42

They were all ready to go, the rooftop meeting carefully arranged so Jack was on familiar ground and Gwen's fear of heights working in his favor. Even with all of their plans Ianto really kept telling himself he should have known better.

It had been all too easy.

Gwen had been way too calm letting Rex get away from her.

Ianto stood with the breeze cutting through the cotton trousers, making his shirt snug against him and he looked across the rooftop with an indescribable anger.

Mental note … there is no such thing as an untraceable vehicle once Gwen had been near it.

.

.

.

Anwen had been playing in the backyard near the rocks, Ianto sitting on the porch watching as Rhys watered the garden. It had happened so quickly that Ianto barely had time to cry out with alarm as the team swept in and snatched the little girl, Rhys roaring with horror as he ran towards her and Ianto knew with sickening clarity that he was about to watch him die.

Thank god for Mardlenia who stepped between the gunman and the Welshman, her shielding easily deflecting the bullet but despite the four men she killed with open hostility, the one with the little girl had taken the distraction to escape with the little girl in his arms.

Ianto was beyond furious as he ranted and roared, Jack almost afraid of his display of power, lifting one of the boulders and hefting it after the escaping vehicle and hitting it, making it fishtail as it sped off down the road.

"Calm down Brother" she soothed, "Think of the child."

"I am thinking of the child" he spat, "She's heading that way!"

So here we are, on the rooftop as planned, only with the bitch Gwen Cooper in charge.

Well and truly, proper fucked!

It was small comfort that she hadn't known about Ianto, though.

"Now that I have your attention!" Gwen crowed, "Jack! You need to …. Ianto?"

She gaped as he calmly stepped into view enough to make her loosen her hold on Anwen, for all of five seconds and she drew her back roughly, Anwen stumbling and almost going over the side as everyone cried out.

"Hello Gwen" he said softly, trying to appear calm for the little girl's sake.

"Ianto. No. He saved you?" she smiled, "I thought it was a trick of the light when I saw you in the Mall footage, just a coincidence. It really was you, really. In the Baby ….ah. So that's it, is it? That's why?"

Jack stepped closer and she swung back to leer at him, "You knocked up the T-Boy!"

"Don't call him that" Jack snapped, watching the little girl squirm as Gwen's grip tightened and started to hurt.

"When was it? In the Warehouse? Oh Jack, I could have been the one" she sighed, "When did you decide to save him instead? All this time, you've had him ferreted away somewhere and I never … I never thought. Even as you crooned to that husk of an Angelo, you had this one?"

"I only just got him back" Jack said, "Ianto was returned to me, like a deal. Like … payment. For something I have to do, come with me Gwen. I need your help. Think about it, you and me. Saving the world one more time"

"Are you sure it's not a nostrovite?" she mocked as Jack looked imploringly at her, deliberately ignoring the little girl reaching out to him.

Gwen seemed to be falling for his bluff but then her eyes slid to Ianto again, his belly prominent in the wind.

"It was always him, wasn't it" she snarled, "Every time I propositioned you, every low top and high boot … he always had a tight suit on, bending over to look in a low drawer. He was always one step ahead."

"Gwen, I need you" Jack whined, "I need a strong woman."

She turned her gaze on him and he saw Anwen cease her struggling as she looked up at her mother with open hatred and then she struck like a rattle snake, biting into the fleshy part of Gwen's hand between the thump and forefinger.

Gwen screamed and automatically shook the child off while roaring with rage then she raised the injured hand and brought it down, striking the little girl hard and Ianto cried out as Rhys started to run towards her, his lips peeled back in anger.

It was all going tits up.

Fast.

Jack only had moments to decide, to act and he leapt, catching the little girl as she tumbled over the side and wrapping himself around her as he turned to hit the ground back first, praying to the goddess that the little girl survive the fall.

Rhys opened fire, still running, Mickey close behind as Martha burst from the SUV where she had been monitoring and racing towards the impact point.

But they had forgotten something hadn't they.

All but one.

Even as Gwen screamed with rage and bore down on Ianto, even as she pulled the trigger.

Mardlenia was there.

Had always been there and as she swept her blade down in the arm of the stupid human, Rhys pulled the trigger, his own scream hoarse and gut wrenching as he threw himself in front of Ianto and the baby within.

The other thing people forget.

All the time.

Predators don't hunt alone.

Not really.

They come by ship, in small groups and as Mardlenia stood looking down at the body, wondering if it were worth a trophy, two more were down below, carefully lowering the humans they had successfully caught with their net and Martha was crying, big jagged sobs as the little girl reached through the net for her, her fear evident.

Martha scooped up the child and ran for the SUV, Andy already at the open door reaching for the child he now considered his and Jack shakily handed the net to one of the large males that seemed to be studying him.

"I would love to stay and chat boys, but I need to check my mate."

"Rumtuck inside im?" a guttural grunt.

"Yes" Jack nodded.

"He fine. Big one, fall."

Jack started to run for the doors, racing to get back up to the roof.

To Rhys.

As Ianto screamed for him while holding the fellow Welshman, his hand clamping down on his shoulder wound as Mickey measured a dose of morphine from the mobile med-pack and jammed it into Rhys' leg.

So much blood.

Gods, so much blood.

Mardlenia stepped off, falling gracefully to land on her feet beside her mate and his brother.

She felt it best to leave Ianto to it.

She stalked off towards Gwen's labs to do damage.

Come dawn, nothing would be left standing of that bitch or her dreams.