8

Jack was watching Ianto as he dressed Melissa. Ianto glanced over and smiled "What."

"You are good with her."

"My sister had a couple of kids, I enjoyed them most as babies, before the sulking began. Spoilt. I hated that, the sulking and the whining. Rhia never disciplined them" Ianto said as he lifted the baby and kissed her cheek, and then handed her to Jack.

"So, Lucia" Jack sighed, seeing that Ianto did not want to explain why he was using past tense for his family. He rocked his daughter gently in the manner she liked.

"Well... we have to let that play out now. She will be scrambling for other reasons to divorce. Now she has seen the CCTV footage Tosh could get so easily, surely she will realize that her own footage might play just as damningly." Ianto shrugged, then smiled as the baby girl went limp "awwww, little button is sleepy. Why Melissa?"

"She called her that. I wanted to call her Alice but… well. Lucia got her own way on many things. Now I know why she was so stern… him. Alice was my mother's name." Jack sneered. "His mother's name is Melissa so I hear."

"So, every time you say her name you say the name of the… no. Oh no. A hard noping on that one. If you want to call her that… is it the middle name?" Ianto asked.

"Yes, I was allowed that" Jack nodded.

"Well, then call her Alice. Why not… suits her with her dark hair anyway" Ianto shrugged as he settled in his chair to pick up the local paper, shaking it out to show he was done with the conversation.

Jack was surprised to find he was OK with that.

And so Melissa became Alice.

.

.

"WHERE IS SHE YOU BASTARD!" Lucia screamed over the table as her lawyer tried to pull her back.

"I have interim custody while we sort things out" Jack said calmly, the hand on his knee under the table a surprise, and a lovely one. Ianto seemed to be ignoring the woman as he raised the cup of tea with his other hand, taking a delicate sip before placing it back down. Tea when in public, Ianto did not trust coffee made by armatures.

"I will destroy you" she snarled in answer. "I will bury you, and piss on your grave!"

"We have proof of your infidelity, proof of your poor parenting skills that are borderline abuse and even proof of you attacking Jack, him calling the police and then you framing yourself and being the one that is the victim" Archie was leaning back in his chair "what makes you think we are sacred of you?"

"Well…the baby isn't even his. I was fucking Gavin even before then. Two and a half years, having to sneak about with a man that actually CAN get my rocks off" she spat.

Archie turned to the mediator "see? She even admits it. She is the adulterer here."

"DNA will prove she is not his. Why does he have her?" Lucia was slapping the table now.

"Because you are violent and unpredictable. And Mister Gavin Get Your Rocks Off is a registered pedophile" Archie replied "Sex with his thirteen year old niece."

Silence as even Jack did not know that one, his mouth falling open even as Lucia's snapped shut. Then in a low tone she snarled "He only touched her breasts you know."

"Well now… here we are." Ianto finally spoke "I think… I think we need to be realistic. Jack is and always has been more of a provider for the baby than Lucia, clearly she has little to no interest since we can also show that for the entire time Jack was separated from the little girl, Lucia had her in care of her Aunt or a sitting service…. Like a dog. Lucia did not even want her."

"Yes…" the mediator frowned as the papers were shuffled "I can see that."

"If you do not give me back my baby…."

"You will kill me. Yes, I know. So you say on a regular basis. Does my face not show the proof of your threats?" Jack waved a hand at his face which still bore the marks. "And we have footage of you slapping me at home too, and the time you broke that plate over my head."

"I think for now, the custody of the child should remain with her father while we sort out…."

Lucia went insane, the papers and water jug flying, the glass full of water that hit Jack in the head was clearly seen by the mediator and the lawyers… and security who held her down while Jack exited the room.

"well… what now?" Jack asked in a shaky voice as they stood outside the room. Ianto was checking the egg on his had from the water glass, those fingers gentle as Ianto stood so close their bodies were touching.

"We go home and you enjoy that baby. She is toast. This will be a jail sentence for her now, the mediator is a family judge and if you don't think the gossip around here will sink her… well… you don't know how loose lips work my friend." Archie laughed. "I will slip back in to talk to Monica and… sort this out."

"I want to go home. You know my skin crawls out here in the world of technology and bullshit" Ianto hissed.

"And so we shall" Jack agreed.

Home sounds good.