7

They landed in a field that was been cleared for hay making and the homestead waited silently.

"Our team is on the way" Billy said as he ushered them out of the chopper, "I can hear the ATV now."

Rolling Thunder crested a rise and the two men stepped closer together in front of the woman and child as the beast of a machine rumbled over and came to a stop. Owen was first out, running towards them with his medical kit over his shoulder, "Get to the house. I can examine him inside."

"Uncle Owen is a doctor" Billy assured the mother, "A real one. Before it all went tits up he was a practicing one. He will know what to do."

The house was a small four bedroom structure. Simple but ready to receive. This was Smoke Screen Manor. So named by Sean and Billy as they helped set it up for any newcomers while they were being assessed for possible inclusion into the Village.

"We cannot take you to our home. You understand that we are wary and have had some bad experiences in the past. This house is for your use" Martha said as she helped Marley carry in food. "Here is a four day supply of food, a standard package. We can replenish if you stay longer or if anyone had dietary needs. I forgot to ask, is anyone vegan or diabetic.?"

"Are you people real?" the woman asked softly, "I mean …oh my god. Is that butter?"

"This is my bond mate Marley" Billy said with obvious pride as he pulled her against him, using the term Jack and Ianto often used for one another and she smiled politely at them.

"I'm Rhys and my wife there is Alice, Jack's ….sister" he said after he remembered the cover story for their connection. "That's Owen and there is another one, he's out there patrolling but you will see him when he gets back. He is one of Martha's husbands, Mickey."

"One?"

"I needed two" Martha informed the woman calmly like she was talking about handbags, "Seemed better that way."

The woman giggled to herself as Jack snorted and then Ianto entered, still doing up his flat jacket he had flicked into the chopper before it had left him behind. He now wore a uniform as his clothes had been abandoned when he had transformed to catch them.

"Where the fuck did you come from!" The older man asked with shock.

"The wilds" Ianto answered cryptically, stepping over to Jack for a gentle kiss of hello.

"Appendix" Owen said over his shoulder "I don't know how it's lasted this long. It's gonna blow at any given minute. I need to operate and I can't do it here."

"We can't take them in" Jack reminded him, watching as Owen huffed and nodded.

Then Jack canted his head to listen to his Bluetooth and one of the men rose, seeing the tech for the first time and realising they were in the presence of more organised people than he had thought.

"Henders Green of the Welsh Guard" he said, offering his hand to the one he saw was in charge, "My big brother Barret and our little sister Gretel. Her son is called Peter."

"Like fairy tales" Ianto said softly to himself as he shook the offered hand and Jack nodded and looked into the corner of the room where a little red light stared back from the camera.

"Council have had an emergency meeting, both elder committee and standard are in agreement that we can bend the rules for mother and child" Jack informed the room, "We can move them to FB for the procedure where there is a sterile OR on standby, Logan is prepping to assist Owen."

Ianto turned to Barret, "I thought you were the child's father, you are so attentive."

"Her husband died early into the pregnancy. I …she was always a sickly little thing and I treated her more like my baby than my sister. Naturally her child would be mine one way or another." He shrugged.

"I understand" Ianto nodded as they walked to the chopper and watched Owen bustle Gretel and Peter inside, "We have all adjusted. Just as Martha requires two husbands, some have decided on chastity where as I and Jack are not the only same sex couple."

"You're a couple?" Barret asked with surprise, "He seems so…well. Sorry. A lady's man with that swagger."

"Don't let that fool you" Ianto snorted, "He would go for anything with a pulse once. But as we keep saying, this is a brave new world. We found that we needed each other more than anyone or anything else. You cling to something like that now."

"Yeah" Barret sighed softly, "I never had a wife. Always thought there would be time once I became a partner in the law firm. Look what good it's dong me now."

"Well, I was an archivist" Ianto quipped, "They called me the Tea boy."

Barret laughed as he looked at the tall, confident man that oozed danger and shook his head.

He couldn't picture this man as a servant.

No way.

He looked more like a predator.