up there in every conceivable colour. It was so cute an so… childishly funny.. especially as one of them had a tiny monkey hanging off the sting... they looked and found a kitten on another one… then they saw a reflection in a balloon.. Jacks grin… Ianto's eyeball... it was amazing. So real.

"You know… they are so darned good at this. I would hire them to do this for me if I thought for a moment that they would agree… my son would love this in the bedroom… oh god... here… look. Here are the butterflies starting as we head towards the bedrooms." The judge laughed "Wow... some tie in."

"Just when you think they can't get any better... they make this entire house a wonderland complete with the entrance to everything" cam the response as they walked through the entire house now finished and amazingly… warm.

They were a shoe in.