Gwil's Guide to Growing Up Torchwood: Year 3, Chapter 11

[amuly]

Title: Gwil's Guide to Growing Up Torchwood: Year 3, Chapter 11
Pairing: Jack/Ianto, Gwil
Word Count: 1,192
Rating: PG
Summary: When a seven-year-old boy falls through the Rift, Ianto and Jack decide to adopt him. This is the story of his life at Torchwood.
Chapter Summary: Gwil's 10^th birthday is completely normal. But dark clouds are gathering on the horizon.
Warnings: heavy-handed foreshadowing
A/N: END OF YEAR 3! WOOO!!! Okay, so now 2 week hiatus as I GO TO ENGLAND! WOOO!! May be back the 16^th, but more likely the 19^th, since I get back late on the 15^th and if I don't have it written already there's no way I'm going to write it jet-lagged.

Anyway, I'll see you guys in Year 4!! Thank you to everyone who's still reading this! (All 5 of you :P)

 

Previous Chapter: Year 3, Chapter 10
Gwil Masterlist

 

 

The day had, so far, gone completely to plan. Ianto knew he shouldn't think such things lest he run the risk of jinxing himself, but it was true. Gwil had scurried into their bedroom first thing in the morning, squirming his way beneath their sheets in a quest for his presents. Jack had laughed, made a comment about the presents beneath the sheets being more to Tad's liking, and gotten a cuff on the arm from Ianto. Gwil had even rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, and exasperated “Dad,” sounding eerily similar to Ianto's scolding tone.

Presents had been gathered, balloons inflated, and piles and piles of cake, hot dogs, hamburgers, and all the toppings manhandled into the back of the SUV. The Rift didn't act up once. Aunties and Uncles all congratulated Gwil on his tenth birthday, loading him down with even more presents. Then they were off to the park, to meet Gwil's friends and their parents for a day of – hopefully uninterrupted – fun and games.

And so far it had managed to go smoothly. Hot dogs and hamburgers were grilled and munched on ravenously by the children, sodas and juice boxes inhaled with alarming speed, and then the children were off, playing a loosely organized game of football, followed by hide-and-seek, while the adults cleaned up the tables and set out the cake, for after the children had tired themselves out.

In the meantime, Ianto was sitting on one of the picnic benches with Jack, enjoying the sun on his face, the laughter of the children as they chased each other around the park, and Jack's arm pressed into his.

Jack interrupted Ianto's content contemplation of his life with a nod to Ianto's ring finger, where his heavy platinum engagement band rested. “You sure you don't want the big Torchwood wedding? I'm sure I could get it organized in the next two weeks. Put Kate and William to shame, we could.”

Ianto chuckled softly, leaning against Jack more than he normally might out in public. “No, Jack,” he murmured. “The small service, just family and Torchwood, should be plenty.” Ianto paused for a moment, mouth half-open as he considered what to say next. “Have you heard from-”

“She's not coming.” Jack's tone was curt, his eyes staring straight ahead at Gwil kicking the football with his friends.

Ianto waited a beat, then tried one more time. “Steven is just about Gwil's age. They could-”

“No.” The silence between them wasn't quite as heavy as it might have been a year ago, had Ianto brought up the subject of Jack's carefully-hidden family. Even still, Jack's refusal to talk about them was absolute.

Six months ago, as they were making up the guest list for the wedding, Ianto had casually mentioned Alice. Jack had never told Ianto about her, and in all actuality Ianto probably shouldn't have known they existed. But as it was, he did, and he wasn't about to pretend otherwise. Not at this point in his relationship with Jack.

“Will Alice and Steven be attending?”

Jack's reaction then hadn't been a categorical refusal, but rather a tentative interest. He had told Ianto he'd get back to him tomorrow afternoon, given him a kiss on the forehead, and hurried away.

The next afternoon Ianto found a note on the fridge. It had said: “On top of the Altolusso”. Ianto had crumpled it up and thrown it in the trash before resting his head against the cool steel face of their refrigerator. Jack hadn't had the urge to go brood on a rooftop since he and Ianto discussed the habit a year ago. Since then he had managed to keep his brooding confined to the Hub, where Ianto could find him in case of an emergency. Until now. At least he had left a note.

Ianto ventured a guess. “She doesn't approve of you having a family.”

“Ianto,” Jack's eyes slid to Ianto's, narrowed against the bright glare of the sun. “Please.”

Nodding, Ianto fell silent. Their non-conversation had covered everything he needed to know, as it was. He had considered, once upon a time, going to Alice himself and trying to chat with her. But then he had realized she was twice his age, and suddenly felt incredibly awkward trying to figure out how to word “I'm marrying your immortal father” without Jack ending up sounding like a pedophile.

Disjointed screaming erupted in the park, and Ianto let the silence between Jack and him grow as they watched the children play hide and seek. They both chuckled as they watched Zachary trip over his own feet and get tagged out by Tibor. Immediately an argument broke out amongst the two boys as to whether or not that counted. A moment later Gwil was popping up from his hiding spot and calling time out, before passing judgement on the matter. It appeared that his ruling was that Zachary was indeed “it”, because the boy trudged off to the home base tree to count. Ianto sighed. It warmed his heart to see Gwil dealing with such normal childhood issues, instead of aliens or mill life or his immortal dad.

As Ianto contemplated the children racing off to new hiding spots, his thoughts turned back to the Rift blips – a conversation which had fallen by the wayside in lieu of Gwen giving birth and various Rift-related problems.

“Jack, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about.”

Jack glanced down at Ianto's engagement ring with a crooked smile, before clasping Ianto's hand in his own and bringing it up to his lips. “Not having second thoughts, are we?”

Ianto rolled his eyes. “Of course, Jack: I'm having second thoughts about marrying the most handsome, dashing hero in all of Cardiff.”

“Only Cardiff?” Jack mock-pouted.

“Right, well: perhaps the greater UK. But I can't speak for other countries.”

Ianto smiled as Jack nipped reproachfully at his fingers and then released them. “So if it's not about how gorgeous I am, what is it?”

“The blips.”

Jack's face fell, eyes darting over to where Gwil was climbing a tree in order to hide from Zachary. “Is it...?”

“Tosh says there's a ninety-six percent chance it's directly correlated to Gwil's school schedule. His school in specific, though we don't know if it's his schedule or just the school's.”

Jack's face grew dark as he looked away from Ianto, watching Gwil climb the tree. Ianto followed his gaze and didn't say anything, instead waiting for Jack to come to a decision. “We're opening a formal case file on this.”

Ianto nodded. He had suspected as much. “Any insight as to what it might be?” he ventured hopefully.

But Jack just shook his head, bright blue eyes still trained on Gwil. Finally he took in a breath, turning to Ianto. “Let's worry about it tomorrow. For today...”

Ianto nodded, taking Jack's hand in his and squeezing it briefly. “Today's Gwil's birthday.”


Continue on to the first chapter of Year Four.