Author's Notes: Okay, so this time around, this emphasis is on the Tregarth family. Natalie pointed something out to me while I was on my way to work (more to the point, while I was stuck in traffic and growling under my breath), something which I should have seen before and is addressed in this chapter. There are more spoilers, although of a generic kind this time around. I keep hoping one of these revelations will knock something loose for Lay My Honor in the Dust or The Culling. Hasn't happened yet. I leave for Budapest next Friday … for some reason, long flights when I can't sleep do wonders for my creativity (that being said, I really hope I do get some sleep this time). I might be able to update one of my stories when I'm not sightseeing or meeting up with old friends, but I can make no promises. Finally, reference is made to a nursery wall being painted with various characters from books and Disney movies … that's actually taken from my childhood. When I was a very little girl, my father was stationed in Germany, and in children's section of the base library, there was at least one wall with those paintings (along with an aquarium beside the door, but I didn't think it belonged in a nursery. I might change my mind about that). In any event, in this chapter, Natalie makes Lucas aware of Sophia's ulterior motives … Lucas reflects … and Sophia gets more than she bargained for. The actual meeting between the two teams should happen in the next chapter (emphasis on 'should').

Chapter Three

More Than It Seems

"You do realize that my mother has an ulterior motive for this picnic, don't you? I mean, yeah, she does want everyone to have fun and take a breath after the shitstorm over the last few years, but there's more to it," Natalie Tregarth North informed her husband as she watched Jack Harkness leave the living room, still on the phone. Lucas raised his eyebrows questioningly as he settled Jocelyn into his arms a little more securely, and Nat explained, "Mama wants to see a) how the two teams mesh together and b) if we have enough room to combine the teams. Worst case scenario is that you share the old barn with the current staff of Safe Haven."

Now Lucas' brows were about level with his hairline and he asked, "So, your mum is looking at crossing the streams? I thought that was a really bad idea." Nat rolled her eyes and threw the pillow she'd threatened Jack with into her husband's face, careful to avoid Jocelyn's head. Of course, that made her little girl giggle happily, especially when Lucas snapped it out of the air, adding, "You'll pay for that, Little Miss." Nat waggled her own brows at her husband, smirking a little at the smile that he was obviously struggling to hide.

"Oooh, promises, promises!" she teased, laughing when Lucas tossed the pillow back at her. She didn't even try to catch it, and instead let it fall into her lap. After a moment, Nat explained, "Yeah, she's looking at how well we all work together, assuming Team Safe Haven is onboard for this. Ever so often, she emails Rassilon with pictures of Jack and Jocelyn … pictures that I didn't take or wasn't around for. In the last 'thank-you' email she received from him, he mentioned that it's almost time for them to turn over Safe Haven to Liam Colasanto ... which tells me that it's almost time for Tosh, Suzie and Ianto to leave. Plus, if that's the case, Angel will be around her father all the time. That … that's important." She knew just how important that was, after years of believing that her father was her grandfather.

"Will Tosh and Adriane be all right, working together?" Lucas asked and Nat sighed, wincing a little at the pain in her back. Lucas added, "For that matter, will your mum be all right with Suzie being under this roof? I know she has her own body back now, but …" But he still wasn't comfortable with the former weapons master (weapons mistress?) for Torchwood Cardiff. For her own part, Nat wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the British woman. It wasn't that she held Suzie's invasion against her … well, all right, maybe a little. But she understood why Suzie did it. And she was somewhat embarrassed at the things Suzie experienced as a result of her connection to Natalie (fine, she was more than somewhat embarrassed, she was mortified).

And she wasn't answering Lucas' question. Natalie answered at last, "As far as Suzie's concerned, since that's the more complicated issue … good question. She might not be comfortable with Suzie, but she knows that she's a package deal with Rhys. Just like you and I are a package deal, and Octavia and Rex." Lucas smirked and Natalie asked, "What about you? Are you all right with this?" She waved her hand, indicating not just the upcoming picnic, but everything that went along with it. She was rewarded with a shrug, and Nat sighed, "Yeah, I agree. I honestly think any issues between Tosh and Adriane will be minor. From what Rassilon has told Mama, Tosh has a boyfriend and she's moved on with her life."

