38

Another Saturday and another stupid alien in the wrong place. Jack hadn't wanted to go but knew Owen was in meltdown mode over the coms, whatever this was it was freaking him the hell out and when Jack had arrived he had seen why.

It was a little pink ball of fluff, so cute and adorable with little beady eyes and tiny hands waving about.

Three Unit were dead already, a fourth in death throes as Owen screamed at them to stop fucking looking into its eyes. It had a force-field that was evading all bullets so Jack had sat and waited for it to approach, it's only method of killing to touch which would include him in the force-field for a moment and as he died he could kill it.

Not his finest hour.

Jack got home to a silent house and sighed, remembering the Grandys saying something about blackberry gathering or something, padding through to the boy's rooms and seeing chaos indicative of a rushed dressing and searching for needed things to take.

Jack wished he had seen what Jay Bird had decided to wear but knew when he got back it would still be mostly there.

He padded to the kitchen and made some sandwiches, then got a packet of crisps that seemed to call to him. He grabbed a large glass of Ianto's hand squeezed orange juice he still made for him even when so tired and out of sorts, each mouthful reminding Jack he was loved.

He settled on the sofa and reached for the remote the TV booming in as Jack cursed and struggled with the volume setting. Little shits. He found a mind numbing movie and settled, then heard a shuffling noise and turned his head to find Ianto in the doorway with a blanket and quilt pulled around him looking at him blearily.

"Ah fuck I'm sorry love" Jack groaned, "I didn't know you were asleep. Shit, how stupid of me. I thought you were all going."

"Jypsy is still not in a good mood, I decided to stay home" Ianto shuffled over and fell into the sofa and Jack's lap, laying there like a little caterpillar wrapped in a cocoon, then he frowned as he struggled to free himself of the blankets and Jack laughed as he pulled him into his lap properly and kissed him.

"Hungry, hungry caterpillar?" Jack offered a bite of his sandwich and Ianto snorted, then took a bite, laying his head on Jack's shoulder as he chewed. Jack fed him, more sandwich, then some crisps as they cuddled and Jack rubbed his beloved's back, kisses here and there for luck. They then both had some orange juice and Jack hugged him some more.

"I was a little sad when I got back and realised I had missed the exodus" Jack whispered, "So glad you are here waiting for me. It feels funny to be left behind."

Ianto nuzzled his neck and hummed in that way he always felt in his groin, "I would never leave you behind Cariad."

"I know that, silly really" Jack crooned, searching for another longer kiss, "Always be here, won't you. You lovely Holdfast. My heartbeat. I love you Ianto, so much. So very much that it hurts."

Ianto sighed and wriggled to get more comfortable, "Tell me what happened."

Jack did, he told of the creature, its attack mode and his need to die. Ianto sighed softly and kissed his throat as he told of his death and the creature's.

"Is Owen OK?"

"Yeah, covered in mud though. You should have seen him, so pissed that UNIT had been ignoring him. When I pulled up he had mud all up his legs and I couldn't work out why, then I saw him stomp his feet like Josh and mud splattered everywhere." Jack sniggered, "I told him that if he were taller his balls wouldn't be wet. Gods, he went right off."

Ianto laughed softly and then settled, drifting off in Jack's arms.

Jack watched him for a while, those lashes fluttering against alabaster skin and those lips he had kissed so many times that he could feel them sometimes in his mind.

He had been asleep at the wheel, he needed to wake up.

He gently rose, carrying his love to bed where he carefully extracted him from the bedding and laid him on the cool sheets, watching Ianto roll to his stomach and hum as he pulled Jack's pillow in for a cuddle. Jack grinned and covered Ianto with the blankets and then as he went to leave he peeked into the crib, finding his little princess awake and looking back with a little wave.

Jack gathered her up and tiptoed from the room, excited when she accepted a bottle of boiled water and a kick in the sun.

Gods, was he finally getting a handle on things?