10

Marley was glad to help, shivering as her hair grew short like a sweet bob and several bugs flew up into the air, then out the window as Taffy stood there with his mouth open.

Ianto glanced back at him and winked as he mouthed 'magic' knowing he was thinking about rabbit holes and such again.

Jack was beside himself as he clucked and jiggled little Daisy, Ianto taking the time to make sure Marley was getting sleep and such, also grilling her on her diet until she was laughing at his seriousness. Then the bugs returned and she blinked as they joined and shared.

"It's the ones Taffy was following. They don't care about the little girl, they think we took her and they are wary of us now. They are considering staying though; they think they can fight us for that space if they need to. Tad, they feel…weird. I know it sounds weird but… they had some people with them kept separate, like prisoners or something." She frowned as Ianto turned to Taffy who shrugged.

"Separate" Ianto repeated softly, "Send back a single drone. I want you to check on those kept separate. I want to know why. Look for…look for a butchery."

The room fell silent as Jack looked up from his grandchild with intensity, "Are you sure?"

"They smelt different" Ianto sighed, "I wasn't quite sure. I hoped I was wrong and knew saying something would open a world of pain."

"Cannibals" Marley said softly, "You think they are keeping them as a food source?"

"Why they had the children disappearing, they would tell the others they were stolen while feeding them to them" Ianto nodded.

"I feel sick" Taffy moved away to search to the loo and was soon throwing up as he remembered the stews he had eaten with them in the early days. His wife….gods. His wife. She just disappeared.

"I know what you are thinking" Ianto said as he looked down at the heaving back of the man hunched over the porcelain, "She went missing after you had been pushed out. You never…that didn't happen."

"I've been told by several people that you are never wrong about your hunches" Taffy said as he sat back on his heels and looked up at him.

"No, I was wrong about something once. I will never forget her or forgive what she cost me. We all make mistakes. We at least can fix this if…" Ianto stopped talking as the bug flew past and he retuned to the room where Marley was sitting silently waiting.

"Yes?" Ianto asked.

She nodded and grimaced as she turned to face Jack, "Do we need a meeting for this?"

"No. It's as I feared, right?" Ianto sighed, "Right. I want to know if there are children in the pens."

Marley nodded and Ianto rose, "Right. I want everyone to stay here and stay out of whatever is going to happen."

Taffy watched Ianto walk away, leaving the Dome and heading for the tree line as Jack sighed and leaned back against his tank.

"Where's he going?"

"To bring down hell" Jack replied as he stood and looked towards the school, "Come on. The kids will be getting into school about now and I would rather sit with them for a while."

Taffy turned to Kev as they walked and whispered, "Seriously? Where is he going?"

"Something lives in the trees, older than the dirt. Some call them Fae, some call them Mara. They are little creatures that are partly responsible for Ianto's unique abilities. They see him as some sort of pet or something. He is about to tell them children are being eaten like livestock. I …wanna see?" Kev suddenly stopped, "we can ask Tosh to send a Drone."

They headed over to ask and she looked at them long and hard as Kev waited patiently, "Come on love. Taffy needs to know the power he can wield. He has to know how lucky we are."

She nodded and sent it up, flying to the town where she set down on the roof of a building to watch as hell certainly did rein down. People ran screaming, felled by smudges of …something…like time was stalling out in certain areas. In the end there was only silence and the hugest most imposing Wolfling stalking around inspecting bodies. Then he nodded and the little creatures that reminded him of the house elves from Harry Potter simply each chose a body and …poooof…fucking amazing.

Then the large majestic beast looked at the drone and canted it's head as Tosh squeaked and brought it home.

"Even the children" Taffy sighed.

"Nah, they took them" Jack said in the doorway, "They will be cherished and loved in a place where they will never be harmed."

"I don't believe it" Taffy said with wonder, "What the hell is it? This…power."

"Magic" Jack said simply, pushing off the doorframe to leave, then turning to face Taffy with a steely glare, "Careful of the words you choose around here Taffy. Magic in the words as they cannot be unspoken. And my beloved there? Will not be contained."

Taffy nodded as he wondered just how deep such an old magic might go.

His Grammy had told him there was magic in the world, now he knew she was right.

He was suddenly even more comforted to know he was on the right side of that creature's temper.

Magic in him too.