25

Owen was moving fast, shocked into action as she clutched her hand to her chest, sobbing with pain as her father rose only to finds Gray there, knife to his throat.

"It might be a small blade, but you are the one who said that size matters only in the moment." Gray breathed into his face "And this blade is large enough to pierce your carotid."

"Let's all calm down" Fish said slowly, locking eyes with the monster of his own making, Gray not blinking as his lips slowly peeled back to show his resolve.

"Tea or coffee" Ianto asked, lifting a teapot and looking expectantly at the sobbing woman, "Oh. Silly, you like tea. A dash of lemon. Here you are. I slipped a sugar lump in there, I know you do not usually have sugar but they sat sweet tea is good for shock."

Ianto slid the cup towards her as she started at him.

"You… you didn't protect me" she managed to sob out.

"No. Didn't did I" Ianto made a sad face "Seems I don't really give a rat's arse."

Fish slowly sat down and Gray backed off, resuming his seat as well, his eyes never leaving Fish.

"Right…. now. As my brother was trying to convey. We want some answers and Gray might want another finger or a toe next maybe. He lost a couple of those too, right little brother?" Jack asked, leaning over to tap the desk and grin, getting Gray's attention. Gray grinned.

"Finger or to next?"

"Do you think her toes are painted like her fingers?" Gray asked, looking down "Hard to say, closed toe shoes."

"Hmmmm. She used to get me to paint them under her desk, like a good little dog" Ianto said to Grey conversationally "She does like them to match. You could have earrings. Well, you could make her earrings for Halloween. A finger and a toe. She would be the talk of the office for sure."

Gray started to snigger as he looked at Ianto then picked the finger up he had dropped on the table "I do like fingers though."

"Yes, you don't have nearly enough" Ianto agreed, pouring a cup of coffee and sliding it to fish, then a huge mug to Jack that was already poured, as was Gray's.

"I … I don't understand" she said in a small voice "I know your name."

"One of them" Ianto nodded in agreement, then leaned forward "Not my true one though. Oh no, that's reserved for the one who must replace the hole left when I give it away. You know … you really know nothing about Alts, do you. I mean … you've studied them most of your life and still don't know there are three levels to us, not two. Silly woman."

"What?" she said with confusion, her hand forgotten as she let it rest on the table and Gray seized the hand again, her high pitched scream making the walls shudder. Then he released it and made a face.

"Nah. She's too weak." He said to no one in particular.

"So. Fish. Want to elaborate on why you took my brother here, extorted and murdered my father and kept said brother? You know … you broke so many rules here" Jack said as he took a gulp of coffee and groaned, turning to Ianto "Lovely coffee there Tiger"

"Thank you Cariad" Ianto smiled back, then sipped his own.

"He's Altered" Fish finally said, admitting defeat "He sees things."

"Like what?" Ianto canted his head, "Clearly not the dead like I do."

"You see the dead?" Gray was interested, turning to have a conversation like they were waiting at a bus stop and Jack smiled as he saw the trust there. Gray told Ianto"I see lies. If someone lies their colour changes around them."

"Auras" Ianto guessed "You see auras. Really?"

"You … you have a pretty one. It's sort of … reddish with gold flecks. Jack's is golden, a glow with red edges. Rare, to see two with the same colours in there, like … both of you have gold, even though you only ort of partly have it."

"Your brother and I are bonding. I think he is my Soul Mate and if so … my True Name is going to be whispered and his returned to me. Why the colours are dual. I am still me, red Dragon. But … his Gold is starting to seep into mine. Once we bond … we share colours, I will become gold with a red tint … sort of like rose gold, so will he. The harsh shiny yellow he is will become a rose gold too. Mixed and matched. We will be one heartbeat."

"Like mama and Daddy" Gray nodded, "they were the same. Silver with blue outside it, glowing and shiny."

"Yes. Exactly, originally one of your parents was blue, the other silver. I had a friend that ws an Aurast. Probably your Dad was silver. The metallic tones usually follow the male bloodline. I take it Alice is not a metallic?"

"No. She is a warm lilac" Gray smiled "So cute, like a little flower."

"Ah. Maybe… maybe she will meet a metallic boy? Maybe that's the trick, mixing and matching is a hard thing."

Jack turned from the two men and looked at Yvonne and Fish "And as for you, I can't see auras but I am guessing you are both a putrid green right now … or maybe piss yellow. You are both filth after all."

"What do you want to do Boss?" Owen asked as he swaggered further into the room.

"Book them for kidnap and murder" Jack leaned back "Shame … she lost her finger when the cell door slammed, her own fault."

"YOUR INSANE BROTHER CUT IT OFF" she screamed with rage.

"Who are they going to believe now?" Jack asked with the grin back "Hmmm?"

Gray didn't acknowledge their departure as Gwen entered to seize Yvonne, helping Owen take them to the cells while Tosh calmly gassed those waiting for their boss up top. The sleep agent working swiftly as they slumped over on the screen.

Oops? Wrong button? Snigger.