One week away from the wedding and Ianto was taking a day off, trying to de-stress before the real shit storm began.
Ianto placed the feeding bowls on the little mat inside the back door. Janet and her wayward son, renamed Lucky after its second chance (Shit-for-brains if you asked John for its name) chowed down with little kitty cat noises of appreciation.
People said cats don't talk but Ianto knew they did. His childhood cat could say "no" "why" and Ianto would swear sometimes he laughed. He thought of his ginger tom that he had imaginatively called "Marmalade" and smiled.
Walter and Jack were engaged in a game on the big screen. Twin snarls as they worked in formation in their space fighters to eliminate the alien invaders. So nice to have a game where they worked together, Ianto frowned as he realised how stupid that sounded. They were killing things. Oh well. At least they were happy, Walter's spots nearly gone.
Ianto wandered into Walter's room and began to straighten the bed. Little monkey had made quite a mess of it and Ianto was debating whether or not to change it a day early when a small squeak made him freeze.
Inside the wrinkle he had just placed his hand on, another little squeal emanated. Ianto slowly knelt and lifted the blanket to see what toy was stuck in there only to have two glowing eyes stare back.
Ianto let the blanket fall and stared at the wrinkle, now a wriggling lump that became a kitten. Emerging from the covers like toothpaste from a tube. A tortoiseshell squirt of paste. The kitten looked up at him and began to pounce on the bed covers, playing with its shadow.
Ianto stood and looked around the room. Yep, not in an alternate universe.
Ianto pinched his leg. Ow, not asleep.
Ianto left the room and walked out into the main room where Walter was now laying across the sofa with his head in Jack's lap as they killed the scum invaders.
"Walt? Why is there a little kitten in the bed?"
Walter grunted and snarled as another ship fell at the combined firepower of the two defenders of the earth.
"Walt?"
"That's just Lady Emma. Leave her alone, she's cranky in the mornings" Walter finally said as he reloaded at the corner of the screen while his Daddy covered him.
"What? Lady … Jack? Did you know about this?"
Jack looked up at Ianto as Walter re-joined the firefight. "Huh?"
"The tortoiseshell kitten."
"Oh. That's Lady Emma, best leave her in the mornings babe. She's a bit nuts, fuck! Port, port fuck … your left son!" Jack roared as Walter took a hit.
Ianto blinked, then sat on a nearly sofa totally missing the cursing.
"But Janet is black and the kitten we kept is a tabby. He's nearly grown now. We never had a torty one! It's a baby" Ianto mumbled, trying to un-confuse his brain.
Walter paused the game and stood up. He walked over and stood in front of his father with his little hands on his hips.
"Taddy? Are we going to have a problem here?" Walter demanded.
"I beg your pardon?" Into spluttered.
"Lady Emma has been here for over a week. Daddy got her for me for being so brave with my spots. You didn't notice the kitty food for her in the cupboard?" he asked.
"Jack?" Ianto asked and Jack cleared his throat as he made a hasty exit.
"Well, they were giving them away at the mall and it was the last one and …" the rest was only muffled noise as Jack managed to close the door before Ianto could get to him.
Great. A massive dog that eats more than them and now three cats. How the hell had that happened? These pox had really left Jack to his own devices for too long.
Ianto stormed out to the garage and glared at Black Beauty as Jack checked her tyre pressure.
"What!" Jack said with more than a little fear showing.
"Nothing Cariad." Ianto answered with syrupy sweetness that exuded sarcasm, "Just looking for the pony!"