Ianto was getting a little restless. They had been working throughout the afternoon to no avail. They had gone over every inch of the device and their research and they were almost convinced they could calibrate it, but it would take a little time if they wanted to get Ianto back to his old self.
The worst part was Toshiko had to take it apart to look at it, which she did using Owen as proxy, just for safety. Jack wasn't doing very well watching the process and Ianto sensed his restlessness, making him play up a little. There had been a bout of tears, Barney had been flung across his office, which had only upset Ianto further when he had fallen into Jack's private den. In the end Jack had taken him down to the vaults to look at Janet.
That had been rather interesting. Janet had crawled close to Ianto as he had peered at her a little tentatively. However, he still knew it was Janet, and Jack got the feeling that Janet knew it was Ianto. She had sniffed the air and given the usual growl in greeting. Ianto had peered further, leaning so far forward he thunked his head against the protective glass that divided them.
"Ow!" he murmured and put his hand up to rub his head. Janet gave a little moan in response, hunkering down by him, bobbing up a little as if to check the spot where Ianto had banged himself. Janet reached up to scrape the glass, her head tilting. Jack raised his eyebrows. They had found her burying her young, or at least they assumed it was hers. Apparently she still had some maternal instinct remaining. Jack noted to tell Owen before coaxing Ianto further down the vault.
The Hoix in the cell down the end was less of a hit. It was costing a fortune to feed the thing and with the trouble of the day it had gone without food for a few hours. When it had spied Jack, and particularly Ianto, it had thrown itself against the cell door snarling and snuffling. It's eyes had been fixed on Ianto, obviously viewing him as edible. Ianto had yelped and scurried to Jack clinging onto his leg and hiding behind him.
"All right," Jack soothed him reaching down to stroke his hair. Ianto clung harder, his tiny hands gripping onto the material of Jack's trousers. The Hoix continued to growl. Jack reached down and prised one of Ianto's hands off his trousers and gently held it in his own.
"Come on," Jack said leading Ianto out of the vault. He trotted along next to him casting glances back to make sure the Hoix wasn't following. As they passed Janet Jack smirked at the 'don't you dare' growls she was sending to the Hoix.
"Are you hungry?" Jack asked Ianto. Looking up at him Ianto nodded. Jack debated the best course of action. Ianto had been stuck in the hub all day, which was probably very boring for a three year old. Even if somewhere in there the three year old knew how much time he spent here.
"Shall we go out?"
"Yes!" Ianto piped up very decisively. It might also, Jack thought, wear him out a little bit. It was getting towards evening and they were no further along in the unzapping process which meant that at some point Jack had to put Ianto to bed. A trip out had the potential to tire him. And as much as he hated to admit it the huge amount of shopping Tosh and Gwen had bought was all going to be used.
"Okay," Jack lifted Ianto up into his arms and again they settled into their method of holding onto each other. As he went up the stairs Jack started to feel a slight twinge in his lower back as his muscles complained. They weren't used to him balancing small children. Jack actually thought he might have strained himself holding Ianto while he had washed and dressed him.
Jack set him down again as they reached the main hub. Toshiko typing at her computer glanced at Jack and then smiled down at Ianto, who peeped over the edge of her desk to look at what she was doing.
"How'd the tour go?" Owen asked from the autopsy room where he was fiddling with the device.
"Janet liked him, she still seems quite maternal, I'm not sure if she has the potential to mourn but she was highly responsive to him as a child. The Hoix thought I'd brought him a packed lunch." Jack said. "Speaking of which can someone do the feeding rounds?"
"I'll do it now," Toshiko said.
"I'm going to take him out for something to eat, let him have a bit of a walk about. It might tire him out." Jack said as Ianto got bored of trying to reach Toshiko's mouse and ran off into Jack's office.
"Don't give him anything that will keep him awake. No sugar and certainly no fizzy drinks," Owen said. Jack pulled a face at Tosh who giggled. The noise brought Ianto back, carrying Barney who had been occupying Jack's chair. He ran over to Jack and curled his arm around Jack's leg leaning against him.
"Do you want to come?" Jack asked Toshiko. She looked up at him, a little startled by the invitation. Then she glanced at Owen and shook her head.
