Darkness had fallen as they sloshed through the wooded area.
Ianto had been woken by Jack and hauled from the camp bed with the Captain in full excitement mode. The rift had dumped something.
Now, at three something in the bloody morning, Ianto was over it.
"Should be right there" Tosh said in his ear and Ianto rolled his eyes, even though he knew she couldn't see it her end, it did feel good.
"Ianto?" Jack panted off to his left, "Did you just roll your eyes?"
"No sir, of course not" Ianto replied and Jack grinned at the bold faced lie.
"It's not here Toshiko." Ianto sighed.
"Well it must have moved!" she muttered and Jack groaned.
"Great. A moving something, why didn't ya say so Tosh?" Jack huffed, then grinned again, "Turkey hunt!"
"Yay! Did you say snipe hunt?" Ianto growled and Jack pushed him playfully in the shoulder.
"You are Welsh last time I checked, you're supposed to love this sort of weather" Jack moved away quickly as Ianto swung and the slap met dark air.
The rain had eased to a drizzle, not enough to drench but enough to keep you very uncomfortable.
"If we don't find anything within the next three min …." Jack was cut off as something large and heavy slammed him to the ground.
He looked up with surprise at the large jaws and had mere moments to curse internally before the thing had his head in its jaws. Ianto screamed and fired at the lumbering movement in the dark. He had no fear of hitting Jack as he knew that death rattle by now.
It started to back away as it whined with pain, then fell to the ground in a heap and Ianto took a shaky breath. He didn't see the second animal but the free fall as he plunged over the side of the embankment gave him a pretty good idea that it wasn't alone.
The last rational thought Ianto had was 'this is gonna hurt.'
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Stars.
Ianto looked up at the night sky and the pinpoint lights above him.
Wet.
He was lying in a creek. A running creek that was swollen due to flooding and he was saturated.
Cold.
Jesus H Christ on a Harley, he was freezing!
Ianto tried to lever himself up but nothing would work properly. It was like he was trying to move through jelly.
Ianto snorted at that idea, Jack would love to see him in jelly. Where's Jack?
Ianto stumbled out of the water and leaned against a tree. His wrist was throbbing and he held it up to examine it in the moonlight. Black tar … ah shit. Blood. Looks black in the moonlight.
He wandered off in the general direction of … well, nothing really but moving was good, yeah?
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Tosh was hysterical and it took Owen some time to get the story. By the time he drove his vehicle out to the parked SUV Gwen was there pulling nervously at her hair.
"Heard anything yet?" He asked and his ear exploded.
"Wow!" Owen snorted at Gwen, "Time of moth or something?"
"Stuff off Owen!" Gwen growled as they started to search.
They found Jack, cold dead and obviously previously chewed up.
His resurrection was loud and explosive as he screamed for Ianto. When he heard that Ianto was missing he demanded Gwen's earpiece.
"Tosh?" Jack panted and she sighed with relief.
"His cell is about five meters away and I'm taking it he isn't" she said, "His comm is offline so it's either wet or broken."
"I thought we had that wet thing sorted!" Jack stood with his hands on his hips as he tilted his face up to the sky. The rain had begun again, clouds moving across the starlight and darkening the woods even more.
"Shit!" Owen exclaimed.
Jack looked over at what Owen was poking with a stick and let out a yodel of fear, reaching into his coat for his Webley.
"It's dead" Owen muttered.
It was a cross between a large dog and a rat. Black, smelt and the size of a Great Dane.
"Get away from it Owen" Jack demanded as he looked around nervously.
"Why?" Owen straightened up and frowned at Jack, "Bloody thing's dead."
"Yeah, but its mate won't be." Jack growled.
"Ah, shit!" Owen whined, "They come in pairs"
"Packs" Jack said with new fear for Ianto clawing at his gut.
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Ianto found a fallen tree. He sat on it and looked at his shoes. His head was killing him and he rubbed at it, his fingers coming away wet. Damn.
He tried to stand and his legs folded, dropping him back onto the log. He had removed his jacket to check his wrist and it was now discarded on the log.
He hadn't noticed the rain and he wondered when it had started again. He lent his head back to wash the blood off and overbalanced, falling back off the log and landing on his back in the soft foliage.
