4

"So, he is calming down now?" one of the old Blumanchu women asked, her dreads so pale they were like a powder blue. Almost silver now. Gabriel was currently standing behind her as she sat on the riverbank, his little hands stroking said dreadlocks with such soft affection.

"Sort of. I mean, I see what Ianto means. I had no idea the energy level alone… maybe because he is a boy, I raised girls. This is my first boy as the only other boy I had… well… he died… and maybe it's like the old saying goes."

"Hmmm?"

"Your misdeeds as a child are doubled in your own?" Jack frowned "something like that. Like… whatever you do to your parents be careful because your own children will be worse. An old Boeshanian superstition but now I wonder. I know I was a bit of a shit."

"And he be a mighty one" she nodded, then giggled as the Mighty One leaned around to kiss her cheek lovingly.

She giggled and pulled him around "You cheeky Whitemanchu"

He laughed, his head falling back as he lay there, his love and trust clear to all.

Jack sighed and got up "Come on beast. Time to… ah…. Fuck."

As he had started to speak his son had roused himself from the woman's arms and by the time he had two words out Gabriel was running.

Away.

Fast.

Jack wondered if Ianto would crow too much if he asked about that fucking leash.

.

.

"Oh shit" Ianto groaned as he loked at the numbers on the screen "And this was yesterday afternoon?"

"Yes. It is hailing us every twenty minutes and seems determined to dump and run" John answered leaning back to watch Ianto's face as it went from annoyed to horrified then concerned "Children?"

"Yes, looks like at least twenty children in their main holds" John agreed.

"Well, we have a duty of care, we can't turn them away even if we have nowhere really to put them. Bugger it all… Jack will be pissed as all hell. He just got those new barracks finished and the billeting done… he was looking forward to a break. Gabriel is killing us." Iant paused to consider then said in a sly voice "You know… I will deal with this. How about you go find Jack. Gabriel will be excited to see you, maybe you can ease Jack into the news?"

"He will be pissy" John agreed, accepting back the tablet.

The ship coming their way was both unregulated and unwanted and the refugees onboard from a war planet also unwanted but at the same time they were all refugees of some sort or another. Ianto sighed and headed for the Blumanchu for some advice.

After all… they would have to welcome them too.

.

.

"But are they refugees or asylum seekers, a difference there" Toshiko said as she sat at the kitchen table of the Harkness-Jones residence that afternoon.

"They say refugees" Ianto answered watching Jack who was slumped in his chair. Gabriel had done a number on him. "Love, care for another coffee?"

Jack nodded perking up as he smiled at Ianto who rose to please his poor mate, finding the boy in the backyard as he looked out through the kitchen window. John was out there and they were both running with ribbons flitting in the air, both of them laughing their tits off. God, so alike. Of course. Their son was hyper like him.

Thank God the section is fully fenced.

Ianto retuned to the table as someone aid "there is the old mess hall. We could fit that out for now, like a refuge camp while we sort more permanent placements?"

"Yeah, that would work" Jack agreed, accepting the coffee with a glance of thinks.

"We will need to commandeer some large units for the duration. Might need a working budget?" Rhys cut in. "Can the Judoon help with the muscle work?"

"Mmm, Rhia love… can you and Alice sort that?" Ianto asked, delegating to his assistants who nodded as both were taking various notes in their pads. Nepotism be damned. Both these girls worked bloody hard for the settlement and were an asset. Don't let anyone say otherwise or both fathers might cut a bitch.

"Where is Gab?" Jack asked as he downed the coffee.

"John has him out back. I never noticed before how alike they are. Both runners both have short attention spans and are both quite scarily cleaver but hide it behind tomfoolery" Ianto smiled.

Jack sat there staring at Ianto and after a while Ianto asked "What is wrong?"

"They are a lot alike, aren't they" Jack replied slowly.

"Jack. He is the image of you, you know he is. Don't start crap about him being John's or something because he is refusing to cut his hair and wears boots everywhere. Maybe he is fond of his Uncle Johnty because he spoils him? And the hair… well… the Blumanchu do not believe in cutting hair…. Remember?"

"I was not going to say that at all" Jack said, trying to bristle but looking a little ashamed "Maybe I am a little jealous of the fact he behaves for him."

"He doesn't behave for him. They both like to misbehave together and it just looks like John is in charge but really they are in agreement" Ianto sighed as he flopped back "I would not trust Jonh to bank the fire let alone feed a newling a bottle without fear of something happening, same as Gabriel. They are about the same mental age of naughty."

"I… I just thought… it would be different" Jack slumped as well.

"A phase. This is a phase, it too shall pass. I remember Rhia going through a phase of wearing gloves… lasted almost three weeks before she decided it was too hard to scratch her butt one day and had a meltdown at me like I had made her wear them or something" Ianto laughed.

"I just have worries…. Boys are different out girls and I never thought it would be such a learning curve" Jack added "For all of us."

"Well, I think you are handling it as well as you can and I am proud of how strong you are, how patient you are being when I can feel the annoyance coming off you and… wait. Jack. He is Boeshanian, you keep saying so yourself. He's not a Welshman like me but… what if….no. Do you think is possible he is empathic?" Ianto turned to look out through the window at the child laughing softly "He can feel your annoyance and is mirroring it? Making out he doesn't want your help because you don't want help? John is always like a bloody dog, happy to run and fetch… he sees that and acts the same? With me it's control. So, he is out of control?"

Jack sat up straighter "You think? It's down to attitude?"

"Make everything fun, a game and you can't wait to do it. Like… brushing your teeth means you can pull faces in the mirror to see who looks like a rabid dog… bathtime is to see if there are farts to bubble the water… positivity" Ianto rose and looked out again, seeing both idiots now spread eagle on the gras panting as they watched clouds. "John does not expect much, just someone to be silly. John's Gab-Gab is silly. Your Gabby is unruly and my Garbriel is crafty as a shithouse rat. He is emulating us. I think so… oh my god, so clever. He is giving us our medicine."

They both started to laugh as they cracked the Gabriel code and Jack hoped like hell Ianto was right. He didn't know how much longer he could resist the urge to leave him tied to a lamppost or something.

Emulating. Mirroring.

Right.

Clever little fuck.

What sort of soldier could he be?