59
Sean stood looking at the fish pond with annoyance. A fish pond. The size of a paddling pool and all the kids were gushing over it like it was the best thing since sliced bread. Vic and Travis had put time into building this thing, even bloody Logan helping like they were building the Sistine chapel or something.
A fish pond.
Everyone was acting like it was a wondrous thing, all they talked about was either the new shit from the Recon or this little hole. I mean seriously … it was going to hold four or five Koi. The fish the kids were providing from the river could easily be trapped and kept alive surely, transported to a large pond. Somewhere people could sit and have a picnic, the kids could fish with real rods.
Maybe even deep enough for a small row boat?
Sean stood for a long time staring at it then he went searching for his son. He knew what to do, how to fix this feeling of inadequacy. He would turn this around. Mama always said that he needed to think outside the box when it came to Ianto, he could not beat him intellectually and the physical difference meant fighting was frowned upon but he could do other things to prove he was just as good.
Oh yes.
He would give them a fucking fish pond.
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Ianto was in the receiving room. The goodies from Tommy's carriages were being categorized, Ianto searching for the little food drier he knew was in there.
"What do you need it for love?" Jack asked as he pulled another box over, peering into it as he helped Ianto. He knew they had packed it back there in the bowels of Torchwood House, where the hell was it now?
"The flowers. I want to preserve them, I think I can …." Ianto looked up at the ceiling "what's that?"
Jack stopped "huh?"
"Do you hear it? Like … is it an earthquake?" Ianto rose and canted his head "No, wait. It's not … it'd farther down the passageway in Bonny's cavern."
They walked down to find her also standing looking up as they had been, dust falling "do you hear that?"
"Yeah, Jack and I were wondering what it was" Ianto looked up, standing with her, then he frowned "OK. Clear out the room. I am going topside, that sounds like heavy equipment."
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Sean was watching Liam as he turned the main body of the excavator, the claw moving to scoop out more dirt. Kitty as standing to one side with Freddy, the flowers they had been picking in a basket that he clutched as Kitty gaped as the wanton destruction of the field.
"SEAN!" Ianto roared as he ran towards him "NO!"
Trey and Joel were in the bowl being created, using shovels to help clear away the dirt slowly siding back in and Ianto reached his bother to watch with horror as another bucker full of flowers was scooped up.
"I SAID NO!" Ianto roared, waving his arms at Liam "LIAM!"
"Leave him alone" Sean snapped "It's going to be a fish pond. Better than the stupid thing in the glass house. We can stock some proper fish, maybe even get some ducks to land. They still fly over and it would be good …"
"LIAM!" Ianto ran to the edge of the pit "STOP!"
"Leave him alone!" Sean reached for Ianto but Jack pushed him back.
"You bloody idiot. This was earmarked as meadow for a reason. This is over the tunnel system. Bonny is experiencing dust fall in her cavern, if you go too deep you might…"
There was the sound of cracking, like a gunshot and Ianto screamed with horror as the digger suddenly disappeared from sight, the sides of the hole starting to fall in with it and Ianto ran to grab Kitty and Freddy, pushing them back as the ground under their feet crumbled and they stood looking at a dirt filled hole.
Ianto ran for the lower levels as Sean cried out with horror, running into the pit as he cried his son's name. Soon others joined in, Juniper crying as she begged for news and Keisha simply folded at the edge of the pit as she knew her boy was gone. She made no sound as she rocked back and forth.
Ianto reached the tunnel and knew before he reached it that there was nothing he could do, Bonny choking on dust as she stood looking at what had been her large workshop, now reduced to a wall of dirt.
They were buried alive.
Gone.
Ianto could not save them.