4

Jack finally noticed something was happening as his daughter entered the Captain's Berth with a bunch of bright coloured paper flowers, heading straight for Ianto with her face glowing with pride "Look, the kids made these for you!"

The pretty flowers had taken hours of careful folding and were so precise there was no way children's clumsy fingers could have done it. Alice must have spent the entire afternoon on the task to please her Parental who was looking tired and drawn from the breastfeeding that would too soon be done as his son hungrily suckled. A special bonding time that would be one as his son grew far too quickly. Ianto wished it could always bee this level of intensity between them. Sometimes he got lost in his son's gaze. Ianto looked up from the baby he was feeding, his face lighting up as he took in the pretty arrangement "Oh sweetie! They look so lovely. Here … he needs a burp. I will get a vase for them."

Ianto rose and placed the limp baby into her arms, then buttoned his tunic as he rushed for the kitchenette, Alice sitting to place the baby on her shoulder and hum softly as she patted the little back of the sweet boy.

Jack closed his mouth, realizing it was open.

"Hello Sister Alice" Mica said as she wandered past from the adjoining door, "Taddy? Mama sent me to get that bottle of Carbergoif for polishing the desk top!"

"Under the sink" Ianto replied, pushing a series of buttons on a keypad to unlock the cupboard, his baby proofing top notch. "Here you go my little love."

She kissed his cheek, accepting the bottle and skipped off, leaving Ianto on his knees smiling softly "Shame they go through that stage of not wanting to show affection. Dafyd is already there, she will follow and I will have a terrible time of no kisses until Indigo is old enough to instigate them."

"Awwwwww, poor Taddy" Alice said with a syrupy voice and he laughed as he rose, poking his tongue at her.

"Is that a new colour?" Jack asked and Alice checked where he was pointing.

"Turquoise" Ianto said as he settled back in his chair "It's a turquoise blue. Did you know there was a sea that colour on earth once?"

"Really?" Alice asked settling next to him with interest.

"I saw photos. Apparently it was so pretty you could lose yourself" he nodded "Also … I once knew a girl with eyes that colour."

"Did you like her?"

"Very much. She married my best friend, they were a lovely couple" Ianto smiled, then sighed as he rose from his seat "They died together in one of the storms. It was quick at least, they knew and had time to cling to one another before …. I made sure to mark the spot. I dreamed of their faces in those last moments for years. I just couldn't reach them fast enough."

"Oh gods" she said softly "I am so sorry."

"It's OK, it was years ago. BJ was just a baby" Ianto said then smiled down at the baby "Yeah, just like you. Small and cute and pooey! Yeah!"

"My turn" Jack said as he rose and took the baby "Come on stink. Daddy will show his mad skills."

Ianto sat again and Jack looked back in time to see Alice lean into Ianto and Ianto's arm slide around her to cuddle her close, then a gentle kiss to her cheek that was full of love. He felt a moment of annoyance then felt it slide as he felt shame in feeling any level of jealousy in his daughter seeking affection form another. After all … it was Ianto. Right? The one person in this boat that he should feel comfortable about sharing his daughter with. Right?

Jack pondered and wondered if that was the real problem, or was it sharing Ianto with her? This was like a virtual minefield, the dynamics of a blended family with hormones still raging and Jack finally accepted that he was altered by his little son's arrival as well, his need to protect strong.

A good father.

Yes.

Ianto had said so, hadn't he?

Jack placed his son on the little change table an looked down into those amazingly blue eyes as Indigo stared back, then smiled with the gummy glee of a little one who was filling his pants some more.

"Your Tadda is right" Jack chortled "You are a stinker. My little stinker and you are so perfect"