So, this is part of Walter 9 and Co.

The children are now … 2½ (Ton), 5½ (Babs), nearly 10 (Walt), and nearly 11 (Stephen)

As I had done a Christmas special for each year of Christmas this in the Vese but was asked for a Christmas Walter Story as a Christmas Gift, I decided to go back instead of continuing forward. Ianto was more fun back now, Jack more… gullible. And John… well.

So… you can thank Scotland Lover for requesting this.

Without further ado …. … … The New Years Madness

"Ianto will skin us alive" John hissed; the little one he was carrying was way too heavy. Ton is the size of a bloody sack of spuds… or a bag full of cats maybe and just as hard to hang onto.

"We need to get him a trolley to shove him in or something" Connor panted alongside them, his eyes darting about as he held Bethy's hand "Come on love. Can you see him?"

"Oh god… Ianto is gonna kill me" Jack agreed.

Ton saw a trolley bay and squealed as he felt himself getting shifted in John's grip, soon in the cart with his pudgy fingers poking through the bars like he was a wild animal, the glee in his face clear as John took off running.

"What the hell is he doing?" Connor asked Jack with confusion "There is no way he can even see him at that speed."

"Actually… that is a fucking brilliant idea!" Jack gasped "He will come out to see why Ton is making the siren yell."

"I swear to god… they say your child is twice as bad as you were as a child… if I didn't know better I would say Babbit's real father must be an ADHD spider monkey on crack."

Jack sniggered as he crouched to look under a display then cursed, still no Babs. What the hell.

"Bethy, come on love. Where would your mental one go, huh?" Connor said softly to his daughter and she screwed her face up and then shrugged to show she knew as much as anyone.

Then after another half hour and Jack finally agreeing he might have to ring Ianto and tell him that…

A, they were not at the park like he promised.

B, they were in a New Years Sale with the kids like he promised he would NEVER take them and…

C. Babbit is loose.

As he looked at the phone and tried to gather some words into his brain that would not bring the Jones Stare thought the very voice on the other end, Bethy asked sweetly "Can we go look in the pet store Dadda? I wanna see the animals."

They ran, dropping things they had been carrying and with hopeful expressions, they entered the Pets R Us store and looked around frantically. Finally, Bethy calling out "Babby! There you are you silly goat."

"We could get a goat, but I've not seen one" Babbit answered from behind a large aquarium and Jack ran around to seize him by the shoulders, hugging him tightly.

"Oh Dadda, there you are. Did you get lost again?" Babbit asked sweetly "You are so silly for wandering off all the time. Gods. Look, a special heat lamp. Berty might like one of those… well… two I guess if we have one at each house?"

Jack paid willingly for the things the kids wanted his heart still pounding.

That had been close.

And Ianto did not have to find out.

Right?