Thank you to everyone reading this story and an extra special thank you to Badly-knitted for reviewing.

Warning: Lime. It's been marked, but it's not too graphic.

Chapter 19 The great escape

It was in the middle of the night as Jack sat at the cave entrance and listened to the wind howling up above the Ravine. They had been stuck in this blasted cave for three days now. It was raining hard and the river had swollen, filling the entire bottom of the ravine. A large thunder clap sounded straight over them and the lightning bolt struck the cliff above. The sound of it was deafening and the echo of it seemed to go on forever. Surprised sounds came from inside as the otherwise sleeping occupants of the cave were abruptly awakened. Jack couldn't help but smile a little. This was a rough world, but the sight of the storm was breathtaking and awe-inspiring. He had been to other planets that had similar severe weather. Even the Earth could show some pretty damn impressive weather systems. But he had never really been exposed to it as he was now. He had always been tucked away safe and sound indoors. Or at least had the option to. Here there was only the small cave to offer them protection and shelter. It made him feel small and humble. 'Probably for the first time in a long time', he thought with a wry smile.

He adjusted the thin blanket he had wrapped around his shoulder. It was one of Xarion's creations. The man really was a god send. He had made blankets, bedding and clothing for all of them, as the meagre supplies the kids had had, were soon depleted. The man had also made a rough stair in the wall going down to the bottom of the Ravine. It had been a skilful combination of his Saluvian abilities and manual work with the laser knife. Said knife was now drained of its power and they had to resort to using Xarion's transfigured knives for their cutting needs. Not that he minded. Having lived on Earth for so many years had made him accustomed to the more low tech solutions. Sadly they hadn't had much of a chance to use the stairs since the rain had started.

There was a slight scraping sound behind him. One he quickly identified as footsteps shuffling over the stone and dirt floor. Moments later a mug of steaming hot herbal tea showed up near his shoulder. He glanced up at the person holding it. Ianto. He smiled and gracefully relieved the man of the mug. The young man sat down next to him with a soft grunt of pain. He was still sporting colourful bruises after the events three days ago. His hands had only had the bandages removed yesterday and they were healing up nicely.

"Thanks." He said as Ianto settled and wrapped his own blanket tighter around him self. Ianto nodded and took a sip of his own tea.

"I miss coffee." He sighed, making Jack grin. Jack put his hand on the man's thigh and moved it dangerously close to the man's crotch.

"Is that all you're missing?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and getting the reward he was aiming for, when Ianto rolled his eyes in mock exasperation.

"Trust you to make lewd remarks at a time like this."

"You know me." Jack said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

"Yes. I do." Their eyes met and a knowing smile appeared on both their faces. It was an old game between them. The flirting and the pretending to be annoyed. They wouldn't change a thing. They didn't break eye contact until another thunderclap sounded overhead.

"How long do you think it will continue?" Ianto indicated the storm outside. Jack gazed out into the darkness, admiring the many distant lightning bolts criss crossing across the sky. He didn't really have an answer. He shrugged.

"Till it's done." Ianto frowned at him for a moment, before scooting closer and leaning into him. Jack smilingly put his arm around him. Behind them a figure rose and came over to them. Jack looked over his shoulder to see the smaller frame of Warwyn approaching hesitantly. He smiled brightly and flicked his head in a come-on-over gesture. The kid smiled and hurried over to them.

"Couldn't sleep?" Jack asked. It shook its head and carefully sat down next to him. Its wings were bound by bandages and wooden splints, making movement awkward and painful. He wanted to put his arm around it to offer some comfort and affection, but it sat too far out of reach for it to be comfortable. Besides he had his other arm around Ianto. He opted for smiling warmly instead. The kid looked a bit shy, but smiled back.

Jack had been observing how his son and this strange child were interacting. He knew his son was absolutely smitten and he could see why. The child was a delight to be with, was charming and playful, but also gave as good as it got. It wasn't afraid to stand up for itself or to put Orion in his place, if need be. He found that they made a good couple. They were also very cute together. He had seen them cuddling innocently in front of the fire at night and sleeping arm in arm. Orion was fiercely protective, even in his sleep. Ianto had told him how their son had Jumped to Warwyn's location when it broke its wings.

