Chapter Text
Childlike giggling drifted through Melodys ears, echoing from her dreams the night before, as she got ready for work. It was a chilly day so she grabbed her coat and gloves before heading out. That was before she ran back for the guitar bag she’d forgotten. Ianto had mentioned his nephew was taking lessons but couldn’t really afford to have his own to practice, and as she had her old practice guitar just sitting around gathering dust she was happy to gift it to him. She’d restrung it and tested it the night before. She’d even managed to find her old mini practice amp for him to use. The cold air hit her lungs and made her cough as she made her way to work. The walk had become second nature but the extra weight she was carrying made it a little more of a slog than usual. By the time she walked into the tourist information centre she was out of breath and ready to warm up. As if he’d predicted her entrance at that moment Ianto walked in and placed a mug of coffee on the counter for her.
“Thanks.” She beamed, sliding the bag strap off her shoulder. “Everything going ok this morning?”
He nodded, drinking from his own mug. “It’s been quiet. You didn’t need to bring those in. I could have picked them up after work.”
“You’re seeing Rhiannon at lunch aren’t you?”
“As long as nothing pulls me away, yes. We were going to take David and Mica to the park, being as they’re both off school today.”
“Oh?”
“Something about preparations for an easter festival. I didn’t ask the details.”
“I wish my school had been that into anything. The most we got was paper eggs drawn by the nursery class plastered all over the walls. It works out though. David can take his guitar home with him.”
“Actually Rhi asked if you’d be able to come along.”
“Me?”
He sat down, moving the small woodstock plush next to the keyboard aside so he could put down his cup. “She said she never got the chance to really thank you for helping to find Mica. You don’t have to if you’ll be uncomfortable.”
“I don’t mind. I was more worried about making you uncomfortable.”
“Think of it like I can nudge you for an easy distraction away from sensitive topics.”
“So, I’m your conversational wingman.” She giggled.
“I suppose so. I don’t know which is worse, when she asks about my job or Jack.”
“Why don’t you just talk to her about him?”
“If I do she’ll want to meet him and I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet.”
“Will you ever be?”
He didn’t answer, instead he sipped his coffee and tapped the mouse to wake up the ancient looking computer.
“Going by everything you’ve told me she’s never going to give up.”
“It’s a matter of who’s more stubborn.”
“That is not a competition I’d put money on.”
Rhiannon waved as she saw Ianto pull up. She walked over with a smile.
“Hello stranger.”
He nodded a hello as he stepped out of the car. “The kids already busy?”
“David’s in the middle of a game of football and Mica’s over on the swings with one of her friends.”
“Good. Good. Oh, Melody brought her old practice guitar for David.”
“Really?”
Melody pulled the case out of the boot. “I hope he doesn’t mind a bit of dust on the case.”
“Are you sure I can’t give you anything for this?”
“Naa. It was made to be used so I’d rather the little lad use it than it sit in my cupboard. It’s got new strings and I tuned it so it’s ready to go.”
“Thank you so much for this. I couldn’t believe the prices when I looked.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve just got a new one with custom paint and I try not to think just how much I spent on it.”
“Oh? What did you get?”
“It’s glittery and fades from pink to light blue. It’s gorgeous but I’ve used up my birthday and christmas presents to myself for a while.”
“Very fancy. Right, let me put these in the car and we can sit down. Shame it’s not a nicer day.”
Ianto grabbed the cables and amp. “I’ll do it if you both want to go and sit down.”
“If you want to.” She took her keys from her pocket and handed them over. As he walked away she smiled and spoke a little more quietly to Melody. “So, being as he’ll never tell me anything, what is going on with him and this boyfriend of his?”
Mel giggled softly. “What do you want to know?”
“Why won’t he even let me properly meet him. It’s been years. Is he ashamed?”
“What? No, no. It’s just that Jack’s…”
“What? Don’t tell me he’s one of those snobby types.”
“Not at all. It’s just he’s... American.”
She sat and tried to parse what that even meant. “Is that a euphemism for something?”
“No, it’s just I think there’s a bit of sensitivity with cultural differences. Jack’s kind of loud and… Well, you know those old war films where the hero pilot walks in with a huge grin and everyone in the place swoons.”
“Yea.”
“Well, that’s Jack. He’s a good man but sometimes he doesn’t know when to shut up. He flirts like he breathes and with how introverted Ianto is… It can be complicated.”
“So, my brother’s been hiding his boyfriend because of social anxiety?”
“Give or take, yea. Just… Give him time, and maybe tell your other half to keep the friendly jabs to himself. He doesn’t mean any harm, I know, but I think it makes the anxiety worse.”
“This is why I wish he’d just talk to me.”
“Siblings don’t talk to each other unless the world is ending.”
“True.” She laughed. “Sorry, I invited you here to thank you for helping find Mica and I’ve got you gossiping.”
“I don’t mind and I’m glad I could help.”
