Chapter Six

"Oh my brother he's taken by the waves, I have not seen him for many a day

And though it's cold outside and raining so hard, I worry for him now, he's just a tiny bard"

Song of the Selkie - Cindy Thomlinson


Rhiannon was livid. Mica and David had let Harkness stay on the island last night, none of them telling her that Mica had already seen Ianto. The sad smile that a silent Jack bore upon his return did little to sate her anger. How could they have done this? He was her bloody brother for goodness sake. Didn't she have as much right as they did to see him? She slammed the oven door shut and threw the pot holder against the counter. She needed to know what the hell had happened on Ynys Roana last night, and Jack was going to tell her whether he wanted to or not.

"Afternoon Rhia," called Uncle Niall, coming in from the days fishing. "Just came back from the island. Looks like the selkies had a fine time of it last night." Rhiannon seethed. How could he be so calm about everything? Did no one understand that her brother's life was at stake?

"I'm sure they did," she curtly replied. "Maybe you should ask Jack about it. Apparently he was there." She untied her apron and threw it on the counter next to the pot holder. Trying to control her anger, she rested her hands on the counter and stared out the window at the sun sparkling on the waves of St. Brides Bay.

"Did he now," Niall replied thoughtful. "Well seeing as the embers of the fires were still warm when I raked them over, he must have kept from being seen. Would have been no small bit of bad luck if the selkie folk found him spying on their revels." Settling down at the kitchen table, he poured himself a mug of tea, watching as his niece glowered across the room. Rhiannon had always had a hard time dealing with the sea bound side of the family. She was one for facts and truths, always disbelieving in the magic of the world, even when it stood right in front of her.

"And I suppose you condone his behavior," she spat, turning to face him, knuckles white against the counter top. Niall raised an eyebrow.

"Aye I do," he replied evenly. "If that boy found your brother like I suspect he did, and those two found even a small bit of happiness, then far be it from me to get in their way."

"But he didn't do it Uncle," Rhiannon tried to reason with him. "He didn't bring him home. He promised me he would."

"And how was he to do that girl?" He asked her, hoping that she would not suggest the one sure to trap a selkie.

"Steal his skin of course," she replied, surprised that Niall had not come to the same conclusion himself. Her Uncle stared at her, seeing the hurt written on her face, realizing that she didn't know what she was asking.

"And doom him to a half life, slave to the holder of his sealskin, and longing for the sea?" Niall asked. "Would you really want that for your brother Rhia? Them's that are caught between earth and water never flourish. I've seen it before with your mother. Your father would not let my sister go back, and she died of a broken heart because of it. Would you doom him to the same fate?" Rhiannon stared at him wide-eyed. Her father had always said that her mother had died from an illness, he had never mentioned…

"But-but she never said anything," Rhiannon whispered. Closing her eyes and remembered the way her mother would sit on the shore, staring out at the waves, cuddling them in her lap and telling them sea stories, sadness filling her eyes, so like Ianto's; fathomless, stormy, and blue.

"My sister loved you and your brother far too much to share her burden," Niall replied, sipping his tea. "Fiona made Bryn and I promise to look after you and tell you the truth of it when the time was right. But your father wanted nothing to do with us once she was gone." Rhiannon walked forward to sit beside him, realizing that there was so much of her mother that she had never known. "He knew that your brother would have to choose when he reached his twenty-first year, but he never told him about it. Instead, as soon as you married, he whisked him away from us, encouraging him to apply to that Torchwood place, making sure that the selkies could never touch him." Rhiannon tried to digest what she was being told. Had her whole life been one big lie? Niall reached out and took her hand.

"He did love you both in his own way," he said with a small smile. "Blamed himself for it really. To him Fiona had become a possession, something he won back from the sea. But when she was gone, he burnt her sealskin and swore never again to let magic touch his family." Rhiannon shuddered. She remembered the bonfire on the beach the day they left Ynys Roana all those years ago. How Niall and Bryn had stood silently on the sore beside the dying embers, and the seals on the skerry wailing and keening as they passed.

