36

- Jack

Shelby wakes me with her wet nose and I grumble as I try to escape it the wet swipe along my back is gross. Now I see why Ianto wants the door shut and it occurs to me that the door is not shut. I sit up and look at the dog with as much anger as I can show in the dark, then I hear a soft chugging noise and for a moment I am a little confused.

Are we on a boat? That is definitely a motor. That… the Genny?

Ianto rolls over to look at me with silent accusation for waking him and I point silently to the open door and the dog, watching his eyes roll as he huffs and sits up as well. He tells me "Power was out when I woke up so I went and fried up the generator for the lights. Must have left it partially open and she pushed it, I could have sworn I closed it."

"Never mind" I assure him "I will get her out."

I rise and pat my thigh so she will follow me out of the bedroom and I lead her to the kitchen and let her have one of the snack biscuits she loves and Ianto does not let her have. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, eh?

I see the rain is falling steadily and as I stand looking to the window I see the darkness beyond out security lights. Still a power outage then. God, I hate those too.

I turn to pad my way back to bed when I see the wet footprints on the floor and I sigh softly as I scold Ianto for… hang on. I try the door and find it firmly locked. I look at the wet prints again as I scold myself, of course he locked the door again. But the prints are ….

I find myself running for the kid's rooms, checking each little head is on their pillow and me heart is pounding now as I move to one of the hidden gun lockers, unlocking it and loading a gun as my heart pounds in my chest like a bird in a cage. I scoop the two sets of leys in the bottom of the safe, glad Ianto had thought of this part that I had scoffed about. I again glance back at the main room.

Two sets of footprints.

Someone else had entered the house at the same time, most likely while he was in the shed.

I make my way to the end room where Owen and Toshiko are asleep, checking their door as quietly as I can and finding it locked. As I turn to leave it opens with Owen there looking at me angrily in the half light "What the hell. Third time you've tried it!"

"No, my first" I whisper, holding the gun so he can see it and his eyes widen "Owen… I am giving you a spare set of keys, I am locking the kid's doors and you lock yours again… someone is in here. IF things go south the keys are colour coded for their room. Pink for Mimi, blue for Davie and purple for the beast. If things kick off get them out OK?"

I don't wait for an answer, enter each child's room to sweep with malice before exiting and locking the door, feeling horrible doing so but at least glad they are safe, I will apologize to Ianto later.

I enter our room to check him and as I do so I wonder why Owen said their door was tried twice but ours seems….. they have what was the master bedroom. Whoever is in here thinks we are in there, this was a private lounge room or something… Shelby. Good Shelby, sitting by the door with her eyes wide.

"Good girl" I whisper, crouching by her "where is he? Where is the bad man?"

Her head turned towards the wardrobe.

OK, so that is why the door was open. Then I realize I just left Ianto alone with someone. Jesus Christ, I will have nightmares about that scenario later, right now I remain crouched and point the gun at the door, "If you do not come out of there I will begin firing rounds through the doors. I do not care if I hit you or kill you, you are in my house."

The breathing in the bed has stopped, Ianto now awake and I want to comfort, to explain but I hear his soft "Fire."

I decide I waited long enough and I do so, raising to a shooter's kneel to fire four shots into the wardrobe hoping I missed his suits. The silencer making each shot a soft puff. I tried to judge which end they were in and how far they came but I am sure I killed at least one.

Then came a high pitched scream.

Gotcha.

The door slides open as someone fumbles their way out and Ianto turns on the light. I knew he would and had my eyes closed for the flare, opening them to find a man on the floor bleeding everywhere as he screams with pain.

It's not his father.

But the tattoos tell me he is an associate.

I keep the gun on him as Owen enters and administers first aid. He tells him he is lucky there is a doctor in the house.

He cries that I shot him, how lucky is that?

"Given the fact you are in my friend's home with their kids?" Owen says as he pauses "You are lucky I don't kill you myself. Easy enough to open this further and find the artery, so close."

I really like this guy!