m_findlow

Title: Room for more
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto, OCs
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,400 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for April Special - Three's a crowd at fffc
Summary: There's a nightly intrusion in their bedroom.

Jack sighed as he finally dropped into bed like a wilted flower. Three days in a row the rift had decided it didn't want to play nice and they'd been chasing their tails ever since. Next to him he felt Ianto settled under the bed covers. If he'd thought Torchwood was tough before it was nothing compared to trying to keep the rift under control at the same time as raising a family.

It had been all the team could do to shove the pair of them out of the hub at seven to make sure they'd be home to swap child minding duties with Ianto's sister. Some days it felt like the kids saw more of their aunt and uncle than they did their Dads. It wasn't always easy, but they made as much time as possible. After all, they wouldn't be little forever. Once that time was gone, there was no getting it back, and the team were more than capable of handling things. That didn't mean the rift had to like it.

Jack shuffled closer until their faces were just inches apart. Finally a moment for themselves, he thought. As soon as they'd gotten home it was the usual routine, dinner for the kids, bath time, story time, then bed. Tonight they hadn't even been bothered with fixing themselves something to eat, usually reserved until everything else was done. It was the best part of the day as far as Jack was concerned, that half an hour sat at the table together with a glass of wine and a hot meal, enjoying a little slice of normal.

He leant forward, giving Ianto a kiss and wrapping an arm around him. He reciprocated but it was half-hearted at best. Jack could feel the weariness in his efforts, so he didn't push. He didn't have the energy for anything more, but it was nice just to have a little something. He nestled his forehead next to Ianto's on the pillow, and within minutes the pair of them were asleep.

Ianto was tired, but that didn't stop him from waking an hour or so later at the tiny whisper that ate through his consciousness like the world's most subtle alarm clock.

'Daddy?'

He rolled over and gently slipped out of Jack's arms without waking him, sitting up on his elbow, coming face to face with the tiny child standing next to the bed.

'What is it, sweetie?'

'Had a bad dream,' his youngest daughter whispered, clutching her rabbit under one arm. Ianto sat up, dangling his feet over the edge of the bed and picking up the tiny bundle in pajamas, setting her in his lap.

'That's no good,' he said. 'What about Mr Floppy? Did he have a bad dream too?'

'Uh huh. Can I stay with you?'

He hugged her tight. 'Of course you can.'

He crawled back under the covers, letting Eleri snuggled in against him. She was so small, curled there in his arms. He let out a small sigh of contentment. The hours were long, and having a family at the same time was a colossal juggling act, but he wouldn't give up any of it. At some point in the short conversation, Jack must have woken, because behind him he could feel Jack's body spooning him, pulling him just as close as he had their daughter wrapped up in his own arms.

Jack couldn't complain at having a spare body in their bed. Despite being awake when he'd rather be asleep, it was nice being cuddled up with Ianto like this, even if he had to share him now. He was almost back asleep again, when there was a distinctive tug on the back of his t-shirt. He rolled over and found daughter number two standing there in the darkness.

'What's up princess?' he said, keeping his voice low so as not to wake Ianto who had probably only just fallen back asleep himself.

'Can't sleep.'

'Do you want a glass of water?'

'No.'

'D'you want me to come tuck you back in?'

'No.'

Jack rolled his eyes in the dark. He knew exactly what she wanted. 'Come on,' he said, picking her up and setting her down in the space between him and Ianto, pulling the covers over her.

One the other side of his husband, he heard the rustle of the duvet. A little head popped up, clutching a soft toy. 'Sianie?'

There was more rustling as she tried to crawl over the top of Ianto to reach the middle of the bed where her sister now was. In the end Ianto grabbed her and helped her across before she shoved a knee into his solar plexus. Cuddled up with Dad was okay until someone else got to snuggled between the pair of them. Then they all had to be on an equal footing.

Jack watched as Ianto's silhouette rearranged pillows and blankets so the girls had one to share in between them. Jack leant over and kissed each of them in turn, though unable to now reach across as far as Ianto to give him one as well. 'Night girls,' he said, letting them settle, before lying back down beside them. Even if they couldn't sleep, he knew he'd be out like a light in no time.

Before he had a chance, there was more movement at the end of the bed. Someone was scrambling over the top of his legs. He knew it wouldn't be their dog. Buddy was far too old these days to jump up on the bed. Back when he'd been younger he'd snaffled a spot on their bed on a regular basis, even though he knew knew he wasn't allowed. Ianto had always been firmer about that rule than Jack, and he got away with it almost all the time. These days however, with old arthritic joints, he couldn't be bothered unless someone picked him up and put him there. He was otherwise content just to curl up on his own little bed on the floor. No, the third entrant into their room could only be child number three. This one didn't wait for permission, clambering into bed with them.

'Your turn,' Jack jokingly said to Ianto, knowing the motion would have woken him.

Ianto sat up again, begrudging the cold air. Bad dreams must be contagious, he thought. Or maybe it was that thing that twins had, shared experience or something, all three of them disturbed by the same shared feeling.

'Tom? What are you doing out of bed?' he asked.

'I don't wanna stay there all on my own.'

Ah, that was their fault. How many hundreds of times had they both told them to stay together and not go wandering off on their own? There was safety in numbers, even if there was nothing to fear inside their own home.

Ianto knew there were only two options. Either one of them - most likely him - would have to go and sleep in their room with Tom, or they let Tom stay here. The latter seemed like the easier of the two, though it did mean giving up even more of the middle of the bed, where it was warmest. Not half an hour ago, that spot had been reserved for him and Jack, cuddled up together. Now they'd be relegated to the cooler edges.

Without a further word, he pulled Tom closer, wrapping blankets around him as well, joining his two sisters in their cluster of blankets and pillows, hemmed in on each side by a protective parent.

'Lucky we have a king size bed,' Jack murmured, feeling everyone settle for what would hopefully be the last time. He couldn't even see Ianto anymore, he had the blankets pulled up so high that they covered everything bar the very top of his head. It was sure sign that he wasn't going to let anything else disturb what was left of the night. Jack reached an arm across their brood of sleepy children and sighed. He found Ianto's arm similarly draped protectively over them, clasping the warm hand in his own.

'Night, babe,' he said, though not receiving any reply apart from a slight squeeze of his hand. He snuggled down further into the pillow, smelling his daughter's shampoo. If two was company and three was a crowd, what did that make five of them?