14

"So … covering the hoods with the emergency blankets hid the engine heat?" Johnny was trying to understand "and … the waterfall hid ours in the natural rock. What about you?"

"I rolled in a blanket as well" Ianto was trying to be patient but…really now … had this not been covered already? "Look, they will work out sooner or later that we are hiding our heat signatures, and then they will switch to another mode. By then I hope to be deep in the marshlands where they cannot fly. The only no-fly zone for those things is the Fells. Satellites only when the mist isn't covering everything"

"You two came here as kids, right? Played here, camped here at these falls with your parents" Johnny said after a while "Rhia told me about your crazy tent making skills that pissed your Da off no end."

"Most things about me did" Ianto snorted. "The cuckoo."

"So we are safe there" Alice asked, joining the conversation and cutting off Ianto's weird comment "They can't get in."

"For now" Ianto replied gently "In time they will devise ways to try, maybe even get to long distance before shorting out. We have to go deep so they can't' find us. Be diligent and stay alert. Treat each sound or new thing as a trap. Only way to get through this."

"And for now?" Owen asked.

"We move while there is still light to do so" Jack replied and Owen frowned as he considerd.

"So the next problem … this has slowed us down. We will have to move in the dark right?" Owen said, loking over at Ianto who seemed unconserned.

"Ianto?" Jack pronpted, "Tell them how we will drive the Fells without headlights to be seen from space."

Ianto shrugged and Jack laughed then said "Ianto made an aquiistion about a year ago that I found amusing. We even used them around the hub at night for …ah… experiemtnation."

"We dabbled" Ianto agreed softly then snorted and loked up at the sky like he ws trying to pull himself together. He then loked at Owen and said "I have five pair of night vision goggles, military grade."

"You are fucking kidding!" Owen gaped.

"Nope" Ianto popped the P.

"He ordered one per team member in case of a power outage or end if the world or something" Jack sniggered "I knew you had them with."

"Of course I have thme with. You seriously thought I didn't keep them in the Go Vehicle?" Ianto loked at Jack like he was mad and Jack laughed, pulling Ianto close and kissing his cheek before turning to run out of the waterfall into the sunlight.

"Uncle?" David said softly "Did he just kiss you?"

"Yes. He kisses me sometimes" Ianto replied calmly "He even snuggles in and we sleep tpgehter in the same bed. Like …. Together."

"Boyfriends?"

Ianto seemd to struggle with his answr then he finally said as he turned to leave the cave "Friends."

Owen watched the water close once more and sighed "Come on. Time to get wet again, then we can all change into the cool clothing in the back, you kids will proabalby fit the spare stuff for me and Tosh, Stevie you will fit Iantos' I think."

"Is it OK to use?" Rhiannon asked.

"Each SUV has a full set of clothing for all five members so … yeah. We are all OK." Owen shook his head as he walked towards the SUV, finding Ianto already placing clothing on the now uncovered hoods. Is there nothing he had forgotten?

"Come on, we are burning daylight" Jack barked, storming for his SUV like he was angry and Owen wondered if the two men had spoken about the kiss. Ianto looked unconcerned with the mood swing, ushering the kids into the middle SUV, Johnny lifting Mica into his lap then belting her in with a blanket.

As Ianto walked to the lead vehicle Tosh turned to Owen in the last SUV "What do you think it is?"

"I think Ianto has a plan that Jack doesn't like. Whatever it is … Jack has no control now. Ianto is in chrge from here on out" Tosh said as she thought about things "Jack likes to know the score. He hates surprises as much as he likes giving them."

"No. Its something else" Owen muttered as he went back over what he had seen as he left the waterfall to follow the two men.

Jack had been holding Iantos' hand. The damaged one and by the way Ianto was yanking on it there was something being said about the injury.

But why would Jack be angry about something that had been necessary to get the kids safe.

And why was Ianto shrugging it off?