"So he can never come back?" Rhiannon asked her voice cracking as she tried to sort through what she had been told. Niall squeezed her hand in response.

"Perhaps Jack can answer that best," he said, releasing her hand, turning to the doorway where Jack stood, silently watching the exchange. Rhiannon stared hard at Jack and he flinched at the intensity of her gaze.

"Well?" she asked. Jack sat down across from her, hands clasped in front of him.

"He said that he is bound by the laws of the sea," he started to explain. "Seven years at sea for each day on land. Solstices being the only exception." He kept his eyes downcast as he spoke, and Rhiannon suddenly realized just how hard it must have been for Jack to let him go.

"He's alright then?" she asked. Jack looked up at her and smiled, and for once his eyes matched the trademark grin.

"He's amazing Rhia," he replied, eyes bright as he stared past her to the sea outside the window. For the first time since he arrived, Rhiannon noticed a glimpse of the fire that used to burn so brightly inside of Jack return. "He's still Ianto, but he's so much more too. Stronger, magical, and untamed," Jack fingered the string around his neck and stared into the distance. "Primal…" he trailed off and Rhiannon felt herself blush.

"Oi! That's my brother you are talking about Harkness!" she exclaimed. "Keep your randy stories to yourself, thank you very much!" Jack grinned at her, and despite herself she grinned back.

"He gave me this," Jack said, pulling the pendant from underneath his shirt to show them. Rhiannon reached out to touch it and Niall sat back, his face thoughtful.

"Made it for you did he?" he asked, showing no surprise when Jack nodded in response. "Well then, should I welcome you to the family or wait for you to call him to you?" he smirked.

"What?" Rhiannon squeaked, dropping the pendant from her fingers as if burned. Footsteps sounded as Martha, Mickey, and Rhys came into the room.

"Everything alright Rhia?" asked Rhys, coming up behind her and putting his hand on her shoulder. Jack raised an eyebrow at the gesture. It would seem he was not the only one who had an interesting evening last night.

"Uncle Niall was just welcoming Jack to the family," she said staring at Jack. "It has something to do with the pendant Ianto gave him." All eyes turned to Jack, who grinned back in response.

"So you saw him then?" Martha asked, eyes narrowing. "Were you even going to tell us?"

"It wasn't planned," Jack tried to explain, his face falling, but Rhys interrupted him.

"Mica told me last night that she left you on the island. I take it you two erm-found each other then?" he asked. Jack smiled at him in thanks. At least someone wasn't mad at him.

"You knew about this?" Rhiannon asked, turning to glare at Rhys.

"Only that he was going to see if her story about seeing him on Ynys Roana was true," he replied, hands up in submission. Jack and Niall nodded, confirming his story. Mickey snorted.

"Cheesecake got married I take it?" he asked, barely containing his glee. Martha elbowed him in the ribs.

"Niall can you please explain what the pendant is before this gets out of hand?" Martha asked, hoping to ease the tension in the room. Niall leaned forward, lifting Jack's pendant off his shirt.

"It's a form of protection," he said turning it over in his hand. "Only mates can make them for one another. Allows those bound to the sea to aid their land dwelling mate in times of peril." He released the pendant and patted Jack's arm. "It would seem that Ianto and Jack here had a bit more than the regular Midsummer's Eve shag." Rhiannon's mouth hung open and she swatted Niall's arm. Jack laughed, and before long, the others joined him.

"I take it you knew?" Niall asked him. Jack nodded.

"I don't know how much you know about me Niall, but I'm not from around here." He said with a wry grin. "Where I'm from something very similar is done. Took us both by surprise, but it's not something that you can really stop once it happens." He looked around the room to see the shocked and surprised looks of his friends. "I don't regret any of it," he continued, crossing his arms and fixing his gaze on Rhiannon. "I love him Rhia. Even if it means I only get to have him with me twice a year, it will be enough, it has to be." She held his gaze, and seeing the determination on his face, knew that even if it would be hard on the two of them, she would need to support their decision.

"So what happens now?" Mickey asked. No one answered.

