20

"Are you just going to sit there while the relationship you told me is the best thing in your life is slowly eroded away, or are you going to follow him into that room and get a look at the child he has borne you with absolutely NO feckin help from anyone? Ya useless gobshite"

Jack shot from the chair like he had ben bitten in the arse, entering the bedroom to find Ianto on the bed, their little one on a blanket with her little nappy getting done up. Ianto smiled down at her "And here's Daddy, finally showing an interest. Don't get too used to it. He will leave again because I am such a fucking bore. Sorry little one, we are almost done. There we are."

Jack looked down at the tiny face, those stormy pools of anger staring back up and he felt his knees buckle, kneeling now to reach out and gently touch her cheek "Oh by the Goddess on High… she's…. wow."

"Yeah. That' what I said too" Ianto smiled at her "Isn't she the Wowest of Wows?"

"She looks pretty lively" Owen said as he peered around Jack.

"She is fine, suckles like a piglet, is not afraid of loud noises or the bluster of the kids traveling around the house, she likes to snuggle and sleep. So far she has not really done much else. Being brand new and all, but she definitely has promise" Ianto said happily "Don't you Astra?"

Jack looked at Ianto and asked "You named her?"

"You were not here. What were the words John used… ah… 'I need a break from that man and his baby madness?' Yeah… me and my Baby Madness are more than capable of doing this without you, breaker of oaths. User and deceiver." Ianto scooped up the baby and turned his back to Jack as he rose from the bed "You two go play now. I will be fine. Another half hour for her to suckle and then she will sleep, and I can clean up the bathroom finally. I don't need help. Clearly, I asked for too much already."

"Wait… wait… hang on. That's not fair" Jack spluttered, totally flummoxed.

"Fair? It's not… fair? It's OK Jack. I mean it. I am not even mad anymore. Disappointed sure but… I get it. I do. When you have time, you will be here for us. When you don't… I can sink or swim. No big deal, right? You can live off my other tit, she only needs one" Ianto said with the calmness oozing out of him like a syrupy sweet honey.

"Astra? Can I… can I hold her?"

"Named for the star she is." Ianto handed her over calmly, letting jack finally hold their little one and she looked up at him, then screwed her face up and roared more loudly than one so small should be able to. He thrust her back quickly, showing alarm.

"Sorry. I guess she can hold a grudge even if I don't really give a rat's arse" Ianto said with a shrug, accepting her back "Go on then. You were going to play in the secondary bunker with your friends, right?"

Jack sat on the bed and looked at Owen for help but he just shrugged and headed to the bathroom to clean it up, at least he could do that with the horrible feeling in his gut that Ianto had tried to call for help and had been simply dismissed as whinging again.

Like the boy who cried wolf… only… the Bad Wolf had the last laugh there.

.

.

Rhiannon entered the house with the two boys, both of them running for the bedroom as she placed the armful of towels on the table "Ianto? I have the towels."

"Thanks sis" he said as he walked past, his robe now open as Jack was refusing to let go of the little one like he was scared Ianto might not offer again, the second cuddle going better than the first one.

Jack entered the space with his face full of adoration, fully focused on the little bundle in his arms "Ianto… does she have my mouth?"

"Could be worse. Could have Owen's gob" Ianto tittered like everything was grand, lifting the towels and wandering off to put them in the cupboard like Rhiannon could not do that one simple fucking thing.

"Did you have her when i…"

"Yep."

"Why didn't' you say anything!" she demanded "You took the chance of a first look?"

"Jack is her father and as such, apparently it's a family tradition for the father to be the first to hold her and bullshit so… you would not have had a peek at her anyway. Nice he has finally found time for me. I guess a little meet and greet in a few days could be a go, I will feel more like sharing then. And maybe Jack has time in his busy life for it too" Ianto replied as he settled into a chair and sighed softly, letting his head fall back. "I am so tired laboured for a few hours ya know and then all this after stuff… Owen, thanks for cleaning up the bathroom. You didn't have to. Apparently, I can do anything all by myself."

"Yes, I did" Owen argued as he watched Jack softly dance around the room crooning at the baby now. "Right, for the records. Her name is Astra?"

"Astra Lenora Harkness Jones" Ianto nodded absently as he plucked at the tablecloth "Jack's grandmother was called Lenora. I think… yeah. I had a Great Aunt Lenny who was a brilliantly stubborn woman. She chewed tobacco, drank like a sailor and could punch a man right off his feet. A good name."

"OK, and it is Harkness Jones?"

"Well… he still hasn't bonded to me, maybe never will. He might be waiting for a better offer to come along, how do I know. Bound to be someone out there with more money who can keep him in the lifestyle he has grown accustomed to" Ianto said without looking over at the man holding the baby "But she is his so... she will have his name but mine last too so if he does leave me she can still have my name with his can be as a middle one."

"Ianto, I am sorry" Jack said. Trying to get his attention.

Ianto did not acknowledge him but continued to speak to Owen "She was born at thirteen past six. I don't know her weight and I will not let you weigh her. I don't want anyone else touching her for a while, she is delicate."

"Of course," Owen nodded "Toshiko will want to come over and say hello, is that OK?"

"Sure. Only if she wants to, there is no pressure. She might want to come for the party if she has time" Ianto shrugged and Owen saw the raw pain, the sheer mental pain Ianto was holding in.

Thye had all let him down.

They had become complacent, and they had all disregarded him and their promise to stay close and to be with him to care for him and welcome the little one into their world.

Owen felt horrible, he could not even imagine Jack's shame.

.

.

"Ianto, I am sorry."

"I know" Ianto replied as he fussed on the little bassinet by the bed "Here we go. Pop her in, she will sleep better in here than in our arms. We need her to get used to being alone sometimes. How it is in this house. I might be busy and no one else can be fucking bothered, right?"

Jack took the sting in the words grimacing as he placed the baby down, watching Ianto move in to cover her and croon, his hand stroking the little tufts of hair and then he stepped back with a sad smile "There ya go. Sleep tight little star."

"Ianto…"

"I don't want to hear it. I don't want fake apologies, or to feel your pain and need for comfort. I don't need your pain on top of my own. Shield please or leave" Ianto said as he moved to the bed and started to crawl into the bedding "I have to sleep while she is. When she wakes, I will have to feed her. Either stop making me feel bad for not having you here for the birth you clearly did not care about or fuck off."

"I want to stay."

"IF you stay… there will be things to talk about later once I am calmer and there WILL be changes because I have Astra to consider now and since no one else seems to care… I must act in her best interests. And mine."

Jack kicked off his boots and clambered onto the bed to spoon Ino and send only happy feelings on the arrival of their child, trying to swallow back his disappointment and anger in himself.

Ianto was right.

He needed to cycle with the baby, and he needed to be present for her.

Jack could not be relied on. He had proven this with his childish blocking of Ianto's coms at a time where he really should have been home so there was no need for a emergency call that never got through.

And he did not know how to apologize.