"Owen said he'd make sandwiches."
Jack raised his eyebrows. Tosh grinned at him.
"Gwen's gone to meet Rhys, they were supposed to be having a romantic dinner."
"What do you mean supposed to be? Presumably they will still be having a romantic dinner. Stop that," Jack ordered Ianto who was, for some reason, batting him with Barney. "You've give Barney a headache."
Ianto stopped, still clinging onto Jack's leg.
"You bought him a coat in all that stuff didn't you?"
Toshiko flushed a little. "Yes, a little bomber jacket, it's not overly thick but it should keep him warm enough."
"Get off!" Jack shook his leg to dislodge Ianto and he took his hand again. "Right let's see how long it takes me to get you into your coat."
Toshiko has to smile as Jack led Ianto to the office measuring his stride so Ianto could keep up with him. On reaching the office Ianto clambered up into Jack's chair while Jack rummaged around in the bags stacked to one side. Eventually he rooted out the jacket, which, as he shook it out, he decided did have cute value.
"Now keep still this time," Jack said as Ianto slid off the chair. He took Ianto's right arm and pulled the jacket on. He had to extract Barney from under Ianto's left arm. He put him on the chair again and Ianto pushed his arm into the other sleeve. Jack straightened him up and then reached under the jacket at the back to pull out the hood from underneath tidying it up. He zipped up the jacket and looked at Ianto, tugging on the coat to straighten it up.
"Right what shall we have?" Jack went through the mental list of places to go. Most of the places he went to were restaurants that catered to adults. "Pizza, do you want pizza?"
Ianto shook his head. Jack thought again, one other possibility came to mind.
"How about McDonalds? Do you want to go for a burger?"
"Yes," Ianto said. "Please," he added. Jack grinned.
"You remember your manners as well, it seems." Jack stood up and took his coat off the stand and shrugged it on. Ianto watched him, staring up with large, wide, adoring eyes. It made him wonder how well he was imprinted in Ianto's mind. When he had been zapped into a three year old the one person he had trusted was Jack. That said rather a lot really, Jack thought.
"Come on then," Jack held out his hand and Ianto took it, following along as Jack went out into the hub. As they walked across towards the door Ianto suddenly yanked his hand free and went rushing back into the office.
"Where are you going?" Jack said, about to go back and get him.
A second later Ianto reappeared with Barney. Jack rolled his eyes.
"I guess it's three for dinner," he commented to Toshiko. However, Ianto went over to Toshiko's desk and reached up to put Barney on it. The teddy sat on the edge and then very slowly went into his drunken roll onto his back. Toshiko sat him up again.
"Do you want me to look after Barney?" she asked Ianto.
"Yes, please," Ianto said.
"Okay." Toshiko nodded seriously. Ianto grinned up at her and then ran back over to Jack using Jack's legs to halt his momentum. Jack grinned at Toshiko.
"We should really stop enjoying this," Jack said taking Ianto's hand again. Toshiko nodded, pulling her face straight.
"Yeah, we should." She turned around to carry on working.
"Don't worry," Owen called out from his domain. "Some of us are still working and unaffected by cuteness."
"Thank you Owen," Jack said turning to head for the stairs. He picked Ianto up so he wouldn't have to negotiate them and disappeared out of the door.
As he left the tourist office he put Ianto down and took his hand. Ianto grizzled.
"I can't carry you all the way, my back's starting to ache. I'm too old for this childminding lark." Jack said.
As they walked along the quay Jack had to measure his stride carefully so he could find a pace Ianto could manage. He was so used to walking at a fairly fast pace it was a little hard to adjust. Ianto stared about as they walked. Jack went up the stairs with him and aimed towards the Plass.
At that point Ianto ran forward straining to get away from him. The area was mainly quiet with only a few people passing along. Jack let him go and Ianto ran off towards the water tower. For a second Jack thought Ianto remembered about the perception filter but obviously not. Instead he ran around the tower and then as Jack came closer hid behind it, peeking out from one side before disappearing. Jack heard Ianto giggle.
