12
"Where are we?" Jack asked as they exited the vehicle and Ianto turned to face him "Grandy's place."
"Grandy? What… your grandfather…"
"No, not mine ya divvy"! Ianto snorted "The one who helped raise the fledglings. Their oldest. The Grandy. The Grand Rooster or whatever. He lives here, all those I could save from the Great War came here and as I brought them, they were imbibed into the flock and became… well... Earthlings?"
"Oh, good call. The oldest one became the surrogate parental. And you?"
Ianto did not answer, and Jack knew the answer himself, saying softly "And you were their Taddy."
"Tad, brother, son… whatever affectionate thing they saw me as. That's the difference between me and Theta, I stayed to help. I tried to make it right. I don't like to run. Some thought themselves older than me, others knew they were a mere second of time compared to mine… it did not matter. I went back time and time again. Lisa was the last one" Ianot stopped walking, at the door to the cabin "I failed her. Grandy was already old, the time between the first snatch and the last so long… so far… I felt the need to nurture her and look out for her. Of course, that led me to you and the realisation that Theta had yet again encroached on my life. What was I to do? I had hoped that in time I would be seen, recognised and then I could show her to you. You could help."
"Ianto, she was…"
"You think I didn't know that? Jack… I could not kill her. She as my child. My chick, don't you get it?" Ianto slumped, finally glancing at him "I knew you would kill her. I accepted that just… not like that. You accused me of betraying you even as…"
"Yet again I tore your heart out" Jack finished for him, then amended "Hearts. Fuck, why did Owen never…"
"I always stopped the little fucker's scanner before it reached that side. He always thought it was because of the lewd comments about my tackle."
"Well, you did catch a while with it" Jack winked.
"Yeah. A Killer Whale." Ianto frowned "You are more vicious than I remember. More… fatalistic. Time does that, I guess. In Theta's case it made him less concerned with a few lives. Weird though, how a single one can mean so much. He always was fickle like that. Even as a child."
"Hard to imagine the Doctor as one" Jack watched the door open and they stepped inside. Musty. Old. Tired. Stale. Grandy always forgets to air this place out when he visits. Oh god… photos. Jack rushed to the table and started to look tough the same photos Ianto had been looking at only a few weekends before.
"And there you see… hundreds. I saved hundreds of them, infiltrated into Human life. Their life expectancy the same so… why not. That one… she is Rhiannon" Ianto pointed to a photo "I am very fond of her. She was so small, still had feathers in her hair."
"Awww… she's so cute."
"Thanks" a voice said ans they both swing to find her in the doorway "Hi there my Lord, the kids are outside looking for the stupid goat."
"Blerp."
"Oh fuck… hello" she rolled her eyes as Blerp appeared from inside Ianto's jacket clearly put out that he had not bene spoken to in welcome. Like, she could even see him inside Ianto's clothing like that.
Blerp went to disappear again, then thought better of it "Blerpssssss?"
"Kids. You can speak ya know, stop being lazy' Ianto scolded, "they are outside. If you are going out please…. Don't step in any shit."
The little purple streak was gone, like a lizard, it scuttled out the door as Jack squeaked and did a little ICKY dance. Ianot turned to him "Jack, it is not a snake. IT is a Blerp."
"Sorry… you know I hate snakes. Almost as much as mice and rats. Ewwwww… scuttling things" Jack shuddered.
"Yes, so does he" Rhiannon pointed at Ianto "Said he feels them on the skin, their little feet running about when he looks at a picture of them."
"Ah, that's because when we were…" Jack pointed a finger as he went to talk about a time he was on a planet and….
"No" Ianto cut him off, "She does not know about that time. I do not speak of it, and I ask you not to either. I do not want my little one knowing any more than she needs to about the viciousness of all kinds."
"Not all kinds. The Dramaxols are peace loving… and those tentacles" Jack leered.
"
Stop it!" both voices said and Jack laughed as she sounded like a parrot.
Of course. Her kind do that.
Windy-Woo.
"So. Kids? Did I hear kids mentioned?" Jack clapped his hands together, then rubbed them "Children?"
Ianto watched him head outside and soon screaming started as Jack found the kids and proceeded to show them how to throw sods of dirt at the barn.
"He is… excitable" she said softly.
"Like a Labrador puppy. Full of those puppy eyes, loving looks, drooling occasionally and then… chews up you slippers" Ianto agreed, making her laugh.
"He is Javic."
Her smile faded and she spun to look out the window as he raced past with a boy in his arms and a purple thing on his head, the girl chasing them laughing as she swung a piece of rope like it was a whip.
"Your lost beloved."
"Yes" Ianto sighed. "The years together… he does not remember them. The Agency did something. Him and Johnty… I am gone."
"And now I understand" she turned back to him "I am sorry for scolding about your lack of a spare heart. Oh Taddy… he is… I see. And you to him?"
"I don't know. I think he loves me, not to the same extent as I do him but… he does only have one heart" Ianto grimaced. "Something inside of him remembers me."
Outside laughter echoed as Jack fell in the dirt, both kids non on top of him as Blerp scuttled to a nearby boulder to stand and scold with little hands clapping like a teacher trying to bring a class of unruly children to order.
And Rhiannon knew he was not leaving her this time either.
He would stay.
