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http://amythest-n-ice.livejournal.com/11845.html
Link to chapter 3
http://amythest-n-ice.livejournal.com/12599.html
Link to Chapter 5
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When Owen came in half an hour later, he was carrying a plastic bag. He saw Ianto tidying the kitchen, and Tosh doing her research to find anything that might help with her jury rigging operation. There was no sign of the other two though.
“Where’s the Doctor and the munchkin?” He asked.
“In the TARDIS. The Doctor is checking that his wrist has fully healed. They’ll be back in a bit. Did you have any trouble getting rid of Gwen?” Ianto asked.
“No, dozy bint.” Owen sneered, wondering what he had ever seen in the woman. He held the bag he carried out to Ianto.
“Um, some coloring books, and pencils, for the kid.”
“Why don’t you give them to him yourself?”
“Nah, wouldn’t want to scare him.”
“Owen, he won’t bite. He is in fact considerably less dangerous than his adult self, and you never had any qualms about hacking him off.”
“Yeah, maybe. Look, Ianto, I never really had much to do with kids, but the few times I have, we came to an understanding, they hated me, I stayed clear of them. Worked all around.”
Ianto laughed and took the bag from Owen.
“Thank you. I’ll make sure he gets them.”
“Who gets what?” The Doctor asked, wandering back out of the TARDIS. Raiko was walking just behind him now, one hand gripping the long trench coat to keep contact.
“Owen got some coloring books and pencils for Raiko.”
“That’s very nice. Why don’t you show him how to use them while I have a quick word with Ianto,” The Doctor said, kneeling in front of Raiko before Owen could object.
//This is Owen, he has something new to show you. Ianto and I will be just over there. OK?//
//Ow’n?//
//Yes, Owen. Is that all right?//
//’es.//
The Doctor hid a smirk at the flustered look on Owen’s face as he transferred the small hand into Owen’s. He watched for a moment as Owen led Raiko over to the low table in the break area, then he took Ianto off to the side.
“Is something wrong with him?” Ianto asked, alarmed.
“No, don’t panic. I just, I had a thought, while I was checking his wrist. What do you know about when he was growing up?”
“Not much. Weren’t they still settling the colony then?”
“Yeah. Tough life, and if he hadn’t been so bright, he’d still be there. We should take him away.”
“Where did you have in mind?”
“The seaside. An old friend of mine has a guest house in Southend. He won’t mind if we park the TARDIS in his garage.”
“Who?”
“Alistair Leithbridge-Stewart.”
“Er, the former head of UNIT? You know he and Jack never really got along, right?”
“Well, this isn’t Jack, is it. Raiko is five Ianto, and he doesn’t speak English, I don’t see him and Alistair having much in the way of arguments. What do you think?”
“If you’re sure it will be all right, I don’t see why not.”
“Great, I’ll go and give Alistair a ring then.” The Doctor bounded off, and Ianto shook his head, hoping this wouldn’t be a disaster.
He wandered over to where Owen was watching Raiko coloring carefully in the book. The sky was green, the grass purple, and the clouds pink.
“Interesting color choices,” Owen commented to Ianto.
“Hmm. Doctor look at this,” he said, feeling his lover step up behind him. The Doctor kissed the back of Ianto’s neck gently, then crouched down beside Raiko, straightening out his mussed hair gently.
“That’s accurate, well, as much as possible with the colors available to him on Earth,” he said, smiling down at Raiko as the boy grinned brightly up at him.
//That’s very good.//
//Home,// the boy said, his tone a little sad.
//I know.//
“What did the Brigadier say?” Ianto asked.
“He said we were welcome any time.” //Raiko, we have to get you more clothes. We’re going on a seaside holiday.//
//What
//You’ll see. A new adventure.// The Doctor promised him.
“Come on, off to the shops we go. Clothes for him, bucket and spade, beach ball.” The Doctor said brightly. Ianto grinned at the enthusiasm, and nodded.
“Let’s go then.”
