16
"Yanorish that is…"
"I know what he is. He is my son" Ianto cut him off with a glare "What do you want, please stop making me repeat myself, you know I abhor repetition."
"And…holding him…"
"Yes. That's Jack. You know Jack right? That impossible thing you let her lose to fuck about with while gleefully naming herself the Bad Wolf… yes. Blah blah… do we have to go over all of this? I do hate stating the obvious all the time too" Ianto glared. "Have you forgotten my impatience with such primitive things as talking about the past?"
The Doctor blinked at him, then turned to the one who might be more polite "Hi Jack. So, this little fella…"
"Is our son, yeah. What he said."
The Doctor's finger had been about to poke at Blerp and he froze, watching as the blob became a small creature with eyes…teeth… then the nasty mouth opening to bite him changed into an unmistakable Harkness grin, the face now becoming a mix of Ianto and Jack as the child emerged to blink at him owlishly.
"Ooooo… adaptable."
Ianto huffed "What do you want. Interrupting a family right before a meal, this is rude even for you."
"Meal?"
"Got anyone over there that might like to join us?" Jack asked, nodding towards the doors and the Doctor seemed to consider, then he shook his head.
"You're alone? You. Mister Companion Collector?" Ianto scoffed then his face changed as he stepped closer "Are you OK Theta?"
"Yes. Well… sort of … I think so. I need… well. I am alone." The Doctor blustered, then sort of deflated.
Ianto stepped over to gather him into his arms and the Doctor's face was one of shock as he received a hug from one who rarely even showed emotion at all. The soft kiss to his cheek leaving him stunned as Ianto then stepped back and cleared his throat "Right. Come on, hope you are hungry. I am and Blerp eats like a demon… like Jack. There is no closed mouth politeness here."
"Yes, I m ware of his table manners. Just don't give him a large, creamed donut… it will give you nightmares" the Doctor said with fake bravado.
"Oh Theta… what do you think he used to entrap me in his snare of loveliness? A donut? Wait until you see him eat a slice of pizza… deep dish. My god… he folds it and folds it… like a temporal flux in his mouth." Ianto said in a silky voice and the Doctor laughed, a sad but hopeful noise.
He was hurt.
Something had happened, he had lost someone… or someones. Jack knew that look, the Doctor had won at great cost as per usual and he was not here because of Blerp, had not even known Blerp exited. No. He had come looking for companionship that was not everlasting but… familiar. Jack had been a surprise too.
As the two Timelords sat talking, Jack sat and watched, the Blerp moving across the table to nudge Ianto, who in turn moved to accommodate the beast in his lap and cuddle, rocking slowly as Blerp started to fall sleep in the warm loving clutch of his dam. The cat that wandered out of nowhere to sniff at everyone, then check where Blerp was before wandering off again not even gaining the Doctor's attention.
"So.. I hear the Queen scolded you" Ianto said, puling Jack back in and he listened as the Doctor gave a spirited retelling of running along a corridor with blue walls when he stumbled and caused a vase to fall… an ugly thing apparently… but so old. She had been enraged when he had assured her several times he had thins older to replace it with and not so gaudy either.
"I mean…" the Doctor finished with a flourish "It was only like… two hundred or something. Not a jot on me… or even you!"
"Or Jack" Ianto agreed.
"Yes. Well. Er…."
"Look… I think you owe Jack an apology for leaving him like that… but he needs to know that you will always run away from mistakes, even as I try to fix them. And as for that other one… we both know he is the one reveling in the mistakes."
"Well, let's not talk about him" the Doctor grimaced "Master is his own problem."
"Well, we are having some lunch and then Jack and me are going to Boeshane to visit with his mother and our son who she cares for. Time Blerp met his family" Ianto said like it was nothing "Wanna tag along?"
"Boeshane" the Doctor leaned back and screwed his face up "Have I ever been there?"
"Exactly. I believe one must try to visit as many places as possible… for exploratory purposes" Ianto nodded as he started to rise, the sleeping child in his arms now snoring in a most Jackish way.
"Here love, I'll go lay with him in our bed. I know he will not sleep alone in the crib. We can sprawl on the bed and you two can fiddle with that piece of tat the Doctor is already heading for with hi sonic scalpel." Jack offered, reaching for the Blerp.
And as he headed off content with where he was, he knew the team would be fine as they would be back in a minute… or a lifetime… it didn't matter. TARDIS here!
They were together.
.
…tw…tw…tw…tw…tw…tw…tw…tw…tw….
And finally…I close this one out. Sorry for leaving it hanging so long
Thanks for reading.
