7
The days seemed to melt into a time of happiness for all concerned, Ianto finding many reading nooks while Jack found an old motorbike in one of the sheds to work on. The kids rampaged like wild animals while their little youngling grew.
"A storm coming tonight lover. I left the fishing gear at the spot, gotta get it back or it might be washed away" Jack called out as he exploded from the back door of the cottage, racing past Ianto who was on his hands and knees. Jack slowed and looked twice, then took a moment to rub his hand over the smooth backside on display, and then a slap and he was off, Ianto smiling to himself as he knew Jack would wanna rub him some more later.
It was later as they were winding from the day and getting the kids ready for bed that Ianto asked "Where did you run off to earlier? After you came back from the fishing hole?"
"Oh, the horses were out. I put them all away. They say there will be thunder and lightning, I do NOT want a horse through a fence" Jack replied, leaning over to kiss Ianto before snatching their little boy away from him "Come on little Captain, let's get you bathed for bed."
"Oh, thank you Cariad" Ianto said with delight as Jack swooped Milwr off for his bath, leaving Ianto to clear the table since the staff were all gone for the evening to their own quarters across the other side of the stables.
It was later in bed that Ianto whispered "care to rub a dub dub some more?"
Jack snorted with amusement as he rolled over to embrace his beloved, their lovemaking long, slow and languid as it mostly is when they are both happy with their day and looking for a release to help with sleep. Soon they were both sleep as the storm rolled on overhead. The noise outside muffled by the good strong walls, double glazed windows and thick drapes.
Still.
Ianto heard a horse cry out and sat up in the bed, instantly awake.
He slid from the bed and dressed quickly, as best he could in the dark. This was something he was good at, all those years of sneaking in and out of Jack's room before they were officially together made this seem like a weird moment of nostalgia, then he was moving through the house to check the kids were still asleep.
The horse nickered again and then came the roll of thunder. Damn. One of them can see the flash of lightning then.
Ianto was at the door about to open it when he felt a weird tendril of fear sliding up his back and he took a moment to look outside, seeing blackness as you would expect. Then came a flash of lighting and there in the courtyard, plain as day for a moment, like a camera flash, stood someone looking in the direction of the stables.
Ianto stepped back from the door and blinked, what the fuck. He moved to another window where he could see the stables and to his horror he could see the side door swinging open. They were in his bloody stables.
At his horses.
The fuckers.
Ianto snatched at the large lunging crop that was more like a stockman's whip that had been hanging by the door, pausing to also remove the lovely ornate walking stick. He then exited the house and strode confidently towards the stables and the increasing sound of mayhem.
He entered and reached for the light switch, immersing the place in sudden light.
Four of them.
One of the fuckers in a stall calling out "For Fucksake, douse that light!"
The other three were frozen like deer in the headlights as they stared at their enraged king, the crop in his hand dragging on the ground to leave a snail trail of wet from the rain outside. Ianto assessed quickly. One of them had a blade, the other only a torch. The third had nothing in this hands, the fourth unseen still in the stall.
Right.
Ianto swung the whip around over his head making it snake up and he showed that he was a proficient stockman as the whip made a loud cracking sound like a gunshot behind him as he flicked it back and then savagely forward to strike the man with the blade right between the eyes.
He fell with a yodel of pain, grabbing at his face as blood streamed from the cut between his eyebrows.
Ianto flicked his wrist as the whip still hung in the air, making it snake sideways to hit the man holding the torch and his head slammed into the main beam then back again as the whip now hit the third man, flicking around his neck as Ianto savagely yanked him off his feet.
Then the man in the stall came out to see what was happening and Ianto saw something that made his blood run cold… for a moment… before the hellfire of anger roared through his body and made him a little deaf for a moment or two with the raging in his head.
The knife in the man's hand was dripping with blood.
The man's hands were covered in blood as was his tunic.
The man… who was looking at his friend with confusion as he had not seen Ianto yet and had clearly mistaken the whip's cracks as thunder.
Oh yes. Pleased to meet you… can you guess my name?
Ianto snarled as he drew back the whip once more, fishing for a whale of a catch.