60
Over the next weeks ticking into a new world, fencing went up, KEEP OUT signs were plastered on them along with a royal decree that the land within was beyond the law, under the umbrella of Her Majesty's Service.
The families of Ianto's adult 'siblings' joined the compound and it seemed to become a bustling township of people who were all likeminded and in good spirits …. Snort… yeah right.
Three weeks into the new arrangement and Gwen was on the warpath "RHYS!"
Rhys turned from the counter he was standing at in the little General Store they had set up, the bottle of milk still on the counter "Gwen. Lovely, and so early in the day."
"Anwen needs…."
"Ah!" Andy said as he slid around the shelving with a box of cereal to go with the milk "The dulcet tones of a single mother trying to find a Sugar Daddy."
A snort or three could be head around the shelving and she stepped around to find Ianto and one of the Green Berets giggling together, holding hands like children.
"You think this is funny?"
"Yessss?" the woman who was clasping Ianto's hands squeaked.
Ianto gave an explosive snort and then said in a giggly voice "My… my sister is trying to say…. Wrong man to hustle. He is not the child's father, you were sleeping around remember?"
"How dare you…"
"Might I remind you, dear lady, that you do not have to be here. You do not actually… well… belong here" Andy said in a silly voice "So maybe, it's best you shut your cakehole and… bounce along now."
"Bounce… bounce?" she spluttered.
Andy mimed jumping on his feet with his hands held up chest high as if cupping something in each palm… Rhys's booming laugher filling the shop as he reached out to pull him back in a fake scolding.
"You know what, I think…."
"No Gwen." Ianto said, his voce more stern "I do not think that the others will agree and rally with you and all vote to have you made spokesperson for all the 'Normals' here. I find that quite offensive actually."
"What?" she gaped "You… are you reading my thoughts?"
"Yes Gwen" he rolled his eyes "I am."
She ran from the store as the others folded over with peals of laughter, the two men at the counter clinging to one another as the tears rolled down their faces, then Andy spluttered out "Did you… did you… hey…."
"No. I was warned by some of the other parents that she is making rumbling about having a representative to air their grievances. The thing is, no one else has a grievance to air. Sort of obvious who that would be in her mind, right?" Ianto shrugged and they all laughed some more as Gwen had clearly believed it.
Silly twat.
.
.
"Hey Gwen, got ya some tin foil" Rhys said as he sat on the bench next to her, shoving the roll of foil at her "You know… to make a hat to protect your brain box or whatever conspiracy theorists do."
She glared at him, but did snatch the roll to sit back and clutch like it was a bomb.
"Gwen, it is true. You do not have to be here. If you keep rocking the boat, you will find out the deep water is actually a silage pond." Rhys said conversationally as he waved to the little girl who was energetically waving back, her smile wide and gappy like her mother's. "I did want a child with you. Look at her. She's gorgeous, just like I imagined a daughter might be. But she's not mine. It's not her fault, I can overlook it for the love I feel for her, for all of them but… knowing you fucked someone else… killed anything I felt you. You. Not an unknown, unborn child. You. You are trying to use her like a weapon. YOU are the fucking grenade that blows everything up."
She made a noise in her throat.
"I did love you. So much. So much. I might have believed she was mine. Embraced her and loved her but… the dates don't match and it's the one thing you cant alter. You can't fib around like you do everything else to fit your narrative. She is clearly a cuckoo. Clearly. You also need to remember that you turned others in, you are responsible for the deaths of other babies, you did that."
"To protect my own" she said sullenly.
"And I understand that too… but can't forgive it. Tell me Gwen, for her… how far would you go? Me? Ianto? This entire compound if she was granted immunity? Would you?"
She did not answer, sliding done lower in her seat and he nodded.
"And that is the only reason he lets you stay. He knows that if he makes you leave, it will kill you to be parted from her. She will not care, no one else will care… but you will. So, stop needling the only man who is supporting you here. The only one who gets the BIG votes. Sooner or later Anwen is going to get annoyed or bored with your antics. And what then? You embarrass your child to do what?" Rhys examined her face and then rose to leave.
"He is not the boss of me."
"He is not trying to be ya gormless twat" Rhys sighed deeply, showing such disappointment in her "Don't you get it? He's not the boss. He's just another parent… like you. Only, the kids actually like him."
He walked away, leaving the low blow hanging in the wind. He knew it was cruel but she had to learn.
Pull your head in.
Or get it ripped off.
Out on the playground the children all stood watching him walk away, their heads all turning to look at the one who was causing discontent in their world. They then all swung to look at Anwen who nodded, agreeing that the next time she needed a talking to… it would not be by an adult.
IT would be them.