He lay with his legs up in the air and stared up at the rainclouds.
Oh well, a wee rest won't hurt. Ianto closed his eyes.
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Jack had travelled some distance in a wide circle. The rain had not been a help, any tracks or blood trail obliterated by the water. He almost missed it, the small crunch underfoot. He looked down as was both relieved and horrified to find Ianto's comms underfoot. They were heading in the right direction.
"IANTO" Jack screamed into the night.
"Jack" Owen said as he tried to calm him, "Let's widen the sweep."
They fanned out, calling Ianto's name intermittently as the storm closed in.
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Ianto was quite comfortable.
The cold had slowly faded, as had the pain. He quite liked the sound of the sea.
He tried to grasp that thought, the sound of waves … what was that?
Oh, yeah. Blood pressure.
Ianto closed his eyes and drifted as the rain fell.
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Gwen thought she had spotted something, holding it up with triumph.
"Congratulations!" Owen snarked, "You just found a coke can!"
"Is not, the colour is all wrong" she held it up and turned it in her torch light. "Oh."
"Silly cow" Owen muttered as he began to worry for the t-boy's safety out here.
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Ianto heard a sound and knew he should probably peek but he was so tired. So heavy and comfortable.
The sensation of being dragged was a bit of a surprise and he finally opened his eyes to frown at the interruption to his snooze.
It was large. Moved like black liquid. Things flashed around his boot and he snorted as he recognised teeth. Bloody thing was trying to eat him.
Ianto stifled a giggle. Who wants to eat a Doc Martin boot?
The large sturdy boots had been swapped out with his oxfords before leaving the SUV and he was annoyed to note that it was gonna scuff them for sure.
Another tugged on his arm and his head lolled to the side. Another … thing had hold of his arm with the cut wrist.
Now that did hurt. Fuck!
Ianto screamed.
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The team turned as the high pitched scream echoed through the woods.
Jack was the first to move, running like the Tardis had just arrived. The rest of the team followed.
Bursting through the undergrowth Jack came to the fallen tree and recognised the Jacket in it.
He leapt the log and landed on the back of the beast that had hold of his foot and proceeded to empty the Webley into its skull.
Owen was the next over the log, small but wiry. He saw the second creature and kicked at it while thumbing off his safety.
He fell over Ianto's arm and the creature began to advance.
Gunshots felled it and Owen looked over at 'Gwen Cooper, Torchwood Agent' in Charlie's Angels pose. Her snarl more feral than the creatures and Owen was more than slightly turned on. Go Gwennie!
Jack gathered Ianto into his arms and began to assess his injuries.
"Owen, his head is bleeding" Jack barked, shaking Owen from his daydream that isn't worth repeating to sane folk.
Also, Gwen still had a few bullets left so … best not, aye?
Owen diagnosed a severe concussion, sprained wrist and twat for a t-boy!
Jack carried Ianto back to the SUV and Ianto sighed into his neck.
"You're wet cariad" Ianto stage whispered and Jack grinned as he adjusted his grip.
"It's OK baby, you are too" he soothed.
"I don't like the rain, nope!" the P popped and Jack huffed with delight.
Seems a concussed Ianto is still like a drunk Ianto. Jack had learnt this after the barrens and was amused to see some things don't change.
Jack handed the keys to Gwen as he and Owen settled Ianto in the back with the seats down.
Blankets were employed as Jack tried to warm his boy. Owen swore and motioned with a grimace. Jack eagerly tore his clothes off his record breaking time while Owen tried to cajole Ianto out of most of his.
"Christ! You could have kept your boxers on!" Owen squeaked.
"Sorry Owen" Jack AKA Cheshire Cat informed him, "Commando today!"
As Jack snuggled in with Ianto and made soothing sounds as he kissed Ianto's upturned face. Owen face palmed.
"Jack?" Ianto slurred.
"Yes baby?" Jack kissed the button nose.
"Why is Owen in our bedroom?" Ianto frowned with confusion, "Make 'im fuck off, yeah? I don't do threesomes. Not with a cockney git anyway."
"Oi!"
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For Crazywiwicrazy who laid out the plot for me.