12
"EVIE!" Ianto yelled as he scanned the crowd, his face one of pure anger.. well what you could see over the beard as he checked again "You little devil, I will find you and when I do… I will bloody throttle you!"
Someone laughed as they heard the eternal cry of a parent, rising to look as well "Lost your kid smate?"
"My daughter. Two years old and learnt that running from Taddy is always a good idea."
"Christ… two and already a trickster? Poor man" someone else said and soon they were all checking for him, the stall owners looking under their tables at well. Ianto was staring to panic, she usually popped up by now with a squeal of glee but this was taking too long.
There.
Ianto started for her with relief that was sort lived as a police officer turned to face him with a look of anger "Are you this one's father?"
"Yes" he stammered "Sorry, slipped my grip"
"Do you know how many children are abducted each year from places like this?" the man was on a roll as he sneered at Ianto "Now I think we need to have a little chat with…"
Nope.
Ianto had seen the other officer approaching with a look of thunder as well, no doubt radioed and told of the lost child and the last thing he needed was astint at the station while Child Services were calked to check he was not insane.
Ianto reached out and snatched up his child then said brightly "There's her mother. She was supposed to be watching her … thanks so much. Everything is Tickety Boo. She is such an airhead."
The two officers tined as one to stare at the pretty blonde woman on the other side of the market place talking someone with her mouth wide, laughing gaily and the man snorted as he muttered "Typical."
Ianto was already gone before they turned back, the jacket hastily shrugged off and drooped on a clothing stall so they did not know the colour of his clothing and the little girl held in front of him so they could not see her over his shoulder.
Ianto ran.
It was later on the boat that he scolded her gently as he handed her a slice of apple "and if they wanted to keep you? Hmmm? Taddy would not be allowed you back. They would have taken you away and I would cry and cry and cry an never see you again."
She sat with wide eyes, the apple half way to her mouth as she stared at him and he added "I am not angry with you Eve, just so very upset that you did that again. I know you forget, I forgive you because I know you forgot the promise not to do it again but darling… one day you will lose me and they will have you."
"Sowy" she said with her lip wobbling in such a way that he felt like shit for upsetting her.
His heartbeat was almost back to moral.
.
.
"She's a lovely boat… are you sure?" the man asked as he ran his hand over the polished brass.
"She is a lovely boat, seen me through some storms but I have a little boy and he needs grass to run on. A dog to play with and the life of a sea pirate is great in the books but not so much when your child is having a tantrum below deck and you are too busy turning into a squall." Ianto sighed, Eve standing nearby with boy's clothes on and a look of thunder as she hated pretending. Also… she knew it was her fault they were leaving the boat. She had to stop running away.
Soon they were heading across town to another yard, this one making her eyes widen as Ianto paid the Uber driver and gave an extra 20 for him to forget he had them on board. Helped to speak a little galactic standard and mention of being a Torchwood Wanted made the humanoid nod and tap his nose.
"Wow" Ianto said softly as he stared at the campervan.
"It has two beds, little bathroom here with built in shower, kitchenette, this folds out to become an awning room here for summer sleeping outside… it's a lovely camper. My cousin tells me you are willing to pay cash?" the man said, pulling up his pants and staring at Ianto intently. Ianto nodded, the Uber driver not the only one who was here illegally and Ianto knew it.
"Gergi said you would make a deal with me… considering our hared dislike for a certain place starting with T and ending with wood." Ianto said as he lifted Eve to see inside the unit and she squealed as she ran inside to explore.
"Yeah. He told you my price?"
"Yeah, a bit steep but.. I can do it. I will have to cut back for him but…" Ianto grimaced as he nodded after Eve and the man turned to watch a little hand slap at the window as she waved and wanted to be waved to.
"Lovely little fella, what's his name?"
"Jax"
"right. Well… I will throw in that motorbike over there, it fits on the bike frame on the back. Was gonna fiddle around with it but… it means once you have this parked up you can go about and leave it set up" the man finally offered, Ianto pleased with this as he had not expected to beat him down much more than a few hundred. He had to really count his coins, the money from the boat would only last so long and the bank account was low too.
He drove off the lot and to the nearest hardware store, purchasing as many tins of spray paint he could, then to the next one for more. Once he had almost emoted the place of white paint he drove to a car wash and parked inside it for the night, everything shut down and everyone gone, just him in the bay, he washed it down and waited for it to dry before he started to spry paint over the yellow bottom half of the bodywork.
By morning a snow white Camper was on the road heading towards the countryside, Eve still asleep in the bed in the back.
Ianto stopped at the train station, checked she was asleep and reluctantly locked her in then headed inside. He then headed to the bathroom, changed clothes and put on a baseball cap before leaving to go to the storage lockers and remove his last go-pack.
His very last one.
Now it would be do or die, now everything he owned was going to be inside that camper van inclining all the money they had left.
He had to make this one the last one.
He had to settle.
