12

I am warm, comfortable and Jack's weight across my back is nice too. This bed it way too small for three of us ya know and…three. I had forgotten about that.

Max.

Poor little guy had cried out in his sleep and I had sung softly until he was asleep, Jack then sliding in behind me to comfort us all. It felt nice, having that warmth. He is like a furnace ya know, I could sleep for days with him cocooning me.

.

.

.

.

"Ianto?" Gwen whispered and Ianto's eyes opened immediately, her relief obvious as she sighed, "I thought you might be awake. We are talking about breakfast, I don't … do we order our or what?"

"No … no. A large order might give away the fact we are here. No. I will go to the local store and get some food" Ianto sighed as Jack kissed the back of his neck, then let him go to crawl over the little boy who whimpered and reached or him.

"Hey, I gotta go get some food. You stay here nice and warm and when I get back we will eat, OK?" Ianto crooned, stroking the hair off the little face as the poor little Baban blinked up at him with huge eyes, "It's OK. Jack will look after you love."

Ianto got dressed and headed to the bathroom then found himself stepping to one side as Max pushed in for the toilet bowl too. Maybe his father let him do this as he didn't blink as he peed into the water alongside Ianto then went to wash his hands.

Ianto wandered out and checked the cupboards as the women all talked to him at once, crowding around him like seagulls around a discarded packet of chips, Ianto nodding and making grunting noises as he ignored them.

"Gwen?" he called as he headed out, "Coming with?"

She snatched the credit card from Jack with a wink and ran after Ianto, the plain SUV chosen for stealth. Gwen was excited to have been chosen and she jiggled in her seat as Ianto sat staring right ahead, "Gwen, no belt not go"

"What?"

"Seatbelt"

Gwen laughed as she clipped it on and they started out of the driveway, her instinct to look down the street replicated by Ianto, their eyes scanning restlessly as he drove and as they parked she looked around while he calmly slipped the gun from his ankle holster to the pocket of his jacket.

"Come on missus" he said softly, sliding out and she followed, grabbing the handles of a trolley and Ianto sedately walked around gathering things as she raced back and forth talking animatedly and filling the trolley with things they needed, Ianto quietly removing things they didn't without her even noticing. They looked like a normal married couple. Gods, she was like Jack … a bull in a china shop when it came to shopping. It sort of amused him.

"Ah" Ianto paused and Gwen came to stand next to him, looking at what he was frowning at.

"You think?"

"Don't know how long this will take and seriously … would one ask?" he sighed and she nodded, grabbing several packets of tampons and pads to add to the trolley. Ianto was right, all the essentials. "Every safe house needs a supply, I should have thought about that before now!"

"Don't beat yourself up, you are not perfect. You are not a robot" she scolded then grimaced but he laughed as he glanced at her and shook his head at her gaffe.

They drove back to find Max squashed against the door peering through the frosted glass and his face lit up when Gwen opened the door to show Ianto still unpacking the SUV. The little boy ran past her before she could stop him and as she called out a warning Ianto straightened up and smiled, crouching to catch the child.

It was all so fast, the noise like a freight train bearing down as the thing erupted from the hedgerow and Ianto had mere seconds to react, throwing Max into the back of the SUV and slamming the back down seconds before the thing slammed into it … and him.

Gwen screamed, dropping the groceries and struggling for her gun, Jack racing past already firing as Ianto roared and clung to it like he had before, this time determined to choke it out if nothing else. Jack threw himself on top for extra weight as it snarled and gnashed.

Owen ran over and tried to get some space, plunging a syringe into its leg and it screamed now as it writhed, Owen panting as he pulled a scalpel from his pocket and tore at the thing's leg as well, the site from the syringe tearing as blood flew.

It shook them off and turned for the house, Max hiding in the SUV with his hands over his mouth to hide his cries, watching as at ran for the door.

The boom of the landmine was loud, rocking the SUV as Jack threw himself over the two men with him. Then it howled and took off again on three legs, the fourth dangling injured, the blood splatter all over the yard.

"What the hell was in that syringe!" Jack demanded as he finally got up and Ianto struggled around to open the door and comfort the stricken child.

"Bleach" Owen said as he panted, "Oldie but a goodie."

"Inside!" Jack barked "NOW!"