Chapter 3 : A Little Boy
Canary Wharf had ended in tragedy, even for those that survived. For Ianto it was especially heart breaking. He felt so helpless. He couldn't do anything to alleviate Lisa's pain. She was attached to machines that kept her breathing and her heart beating, but the pain was still great.
Most of Ianto's time needed to be spent taking care of Lisa and the rest was spent working part time jobs to pay for rent and food. With his savings dwindling, London had become too expensive forcing Ianto to move back to Wales. He still couldn't afford to live in Cardiff and he didn't want to stay too close to his sister. So, after just 2 weeks of hiding in London, he found a good cheap flat halfway between the two and a small office to hold Lisa in. He had to make excuses and falsify paperwork to explain the large amount of power that was being drawn by the salvaged equipment, but in the end, it was worth it to have her there, alive with him.
Ianto felt like he was drowning. Between caring for Lisa and working two jobs he had no time to rest in the last 2 months.
Once again, after 8 hours working as a temp, Ianto was on his way back to the woman he loves. But still, he walked slowly, dreading what awaited him. So caught up in his own thoughts, Ianto almost fell over when a group of children ran past him laughing. As they passed, he turned to watch them go. That's when he saw it.
Across the street, in a park, a little black haired boy was reaching up towards the tree branches and floating down towards him was a stuffed rabbit.
For a second Ianto thought that his sleep deprived mind was making him see things. But no, it was still floating down towards the boy. When it finally reached him, the child ran into a house just next to the park. Still clinging to the rabbit, nearly two-thirds his size.
Ianto was stunned. Could this little boy be an alien? Surely only an alien could have that kind of power. With his heart racing, Ianto snatched his cellphone. But who would he call? Torchwood One had been destroyed and he didn't know how to contact Torchwood Three. Ianto hesitated further, he had seen what One had done to aliens that landed on this planet and for all he knew Three was the same. This was a little boy, alien or not, didn't he deserve a chance at life? So, he walked away.
Three days later and Ianto Jones was sitting on the swing in the park. He hadn't been able to put the boy out of his mind. Maybe it was just because he needed something besides Lisa to focus on. Or maybe he empathized with the boy. He had researched the home the child had gone into and found that it was for children that had been abandoned. Being alone, that was something he could understand. Even though Lisa was alive, Ianto felt as if he was alone.
And there was the boy in question. When Ianto looked up his eyes meet that of the strange child's. After staying like that for a few seconds, Ianto gave him a small smile and the kid sat on the swing farthest from him.
Even though they were both nervous, Ianto's able to coax him into conversation.
Harry. It suits the boy and, when a woman calls for him to come inside, Ianto's almost sad to see him go.
A few days later, Harry was very glad to see that the man, Ianto, had returned. He's wearing a suit this time, just like Harry had seen daddies on Privet Dr. wearing as they went to work.
"Hello," Harry called as soon as he saw Ianto approaching. He ducked his head down but Ianto could still see him smiling.
"How are you today, Harry?" Ianto made sure to keep his voice gentle.
"Good," Harry starts to swing.
That day, Ianto sat closer to Harry. Leaving only one swing between them. "No friends again today?" Ianto hadn't meant to come back. In fact, the first time he saw Harry had been an accident. He had taken a wrong turn that day on the way home. However, the second time and this time, were very much on purpose.
"Bunny is inside," It was said so matter-of-factly that it broke Ianto's heart.
"I meant other children. Boys and girls your age."
Harry stopped swinging and Ianto saw his smile disappear, "They don't like me. But that's okay, I'm not lonely." Harry's voice was small and timid. For the first time, truly appearing to be the abandoned child that he is.
"I would be lonely," black hair flopped around as the little head shot up and green eyes met hazel. "You know, we could be friends."
"Really?" Harry had never had a friend before and Ianto seemed, to Harry, a very good first friend. As he considered the offer, his face became tense with concentration. After a few seconds of internal deliberation, Harry gave a sharp nod. "Okay."
