14
The shiny SUVs pleased those walking around them, the large H in gold on the doors pleasing them too. So fucking Harkness, flaunting the fact they had 4X4s that could drive over the rubble and such still being swept off the roads now that they were open.
Mother Harkness wanted to go see the house… what was left of it and Frankling agreed that a drive into the city might be a good idea for morale. Secretly he hoped his wife would be so distraught as what she saw how bad it all was that she might be grateful for what they have. And their reluctant landlord.
Speaking of which, Ianto was thinking along the same lines and he was not going into the city, instead he was heading across the water on the jet boat to another house nearby that was faster to reach by water.
"Mister Jones!"
"Mister Harvey, lovely to see you" Ianto waved to the property manager for the lake area "Wow… lovely."
"Well, it's more of a log cabin than that thing you have, more of a traditional lake house I think." Came the reply and Ianto nodded instantly in love with the place. He loved the wooden walls, the old furniture and the feel of …. Not wealth.
"I will take it" Ianto said firmly, "Can I wire the money to your account to hand on to the owners?"
"Well, you're looking at him. This was me brother's place… damn. Asking price?" the old man gaped.
"Sure. One ore night in that glass house full of rock throwers and I might have to cleave a skull" Ianto replied.
"Well… fuck. I mean… fuck. Cool. Here, I know you are the one man I can trust to pay me… here."
Ianto nodded then held up his phone to show he was on it, then he finished the call and smiled, walking back to accept the keys "Nice of you to say but I did it already."
"God, I love your attitude man!"
Ianto turned to look at the log cabin with glee.
Fuck the Harkness Clan, they can have the shiny glass house.
He wanted this.
.
.
"Can I come too?"
"It's not a weekend love"
"It's like a holiday Tadda. No school, I always go to you and I don't want to be left here with …them" Steven made a face that was so Ianto that his Tad stopped packing to gape at him, then giggle.
Little bugger.
"What's going on?"
They both swung around like naughty children caught in the wrong room, Jack in the doorway as he looked pointedly at the suitcase Ianto was packing.
"I am moving out"
"Of your own house."
"Of this house I own into another house I own. One that had NOOOO Harkness goobers in it… well… until this one gets his dirty fingermarks everywhere" Ianto said as he pulled a face at their son.
"So… I CAN come with? Please? I wanna stay with you. What if the world jumps again, I wanna stay with you. You will keep me safe." Steven whimpered.
"So will Daddy" Ianto looked at Jack and knew what would be said next before the child even said it.
"Daddy will save Alice."
Ianto watched the hurt on Jack's face and then looked at their son again "Well… how about one night there, one night here. So it's fair?"
"Awwwwwwwwww."
"Fen, that pout is not fair, it doesn't work for me when your father does it so it doesn't work for me when you do it either!" Ianto scolded.
"I think Taddy is right. We spend one night there with him and one here with the others" Jack smiled.
Ianto felt his smile slide slightly and schooled it again before the boy noticed.
Fucker.
Fuckity fucker.
Well played.
.
.
"Donna is going to visit this afternoon for the tests" Jack said as he looked around the smaller house with interest "This place is cozy as in winter I bet. I will take this room… Fenny?"
"I will sleep with Tadda"
Ianto knew that would be the answer and had the bed already folded back "Place your jimjams under the pillow baby. When you are in the other house you can sleep with Daddy too, then we are always betting best cuddles."
"But when me and Daddy are at the big house, you will be alone" the child saw the fault in the logic straight away. Soooo Jones. Ianto screwed his face up and gave Jack a look that told him not to answer the wrong thing. So Jack gave Ianto the task.
"And I will have time to clean up after all those grubby Harkness fingerprints, so you can come back and place more" Ianto promised.
"God, to think… mom has forced you out of your own house." Jack sighed.
"Well, she forced me out of yours, what's mine in comparison?" Ianto scoffed, then paused, looking at the little boy intently staring at them both. Shit. "But seriously… this is kinda cool. This little place… like a real log cabin or something. If we get that fire going, I bet we can toast the bread and even some marshmallows"
As he had hoped, Steven perked up and raced off to check the cupboards, calling out that he needed to start a shopping list.
"Ah. Never mind the Harkness… there's the Jones" Jack smiled, telling himself not to keep harping on about things.
Not if Ianto was going to let him stay too.