32
Ianto was enjoying his sleep, his alone time. His removal from the population. What he did not enjoy was the sound of the door opening when he knew it would not be Jack back so soon, gone barely long enough to annoy half the people he wanted to today.
Ianto lay still, listening for whoever it was to speak but there was nothing forthcoming, so he cast out his mind, seeking. He expected it to be one of the children or grandchildren. All babies to him. But no… he did not recognize the mind that was quietly looking at the tunics hung on the rack.
Wait.
Ianto lifted the covers enough to see out and the young one standing with their back to him was a mere child, the little hand reaching out to brush the medals on Jack's ceremonial tunic. Ianto watched the little fingers tracing the outline of the ribbons and he felt it.
Loneliness.
This was one of those kids without parents left over from the colonist fight with the monsters and part of a clump of kids left to their own devices. She was small, compact and cute. Her dark hair was long and clearly not just unkempt, it had clearly never been cut let alone washed.
Bugger.
Ianto rose from the bedding and made a noise as he tried not to scare her but she cried out anyway, swinging to stare at him and he smiled to show he was not angry with her being in his space, sending out welcoming thoughts as he slid from the bed to hook his robe form the foot of it, then hesitated as he felt the welcoming return of thoughts.
Shit.
She's a little mutant.
"I am Ianto" he said calmly "And you are…. Annie?"
A little head nodded then a furtive look to one side. "Ah… short for something else. OK. Well… I am Ianto… short for… Ianto Jones."
"Anwen."
"Ah, Welsh. Like me" Ianto said as he relaxed more "Your name is Welsh. From Old Earth, Sol3. Same as mine, Ianto is Welsh too."
"Is it?" she asked with open interest.
Ianto knew who else was Welsh in descent around here and he offered his hand, leading the child out into the sunshine and along the walkway to the gardens. He knew he would find Rhys there watching Andy with open interest, like he was a strange creature. Now Andy had made it clear he liked him; Rhys was sort of… intensely interested too.
"Rhys! I was looking for you" Ianto called out.
"Oi oi, I thought you were having a day off! Cappy said you were having a quiet one at home" Rhys replied as he turned, then saw the little girl and his face instantly changed "Awwwww, look at this. A real-life princes in my world, oh my goodness. What a pretty girl, I must bow my lady."
She giggled as he swept his arm so low it touched the ground and then he straightened "tell me princess, what is your name? No… let me guess. Angel?"
She giggled some more and Ianto answered "Anwen."
"No!" Rhy said with genuine delight "My granny was Anwen. Oh wow, what a powerful name. You are going to grow up to be someone very special and cool."
"Anwen is alone. Her daddy died and then her mummy got left behind in the outside world and got eaten" Ianto said calmly, watching the myriads of things crossing the man's face, anger in there as he knew what Ianto was telling him in a diplomatic way.
"So… wait. You are in need of a parent? Can I apply? What do I use for references, oh my goodness I have not been a parent before but I always wanted a little girl and I wanted her to be called Anwen" Rhys sighed theatrically "And you are sooooo perfect. I did have a doggie… was going to get another one. What do you think?"
Her face lit up as she glanced at Ianto, then let go of his hand to step over to Rhys, totally enamored with him too.
Ianto did not feel slighted, he knew Rhys would have the effect and as he wandered off he heard Rhys calling out to Andy who was at another garden collecting the lettuce already grown enough for the meal prep going on.
Ianto reached his room and shucked off his shoes, then his robe with horror as it occurred to him that he had just done all that in his jimjams and old man robe.
Oh well.
Not like they hadn't seen him worse. There was that time he sleepwalked and was totally naked. Damn Jack and his nookie… oh my. Ianto giggled softly at the memory of that. Jack being the one most upset that everyone saw the 'goods' as he put it.
After a while Ianto feel asleep once more, job well done.
.
.
"Grandy-T?"
Ianto opened an eye to find the covers up above him and a small child not only in the bed with him, but on his knees so the bedding was now a tent. "Jimmie?"
"Hello Grandy-T" the great-great grandchild grinned and then flopped onto him, the bedding wafting down on them both "I found you!"
"Damn, I thought my hide-n-seek spot was the best one ever" Ianto yawned, grabbing the little one and cuddling him close, a little bit of Jack in him but the other bloodline was from another mutant strain making this child blue skinned. And so gorgeous.
"Wilson pinched my arm and it hurt and I cried and then he made fun of me and I ran away and told him he was a shithead dodo bird arse."
"Wow. Those were good ones." Ianto assured the child, his hand rubbing the little back as they snuggled "Sometimes you have to tell them when they are being dickheads or how will they ever learn?"
"Exactly!" the little one huffed.
"I tell Grampy all the time, he just doesn't care." Ianto sighed and the little one giggled.
"Grandy-T?"
"Hmmmmm?"
"Are we both hiding now?"
"Yes. And I bet you it takes Grumpy… I mean Grampy a LONG time to find us" Ianto hissed, the little one giggling at the joke about the name for Jack.
Soon they were both asleep and Ianto was at peace.
Just a day off.
Right.