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Ianto was laughing as Jack tried to defend himself, the banana being spat at him was causing some amusement on an otherwise quiet morning.

"Alice, damn, come on girl. You like Nanas." Jack spluttered.

Ianto shook his head and placed a lone strawberry in front of Jack, the little girl's face changing as she leaned as far as she could to try and reach it. Apparently is was a strawberry day. Jack made a show of picking it up and sniffing at it, then holding it out to examine it like it was spun gold.

With a snatch, she had it, shoving it into her mouth with a look of glee, strawberry juice squirting out the side of her mouth as she chomped down and hummed happily. Both men laughed.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Jack asked, wiping at her face.

"Well, it's a nice day out there. Picnic?" Ianto suggested and Jack looked at him with surprise.

"Oh? Whereabouts?"

"Well, there is a trail I take out back, through the woods to the old caretaker's cabin. I paint there." Ianto replied.

"Paint… wait… all these gorgeous landscapes are yours?" Jack asked, looking at the one he liked the most, the small scrawl at the bottom corner nothing like a signate for Ianto Jones. The old wishing well was covered in a rambling rose and the forget-me-not flowers around the base seems to randomly placed yet… perfect. It was a real place?

"JB?"

"James Bond. It's an inside joke" Ianot said with a shrug and Jack laughed again. "Anyway… we can have a nice day there and you can see the old well in that painting. The rambling rose will be in full bloom so it will make for a nice subject."

"Hear that Ali-bean? We are having a picnic" Jack crooned as his little one squealed and clapped her sticky strawberry juiced hands.

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"So, how long have you been living here?" Jack asked as they walked the overgrown path that you would not even know was there unless following the owner. More like a goat track, Jack suspected the dogs took this route as part of their daily run. They did disappear for up to an hour at a time and Ianot told him they were checking the parameters of the fencing like good soldiers.

"I've lived here for four… nearly five years." Ianto replied, "I retired and found me a little slice of heaven."

After a ten-to-fifteen-minute wander they came upon the old cottage that looked better kept than he expected, even if the ivy growing all over it made it all but invisible in the underbrush. "Wow."

"Yeah, right? So cool in the summer. I can spend a day or so here, sleep under the stars over there on that mossy embankment. The dogs love it" Ianto laughed as he pointed, and Jack found himself in love with the little spot.

"I love it" he admitted. "But… how do you mow?"

"It's not grass, it's moss." Ianto pointed at their feet "No worries. Some dwarf lavender growing wild in amongst it, must be natural overflow self-seeding from the gardens that were originally here a hundred years or so back when people lived here fulltime."

"And now it's your little hidey-hole away from your… hidey hole?" Jack asked, the amusement clear.

"Well if you haven't' worked out the fact I have layers… you don't know me at all" Ianto winked, both of them laughing.

"Well, I love it" Jack assured him, lifting the little girl up to touch the leaves of the oak tree.

A nice place and a nice day.

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"You know… I was thinking about that cottage" Jack said as they sat by the fire with their doggie armrests, watching the flames that night, safe and sound back home. The little girl fast asleep in her bed.

"No. We are not fixing it up, we are not improving the walkway… I like it hidden and creepy" Ianto said instantly, and Jack laughed.

"No… no… I do too. I mean… I think we need to keep it hidden and not tell anyone. Your paintings are so… ethereal. Like, another world. I like that. I was thinking that maybe if we keep some food and stuff there, so we are not carrying everything" Jack explained. "A couple of changes of old clothes so if we get caught in a downpour or do some cleaning or gardening, we can clean up."

"Ah. Good idea Cariad" Ianto nodded and went back to watching the flames.

Jack felt strangely weird about Ianto's attitude. He was hiding, admitted he was hiding and hated anything to do with the world at large.

And Jack didn't want to stuff this up, so new, so shiny and so… nice.

Jack watched the flames and let it go.

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"So, just these" archie slid over the last of the paperwork and Jack signed with a flourish, his divorce complete. Archie was great at fast-tracking something the usually took years to work out, Lucia suddenly willing to let things go if she kept the penthouse apartment and her luxury car. Jack didn't care, hated the place and the car. Hated her too really. Hard thing to admit, mother of his child but… well… we all know that backstory, right?

"And Ali?"

"The paperwork for her is being pushed through how. Next time I visit I will bring her updated birth certificate with her new name officially declared and her new middle one as well." Archie promised "anything else you need?"

"My phone is playing up, I need another smartphone for my emails" Jake claimed, Ianto 's hatred of tech something that was awkward. No Wi-Fi, no cellphones and no laptops etc. He had lapsed this with Jack on the condition that he NEVER use the phone at home or post pictures of the house or Ianto.

Jack drove to the nearby town whenever he had to use the phone, but it was still necessary to keep in touch with his family and friends, this social butterfly missed the limelight a little.

Archie loke directly at Ianto, knowing this rule. And unlike Jack, he knew the reason too.

Ianto shrugged, looking away to show he did not mind so Archie nodded "I will get one for you. Bring it next week with the birth certificate for Alice."

After he left Jack turned to Ianto and asked "Why? Are you in Witness Protection or something?"

Ianto laughed as he struck a pose and used a great cockney accent "Ya right Governor, yas got me. Damn."

Ianot leaned in and kissed him softly, patted his chest and went back to mixing the salad.

Jack thought no more of it.