Ptorchwood Ptales & Ptimely Pthoughts

RATING:  Chapter 34 -G, Its Christmas with Ianto's family, after all!
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Owen, Rhiannon, Johnny, Mica, David
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; Aunty B's and RTD's
WORDS: ~ 1400
SUMMARY:   Ianto and Owen spend Christmas Day with the Davies Family.

Title is from the opening line of a Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.'  The Worst of Times (Christmas at Gwen & Rhys' house) is featured in the next chapter.

Christmas Day started early at the Jones residence. Mica and David were up by 6 AM and wanted to open their presents. They knew they had to wait for their parents to get up, so they checked every few minutes on them to see if they were awake.

“Do they look awake to you?” Mica whispered none too quietly to David.

“Are their eyes open? No, then they’re not awake,” David said sarcastically.

The children left their parent’s bedroom for the third time. Rhiannon and Johnny laughed quietly after the children were gone.

“Oi, how many more times do you think we can fake them out?” 

“Oh Johnny, you know how much they want to open their presents, let’s just get up. You know they are not going to leave us alone until we do.”

Rhiannon got up a few minutes later and went downstairs to start the coffee. 

“Can we open them now, can we!”

 Rhiannon yawned. “How about some breakfast first, then presents. Hopefully your Tad will be up by then.” The kids grumbled a bit but finally sat down to eat some cereal. 

Johnny finally made it downstairs by 7 AM. Mum came down a few minutes later.

“Who was making all that racket,” Mum asked in Welsh. ‘I thought there was a herd of Welsh ponies tromping around the lounge earlier.

“Its Christmas Gram and look, Santa was here!” Mica’s eyes were wide as she surveyed the additional presents under the tree as well as the empty plate and cup that had held Santa’s milk and cookies.

David went to say something and Johnny shot him a look. David shrugged, looked right at Johnny and remarked, “Yeah, Santa must be awfully big and fat with all the snacks he had last night.”

“Santa needs to keep his energy levels up just in case he needs to spank some naughty boy.” David didn’t look intimidated in the least.

Everyone took turns opening presents. Since money was pretty tight most of the gifts Johnny and Rhiannon had gotten the kids and Mum and each other were practical things like new coats and boots for the winter. When David and Mica opened Ianto’s first presents and saw the hats and gloves, Rhiannon could see they were a little disappointed. “Look, they go perfectly with your new coats. And they’re cashmere, that’s very posh you know.” 

The adults were very pleased with their gifts from Ianto.   They all remarked on the quality of the sweaters and the shawl. Rhiannon shook her head, “he always had good taste. These must have set him back a bit.” 

Johnny grimaced, “yeah, and we didn’t get him much, did we?   Just some socks and a box of chocolates. I’m a little embarrassed, really.”

Rhiannon smiled, “I took the liberty of adding something to his gifts. You probably don’t remember but I have a pair of cufflinks that our Tad used to wear. They’re real gold and have Tad’s initials on them. I was going to give them to David some day, but I think Ianto will enjoy them more.”

Rhiannon turned to David and Mica. “You know there’s a second present from Uncle Ianto for each of you.” When the kids opened their second gifts, all hell broke loose. David hugged the Lego Pirates Fort box tightly and twirled in circles. “This is the best Christmas present ever!” Mica was so overwhelmed with her Barbie Playset that she jumped up and down until she was breathless.

Rhiannon and Johnny smiled. This was turning out to be the best Christmas they’d had in many years. “You make sure you thank Uncle Ianto properly when he gets here,” Rhiannon admonished.

“Oh, and Uncle Owen asked that I give you these,” she said handing each child an envelope. David and Mica were thrilled to find that the envelopes contained gift cards from The Entertainer Toy Shop. Rhiannon and Johnny were speechless when they saw the each card was in the amount of £30. “And also thank Uncle Owen; that was very, very nice of him.” Quietly, to Johnny she added, “I’m going to wrap up that bottle of champagne we were going to take to the New Years party for Owen. We can get another bottle during the week.”

***

Owen let Ianto drive the Honda to Rhiannon’s house. He had some difficulty shifting but managed to get there without any major mishaps. ‘Whew, that was harder than I thought it was going to be. I’m going to have to talk to one of the physical therapists when I get back to see what I can do to strengthen my grip for driving.’

Owen nodded. He was surprised that Ianto had driven as well as he did. He really didn’t think that Ianto would be able to manage a stick shift, but as long as he was cautious about his driving, Owen reckoned that he’d be OK.

Owen and Ianto arrived at Rhiannon’s around noon. Ianto looked more rested and relaxed than he had Christmas Eve. Now that he wasn’t worried about the reception he would receive from his family he felt like a huge burden had been lifted off him. Additionally, Owen had convinced him to take a very small dose of an anti-anxiety medicine to help prevent another panic attack.

The kids were hugging Ianto and Owen while talking excitedly about their presents the minute they came into the house. Rhiannon was just beaming at the way her kids had taken to Ianto. And Johnny had been right about Owen; he was a good person and not just to Ianto.

Owen and Ianto were finally able to make their way over to greet Rhiannon, Johnny and Mum. “Ianto, as you can see, your gifts were a smashing success. And Owen, you shouldn’t have, really. If you both sit down we have a small gift for each of you.” 

Owen unwrapped the bottle of champagne and the chocolates (originally intended for Ianto) and smiled. “I have the perfect person to share these with.” 

‘Does her name happen to be Tosh?” Ianto asked.

“You never know, and I’m not one to kiss and tell.” 

Rhiannon handed Ianto two gifts.  “Open the soft one first; it’s just a silly gift. Then the small box, OK?” 

Ianto opened the soft package and pulled out two pairs of sock, one decorated with reindeers and one with Christmas trees. “I guess this is payback for teasing David about pajamas with bunnies. But they’ll be great with jeans.” 