Which was great, because from the limited time she spent with Tosh during the Gelth incursion, she came to like the pretty tech a great deal, and she deserved all the nice things, as Ailsa liked to say about people she thought were particularly nice. And Nat's younger niece was happy with Owen, happier than Nat ever saw her before. She wanted to see Adriane stay that way. There would be valleys in the relationship between the acerbic doctor and her equally sarcastic niece, of course, but that was one complication that none of them needed.

"And then there are the Avengers," Lucas pointed out. And then there were the Avengers, who brought a whole host of their own baggage (no pun intended). Nat smiled a little, seeing Jocelyn slumped against Lucas' chest, sound asleep. Lucas glanced down at the toddler and smiled as well. He rose to his feet, cradling Jocelyn carefully, and leaned forward to kiss Nat's forehead. He mouthed, 'be back.' Nat bobbed her head and relaxed once more in the recliner, thinking about her conversation with her husband (and trying not to think about how Lucas would look when he held their son).

While her mother hadn't said anything directly, Nat knew that Mama was wanting the two teams to merge. Part of it was because of Rhys Williams, yes … but some of it was also her wanting Jack to be happy. And Jack was happiest when the people he loved were around him. While he and Ianto spent nearly every weekend together and were on the phone every other day, it wasn't the same as having him there. And when he was in Nevada, he missed Esther.

Natalie knew her oldest niece was trying to work things out so that Jack didn't lose her or Ianto, but she also knew that before anything could happen, Esther and Ianto would have to meet and work this out themselves (it was none of her business, of course, but she loved Esther and Jack both, and she really wanted things to work out all around). Only time would tell, and she'd promised herself a nap once Jocelyn was down for the count. Well, Jocelyn was down for the count, she was safe with Lucas … and so, Natalie leaned back in her recliner, pulled down the thin blanket on the back, and closed her eyes. Soon enough, she'd be getting very little sleep … she'd nap now while she could.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Lucas North didn't really understand his wife's relationship with Jack Harkness. It was an odd mixture of big brother/little sister, surrogate father/surrogate daughter (mostly on Jack's part), with a dose of attraction thrown in there for good measure. Lucas didn't have a problem with that. He knew that Natalie loved him, was totally secure in his own relationship with his wife. With all that said, he didn't really understand what he saw when Nat and Jack were together.

They had a child together (as Lucas and Nat soon would), born of a desperate attempt to save Natalie's life after she encountered alien sex pollen. Evidently, that was real, rather than a really bad joke. If Jack hadn't taken action, she would have burned from the inside out, her organs liquefying. Lucas didn't know who came up with the chemical, but he hoped for their sake they never encountered each other. Jack described an agonizing and sometimes gruesome death.

But the attraction was entirely on Natalie's side. Oh, Jack flirted with her, as he did with everyone. As Esther observed on more than one occasion, if Jack wasn't flirting, it was time to check him for a fever. But his feelings toward her were more of an older brother for his younger sister, or maybe an uncle for his niece. Which, as Jason Martinelli observed dryly once when Lucas asked him, made the conception of Jocelyn all the more … interesting. Well. That was one way of putting it.

The lights flickered on in Jocelyn's nursery when he entered with the sleeping little girl. Jocelyn whimpered and turned her face into Lucas' chest. He turned the lights off with his elbow, proceeding to the crib where she slept and eased her down into it. Jocelyn wasn't inclined to let go of his shirt until he nudged Jocelyn's favorite stuffed animal-a stuffed T-Rex that Octavia bought for her at Dinosaur World in Texas, named, of course, Rex-into her hand. She curled around the toy and Lucas stepped back, glancing around the room.

In another four months, this nursery would house two children. When he and Jack first put the nursery together, back when Natalie was six months pregnant with Jocelyn, they'd gone by the expectant mother's rather vague instructions. She wanted the nursery painted in a neutral color, preferably yellow, aside from two walls. One would be painted white, and the child would be able to paint or color whatever he/she pleased, while the other would contain characters from books and the Disney movies Nat grew up with (inspired, in part, by the children's library Natalie frequented when she was attending uni).

