38

"Ianto? What… what is that?"

Ianto rose from where he was siting, eating lunch with the roading gang to turn and look in the direction Lucia was pointing, feeling a coldness washing over him as he stared at what Lucia could see moving beyond the shields.

There, merely half a mile away on the other side of the forcefield were a couple of Arerdisherols.

"That is… that is an indigenous creature of this planet that does not like us. At all. We chose to inhabit an area they do not live, but we still seem to enrage them with our noise. They come every now and then to watch us. If one gets though the barriers… it will kill." Ianto said so calmly you would not know he was shaking internally.

As he stiltedly packed thing up and started to move in the opposite direction to the creatures it was Owen who said softly "One of those things killed his son in front of him… and the other little boy he was trying to help get up and run with him. Ianto…. Ianto saw them die. Felt them die. Those things are not only dangerous… they enjoy killing things. All other creatures fear them. Ianto is maybe the only thing they fear. The only thing here that can kill one of them without a weapon."

"How?" she asked softly "How did he kill ti?"

"With his pain." Came the cryptic reply.

Lucia followed Owen, asking about the child that died and learnt more about Ianto then she really felt she ought to know, but was glad she did. She now understood more the changes this man must have made for her children, the allowances made and she knew his heart was damaged but still purer than hers.

"You know… I came here hoping my children would at least speak to me. To find them not only loved but better off… I feel sort of… you know. Redundant." She said and felt a strangeness turning to find Ianto behind her, his glare at Owen strong.

"I was only talking to her. I can talk to her. You talk to her, I am a grown-up man!" Owen said defensively.

"If you have to say you are a grown-up…"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But you know… she was not prying."

"Come here." Ianto said and she followed silently, feeling like he was somehow aware of everything whirling around in her head. "Here. See this?"

Ianto showed her a compartment on the side of his huge hover "See this? In here is a pulse gun, it has a code to get in. 1328. OK? This will take the head off one of those things."

Lucia nodded, feeling like he had not told many people about it being there, let alone the code. He was trusting her, she felt like he was giving her something and she nodded as she felt gratitude in the feeling of being included in something.

"You were an only child."

Lucia looked at him with surprise "My parents died young, I was raised by my grandparents who died when I was only sixteen… and love had not been strong in their sense of duty. No. Gods, what a thing to ask."

"No. You are alone. Always alone. Why you feel strange with love. You also don't like the fact some can hear your thoughts when you are a private person. Not lonely, you prefer to be alone. Solitude" Ianto smiled "I am the same. Jack drives me mad, I know he must have done with you too. Like a constant noise in the background. It took me a while to learn how to totally block him out, but I don't think you could."

"No" she laughed softly.

"So … Would you like to come for dinner on Saturday night?"

Lucia froze with shock "What?"

"You heard me. One of the things you will learn about me is that I loathe repeating myself" Ianto scolded then he wandered of as she turned to gape at Owen who grinned.

"Don't worry. Me and me missus are coming too, she is preggers and needs some adult time" Owen assured her. "She's going mad with nesting and shit."

Lucia relaxed as she wondered what to bring, if there is a pregnant person there, she can't take alcohol. Jack did like Guavel Juice… would that be OK?

Can you even get it here?

.

.

"Guavel juice!" Jack squealed, snatching the bottle out of her hands as he ran from the doorway "TIGER!"

"Right here Cariad, give it to Toshiko to open please. You know you will drop t on your foot or something."

"Oh god, I loved this back in the day. You know, I was just thinking of it the other day, lamenting to Martha that I can't drink anything nice until this beast pops" Jack said, patting his small bump and Lucia froze, the reality setting in that there was more than one pregnant person there.

"Here we are, this is Astra" Alic appeared beside her "My little sister. Isn't she sweet? Ianto grew such a lovely little beastie."

Lucia found a baby shoved into her arms as Alice ran for her father "Dad? What's that?"

As Jack told her about his preferred drink once upon a time as Ianto calmly set the table, ignoring Toshiko and Owner bickering over the baby clothes he had laid out as Astra was grown out of them and they knew Jack was having a little boy now.

Anything clearly girly was going to them for the little incoming princess that was going to be so spoiled and sweet. Toshiko's little self and Owen's gob… oh gods… Ianto could not wait to see the little gremlin that his own little ones would get up to mischief with.

By the time he yelled that dinner was ready and Luca noticed the little boy again stuck to Stephen's side, they were all seated, a little blonde girl with curls blinking at her as well "Who is you?"

"Mica, be polite. This is Alcie and Stephen's mama" Ianto said calmly "Be polite at my table. Sorry Luce. My sister is off on some date so I have these horrible things infesting my house."

"Sorry Uncle." She said "I didn't know they had one. Wow. Nice. She has pretty hair."

And so they ate.

And drank Guavel juice.

Seems Ianto had produced a chilled bottle as well.

Yum.