1

"I'm sorry" he whispered, tears forming behind the mask and he struggled knowing he wouldn't be able to wipe his face if they fell, blood everywhere smeared on the protective clothing. The match wouldn't strike and he cursed softy trying another that finally flared.

Ianto stood in front of the pyre with his arms and back screaming, the effort of building it had been almost too much to bear. The weight of the body stripping what strength he had left and now as he watched it burn he knew his deed was far from over, sighing as he turned to stumble back to the house waiting silently like it was witnessing.

Finally Ianto found his hidden reserves and he entered to head for the cleaning supplies starting in the kitchen where it had all gone down, scrubbing silently. The only sound was of the brush going around in circles as he tried to remove any evidence of the death that had occurred.

He heard the clock out in the hall chiming four and he stood, looking at his work then he headed outside to the dying embers, shucking off the protective clothing to throw onto the fire then he headed to the sofa on the porch where he sat staring out into the dawning day.

Done.

.

.

.

.

"A Tuesday, who ever heard of going camping on a Tuesday" Ianto complained as he glanced over at his companion, Lisa laughing as she adjusted her seatbelt and then reached out to play with the radio, knowing it would annoy him which it did. He hadn't wanted this time off, hadn't applied but she had, their boss happy to give it as it meant they would be back for the Christmas Watch when others would apply for their own time off. Just because they didn't have family didn't mean he didn't want Christmas… after all there was Rhiannon and her spawn. "And I was listening to that."

"No you weren't" she laughed, "You were mythering old man."

"How dare you, you insolent young pup" he snarled and they both laughed as she swung to check their gear in the back of the station wagon, Crypto wagging his tail as he looked up from the back seat. Ianto huffed and rolled his eyes some more then the traffic stated to move.

"Thank god" Lisa sighed. "I hate these snarls."

They were nearing the turn for the main road south when they saw the reason for the problem, a check point or something.

"Weird" Ianto muttered as he reached out to turn off the radio and Lisa stirred from her snooze in the seat beside him, yawning as she stretched and looked ahead.

"What is it babe?"

"Lisa!"

"Oh come on, stop begin so prim, I can call you babe, you are my babe. Get over it" she grinned as they came to the soldiers waving them down. Ianto found that weird too, why soldiers, not just Heddlu and he rolled down his window to smile politely.

"IDs and insurance. Where are you heading?" cane the demand.

Ianto now knew something was going on, asking for IDs, meaning both of theirs not just his as the driver. He reached for his wallet in the console between the seats as Lisa reached for her purse and the solder jammed a gun through the window. Ianto noted several things at once. The solider was shaking, the safely was off, Lisa was in the line of fire, the safety was off. Ianto reacted without thinking, seizing it and wrenching it away as he pushed the door open and slammed the soldier back, stepping out while holding the gun under the soldier's chin in a heartbeat, "What the fuck!"

"Hey, put that down" came a command as Lisa screamed and he looked out the corner of his eye at those advancing with rifles pointing at him.

"He drew on us, put a gun in my face for no reason" Ianto argued, "If you tried being fucking polite you might get somewhere but demanding at gunpoint is too much."

"Harding, did you use your weapon?" the CO demanded as he strode over, "How did this man get it?"

"IT was in my vehicle where he shoved it in my face" Ianto replied as he released the soldier who stumbled back, "He is going to kill someone the fucking safety was off."

"You know guns?" the CO asked as he turned to look at Lisa who was still clutching the dashboard in the passenger seat.

"I am reaching for my ID, this time no guns" Ianto said as he picked up the wallet that had dropped from his lap has he had exited the vehicle and he opened it to hand it the CO who looked at the official seal of Her Majesty's Secret Service and he sighed, nodding as Ianto flipped it shut.

"Green Beret?"

"Early retirement due to injury while in the field, yeah. Been in the other service for her" Ianto nodded, "We are just heading up the Brecon Barrens camping."

"Good time for it" the CO said softly, glancing nervously back at the column of vehicles, "Something bad is going down, like… red paper bad."

Ianto knew that term, the last emergency orders were printed on red, those destroy or flee ones. "Fuck."

"We might be mate. I suggest you get your bird as far from here as you can" he hissed before moving away, "we have a time limit before we start to shut it down."

Ianto tried not to show his horror at the term that meant those who didn't get through the cordon in time would be turned back…. To whatever they were unwittingly fleeing.

Ianto swung the wheel as they left the cordon and Lisa looked at him with surprise, "Babe, it's the other way."

"Not going there" Ianto said shortly, "We are heading somewhere else. Somewhere safe."

"Safe?" she frowned, "From what?"

"I don't know Cariad" Ianto hoped they never found out.