Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and those who put me on story alert or as their favourite story... I guess this chapter is dedicated to you. I'm really proud of myself for this. I've never updated a story this fast... not that I'ver ever done a Torchwood Fanfiction before, but ah well, it's all relative... :)

PS. You should know, I babble a lot.

Over the last week Ianto's list of things to do had grown tenfold. First and foremost though-he had to see his sister.

He knew that Torchwood had letters written in advance to the next of kin of their employees and dreaded to think of his adoptive sister's reaction to the news of his death and had been putting off the time when he would have to reveal he was indeed alive and that her grieving had meant nothing. He was a coward and he knew it, but he had never been scared of anyone more than his sister's tantrums-hell, he'd take a slitheen any day over this-, and he was sure that even when she was pregnant wouldn't even compare to her reaction to his turning up on her doorstep. At least he knew well enough not to try tell her over the phone. However as he sat in his car across the road from her house he could not find it in himself to move, how would he be able to explain what he had been through in the last week. He shivered at the thought of the 'Battle of Canary Wharf', as people were calling it, and sighed as he tried to think of a way to explain his need to stay and help in the aftermath of the battle. And although he had already told her everything about his job at Torchwood and what it entailed, he did not want her to know the horrors he had witnessed.

His sister. Rhiannon Davies. He had known her since she had taken him in when he had arrived in the 21st century- after turning rouge from the Agency, due to the minor problem of them signing his death warrant. Literally. The Agency had seen the amount the Logopolis were offering for his capture or body- and all because of a stupid dare. Ianto rolled his eyes. He blamed Jack for that, but still, like they were supposed to know that streaking was against the law and punishable by death. Stupid aliens and their anti-51st century attitude.

Knock. Knock.

Ianto started at the sudden noise, looking up to find Rhiannon's husband, Johnny starring through the dark glass. He cringed inwardly at the implications of the others presence, before thanking the Lord for tinted windows which gave him time to paste a huge smile on his face and roll down the window.

"Hey Handsome." He greeted the other, he watched Johnny glance at the window somewhat nervously before gulping and turning back to him. Ianto felt a real smile replace the fake at the anxiety Johnny obviously felt towards his wife, purposely ignoring the fact that his sister had the same hold over him too.

"Rhiannon spotted you parking here over an hour ago." Johnny deadpanned, and Ianto only just held in a wince.

"She's been waiting that long? I'm surprised." Johnny smiled.

"Yeah, well let me tell you: she is pissed." Ianto snorted at the understatement before opening the door to get out of the car. Immediately he was smothered with an unexpected but not unwelcome hug from his brother in law who, pulled back quickly and Ianto paused a moment allowing Johnny to put his 'macho' face on again. That didn't stop Ianto staring at the other with a distinctly amused look on his face.

"Look, mate," He started with a smirk, "as great as it would be-"

Johnny cut him off quickly. "Shut up. I just," The other quickly corrected his slip up. "I mean Rhiannon missed you-" The other coughed awkwardly and Ianto rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I missed you too Johnny." Ianto effectively ruined the conversation as he accompanied the statement with a wink. He shrugged inwardly, that was his coping mechanism. Johnny just smiled softly before shaking his head, and asking. "Ianto, whe-?"

Ianto cut him off, heading towards the foredoomed couple of hours in which his ears would be tortured with the shouts of his sister. "Let's go inside before we start the interrogation."

At that Johnny grinned teasingly. "Were you really too scared to come inside?"

They stopped just outside the front door as Ianto raised his eyebrows at the other. "Scared? I was bloody terrified."

The laugh however died on both of their faces as they opened the door to see a stony, white faced Rhiannon standing on the bottom steps of the stairs, arms crossed and looking furious. The effect however was ruined as two children came running from the top of the stairs, shouting. "Uncle Ianto! Uncle Ianto!" The immediate change in his sister's demeanour changed as her children came into view and his cheek to stop himself laughing , which he was sure would not be appreciated- at the now soft but stern expression on her face.

"I told you two to go to bed." His sister told the two children who were now latched on either one of his legs hugging him tightly.

"Heyah, squirts." He told them. Never had he been so glad to see them. Mica, at aged six was smiling up at him brightly, while her four year old brother, David, clung to his leg with pout, clearly wanting his uncle to pick him up.

"We wanted to see Uncle Ianto." They both turned to him with frowns. "Mummy kept saying you had gone to see God," Ianto froze. "She kept crying and saying you wouldn't come back but we knew you would." Immediately Ianto felt a hundred times worse for not coming back sooner.

"Go to bed kids, you'll get to see Uncle Ianto tomorrow." Johnny said, while Rhiannon gave him a glare that gave him no doubt of what could happen if he didn't comply.

Mica and David immediately protested loudly. "Listen to your parents." Ianto told them, with a smile. "I'll be here in the morning. Cooked breakfast and all." They both nodded and with few complaints were lead to bed by Johnny, who threw Ianto a 'God help you' look.

Immediately after the children were out of hearing range Ianto turned to Rhiannon, surprised to find not a glare but her face crumpling and a tear rolling down her cheek. "Rhiannon, I'm so sorry." He lead her into the lounge and they both sat down. He pulled her into his arms, and when she spoke it was with a throaty, tearful voice. "I thought you were dead."

His own throat constricted. "I know." He couldn't find words to say what he needed to. He cursed himself, he really wasn't good at the whole 'comforting' concept, but this was his sister, for all extensive purposes, and he had helped her out before. But of course, usually he hadn't caused her upset and he couldn't well give himself a black eye like he had with the last guy. "Where were you?" He didn't answer. "I saw on the news. Canary Wharf was destroyed." His face went blank at the mention of Canary Wharf. "And don't give me that crap about it being a terrorist bomb. It was an alien wasn't it?"

Ianto nodded with a heavy sigh, before reluctantly continuing. "Not just one but two of the cruellest aliens in existence..." He trailed off; refusing to go into detail and Rhiannon let it slide, for which he was grateful.

"How many-?" She cut herself off from saying that last, most important word.

"Died?" he guessed. "Over five hundred, it's still unsure. I am one of the twenty seven survivors." He smiled grimly at her gasp.

"And Lisa?" Rhiannon asked him, and he closed his eyes briefly; the image of her slumped against the wall eyes on him as he pulled the trigger, accepting death. "Ianto?"

"Dead." She pulled him into a hug and he felt himself reverberated as she shook with sobs, he stroked her hair softly trying to calm her. He heard the creaking of the door and saw Johnny standing there silently absorbing their current situation.

0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.

"The library. You want to go to the library." Johnny shot him a disbelieving look from across the table, pausing in his stare to pass Mica the milk. "Why? You already know everything." Ianto snorted.

"He's right through Ianto." Rhiannon said. "Why are you going to the library?"

Ianto smirked. "It was a euphemism for-"

"Ianto." Johnny said warning, gesturing to the children, who were both looking at Ianto with huge smile, so glad again to see their Uncle Ianto that they were not at all aware of the conversation around them.

"Fine. I've got a new project." A very abstract one at that. All he had to go by was one name, Captain Jack Harkness.

"That's fine. You can go." Ianto glanced up at her suspiciously, wondering what the catch was. "As long as I go with you."

Ah, and there it was. The silver lining.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

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Best wishes,

Lazi x