11
Marley entered and sat next to Billy, reaching for his hand and he saw that her own hand was complete once more.
"Babe?" he asked softly, "What do you have?"
"Neither child is happy. Grizzling, sad. The grups are not that nurturing either. I sense that they are terrified. They know we are watching them. They give each other different names to what they gave us and they have weapons. Knives they keep strapped to their forearms under the thick clothing." She paused as Jack made a noise of irritation, she then continued, "Also…they know they were being followed. Whispers of 'are they still there' and 'did we leave a trail' and the last one I heard before coming back was 'did we leave enough pointers.' So I think they are leading…not fleeing."
"Shit" Jack leaned back to consider.
"They were looking not running. The babies are their bait." Ianto whispered with anger.
"I believe so Tad" she nodded, "I think they might be seeking other survivors and the babies make them seem to be the ones weaker than those offering help. I can't detect tech so they must have laid something outside? It is like they are waiting. Expecting."
"Yeah" Ianto rose, "I need to walk the trail, slowly. Exactly. If they were dropping markers I need to find them. Fuck. Fucking clever bastards."
"I will get Owen onto those DNA tests, Billy go get your Uncle Sean and tell him as quietly as you can" Jack said as he rubbed little Rose's back, "Last thing we need is a lynching."
"Shit. After what happened last time there was a threat….yeah." Billy sighed as he kissed Marley, "I guess you are going with Tad then."
"No" Ianto replied quickly, "I need her to go to Owen. Jack I need you to follow on a Cat. If there are markers or some sort of beacon I will need your eyes. Marley is best here if we need backup."
Billy looked at his Tad and canted his head, knowing he was fumbling and Marley smiled softly as she whispered, "Taddy thinks I might be with child."
Billy turned slowly to gape, then let out an almighty roar of glee, lifting her as she slapped at him and laughed, "We don't know for sure, stop it."
"Taddy is never wrong, never" He was weeping as he crushed her to his chest, "Oh Gods, my prayers answered. Gods."
"If she is, no clicking" Ianto explained, "She can afford to give a little…not enough to lose body mass. I have no idea if an unborn would survive a full on clicker mode."
Billy nodded as he agreed and kissed her again, "I'll go get Uncle Sean and Uncle Owen. We will meet you at the clinic then Uncle Sean can meet Dad at Tosh's …..Tosh? She looked exhausted at the table."
"Freddy" Ianto replied, "Time he showed his mettle."
"Agreed"
They moved off to do their deeds with Billy dancing along the corridor, Marley scolding softly and when they entered the Family Place no one thought anything of their flushed smiles. Jack had handed Rose to his son who then handed her to the matriarch, Nainny crooning as she settled in the large rocking chair with her wee dumpling.
Sean and Owen readily followed Billy when asked and once in the corridor he explained the problem as Owen reared back with shock.
"First though, you need to give me a check" Marley whispered, "Taddy thinks I'm up the duff."
"YES!" Owen roared, much as Billy had and people shook their heads then continued with their morning rituals.
Once at the clinic Owen's hands shook as he waved the scanner, then did a happy dance that looked remarkably like Frank's.
So that's where he learnt it then.
Marley lay quietly grinning up at her love, their kiss sweet before he followed his Taddy's brother towards the Coms Room where Jack and Freddy were hard at work.
"Bloody colder than a witch's tit" Ianto huffed down the coms and Jack grinned, Pulling on his coat that was a winter version of his great coat, fashioned from oil slicked leather and lined with thick rabbit fur.
"I'm leaving on the Cat now baby" Jack called out as he zipped up the long coat, "I will look for your tracks until the ridge line where I know you will start hiding them."
"What else is a tail like this good for?" came the reply and they all smiled.
"Marley is" Jack said as he reached for the coms waiting in the small box on the counter, "You were right."
"Awesome" came the gravelly growl, Ianto panting as he hurried, then silence.
Jack left on the large machine as the rest of them kept vigil at the coms, Freddy intensely staring into space as his ears worked overtime.
"Babe?"
"Shhhh, looking Cariad."
"Well I can't see a damned thing" Jack huffed.
"Tell me about it" Freddy muttered and they all laughed as the young man made a joke about his own blindness.
"He's near marker three buddy" Billy said to his friend and the screen burst into life with the camera angels about that area. "There! He's in the fifth sector"
Freddy grinned as his fingers flew and more screens flicker then they got all that lower corner of sector three showing Ianto from several angles as he dug his huge snout in the snow, then came back with a small….rock?
"Babe? What the fuck is it?"
"I hope you handed off our daughter before going potty mouth. It…it's not giving off anything but but…well. It sort of smells. Like ionized." Ianto said with confusion, "I am leaving it here at these tree roots for you, it must be giving off something that is traceable. I am moving forward, I will know what to feel for now. It's like a warmth in the snow."
"Warmth" Owen frowned, his eyes sliding as he looked at the huge map of their country, "Ianto…it's not radioactive material is it?"
The huge creature froze and turned to look at the very camera they were looking through and they saw his eyes widen, "I had that in my mouth. They….shit do they still have some? Near those babies? Our babies?"
"On it" Sean snarled as he moved away, "Billy, go get the others. A want a full assembly. A training exercise, clear?"
"Yes uncle" Billy broke into a trot as Jack raced for Ianto in the Cat.
What else gave of a heat signature like that?
Meteorite?
No.
He knew deep down that Owen was right. The nuclear facility was the direction they had come from and the most logical explanation.
Ianto had held it in his mouth.
Gods, please may he be OK.