78
Ianto knew what it was three nights later and he groaned as he rolled and buried his head under the pillow, cursed and then rose.
"What the fuck it that on the roof" Jack hissed as he checked it hadn't woken the children asleep in the floor. Tucker pouted in his little mosses basket that Anwen was curled around but settled once more. Ianto cursed again, looking up with a frown.
"Babe?"
"Stop it" Ianto hissed, "I am not a babe."
"Depends who's looking lover" Jack purred, then his grin faded as they heard it again. "Shit."
"I count three" Ianto said as he tiptoed out into the kitchen where Andy was also up, sitting in his chair looking up at the slowly swinging light over the table.
"Rhys is still snoring, I commando crawled over his stomach and he grunted then went back to snorting, I don't know how he does it" Andy said with wonder, "What is it Ianto?"
There was no fear as Ianto seemed calm to the point of annoyed, "Three little idiots called Maddy, Hoddor and Red."
"The Predator Musketeers?"
"Santa and the two elf twats" Ianto muttered as a thump turned into a sliding sound and an inhuman cry of alarm.
Ianto looked at the kitchen window then sighed as a Predator sailed past to crunch into the bloody herb garden beneath. He stomped out and peered into the bushes as the Predator now struggled from the garden with the Santa suit a little worse for wear.
"Hoddor, I applaud your efforts, especially to the authenticity of the act but you are too early. This is Christmas Eve we are entering, not the Day. Tomorrow night is Santa's night." Ianto whispered.
"But what if he is busy?" Red asked, the snigger from Andy was muted by his hand as he frantically tried to wheel away with the other cursing that he hadn't used the electric model tonight for a faster retreat.
"Cut it out and go home" Ianto was calm … not, the amusement starting as he saw Maddy with a single reindeer antler on and Red had the nose.
Yeah, looked super dumb.
Tomorrow night and I will leave a ladder out for you, yes?" Ianto said calmly, "You forgot the raisins for the reindeer poo anyway didn't you."
"Raisins for poo" Maddy said slowly, "See? I told you we didn't need the real thing. Glad I wasn't the one picking it up now."
"I washed my hands" Hoddor grumbled as he tried to look majestic with a sprig of lavender stuck in his armour.
Ianto face palmed as he watched them leave and turned to face Jack as he stood scratching his crotch with a lok of resignstion, "So…they'll do that again tomorrow night?"
"Techincally tonight" Ianto replied evenly, Andy visable in the distance huddled ovee in the chair having a laughing fit.
"Who told them!" Jack demanded and his hero pose was a little muted given the fact he was naked…like stark bollocking…hello there….half mast ...naked.
"Anwen explained during a tea party and I was not there to stop her" Ianto replied as he reached out and squeezed, "Not get that into my bed and I will be into deal with it."
Jack squeaked at the sharp tug that accompanied the last word then he ran back for the bedroom as Andy chose that moment to look up, shriek at the sight flashing past then collapse into a fresh round of mirth.
"Keep it up wise guy" Ianto said in a fair American drawl, "We'll see whos laughing when they decide to use your chair for the sleigh."
"Fuck….fuck….fuck off" Andy spluttered, flopping back as he struggled to breathe, "Ah ya bastards."
"Just saying….those dogs are getting pretty good at pulling you, yell mush next time you are wheeling them out and see what happens" Ianto joked, poking at Andy as he barked with laughter, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Andy tried to roll back to bed but was laughing too much. The sudden jolt as he was rolled had him turning to thank Ianto and he found himself looking up at a small Predator with shiny bluish armour on.
Blue?
He thanked it politely and then got back into bed, surprised and slightly touched as it made sure he was covered before wandering off, then it occurred to him that the Predators could easily get in and out.
How?
He wondered how often they wandered about cloaked taking things in, watching them interact like an ant farm or something.
He smiled as Rhys dragged him into his arms and nuzzled him, then went back to sleep.
It was comforting to know they were there though.
Like a security system.
A deadly one.