5

Owen had left with his usual wave out the car window and Jack settled in the armchair he seemed to sit in these afternoons, his hand again on the dog's head. Janet was so soothing, just a calm presence like she knew he needed something to ground him.

"Hey" Ianto settled in his own chair, his hand coming down with Myfanwy's head like they were bookends. "You Ok after all that?"

"I need time to chew on it. I mean… Melissa… that hurts. Strangely not Lucia. But that little one, I wanted to be a father so bad, I fought so hard for is to start a family and when she finally agreed, saying she had actually already fallen I was… amazed. Sex between us was so rare and I thought that was why she had initiated it al of a sudden, then a couple of weeks later announcing that she had fallen in… then Melissa born premature but… I guess if I pulled my head out of my arse I might have realized the dates were too off and… god. Now it's all laid out… it's pretty fucking obvious. Eighteen months. I think maybe at least two years actually." Jack admitted.

"Sorry, that's a kick in the teeth" Ianto sighed softly "and you have nice teeth."

"Oh, I do?" Jack grinned, and then let it fade as he let his head fall back and he closed his eyes.

"Take time, let it sink in and I will start the meal prep for tonight's meal" Ianto rose and left Jack there, sitting in the sun that was flowing in through the glass. Mirrors. Outside the glass was a mirror, reflecting back the garden. Inside a softly tinted glass. Jack had no idea why they were like that but Ianto was a strange cat alright. Said so himself.

Jack fell asleep after a while.

It had been like a fucking marathon, this smashing of his heart.

.

.

Ianto had made stew. Amazing stew that tasted like sunlight and wilderness. Sounds silly but… that's how it tasted. Ianto admitted to foraging in the forest which he apparently owned as well, the deer meat was a barter for some of the last cattle beast he had killed, the cattle and sheep Jack saw on the drive up the long driveway were shared with his neighbor. Ianto had it all worked out, it was a lovely place and a nice deal to be hidden away form everything and everyone.

It finally occurred to Jack that there was a story there.

Ianto was hiding too.

Only he was the master of disguise.

.

.

"So you have to go back day after tomorrow" Toshiko said as she sat with her legs tucked up under herself in the chair, like a little girl. Ianto leaned over to kiss her head as he placed the dainty cup and saucer down, her smile of delight directed at him.

"Do you want her?" Ianto asked and Jack was confused for a moment.

"What?"

"The baby. Do you want her?"

"But she's not mine" Jack replied.

"So? Your name on the birth certificate, you don't have to use the DNA report to prove her infidelity. Toshiko can use just more recent CCTV footage of your living room sofa workout, we can say it's a recent thing… she might jump on that to save face as well not realize the baby is not yours. Or not think about the fact by admitting to the affair as a recent thing to save her reputation, she is giving us a chance to get custody of the baby."

"Well… the CCTV footage I have does show that she is not caring for the child correctly, and if we do it at the same time as the divorce paper, we could actually get physical custody of the little one, then it's up to her to fight." Toshiko pointed out.

Jack looked at Ianto "But... she's not mine."

"Yes she is. You were there when she was born, you were the main caregiver if Toshiko is right about the CCTV footage... you love her. She only knows you as her Daddy so… you are her daddy. What is DNA compared to love." Ianto argued "Do you want her? If so… we can snavel her along with your divorce, then by the time she remembers the truth… she will have dug herself into a hole she can't get out of."

"But the allegations…"

"False and disprovable too. We let this play out, we do what we need to and… you get something out of this" Ianto shrugged.

Jack settled back, he had much to think about now.

This was all crazy and… he did really love her as his own.

Ianto was right.

He was starting to realize that Ianto seemed to be always right.