Raiko tensed as soon as they were outside. The sky was the wrong color, the ground was strange, there was a funny smell in the air, and there were so many people, so much noise as they walked, and talked on their phones, and to each other. The Doctor quickly scooped him up, and Raiko hid his face in the Doctor’s shoulder, pressing his hands to his ears.
//Hey, easy, it’s all right. Nothing can hurt you while we’re with you.//
//Loud, bright, nasty.// Raiko whimpered. The Doctor headed for a bench on the edge of the plass, sitting down and cuddling the child to him as Ianto watched in alarm.
“What’s wrong?” Ianto asked.
“Its all right, it’s just a bit much for him, he’ll be fine.”
“Should we get him back inside?”
“No,” The Doctor said, rocking the child gently.
“He has very acute senses. By the time he was four, he had learned to filter out the worst of the sensory input unless he wanted it.” The Doctor stroked his fingers lightly through the dark hair, feeling the small body in his arms starting to relax.
“The problem is when he hits something he has never encountered before. Everything here is completely beyond his experience.”//Better now?// He asked as Raiko slumped against him completely. The dark head nodded, and the Doctor smiled at Ianto.
“See, all better.”
He set Raiko on the ground, and he and Ianto each took a hand, leading him between them to the mall.
Inside the mall, Raiko flinched slightly at the increase in noise, but blocked it quickly enough, and looked around the cavernous building in shock.
//Space ship?// He asked.
//No, commerce center.// The Doctor said dryly, earning a disbelieving look from the five year old.
//So many, so much.//
//I know.//
“I wish I could understand him,” Ianto said a little mournfully.
“Oh Rassilon, sorry Ianto, I didn’t think. As soon as we get to the TARDIS, she can tune into you and translate between the two of you.” The Doctor looked over at him apologetically.
“You didn’t do it on purpose. Come on, lets hit the shops.”
They got the clothes first, as they were most important. He had a short attention span as an adult on occasions, and they knew that as a child, he was likely to be worse. Once they were happy that had enough clothes to last a five year old a fortnight, the Doctor grinned.
“Right, now the fun stuff, bucket and spade, beach toys, whatever.” He dragged them toward a toyshop as he spoke.
They wandered around the shop as they looked at toys, neither noticing as Raiko stopped to look at something brightly colored that had caught his eye. By the time he looked around, there was no sign of either of the adults. He started to panic as he looked for them.
It was the Doctor who noticed they had lost the smallest member of their party.
“Hell, where’s Raiko?” He asked Ianto.
“What?” Ianto asked, spinning to look for himself.
They searched the aisles quickly, and Ianto saw the rising panic in the Doctor’s eyes as they realized there was no sign of the child in the shop.
“Calm down. Come on.” Ianto dragged the Doctor over to the counter and spoke to the assistant there.
“Could you call center security please. The little boy we came in with has gotten separated from us. He’s not in the shop, and we’re concerned that he may have wandered into the center somewhere.”
“Hold on a sec,” she said, grabbing the phone from the wall at the back of the till and calling security.
“Can you describe the child?” The security guard asked as soon as he arrived.
“This tall, dark hair, blue eyes. Dressed in blue jeans, and black t-shirt.” The Doctor responded.
“And his name?”
“Raiko. Um, he doesn’t speak any English, at all.”
“Right.” The guard lifted his radio to his mouth and passed on the information.
“Is he your son?”
“No, we’re looking after him for his parents, or we’re supposed to be.” Ianto supplied.
“Have you called them?”
“I can’t, they’re out of contact. He can’t have got that far, right? He was only out of sight for a minute.”
“He’ll be in the center somewhere. We’ll find him.” The guard assured them.
“We should go and look too,” The Doctor said.
“No, you need to stay here. As soon as he’s found, you’ll know about it.”
His radio crackled a few minutes later, and he listened to the report.
“They have a boy matching his description by the fountain on the lower level, kid is pretty hysterical, and not talking English.”
“Show us, please,” Ianto said.
The guard led them down to the fountain, and they saw Raiko, his back pressed to the white marble, sobbing his heart out. He saw the Doctor and Ianto and ran to them, sobbing into the Doctor’s neck as the time lord picked him up.
