Thank you so much for your reviews. I was beginning to feel as if no one cared about the story anymore. It is a different story after all. I'm glad you're still sticking with it.

But oh my, you are an impatient lot! ;-)

Warning: This chapter contains some gore and violence (author hides behind sofa and waves a white flag, yelling "don't kill me")

Chapter 5 Bowties, tea and holes in space

Orion stood before the full length mirror and frowned. Why did they have to dress up as penguins just to go have tea with an old lady? He fumbled with the bowtie. 'Ridiculous thing. What possessed people to invent such a stupid, utterly useless contraption?' He growled out loud as the bowtie undid itself for the seventh time. Dejectedly he flopped down on the bed and took the cardboard box the stupid thing had come in and flung it across the room. At least that's what he wanted it to do. But given the box' shape it just flew up a little bit before clattering to the ground and one half slid under the bed. He growled in frustration again.

He supposed he should just give up and ask one of his parents to tie the bloody thing. But he could hear them going at it in the next room. All that moaning and groaning certainly didn't help to improve his mood. He didn't really know why it was bothering him, when it never really had before. 'Other than the noise level that is! Jeeze! And they wonder why I spend so much time sleeping in Myfanwy's nest!' he thought angrily. 'Typical! They tell me to hurry up and get changed and the minute one of them takes his kit off the other one jumps him.'

He looked around the hotel room. It was fairly nondescript. It was medium priced, fair accommodations with a small bathroom, a comfortable bed, a wardrobe, a desk and a TV. It didn't have a view, he'd found when first arriving. But his Daddy had pointed out that they hadn't come all the way to London just to have him sitting in his hotel room admiring the view. Grudgingly he had to admit that there was something to it. He would much rather be out exploring the city than sit here looking at it. 'If we can ever get out there!'

He jumped up and started pacing for the millionth time in the last hour. He was feeling very out of sorts; very edgy, angry, frustrated and anxious and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. At first he had thought that it had been the trip and the change of city. But the thought of going to London just excited him. He'd been looking forward to it since hearing he would be coming with them. So that wasn't it. He had then thought that maybe it was the influence of the large amount of people and his senses being overwhelmed, but that wasn't it either; though all of the above certainly helped to muddy up the matter.

He stopped in the middle of the room and tried a meditation exercise Xarion had taught him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Shutting out the world he focused on the world within him; on finding his calm spot. When he reached it he exhaled deeply. It seemed to help. Well a little any way. He was still feeling strangely out of sorts. He heard his parents finish next door and figured it wouldn't be long before they were dressed and ready to go. Sighing deeply he walked back to the mirror to attempt another bowtie wrestling match.

xxXxx

Jack and Ianto shared a concerned glance. Orion had been sulking during the entire drive from the hotel. When they had asked if he was all right, he had just sneered an angry "I'm fine!" at them. Every attempt at getting him to talk to them was rebutted and the young adolescent was now sitting with arms crossed in front of him and staring out the window. Ianto sent Jack an I-don't-know expression and Jack mouthed hormones? back to him. Ianto nodded but didn't seem entirely convinced. Something more was going on with their boy, he could feel it.

Soon they pulled up to the large building and were taken through security. They were met by a member of staff who greeted them kindly and lead them through a series of corridors and up flights of stairs. Orion trailed behind, still in a slump. He looked around at the posh scenery and was beginning to get impressed. Then his eyes met those of a palace guard looking at him sternly as if he was a terrorist-teen out to vandalise the precious artworks and craftsmanship's. He growled and picked up his pace to catch up to the others.

It wasn't long before they found them selves being led into a room where they were told to wait. As their guide left momentarily Jack seized the opportunity to confront his troubled son. He grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, making Orion feel like an unruly kitten or something and in a low whisper he said:

"I don't know what's going on with you right now, but this isn't the time to be a brat. Snap out of it! And behave yourself. You are here by personal invitation from the Queen and I will not have you cause a scene. Is that understood?" Jack's tone was very serious. Orion seemed to become fascinated with the pattern of the Persian rug on the floor. Jack's right hand came up and grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look up. "Is that understood?" he repeated. Orion looked at him in a confused mix of anger and sadness and nodded.

"Yes."

"Good." Jack let go of him and Ianto sent Orion another concerned look. He decided to have a talk with the boy as soon as the visit was over. Orion took a deep breath and let it out in a long exhale. Then he looked at his parents and gave a tiny tentative smile. Inside his emotions were churning so fast they were making him dizzy. Something was definitely going on and he had a sneaking suspicion it was something to do with his mate. Before he could investigate the matter their guide, what's-his-name, returned.