Ianto couldn’t imagine what was in the small box. He opened it up and gasped. It contained the most beautiful gold cufflinks with the initials SJ on them. “They were your Tad’s, Ianto; I want you to have them.”  Turning to Owen, “our father’s first name was Selwyn, which would be Julian in English.”

Ianto choked up a bit. “Oh Rhiannon, these are brilliant.  Thank you, I think this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

They had a wonderful dinner with Christmas ham and potatoes and brussel sprouts, followed by a traditional pudding as well as a chocolate truffle. They were finishing dinner right at 3 PM when the Queen’s speech was broadcast. They turned it on and were not surprised to hear the Queen speak about the dedication of the armed forces in Afghanistan. They were astonished to hear her also speak about the sacrifices of ordinary citizens in the fight against terrorism and referring specifically to the survivors of Torchwood One.

“Oi, let the media free-for-all begin,” Owen snarked. Ianto just shrugged. ‘That medication has really taken the edge off Ianto,’ Owen observed. ‘He might need more of it over the next few months.’

 After the speech, Ianto worked on the Lego Fort with David while the rest of the family played the Swansea edition of Monopoly.*

As usual, Mum won, having gotten Te Morgan’s Hotel (the best property), as well as the National Waterfront Museum and Mumbles Pier. Rhiannon only managed to snag Liberty Stadium, and Mica got Shelter Cymru (the least expensive property). Johnny spent most of his time in Jail and only managed to acquire the Dylan Thomas Center. 

It was only 7 PM when everyone started yawning. Hugs and kisses were exchanged all around and Ianto promised to call Rhiannon as soon as he was back in Cardiff. 

As they got into Gwen’s car, Owen’s phone rang. He saw it was Tosh’s number and answered the call. Tosh sounded a little odd, not upset, but a little disoriented. “Are you still at Ianto’s sister’s house?”

“No we were just leaving, is everything alright?’ Owen queried.

“We seem to be having a very unusual Christmas dinner.” Tosh began to laugh uncontrollably. Then she hung up the phone.

Owen looked at Ianto and told him that he thought that something was wrong at Gwen’s. “That was Tosh and she was very subdued and then she started laughing like a hyena…almost a little hysterical. We’re going over there right now and sort things out.”

Ianto nodded. He was still riding the high of the day and only hoped that whatever was going on at Gwen’s wouldn’t spoil what had to be the best time he’d every had with his family.
___

 

*This is for real, the first Welsh edition of monopoly featured Swansea to the disappointment of the residents of Cardiff. The edition was produced in both an English and Welsh language version.

Chapter 35 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/13039.html

Ianto felt much better after his nap. Dinner was surprisingly enjoyable. David and Mica peppered Ianto with questions about his secret agent activities.

“Do you get to carry a gun?” David asked, “cause that would be so cool.”

Ianto explained that he did more mundane jobs like classifying and filing data and reports.  Seeing David’s disappointment he added, ‘but sometimes I get to work with the secret agents. I could tell you about them, but then I’d have to kill you.’

David smirked, “Yeah, right, like you could kill someone.” Ianto shrugged.

“Oi, I’m gonna kill someone if they don’t start showing some manners,” Johnny warned David.

Mica wanted to know if he got to drive a fast car. ‘I don’t have any car right now. In fact, we borrowed Gwen’s car to see if I can drive with stick shift. We’re going to try that out tomorrow morning ’

Johnny queried, “Why wouldn’t you be able to drive?”

Ianto explained about the diminished strength and dexterity in his right hand and how he had trouble with some tasks like buttoning small buttons and twisting off the tops of jars. Rhiannon was terribly distressed by this news.

‘It’s really not that bad. My new dress shirts have French cuffs; it’s actually easier for me to use cufflinks than to try to work with those tiny buttons they put on shirt cuffs. Shoot, I don’t think I have any cufflinks…I’ll have to borrow some from Stephen or Bryan. Besides I’m glad I have these problems to worry about, I almost didn’t you know.’   It only took a moment for Rhiannon and Johnny to understand what Ianto was referring to.

“Well, I’m glad you have both your hands,” Mica piped up. Owen was shocked that Mica understood what Ianto had very obliquely mentioned. He looked at Johnny, then Rhiannon and then Ianto for an explanation.

Rhiannon sighed. “Yeah, she’s just like Ianto in physical appearance as well as that uncanny ability to know what you’re thinking.”

Dinner continued uneventfully and they began to talk about New Years. “Ianto and I have been invited to a very posh party at Brigadier Hamilton’s for New Years. That’s why we had to get him a new suit. He has a couple of nice ones already, but they don’t fit at all. Hopefully, once he puts on some weight we can get them altered to fit properly.”

Owen realized that they didn’t have a clue who The Brigadier was. “The Brigadier, he’s the one who has been overseeing care for the survivors. Ianto had his own UNIT medic in London and has been staying with one of the Brigadiers son’s now that he isn’t in in-patient rehab anymore. Yeah, he’s been kind of like a father to Ianto these last six months.”

‘And Owen has been like a mother to me, he scolds me worse than you do,’ he said to Mum.

Johnny translated, listened to Mum’s reply and then translated again for Owen. “She says she likes you even better; she could tell you were talking good care of her boy.”

Owen smiled at Mum and nodded.

Soon dinner was over, and with some fussing and cajoling with Mica and a few threats from Johnny to David, the kids got ready for bed. The adults still sat at the table drinking coffee.

Johnny looked at Ianto. “Now that the kids have gone to bed, can I ask you something? I’ve really never understood what an Information Architect does. Surely you’re doing more than just filing stuff?”

‘It’s hard to explain. The most important part of the job is trying to see connections between seemingly random events or pieces of information. And then coding or describing the information in a format where it can be easily retrieved or matched against new data. Kind of like having pieces to a puzzle, and figuring out how they go together when your not sure what the finished product looks like.’

“That’s why you’ve got all these government people checking on activities of suspected terrorists including their phone calls and Internet access, travel plans and the like,” Johnny concluded.

‘That’s exactly right, because if they intercept several strange communications about crazy glue, then maybe that’s code for a bomb or something.’

