5

"Come on Alice love" Jack crooned as he cajoled his daughter into the little shoes she hated, her three-year-old scowl so much like his mother that he had to hold back giggles while trying to look fierce.

The playground was packed, and he was hot, he wanted to go as there were also feelings in the air of annoyance that was clearly a strong Gifted projecting annoyance at the world in general, especially the noise of all the kids.

As he rose, he looked directly at the man standing nearby in the three-piece suit, his pocket watch held firmly in his long fingers as he checked the time and against looked over at two children playing. Jack followed the gaze to see a little girl with ringlets and a mocha coloured boy in matching gumboots stomping in the puddles.

"Come on you two, I have to go!"

Welsh. Oh, lovely Welsh. You don't hear that much anymore, so many dialects now. Then the man looked over at him and their eyes met, the world fell silent and for a moment… a mere heartbeat or an eternity… not much difference there… the two men connected.

"Bother" Ianto muttered as he felt the psychic slam of anther Gifted with the ability to project.

"Yeah… fuck" Jack breathed as he tried to look away but was held in the man's gaze.

Then a couple wandered past arguing and Jack blinked… the man was gone.

Fuck… how did he do that?

Jack turned to the kids but they were gone too as if they had never been there.

What the fuck.

What gift was that?

.

.

"There you are" Rhiannon sighed as her daughter raced into the house, kicking off each gumboot to watch it hit the far wall and slide down it.

"Mica!" Ianto scolded as he entered with Lisbon and crouched to take off his son's boots "At least put them where they go."

"Sorry Uncle" she sighed, rolling her eyes as she slouched back to obey and Rhiannon shook her head with wonder as this little monster did not take orders well from anyone. Except her beloved uncle who seems to be the love of her life.

"Did you get your job done?" Ianto asked as he rose to face his sister.

"Yes, all delivered and the pay goes into my bank on Friday... I know... don't start. You would like to give me the money but I need to do this by meself. With that feckless… well. With HIM gone I have to stand on my own two feet for these kids." She said firmly.

Ianto did not answer, knowing his sister well enough to know that when Feckless Johnny was done with the latest squeeze he would come back and she would accept him back, knowing it made her sloppy seconds but loving him enough to put up with his side chicks.

It was none of his business. She had said so. He was OK with it, as long as he got to see Mica and help her hone and hide herself. The little one already fully aware of her Gifts and the dangers of owning them.

"OK then… see ya later alligator" Ianto called out as he pushed his son out of the kitchen and back to where the boots all sat near by the door.

"After a while crockydile" came the roared reply from the little girl and it was Lisbon who answered her.

"Not if I see ya first!"

A fake roar of indignation and then giggling wafted down the stairs as he added "Little Tosser!"

.

.

"Are you stalking me?"

Jack jumped as the voice purring in his ear was warm and soooo chocolaty. He swung to find Ianto behind him, the look of amusement so sweet as he loked a the book in Jack's hand, then at the matching one in his own "I see that our kids both love this author come bedtime bribes."

"Yeah, Alice is a bit… pushy about it."

"Lisbon too."

"Lisbon. Wow, that's…"

Ianto waited for the usual comment of "weird" but Jack surprised him "Safe Harbor or beautiful bay, right?"

"Yes, that's right. My wife was called Lisa so… it made sense." Ianto shrugged.

"Was… she was Gifted?" Jack asked, swinging to look at the kids with renewed interest.

"Yes, she was" Ianto nodded, not admitting to being Gifted as well. He watched Jack's face as he considered what to say then Jack nodded, not asking what he wanted to.

Easier that way, not to have to answer the question of whether he is Gifted as well. After all, Ianto knew Jack well, a wonder the voice was not recognised… or maybe that is why he kept looking at him like he was trying to recall how he knew him.

With a soft smile Ianto reached out a hand for his son who was running towards him, Mica not far behind. As the little boy took Ianto's hand Jack blinked, then loked at the little girl who was clearly the same age and who he had thought was … right. Dick move.

"Hello there missy?" he crooned, crouching "You are the same age as my daughter I bet. Six?"

"Almost, yeah. This weekend" she grinned widely "Uncle, he guessed my age."

"Yes, clever."

"And you young man? Are you the same age as your cousin here?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, we share our birthday party because we are only a couple of days apart" Lisbon explained calmly "We were both born a month before the… happening."

"Hmmmmm. Good to say that" Jack told him softly "So people know you aren't Gifted."

The boy's eyes slid to Ianto, the tell. Wow. OK. Jack canted his head as he took the child in "So your mama was gifted, and so are you. You know… my brother was gifted too. And I am… something else. The aliens did something to me and I am sort of gifted but not the same."

Lisbon canted his head in a parody of Jack as he considered and it was Ianto who spoke "Well, best we get going."

"We are all gifted then" Mica blurted and Ianto felt the horror crossing his face even as Jack hesitated, looking up into the face of the handsome man.

"Yes, you are all Gifted" Ianto managed to choke out, puling the kids away as Jack watched him leave then he turned back to call out to Alice who was still in the hug toy area.

It would be later that he would realize the slip.

We… We all are… yes. Ianto had chewed on the You… he had also almost said We.

We are all Gifted here.

.

.

"Sorry Uncle."

"Mimi… it's OK. He is one too even if he is older. The Captain is a special case, he was pulled up into the ship when it came to steal his brother. He fought so hard to try and save him and now… he had special powers too. I think they gave them to him by mistake. Like… the special light that pulled up his brother made him a different kind of Gifted."

"So he is one of us. I thought so" she sat back in the car seat. "Mama still doesn't know, I keep it small. That's right… right? Like you… I keep it small."

"Hush now"

"Yes sir."