Jack, who'd never really had the chance to be that kind of father to Alice, even before Lucia took Alice and removed them both from Jack's life, had other ideas. With the assistance of his rapidly-failing elder daughter, he'd sketched the characters in question onto the wall and then painted them. He and Lucas put the furniture together (with Alice reading the directions). They'd finished it out with a small bookshelf beside the rocking chair that Alice suggested. Six weeks before Jocelyn was scheduled to make her appearance, the trio led Nat into the nursery. She'd promptly burst into tears before hugging Alice, and then hugging and kissing both Lucas and Jack … the first time she'd ever kissed Lucas, even if it was on his cheek.

It was, she declared through her tears, absolutely perfect … better than she imagined. Considering what little they had to work with, that was one helluva compliment, and Jack beamed, obviously overjoyed by Natalie's reaction to their hard work. Alice returned the hug with all the strength in her weakening body before nudging Natalie to sit in the rocking chair. Of course, that turned into Natalie turning the tables on Alice and forcing the other woman to sit there instead. She could try it out later … she wasn't the one short of breath at that point. Not that she mentioned the last part.

Staring at his step-daughter, asleep in the crib he helped to put together, sitting in that very same rocking chair, Lucas was once more grateful that Jocelyn's older half-sister had the chance to meet the baby before her own death … had the chance to hold her little sister. As it turned out, while Steven's return from the dead allowed Alice to die at peace with her father, her desire to hold on 'just a few months more' allowed her to meet her sister. Jocelyn wouldn't remember, but her parents would and Sophia snapped a picture of Alice cradling Jocelyn only hours after she was born, a picture that now sat beside the baby's crib. This way, Jocelyn would never be without her (he was more right than he knew … years later, when it was time for Jocelyn to leave for college, one of the first things she packed was that picture).

By now, Natalie was asleep and Lucas … Lucas wanted to watch his step-daughter for a little while. He'd learned that time with his step-daughters and pint-sized sister-in-law helped to anchor him, helped to remember why the hell he'd been through was worth it. In the next month, he and Jack would start re-modeling the room for both Jocelyn and Logan. It wouldn't take much … it would be more of a re-arrangement than a remodeling, since the room was already large enough for two children. They merely needed to rearrange furniture (and add a layer of paint to all four walls). Jocelyn was being moved into Angel's room during that time, which was fine with the slightly-older child. Technically speaking, they were aunt and niece, but Angel seemed to regard Jocelyn as her little sister. Yeah, Jocelyn was her little sister, but Angel absolutely adored Steven, who adored her right back.

Steven. Lucas' mind shifted next to his friend's grandson, the boy he helped to return to his family … if only by letting his mother and grandfather that he was very much alive (and they still didn't know what had taken his place). The kid had been through a lot the last few years … the whole mess with the 456, his time with Ashildr, his reunion with Alice and Jack, the death of his mother. Yeah, the kid had been through hell … but he was far from broken. He was a resilient boy, reminding Lucas a great deal of his grandfather. Jack was far stronger … was far more than his charm and good looks would indicate. If Steven could forgive his grandfather for the hellish choice he'd made all those years ago, and the years of exile from his family that resulted, he stood a very good chance of being nearly as strong as Jack was.

And that brought him back to the odd relationship he noticed between his wife and the immortal. More than friends, not really lovers … family, and yet not at the same time. It could be said that Jack was there when Natalie was conceived … although, hopefully not in the room itself … while Angelo Colasanto made it possible for her to safely come into the world (at least, as safe as it ever was). Jack was the reason her family existed … from her late father to the little girl sleeping only a few yards from where Lucas sat.

