52

Ianto tried to keep his head down as they bit at his face and he knew his fur wouldn't hold out for long as he ran for the barn.

Part of the siding had been torn away and he knew that must be where the boy was so he slammed through it and looked up as straw rained down.

"LEON"

He leapt, landing on the upper level and he stated to push through the strange straw storm, realizing they were trying to uncover something.

A horse blanket was underneath and he knew as soon as he touched it what it contained, thanking the gods that the little boy had thought to roll in it before they had attacked.

He considered his next move, then noticed something else.

They were not biting him.

Apart from slamming against him they were ignoring him and he thought back to the Zs and their dislike for him as well.

The clickers had attacked Ianto.

Not the Wolfling?

He hoped this was a sign and he gently gathered the corners of the blanket, lifting it and leaping down into the now soft straw covering the ground.

The bundle moved and he ran, hoping the child was OK, knowing it would be death to look, and as he neared the big house the door swung open and he slammed in, dropping the bindle and helping Jack smash the clickers that had flown in.

He could hear Emily screaming at the doors and Jack was unrolling the blanket as he frantically tried to find the child within.

Ianto felt sick and was throwing up before he could stop himself, heaving as bile came up and hands were helping him.

Ifan had ordered the doors open and was cradling his grandson's massive head as he encouraged him to transform, Anna waiting with a crocheted rug.

Emily stood clutching at Andy as Jack slapped clickers and rolled the blanket some more.

Then to everyone's relief the small boy rolled out into the room.

"Mama" he wailed sadly, her arms reaching for him as she wailed.

"Down! Go!" Jack yelled as he looked up and heard the roof groan.

They raced back down to the Stronghold and slammed the doors again, Ianto heading for Billy and he found his boy huddled in the bedding, weeping softly and he curled around him as he crooned and stroked his back.

"Why Taddy?" he sobbed, "Why did you save me and not her?"

"She was already gone" Ianto sighed softly, "They were already tearing her apart, I had to choose. Save you or lose you both. I couldn't live with that."

"But that's the problem" Billy sighed sadly, "How do I live with it."

"My poor baby" Ianto sobbed, weeping as he tried to pull Billy into his very soul.

They rocked for a long time before both falling into an unsettled sleep.

Hope was in the Kid's Room and they were all huddled around her as she spoke softly to them.

"We need to be clever. We need to be brave" she said sternly, looking so much older than her scant three and a half years. "Things will be hard but we will be OK, as long as we stick together and listen to the signs."

Several children nodded silently and Clay spoke up, "Is he OK?"

"Yeah. Taddy got to him and he even saved Tom" she smiled, "I told you he would be a good soldier. He remembered what I said about covering up and pulled a stinky blanket over them both."

"Is Tom OK?" Blossom asked her cousin.

"Yes. His tail is still crocked though."

Some of the children giggled and she smiled, "We are all a bit crockedy sometimes."

"Is Uncle OK?"

"Yes" she straightened up and stared them down, "He is very sad though. Something bad has happened and we have to be big for him. If we be quiet and behave, remember our manners and try to help, the grownups will feel better."

"When can we go back up?"

Hope frowned as she considered, "Not until Taddy says and I think not for a couple of sleeps. Then … you have to be strong because it will be different up there. I think we have some broken bits."

"Are the animals OK?"

"Yes Ifan" she smiled at him lovingly, "I will wait a little while and then ask Uncle Sean. He will let us go visit them."

All the children settled to play quietly, pleased with Hope's speech and she settled to watch them, her eyes still swirling with gold dust.

Tosh didn't know what to do to help so she concentrated on what she could still control.

The screens buzzed with life as every camera she could still connect to fed back images and they watched with growing confusion as the swarm seemed to settle, then fly apart and dissipate.

"What are they doing now?" Jack frowned.

Ianto couldn't answer as he entered to look and he leaned on the back of Jack's chair as they watched the first snow arrive.

"Maybe it's the cold" Tosh suggested, "Maybe it's killing them?"

"No, they are still flying, just less of them" Ianto frowned, "Weird. It's like they are just …. Leaving."

Ianto thought of his poor pup mourning back in their bed and wondered.

Why did they come in the first place?