//Shh, we’re here. Shhh. We were so worried when you weren’t there.//
//Sorry, I sorry.//
//Hush, not your fault. Shhh.//
//Let’s get back to the TARDIS, and you can have some lunch and a nap, OK. We’ll be at the seaside tomorrow, we can get everything else there.//
Raiko snuffled into his neck, and nodded silently. He lifted his tear streaked face and looked at Ianto uncertainly, wondering if he was cross. Ianto kissed the boy’s forehead, and hugged both him and the Doctor at once.
“Come on, we have a holiday to get ready for,” he said, planting a light kiss on the Doctor’s lips.
“Thank you for finding him,” the Doctor said to the security men who were still around.
“No worries, kids wander off all the time in here.” One smiled, shooing his colleagues off, and following them after ruffling Raiko’s hair.
Raiko was asleep in the Doctor’s arms by the time they got the hub. Owen saw the tear streaks on his face.
“What happened?” He asked.
“He got lost in the mall, he’s OK,” Ianto said as the Doctor carried Raiko into the TARDIS.
“When are you planning on taking him off to Southend?”
“Tonight, late on so that the TARDIS can materialize without attracting too much attention. Why?”
“I have some tags at home that my sister left behind. You put one half on the kid, and the other you keep. If the kid gets too far from the adult, and alarm sounds. I can get them, if you can wait for me to get back.”
“Sure.”
Ianto headed into the TARDIS, and found the Doctor sitting on the side of Raiko’s bed, stroking the sleeping child’s soft cheek gently.
“Owen went to get some tags from home, so we’ll know if he wanders off when we’re away,” Ianto said, resting a hand on the Doctor’s shoulder. He realized the man was shaking.
“I thought we lost him.” The Doctor whispered.
“I know, but we didn’t. He’s here, and he’s safe, and we know that while we’re away, we’ll know if he wanders away again.”
The Doctor stood up and drew Ianto into his arms, kissing him deeply.
“I’m glad you joined us, Ianto Jones. We love you, I love you.”
“You never said that before.” Ianto blinked away tears of happiness.
“No, I never really said it to him either. When we get him back to normal, we need to sit down and have a serious talk. I don’t think I can do it anymore.”
“Do what?”
“Come and see you both for a few days here and there, then go off and leave you behind again.” The Doctor leaned in and kissed Ianto again.
“But that’s a conversation for later, after we have Jack back, or know for sure that he’ll be Raiko forever,” the Doctor said firmly.
“Agreed,” Ianto said a little breathlessly as the Doctor kissed him again.
“Come on, we should go and sort lunch out, he won’t sleep for long.”
The two slipped from the room, leaving Raiko sleeping happily, fluffy toy grasped tightly.
To be continued in chapter 5
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Next time, holiday time.
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Thank you, lol.
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There MAY be another part this weekend, but I have two other ongoing fics I really should pay some attention to. (The people at aff.net probably think I have abandoned my poor snarry fic.)
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Awwwwwwww.
It was sad and sweet, and I'm glad they found him again. I mean losing a kid in a shopping centre its like a nightmare! *hands over cookies to make the lads feel better* There we go, a chocolate chip cookie always puts a smile on faces!:D
Bring on the next chapter I'm waiting patiencetly:D
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I know that being lost in a shopping center is no fun at all from the kids point of view. (been there, done that. I'm 35 years old, and that is one of the few things I remember from being a kid)fortunately, I have never misplaced a child myself, (although I think my sister would love me to lose one of hers for a while) as I don't have any, but I know it must be horrible, especially in this day and age, when you don't dare let the little heathens out of your sight.
Our boys enjoyed their cookies, Raiko seemed especially pleased, judging by the amount of chocolate and crumbs Ianto is wiping from around his mouth.*grin*
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And glad the lads like the cookies, and heehee, typical lad getting it everywhere!
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LOL, perfect pov and voice of Owen. I can so see him saying that and acting that way. I'm glad the Doctor had him give the colors and coloring book to lil'Jack. It's nice to see a softer side of Owen with Jack (even if he's a little kid). I hope Tosh snuck a picture. Great future teasing material.
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