“The police officer said you helped find missing kids before. Are you a social worker or…”
Melody began playing with the pendant around her neck. “Not exactly.”
“Wait… Are you actually a psychic? I thought it was just code or something.”
“I’m a telepath. I read minds, not futures and stuff. It’s ok if you don’t believe me.”
“You found my baby girl, I don’t care how you did it.” She smiled but there was something troubling her just beneath the surface.
Ianto saw it the second he sat down and handed over the borrowed car keys. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Rhi… What’s going on?”
“You’re going to think I’ve gone mad.”
He glanced between the two, Mel looking as confused as he was. “I won’t.”
“Well,” she sighed deeply, “since Mica walked off that day… Sometimes I hear her talking to someone who I know isn’t there. I took her to the doctor but she won’t talk about it to anyone. I don’t know if something happened while she was there and…”
“There was noone else when we got there.”
“I know. I don’t want to think the worst.”
Melody reached over tentatively and took her hand. “No one hurt her. I promise. Sometimes kids deal with traumatic events in strange ways.”
“That’s what the councillor said but… It just feels so wrong, you know? Where’s she gone now?” Rhiannon stood and looked around the park. “Mica!” She called, getting no reply. “Tania, did you see where Mica went?”
A little girl in a red coat looked up and shook her head. “She was here a second ago.”
Mel stood from the bench. “You two catch up. I’m sure she’s just playing hide and seek or something. I used to wander off all the time as a kid, I’ll find her.”
“Thanks.” Rhiannon sat, no colour left in her face as she watched the woman walk off towards the play area.
Ianto took her hands. “It’ll be ok. What happened just shook you up.”
“Y-yea… Sorry. I’m becoming one of those mums. If I’d panicked every time you’d run off when we were kids I’d be a nervous wreck to this day.”
“I always came back.”
“Yea, usually dragged by your ear… Sorry.”
“It’s… It’s ok. I’m doing a bit better with that kind of thing.”
“Oh?”
“The past year my head’s been clearer and I’ve been trying to just… Sort the past out.”
“When dad just up and left I never expected for you to look for him. I thought you’d turned your back on all of us.”
He stared down at the table, squeezing her hand softly. “I needed space. I never meant to turn my back on you or mum. I just needed to find out who I was without that voice in my ear all the time.”
“And dad?”
“I… He had problems.”
“He loved you.”
“No, he loved the idea of a son that followed in his outdated footsteps. Someone I couldn’t be. When I wasn’t what he wanted he turned to drink.”
“Ianto-”
“Please, don’t make excuses for him. If he was just like that to me then I could cope… I could walk away and move on, but he left you and mum. That’s not what a dad does. I don’t care how old fashioned he was, he didn’t need to abandon his family.” He bit back tears he wished would just go. They weren’t of sadness, they were of rage at what his father was. “He was a coward.”
She looked away and took a long, deep, breath. “I wish you’d talked to me more.”
“You never believed me when I did so I just… Stopped… I don’t blame you, you know? You were a child too. You just had to react to what you thought was right. Mum did her best but as we got older I think she was a bit lost too.”
“I wish I saw what you did. My memories are so different.”
“Rhi, you were the little princess of the family. Of course you didn’t. I was meant to be the tough little boy who got scraped knees and collected frogs. You fell over and you got a hug. I fell over and I got bollocked for crying. Boys don’t cry. Boys should be out playing, not reading in their rooms. Boys should be rowdy and loud, not shy and quiet. We were treated differently and I couldn’t take it.”
“That’s why you started playing up.”
“I needed out. It’s sad but when I got caught shoplifting I thought it was my ticket out of there. Anywhere but back home. When the judge said I’d just get community service I…”
“I thought you were just angry.”
“I was. I was angry at the world.”
There was a tense silence between them that seemed to stretch on forever, heavy and cloying. She sniffed and pulled a tissue from her coat pocket, wiping her eyes.
“You’re happy now, aren’t you?” It was an honest question. She hated to see her brother in pain.
He gave her a soft smile in reply. “I am.”
It was at that moment that Mica came sprinting out of the trees that sat close to the park, tears running down her face. “Mum! Uncle Ianto!” She cried, tripping and skidding across the grass.
They ran over to meet her and help her up.
“What happened?” Rhiannon asked, brushing the mud and grass off the front of the little girls coat.
Mica tried to catch her breath through sobs. “In the trees… Monster in the trees… Melody said to get you.... Said I should run back… To you and mum…”
“A monster?”
Ianto looked to the treeline. “Is she hurt?”
“She said… To give you this.” Mica opened her hand to show a crumpled piece of paper, the familiar Torchwood logo printed in the top corner. It didn’t need words on it to tell him that this ‘monster’ was more than just a child making sense of the world.
He brushed a tear from her cheek and put on a comforting smile. “It’s ok. Go and sit with your mum and calm down, ok?”
She nodded and cuddled into her mum as Ianto stood and headed towards the treeline.