Chapter Text
"Archie."
An old man in mage robes turned as his name was called out, something rarely done as everyone bowed and called him Mage these days. He saw Ianto and smiled "Boy!"
"Archie, this is Alice."
The old man looked at the girl and his eyes widened slightly "My, strong this one"
"Yes. And no training. She is… drifting. Any chance there is a spot in your class? As a favour to me?"
The old man chuckled "Now…you know I could want a dullard with two fingers on each hand for you but this little one… she is strong. Lively. Come dear, I shall find a spot. Do you like liquorice?"
Ianto watched Alice get introduced to other mutants her age and one of them rose to offer her his seat, her face blushing slightly as she knew him from the shelter. Ah. Good. A friend. She lacked those, Jack had said. Good friends anyway.
"Alice, I shall leave the light hover for you" Ianto called out "The return home is pre-set, just hit go."
She spun to gape at him, a hover something you do not hand over to a teenager willy-nilly and she sent him a loving thanks for giving her some clout. The other kids immediately wanting to be friends with someone who had transport.
Ianto headed home on foot glad to check the progress of the rebuilds as he wandered, also glad to find Stephen in the room talking animatedly to David as they unpacked things.
"Thank you" Rhiannon said as she watched her brother peeking around the doorframe "That must have hurt."
"Needed to be done. You know me, I don't like to rip off the Band-Aid, or pull slowly. I would rather it stayed there forever while it all festers underneath" Ianto said making a face that had her giggling softly at his tepidness.
"You seem… better." She finally said. The death of baby Lucas in still birth soon after they began the space flight for here… Jayden born and a little toddler by the time they arrived here, then to lose Jayden a mere two years later… followed by Lisa… how much pain can one man take? The fact he called Jayden Lucas at times, the souls of his sons haunted him now as one painful entity. She wished he had sought counselling or something, his wounds so vast.
"I think I am. For peace, there must be war. This is something we are taught from a young age, I guess I forgot it and avoided the pain to get to the Zen. Alice forced me to… well… wake up. She needs me."
Rhiannon raised her eyebrows with interest.
"She's mutant, like me." Ianto admitted "And I suspect Mimi is too… as you well know. Alice has no idea what she is doing, her father's powers are strong, but he clearly never noticed his daughter following in his footsteps."
"No wonder she is all over the place. Hormones plus her powers… not nice" Rhianon agreed, her own meagre powers were hard to adjust to and had it not been for Ianto's calm leadership she knew things might have been a lot worse. Bad enough she was taken with Johnny Fuckface Davies before Ianto got back from battle to meet him and warn her that he was an Influencer.
A rare mutant that will push feelings and memories into someone to get their way. Johnny always won, by hook or crook. And Ianto had wanted to beat the living tar out of him, the moment Johnny touched Ianto's arm and said softly 'remember' only to find himself through a wall had been pretty amazing really.
You can't fool someone stronger, and Johnny had never come across a full Mute. Ianto was the rarest of breeds that can do anything… not that he does but in battle it had showed a few advantages that now had her in a better position with her kids.
And he was also right about Mimi. She was going to be strong too. David… seemed to be a Norm. No shame there. Rhiannon was almost one, the little hint of motherly love she could exude to calm others a gift from their mother.
Jack… now he was different. There was something to him she could not see, know Ianto could but would never tell and she wondered for the umpteenth time what he was hiding.
.
.
"Bore Da" Ianto said as he entered Jack's office and then he paused "Sorry. I mean… hello."
"I don't speak the old tongues, but I do love to hear them" Jack replied, sitting back from his desk "What brings you all the way to the Agency?"
"Alice."
"Ah" Jack prepared for some ground rules, some complaints and general uneasiness.
"She is a strong mutant with promise of becoming a good leader" Ianto said as Jack blinked with surprise "I have taken her to Mage Arch. He is impressed with her and has made room for her in the teenage induction program so she might hone and control herself better."
Jack blinked again "what?"
"I know, it was a liberty and I apologize for not speaking with you first, but she needs to learn to control her gift. Her pain over her mother is… still raw. I think once she understands what mutism is, she might let go over this idea that she is to blame for her mother's choice to abandon her." Ianto plucked at his trousers "After all, clearly you have never explained to her of her mother's own powers."
"Lucia was a Norm."
"No. The box called back, latent energy from her on those things, not Alice. Lucia. She was an Empath. Why your daughter exhibits not only your telepathic ability, but an empathic one is there too. She gained from both sides" Ianto corrected gently, realizing that Jack still had not handed the box back to the girl until he felt she had earned it back "I think that is why her mother left. She never accepted her own abilities and when she realized, as we all did, that they are inherited she could not deal with others knowing she must be a Mutant too."
Jack sat staring at him for a while, then admitted "I never even thought to check… you know that makes sense. And Alice's mood swings… empathic. Like you?"
"One of mine, yes. Why her anger fed mine and vice versa. We will need to train together so she can learn how to influence others with feelings and thoughts, her combat skills could be impressive given the skillset you and Lucia have provided her with." Ianto sighed "But I know you do not want her to be a soldier. Neither do I, she is… delicate. But maybe in a security level position, she might provide service as a community protector. Feeling needed and respected."
"Security. Yeah, I think she might…. Is that her?" Jack stopped talking as a Hover sped past his window with some teenagers hanging off it yelling with glee.
"She has my light hover, yes." Ianto replied calmly "Don't worry, all the safety features are on 100% so she can't kill anyone."
Jack started to laugh as he agreed that she was more than capable if no one was looking of running over a small child, then he sobered "Listen… the room…"
"It's OK. He is happy, I am cleansed, and we move on" Ianto said waving a hand to show that he really did not want to go there. "You need to give her the box back. She's been punished enough."
"So, are we still on eviction notice?"
"No. No, I rescind that. Please, stay." Ianto smiled then he rose to show he was not staying, exiting with the same unannounced flair as he had entered.
Jack sat back and stared at the chair Ianto had just evacuated and found himself grinning as he had felt the man's amusement in the room, and welcome.
He was not only becoming a friend, he was starting to like him… like… LIKE…like him.
This might work out after all.