3

I can't breathe. Those poor little souls, the perfect little promises of life…snuffed out. Gods, can't the team take a breath and see that there is a world outside this place? My Gods! They could have been artists … teachers… parents themselves one day. Gone.

Focus, shake out of this funk.

Grieve later.

I can't work it out, why something out there has a click on my DNA and it's insane to think it can just smell out my offspring like this. Shit, it was so long ago I had forgotten. Like, honestly forgotten what I had even done.

I didn't know sperm could be kept this long but there ya go.

What goes around comes around I guess.

..

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.

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Ianto was shakily making himself a cuppa but his hands were shaking so much that he kept spilling the sugar, finally cursing as he swept the entire thing into the sink, the cup clattering to the bottom with a loud thud.

"When he was away you said you felt like he had betrayed you" Tosh said angrily, "But now I find … Ianto. There was another one, I clicked and it came up. A baby. She is lovely, looks to be about six months old. How could you! Jack has openly showing affection, something he does not do. Do you have any idea what it costs him to care for someone?"

Ianto turned to face her and gaped, "What? You've come back here to have a go at me? Really? You think … I see. You believe I fathered those children via torrid love affairs …or one night stands? Maybe I am a part time gigolo on my spare time and hire myself out for special occasions, extra if ya want it unprotected. Right? That's what you are saying. These are mine so I must be a man-whore. Right?"

Tosh opened and closed her mouth.

"Deuce Bigolo, male gigolo at your service." Ianto swept his arm as he bowed, the theatrical flapping stilted, showing his extreme anger, "Well you know what? Fuck you too. Jesus, something is killing kids and all you seem to focus on is how horrible I am for betraying Jack. You never once tried to understand how these kids are mine, how anything happened … how this thing knows … no. Your focus is my betrayal."

"Ianto…I …" Toshiko reached for his arm, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…."

Ianto slid past her and out into the main Hub where the pictures of the children were on the big screen, the baby so sweet that Ianto paused and smiled softly before looking over at Jack.

"Once we know where they are … we might know how it's finding them" Jack said with that forced grunting he does when pissed, his teeth flashing at Ianto who stared back calmly.

"Well … this one is mixed race" Owen pointed to one with lovely tanned skin and brown eyes, even if they were shaped like Ianto's, "I mean … Lisa was black right? You like a bit of racial equality there governor?"

Ianto sighed, "It probably found them the same way I did."

"What … a dating app?" Owen asked, then sniggered as Jack turned to storm off no doubt to the shooting range to cool off.

"Gwen" Ianto turned to her, "The common factor here is…"

"You really did" she interrupted. "You cheated in him with all these women. Since coming back he has tried so hard … Ianto … are there more?"

"Probably" Ianto nodded calmly his own anger there now, "I've not checked all the files."

"files?" Tosh frowned as she caught the word that seemed out of place. "Files? Why have files on children like that."

"Owen, what killed them. Any idea past the fact they are mine?" Ianto dismissed the women and turned to Owen who was actually working.

"Well … Horix? I don't know … the stealth and ability to infiltrate shows extreme intelligence. The pictures the kids did shows it is definitely not human. Like .., ape or Bigfoot material. I would go for some alien species. Who have you pissed off lately?" Owen asked as he clicked for a close up of a little girl's neck, the slashes so deep you could see her spinal cord.

"Shit" Ianto sighed as he rubbed his face, "So … it will keep going until it either finds me or wipes them all out."

"Yeah. Like the Terminator … wiping out a gene pool" Owen nodded, "Your niece really your niece, not another one? How close is the DNA?"

Owen swung in the chair to look at Ianto how Ianto paled so much he seemed to ghost for a second, the realisation that she might have a close enough DNA match to attract whatever it was making him reach for the phone.

"Rhiannon? Hey. Yes. I know. I know. Sorry. Yeah. I know. Is Mimi on her school camp in the Barrens this week? Yeah? Good, glad she liked it. No, I didn't get a saleswoman to help choose the sleeping bag I did remember her liking for purple … yeah. OK. Hi Dave. Yes. I will. A blue one? Really?" Ianto grimaced, "OK buddy. Tell you what I will transfer some dosh into your card now … you go buy it with your Da."

He closed the phone and stared at it for a while.

"Mica is on camp, Dave is at home and fine. Wants a bloody bike helmet" Ianto muttered, tapping his hone to send the money as promised, "Christ. These kids suck you dry."

"He yours too?" Jack barked from behind them and Ianto swung with confusion. "Well? Dave? Who's he then!"

Ianto let his face school into one of extreme boredom, "My nephew. My sister's boy. You know … my sister. Rhiannon, told you about her. That no secrets thing I seem so shitty at sticking to? Rhiannon's, Mica and David. David. Dave."

"Oh" Jack said softly as he looked at the screen and the baby stared back, "So … yours?"

Ianto turned and left the room, his anger thrumming.