37

Ianto tried not to sigh as he slipped down the side of the embankment again, looking back he saw Owen stumble as well, his soft curse carrying to him on the breeze. They had left the relative safety of the Hub for this? It had been a week since the fighting had begun within Ianto's kind and nothing had come their way but the wee one was still being kept underground just in case. Jack would have preferred Ianto stay there as well but with Rhys undergoing a dentist visit that was way overdue it was Ianto who drew the short straw to come.

Andy couldn't work the PDA to save his life, which might be needed one day and until he had mastered it he could not be on a retrieval of an unknown origin like this, the piece of space junk giving off low levels of…something.

Wick was back at the Hub with Andy and Tosh, playing happily on his blanket with some stackable block things that were cool colours and made a crashing sound when you pushed them over as he listened to the open coms that echoed in the speakers.

"Well, I can't see a damned thing Tosh" Jack said as he straightened up and looked over at Ianto and Owen on the far bank, "What time is Rhys due back from the dentist?"

"Another two hours… it's a root canal" she said softly, "Is it that bad?"

"Owen is being insufferable" Ianto cut in "I may have to bribe him with a lollipop or something to get him going."

"Oi ya bloody ar….."

Tosh looked up at the speakers with surprise as there was a grating noise then a splash.

"Oh my god!" Tosh stood with horror, "Did Owen fall in?"

A second splash had Jack barking with horror and she knew immediately that Ianto had followed his friend, then a third splash and the coms were dead.

Of course they were.

All three men were now in the ice cold water. The flooding river kind of water. The fast moving, full of debris kind of flood water.

Tosh worked feverishly to find a satellite close enough and swore softly and Andy tried to calm her with a pat to her shoulder, then his phone went.

"Might be them now" he said soothingly, pulling the phone out of his pocket, then frowning at it, "Rhys?"

Andy listened and then made a noise of sorrow, "Poor love and the boys went in the river. Yeah…oh! I forgot about that clever clogs come home and we can go to bed."

Andy ended the call and grinned at Tosh, "Rhys is shattered so he's coming home for a wee cuddle. He reminded me that the drone is still in the boot of the SUV. I can remotely fly it from here, remember? Owen set it all up."

Andy opened the boot of the SUV and the drone flew out into the crisp air, heading in the direction the men had gone.

Wick watched the screen with interest, pointing, "Tadda!"

Wick was right, Ianto had carefully folded his jacket and placed it on a rock before following Owen into the icy waters, the Jacket a gift from Tosh. She was touched that he had wanted to preserve it, even at the seconds it cost Owen. Was that wrong? She knew she must never admit to that feeling of delight.

The drone flew downstream and Wick spotted his father, "Daddy!"

"Where are the other two though" Andy muttered, still searching then he found them downstream from Jack caught in a tree branch. Ianto was trying to drag Owen out of the water and slipping in the mud. He looked up at the drone and smiled, even waving before going down again.

Typical! Wick snorted to himself, They get to play on the mud!

Andy watched Jack travel along the top of the embankment and reach his partner and friend, siding down to hook Owen and yank them both up onto the grass where they immediately started stripping their clothes off.

"Now what!" Andy muttered but Tosh was grinning now.

"Mr Copperbadge Engage" she said gleefully and the SUV started, purring as it crept along the grass verge, "You are not the only one who can remote control Andy Pandy."

"Bloody hell!" Andy splattered.

"Ianto created it, its voice activated" she said and Ianto's voice was heard calling to the onboard computer.

"Five more feet and stop, employ handbrake and park please. idle engine and heater on full" Ianto was yelling as he raced for the SUV, pulling the blankets from their compartment and making a bed in the back, "Cariad!"

"Coming love" Jack yelled as he appeared with a half naked Owen and Ianto finished stripping until he was naked, Wick now watching intently with the onboard dash camera as Ianto clambered into the bedding and Jack heaved Owen in after him, panting with his own hypothermia started to kick in and he shared a look with Ianto before disappearing around toward the back of the SUV and he pushed the drone on, then shut the first set of doors. He removed the Webley and shook it, reaching in to the small compartment at the outer edge of the boot where he removed a small gun and placed it to his head.

Tosh realised what he was doing and she called to Wick "Honey, do you want to help Uncle Andy get one of the med-rooms ready for Uncle Owen?"

Wick turned to her and gasped with glee at the thought of doing a grown up job, jumping as the shot rang out and turning back to find his Daddy was gone. Then Jack surged up and leaned on the SUV shaking his head before he moved around to get in.

Wick never saw, feeling the bond snap and then renew he was fully aware of what had happened but he appreciated Aunty Tosh trying to help. But he knew Daddy was OK, he promised he would always come back.

Wick knew his parentals would never break a promise.

Magic in those words.