"Now we call Grandpa Liam and ask him to find a way around the rules," Martha decided. "It's time to call in that favor.


Pembrokeshire Aquarium – later that day

"Come on Mica," Alun pleaded pulling on her arm. "Auntie Bryn only gave us two hours to explore while she goes shopping, and I want to see the sea horses, and the sharks, and the rays and-"

"Hold on, squirt," she interrupted, pulling back on her arm until he stopped. "We'll see all of that, I promise. Just give me a minute to get a map so that we know where we're going." Alun frowned at her and held up the map he had clutched in his hand. Mica walked over to a nearby bench and the two of them looked it over. "Looks like there's a shark feeding and a dive at 2pm. Sound good?" Alun nodded, legs swinging below him, impatient to get moving.

"As long as we go to the ray talk after," he said pointing it out. "They're soooo cool Mica. You'll really like them." Mica smiled at his enthusiasm, resigning herself to an afternoon of sight-seeing with the youngster. Jack had told her about seeing Ianto on the boat ride back this morning, and knowing that her mother would be in a right state because of it, she had volunteered to take him to the aquarium that afternoon while Auntie Bryn visited a friend in town.

"Well then my brave little oceanographer, we best step to if we are going to get to the sharks on time." Mica hopped up and held out her hand. "There's just one rule Alun, no matter what happens, don't let go of my hand," she said. Alun nodded, his eyes bright with excitement.

The two of them had a grand time making their way through the exhibits. Alun's enthusiasm for the subject was contagious and Mica found herself caught up in it until she was just as engrossed in watching the sea-life swim in the tanks. They entered a large exhibit full of jelly fish and the two of them stopped, watching the iridescence of their bodies gliding through the tank, illuminating the darkened room as they made their way leisurely through the water.

"They're gorgeous aren't they," came a deep voice behind her, and Mica whirled around, finding herself staring into the dark eyes of a tall, broad shouldered man with a shaggy beard. Reaching for Alun's hand, she pulled him behind her.

"Yes they are," she replied, voice wary as he stepped past her to get a better look. Mica glanced around the exhibit and saw that the crowd in the dimly lit room had thinned, leaving only the three of them and the quiet hum of the aquarium tanks to fill the empty space.

"Funny how we humans always put the sea behind glass," the man spoke again, stepping up beside her to follow the movement of the jellyfish in front of him. "We seem to think that if we can control it, encase it, and contain it, that we have somehow conquered and saved ourselves something that can never be tamed." His voice took on a darker tone, and Mica took an involuntary step back, unsure of where the man was going with his speech. "But you already know that, don't you Miss Davies?" he asked, turning to face her. Mica flinched. How did he know her name?

"I think we should go now," she responded, trying to keep the fear out of her voice as she gripped Alun's hand and backed towards the door.

"Aye you should," he replied, holding her gaze. "Best give a warning to your kin lass. Tell your Uncle Niall that Colm McTavish has returned, and he has a week to give him his due." Mica's brows furrowed. Who was this man? And what did he want with her uncle? They had reached the door and she whispered to Alun to open it.

"And why should I do that?" She asked, feeling braver now as the open door let the light and noise of the aquarium back into the room. Colm's eyes narrowed.

"Because if you don't, I'll be making sure that none of your kin, seal or otherwise, ever set foot on Ynys Roana again," he warned, stepping towards them. Mica's eyes went wide, and grabbing Alun's hand flew out the door, running through the aquarium with his hand clasped tightly in her own; not stopping until they reached the security booth at the front. She gave them a description of the man and his name, but by the time they reached the exhibit she mentioned, he was gone.


Bryn had enjoyed a leisurely afternoon tea in town, enjoying the simple pleasure of spending time with her friends. So content was her mood, that she was nearly knocked off her feet when Mica and Alun flung themselves into her arms at the entrance to the aquarium. After the two of them calmed down, she asked them to repeat their story.

"He was big and scruffy Auntie Bryn," said Alun, licking the drips from the ice cream Mica had bought to distract him from the situation. "And he threatened Mica. She was really brave." He beamed at her, Mica blushed.