No, Lucas really didn't understand the relationship between the woman he loved and the man he admired. But in the end, it didn't matter that he understood it … he accepted it. Like Natalie, he saw Jack as family, and what was it that the Bulwark liaison to Torchwood, John Winchester, always said? Oh yes … family didn't end with blood. Lucas thought about Harry, about Ruth, about Ros, about Malcolm, and had to agree. They were family … and that was all he needed to know, all he needed to understand.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

She was more than a little restless after her conversation with Ianto Jones, but she forged ahead, wanting more than anything to get this part of Logan's onesie completed. And she succeeded … right up until the thread broke, and she realized that that was the last of the thread in her sewing room. Dammit. Sophia rubbed her forehead, because she made a mental note to bring in the shopping bag from their last trip to the fabric store, and forgot to do that. Well, there was no help for it. She tried not to worry about the ever-present fear of Alzheimer's. Yes, physically, she was in her late thirties, but in truth, she was well over eighty years of age … and her younger sister's deterioration thanks to the memory-stealer was never far from her thoughts.

On the other hand, it was equally possible that her memory attic (to use Adriane's favorite phrase) was getting overly-stuffed. Regardless, she still had to get the damned thread, and she couldn't do that sitting at her machine, fretting over things she'd forgotten to do. With that resolved, Sophia pushed herself back from her sewing machine. She found the shopping bag in question in the living room, along with her last-born sleeping in her recliner. She'd remembered to cover herself up … good. She was on the verge of tiptoeing out of the room when Natalie's sleepy voice asked, "Have we heard from Nevada yet, Mama?"

Well, damn. So much for sneaking out of the room before she could wake Nat. However, she knew better than to think that her baby would just go back to sleep if she didn't answer. To that end, she turned to face Nat, who was sliding upright in the recliner, and smiled at her brightly, replying, "I just got off the phone with Ianto Jones … they'll be joining us. I'm still waiting to hear back from the Avengers." Natalie nodded, looking thoughtful. Sophia wasn't entirely sure what the brunette was thinking, and so she turned her attention to something she missed during her initial pass into the room … namely, the state of the newspaper on the footrest of Natalie's recliner. She asked, frowning, "Is … is there a reason why the newspaper is out of order?"

Really, it was an incredibly silly thing to be asking, but Sophia didn't just know her daughters, but the men they loved as well. And none of them would have left the paper out of order … nor would they have left it on the footrest where Natalie could kick it off (she was actually a bit surprised that her daughter hadn't done just that). Nat looked a touch sheepish, which never failed to make Sophia melt. She wasn't entirely sure why that expression had that effect on her … aside from the fact that it reminded her of Carlyon's expression whenever she caught him in the act of doing something incredibly adorable, usually when he was trying to come across as a bad-ass. He'd never fully understood that she already knew he was a bad-ass (much as she'd come to hate that term since she woke up).

Nat observed now, drawing Sophia's attention away from that memory of her late husband, "Lucas and I were looking at it before Jack came in with Jocelyn. Rephrase … I was looking at the classified ads, to figure out where the yard sales are this weekend, and Lucas was reading the back page of whatever the final section was." Oh. Of course. While Sophia was comatose, her daughters often went to yard sales and flea markets both near and far. It was a bonding time for the three, which allowed them to talk about nothing and everything. That ended with the return of the 456 … in fact, most things of that nature ended with the return of the 456, period, and they didn't start back up until recently. Nat was showing signs of becoming stir-crazy … and Sophia was curious about the supposed antiques that might be at yard sales and flea markets.

The aforementioned stir-crazy daughter was now eyeing her with interest and Sophia offered a faint smile, asking, "Can I get away with, 'I forgot about that' this time around?" Natalie laughed and bobbed her head in agreement. Sophia knelt beside her daughter's recliner, continuing, "With regards to Nevada … it seems they'll all be coming. Including Suzie, although I should have expected that."

Even now, speaking the woman's name left a bad taste in Sophia's mouth. She liked Rhys a great deal, but his new wife was another story entirely. On the other hand, even knowing what she did of Suzie, she had to regard Angel's new step-mother as a (forgive the pun) a step up from her birth mother. Yes, Suzie manipulated her daughter … invaded her dreams and that interference created a bond between the resurrected woman and Nat. But it was one time, and her intention wasn't to hurt Natalie, but to save Jack … and she hadn't shot Natalie. No, Sophia would never forgive Rhys' first wife for that, no matter how many times someone told her, 'but she was trying to save her husband and daughter.' Yes, yes, she was sure that would have been a great comfort to both Tallie Smith and Ailsa as they grew up without their respective mothers.

