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Ianto was calling out as Max ran, his little legs pumping as he raced for his lovely Daddy who had crouched with his arms open to receive. They were at the country estate, Ianto begging off royal duties due to the impending birth of their second child.

What the press did not know is that they were actually racing for the retreat because Ianto was feeling the early warning pangs of labour and knew damned well the baby was coming early. This morning, the morning after the night before … Ianto was settled in the huge seat on the back veranda in the morning sun, the little one in his arms, at his breast as his beloved walked back up from the morning press conference where he had let slip that the new one might be along soon. Unlike Max's birth they wanted this little one to have a nice quiet little start.

She was perfect. A little Ianto with a button nose and soft flicks of almost hair. No wonder he had heartburn. Again. She did have her father's eyes though, Jack's brilliant blue that surpassed Ianto's' soft grey any day. Mary was also smitten, seeing her little ones growing, becoming and about to take on the world.

"Right" Ianto sighed softly "It's done. We need to tell them I guess."

"Do you feel ready?" she asked gently patting his hand, loving the young man who was more like a son to her now, his face glowing with pride in his newborn.

"No. Never. Don't wanna share" he pouted then his face cleared "but I shall. I shall let him crow, too mean not to."

Jack was crouching now, settling to look at his daughter, her little mouth moving as she drank with gusto. Like all of Owen's creations, she was strong and forward. Toshiko's little girl was such a gem, dainty and strong, her almond eyes were full of amusement at everything, an intelligence already eating up the world around her. Max was smitten with his little 'cousin' and was almost frantic when she ws asleep and unable to be squished when visiting. Max was overjoyed that his new sibling was a girl, another little lovely to protect and hug. Such a lovely huge heart. Ianto was just glad she was healthy, if not tiny and already the apple of her daddy's eye.

"I guess we have to" Ianto finally sighed, "Let them at me the bloody dogs!"

Jack smiled as Myfanwy raised her head form Ianto's feet to look around with a watchful frown, listening to him and taken him at his word, looking for bloody dogs. Too smart this one, Jack laughing as he knelt to reassure the hound that her master was playing.

"We can pack up tomorrow morning, head back and shock them at the steps when we get an extra bundle out of the car" Jack said gleefully, "I can't want to show her off. What do you think Max? Shall we go choose her outfit?"

Jack scooped up the toddler who squealed happily as Jack wandered off. Their son's first birthday had been a lovely time of celebration, the lovely little man more than once brining things over to place on the Bump, telling her these were for her. The nursery back at the palace bursting with things from well-wishers and an overbearing big brother keen to make a good first impression on his little sister. Ianto was relieved she had waited a month before coming, giving him his own birthday instead of making it hard not to share everything in life.

She was perfect.

"Well now Mac, what are we gonna do today hmmmm?" he crooned "Daddy has it all under control."

A scream up in the bedroom was Max, followed by Jack's bellow as he told the boy to stop jumping on the bed. Ianto added to her "Or not."

"Mary Angela Cora" Mary said softly "I am still so unbelievably touched that you chose my name before your dear mother's or best friend."

"Nonsense" Ianto said gently "You are my Mama now. My mother died long ago and is remembered. Enough. Besides, if she were ever… god forbid… to be queen, she can choose a name from those three and all three would be fine with me."

"I am glad Jack agreed to the clause, removing sex from the throne" Mary smiled "It means that you do not have to worry about another."

"Are you kidding?" Ianto laughed "I do want more. Not so close though … I really wanted a few years between them. Now we know the womb does not wither as expected, I will have to start birth control. Can you imagine?"

"Well, if he is anything like his grandfather, I do not see Jackson working to a calendar" she agreed with a cheeky wink, his laughter telling her he was as virile as the old king had been.

"Gray will be sorry he missed her coming, the foal taking his attention with her little problem" Ianto sighed, the little foal Ianto had given the boy was now a gangly yearling with accident prone tendencies, having skipped right into a barbed wire fence. Damn it all, Ianto was incensed that the neighbour had put barbed wire up without consulting him. Damned stuff was lethal to a horse, it's panic causing more harm than the first accidental bite to tender flesh.

Ianto sighed again.

Time to go back to reality.