10
"Rhaeadr" Ianto said as he and Jack sat in the waiting room filing out screeds of paper.
"Hader?"
"Ray-a-der" Ianto said slowly "You say it like … Rider. I guess. It means Waterfall in Welsh."
"Rhaeadr" Jack repeated. "I like it. Sort of like Rhiannon."
Ianto smiled as he saw that Jack got it connection. Rhiannon and the waterfall that both brought this child to them. With a nod Jack went back to the form "But I want to pick the middle name."
"OK" Ianto said with surprise "not even hitched and I'm knocked off and child locked?"
Jack grinned as he finished a signature with a flourish and leaned back "Wonderful isn't it? You know ... I was going to talk to you about kids then … well. I fucked up. Then Rhia and it seems like … well. You know."
"With such an eloquent explanation, how could I not" Ianto drolled.
Jack snorted with glee.
"Rhaeadr Jefferson …"
"Excuse me?"
Jack snorted and Ianto saw the fool was paying around so he snatched the piece of paper and looked at the writing.
Rhaeadr Hopeful Harkness-Jones.
"Hopeful?"
"Yes. So he always remembers he came from Hope. Is of Hope and needs Hope. Beyond Hope and must be hopeful."
Ianto rolled it around in his head for a while "Well … OK. Maybe I like it. Harkness-Jones though … you don't think … Jones-Harkness?"
"Whoa!" Jack snatched back the paper "When we wed, I will be the groom! I mean… I will ask, I will propose. So .. my name first."
"Well, I guess I did ask for that. But I also asked for that proposal" Ianto winked as he rose to hand in the papers "Rhaeadr had better have good spelling skills with the terrible choices we are making."
"Start as we mean to go on!" Jack clapped his hands together as Ianto laughed softly, shaking his head at him with amusement.
Yes.
Let's go on … together.
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Ianto was sitting in the long grass thinking over the last few days, the commotion behind him making him sigh as he turned to see to his horror that Jack was opening the large double stock gates.
"Cariad … the horse is still here!" he called out.
"I know. Gray has it. Gotta let the truck in with the hi-ab."
"Hi-ab?"
Ianto watched as the large transport truck rumbled into the field, and came to a stop in the middle. Smack… bang… middle. The he saw what was on the back and he gasped with shock and delight. Jack motioned it closer to the house, now it was a third away from the house instead of half way … much better.
"They are doing up the town square and this old band rotunda was going to be smashed for firewood. Can you believe that?" Jack shouted gleefully "I thought … better than the little one me and Grey were gonna buy kitset … Ianto needs a shade house for the summer while in his bloody thinking field. Also … Rye will need a little play place as he can't be out in the sun either so … what. Why that face? I can call him Rye!"
"Like Rye bread?"
"I can!" Jack pouted.
Ianto sighed as he admitted "I sort of do in my head too. Wow. It's … big!"
"We can get shade cloth for the sides, like curtains that can fold back and tie at the supports. Then when he's out here in the bright light we can close them to protect his sensitive skin and eyesight. Maybe a little pathway covered? What do you think?"
"I think you are going way overboard with this. What if they do not let us take him? Or change their minds and take him off us …or…"
"Hey. I am Jack fucking Harkness. Famous movie star. Come on … they would not dare have the bad publicity of snatching a little poor waif from this paradise!" Jack laughed "Besides. The adoption papers came through this morning, why I was in town."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"Hey Tiger … I am telling you now. Just picked them up. Come on … we can sign them in front of the Sherriff and he will drop them back at the court house for us" Jack pointed and Ianto saw the Sherriff waving at him from beside Gray.
"So you have this all worked out do you?" Ianto smiled softly.
"Yes. We all fall but we get up again. Rye was born falling into our laps and now … now we teach him that Hope grows." Jack drew Ianto in and kissed him with as much passion as he could with people watching, knowing Ianto's dislike for that sort of thing.
Ianto responding was lovely.
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"He's tiny" Gray whispered like talking loudly might shatter the baby into little pieces. He was watching the bub in his arms with rapt attention "Look at his lashes. My god, they are white!"
"His hair will be too, once it gets thick enough" Ianto whispered back and Gray drew his fingers over the tiny skull, grinning as he felt the invisible strands.
"He's perfect" Gray sighed "Damned perfect."
"Yes. Damned and perfect. Like he was made for this family" Jack agreed as Ianto rose and looked out the back window, checking on the horse that was leaning against the rotunda to scratch its arse on. Then he saw movement along the tree line and smiled as the Stag calmly wandered out from the shade to look towards the house, bow and step away.
A fine line between damned and blessed I think.