Tallie's namesake (and Ailsa's mother) looked at her now, asking quietly, "You okay, Mama?" Sophia blinked, and Natalie explained, "I said that I'm fine with Suzie being here. Actually, I'm kinda looking forward to meeting her, as weird as that might sound. And are you sure you don't need my help?" Sophia couldn't speak for a moment. It occurred to her, more than once, that this was the daughter who she took into the coma with her the first time.

The surge of love and protectiveness that flowed through her as she looked at her last-born child left Sophia gasping. Natalie pushed the foot rest of her recliner down and rose to her feet, throwing the blanket to one side. She took both of Sophia's hands and asking worriedly, "Are you all right, Mama? When was the last time you saw a doctor? You've been under so much stress lately." Suddenly, Sophia found it very hard to breathe, even as she stared into Nat's dark eyes (which likely did absolutely nothing to reassure her daughter). But …

She was worried about her. Her little girl was worried about her … but then, why wouldn't she be? Her father died not all that long ago, and while Carlyon was over ninety when he died … technically, so was she. Sophia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her daughter, holding her tightly and smiling a bit to herself first when her child's arms folded around her and then again when she felt her unborn grandson kicking them both.

"I'm fine, princess … I just love you so much, and I'm so very proud of you," Sophia whispered thickly. And she was. Nat was most likely raising her brows, trying to figure out why Sophia was so proud of her, and fretting about her at the same time. Sophia closed her eyes and held her daughter close, fighting back tears as she did. Dammit, her emotions kept getting the better of her! She needed to get it together before the Nevada team showed up, let alone the Avengers.

"I don't know what I've done to make you proud, but thank you anyhow. It's gonna be okay, Mama. I know you're worried about how the two teams will gel together, but it's going to work out. Yes, I figured out that this is a dry run to integrate Jack's two Torchwood teams … I have far too much time to think … and it'll be fine," Nat told her. Sophia's arms tightened around her daughter's gravid body, trying to figure out how in the hell Nat put the pieces together … especially since Sophia hadn't even admitted to Jack that was a reason for this picnic.

"And that, my beautiful daughter, is just one of the many reasons why I'm so proud of you. I won't ask how you figured it out," Sophia said finally, pulling back to look at Natalie. She released her daughter, only to cup her face in her hands, as she went on, "I'm torn between wanting to tell Jack, so he can stop tearing himself apart over whatever will happen between Ianto and Esther, and begging his forgiveness for manipulating him. Which … yes, Natalie Sophia, I have done just that."

"But is it really manipulation, Mama? I don't think so. This isn't manipulation, so much, as creating an opportunity. Jack won't be at ease until he sees how Ianto and Esther interact … and the same with the rest of the team. Besides, you're right … we all need a break. Not just Torchwood and Safe Haven, but the Avengers as well. That twatwaffle Ross is being a problem, and it's just a matter of time before he gets what he wants," Nat answered. Sophia was torn between laughing and chastising her daughter for her language.

In the end, she did neither, choosing instead to kiss her daughter's forehead before folding her into her arms once more, murmuring, "I love you, Natalie Sophia … I love you so very much." Her daughter's arms encircled her waist and Natalie murmured, 'I love you, too, Mama.' She had waited so very long to hear her last-born child say that … and it was worth the wait. It was worth the wait to hear Natalie call her 'Mama' and to hear her say 'I love you.'

A familiar, piping voice interrupted, "Mommy, where you go?" Sophia closed her eyes once more and swatted Natalie's behind when she felt her daughter's silent laughter shaking her body. She kissed Nat's forehead before releasing her, even as Angel scampered into the room. The little girl's face lit up into a smile and she rushed into Sophia's arms, giggling as the auburn-haired woman swung her up until she was eye-level. Natalie was right. Somehow, everything would work out right. She would find a way to make it right, not just for Jack's sake, but for the sake of this precious little girl. Angel would grow up with both of her families, and Rhys would be reunited permanently with his daughter. Somehow, they would find a way to fit together.

TBC