“Or maybe you just have a few head cases who love to talk about crazy glue,” Owen added. Everyone smiled.

Rhiannon wanted to ask something, but was afraid that Ianto would be upset. Ianto looked at her and asked her what she was afraid to ask.

“Oi, see what I mean, just like Mica.” She turned to Owen, “he’d do that as a kid, ya know, it was kind of creepy.”

“Ianto, do they have any idea who was behind the attack at Canary Wharf? Is anyone going to be held responsible?”

Ianto took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘Honestly, someone knows something, but whatever it is they don’t want the public to know. And I have signed numerous secrecy and nondisclosure agreements that are still in force so I don’t think I should be saying anything that I think. I’m sorry, I really am, but I think its best we don’t talk about it.’

Rhiannon and Johnny had been patiently translating all of the conversation for Mum, and she began to speak angrily in Welsh. When she finished, Johnny explained, “She’s convinced it was the IRA. Says they’ve never really wanted peace and now they’re still bombing but are too cowardly to admit it. And the British government doesn’t want to jeopardize the so-called peace treaty, so they won’t admit that they know who it is. Well, that would explain, perhaps, her dislike for your lady friend in London.” Ianto nodded.

Johnny continued, “Personally, a lot of my mates think its aliens. Yeah, little green men or something. They say that they’ve been responsible for all the strange goings-on in London every Christmas. Good thing you’re here then. What do think, Ianto?”

Ianto shot Owen a quick glance that Johnny did not miss. He sighed, ‘Do you really think it’s true? Little green men from Mars coming here in their spacecrafts for what? What would London or Cardiff have for that matter that they would want? Trust me, if there are aliens, they’d be landing in Washington or Delhi or Beijing, somewhere where there might be some power or wealth that they wanted.’

Johnny shrugged; he had no idea what to think.

They talked on for hours catching up on the last five years; about Mum’s condition, Johnny’s jobs, David and Mica’s school, old friends and neighbors as well as changes to Cardiff. Ianto was surprised at how many of his old classmates were married with children or married and now divorced.

‘Oi, I can’t believe Michael has two kids with his first wife and one with a second wife. Why he’s not much older than me, 25 or 26, right?’

“Yeah,” Rhiannon sighed, “not much to do around here but get married and have babies. Which is why I’m really glad you left and got an education. I’m not glad that you didn’t keep contact with us, but really happy you’re back. Ianto, do you think this is a permanent move back to Cardiff or what?”

Ianto thought it best to be honest. ‘I don’t know Rhi, I really don’t. I’ve got work for now with Three but I don’t know if its something that will last long term or if there’s anything else I could do for them. Captain Jack would probably keep me on the payroll indefinitely if I know him, but I don’t want to be a charity case. Seriously, if I don’t stay on at Torchwood Three, I’m probably looking at moving back to London or some other major city at some point, but I promise if that were to happen, I won’t be the missing in action again.’

“And just remember, the train between Cardiff and London takes less than three hours, so we’ll hold you to that promise,” added Owen.

“Its probably none of my business, but are you going to get any settlement from the whole Canary Wharf business?” Johnny inquired.

Ianto hadn’t heard anything about settlements and looked at Owen puzzled. “Sorry Ianto, I totally forgot about the settlements. There have been settlements made with the families of all the victims in the last six months. That’s public knowledge. There’s a meeting in London sometime in January with the UNIT Canary Wharf Task Force including The Brigadier, Captain Jack, Archie from Torchwood Two as well as representatives of the Queen’s Treasury and Parliament to discuss settlements for the survivors. There are only a handful of you, so I think they are going to look at each survivor individually. 

‘I don’t want their blood money. It’s not going to change anything that happened there!’

Rhiannon and Johnny were surprised at the bitterness of Ianto’s statement. Owen wasn’t surprised at all. “Listen, Torchwood One truly screwed up on the whole situation. But all of the higher ups are gone. Dead, Ianto. There isn’t anyone to hold responsible. Yvonne Hartmann was one of the first killed and con…a, well killed. All her direct reports were also killed by the terrorists. But for the families that were left behind without a breadwinner or lost someone dear to them, the only thing they can do is to pay some type of restitution. “

Ianto shook his head with disgust. ‘Well, I’m not dead, so what do I need a settlement for?’

“So if you can’t find work, or at some point are too disabled to work you won’t have to go on the dole. Or maybe you’ll need some modifications to your car, or something else that costs more because of your disability, its only right that you have some money to cover those expenses. Listen, you can put it into a trust and never touch it if you don’t need it. Use some of it for David and Mica’s university expenses. Give it away to charity. Once its yours, you can do with it what you like. But seriously, mate; no one knows what the future holds. I’d tuck it away somewhere safe in case you need it when you are old and gray.”

“There’s wisdom in what Owen’s saying, Ianto,” Johnny told him with concern. “What if something comes up later from your injuries that you didn’t anticipate? At least the one thing you won’t have to worry about is money. I’m now going to be terribly rude and ask Owen what he thinks you’ll get.” Ianto rolled his eyes.

“Yes filthy lucre, I know. The settlements have been from around 1.2 million pounds to just over 3 million pounds. I think he’ll get around the average which was almost 2 million pounds.”

Ianto was shocked. ‘Two million pounds. I don’t know if that’s a ridiculously large or ridiculously small settlement for the loss of my voice and some use of my hand. But I can tell you, they could keep their money if I could have my voice back.’

“Ianto, I’m sorry, I know how you feel. But they can’t do that so what else can they do? And don’t you even think about refusing it. The Queen has made these settlements her personal responsibility and you would disgrace yourself, your family and Torchwood if you refused.”

‘Why would anyone care? I’m nobody.’

“Ianto, the press is developing a growing fascination with the survivors. Since you’ve been in a UNIT medical facility, and then secluded at Stephen’s, they haven’t been able to get to you. That’s one of the reasons The Brigadier and Captain Jack thought you’d be better off in Cardiff. Here you’re the hometown hero and the Cardiff press has a little more respect for privacy than the London press does. But don’t kid yourself, at some point someone’s going to start asking a lot of intrusive questions and we’re going to have to prepare you for that.”

