21

Angel stood nervously watching her men as they did their drills and she felt a spike of pride as they all moved cohesively as a unit. She still felt there was something missing, something extra needed to ensure the edge.

Ianto was walking past and he waved at her, his smile inviting as she smiled back and then she looked down at the dog silently shadowing him, her face not as welcoming as she watched the troops. It was something overlooked … the dog. Jewel was like a wraith and on more than one occasion today she had startled others. Angel was drawn to the dog's demeanour as much as her sweet face. For as much as she looked adorningly at her master, those same eyes seemed calculating as she looked at anyone approaching him for a quiet word. Also, it seemed as though the dog was listening to the conversation as she attentively served her master. Any anger or annoyance noted with a quick flash of teeth. Ianto's laughter brought a swish of the tail. Angel was able to read which men Ianto liked and which he were uncomfortable with by watching the dog and note that away. Jewel channelled his mood. It was as though she was an extension of him, an extra limb.

Angel had never seen this before and had asked John who explained about Ianto's sight and her place as a service dog. This was both interesting and in Angel's view an untapped source.

"Is she really a service dog?" one of the men called out as Angel turned to watch Ianto stop and focus on the cadet who was sneering at the sweet looking dog in her harness. One he had avoided and she made a note to check his file.

Ianto considered and glanced at Angel who waved a hand to give him the floor.

"Jewel, grab" Ianto said softly and the dog erupted, leaping at the man and seizing him by the arm, dragging him down as he screamed with horror, her teeth easily ripping the sleeve of his tunic.

"Hold."

Ianto walked over and looked down at the terrified man with the demon dog attached.

"Boy!" Angel roared as she walked over, "You just failed your basic. Any solider that invites the ire of a CO is a fucktard and not for my squad. Consider your place here, stop fucking about."

"At ease soldier." Ianto said softly.

Jewel released the man and Angel stepped closer to Ianto as the cadet scrambled away on his hands and knees totally ashamed while the others cat-called, "Where did you get her from again?"

Ianto led Angel to a com-link and showed her the connection to the dog squads, pleased to see she was serious about her work. His keen nose also smelt John on her and he found it a strange comfort to know John had a bed mate as well.

When Ianto left them to it there was an air of confidence about the place, everyone on task.

John watched for a while and then he knelt to adjust the buckle on his new boots, freezing as two pert little ruby shoes appeared before him with far too much sparkle for the middle of the day and he looked up into the calm gaze of Ianto's daughter.

"I remember you" she said softly.

"Hello button" he whispered, "I love those shoes. I wish I had some like that."

"Taddy got them for me" she replied calmly, her long lashes brushing her cheeks as she canted her head like her parental and pouted at him "I have a dress to match but it's too good for getting dirty."

"You don't want your shoes dirty either love" he pointed out as she stood close enough for him to touch if he so chose.

"They are almost too small, another larger pair already waits for me" she said grandly, "I can always get more shoes. I care not for those. It's all about the face anyway."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You can see a lot in a face" she continued as she stood comfortably before the man who once meant her harm, "There is no such thing as a poker face. Everyone has a tell. You just have to see it. Daddy always twitches one eye when I am about to get my own way, even as he says no to me. I know I will get it. You? You suck your cheeks in when amused. Did you know you do that?"

"No" he said with genuine surprise, "You do watch a lot."

"That's what cats do" she purred, those lashes fluttering again, "We watch those around us while pretending not to care about them. But we do. We do care. Like I say. I do remember you. Just wanted to let you know that."

"Thank you for saying hi" John said as gently and sweetly as he could muster, "You are your father's daughter."

Lolly lifted her head so she was looking down her nose at him and he felt a small spike of alarm as she seemed to consider, then she withdrew the small blade that had nestled next to his left eye socket for the duration of their conversation.

"I am a Harkness-Jones" she said as she stepped back, her shoes not getting covered with blood today after all. "They are both mine."

John nodded and remained kneeling after she had sashayed away with her little summer frock wafting around her. He had passed her test.

Gods she was amazing.

His smile grew as she spun to look back, giving a tell of her own as she grinned cheekily before running off as a small child playing again.

She was a Logan.