With Broken we know Ianto's mother was still alive when Lisa died, but it was too complicated for me to include her in this short fic. Okay, to be honest, I thought about her right after finishing this, so I chose not to mention her. :) (It is set in the same year as the previous one with Tosh)


Ianto pulled at his t-shirt, feeling vulnerable. He hadn't seen his sister in a while, even after the Battle, even since he was back in Cardiff, and he was doing good so far. He still didn't really know how he should lie about Lisa to her, because she would sure ask questions, she had already, on the phone. Maybe she wouldn't mention it... He tried to smile, managed a fake one, and knocked at the door.

David opened, his eyes glued on a game console, and walked back in the house with only a quick look at him.

"Uncle's here!" He nevertheless said, and Johnny was the first to appear. David stretched his hand out to his father. When the adult stared at Ianto then cursed and gave five quids to his son, Ianto wished he was far away already.

"Don't stay there, come in."

"You lost again," David said, still playing to his own game.

"What were you betting on?" Ianto asked even though he was convinced he wouldn't like the answer.

"Dad said you'd have visible scars, but we can't see any," David shrugged as if it was the most normal thing to say ever.

Ianto shuddered, because he had scars from the Battle, but he wasn't going to talk about them. And he would never show them to his family. He really regretted coming here already.

"Don't bet things on your Uncle, David!" a voice cut Ianto in his thoughts, and soon enough Rhiannon was hugging him and it was even more awkward than usual. She was trying to comfort him by patting his back but Ianto felt fine with his life, for the moment. He really was doing okay, not thinking about the Battle, just thinking about how he could save Lisa.

"I saw the names, I'm sorry Ianto..."

That was what he really didn't want to talk about. His sister seemed to feel him stiffen because she didn't add anything and she dragged him to the living room where Mica was playing, but she paused her game to go and hug Ianto's legs. He appreciated the gesture and the fact that she didn't talk – he wasn't much of a talker either – and got back to her game quickly. They sing him a happy birthday not long after, and Ianto genuinely smiled because David was moving his lips without singing, Johnny was butchering the song, and Mica was trying to sound very good and it looked like her life depended on her performance.

Even if nobody mentioned Lisa or Canary Wharf – Rhiannon snapped David's hand when he tired to joke about it – all he could think about was Lisa stuck in Torchwood's basement, unable to even breathe naturally sometimes. He wanted to get back to her and fall asleep watching her, because that was what his life looked like then.


Thanks for reading! As usual reviews are highly appreciated!

And as for news, I got my cat today so by-bye this fic. Just kidding, I hope I'll be able to finish this without being too amazed by her (my cat). But she's really too cute! Okay. Right. Ugh. I still have two more to write in order to post one each day until the 19th, and I have a not-precise-at-all idea of what to do but that should do it...!