30

Ianto walked to the edge of the tree-line, the umbrella an ingenious idea and once again John proved himself quite adaptable as he had simply handed the huge umbrella to Ianto and told him to go check for any more bodies.

He stepped into the shade and let the umbrella fall to the ground where he would pick it up again when he left. Jack followed a blood trail as Ianto turned in the other direction, a smell that was barely detectable to him and was probably not even perceivable to Jack was calling him closer to the old rotten log.

Ianto sat for a while as he tried to tell himself that he was a grown arse man damn it all and this was something he could do, this was no different to pulling Lissy into that pyre. Right? He could look in the log, find the corpse and drag it out. He could do this.

One last thing.

Right?

Ianto slid to his knees ignoring the blood and mud seeping into the fabric and he leaned in to look into the darkness of the hollowed out log. His inhuman eyes adjusted and he saw what he feared, swallowing as he reached in, one hand on the top of the log for support as he yanked with the other, the little yelp unexpected.

Ianto let go and leaned back, now panicking mildly as Jack turned to look at him.

"Ianto?"

"Slight problem" Ianto muttered as he tried again, this time clambering into the log so just that pert arse was wagging at Jack who was mesmerised for a moment before he blinked and stepped forward to crouch, looking into the darkness.

"Ianto?"

This yelp was louder and Jack grunted with shock as he struggled to get his Webley out and he scrambled back as Ianto started to back out, yanking the complaining Other out.

"Ianto?"

"It's him"

Jack placed the Webley away and sat on the stump the tree had once been part of, "Shit."

Ianto removed his jacket and wrapped it around the body, lifting the small creature with a soft grunt that showed the weight of it as well as his strength. Jack rose as well, moving to grab the umbrella as Ianto made it to the edge of the shade, then Jack held the umbrella as Ianto walked quietly back towards the house.

"OWEN!" Jack called out.

Owen looked up from the pyre, the stick he had been using to poke at it thrown in as he saw Ianto carrying something. "Whatcha got?"

"Joshua"

Owen stalled.

"He's hurt but alive and seems to have life in him yet" Ianto panted, "He knew me, he hesitated and then let me touch him."

"Shit, get him to his cage and we…shit… what…. She's gone. He was just instinctive…right? I mean…" Owen was babbling and Ianto sighed.

"We both know what my son was, this isn't him just a remnant. An echo, but that echo remembers us somehow."

"Come on Owen" Jack said gently, "You want a live one right? Imagine what he might teach you. Tell me you were not studying him."

Owen followed them in and down, watching Ianto carefully place the pup back into its cage and he then stood back with a look of concern as he glanced at Jack, "Are you sure it's a good idea?"

Jack looked over at Owen in silent question.

"Look mate, he knew you. You said so yourself. When Gwen released him he was scared and ran towards you. It was not to attack, it was to seek protection. We have long since surmised that they retain some of the memories of their former selves if only for survival purposes. He was so little when turned, we've not studied one so small before." Owen surmised, "Maybe with the turn happening so young he has had time to adjust and sees you are a parental?"

"You think?" Ianto considered, "He is my son, I mean… blood is blood and although we did hope it would save him … maybe it has saved part of him? In a way?"

"Maybe" Owen shrugged, "He did love to see you right? You spent a lot of time with him, you don't do that with just a pet."

"He was never just a pet" Ianto bristled, then huffed as he saw what Owen was doing, "Yeah. Yeah, he is my son. I still feel it."

"Then stop pretending that he's not" Owen said gently, his hand on Ianto's arm, "I used to hear you singing to him in that weird alien language."

"It's called Welsh!" Ianto spluttered and Jack found himself wanting to hug the acidic doctor who was making Ianto admit to having feelings for the little monster currently watching his every move.

No wonder Ianto had been upset when Gwen had released him, no wonder he had hesitated a millisecond before running to save Winkle instead.

Jack now had more reason to trust and appreciate the man who had not only saved the little one…. He had saved all of the little ones on his care…. At the expense of one Jack now knew was still considered his baby.

Jack looked into the cage as little grey storms looked back.

Jack knew he would spend a lot of time down here.

"Hello Joshua."