24

Ianto was sitting in the garden when he felt movement and he turned his head, calling out with alarm as the Panther Plant started to swing and it heard him, pulling back at the last second as John Hart squeaked with horror, plastering himself to the ground.

With everything that had happened it was bound to happen sooner or later and Ianto found himself laughing hysterically while trying to help him off the ground, too winded to speak.

The bugs that had heard him yell came running and now it was John's turn to yell as the fist bug pinched him on the arm hard enough to draw blood, forcing him away from Ianto who could only wave a hand to placate them as he leaned over and brayed with mirth.

Then came Fluffy.

The bark was more of a sonic boom as he bore down on them, the door still swinging off a hinge with Alice running after him, Caden and Henry falling out the door out last with wide eyes and a great deal of clicking.

"Stop" Ianto finally managed a word, "OK, stop."

"Gee thanks Wolfie!" John snarked, rubbing his hip that had also suffered a painful nip.

"It OK guys, this is Captain John Hart, code name Blade. He used to work with Jack, it's OK" Ianto was giggling now, his hand covering his mouth as his eyes danced with merriment and John found himself grinning back at his old friend.

"Look at you, all emotional and shit" John snorted. "You have let yourself relax."

"Johnty, curse in front of my children again and I shall remove your tongue!" Ianto said with his smile fading.

"Ah. There he is. The Wolf. In there all along eh?" John smiled softly now, stepping forward, "So. I smell a cuckoo"

"That's me" Caden said "I's a windy woo in some bits."

"Ah, the best bits" John knelt, "We are a rare lot, like jewels we are. Hello precious, I'm party Windy woo too. I couldn't help myself, heard all about how clever you were. Look at you. My oh my."

"Run along kids, Johnty and I have things to talk about and that doggie just crashed something inside I bet. Go clean up the mess." Ianto stood and watched them, "You know where he's from then?"

"Well, after our talk I went hunting as I promised I would" John rose and smiled at Ianto "there was a facility advertising designer babies that suddenly fell off the grid. I assume this is them. I found to active leads and followed them, ne came back to here. Seems New Cardiff has one living here."

"No" Ianto frowned, it made sense, "Who?"

"Calls himself Mangler or something" John tried to remember, not having the recall a certain Welsh Wolf had.

"Manger. Billis Manger" Ianto snarled, "He came up in the paperwork for the security agent that zapped me with Caden in my arms. A previous employer. I saw the name on the paperwork but nothing else, at the time I wondered but it seemed such a small mention on the resume. Huh."

"Yan, you do know this means it is likely there are more children out there with Caden's markers" John said softly, placing a hand on Ianto to calm him as windy woos can, "Maybe a brother."

"I never understood you" Ianto sighed, "So vicious with your Colonial Blood yet that touch of Windy Woo makes you so damned cute. Like a sweet toxin."

John laughed, not the least insulted by the apt description, "A spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down maybe."

Ianto snorted, "Let's not start quoting the old classics to each other, it drives other people crazy." Ianto laughed, "Johnty, are you OK?"

"Yes." John sat and let Ianto look closely at him before believing him. "Did you tell Jack about us?"

"No he didn't" Jack said behind them and he watched Ianto light up as he turned to greet him, not showing discomfort or shame in being found with John. It comforted Jack who already knew deep down Ianto was his love and vice versa.

"Johnty and I met when my parents took me with them on a diplomatic post" Ianto smiled, "Two years, wasn't it?"

"Close to it" John leaned back and closed his eyes, taking the sun and trying to ignore the Panther Plant as it bent down to scent him, "two little weirdoes. That was us."

"Yes" Ianto snorted, rubbing his face and then sighing, "Tired. Staying for the evening feast?"

"Thank you Yan, I would love to" John smiled, "not many cuckoos about these days, we are communal creatures ya know. Would be nice to eat with another."

"Caden would like that too" Ianto nodded, "I read your file and saw that Colonial Bastardry in you, please curb it around our babies."

"Of course" John nodded, "I will always respect the house of a friend. Well, friends. Couldn't believe it when I saw you together. What a pair."

"Yes" Jack finally smiled, "Perfectly matched."

John looked at Ianto as he nodded, "Well, us strange birds are hard to deny, aren't we Yan."

Ianto canted his head and Jack finally saw it.

Ianto's gentle and graceful ways, his vicious twist when needed and insanely accurate brain.

"Ianto?" Jack whispered, "Are you part cuckoo too?"

"Don't be silly Cariad," Ianto snorted and Ianto relaxed, then Ianto canted his head again, "Of course I am not. I'm a Jones. Everyone knows we have Bladesinger DNA in our past, like a great, great something."

"Huh?"

"We are like…cousins or something" Ianto shrugged ad John nodded his agreement.

Jack stared at his enigma of a mate and realised that he already knew. Somewhere deep down he had known he was wed to an empathic creature with the power to commune with other species.

How else could he talk to a bloody sentient plant?