“And you can bet that as we get closer to the one year anniversary of the attack, the requests for interviews and the like are going to intensify. Yeah, didn’t mean to spoil your Christmas, but you’ve been sheltered from the media circus up till now, but that’s going to change once you’re living independently. I know The Brigadier is going to spend some time with you and some UNIT public relations folks after New Years working with you on this.”

Ianto sighed. ‘Maybe Santa could bring me a Taser for Christmas. Sounds like I might need one to deal with the press.’

Mum said something which Johnny translated. “Mum says if they pick on her boy, they are going to have to deal with her, and they’ll be very sorry.” Ianto looked at his mother in her wheelchair and realized that her love for him was unwavering. Except for the mild scolding she’d given him earlier, she was totally supportive and protective of him. She didn’t even seem to care if he was dating a man! 

And Rhi and Johnny, they were acting the same way. They weren’t holding a grudge and they welcomed him home with open arms. He felt terribly guilty at how he had turned his back on them five years ago, feeling they weren’t good enough for him. And now here he was, damaged goods, and they did nothing but make him feel loved and accepted. He felt tears welling up in his eyes.

‘I have the best family anyone could ask for. Really. I don’t deserve it. I’ve been such a fool, I’m so sorry for the time we lost.’ He couldn’t help himself as tears began to run down his face.

Johnny and Rhiannon pulled Ianto up off his chair into an embrace.  “We love you Ianto, we’re your family," Johnny said quietly. “And what Rhi told you before, about wanting you to be happy, that’s true for me as well. Don’t you dare shut us out again. Cause like it or not, you’re stuck with us, mate.”

“And you, Owen, are stuck with us too,” Rhiannon said, turning to Owen and hugging him tight. “For better or worse, you’re family now; welcome to the Jones’.” 

Mum signaled that she wanted to hug Ianto and Owen as well so they both went over and hugged her together. She said something that had Ianto laughing. ‘She says it’s been many years since she’s had two handsome men hug her at the same time. And no, I’m not going to ask her when the last time was.’

It was getting on 11 PM and they began to clean the table and discuss plans for tomorrow. Rhiannon pointed out that Ianto and Owen weren’t going to want to come over early to see the kids open their presents. They both nodded in agreement. They decided to meet at Noon on Christmas day to share an early dinner. That way they could make an early evening of it in preparation for Ianto having to go back to London the next day.

As they drove back to Owen’s flat, Ianto and Owen reflected on how the day had progressed. “See, I told you your family was nice. You got yourself all worked up for nothing.”

‘Yeah, I’m a daft fool for not wanting to see them. I think this is probably the best Christmas I’ve ever had. I’m with my family, my big brother, I have a job, things are looking up.’

Owen snorted. “And since you won’t say it, I will. You’ve also got the hottest stud around wrapped around your little finger. Ianto you are going to be one busy boy when you get back here.”

‘You think?’

“I know.”

‘Who am I to argue with your brilliance?’

After driving back to the Hub, Rhys and Jack transferred Ianto’s presents into the SUV.  “Ianto, don’t let me forget to take these into Owen’ place so you can put them in the Honda tomorrow. “

Ianto hugged Gwen and Rhys goodbye since he wouldn’t be seeing them until he returned to Cardiff at the end of January.  “We’ll have to have a full Christmas family debriefing when you get back,” Gwen laughed.  “Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure we’ll be having the more insane stories.”

‘I hope you’re right, otherwise, I’m in big trouble.’

***

When Ianto and Jack got to Owen’s place, it was clear that Ianto was exhausted.  Jack helped him get into some sweat pants while he stripped down to his briefs.  Once in bed, Ianto was all for some snogging, but Jack could see how tired he was.  “Ianto, let’s just sleep, OK?” 

Ianto felt incredibly disappointed.   ‘What are you tired of me already?’

“You stop that right now.  Come here.”  Jack pulled Ianto against him and held him tight.  “Let’s just snuggle for a while.”  Ianto groaned and shut his eyes.  Jack stroked his hair and spoke softly to him about how much fun they were going to have when he came back to Cardiff.  Five minutes later, Ianto began to snore.  Jack chuckled to himself, ‘hey I like sex as much as anyone, but I generally like my partners to be awake for the experience.’

***

Owen arrived back at his flat around 8 AM.  As he walked by Ianto’s room he couldn’t help but look in.  Jack was spooned against Ianto’s back and both were sound asleep.  They looked so peaceful that Owen felt his heart ache a little.  He remembered how he and Katie used to sleep that way and how safe and grounded he always felt when he woke up holding her.  For the first time since her death he considered that maybe he ought to think about a real relationship with someone, not just meaningless shags with strangers night after night.  ‘What Ianto’s been through is as bad if not worse than my own loss.  If he can move on, I really should be able to as well.’

Owen didn’t want to disturb them, so he closed their door and went to read the morning paper.  About an hour later he heard Jack speaking to Ianto and wanted to make sure they knew he was home.  He went into the kitchen and rattled around some drawers and started to make some coffee. 

Jack came out wearing Ianto’s robe and sat down at Owen’s kitchen table.  He yawned loudly. “I actually slept for a few hours last night.  I don’t do that too often.  And Ianto was asleep five minutes after we went to bed.”  Owen raised his eyebrows. “Hey, I’m not a total git.  He’s exhausted, and for the record I can actually restrain myself on occasion.”

Owen handed Jack a mug of coffee. Jack took a sip. “Owen, also for the record, you make terrible coffee.  I wonder if Ianto can make a decent cup…between yours and Gwen’s coffee, I’m keeping the Starbucks near the Hub in business.”  Owen smiled.

“Is Ianto awake, yet?” 

“He’s sort of in and out; I thought I’d get showered first and then get him up.”

