Authors Note: Hope you enjoy this story, it just popped into my head, could be a little unbelievable but maybe we should just call it artistic licence. The parts min italics are flashbacks. I have now edited it, hope you enjoy. Set pre End Of Days ad post Cyberwoman.
Thank you to Indemaat and Mindy for alerting me to errors in this story. I am sorry that, when I re-uploaded it was the wrong chapter. Sorry to confuse. Soapy.
Ariana.
Chapter 1.
Ianto was sat on his black leather sofa, the matching cushions plumped and delicately placed at either arm. He was in a state of shock; what had he just done...
' The modern, polished black landline let out a resounding ring. Ianto sighed, it would probably be Jack, cutting short another day off. He picked up the receiver tentatively, pressing it to his ear.
"Hello?" Ianto said.
"Hello, Ianto?" A female voice questioned.
"Yes," Ianto frowned, "Morgan, is that you?" Recognising the light Welsh tine of his sister
"Ianto, it's so good to talk, how have you been?"
"Better," Ianto replied, knowing she meant since Lisa.
"I've been trying to get hold of you for months," Morgan scolded, "Ariana misses you."
"She reminds me of her..." Ianto began, "Sorry..."
"It's been months since she passed away Ianto, we should at least come and visit..."
"At least?" Ianto questioned.
"Maybe you should take her back," Morgan said quickly ignoring Ianto's sudden protests, me and Mike want to have our own child now and...well..." Morgan trailed off.
"I can't, my job..." Ianto protested.
"Please Ianto, I can still babysit form time to time, we're moving down to Swansea soon," Morgan begged, "I love Ariana, but I need to start my own family."
Ianto knew it was unfair on his sister, "Ok," He agreed, "When can you come?"
"Later today, about 5pm?" Morgan said, she'd obviously already planned this, "Can I stay for the night?"
"Sure," Ianto nodded needlessly, "Bye."
"Bye," Morgan repeated, hanging up the phone.'
He still couldn't believe it. He had been cleaning ever since, not that there was much to do, but he drew the process out, tidying soothed him.
The clock hanging on the wall showed the time was 3pm. Ianto realised he would have to do something, like go for a walk, he couldn't stand staying in the flat anymore.
That was when his phone buzzed, the word 'Jack' appearing on the screen with a dazzling picture of the Captain. Ianto hesitated. He'd never mentioned Ariana to anyone at Torchwood, not even after they'd found Lisa, he'd never thought she would be coming back to him.
He decided, grabbing the phone and pressing the green accept button, holding the sleek black phone to his ear, "Jack?"
"Ianto!" Jack sounded panicked, "We've detected rift energy in London! I need you to go with Owen and check it out..."
"I can't..." Ianto answered quickly, contemplating the strange coincidence, "I'm with...family..." Technically when she arrived that would be true.
"You'll be back by around three tomorrow morning, rift permitting, it's just to check, please Ianto."
"No Jack," Ianto said sharply, pressing a button to end the call, placing the phone down hard onto his glass coffee table, instantly regretting being so harsh on Jack with no reasoning.
Seconds later the phone rang again, Ianto ignored it, not wanting to argue again.
XXXX
"I can't..." Jack heard Ianto say quickly, "I'm with...family..."
Jack frowned, he'd never said anything about visiting family.
"You'll be back by around three tomorrow morning, rift permitting, it's just to check, please Ianto." Jack asked, his tone almost begging.
"No Jack," The line went dead.
Jack was surprised, Ianto never hung up on people, he quickly pressed the recall button, listening to the rhythmical ringing and knowing Ianto was ignoring his call.
He headed over the computers, where Gwen, Owen and Tosh were seated, pocketing his mobile.
"Ianto can't apparently, he's with family," Jack neglected to mention how badly the conversation had gone, "So Gwen?"
"I promised Rhys," Gwen said, a slight whine creeping into her voice.
"I'll go," said Tosh, "I can take my PDA and look at rift activity on that, it'll be fine."
Jack nodded, "Okay then, I'll talk to you later then, ring me if you find anything."
Owen and Tosh both nodded, checking they had their guns Tosh starting up her PDA and Owen grabbing the keys to the SUV, they headed out through the cog door.
XXXX
The doorbell rang, causing Ianto to jump from the sofa, he ran to the door, quickly straightening his suit before opening the door with, what he hoped was a welcoming smile.
Morgan, a tall woman with short brown hair and beautiful blue eyes, just like Ianto's, smiled back at him. She held a baby which was wearing pink all over and had beautifully frizzy brown hair, her eyes matched his and Morgan's and she was slightly tanned, reminding him she was Lisa's child. Next to her was a huge pink suitcase, which was bulging at the sides.
'He passed the baby to Morgan, at weeks old she had no idea what was happening, no idea that her mother was half cyber and stuck in the basement of Torchwood after the battle of Canary Warf. No idea that her Dad was abandoning her.
"I'll be back for you," Ianto whispered inaudibly, "Once Lisa is human again."'
"Hey," Ianto said, kissing her and the baby on the cheek.
"Ianto," Morgan smiled, unable to hug him because of the baby in her arm, she passed him the keys, "Could you go and get the rest of the stuff, I'm exhausted." Morgan grinned as she shuffled past her brother and into his flat.
XXXX
A little later the place was littered with toys as Ariana crawled around exploring her new home Ianto kept fretting.
"It's not really baby-proofed is it?" Ianto told Morgan.
Morgan rolled her eyes, mimicking her older brothers trait, "It'll be fine, we can get someone in to check it all tomorrow, then we'll just get all the papers signed, they said it'll only take a few weeks, then she'll be officially yours, and I'll head back."
"But I'm always at work, I have a busy schedule," Ianto argued.
"I told social services that, they said they can get you time off," Morgan smiled, "It'll be fine Ianto, honest."
Ianto smiled back, offering her a coffee and heading to his modern black and white tiled kitchen to make it.
Morgan smiled at the familiar smell of Ianto's special recipe, he seemed alot better now. He brought the coffee in tentatively asking if he could hold Ariana.
"Of course," Morgan encouraged, passing Ianto his daughter.
Ianto's face lit up as the baby smiled at him. He rocked her gently side to side, humming a random tune until she fell asleep in his arms.
"Now," Morgan smiled wickedly, "We need to assemble her cot, it's in that box," She pointed, "I'll have Ari, you get to work."
Ianto sighed, dragging the box out and rummaging through its contents.
XXXX
A few hours later the cot was assembled and had been dragged into his room, next to the wall opposite his bed.
"Just until I can turn the spare room into a nursery," Ianto smiled sadly, knowing this could never go that far.
Ari was still sleeping, now in her cot, Morgan and Ianto were talking and laughing together, reminiscing random events from their childhood. Ianto's began to ring again and, not thinking, Ianto grabbed it from the table, answering without a thought.
"Ianto," It was Jack, Ianto scolded himself for not checking before he answered, "Look I'm sorry I asked you to come in, please don't be mad at me."
Ianto rolled his eyes at Jack's pleading tone, "I'm not mad Jack, but I'm a little busy right now, I'll see you tomorrow." Ianto pressed the end call button without waiting for an answer, Morgan was looking at him inquisitively.
"Work," Ianto explained.
"But you can't go tomorrow, the baby proofer," Morgan said, "Can't you get a little time off?"
"It's not really my choice," Ianto said, hidden meanings in his words, "I'll try and get home early though."
Morgan nodded, taking a sip of the latest coffee Ianto had brought her, she would never sleep if she kept on like this.
'Rift permitting,' Ianto thought with an inward chuckle, what would he tell the others?