Ianto couldn't believe how happy that made him. Harry had thought so hard about it, it obviously meant a great deal to him. So, to be accepted by Harry meant a great deal to Ianto.
Eventually it was time for the two friends to part ways once again, but it will be far from that last time that they see each other. Over the next five weeks, Ianto visits Harry with increasing regularity. It's his only escape from horrors in his mind and the miseries of his life. Though he still loved Lisa it was increasingly hard to be around her, he had been trying but there was nothing he could do to help her.
But Harry was different. Even though he was lonely and didn't quite understand the world around him, he still smiled every time he saw Ianto, happier to see Ianto then anyone had ever been. It was first for both of them. No one had ever come to visit Harry and here was Ianto visiting him every few days.
Outside of seeing Ianto, things were getting worse for Harry. His strangeness had not stopped and the children had stopped ignoring him and were now pushing him and pulling his hair as soon as Mrs. Hughes' back was turned. Even Mrs. Hughes was nervous around him. So, when all the other children were at school or daycare, Harry was left to his own devices. Everything in this new place was turning into something very much like life with the Dursleys. Everything, that is, except for Ianto.
Things came to a head one day when Ianto entered the park and didn't find Harry sitting on the swings. For the past 2 weeks, whenever Ianto had come to the park, he had found Harry on the swings, waiting. He was only left wandering for a second, when a small body hit his legs and latched on. And there was Harry, face pressed to Ianto's trousers, crying his eyes out.
It took a while but Harry eventually calmed down and allowed Ianto to pick him up.
It was distressing for Ianto to see Harry so upset. But he was still able to keep a level voice. "Now, why don't you tell me what happened, love?"
Harry answered but it was directly into Ianto's shoulder, so he couldn't hear a word of it.
"Come on now, I can't hear you like this," Ianto jostled his shoulder so that Harry would know what he was talking about.
The tiny head lifted up just an inch or so. "Tomos pushed me and everyone else laughed."
Ianto's grip tightened and he took a deep breath, "I so sorry Harry, children can be very mean sometimes. Did you tell Mrs. Hughes?"
The crying started again but between the sobs Ianto was able to make out what Harry was saying, "Mrs. Hughes was there. But she didn't do anything."
Ianto didn't answer right away, he had an idea what might have happened to have ostracized Harry from the other people of the house but he didn't want to scare Harry further. So, he gently rocked Harry side to side and rubbed his back. Eventually they were both calm enough to talk again. "Why do you think they did that Harry?"
"It's because," Harry hesitated but the took a deep breath and continued, "It's because of my strangeness."
"What strangeness? You're not strange." Ianto tried to reassure him.
"Yes I am." Harry insisted, "Strange things happen around me and that's why no one likes me."
"Well I like you. And no strangeness will change that." Harry lifted his head more and looked Ianto in the eyes, "You can tell me anything you want to."
Harry looks like he's going to cry again but instead he starts to speak and he doesn't stop for half an hour. He tells Ianto about the haircut and the wig and the glasses and on and on. It was not even all about the strange things that have happened. It was about people who hate him for something that he can't control. It was about how his family had hated him. But mainly it was about how he hated being different. Like a flood of words, everything rushed out of Harry and when it came to an end he was left gasping for breath.
Ianto didn't know what to say but when Harry's grip on his shirt tightened, he squeezed back. "I will never not love you." He felt like he was physically holding himself back from telling Harry that he would never leave him alone.
The two sat together, Ianto still holding Harry, but they didn't speak until they heard Mrs. Hughes call Harry in. With a quiet goodbye, Harry reluctantly went back inside.
Ianto slowly walked back to Lisa. He was not in a hurry to go back to her broken body and twisted mind. But what he couldn't get out of his head was what Harry had told him. Not about how powerful Harry was, which was amazing, but how Mrs. Hughes, the woman who was supposed to take care of his little boy, had turned her back on Harry and let him be hurt.
In the 30 minutes it took to get home, Ianto made up his mind. Harry was never going to be alone again, because he would be Ianto Jones' son.