“It’s just going to be the three of us for breakfast, Tosh was pretty tired herself and decided she didn’t want to have to go out until tomorrow.  So we really can just go whenever he’s up and ready.”

Jack went and took his shower and by the time he finished, Ianto was awake. Ianto joined them in the kitchen and they shared a cup of coffee. 

‘Did you make this coffee, Owen?’  Owen nodded.  ‘It sucks, and not in a good way.   I’m going to have to give you some lessons on making coffee when I’m back in January.’

Owen felt a little put out; his coffee wasn’t that bad, was it?  “Oi, I almost forgot a package came for you yesterday from London.”

Ianto was puzzled; he wasn’t expecting any deliveries.  He opened the box and found a large Christmas tin.  He opened it up and saw there were brownies inside.  Still confused, he read the card that came with the tin:

Happy Christmas Ianto!

These brownies are for adults only!  Hope you and your pals at Torchwood enjoy them.

 See you soon, Stephen.

‘Bet they’ve got rum in them, that would be sooo Stephen. Good thing he told me, cause Mica and David would certainly want some. Jack, why don’t you take them to Gwen’s…she’s not having any children over, is she?’

Jack replied that as far as he knew it was just five adults.

‘Well make sure you tell her because I don’t want her serving them later and having a kid get sick because of me.’

“Hopefully, if he used enough rum, that will be obvious to her.”

‘Yeah, true.  Got to tell you, I never knew Stephen could cook.  The most I ever saw him do was open a beer and put some crisps in a bowl. A man of hidden talents, he is.’ 

Jack took the tin and they drove in the SUV to the local waffle house where they had an uneventful breakfast.  Uneventful except for Jack’s atrocious eating habits.  Ianto wasn’t sure if it was an American thing or a Harkness thing, but what was with him trying to eat donuts in two bites.  At one point, Jack started laughing with his mouth full of donut, spewing powdered sugar out over the table.

‘Can’t dress him up and take him anywhere, can you?’ snarked Ianto. 

Owen smiled.  “Oh this is nothing. You should see him with popcorn.  More of it ends up on the floor than actually in his mouth.  Must be because he insists on throwing it in the air to catch with his mouth and misses 90% of the time.”

All too soon breakfast was over and Jack had to get back to keep an eye on the Hub.  When he stopped to drop Owen and Ianto back at the flat, Owen excused himself so that Jack and Ianto could have a private goodbye.

Ianto was surprised that he felt so emotional about leaving Jack.  He willed himself not to cry, but Jack could see how upset he was.  It touched Jack deeply that Ianto was going to miss him after so short a time together.  “Don’t be sad Ianto; think about all the fun we’re going to have once you come back.  Yeah, maybe you could even be thinking specifically about some fun things you’d like to do when you get back.” 

‘I have something for you.’  Ianto smiled shyly as he handed Jack a small rectangular box he had in his coat pocket. ‘Don’t you open that before Christmas morning, OK?’

Jack nodded. “Funny thing, I have something for you as well.”  Jack reached into the pocket of his coat and handed Ianto a heavy small square box.  “And you have to promise not to open it until you get back to London.”

Jack gave Ianto a rather chaste final kiss as he got out of the car.  “Be good Ianto.  Have fun at your New Year’s party, just not too much fun, OK?” 

Just before Ianto went into the lobby of Owen’s building he turned to look at Jack for a final time.  Jack smiled and blew him a kiss.

***

They arrived at Rhiannon’s house shortly before 2 PM.  Ianto took a deep breath.

“Are you nervous?”

‘No, not at all unless walking into a weevil’s den would make you nervous.’

“Hey your sister and brother-in-law are nice people.  Can’t say about the kids; they were running out the door, the little hellions, as I was coming in.”

‘If that’s supposed to reassure me, it’s not working.  I hope they aren’t put off by the voice software.  Guess, we’ll find out,’ Ianto said a little hesitantly.

They went up to the door carrying all the presents.  Before they could knock, the door was opened by a little girl.  “Mummy, Uncle Ianto’s here, Uncle Ianto’s here!” she yelled excitedly.  As they stepped inside, Ianto wondered if Mica knew which one of them was Uncle Ianto.  They put the presents down to greet everyone.

Rhiannon ran to the door and pulled Ianto into a hug. “Oh, its been way too long Ianto; its so good to have you home.”  Ianto kissed her on the cheek and held her tight. 

“Mica, this is your Uncle Ianto.”  Mica reached up for a hug.

“And this is his friend Dr. Harper.”

“Call me Owen, please.”

Mica looked up at Owen with big blue eyes.  Her resemblance to Ianto was striking.  She had the same grey-blue eyes, pouty mouth, and dark wavy hair with very fair skin. “Can we call you Uncle Owen?”   

Surprisingly, Owen wasn’t put off by the little girl.  “Why of course you can.  I’d be honored.”  What he wasn’t expecting was the next question.  “Are you Uncle Ianto’s boyfriend?”  Owen looked a little puzzled as he wasn’t quite sure that Mica understood the implications of that word.  When he didn’t answer she looked at him coyly and asked, “You know, are you married?”

Owen burst out laughing.  Ianto smiled.  “No, no, I’m his doctor and his good friend, kind of like a big brother.  You’ve got a big brother, don’t you?”

“Yeah, and I hope you’re nicer to him than David is to me!”

“Hey, I heard that,” an older, somewhat stocky boy shouted as he came into the room.  He came up behind Mica and pushed her.  Mica started to cry. Owen scowled.  Instinctively, Ianto reached down and picked Mica up in his arms trying to soothe her. 

“David, if you don’t stop that, Santa’s not going to bring you any presents,” Rhiannon scolded.

David rolled his eyes, and smirked, “Santa, yeah, like I’m really worried about Santa.”

Johnny came up behind him and slapped his head lightly.  “Oi, big guy, do not be disrespecting Santa in this house.  Go have a sit in the kitchen if you’re going to be a brat.”  David sulked and left the room.