"Hide and seek," Jack mused, getting the hint. Hearing Ianto giggle again Jack decided to indulge him. He strolled around and Ianto with a squeak ran round. Jack backed up and met him the other way, feinting a grab for him. Ianto gave a yelp and shot off the other way around the tower. Jack followed him walking swiftly, spinning as he heard Ianto behind him. Again Ianto giggled and hared off in the opposite direction. Jack dodged back around the tower, sending Ianto back off in the other direction.
As he walked around again he caught sight of an elderly couple smiling indulgently at Ianto, and Jack playing with him. Jack grinned at them and winked at the old lady before he went around to the other side of the tower again. Ianto disappeared still giggling. Jack paused, a stone away from the perception filter. Ianto probably wouldn't comprehend it, which would catch him out, but Jack thought it would more than likely panic him. Since Jack would suddenly vanish.
Instead Jack gave a heavy, over-dramatic sigh and said loudly enough for Ianto to hear.
"Well, I guess I'm going to have to eat all the burgers myself!"
As he spoke he strolled a little way along the Plass he heard the sound of feet. Ianto trotted up behind him running into Jack's legs clinging onto him and giggling breathlessly.
"No!" Ianto piped up. Jack held out his hand again. Ianto stopped clinging and reached up putting his tiny hand in Jack's. God he was small, Jack thought to himself.
"Come on then."
They walked a few paces and then Ianto looked up.
"Jack?"
"Yes?" Jack felt a little surprised, although certainly happy enough, Ianto hadn't been entirely talkative throughout the afternoon. He looked down to see if something of adult Ianto had actually slipped through. However, he looked down into a bright, hopeful face that asked.
"Can I have a cheeseburger?"
Jack heard the strong Welsh intonation as Ianto spoke but it was nothing close to the clipped tones that he was used to. The little piping voice remained clear but the words merged a little, the voice higher.
"Yes."
"And fries?"
"Yes."
"And ice cream."
"What with your cheeseburger?" Jack joked at him. Ianto didn't seem to understand that. He frowned a little and shook his head.
"No," he said in a serious, but babyish, voice. "After."
"Okay, but you have to eat all your cheeseburger and your fries."
" 'kay." Ianto said. Jack smiled. Yes, he thought, they really did have to stop enjoying this.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"Naughty!" Owen said making Toshiko jump. She turned to look at him guiltily then back to the screen where she had been watching Jack and Ianto on the Plass. She had watched the game of chase and then seen Ianto talking quite animatedly to Jack as they carried on their way. And Jack obviously answering him indulgently.
"Sorry, just checking that they're okay."
"They'll be fine. You could have gone with them you know. Sandwiches with me is probably not that interesting."
Toshiko gave him that gentle steady look that told him otherwise. Owen shifted uncomfortably a little.
"Smoked salmon is still your favourite right?"
"Yep; Owen?"
"What?"
Toshiko was staring at the screen intently. Ianto and Jack were just leaving the Plass and she cut the CCTV feed. She didn't need to keep checking on them.
"Do you think Jack's ever been a father? I mean he's been so good with Ianto."
Owen folded his arms over his chest and shrugged. "It's Ianto so…. I don't know."
"He's been on Earth for so long and you know maybe he… perhaps…."
"Well, the way he talks sometime you know how 'indiscreet' he can be. But would he stay around?"
Tosh riled a little. "Hey, you know he wouldn't just up and …"
Owen held up his hand. "No, no, no… not what I meant. I get your point but it works the opposite way. He's been here… what…? Hundred years, a little more and you know what Gwen said about Estelle. That was the 1940's and Jack didn't look any different then as he does now."
"Aside from the odd grey hair?"
Owen smirked. "But to that point, how would he explain his not aging as his kids grew up and old. Could he really bear to watch that?" Owen sounded sure, in a way, like he had thought about it. He was also unchanging forever, watching people change around him. Toshiko sighed and thought about that.
"But, thinking about it, Jack could have an entire family tree," Owen added. "Kids, grandkids, great-grandkids. All of them out there and all he can do is watch. Maybe, he does have children out there, maybe he raised them. Who's ever going to know?"
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Ianto was definitely tired when they returned. He had eaten a cheeseburger, fries and half the ice cream. When he had been forced to leave it Jack had polished it off. He had found going out with Ianto, in the state he was in, rather intriguing.