"The Queen will see you now." He said, and showed them into the next room through the beautiful double doors he had just opened. Inside were more posh furniture; a sofa, some chairs, a gigantic desk. Each piece was a work of art in its own right. The polished coffee table had been set with all the necessities for a proper English tea. Then he noticed the elderly lady standing next to the arrangement. She was dressed in a green skirt and silk blouse and wore a moderate, but exquisite selection of jewellery. She smiled when she saw him and he couldn't help but feel warmed by it and smiled back at her.

When the proper introductions had been made she bade them sit and their guide served them tea.

"Now, Orion," she said perfectly balancing her teacup in one hand. "I am so happy to finally meet you in person. Your fathers have been sending regular photos to me via email, but you are growing up so fast it is difficult to keep up to date." Orion pulled a face mentally, but smiled outwardly.

"I'm very happy to meet you too, Ma'am." He said politely. And he was. He really was. He just wished it wasn't happening right now. He had never felt so restless or edgy in his life and it seemed to get worse. They continued making pleasant small talk but his heart wasn't really in it. He hoped the dear old lady wouldn't pick up on it as he did his best to hide his real feelings. His parents seemed unconcerned as they too sipped their tea from tiny delicate china cups. His Daddy was in the middle of an unofficial briefing about the thwarted alien invasion – the Queen had wished to thank them personally for saving the Kingdom yet again – when Orion suddenly felt a tidal wave of dread flooding his system. His tiny tea cup tumbled from his hand, spilling the contents over the expensive rug and it crashed to pieces on impact. He began gasping for breath as his awareness turned inward toward his bond.

xxXxx

"Then we turned a corner and there in front of us were this big mantis-like alien and it was spewing acid out of its mouth right at the people trapped in the car. And then…" Jack was excitedly telling his avid listener, the Queen. Even though she had read the report, she was completely absorbed in his tale. Ianto was listening with a polite smile, while he kept an eye on his son. Therefore he was the first to notice when something suddenly happened. The boy became pale, inhaled sharply and dropped his cup. Then he seemed to start gasping for breath. Ianto leapt out of his chair and over to Orion. Kneeling in front of him, he tried to make eye contact. No luck. The child was withdrawn in a startling close imitation of when he had been suffering from his mate's rejection. 'Surely not..?'

"Jack?" he looked at his fiancée's worried face. Jack was right beside him now. He was staring intensely at Orion. Then the Queen's worried query made him address her and momentarily leave Ianto to deal with Orion. Ianto could hear him explain to the Queen that there was no need to call for medical assistance. He looked at Orion again. Suddenly the child growled in a feral, beastly way and then he leapt up, knocking Ianto over in the process, and flung himself at a spot in the middle of the room. Ferociously he began clawing at the thin air, over and over again. It was like looking at a feline beast gone amok and tearing up an opponent. Except Orion wasn't a feline and there wasn't any opponent.

Still tumbled over on the floor Ianto had a unique view as a glow appeared around the spot Orion was clawing. As he watched in amazement the glow became more intense and grew in size. He looked away briefly as there was a commotion at the door, when a large security detail barged through the doors, guns at the ready. But they stopped speechless and stared at the otherworldly sight before them, as Orion continued tearing a hole in the fabric of space itself. At least that's what Ianto thought it looked like he was doing.

Orion was howling furiously like a demented animal and soon had a large glowing hole in front of him. A gaseous substance was billowing out into the stately room, making Ianto cough when it reached him. As soon as the hole was large enough Orion went through it. Ianto watched helplessly as he saw his son look around and disappear out of sight.

xxXxx

Orion was incensed. His mate was in danger! He angrily tore through the barrier that separated them and went through the moment he could. He was met by a blast of hot, alien air, un-breathable to his human lunges. Without conscious thought he adapted his respiratory system to accommodate the foreign air, making it breathable. His only thought was for his mate. His every sense was screaming at him to find them, to rescue them, to see them safe. His bond told him his mate was not far. They were closer than they had ever been before. They were just a few meters away to the left. With an angry growl he tore off in that direction.

He appeared to be in some sort of hallway in a massive engine room. There were pipes and wires everywhere and it was incredibly hot. There were blinking lamps all over the place and screens displaying various readings on pressures, flows and what-not. Not that he cared about them at all. He just wanted his mate. He ran down the corridor, following a massive pipe. He could sense a large chamber up ahead. Passing through a billowing cloud of steam being ventilated out into the room he saw three people held captive in some sort of device. He could tell from where he was standing, that one of the people had died. His hyper-alert senses told him that the person next to it was fading away fast and the last, smaller person was also getting weaker.