“Remind you of anyone else at around the age of ten?” Rhiannon asked.  “He’s exactly like you, the little know it all.”

Ianto thought, ‘well here goes.’ He began to type on his cell while Rhiannon and Johnny watched him.  He hit the send key. ‘No way was I that bratty, no way.’

“Oh, Ianto, that sounds just like you!  Where did you get that from?”

‘Owen’s co-worker Tosh found it for me.  It’s not bad, is it?’

Johnny had forgotten about Ianto not being able to speak.  He looked Ianto over closely and saw how thin he was and how tired he looked.  He could also see that Ianto was happy but nervous to be home. ‘Want to make sure he knows he’s welcome here.’ 

“Ianto, the voice is fantastic!  Its not at all was I was expecting.  And you look good, a little tired maybe, but good.” He gave Ianto a big bear hug.

Rhiannon interrupted, “Oi, what am I thinking, you haven’t seen Mum yet.”  She grabbed Ianto by the hand and took him into the lounge area.  When she saw him come in, Ianto and Rhiannon’s mother looked up from her newspaper and smiled.

Ianto quickly toggled over to the Welsh software and went over and hugged and kissed his mother.  She patted the chair next to her and Ianto sat down.  She spoke to him rapidly in Welsh, eliciting a few smiled from everyone and a snort at one point from Ianto.

Owen whispered to Johnny, “what’s she saying, I don’t know enough Welsh to follow the conversation.”

Johnny whispered back, “She’s scolding him for not calling or visiting more often and telling him he looks too thin, and that his hair is too long.  Let me see if I can’t interrupt and introduce you.” 

Johnny spoke to Mum and explained who Owen was and that he didn’t speak Welsh.  Rhiannon told Owen what Johnny had said.  Mum motioned Owen over and pulled him into a hug and kissed him as well.  “She wants you to know how grateful she is for taking care of Ianto….” and then Johnny and Rhiannon and Ianto burst out laughing.  Johnny spoke to her again, and shook his head at her reply.

“Well, seems like Mica and Mum like to watch the same soap opera.  That explains her question.  She wants to know if you’re going to have a commitment ceremony anytime soon.  Everyone was laughing.  “Apparently we missed the big wedding between Gareth and Lolo on Pobol y Cwm.”

Ianto replied, ‘He’s not my boyfriend, he’s my doctor and my best friend.’

Mum replied that he could do worse than a doctor.  When this was translated, Owen laughed so hard that he thought he’d piss himself.  He and Ianto made eye contact and they knew they were both thinking, ‘well that could make things a whole lot easier down the road.’

“Do you have a girlfriend at least, or is that too old fashioned to even consider,” Johnny snarked.

‘Well, I was seeing someone in London for a bit, but that wasn’t a long-term thing.’

Owen jumped in, “Gorgeous Irish red-head, name of Kelly.”

Johnny asked Mum how she would feel if Ianto married an Irish lady.  She replied that she’d rather see Ianto with a Welsh man than an Irish woman.  Owen thought, ‘there’s really no accounting for prejudice is there?’  Out loud he asked, “how about an American man?”  Ianto shot him a glance thinking ‘I’m going to kill you.’

She said she’d still prefer a nice Welsh boy, but she’d rather he was with an American man than an Irish woman. Rhiannon asked, “Is there some reason you were asking that Owen?”

“No, no, just wanted to see if it was the Irish part specifically your mum was objecting to or the non-Welsh part.”

David came back into the lounge and sat down next to Ianto. “So what did you get me?”  Rhiannon looked mortified.

Ianto kept a perfectly straight face and typed. ‘I got you the best gift ever!  Pajamas with bunnies on them. And matching bunny slippers. They are so cute; I can’t wait to see you in them!’ 

David looked at Ianto horrified. Then he realized that Ianto was having one over on him.  He punched Ianto lightly on the arm. “Gor, I thought you were serious for a moment.”

David was quite taken with Ianto’s ‘talking phone.’  “Hey can you show me how that software works, it sounds pretty good.  I thought it was going to be like a robot voice.”  David got up and began to walk like a robot with his arms held stiffly by his sides.  “Kill…the…humans…kill the… humans.”  Everyone laughed, everyone that is except Ianto.

Ianto almost jumped out of his skin.  David looked like a Cyberman but sounded exactly like a Dalek.  Owen noticed the change in Ianto’s demeanor.  ‘Hey Ianto, you didn’t take your afternoon pill yet did you? Step into the kitchen with me for a moment…”

Ianto quickly got up and followed Ianto into the kitchen.  Rhiannon and Johnny had noticed the change in Ianto as well, but the kids and Mum were oblivious.  Rhiannon got up, “let me go help them find a glass for water.”

When she stepped into the kitchen she saw that Ianto was leaning against a counter shaking.  Owen was speaking quietly to Ianto, his face drawn into a worried frown.

“What the matter,” she whispered. 

Ianto didn’t know what to say.  Fortunately, Owen had some practice covering up Torchwood activities, so he was pretty good at constructing stories off the cuff.  ‘Always best to stick as close to the truth as you can.’

“Ianto’s having a little bit of a flashback to the terrorist attack.  Not sure why, but sometimes a sound or a smell can cause it.  Especially if he’s tired. Doesn’t even have to seem to be related, just an involuntary response.”

Rhiannon nodded.  “Ianto, you do look a little tired.  Do you want to have a lie down for a bit, we won’t be having dinner for nearly another hour?”  Ianto nodded.  “Oh, and here’s a glass of water for you.”

Owen got a bottle out of his pocket and handed Ianto a small round pill.  Ianto shrugged and took the medication.  As Rhiannon turned to put the glass into the sink, Owen mouthed “Echinacea.”  Ianto smiled and nodded.

She took Ianto up to David’s room.  Ianto shuddered when he saw how David’s clothes were thrown everywhere, his toys and games were covering every available surface and the bed linens looked like they had been through a tornado. “Oi, you may be Mr. Neat now, but I can remember when your room looked worse.  And don’t go denying it, or I’ll start telling Owen embarrassing stories from when we were kids.” 

