14

The cleanup was underway with Owen hanging out the passenger window of the SUV whooping with glee as they chased a group towards the river. They don't like water, something Ianto had confirmed before he had turned to walk in another direction. Owen frowned, then asked "where is he going?"

He has his own fixing to do" Jack said as he watched Ianto go without even looking back at them. Easier that way, not looking back. Jack knew that tactic as well. Don't look back, less pain if things are not the same when you get back. Jack resisted the urge to call out to him, knowing that sooner or later they would need a real talk. One that did regress into fucking. One day.

Now they were driving at break-neck speed across a football pitch as these three idiots tried to scatter but kept running back into one another's path. Jack had soon worked out that driving straight meant he could eat up the space between them while the three twats kept thinking they were clever confusing everyone. It is a wonder they didn't wind up slamming in to each other. Jack grew weary of both the length of the pursuit and the fact Owen couldn't hit a single feckin one so he simply stomped his foot down and ran over the nearest one, Owen squealing now as he grabbed onto the roof as the SUV bucked, then Owen slid into the cab while laughing hysterically.

Then Ianto shot across the bonnet, travelling in another direction and Jack yelped, and then gave a bark of relief as Ianto shot past with a demon in his arms, flinging it to one side to slam around a tree trunk before dissipating once more. Jack zoned in on the last one still running with glee.

Owen looked out the window, up at the sky "Where did he go?"

"Owen… you ever cupped your hands in the shower and gathered water to wash your face?" Jack asked then snarled with open malice as the third one went under the wheels and the SUV bounced "Well … Ianto is like that. You can see him, know he is there but even with a soft brush of his hand against your face… he is gone."

"You talk like he is an element not an entity" Owen pointed out and Jack considered then nodded.

"He is. He is. Earth. Fire. Air. Water. Ianto. Yeah…. I need all those things. Sure" Jack finally nodded, swinging the wheel as he tapped the screen on the dash "Toshiko, next site?"

Owen settled back to reload the many weapons scattered on the floor of the SUV's passenger foot well. He knew they were together. A thing but… wow. The way Jack's face had changed… softened… Owen now saw that there was something on a deeper level between these two. Something that transcends anything he might think it is.

An explosion lit the sky in the distance and Jack cursed softly "shit, Toshiko? Was that Ianto? Christ almighty."

"Yes, over at the gas company… the place is going up, looks like one of the tanks has blown" she replied.

"Shit. Propane. Great… gas. Air right?" Own giggled "Oh man. This is like some weird trip man!"

"Yeah, but it's not the fall that kills ya…" Jack said then grunted as the SUV slammed to a stop like they had hit a invisible wall, both men looking over the bonnet at the sheer drop below them and then focusing on the man standing between them and a mighty drop.

"It's the sudden stop at the end" Owen finished the quote for him with awe as Ianto calmly shoved the SUV back and shook his head like he was scolding naughty children. Jack had the decency to look a little embarrassed that he had forgotten about that drop, then he and Owen were out and running after something they saw in the mist.

Ianto sighed as he looked around and muttered to himself "Bloody nuttas… like toddlers running after the next thing to play with leaving their mess behind."

Ianto then shoved the SUV back towards the street, the tires gouging the wet turf as Ianto showed himself to be stronger than a bulldozer. He left it facing the right way and did not push it onto the tarmac as it might run the tires. He had just had those rotated ya know.

Ianto puffed out in a wisp of black smoke as a red cap stood with his mouth open in the middle of the street, chaos and mayhem all around him as he stood staring at the spot where the Djinn had just been. He turned to his mate "did you see that? That dude just… puffed away like a fucking wizard."

His mate lowered his gun to stare at him then said softly "Cut that crap out because if they hear you talking about wizards and fucking unicorns or whatever they will put a bullet in your brain to stop the crazy from getting out."

"No… seriously" he complained as he turned and started firing again, knowing he was right. Must be a trick of the light with all the mist and chaos.

That sort of shit just can't be real.

Magic.