21
The new foundations had been laid and despite Ianto's request that the concrete be left alone, the twins had each scrawled their names in it and sunk a palm print as they pretended they were on the Hollywood walk of fame.
At first CJ has scolded them but when he saw what Tarn had done he could only grin.
'Tarn Luvs CJ' had been written with a love heart around it and CJ sighed with pleasure.
Ianto walked down to see what the twins were giggling about and everyone froze when he cleared his throat.
SJ had one foot in the concrete as he reached deeper in to draw and RJ had one ponytail dripping.
CJ and Tarn were softly kissing and they eyes rolled around to find Ianto standing stock still with the potato peelings for the compost in a bowl slowly dribbling onto the ground.
"Um, shit!" CJ looked at what the twins were doing and grabbed for SJ who roared and ran.
Across the concrete.
Ianto yelled with horror as concrete flew from the stomping gumboots and Tarn ran to grab him on the other side of the concrete pad.
RJ finally noticed the ponytail and started to howl.
"Get inside, god damn it!" He roared and all of them raced inside, seeing the temper in Ianto's face.
The twins were soon in the bath with Ianto furiously scrubbing at RJ's hair.
CJ sat on the sofa waiting morosely for the chewing out he knew was still coming.
Tarn was terrified. He had never seen Ianto so steaming mad and he sat primly on the edge of the sofa waiting with his hands clasped together to hide his shaking.
The SUV roared home and Jack thumped though the house.
Yelling happened in the bathroom and then a wail. Then growling and a slammed door.
Jack stalked into the room and Tarn felt the air leave as Jack stole the space with his anger.
"CJ" Jack said deeply in a growl, "Who was watching the twins?"
"Me Daddy" CJ said softly, looking down at his lap.
"Who let the twins make a hell of a mess?" he asked and again CJ answered with a sigh.
"And whose fault it is your sister is losing at least four inches of her hair due to concrete burn?" Jack huffed and CJ looked up with horror.
"No, not her hair" CJ ran to see for himself and a howl was heard from the bathroom as he witnessed Ianto hacking at the ruined hair.
"Tarn" Jack said softly. "You OK?"
Tarn was shaking, he looked up and tried to smile.
"We don't hit in this house" Jack sat next to him, "No matter what happens, we don't hit each other, OK?"
Tarn nodded and hiccupped.
Jack pulled him onto a hug and soothed him with a gentle hug as he rubbed his back.
Tarn buried his face in the Captain's warm chest and wept.
"It's OK little one, its OK son" Jack soothed, disappointed in this result from the children's antics most of all.