"He didn't threaten just me," Mica clarified. "He threatened all of us, especially Uncle Niall." Bryn stroked her grand-niece's arm in comfort.

"What exactly did he say Mica?" she asked. Mica told her and as she spoke, Bryn's contemplated the man's words. It sounded so much like…but it couldn't be. He had been banished from the islands years ago.

"What was his name again?" she asked, fearing that she already knew the answer.

"McTavish," Mica spat out. "Colm McTavish." Bryn's hand stilled. If Colm was back in the area, it could only mean one thing. She needed to get the little ones home right away and talk to Niall. There was no time to lose.


Strand Below the Spindrift Inn – later that night

The moon was full in the sky, casting long shadows across the small beach below the inn. Rhiannon clasped Rhys' hand in support, and glanced at those around her. After the altercation this afternoon, none of them had been willing to stay behind as Martha called Liam for help. Any reservations about what seeing her Grandfather might mean had faded with the knowledge that someone had threatened her family. Jack stood barefoot in the surf, stroking the pendant around his neck and staring out across the waves. Niall stood beside him, Bryn at his side, watching as Martha walked forward, Mickey beside her in silent support. Rhiannon, Rhys, and the children stood a few feet back, watching the proceedings.

"So I just cry seven tears and call his name then?" Martha asked, still skeptical at the feasibility of the plan. Niall nodded.

"Aye that's all. If the old man said he is in debt to you, he's bound to answer," he replied, smiling at her in encouragement. Martha took a deep breath and stepped into the waves. The coldness of the surf didn't seem to bother Niall, Bryn, or Jack, but it chilled her to the bone.

"It's bloody freezing!" she complained, shivering and willing herself not to step back to dry land.

"Only to a mainlander," Bryn replied with a smile. "Are you ready?" Martha squared her shoulders and nodded. A few minutes passed and she tried desperately to cry, but no tears came.

"Um, babe?" Mickey asked, seeing her frustration. "Is there a problem?"

"No tears," she grumbled. "I know I'm not a girlie girl, but you would think I could at least cry." Frustrated, she squeezed her eyes shut tight, trying to will the tears to come, before groaning in frustration. Suddenly, something pinched her arm hard enough to make her yelp in surprise.

"What the hell was that for?" she asked furiously rubbing the spot and blinking tears from her eyes." Mickey smiled back at her and kissed her forehead.

"Made you cry didn't it?" he asked with a cheeky grin. Martha opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by Niall patting her arm.

"You need to call or he won't come," he reminded her. Martha glared at her husband, and turned back to the sea.

"Liam Flynn," she said, feeling silly for talking to thin air. "I need your help." She looked to Niall to see if that was enough and he nodded once, before turning back to the water. Martha followed his gaze, and as she watched, several seals broke the surface at the edge of the beach, watching them as they bobbed on the waves. A gentle fog rolled over the end of the rocks, cutting the area off from prying eyes, and silence stretched across the small beach.

"Won't be long now," Niall commented. Martha glanced at him once and turned back to the water. A wave rose up under the fog, rolling its way across the water toward the center of the beach. When the wave broke on the shore, a man crouched in the surf. As he stood, the sealskin on his back morphed into a pair of wool slacks and a grey fisherman's sweater. He tossed the water from his hair, and crossed his arms, taking in the gathering in front of him.

"Son," he said nodding to Niall.

"Da," Niall replied, acknowledging the man whom he had only seen a handful of times over his 68 years. Liam gave a nod to Bryn who smiled softly in response. Having greeted the senior members of the family, he focused his attention on Martha.

"So you have need of me, do you Miss Jones?" he asked.

"That's Jones-Smith," Mickey corrected, slipping his hand into his wife's. Liam smiled.

"So it is," he replied. "I see that you have gathered my family to join you." He said glancing around him. "Even the newer members," he added with a wink, looking at Jack. His gaze fell to Mica. "I heard about what you did for your Uncle. Thank you Mica, your mother has raised you and David well." She beamed back at him.

