7

"Ianto?"

Ianto glared at the answer machine as Moses huffed softly on the sofa "Ianto? Are you there? Ahhhhh, it's Jack. Listen, can you get to the Hub right away? If you don't hear this for another half hour … don't leave the house. Lock it down and ….ah….seal the windows and doors. Like fire drill time, wet towels and stuff, nothing gets in. Right?"

Ianto picked up the phone, "Jack?"

"Good. Good, get here!"

Ianto considered and looked at Moses, "Alright sir, see you soon."

He placed the receiver down and looked at the carrier still in the hallway, "Well? You want to stay here or come with? Fire drill? He makes it sound like the world will be on fire! With him anything is possible ya know"

Moses considered.

He walked over to the cat carrier and waited patiently for Ianto to open it then they were soon at the doors to the Hub, the sky an unusual green colour. He punched in the code and then skipped down the steps into the Hub, the place in its usual state of madness without him there.

"What is that" Owen demanded as he stomped towards him "A cat?"

"No Owen. It's an alien, I was short on containment boxes and it wouldn't fit in my pocket" Ianto deadpanned "He is a shape-shifting alien capable of sucking your life force right out of your body, like those old fables about cats stealing your breath. Felinealiod are deadly"

"Cool" Owen deadpanned back, then snorted, crouching to peer into the cage Ianto had placed on the coffee table, "Awwwwww. Can I let him out?"

"Is Myfanwy contained? She might get startled and last time it took days to get the smell out of the place" Ianto looked up as he spoke, checking the aviary doors were closed and Owen made an impatient noise as he reached for the box.

"Yeah, she's in lockdown already ….awwwwwww….a mustachio ahhhhhh" Owen plucked the cat up and cuddled him with delight, "You didn't say you had a cat. All this time I thought you were a creepy bastard. If you'd said you had a cat I might have liked you sooner!"

"Sooner?" Ianto canted an eyebrow "Does that mean you like me now?"

"Don't be a fucking twat, of course I do!" Owen snorted as he settled into the corner of the sofa wit the cat in his lap, Moses letting the little man cuddle with him "Awwwwwww, he's all … soft."

"Yes. He is lovely and soft."

I may bite him if he does not stop squeezing, I did have cheese last night!

"What did you say he name was?"

"Fluffles" Ianto said with a dangerous glint in his eye "Short for Fluffle Bum."

Owen laughed softly, "Nah, something regal like … Sir Monterey or something right?"

"Moses!" Gwen said as she finally looked over and saw the cat "That's Estelle's cat!"

"Mine!" Ianto snapped, slightly protective as he felt Moses cringe at the name of his lovely gone friend.

"Well I think he has enough handsomeness for all of us!" Owen crooned, "Yeahhhhhhhhh. Ahhhhhh, he's warm like a mink coat on a good high class hooker."

Excuse me?

"Owen …"

"I had a cat once, called her Petronia. She was white and had crooked eyes. Her tongue hung out a lot and she did this weird staring into space thing. I sometimes wondered if she was mentally deranged or something" Owen said conversationally as Moses laid his ears back in warning.

"Owen… don't squeeze will you, he has a soft tummy and is a bit…"

Nope. Too late. I must share my doom.

Owen froze as the fart was audible, Ianto's hands going to his hips as he huffed "Told you so. Now he will be arsey all day. He hates farting!"

"Oh my god, that's rank" Owen released the cat and expected it to run away, but Moses rose majestically to his feet and turned to stare into Owen's face which was slightly unnerving, but that smile … Owen would tell them all for the next two hours that the damned thing smiled at him, teeth and all before getting off. Well … and farting again!

"So, how long are we here for?" Ianto asked loudly as he placed the backpack in the kitchen with the tins of cat food in it, kneeling to place them under the sink. Might as well, even if it's for a few hours it means they are here for future sleepovers.

Myfanwy called out as she heard Ianto's voice, her face to the grating of her doors as she watched Ianto and Moses looked up.

Bird. Big fucking bird.

"That's Myfanwy. Pterodactyl. I did tell you about her, remember? Jack and I caught her in a warehouse" Ianto said absently as Moses craned his head to look up, then he blinked and looked over at Jack who was watching from the doorway.

Who caught who? He's looking at your arse!

Ianto couldn't help the snort of humour as Moses sounded so disgusted, arses were not things of great interest or mystery to him.

Ianto rose to smile at Jack who blurted "The Doctor will fix it, he's in the area. I just can't seem to get in touch … he's not in range for …ah … well. Owen likes cats!"

"Yes who would have thunk it!"

Jack heard one of Estelle's standard answers and could help it as his smile softened to a more affectionate one.

Who indeed.