Ianto grinned at her.  ‘And speaking of embarrassing stories, maybe I should tell Owen about the time I caught you and Tommy McFarlane behind the school…’

Rhiannon smacked Ianto on his arse. “Don’t you dare…don’t you even...”

‘You know, I wonder if Johnny’s ever heard that story?’

She went to hit him again and Ianto grabbed her and held her close. ‘Guw, I’ve missed you Rhiannon…I forgot how much fun we used to have.’

“Oh yeah, loads of fun,” she laughed, “you always spying on me and my boyfriends, me always tormenting you…”  Her face softened, “yeah I’ve missed you too.  Seriously, Ianto, how are you feeling?”

Ianto sat down on the bed.  Rhiannon sat down next to him.  ‘Ok, really.  I still get tired pretty easily and I’ve been a lot doing more the last few days than I’m used to. We drove back Thursday evening and Friday I got to meet all of Owen’s co-workers and see my new flat, and then went to dinner with everyone. It was a late night.

Yesterday morning Owen’s boss, Captain Harkness took me buy some new suits, I’ve lost so much weight nothing fits and then we went and visited and had dinner with Tosh who was... a little under the weather.  A big day for me usually consists of getting up, having breakfast, taking a short walk, having a nap, watching TV, dinner, maybe some more TV and then bed.’

“Ianto, are you in any pain?  You look like your back hurts.”

‘Yeah, I fell yesterday.  You’ve noticed that I startle pretty easily.  Well, I heard this loud siren yesterday, and I turned around so quick that I lost my balance. I also managed to knock Captain Harkness off his feet. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I’m going to be doing some work for Torchwood Three.’

Rhiannon was not happy to hear this at all. “Ianto, you almost got killed working for them in London, why would you even think of working for them again?”

‘Well there aren’t a lot of jobs for people with my skills in Cardiff.  I don’t think this is a permanent position, but their archives, you wouldn’t believe what a mess they are in.  And they have boxes and boxes of stuff that were salvaged from London and nobody’s even looked at what’s in them!  So at least I can be of some help.  And they’ve done an awful lot for me.’

Rhiannon snorted.  “Yeah, like helping you to lose your speech and some use of your hand and almost your life.”

‘Rhiannon, you can’t blame Cardiff for London’s mistakes.  They are two totally different operations.’

“So did Owen get you the job?”

‘No, Jack…Captain Harkness offered me the position.’

“I see.  You  know I think I recall having seen him around town once or twice.  American isn’t he?”  Rhiannon smiled wickedly at Ianto.  Ianto blushed.  Rhiannon hugged her brother tightly.

“Whatever you do and whoever you are with, Johnny and me will be behind you.  We just want you to be happy, Ianto, really.  And if this Jack here or Kelly in London will make you happy, then that’s fine by us.  Now lay down and get some rest.”  

Ianto looked at the bed.  He didn’t want to be rude, but he really, really, didn’t want to nap on those sheets.

“Oi, give me a minute, I’ll get some clean sheets.  You look like you’re about to run screaming from the room.”  Rhiannon retrieved some clean linens from another room and she and Ianto changed the bed.  “I’ll wake you in about an hour, OK?  Ianto nodded.  “Sweet dreams, Ianto.  Welcome home.”

Chapter 33 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/11645.html

It was late November when Owen realized that he couldn’t procrastinate any longer.

‘Guess I better get this over with.’ He had put off meeting with Ianto’s sister as long as he could. Now that it looked like Ianto would be visiting at Christmas and relocating back to Cardiff within the next month or two, he knew he had to do this.

He called her during the week, explained that he was the medic overseeing Ianto’s recovery and wanted to meet to update her on what was going on. She seemed hesitant, but Owen understood when she explained that she’d have to find someone to watch after her mother and kids first.

“Why don’t I just stop over some evening? That way I can meet Ianto’s mum and you don’t have to be inconvenienced.”

Rhiannon Davies sighed. Great, now some stranger, a doctor no less was going to be coming to her house. She couldn’t wait to see him look around with disdain or even worse, pity.  “Next Thursday OK? Johnny, my husband will be home that night and he might have some questions.” She gave him directions to her home, and they agreed on 8 PM.

So Thursday it was. Owen snorted as he thought about the conversation. ‘Husband’s home Thursday’s, probably out drinking every other night with the boys. Yeah, like I wouldn’t be out drinking practically every night if I didn’t have the Jones kid to worry about,’ he acknowledged.

As he drove into the housing estate he could see that while it wasn’t very new, it was in pretty good condition. Two stories with white siding and dark green trim, the units were identical except for some flower pots on the steps leading to the front door or the occasional wind chimes hanging from an entry light. The Davies house was at the end of a row of units. He parked his car (actually it was Gwen’s car; thank goodness she let him borrow it, he knew he couldn’t show up in his new Miata) and went up to the front door. He could hear some yelling from inside. ‘Oh great, Thursday night at the fights has started already.’

Just as he was about to knock, the door flew open and two young children ran out laughing and yelling. “Put your shoes on before you go next door….” A woman about his age came to the doors. “Guess I was a little late on that suggestion. You must be Dr. Harper, come on in.”

Owen went inside and Rhiannon introduced herself and her husband who was sitting on the sofa. She would have been pretty once, but time and worry had taken its toll. Owen thought she was only a few years older than Ianto, but she looked much older than him at that moment. At least much older than the pre-Canary Wharf Ianto.

She motioned for him to sit down on a faded lounge chair and then sat down on the sofa beside her husband. Johnny spoke first. “So Ianto’s actually coming back to Cardiff. That should be interesting.”

Rhiannon snorted. “Yeah guess he’s not flying so high now is he?”

Owen held back a nasty retort. ‘Don’t let them bait you. They’re upset and embarrassed.’ 

