Written for tw100 Challenge #294 - Teddy Bears' Picnic
Characters: Gwen, Rhys, Jack, Anwen
Rating: G
Words: 400
Summary: What is says on the box: It's no picnic being a Teddy bear
Disclaimer: Not mine. Aunty B's and RTDs


"I don't know why she has to carry that daft teddy bear with her everywhere," Rhys griped.

"Shhh," Gwen admonished. "Anwen's only six and Jack told her it would keep her safe."

"Great, I just hope she won't be going to college carrying that ugly…"

His words were interrupted by the sound of gunfire. Looking around, Rhys saw two men running toward their picnic area. Before he could speak, Gwen was chasing after Anwen who had darted away at the noise.

As Rhys watched in horror, one of the men ran past his daughter while the other one fired again. He heard Anwen scream as Gwen knocked her to the ground. He hurried over to find Gwen kneeling over Anwen. There was blood. Not a lot, but enough to frighten him.

"Are you hurt," he asked Gwen.

"No, I'm fine."

"Oh god, Anwen's been hit."

"I don't think so."

"But there's blood," Rhys yelled.

"She scraped her knee when she fell," Gwen replied.

Rhys sighed in relief while helping Gwen and Anwen to their feet.

They packed up their picnic, forgetting the little bear with two holes lying on the ground.

**
Later that night, Anwen began to cry for her bear. Despite Rhys' objections, Gwen insisted on retrieving it. To ease Rhys' fear, she called Jack to go with her.

They found the bear sitting under a tree.

"I can't believe you left him."

"Jack, Anwen was hurt, and we just wanted to get home."

"I gave her that bear to protect her. She is never to be without it."

"That's sweet, but she's getting too big…"

"See, it worked," Jack said picking up the bear. "If the bear hadn't taken the bullets, Anwen would have been killed."

"What?"

"Gwen, it's a protection bot, came through the rift a month ago. It will always keep her safe."

Gwen could hardly breathe realizing how close she had come to losing her daughter.

"Let's get him to the Hub, hopefully Tosh can repair him."

**

Several weeks later, the bear was returned to Anwen. This time Rhys and Gwen agreed that Anwen should keep him with her at all times.

And if people thought it odd that a stuffed bear was Anwen's 'best man' at her wedding twenty years later, she didn't care. The bear would always keep her safe. Uncle Jack had told her so. And so had the bear.