16

Ianto was watching his son sleep cuddled up to his bugs on Jack's side of the bed when he heard the door open and he looked up, expecting Rose or Mavis. He did not expect his mother who did not come to this level in daylight hours, her face pale as she peered in at him, "Can I enter?"

Ianto was tired and an ache had started as the patch wore off so he really couldn't be bothered arguing, "Yes."

She entered the room and got her first look at his injury, his shoulder uncovered as he sat back in the pillows, slightly curled so the injured side was not holding weight. The bruising was now stark after the hot water and time, his pectoral muscle now angry and deeply coloured.

"Oh Puppy" she gasped and the shock of his old pet name shook him, his face showing it as she chose a seat and he was glad only Willy saw it as he schooled his features back to bland before she looked up.

"I will survive" he finally said and she looked across him to the little boy, her face softening as she nodded at him.

"Lovely wee man, he has such a sweet voice" she smiled, "The buggers all love him so much."

"He has a way with creatures" Ianto agreed, moving in the bedding and grimacing as that shoulder bit again.

"You're in pain" she said with horror, "Can I help?"

Ianto stared at her silently, the unspoken memory of other pains she ignored making the air thick. He waited a couple of beats and then took a deep, shuddering breath, "It's only pain. Not something dangerous. I've felt worse."

She looked at her hands, then asked the hard question, "Does your father know?"

"I don't know and I don't care" Ianto said firmly, "I am glad you came today, Stormborne tells me that you visit him at night to cover him and kiss him goodnight. Also, Alice. Thank you for that, I know you missed out with Rhia's two, I will not begrudge you these two. It will be Alice's birthday soon, I would like to invite you to her party."

"oh"

"We have the Parental thing at her school and then the next week will be her sixth birthday" Ianto's face softened and she saw her little boy in his features as he smiled, "She is excelling, top of her class ya know."

"Well, her reading skills are amazing" she agreed, "Such an adorable little lady."

"I worry" Ianto sighed, "The thought of them hurt or lost…it scares me."

"Your father and I had a terrible fight when you were small, he had taken you on an uncloaked Hoper, a new model that was a prototype. I was so scared, one of the few times I was more scared of the danger to you than the sound of his hand hitting my flesh." She shivered, "He had damaged it and was in trouble, so angry. He forgot. After all the dust settled he forgot all about my anger. I waited for weeks for him to attack me but he never did."

Ianto considered the answer to give and in the end gave a truthful one, "He took it out on me instead. That night was the first time he… hurt me."

There was silence as they regarded one another and she frowned, "Puppy? Who did this to you?"

"I don't know Mama."

"So many things have happened, the attack at the car park, the mall the other day and now this?" She sighed and Ianto looked up from petting his child's hair, "What do you mean…the mall?"

"This woman was following us covertly but I knew the signs."

"Looked like a larger version of Alice?" Ianto asked with growing alarm, "Same gap? Same hair?"

"Oh my Pete, it was her mother" she finally guessed, "She was so calm, so normal walking behind us."

"How often do you take my children from the security shields?" Ianto asked.

"I always take security with me, I did promise you I would" she bristled, "Two or more cloaked bugs always come with us depending on if it's one or both children."

Ianto watched her leave to get Alice's snack ready for her return from school with Rose, wondering how long Gwen had been tracking his children and creeping around. He felt a chill running along his spine as he thought of something his mother had not listed.

The bomb.

Had it been for Yvonne at all?

Or had Gwen been there too.

Ianto picked up the Vid-com and made a call, making it short and sweet as he laid out his thoughts and fears to the one he knew would listen without comment, consider and look into things silently.

As Ianto settled back to enjoy his little boy's snores Mainframe came on line, her soft hum becoming a low drone that had people in Torchwood and Unit facilities turning to look at the air conditioning as she started to bleed though the wiring, the coms, the airwaves.

Mainframe sought an answer.

Mainframe sought a truth.

Mainframe sought Gwen.