3

They were travelling again, this time the SUVs were left behind at the camp and to Owen's immense excitement they were now on large hovercrafts, similar to the fan boats. Ianto was quiet, preferring to sit and nurse David as Rhiannon sat with Mica in her own lap.

Jack felt strangely comfortable even with someone else in charge that he didn't know. Ianto knew them, judged and accepted them. Good enough for him. Ianto had his head raised and as they went through the small opening in the rock that not only meant one could pass at a time, it also meant if they were ever attacked this was an easily fortified vantage point.

Owen looked up with open awe "You know that scene in Jurassic Park where she sees the plants and says they can't be real? Mixed and impossible?"

"Yes Owen" Tosh nodded watching as Ianto turned his head and she snorted watching David stand to gape "and when he tapped on her head and turned it forcibly to show dinosaurs walking sedately along? Remember that part?"

"One of my faves" he smiled as he turned to look at her, a flower in his hand that he had plucked from a low hanging vine. She pointed. He turned and looked. "Bullshit!"

The large bull rhinoceros chewed thoughtfully as it stared at him, the triceratops next to him raising his head to blink slowly as well. A little one ran past with a cow following, her bellow low and musical, not harsh like he would have thought.

A strange bird was watching from a tree stump and Owen pointed "Dodo! Fuck me, that's a Dodo!"

"Takes one to know one" Ianto snorted softly to himself but Jack caught it, grinning as he watched the team wake up to a new world.

"Welcome to the Land that Time Forgot" he said as he watched Gwen lean into Rhys with fear as a giraffe leaned down to look at her "That's a giraffe Gwen. A real one."

"Extinct, all of these are … oh" Owen stopped speaking as a huge white tiger meandered past, it's jaws clenched around a dead chicken.

"Maurice is at the chickens again" someone yelled and now the huge cat was chastised openly as he ignored them, climbing a tree to enjoy the meal.

As they neared buildings Ianto's hover started to pull away and Owen glanced over "OI!"

"It's OK, this is my house over here" Ianto called out "They are taking you to the main office to register you and decide where you will board."

"Can't we come with you?" Owen asked with wide eyes. Ianto laughed as he assured him that there were several houses next to his that might be suitable but Rhia and her family had to come with. He only had a four bedroom house for the love of gods.

"Well … I think the team should stay together" Gwen said with a bristle as she faced the others "We will need a large house, a room for Jack, one for me and Rhys and one each for you two!"

Owen looked at her with shock but Tosh answered with a fierceness that startled them all, including herself "Owen is mine!"

"Fair enough" Owen said happily.

"Jack is with me! In time Rhia and Johnny will be assigned a house of their own as they are a family unit, they will only stay a night or two while decompressing" Ianto called as the gap widened and they started to move more apart. He turned to Alice who stood by her father holding the stability bar behind Steven's seat "You are welcome to stay with us as you wait for your own cottage for the two of you. You are family now."

"I … don't know" she said slowly as her son swung to look up at her.

"Please mum? I want to be safe. They will keep us safe!" Steven begged and Ianto sighed as he settled next to the boy, pulling him in close.

"You are safe here. No one will harm you and the animals are all trained not to eat us" he assured him "how about for a while until you feel safe and your mum decides what she wants to do, yeah?"

Steven nodded happily as he leaned into the man who clearly had control of things and Jack let his hand slid over his daughter's as he leaned in and whispered "He means it. Ianto always tells the truth, kinda can't help it."

"Everything is just happening so fast … so much to take in" she sighed.

"I know love. Why a decompress is a good idea. We will take today to just relax and settle. Tomorrow I think Tosh wants to try to get some coms up and going so we can see if we can find any other people on the CB radio band."

"Do you think there are others that got out?"

"And are likely trapped in the middle of it all" Ianto said as he joined the conversation "we will regroup and consider things. We do know that its likely that there are small pockets of resistance."

"Now we go into Terminator territory John Connor?" Jack joked and Ianto laughed softly as he shook his head.

"Stop it!" he scolded but Alice saw the way the two men smiled at one another and saw that there was only affection there.

"Yes. We will stay with you for a while" she decided, her son lighting up as her father gasped with delight.

Ianto's glance of thankfulness was not lost on her either.

She could see why her father liked him.