"It's all true," David whispered stunned at what he was seeing, and Liam chuckled.

"Not all the stories lad. Just the good ones," he replied with a grin.

"And what about my brother?" Rhiannon asked, releasing Rhys' hand and pushing forward to stand beside Jack, no longer able to remain silent.

Liam turned to regard his granddaughter. "You look so like your mother," he said, voice soft in remembrance of his lost daughter. Rhiannon scowled back at him.

"That I know," she replied, patience wearing thin. "What I want to know is can you bring Ianto home to us? I know he's tied to Jack now, isn't there something you can do?" she pleaded.

Liam stepped forward, careful to stay in the surf as he reached for her hand. She let him take it in her own, watching as he rubbed her palm gently with his thumb. "It's out of my hands Rhia," he said sadly. "There's a chance, be it a small one, but it's up to him and Jack." Her head sprang up in surprise, hope dawning on her face.

"But how?" She asked, turning to see Jack hanging on their every word. Liam pulled her towards him and gave her a hug. To her surprise, he was warm and dry.

"Trust in the old tales," he whispered in her ear. "Ask Niall to tell you of Nuala, it might help." She nodded against his chest, holding back a sob as he kissed her hair and released her into Rhys' arms. "Now then," Liam said, walking to stand in front of Martha, arms crossed, ready to take on the task she set for him. "You called me girl, and pleasant as it is, I don't think it was for a family reunion." Martha crossed her arms, and began to speak.

"Originally we just wanted to find a way to bring Ianto back, but this afternoon, all of that changed," she began. Liam looked puzzled. He had expected the first, but what had happened to change their focus? Before he could ask, Martha spoke again. "This afternoon, Mica and Alun were threatened at the aquarium in town, by a man that Niall says you know." Liam turned to his son for clarification.

"It was Colm McTavish," Niall interrupted, face angry. "That bloody braggart has returned to the coast, once again demanding his due. But this time, he is threatening to harm Ynys Roana as well." Liam's eyes narrowed.

"Is this true girl?" he asked looking to where Mica stood in the back of the group.

"It is sir," Alun piped up. "Right in front of the jelly tank. Mica was really brave, that man was scary." Liam bit back a smile at the boy, and looked to Mica for clarification.

"What did he say exactly?" he asked.

"He said that if we don't do what he says in seven days, he'll make sure that none of my kin seal or otherwise ever set foot on Ynys Roana again," Mica answered. Liam cursed under his breath. So he was going to bring both sides of the family into it this time. Why couldn't McTavish let it go?

"Who is he?" Martha asked, curious as to why a single man would cause this much uproar.

"A cheat and a brigand," spat Liam as he paced through the surf. "The McTavish's are seal hunters. They first came to St. Bride's Bay in the 1850's, searching for new hunting grounds after culling the Orkney herds to meet their quotas. Jaime McTavish, Colm's great-grandfather, tried to convince my father to sell him Ynys Roana, so that they could use it as their new base of operations. When he refused, McTavish decided to force his hand. He hired a group of mercenaries to burn our homes and steal the women and children while the men were out fishing." He stopped pacing as he spoke the rest, his voice strained as he recalled the horror of that day. "I was just a little older then Alun there when it happened. McTavish left my battered sister on the beach to deliver his ultimatum: deliver the deed to Ynys Roana within the week, or our families would be shipped to the Americas as indentured servants with McTavish collecting the finder's fee." He turned back to Martha, a wry grin chasing the shadows from his eyes. "Needless to say, we didn't take too kindly to being threatened." Martha nodded, understanding fully the need to protect your family and your home.

"So what happened?" she asked, voicing the others curiosity. Liam's grin grew wider.