“Right,” he said aloud. “Let me explain about Ianto’s progress.” He started to tell them about Ianto’s rescue from Canary Wharf but was quickly interrupted by Johnny.

“So what exactly is Torchwood? Something like MI5?”

“Yeah, something like that, but it deals with external threats to the Crown. Or at least that was what it was set up to do. It now deals with all sorts of threats to the stability of the government as well as the Crown.” 

Rhiannon couldn’t imagine her baby brother as some sort of secret agent. “I just can’t see it. My brother isn’t the James Bond type; I can’t believe he’d be working someplace like that.”

Owen laughed, “Well he did, but something a lot less mysterious or dangerous. He was an archivist; basically keeping records and information organized and filed. That’s all.”

“Ianto Jones, file clerk and secret assassin,” quipped Johnny. 

“Yep that about describes it. I know you are aware that Torchwood London was destroyed in a terrorist attack and that Ianto was one of only 27 people rescued from the attack. But I wanted you to know that there are only about half as many still alive six months later. Some succumbed to their injuries…others…uh...couldn’t live with the horrors they experienced.”

Both Rhiannon and Johnny looked shook up by that revelation. 

Owen looked down to hide a thin smile thinking, ‘good, now at least I’ve got your attention.’ Owen went on to describe Ianto’s rescue, injuries, surgeries, and prognosis. The Davies asked a lot of questions about Ianto’s hand and he patiently explained the extensive rehab that Ianto still had to complete. “It looks like he was really lucky. He will be able to use the hand for the basics – feeding himself, dressing himself, picking up items as long as they are not too heavy. Whether he will be able to write is still dicey, but with all the electronic devices, especially text messaging, this isn’t the disability it used to be. But I’m afraid any dreams he had of being a concert pianist are over.”   No one laughed.

“We’re hoping he’ll be able to find some type of work eventually, but Torchwood’s covering his costs for the foreseeable future. We’ve picked out a flat to rent for him, modest but close to a bus line so he can get around independently. So you don’t have to worry about taking care of him. We’ve got that covered.”

Rhiannon’s voice was shaking when she asked about Ianto’s lack of speech. “He can’t talk at all, like he forgot how, or he doesn’t want to, I just don’t understand.”

“None of the medical experts do either. He probably suffered some type of nerve damage in the brain center where language is formed, but none of the brain scans have been able to find anything. He says that he can think of how to speak, but can’t make it happen. Honestly, I’m not sure what that means. But I can tell you its not just being unable to make sounds, his lips don’t move at all. He communicates with text messaging but that has its limitations. We’re looking at other possibilities; there are programs that can convert written text to voice output, but we need to test them out and see if they’ll work for him.”

Rhiannon started to cry. “That’s worse than mum, she can talk at least. Only Welsh, mind you, but at least she can say something.”

“Is your mother here, now?” 

“She’s in the kitchen, didn’t think she’d have much to add to the conversation. You don’t speak Welsh do you?” Owen shook his head.

“Yeah, her mind’s as sharp as a tack, but she’s forgotten her English. Only spoke Welsh at home as a child you see.”

“You’ll tell her about Ianto, won’t you?”

“I will, she’s always asking about him…‘where’s my boy’ she’ll ask, practically every day since the stroke. She doesn’t remember him leaving us and sayin’ he’d never be back.”

Johnny put his arm around Rhiannon as she started to cry again. “Please excuse the missus; she’s overwhelmed with everything that’s going on. I work two jobs and I’m away all day and most evenings too. Everything falls on her, the kids, her mum, the house; I don’t know how she does it really.”

Owen sat down next to Rhiannon. “It’s OK for you to be angry. Ianto got opportunities you didn’t and I’ll bet the little brat just rubbed your nose in it. Yeah, I know something about that. Can I ask you; behind the kitchen is there a little space with a door that’s too small to be good for anything but maybe a place to store a mop and some cleaning supplies?”

“Dr. Harper, that’s the strangest thing to ask, but yes there is.”

“Thought so. See I grew up in a housing estate like this South of London. Exactly like it, as a matter of fact. My mum and I could never figure out what that space was for. I know you noticed my posh accent. I’m another kid who did a runner when I had the chance, but I never got to make it up to my mum. It was just me and her and she died when I was in my second year of medical training.”

Johnny had been watching Owen intently. He could tell that Owen wasn’t telling tales and had had more than his share of sadness. ‘Poor bloke, should get to know him better. After all he’s taken the burden of Ianto off me and Rhi.’

“Listen Owen, when you come back with Ianto, he and Rhiannon can have a visit and you and I can go to the pub for a pint or two.”

Owen smiled, “Yeah, I’d like that. I don’t know the exact details, but I was hoping to bring Ianto to visit at Christmas. Do you think that would be OK?”

Rhiannon and Johnny were pleased with the idea. “It’ll be the first Christmas since Mica was born that we’re all together,” Rhiannon explained. “The kids should get to know their Uncle Ianto; we’re a small family and they don’t have many other relatives.”

Owen got up to leave and then remembered. “Sorry, I almost forgot, Ianto wrote out a message for you.”   He handed Rhiannon a small envelope. “He wrote it with his left hand, so I hope you’ll be able to read it. Said it was private, so I have no idea what’s in it.”

Johnny and Rhiannon walked Owen to the door. Owen promised to call them once he knew exactly when Ianto would be returning to Cardiff.   After Owen was gone, they returned to the sofa. Neither said anything for a while. Johnny shrugged, “Nice guy that Owen; I thought he’d be stuffy but he wasn’t was he?”

“No, just a regular guy really. Seems like he’s been a real friend to Ianto not just his doctor.”

They sat again in silence until Rhiannon took a deep breath. “I’m really afraid to see what’s in this envelope, Johnny. Guess I should just open it, shouldn’t I?” Rhiannon carefully opened it up.

 _________________________________________________________________________________

 __________________________________________________________________________________

Rhiannon put her head against Johnny’s shoulder and sobbed.

**I love you.

Chapter 19 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/7108.html