ericadawn16 | The Tea Party Incident

Title: But Time Marches On
Characters: Jack, Alice, Iefan, Lucia, Rhi Jack/Ianto
Rated: PG-13 ANGST COE Spoilers MPREG
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: What does Lucia think about her new "cousin"?
Previous Segment: The Best of Intentions
Author's Note: The Sequel to But Time Didn't Stop

Previous Chapter: The Best of Intentions

Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/113396.html

The Tea Party Incident

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't," Alice interrupted Jack again,"I was his mother and I couldn't protect him. Mum said I should move far away if she died, but I couldn't do that. I couldn't move him away from his father and I couldn't move....away from you. Even here, I took the name I was born with like...like I wanted you to find me. I hate you and I...love you and I hate that."

It was so quiet after those words, but she had admitted that she still loved him.

"I love you, too," he told her and Iefan stood up in his chair. Jack leaned over to pull him down. He found those three words easier to say now. It had been a deliberate decision on his part that it was something he needed to work on. If there was a next time, he would never be afraid to say it again.

"That's the first time I've heard you say that since I was a little girl," she said and her eyes were glistening again. It must be the hormones. He did not miss that aspect at all.

"Faba!" Iefan cried as she continued sewing the purple fabric.

"But the thing is...I ran. All my life, my mum would tell me stories about when things were too much for you...you'd run. You'd go who knows where after whatever and show up days later like nothing happened and that's just what I did. I ran, just like you," she stated, "except I didn't even go back."

Jack wished he knew the right thing to do; the right thing to say. Should he hug her?

"Oh, Alice..." he tried to say, but was interrupted by someone coming into the room again.

"Mama, come to my tea party, please!" the ginger-haired girl running in and stopping in the middle as though surprised by Jack and Iefan in the chairs, "Why they still here?"

"I'm sorry, Jack," Rhi apologized as she came in, "I should have come earlier, but I thought the kids needed some time apart after the tea party...incident."

"Incident?" asked Jack and Alice at the same time. The girl was looking at the floor and Iefan had shrunk down in his chair.

"Lucia?" Alice questioned in an authoritarian voice.

"Monzur Whiskerkins was gonna drink it all," she said and pointed to the purple plush animal, "so I stopped him."

Iefan started to cry and Jack tried to keep his mouth shut before doing something he'd regret.

"You broke Iefan's faba?" his daughter questioned Lucia and he noticed how she was now standing up. Jack loved how she remembered what Iefan had called it.

"He wasn't playing right!" the girl complained and her face grew red, "I just wanted to make him play right."

Jack took Iefan onto his lap and held him close as Alice walked over to Lucia.

"I'm getting time-out?" the girl asked and Alice nodded.

"But first, we need to talk about this," Alice spoke, "You remember that Papa and I have told you that things will be very different when the baby comes. He or she may not play right either, but you can't break their things over it. You will have to share and be patient."

"Don't want to!" the little girl screamed.

"Taddy!" Iefan complained and he kissed his son's brow, next to the scar that was forming.

"I don't care. This baby's going to be your brother or sister and Iefan is your cousin," Alice explained and Lucia's brown eyes were confused.

"Cousin?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Iefan is your cousin and this is your Uncle Jack. He's my brother," she explained and the lie came easily off her lips. He supposed she did already have years of practice with it.

"No, he isn't," the girl argued with her ginger hair trying to escape its ponytail, "I never see him."

She raised a good point, but there was no way to explain the problems of adults to a small child and being the coward he was at times...he was going to let Alice come up with what to say next. Then, there was a smell that couldn't be ignored.

"Iefan, do you need a new nappy?" Jack whispered to his son who shook his head.

"No," the toddler lied and he couldn't help smirking at how alike the siblings were becoming.

"He's been very busy these last few years. This is the first time he's been able to come," Alice spoke as Jack stood up with Iefan in his arms. He held out a hand for the nappy bag and Rhi shook her head.

"Let me take him," she told him and held out her arms, "You should stay here with her."
Lucia watched them go with narrowed brown eyes and asked, "Who's she then? Iefan's mama?"

"She's Iefan's aunt," Alice spoke and the girl questioned, "She my aunt?"

Alice turned to Jack, who shrugged, and replied, "I suppose you could call her aunt. You'd have to ask her, but she's not Iefan's mama. Iefan had two daddies."

He wasn't sure if everything should be explained all at once, but it was Alice's decision.

"Can I do time-out now?" Lucia asked in annoyed tone at being told much in such a short amount of time and Alice nodded. The girl went to a corner of the room and sat. Alice set a timer on her mobile. He supposed she wanted a break away from the adults except they were still in the same room. This also meant that they couldn't really talk.

"How long will you stay?" Alice asked and rubbed her small bump.

"Our reservations are for a week, but I'm sure I could extend them through Christmas if..." he trailed off and hoped he wasn't being too optimistic.

"We could try that," Alice agreed and he couldn't help smiling, "I should invite you for dinner, but I should tell Thomas about this first."

"Of course," he replied and looked at the girl sitting down; so much like her mum except for the ginger. There was so much to say and no way it could be said in front of her.

"You have my mobile number, I hope you use it," Jack told her.

"I should have Faba finished for tomorrow. Will he be able to sleep without it?" she asked and he wasn't sure. Iefan hadn't been without it since he was six months old.

"I'm not sure, it was a gift from his godfather," he spoke as he had told others. It was the easiest way of describing the Doctor.

"Phone me if there's a problem," Alice told him and he knew that she knew that he could find her number if needed. He touched her hand for a brief moment before leaving. Jack listened for noise and heard Iefan chattering away in his not quite english. They were in a loo with Rhi changing Iefan on the floor.

"She's going to tell her husband about me tonight," Jack explained and Rhi nodded.

"But not the truth, she's going to say that you're her brother," she clarified and he replied, "Yeah, but it's better than nothing...I didn't realize how much I missed her until she was right in front of me."

"Taddy!" said Iefan and waved as Rhi fastened the sticky tabs on either side. The second that she was done, the toddler jumped up and ran to his parent who picked up his jeans. Rhi put the old nappy in the rubbish bin as he struggled to put clothing back onto an uncooperative toddler.

"Iefan, it's cold outside and I don't want you getting sick especially in a foreign country," Jack told him and he still whined, but he got the jeans all the way up and zipped.

"Why can't they make toddler clothing for your size?" he complained and Rhi smiled.

"Because toddlers with two parents over six feet aren't who they have in mind," she retorted with a grin and he had to nod in agreement. Iefan was going to be tall just like he and Ianto. Now, he just needed to put his shoes back on.

"Faba!" Iefan yelled and Jack grimaced.

"Faba has to stay with Aunt Melissa for now, like a hospital, but he'll be all better tomorrow," Jack spoke and the boy frowned.

"But Faba..." the toddler complained and his father sighed.

"How about you sleep in my bed tonight? How about that?" he offered because that was something reserved for when Iefan was sick. Rhi zipped up the nappy bag as the boy thought about the offer.

"K," he agreed and Jack was relieved that was settled so fast.

Bedtime