It had always been interesting enough. When they had been seen together they had been looked at. Jack had always noticed with some amusement that Ianto got the most looks from young girls, not that he actually ever noticed. Jack always seemed to get the twenty-something's and over. Which Ianto did usually notice.
Jack got the looks again this time but with a slightly different perspective. As he had walked Ianto thought the city, carefully measuring his pace so Ianto could walk comfortably, and in the burger bar sitting next to him on the bench, with Ianto sending wide-eyed glances in Jack's direction, he had been viewed as a parent. Most people had probably assumed Ianto to be his son.
Interpreting the looks Jack got the hint he was doing a fairly decent job. Which made him a little happier. If nothing else, if Ianto remembered this, Jack at least wanted Ianto to remember being looked after. If he didn't remember it, then Jack at least could tell him honestly what had happened without too many embarrassing mishaps.
Jack was still trying to work out exactly how developed Ianto's mind was. He seemed articulate, intelligent and generally responsive to what he said. But he didn't have any way to really compare it. He had no idea what Ianto had been like as a child. Was he carrying over his personality as a grown-up, or was he how his child-like self had been years ago. They would have to wait until Ianto returned to normal before finding that out.
As they entered the tourist office Ianto yawned and wavered, staggering against him slightly. Jack let go of his hand and reached down to pick Ianto up. Settling him down on his hip he looked at him. Ianto was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Jack pressed the button to open the door to the hub and Ianto's eyes dropped, his head lolled for a moment then snapped back up.
"Are you tired?" Jack asked gently. He was very grateful when Ianto nodded. Thankfully he would probably have no trouble getting him to sleep. He walked down to the lift and headed down into the hub.
Into total and utter chaos.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
While he had happily sat with Ianto in McDonalds, Tosh and Owen had picked up an alert from the rift machine. They had called Gwen, who had agreed they couldn't call Jack back in, because he had Ianto to worry about.
They had contained the creature that had come through the rift, tranquilized it and brought it back to base. And as they moved it to the vaults it suddenly sprang to life. It had shot off into the main area of the hub and all three of them had been forced to give chase. They had managed to corner it on the far side of the hub, by the spiral staircase. Which was the moment Jack came through the door with Ianto resting on his hip.
At the sound of a highly aggressive growl Ianto shook off his lethargy and screamed as he saw the creature crouched in the corner. Jack assessed it swiftly; it moved on all fours, claws making a clicking sound against the floor as it identified a new target. It's forked tongue flickered briefly out of it's mouth and it lowered it's body.
Jack looked at the bright red ridges along the back and the spikes that ran down from that point across it's limbs. Instinctively he turned so he shielded Ianto and he stepped away easing back through the cage door. The creature moved forward a little and then backed slightly as Gwen and Tosh moved to flank it. Owen was at the back, which he didn't look happy about, but he was more fragile than the rest of them. He was hurriedly trying to load the tranquillizer gun again, with a higher dose.
"What the fuck?" Jack asked, keeping his tone low. He watched the thing, looked over at the others and still kept his body between Ianto and what he knew to be a Laxus Mandrake.
"We had a rift alert about three quarters of an hour ago. It was rummaging through the bins behind the library. We caught it no problem, it just woke up as we were taking it down to the vaults." Gwen said, in a similar low tone, and very swiftly.
Ianto gave a little whimper of fear. He squirmed in Jack's arms and kicked his legs. Jack ran a hand up and down his back, shushing him quietly. The Mandrake however heard the whimper and hissed, the tongue snaking out again. Jack shifted slightly, the cage door started to close. Which was what he had been waiting for.
Fate, and most definitely the pterodactyl, were both on his side. The resident creature had clearly sensed an intruder. She swooped down low, giving a screech of anger. The Mandrake lurched back, suddenly recognising another predator. It rose up on it's back feet, the body writhing, the muscles tensing underneath the mottled rusty coloured skin.
Owen, Gwen and Tosh watched as three spikes from the pattering on it's front leg shot out, heading in the general direction of the dinosaur. She screeched as one of the spikes found the target ripping through her wing. It did nothing more than make a small hole, but it was enough for her to fly up again to rethink her attack pattern. Her outraged screeching echoed through the hub.