It reminded him how Orion had torn a hole through the fabric of space just to get to Warwyn. Orion had confessed how he had killed an alien in order for him to save his mate. Something that he still had nightmares about, if last nights screams were any indication. Warwyn had been the one to calm Orion down and the youth had soon fallen asleep again. It saddened him to know that their boy had had to go through something like that at such a young age. He wasn't even two years old yet. Jack frowned. How old was Orion now? It was difficult to keep track, especially now when they were so far away from home. He had grown a fair bit while away and had aged as well. If Jack didn't know any better he would have guessed Orion was around sixteen years old. Warwyn he would have placed at thirteen. He sighed, earning him questioning looks from both Ianto and Warwyn.

"I was just thinking of how fast you're all growing." Warwyn made an 'Oh' gesture and returned to staring out into the darkness, while Ianto frowned. This was one the things they deliberately had left unsaid between them. The fact that Ianto would age, grow old and eventually die; while Jack would remain young and go on living. It was always the elephant in the room. They sat uncomfortably for a while, though Warwyn seemed oblivious to it. Then they all heard the sound of whimpering coming from the bed roll where Orion was sleeping. Another nightmare. Warwyn reacted immediately. It rushed over to him and very gently started stroking him in a slow soothing gesture as it hummed a calming tune. He soon settled down again and Warwyn cuddled up to him and soon fell asleep.

xxXxx

Next time Warwyn woke it was to a great silence. Only the soft sound of gentle snoring from the adults could be heard. It stretched out its awareness like Orion had taught it to and found that the storm had finally passed. The water level in the bottom of the Ravine was too high though for them to venture out. But they could go outside on the ledge now and soak up some of the suns warmth. It sighed softly and returned its awareness to its own body. It had gained a slightly altered body shape during the night, as it now had a decidedly male figure. It could feel the stronger muscles under its skin, the narrow hips and broadened chest. It rather liked it.

lime lime lime lime lime lime lime lime lime lime lime lime

Then it became aware of something that did not belong to its own body, but rather something of Orion's. They were laying arm in arm; Warwyn was cuddled up against Orion, using him as a pillow and Orion had his arms firmly in place around it. Its wings were spread out behind it, out of harms way. Though it had never encountered such a thing before, Warwyn knew immediately what it was. It blushed and wriggled a little, trying to get free. Orion made a pleasured sound deep in the back of his throat, causing Warwyn to instantly still. It had felt that through the bond. 'Did I cause that?' it thought and wriggled again.

This time Orion woke with a start and a gasp of pleasure. Their eyes met. Warwyn bit its lower lip and held its breath, as it moved again. This time slowly and deliberately. Orion groaned and his eyes slid half shut. Encouraged by this Warwyn moved a hand down between them and gingerly touched the hardness it found there. Orion's eyes closed completely, as he struggled to keep from making too loud a sound. The soft caress sent a shockwave of pleasure down their bond, causing both to gasp. Warwyn repeated the caress with the same result. Orion opened his eyes and they gazed deeply into each others eyes. Slowly Orion brought up his hand to grasp Warwyn's neck and pull it into a kiss. At first the kiss was innocent enough, but it soon became heated when Warwyn once again caressed Orion's cock through the cloth of his coveralls. By now Warwyn's own penis had become hard; a most unique experience for the young Micurii'an and a first.

lime lime lime lime lime lime lime lime lime lime lime lime

Suddenly there was a sound of someone clearing their throat and both adolescents immediately stopped. Both feeling mortified at their actions and the fact that they had both forgotten the others were there. The air was heavy with Micurii'an pheromones. It was no wonder that Orion was enthralled. Warwyn was also in a completely male body now. Xarion chuckled soundlessly at them. Puberty was always an interesting time for their kind to go through and he remembered the early days with his own mate. They had been going at it like rabbits, as the humans would say. It really was a bit of bad luck for the kids to meet their bond mate so soon. It would have been better if it had occurred when they were both adults. Though there was nothing to be done about it. The kids would consummate their bond while they were still so very young. By the looks of things it would be soon, too.

"Best wait until you've both recovered your health and are alone." He told them and again chuckled soundlessly as both turned deeply red with embarrassment. He decided to take pity on them and turned his attention to rekindling the fire and brewing a fresh batch of tea. Behind him the two youths remained as they were, though unmoving. Warwyn hid its face in Orion's embrace, while Orion needed a moment to gather him self. Then the absurdity struck him and he began to laugh softly. Warwyn felt it, as his laughter made its head bounce slightly. Soon it too was giggling and then laughing outright. When the freshly awakened Jack asked why they were laughing they just laughed the harder.