"McTavish hadn't counted on the selkie side of the family, and hiding an island's worth of sea-folk inside a dockside warehouse turned out to be a very bad idea. Selkies you see, can control the waves and the weather," he gestured to the fog bank at the edge of the cove. "We also don't have any fondness for seal killers. Once we found the warehouse, selkie and man fought side by side, emerging from the fog on a wave of foam like vengeful ghosts. We broke down the warehouse doors and fought McTavish's henchmen, the selkies freezing them in place while the men freed their loved ones trapped inside. Afterward, we ran to the end of the pier and dove into the water, the women and children clinging to the backs of seals, making their way to boats waiting nearby. Once all were safe, lightning struck both the warehouse and the vessels belonging to McTavish, crippling his fleet and destroying his goods. McTavish died in the fire. The business never recovered and they left the area," he finished with a look of grim satisfaction.

"But if you stopped them back then, why is Colm threatening you now?" Martha asked, puzzled. Liam sighed.

"The McTavish's swore vengeance on the Flynn's, and each generation tries to make good on that vow. Colm swore long ago that Ynys Roana would be his, and that he would bring the Flynn's to ruin." He turned to Niall. "This isn't the first time he's threatened us. The last time was when Rhia was small. He tried to hold Bryn and Fiona hostage, asking for the island and half of the treasures of Kelantiel in ransom."

"And just what is Kelantiel?" Jack demanded, deciding it was time he entered the conversation. Liam tilted his head to the side as he regarded Jack. Seeing the man up close for the first time, he decided that his grandson had chosen well. This man was more than human, and finding a solution to their predicament might prove easier than he thought, but best to keep it to himself for now.

"It's the stronghold of the selkies," Liam replied, tearing his gaze from contemplating Jack to stare into the distance. "A sanctuary, where we can walk as humans in safety under the waves, filled with treasures found on the ocean floor." His gaze fell back on the group before him. "Colm heard about it and decided that if he couldn't have the island, he wanted the treasures housed in Kelantiel instead."

"But you stopped him last time before he could do any harm," interjected Niall. "Why should we fear him now?"

"Aye that's true enough," Liam conceded. "But if he's back again, it can mean nothing but trouble. He's cleverer then the rest is Colm. But he's the last of the line, the McTavish's last hope for vengeance. He's getting close to sixty now, and must be wanting to make good on his vow before it's too late."

"A desperate man has nothing to lose and that makes him dangerous," Jack observed. Liam nodded his agreement.

"I'll let the brethren know he's in the area. Ianto will watch the north side of the channel, and I'll take the south. You Torchwood lot look into what he is up to and keep the rest safe. We'll meet again in seven days time." Martha nodded her acceptance, and Liam stepped back into the waves, ready to depart.

"I have a question," Jack said, stepping forward to stop him. Liam paused, waiting for him to speak. "Has a human ever been to Kelantiel?" he asked, eyes boring into Liam's demanding an answer. Liam schooled his face into a neutral expression. No need to give the boy hope before it was due.

"Only in stories," he replied with a small smile. "There was a tale in my grandfather's time of a man from far away, who followed a selkie maiden home to Kelantiel. It was said that he could breathe the sea as if it was air."

"Was the man called Tasi?" Jack asked, face carefully blank.

"The very one," Liam replied, wondering how Jack knew the tale.

"Thank you Liam," Jack smiled in response. "Can you tell Ianto that I miss him, and hope to see him soon?" Liam reached out and patted Jack's shoulder.

"I will lad," he said with a smile. "I'm sure he would say the same." He winked at Jack and looked over his shoulder to the others.

"Stay together and stay safe," he directed them. "If for any reason you are in danger, go to Ynys Roana, no matter what McTavish says, no Flynn will every come to harm on her shores." He gave the group one last glance before disappearing into the waves behind him. The fog lifted and as his family watched on the shore, Liam's silver head emerged at the edge of the rocks to see them waving in farewell. He barked once and disappeared beneath the waves, the seals guarding the rocks beyond following him.

On the cliff above, a lone man crouched in the darkness. "You can't protect them old man," Colm McTavish sneered as he watched the family make its way back up the beach to the inn above. His gaze fell to sealskin curled up inside the pack at his side. "I've already captured one of your kind. It's only a matter of time before Ynys Roana is mine." Smiling to himself, he made his way back down the rocks.