8

Jack was having fun with the little boy who had the craziest laugh. Henry clearly liked him too as the hugs to Jack's head grew and by the time Ianto got there the little boy ws exhausted.

"You got away ok?" Jack asked as he rose, the child still in his arms.

"She didn't' even notice my empty wardrobe, no toothbrushes… so in her own little world she never knew. I thought I would feel …" Ianto sighed as he couldn't find the right words.

"It is like a death. A death of what you thought you had. You are allowed to mourn that. You are allowed to cry, feel sad, angry and lost. Something did die. It did" Jack assured him gently, stepping closer as Ianto smiled and let him.

"Jack… thanks for everything. For the extra stuff on the father too, you know I didn't' ask for that."

"No… but I figured in for a penny…" Jack shrugged.

"You and your sayings" Ianto said wish a soft smile, leaning in to let their bodies touch, Henry between them "she is gonna be pissed."

"Super pissed. Like… supernova pissed" Jack said with an eye roll.

"And she will run to daddy ho has his own problems" Ianto laughed as he took his son and cuddled him "And someone is sooo past his bedtime. Come on sweetheart, come see this room back here."

Ianto walked through the house to the back room that was a replica to the one in the apartment, even the same toys. Of course they were… they were the same toys. Jack had lovingly recreated the room from the pictures so Henry would have the comfort of a familiar setting.

Ianto walked back to the living room and flopped into the comfortable sofa "Right. What now?"

Now we wait" Jack replied "she will try things, do things, say things. Provoke you to respond, give her ammo. We simply wait it out. Stay hidden. They can't snatch and grab what they can't find. Your lawyer has all the paperwork to send any police investigation away, as long as they cannot find you, they have no power."

"This house… it's lovely" Ianto replied to change the subject as he looked around "I do love the stained wood. Old fashioned but so … warm. Homely, comforting."

"It was my father's safe house. Every time he and mom had a fight he would escape here for the weekend. Fishing on the lake out back" Jack replied. "A few times he hid witnesses here for some touchy trials but… mostly his hideaway from everyone else.

"I thought…"

"That is was a rental? No. Not this time. I wanted you totally off the grid so … welcome to my home away from home" Jack said with a grand sweep of his arm.

Ianto was just glad it was all over.

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Jack watched the little boy on the floor, ruing a little toy car back and forth.

"You know, he's a good little boy" he finally said out loud and Ianto looked up from the papers he was reading with surprise.

"Thank you."

"No, seriously. I mean.. clearly he has some delays but… he's a clever little thing, aren't you Henry Bum? You know… he's a cool little dude" Jack said smiling as the child rose to toddle to him and get a cuddle.

Ianto was reading the papers from his lawyer and the letter that told him the Hallett family were baying for blood. Things were moving and the lawyer assured Ianto that there was going to be a nice tidy sum coming his way if he was happy to settle.

"want m e to settle" Ianto huffed.

"what's the offer?"

"Knowing them, not enough" Ianto looked up and smiled at him "Worth seeing I guess. If it makes them go away… I would settle for half I know I am owed. I just want Henry and me to live a peaceful comfortable life."

"Well… we can go and see. Worth a meal in town" Jack said as he settled back to pick up some papers of his own "we can get Tosh and Owen to babysit. They are getting fond of him ya know."

"Mutual. He called her aunty the other day, right out of the blue. She looked like she was stoked" Ianto agreed.

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Lisa was wearing black like she was in mourning, emphasizing the belly that was a mild bump now.

"We would like to start with…"

Ianto's lawyer cut off hers with a loud slap of the table "This is not about what you want. It's about what is legally correct right now. Now… you have the paperwork, know the reason and we just need to get this done"

"Missus Hallett wishes to see her son"

"She signed him away, all rights. See the papers." The lawyer waved a hand as Ianto's continued to stare at the wall opposite. He felt badly, she was the boy's mother and maybe she genuinely missed the five minutes a day she spent looking at him with distain. Maybe she just didn't understand until now "Maybe in time she can have supervised visits, once we have an agreement that there will be no negative actions."

"Ianto.. how could you do this" she sobbed from her side of the table "Where is he? You couldn't even bring him today for me to see?"

"You didn't want him … signed him away as you likely will that one now" Ianto said, then tapped the table with his fingers "after all … it's not mine."

"What you do mean, why are you being so cruel" she wailed theatrically as her lawyer's assistant rushed to comfort her. "wait until Daddy hears about this!"

"Please look at the medical record proving my client is sterile. That baby in your client's belly is not his. Clear proof that an affair had occurred… infidelity is proven and as per the Pre-nup we only have to crunch the numbers and go our separate ways!"

Lisa' eyes widened as she stared at Ianto hard, finally seeing that she was trapped with her own pre-nup.