The spare room contained a generously sized double bed positioned with its headboard on the same wall as the door. At the foot of the bed was a large trunk, which provided an excellent place to sit and admire the view through the large full height window on the opposite wall. There were two plain bedside tables, one either side of the bed, and a freestanding mirror in the far corner. Otherwise the room was empty.
Ianto felt his feet sinking into the carpet as he took the few steps required to get from door to bed, obviously brand new. Gwen had laid out a pair of Rhys' jogging bottoms and a t-shirt on the bed for him. Although his suit was dusty and he obviously couldn't sleep in it, it was the one thing Ianto still had that was his. Never the less, he was very tired and changing seemed the sensible thing to do. It felt odd lying in someone else's bed, wearing someone else's clothes, knowing that nothing he used to own was still his. He'd barely closed his eyes to reflect this when he drifted off.
Gwen had Carys in one arm and the phone in the other.
"Shall we phone daddy?"
Carys sort of gurgled. Gwen hit dial.
"Hi Rhys, is me!"
"Hello, couldn't wait for me to get home?"
"Well, I wanted to catch you before you left, Carys and I have had a very exciting day, we thought we'd come over and tell you all about it on the way home"
"If it's that exciting why don't you tell me now?"
"Will be better face to face, bus should take us about 40mins, you'll still be there right?"
Gwen could feel Rhys rolling his eyes in the short pause that followed.
"Yes yes I'll be here, see you both soon"
Gwen wrapped Carys up nice and warm, pulled on her own long winter coat and headed out to catch the number 52 from the corner. The journey to Rhys work has become a sort of frequent past time since she'd had Carys. A way of getting out, avoiding spending all day pottering around the house, and Carys seemed to enjoy it so it was easy entertainment for her too. The regular group of school children boarded the bus by the shops and rushed upstairs, the elderly gentleman with the red jumper sat near the door reading yesterday's paper. It was all very normal. Gwen wondered how she was going to explain to Rhys that she'd discovered Ianto alive... that wasn't very normal at all.
Rhys was waiting for them at the bus stop when they bus pulled up.
"Hello!" he said taking Carys from Gwen. "And what is so important that my two favourite girls travelled across Cardiff to come meet me from work?" He talked mainly to Carys in his best baby voice, who responded by screwing up her noise and eyes.
"It's a bit unexpected" Gwen began.. Gwen wondered how she was going to explain to Rhys that she'd discovered Ianto alive... that wasn't very normal at all.
Rhys was waiting for them at the bus stop when they bus pulled up.
"Hello!" he said taking Carys from Gwen. "And what is so important that my two favourite girls travelled across Cardiff to come meet me from work?" He talked mainly to Carys in his best baby voice, who responded by screwing up her noise and eyes.
"It's a bit unexpected" Gwen began.
"You're pregnant again?" Rhys looked very excited. His face quickly returned to serious as the look on Gwen's face cleared said this was not what had happened. "What then?"
"You remember Ianto?"
"Gwen, I could hardly forget him."
"Well I thought he was dead."
"He is. What are you trying to tell me?"
"Well apparently he's not, and he's asleep in our spare room." Gwen had given up on trying to break it to him gently and decided just to tell it as it was. Considering everything that had happened, this explanation actually seemed to make the whole thing seem perfectly normal to her.
"No Gwen, please tell me you've not let some random stranger stay in our spare room because he's pretending to be Ianto. I know you miss him, I know you miss Jack, but you have to accept they're both gone." There was a short pause. A hint of anger appeared in his expression. "What do you mean he's in our spare room? Now?"
"Yes"
"So there is a man in our house in the spare room, and you've just left him here and come out."
"He was asleep"
"Gwen! He could have done anything by now, come on we're going and I'm going to sort this out. If that is I have a house left to come back too."
"Rhys! It's not some weirdo, it really is Ianto and he doesn't remember anything since the hub exploded, he didn't know he was dead. I hope he hasn't woken up and worried cause I'm not there."
"Gwen! Ianto is dead. It can't be him. Come on let's get you home you're obviously not too well today."
They'd reached the car. Rhys was strapping Carys into the back seat, Gwen climbed into the driver's seat before he had a chance to object. She really didn't want him driving like this.
Rhys climbed in to the passenger seat and opened his mouth in an attempt to object
"I'm not ill Rhys. We did a blood test and it matches Ianto's from the hub samples."
Rhys looked at Gwen, laid his arm on the window edge and rested his head on his hand.
"Who is we? And is that sort of test conclusive? It couldn't just be coincidence."
"Andy found him. And no. It has to be Ianto."
Rhys looked out the window. "So whose funeral did we go to?"
"I think that was Ianto's too." Gwen concentrated on the traffic, she still hadn't quite worked this one out herself yet. "The rift monitor shows a big strike around the time Ianto was found, it has barely even risen since the 456 left. Something happened."
"Bloody torchwood." Rhys continued to watch the houses go by outside.
That was apparently all he had to say on the matter. Gwen figured it hadn't gone too badly.