PARENTHOOD

Chapter Sixteen

"Mummy! Look at me!" Chaska said as he ran around in the surf with Jack.

Rain who was swimming a few feet away smiled at her son.

"I see ya, Sweetie!" she called out.

Chaska, who was wearing an orange life vest waded in towards her while Jack escorted him. Several feet away from them, Ianto was enjoying the water and smiling at them. He waved when Chaska waved back at him and kicked his legs towards Rain who reached out for him. While he was doing that, Jack swam nearby, keeping an eye on them. They splashed around in the surf awhile before they decided to get out of the water. Ianto went to lay down on his blanket while Rain walked with Chaska along the beach so he could pick seashells with her. Jack glanced at Ianto who was lying on the blanket with his eyes closed. Deciding not to disturb his husband, he took off after Rain.

"Do you mind if I walk with ya?" he asked her.

"Not at all. I'd love the company."

Jack grinned at Chaska who was staring up at him quietly. He held out his hand and Chaska beamed as he took it.

"He's so cute. He looks just like his dad," Jack said to Rain as they walked along. "He's gonna be a real ladykiller when he grows up."

"And I suppose you ll be giving him lessons on how to be one," Rain teased.

"Naturally," Jack teased back.

They paused a moment to let Chaska pick up half of an oyster shell from the beach and examine it.

"Have you and Ianto ever talked about children?" Rain asked him while she examined the shell Chaska handed to her.

"Yeah," Jack said. "I want some but Ianto's not so sure. I think he thinks he'd make a crappy parent but it isn't like he'd be raising him alone. I'd be there and so would the rest of the family. I think he likes helping to raise everyone else's kids but doesn t want the responsibility of raising his own."

"I would like a friend to play with. You should have a boy," Chaska said as they resumed walking.

"You would? Well, I'll have to tell Yan you want a friend to play with and maybe that'll change his mind," Jack said to him.

Rain smiled at the two of them walking along, picking up shells and rocks and discussing them. She smiled when Chaska hurried over to her and showed what they found. Every shell and pebble he picked up she would put in her pocket for him. They continued their treasure hunt for about a mile before they decided to turn around and head back to their picnic spot.

"So!" Alan said as he led Namid out of the building. "What did you think of the flying?"

"That was fun!" Namid squealed.

"You see, I told you it would be. I wanna go with my daddy. Pfft. We can have tons of fun together, you and me."

He picked Namid up and smothered her face with kisses. Namid held on to him as they walked together.

"Oh, Namid, you and I have so much fun together. We make a good team," Alan said as he walked with her down the street.

"I love you, Uncle Alan."

"Awwww, now you made my hearts melt into mush. I ll have to buy new ones, good excuse for a shopping trip, eh?"

"Yes!" Namid said happily as Alan held her tighter.

"Would you like to go eat something now?"

"Yes, I'm hungry."

"Me too. But then again, I'm always hungry. Hungry hungry hippo, me. Anyway, let's go get some burgers and chips and have some fun before we have to take you back to your fuddy duddy father, eh?"

"Oi!" Rose said laughing as Christopher ran after her ball and took it out of the hole. "You stop doing that. That hole in one was legal and you can't take it away from me!"

"No, you have to hit it again!" Christopher said as he put the ball at the edge of the green.

"Again?" Rose moaned as her son giggled. "Again? I don't wanna hit it again."

"Yes, Mummy, you gotta hit it again and again and again and..."

He squealed with laughter when Rose tried to tickle him. He ran to the next golf course and stood laughing as Rose picked up his club and menaced him with it and hers. She laughed as Christopher dodged her and ran the other way. She dropped the clubs and grabbed him, showering his face with kisses as he tried to squirm out of his grasp.

"Oh no, you have to stay and endure my kisses for mucking with my ball," she said before she gave him more kisses.

She let go of him and ruffled his hair as they went back to playing their game.

"Okay," John said as he settled down into the seat next to his daughter with some popcorn and sodas. "This is all for me and none for you. Enjoy the film."

"No, I want some, Daddy," Jackie said with a giggle.

She laughed harder when John stared at her with bulging eyes while he hugged the food close to his body.

"Give me forty trillion credits and I'll toss you a popcorn kernel," he said to her.

"Okay, here," Jackie said, pretending to give him money.

John raised his eyebrow as she laughed harder.

"I wasn't kidding," he said. "I'm insulted you think I was kidding about the forty trillion credits. Now you get nothing."

"Please, Daddy, can I have some?"

"Oooh, if I must share," he said, feigning exasperation as he passed her a cup of Coke and put the tub of popcorn between them.

"Ooo," Jackie said, digging in and eating some of the popcorn.

"Now, I want you to understand something," John said as she ate. "I have seen the Lion King eighty bubilliontrilliongazillion times so don't be surprised if I fall asleep halfway through. Or I'll start quoting the entire film in your ear while you try to concentrate. So be prepared."

Jackie finished eating the handful of popcorn. She looked at her father and grinned as she poked his arm. She giggled when he stopped in mid-sip of his Coke and eyed her.

"No, bad daughter," he said, taking the straw out of his mouth. "Mustn't touch me. I'm perfection."

Jackie giggled when she poked him again and his eyebrow raised.

"Apparently you have a hearing problem, I s'pose that ll be my next stop after we leave here," he said to her. "But for the moment, I will leave you alone because I have the urge to text silly things to Adam. Watch this."

Jackie ate some popcorn while she watched John pull his mobile out of his pocket. He grinned while he inputted one word on the screen and then he showed it to his daughter. The screen said

Poop.

He told her what it said and Jackie giggled harder when he hit send and whistled as he sat the mobile down on the armrest beside him.

"You and Uncle Adam are silly," she said.

"We just love goofing off, that's all and ooops, here he is now," he said when the mobile vibrated.

He picked it up and snickered.

Pee.

He told Jackie what it said and she giggled.

"Say moo to him," she said.

John giggled, typed in moo and hit send. He waited and two minutes later his pager vibrated. He read it.

Bored, are we?

Yes, very bored, he texted back. We're waiting for Lion King to start so I can make fun of it.

He hit send and ate some popcorn. The mobile buzzed again.

Lion King? That's the best you could do? How many times have you seen that film? Forty gillion?

Close, he texted back. But this is Jackie's night and she wanted to see Lion King.

He hit send and a moment later got a reply.

Jackie? Isn't she a bit old for Lion King? I figured that crusty, wrinkly bitch would prefer Eastenders or quiz shows to...oh wait, you mean your daughter, my bad!

John snickered. He told Jackie what it said, leaving out the bitch part of it. Jackie giggled. John was about to text something back when the theater darkened.

"Get to him later, for now, it's on with the show!" John said.

To be continued...

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