While the Mandrake was occupied Jack swiftly swung Ianto off his hip - much to Ianto's distress - and he tucked him down against the cog door, pushing him against it and hiding him in the shadows. Ianto whimpered again.
"Shush, stay there now, don't move and stay quiet."
Ianto gave another cry as Jack left him. He shot forward and slid expertly through the cage door just as it closed. By a hair's breadth the end of his coat made it through, brushing against the bars before they slammed shut. Ianto was trapped between the two doors, tucked away and shielded from the Mandrake as best as Jack could manage it. And the Mandrake's bulky body wouldn't fit through the bars. All Jack had to worry about now was the flying spikes, and he would be able to field them in an emergency. He just hoped Ianto retained enough knowledge to know to stay low and silent.
"Why didn't anyone call me?" Jack asked. He locked eyes with the Mandrake, who had caught the swift movement and Jack looked into the characteristic red eyes of a much feared predator. They narrowed as they watched him move, stepping forwards and sideways, away from the cage door. Ianto started to cry, confused and uncertain, and suddenly, quite distinctly, separated from Jack. Jack raised a hand in his direction but he didn't dare turn to take his eyes off the creature. He shushed Ianto again.
"It's all right, Ianto. Nothing's going to happen. So why didn't anyone call me?"
"You had Ianto, what were you going to do bring him along? We can handle it Jack," Gwen said.
"Such a good job you're doing too. Perhaps phoning me might have meant I wouldn't have brought Ianto right into the middle of this. And I could have bloody told you what to do with a Laxus Mandrake."
"You know what it is?" Toshiko asked.
"Yeah, and I could have told you to up the tranquilliser dose. Their metabolism is as fast as they are. Hurry up, Owen!"
"You want to try doing this with a broken hand!"
Jack slowly drew his gun. The Mandrake watched his every move.
"Tosh, help him. Gwen stay right."
She took a step sideways to help flank Toshiko as she slowly backed up towards Owen.
"If it moves, aim at the eyes and head. Might be difficult the speed it goes, and be careful of those spikes, they might not be accurate but they sometimes hit, and they hurt."
Gwen nodded.
"It didn't seem all that fast," Toshiko commented. Jack shrugged.
"It's home atmosphere is 60% oxygen. It is working at a disadvantage. That's probably why it's been still for so long, it's trying to get enough strength up to attack, let's hope we get there first." Jack paused and tilted his head slightly. "It's all right Ianto, just… stay still now."
Toshiko glanced up. Ianto was tucked in the doorway still, hiding against the door frame, peering around to keep his eyes on Jack. Tears were streaming down his face, his huge blue eyes wide as saucers.
"Got it!" Owen said. The gun clicked into place and Owen lifted it to aim at the beast, inching forward to get a clear shot. The Mandrake hissed and lowered himself as Toshiko kept pace with Owen, presumably on the pretext of protecting him. The mandrake appeared to sense the oncoming attack. It prowled a little to the left. Jack moved to mirror it, making sure he stayed between the Mandrake and Ianto. Keeping Ianto out of the Mandrake's line of sight was his main priority. Owen stepped up, flanked by Toshiko. The Mandrake seemed to sense it was out of time. It dived sideways, hunkering as it did so, sending it's spines flying. Owen crouched and fired, slamming two darts into it's side trying to hit the shoulder to ensure the dart embedded firmly into the muscle.
Owen released as breath of relief as he saw the two red shafts of the darts sticking out from the shoulder and top part of the foreleg. The Mandrake shook itself to try and dislodge them, turning it's head to bite where it felt the sting, as the drug entered it's system. It slumped down and they all turned away from it as Ianto howled.
The Mandrake might not have had a perfect aim. But fate was not entirely on Jack's side. Concentrating on making sure Ianto was all right meant he had relaxed his guard a little. Several spikes had flown past him and he had deflected two. However, a third had found a target.
Gwen, Owen and Toshiko all watched in horror as they saw the spike embedded in his throat. There was a spray of blood and as Jack slowly crumpled to the floor Ianto started to scream.