The laughing wasn't good for Orion's stitches though and he gave a small grunt of pain, causing Jack to rush over to him. He told Orion to roll over on his back so he could examine the wounds, but the youth refused, making Warwyn laugh even louder. It of course knew the reason its mate didn't want to roll over had little to do with the pain involved and a whole lot to do with the still hard boner he was sporting. Orion was clinging on to the blanket that had covered the both of them, as Warwyn calmly changed into its neutral gender and effectively doing away with pesky protruding body parts.

Jack glanced at it for a moment, as if only just now noticing the difference. Then his attention was back on his son. 'Why won't the boy let me see? Is he hurt even worse than we thought?' he worried. 'And why is Warwyn laughing? Surely it wouldn't laugh if he was seriously hurt?' It was a puzzle to him. He reached for the blanket and tried to wrest it out of his son's grip. But the youth clamped down on it even further.

"I'm fine, Daddy. Really I am." He said rather shrilly. Warwyn laughed louder and held its side that had begun to ache.

"Even so, I would still like to check the stitches." He said firmly, getting tired of this nonsense. He made another grab for the blanket and managed to wrest it out of the youth's hands. He barely managed to take in the sight of his son's condition, when Warwyn practically threw it self down across Orion, shielding him from view and shouting:

"Mine!" Jack looked from one to the other feeling completely baffled and put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. Shaking his head he got up, figuring that he would have to examine the boy later. When he looked over at the fire he could see Xarion standing there looking completely red faced and almost choking. Jack was just about to ask if the man was alright, when Ianto asked from his bed roll:

"What's going on?"

Xarion burst out laughing. It was a great big hearty laugh and it was impossible to keep a straight face when hearing it. The kids were laughing as well. Jack grinned, still baffled as to what had just happened and said:

"I don't know." The laughter intensified.

xxXxx

That same afternoon they were all sitting outside on the ledge, soaking up the sun's warmth and watching the water swirling by below. It would take a few days for it to recede.

"I wonder what happened to Lartorc's corpse…" Warwyn said to no one in particular. Ianto shrugged.

"Probably eaten by animals and washed away by the river." The others nodded. Warwyn looked thoughtful.

"Do you… do you think that… that it was…" it broke off. Orion put his arm around its waist. Ianto frowned. The two of them seemed to be constantly touching and Orion was paying extra close attention to it. Something more was going on between them, he just knew it.

"Do we think what?" Jack asked. Warwyn sighed. It was difficult for it to speak of this, but Orion kept urging it to share its thoughts and emotions. He wanted it to trust his family.

"Do you think that… maybe… it was my shot that k.k..killed him?" it said with a timid voice. Orion kissed its hair and it leaned into him, seeking comfort.

"We won't ever know." Ianto said carefully. "My shot came right after, but your shot could have been enough to kill him." He looked closely at the adolescent to gauge its reaction. The kid looked down at its hands.

"I wish it had been me." Orion said with a low and angry growl. "I should've bashed his head in when I had the chance." He sounded rather bitter just then. "Then you wouldn't be feeling like this, Zuuva." He added in a whisper. Warwyn looked up at him and gently placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"I'm glad you didn't kill him." It whispered back and carefully hugged him. Its wings were making the move a bit cumbersome and painful. It couldn't wait to be rid of the things, so it could move around freely again.

"Personally I don't care who killed him, as long as someone did. He needed to be stopped and that was the only way." Jack proclaimed loudly and there were murmurs of consent.

"I would like to know how he got here." Orion said to a stunned silence. "I mean… he must have arrived here on a ship. No one can Jump from one galaxy to the other." He added.

"You did." Jack teased, but Orion shook his head vehemently.

"No, I didn't Jump. I tore a hole in space and went through. After I had done it and returned to my senses it felt like such a violation of nature. I keep expecting some law enforcement officers to arrest me." Jack sent him a sobering look. He was himself a violation against nature. A fixed point in time.

"So what are you saying? You think there's a ship up there?" Ianto asked, rising to his feet and looking from one to the other.

"Must be, yeah." Orion nodded. Warwyn looked hopeful.

"Can you sense it?" Jack asked, getting up too. If there was a ship up there, maybe they could leave this place. Orion shook his head.