His senses screamed in fury. That was his mate! Strapped into a device, as if they were nothing more than a battery! He could see their vital energy flowing away into the machine. Being stolen and ripped away by force. Then he saw the perpetrator. It was a furry, gray alien about a meter and a half tall. It reminded him of a Pygmy Marmoset he had seen at the zoo, except of course for the size. With a tremendous howl of feral fury he launched himself at it. The alien never stood a chance. It didn't even have the time to pull out the weapon attached to its side, when Orion literally tore its arm off.

It screamed in agony as Orion proceeded to tear the other limbs from its body. Blood was splattered everywhere and Orion was soon covered in it. It made his grip on the alien slippery and he altered his hands to give him pointed claws instead of fingernails. He used the claws to rip open the skin and tear flesh from its body. The stomach was torn open and the bowels spilled out. And still the alien screamed. Then Orion tore into its chest, ripping the ribs apart and with a final effort he yanked the heart out of the now dead body.

He stood panting holding the body in one hand and the still warm heart in the other. His feral rage had suddenly vanished with the death of the alien. He grimaced as the awful smell of carnage hit his nostrils. There was blood everywhere, the alien had soiled itself and the intestines gave off an unbelievable stink. With a sudden motion Orion let go of both the body and the heart and vomited violently on the already soiled floor.

Then a loud piercing alarm went off followed closely by another. The infernal klaxons were hurting his ears as he finished dry heaving. He grabbed the weapon the alien had carried and hurriedly checked on the two people still strapped to the machine. They were still alive. His relief almost overpowered him and he had to exert every ounce of will power he had to focus on the next task. They seemed to be held in some sort of containment field. If he could find a way to switch it off… his eyes flicked over the machine and the console near it. He ran toward it, but then company arrived.

xxXxx

Meanwhile back at Buckingham Palace Jack was finding it difficult to hold on to his lover. The young Welshman was struggling trying to follow their son through the portal without even a weapon. The security personnel had hurriedly evacuated the Queen, bringing her safely out of harms way. They had set up a perimeter line of defence all the way around the mysterious hole that the Queens personal guest had seen fit to create in her presence. To say they were pleased about it would be the lie of the century. Their guns were fixed not only on the hole but also on the two men struggling with each other in front of it. The man in charge began to develop a nervous tick, as the seconds passed.

"Ianto. Ianto! Stop it! Ianto! Will you stop?" Jack was screaming, trying desperately to prevent his love from tearing into the unknown. Ianto struggled with everything he had, completely out of it. Sensing that the application of logic would be futile, Jack settled for the more physical approach. With one swift move he tackled the younger man and they both came crashing down on to the carpet. Using his body weight Jack managed to pin Ianto down and held both his wrists firmly. Ianto still struggled. Then Jack was struck with a moment of inspiration. He quickly swooped down and kissed his man. He could hear surprised gasps in the background from the security staff, but he didn't care. He focused on the kiss. Their warm lips meeting, the taste of sweetened tea and of Ianto. Carefully he let his tongue flick along the lower lip of the struggling man and intensified the kiss. Under him Ianto began to relax, stopped struggling and sure enough, moments later he opened his mouth and let Jack in.

They finally broke away, gasping for air. Jack placed his head next to Ianto's and whispered in his ear:

"We will get him back. I promise." Ianto made a low whimpering sound only Jack was close enough to hear. Then he made a move to get up. That startled the already over-anxious security personnel.

"Don't move!" one of them yelled. Jack leered at Ianto and replied:

"Fine by me, officer." And he followed it with a suggestive roll of his hips, making Ianto groan at the sudden friction to a certain area of his body. The guard blanched, as the suggestive nature of the two men's positions on the floor became apparent to him. He could not allow that sort of frivolity to occur in the middle of the Queens parlours.

"Get up! Slowly."

"Aww, must I?" Jack pouted and repeated his hip roll. Ianto groaned again. 'Damn it, if he keeps that up I'll have another problem on my hands.' Ianto swore to him self.

"Jack." Ianto admonished. Their eyes met. He could see the playfulness as well as the concern in Jacks eyes and he was sure Jack could feel his slight problem… increasing unhelpfully. Jack smiled, swooped in for a quick kiss and moved away. Carefully they both got to their feet. Ianto took extra care to make sure his problem was kept out of sight, while Jack saw to the distraction. Carefully he held his hands in plain sight as he addressed the security squad:

"Now guys, is that any way to treat the Queens guests? We're Torchwood. We saved the Earth recently." He was met with an assault riffle pointing at his chest. "No?" He backed down. Ianto rolled his eyes. It seemed they were now prisoners.