Awwww ... go on then, one more today.

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7

The storm was not easing and Ianto stood with Jack looking up at the two shields as the outer shield shimmered with strikes. The sound had grown louder as the day wore in and after lunch while Alice was occupied with a wee snooze Ianto had finally got up the guts to peek outside at the chaos. He had never been in a storm like this, those on Earth tame in comparison and as he watched the shields shimmer again he also saw people outside the secondary personal dome cringe with fear.

"Nope" Ianto said softly after a while, "I do not like that."

"Come on, let's go in and find something to do" Jack said and he led Ianto inside to the rumpus room where Alice was riding a stuffed toy like it was a horse while screaming shrilly at the top of her lungs. Ianto was still trying to come to terms with the fact Jack had staff as well, the poor nanny looking ready to burst into tears as she tried to corral the child.

"Is she…singing?" Ianto asked slowly and Jack nodded with a grimace.

Ianto sighed and chose a chair to sit in and after a moment he started to sing. Alice stopped and stood with her little mouth gaping as he let himself lean back to give his lungs more space, the song echoing off the high vaulted ceiling as he serenaded her. Jack had never heard 'Emerald City' before, well not the words just the music box sound and he now knew this was much better than any little chiming box as his daughter inched forward and plopped down with rapt attention.

Ianto finished the song and grinned, "Did you like that one love?"

"Wow" she whispered.

"I like to song, I understand you like to as well. And a piano over there, show me?"

She rushed to please him and she played a little tune as Ianto watched her, listening with pursed lips. Jack knew it was silly but he felt suddenly naked, on display and he went to step forward but Ianto's clapping halted him.

"Wonderful, oh Alice you are wonderful at that" Ianto gushed, his smile huge, "You are a natural. I can't wait for us to play together on matching pianos, I have big grand one like in the orchestras."

"Ooooo" she wriggled in her seat with glee.

"Let's see if we can play and sing louder than the silly noises outside, I bet we are so loud and spectacular they all go quiet to listen too" he said as he lifted a little set of bells and started to shake them to a rhythm.

Soon Alice was pounding and singing like a champion as Ianto joined in and Jack found himself singing along to 'three blind mice' then 'old woman who swallowed a fly' which seemed to be a favourite and then to Alice's extreme glee Ianto knew the 'fart song'.

Jack had never heard this one before and it had obviously come from some show as Ianto made fart noises that were so un-Grup that Jack was soon giggling like a loon.

They finished and cheered each other as they clapped and then listened.

"Wow, I think we did it" Ianto said softly to the wee girl, "Alice. I think you saved us."

She ran outside to look up and the sky was full of stars, the storm passed and she crowed as she danced about with glee singing, "I saved us!"

"I am so lucky I was here with you to save me, I might have been stormed" Ianto told her with a sage nod of his head as she squealed, crouched over her own clasped hands and then took off dancing again.

"I bet you were this hyper as a child" Ianto whispered to Jack, "What a hellion. Lucky you were cute or you might have been drowned in a bucket."

Jack laughed as he looked at the handsome man who was openly teasing him by calling him cute and asked, "Are you suggesting my daughter be drowned in a bucket good sir?"

"Don't be silly" Ianto snorted, "She's cute enough to keep as well. Despite being like you."

As Ianto walked over to Alice Jack felt something shift inside when Ianto glanced over his shoulder and winked, Ianto's words clearly insinuating that he was keeping Jack. Right?

Jack told himself not to read into it too much, to get a damned grip but it was so nice, for a moment, to forget the arrangement and see a pretty man flirt with him.

Wait.

He just flirted, right?

No-one here to see or report it, no reason….oh.

Really?