8

"Come on… it is letting them win" Jack sighed.

"Just for the week… I want my own place. Some distance from this and it gives them time to consider things too. Whatever they wanted… they are not getting it so they will either back off or push home. They seem to want a reaction so… if I am not even here… maybe they will change tactics and we will see what their intent is."

"We have guests!"

"Then you entertain them, after all you seem to have control of your hands. Better still… tell them to fuck off, they are no longer wanted guests, are they?" Ianto snapped "Me and the kids are going to my place to ride horses and eat pancakes and fuck what everyone else wants!"

"Look… I am the one with a body double, not you. How do I explain it?" Jack demanded.

"Tell the truth. I want some time to spend with the kids" Ianto shrugged "If you can't come with me then… fine."

Ianto left the room and stormed along the corridor, little cats and the random dog moving to let him stride past without breaking his momentum. Myfanwy kept pace with her huge head swinging back and forth, her anger evident in her face as she followed the one she loves.

Ianto packed up his babies and left.

.

.

John slowed his gait as he neared the gate, his hand sliding along the stone wall of the garden. He opened the gate, the squeak announcing his arrival, but he wanted that so he smiled as he also slammed it loudly behind him.

The door of the house opened and the man who stepped into the light looked at John with open suspicion and confusion "Oi, Whatcha want?"

John answered by firing the gun he rarely used, the silencer a small puff. He stepped over the body still twitching on the front stoop as he was still falling and entered the hallway, canting his head as he listened to the noise within. He could hear a radio somewhere and a TV. The TV was the one that had him focusing more, it was mindless documentaries. Far too boring and intelligent for these idiots… right.

John walked along the hallway, humming in time to the jaunty music in the other room, the doors closed. Fuckwits. Of course the doors are closed. They are not watching their mark at all, are they.

John entered the room and looked at the boy on the bed, his face wary.

"Hello Marcus. I am John, Ianto's… ah… cousin. Do you remember me? I am here to take you home if you are ready to leave these fucktards to their shitty music." John said calmly, watching the boy rise shakily from the bed.

Jesus, they had beaten him at some stge. Or… he had fought back? The boy's spine was strong as he stared John down and nodded that he recognised him. John reached in to his jacket and removed a pistol "Here, follow me"

The gun was not loaded, john is not a fool ya now but this was a way to gain trust and give the kid strength to move. They were moving quickly now, down the hallway and as they reached the front door the kid slowed, the body scaring him.

"Just step over, he's not gonna do nothing" John grunted swinging back to reach into the inside pockets of his jacket, the two grenades coming out easily to be flicked back into the hallway as the door was pushed shut.

"What…. What is happening?"

"Come on, your sister is being held hostage too and you are being used as her muzzle" John said, then explained as they headed to the safest place he could take the boy right now.

Ianto's place.

.

.

"Ianto" Marcus seized the man he knew his entire life, sobbing into his chest and Ianto held him and crooned, relived beyond words that John had come through once more.

"I left a mess, a big loud one" John said as he settled into the chair that was his favourite, looking around the room full of books and tat. So Ianto, messy yet uniform. Like a painting.

"Right, Johnny has explained what happened?" Ianto asked once Marcus had eaten something and was now nursing a large bottle of soda.

"What do we do? We have to get her out of there" Marcus said as he looked around the room "Wow… are those first editions?"

"No, flea market and car boot sales… these are all pre-loved. For some reason I find them more comforting than those brand new, never touched tomes." Ianto replied.

"Like you… layered and complex. Loved by many and discarded without a second thought" John snorted softly "Fickle fucks."

"Well… I am free. I can go make a statement right? We can stop this?" Marcus asked eagerly.

"They still have her. Until we can find a way to get her away from them she is in danger" John explained "She is our worry now."

"Publicly" Ianto said after thinking about it "If we scoop her from one of their press conferences they can't really say anything with cameras there."

John nodded as he leaned back to formulate a plan, meanwhile… that DNA test to disprove the bullshit needed to happen too.

So much to do.

Ianto looked out the windows as the horses outside with little ones on them wandered past.

He really didn't care anymore, as long as Lisa got out.

And Jack was still not here, was he!