Title: Meriel’s Shadow
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Meriel, Nosy.
Rating: G
Word Count: 859
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Ianto never has to worry about his baby daughter; he knows her faithful shadow is always in attendance.
Content Notes: None needed.
Written For: Challenge 330: Shadow.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.



Watching from the kitchen side of the breakfast bar, where he’s preparing lunch for three very different people, Ianto smiles; when Jack gets home from work tonight, he’ll have to remember to tell his husband their daughter has an extra shadow.

Wherever Meriel goes, you can be sure that Nosy will be there, trailing patiently along behind her, keeping her out of mischief as she explores. So Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow, did she? Well, Meriel has gone one better; she has an enormous Fluff whose fleece, if you can call it that, is the green of fresh-grown grass in summer.

He has a feeling that’s probably going to end up being Meriel’s favourite colour, if only because it reminds her of her best and most loyal friend, but she’s too young right now to express her preferences. In fact, she’s too young to even be starting to talk, so it’ll be a while yet before he finds out whether or not he’s right. At a little over six and a half months his daughter is just getting to grips with crawling. Over the last ten days or so she’s gone from clumsy and uncoordinated to a quite respectable turn of speed, fairly zipping across the carpeted floor of the fully childproofed open-plan living room. The rest of the flat is blocked off by baby gates, but even so, Ianto knows that he’d be constantly anxious and fretting over her safety if not for Nosy slithering along at her heels, always ready to pull her back from anything it considers a potential safety risk.

Ianto can’t help wondering how other parents cope without a tirelessly watchful Fluff following their little ones around. How do they not go out of their minds with worry, checking on their kids every five minutes, constantly aware that something bad could happen the moment they turn their back? Unlike them, he doesn’t have to frantically go in search of the baby when Meriel vanishes from his sight, secure in the knowledge that her friendly, furry shadow is with her, keeping her from getting stuck under the furniture, or knocking something down on herself, or trying to eat something she shouldn’t. Small children learning about their environment have a habit if putting everything they find in their mouths, including their own feet. Meriel’s very good at that; obviously she’s inherited Jack’s flexibility.

Having Nanny Nosy on the case means that Meriel doesn’t have to be confined to a playpen to keep her safe when Ianto, or Jack when it’s his turn to stay home, is busy taking care of the household chores. She can wander free, learning about the world around her, while her parents do the laundry, the cooking, the vacuuming and dusting…

That doesn’t mean that he’s ignoring his little girl; he’d watch her every minute of every day if he could, marvelling at each and every one of her achievements, no matter how small, but like all parents, he doesn’t have that luxury. There’s always so much needing to be done. Still, he takes regular breaks from the housework to play with Meriel and her shadow, because he’s her Taddy, and as much as he appreciates Nosy’s help, he doesn’t expect the Fluff to do all the parenting for him. If he has to do the chores, then he should get to enjoy the fun parts of being a parent as well. Besides, he needs to keep reminding his daughter that he exists so that she doesn’t end up thinking she’s a Fluff.

From somewhere behind the sofa, Nosy hums, and Ianto abandons the lunch preparations. He recognises that hum, it’s the agreed upon signal to let him know when Meriel needs changing. Even with full-time assistance, a parent’s work is never done. There are a great many things Nosy can do for its young change, but changing nappies isn’t one of them. That task requires hands, and Fluffs are conspicuously lacking in that department.

While Ianto does the necessary, Nosy gets to take a short break from responsibility, a quick drink from its water dish in the kitchen, and perhaps a few minutes outside in the fresh air, letting the refreshing spring breeze ruffle through its fur. Come summer, if the weather’s good enough, there will no doubt be a lot of time spent outside, Fluff and baby playing on the artificial grass of the roof garden’s lawn while Ianto hangs the laundry on the line, or perhaps relaxes in a deckchair. It’s something to look forward to, but the warm weather is still at least a month off.

Nosy slithers back inside, making sure the Fluff door is secured behind it. The last thing either of them want is for Meriel to go exploring outside. Ianto dresses his daughter in clean clothes, sets her back on the floor, and off she goes again, her furry shadow in hot pursuit. Clearing the changing mat and other equipment away, Ianto returns to the kitchen to finish lunch. After they eat, maybe all three of them can take a nap. Looking after a baby is hard work.


The End