"Out of my range." The youth looked at Xarion, who seemed to withdraw into himself. They all looked at him, not quite daring to hope. It took several minutes of tense silence, before he came to life again. A smile appeared on his face and he opened his eyes slowly. Gazing at each of them in turn, he said:

"I found it. It's a leisure yacht. Small to medium sized. And best of all… it has heat shields." Orion and Ianto didn't understand the significance, but Warwyn and Jack did.

"So it can land on the planet without burning up when going through the atmosphere." Warwyn said to them, beaming. The others smiled brightly back.

"So, we can go home?" Ianto asked, hardly daring to believe it. Jack hugged him and lifted him off his feet, making him shriek a little.

"Yes!" he said and planted a kiss on his Welshman's lips. Warwyn gazed at their antics with bright eyes and turned to look at its mate. He was looking at Xarion.

"Can you Jump that far?" he asked, sounding almost afraid to hear the answer.

"I think so." Xarion nodded.

It was quickly agreed upon that Xarion would make the Jump to the ship and bring it down to land on the plain above them.

xxXxx

They watched in avid excitement as the beautiful yacht glided in for landing on the plain above. The sound was deafening, as it reverberated among the walls of the Ravine and they all breathed a sigh of relief as the engine noise was cut. They looked at each other. They were going home.

But first there was a task yet to be completed. They had to retrieve Rea's body. The yacht was equipped with stasis field generators which would enable them to put her under a field that would preserve her body until it could be buried on Hallow IV. They all agreed that it would be wrong to leave her on this to her foreign world. Jack carefully removed her from the wreckage, wrapped her in a blanket and carried her into the ship for her final journey. Orion broke down sobbing at the sight. Luckily he was immediately embraced by no less than six arms.

They returned to the cave for one final night. The evening meal was solemn, as they reminisced and shared stories about Rea. Warwyn took on the role of caregiver, making sure everyone was feed and comfortable. It held Orion as he wept for his grandmother. It hadn't really known the lady, but it was glad that it could help in this small manner. That night it curled up next to its mate and sang gentle tunes its parents had taught it. Orion still cried himself to sleep.

When dawn broke across the horizon it found the people of the cave getting ready. Jack was cooking breakfast from what remained of the stored meat and roots, while Ianto was checking on Orion's stitches. Xarion was sitting by the fire staring into the flames. Warwyn came over and set about preparing tea for all of them. It had wanted to bring a supply of the plants, so they could make the tea again on Earth, but Jack had refused, saying something about species contamination and the dangers of introducing alien species to an unprepared populace. It didn't quite know what to make of that.

Ianto came over and declared that Orion was healing nicely and that he didn't understand how he had avoided getting the wounds infected. Orion joined them as well, and soon they were eating in silence as the sun rose higher.

xxXxx

Then it was time to leave. They had packed up what remained of the things from the life boat and destroyed the rest. Warwyn brought some of the weaving projects it was most happy with, mostly as a souvenir. Orion brought a couple of teeth taken from the beast that had attacked them. Jack jokingly called them the spoils of the victor. Orion had plans to put them on necklaces. He would keep two, one for himself and one for Warwyn, and then he would give one to David and one to Mica. He couldn't wait to see them again. He wondered how much they had grown… though he knew he would be the one to have grown the most. He always was.

He stood with his arm around his smaller mate, as they watched Xarion lift his parents up onto the plains. When they had disappeared out of sight, he turned to look at the cave that had been their home. It felt strange to leave. Almost wistful. He looked at Warwyn and saw his own emotions reflected there. It too was sad to leave, but he sensed that it was scared as well. It had never been to Earth before. He smiled at it.

"It will be fine." He told it softly. "You'll see." And then he kissed it.

xxXxx

Centuries later an expedition of explorers from the colony cities on the other side of the world would discover a ravine in which could be found a stairway carved into the very cliff face. Scholars and scientists would argue for centuries about the mysterious origin of the stairs. Some would adamantly claim that one of their own kind had some how made it to the ravine and made the stairs, though no citizen had gone missing since Landing. At least they had all been found and none of them had ever made it to this side of the world. Others would claim it was divine providence. Others, that it was a previously unknown and now gone alien civilization. Little credence was given the last theory. The government skilfully hid the findings of what appeared to be the wrecked remains of two individual spacecrafts. Officially the matter remained forever unresolved.