37

Ianto proudly stood with his GrandTad's arm around his shoulders, the photo op too much for the press who all knew the powerful man publically acknowledging one of his bloodline. The Brig did not so these sorts of things.

Caden had been getting fussy and Gray had instinctively raced to Ianto with horror, the photo chance of the three generations of Jones now on display as the old man proudly declared the child a Jones import, just as good as any his own bloodline could produce, thereby effectively slapping down the stupid reporter who dared asked how he felt about the child not being blood, 'just' adopted.

"My Cariad and I may look into DNA splicing" Ianto snarled as he simmered with that polite smile in place, "Alice is gorgeous and I wonder what my DNA may look like mixed with such beauty. I have a sister, as does Jack. Perhaps an egg from each of them mixed with our sperm to the respective egg and we see if anything sparks. I would say a true Wolfling with Captain Tendencies would be a force to be reckoned with."

Clapping and cheering as Rose stepped forward saying she would proudly surrogate for them if needed, also wanting their family to expand.

The Brigadier looked at her and smiled softly "Young lady, I remember when you were small enough to bounce in my knee, by Pete's Laws you have become a handsome woman. Look at little Rosie Mae."

Rose blinked, then gasped, "Biggy?"

He roared with mirth, "That's what you called me not bigger that this little one clinging to my grandson now, hello there young lady"

He bent to look at Alice who gave her best smile and curtsy, wanting to please Ianto when he seemed nervous and the brigadier crooned, "Beautiful sweetling. Ah. Jackson, you made such a sweet daughter, all those poor boys who will have to run such a gauntlet one day to seek her hand."

"Her hand" Jack snorted, "Brig, they will get shot if they so much as smell her damned bum breeze!"

Laugher as those listening saw the familiarity between the men and Ianto saw his chance, "If you will excuse me, my little man has presented me with something for my retirement as well and it is not going away anytime soon."

More laughter as he bowed politely and shot from the room with Alice still handing on his jacket to escape to the elevator. Ianto slumped against the wall and looked at her, "Think Daddy will forgive us for abandoning him?"

She considered and rolled her eyes, "He could have run too."

"Fair point madam, fair point" Ianto nodded sagely as he smiled softly and they walked to the nursery wing where he found Mavis with her brood hiding out. "Hello bugs."

The young all swarmed to Alice pulling at her flash black dress as she giggled and let them pull off her long gloves. She giggled more as they started on the buckles of her shoes and Ianto ignored the madness, sitting next to the woman he had protected for so long and had grown accustomed to.

"The food is sweet" she said conversationally as she plucked at the large platter of food Cook had brought up. Ianto chose a savoury and hummed, finally eating something and then letting her snatch the baby from him with glee to scuttle off.

"Thief" he called happily as she clacked her mandibles at him and saw to the baby with interest, the curiosity of a naked human, even a tiny one an oddity to her. Ianto just wondered how often she had glanced at him and wondered, then he smiled.

Jack slid around the doorframe and leaned against the wall, "you left me. All those people and her."

"Bum squeeze Hartman?"

"Soooooo not funny!" Jack growled then snorted as he flopped into a chair. "How long before they realise we left our own party?"

"GrandTad has left, they will wait until the ping to say he's wheels up and then all evacuate to tell everyone they saw him in the flesh" Ianto assured him, "Yvonne has just left."

"How do you…oh. The cameras" Jack looked at the wall and all the security cameras live feeds Ianto was watching like a voyeur.

"Come on Captain, these little beasts need to go to bed and I think tonight, since she was so wonderfully well behaved and super stylish Alice deserves not two but three books that we both read for her!"

The crowing was loud and raucous as Alice and the young bugs all scampered for her wing, one of the larvas so excited that he climbed the wall to run along the ceiling and both men watched with awe as the bug scampered.

"OK, still a little strange" Jack said softly, "But not a spider, right? Not a spider."

"A child" Ianto agreed, "Definitely a child."

Jack shuddered and nodded, following the nightmare scene as he faced his fears.