39
Toshiko was quiet at the dinner table, fiddling with her food in a way Ianto would have scolded his daughter for and he wondered what was wrong, then caught one of her furtive looks at him. After the meal he went to her and settled on the sofa next to her, by the fire that was roaring in the huge hearth.
"OK. What's wrong?"
"I found your paper. On the bugs… your Invasion Hypothesis" she said softly, her hands smoothing her clothing "and i… I can't stop thinking about it. Everything you predicted… all of it… is so far coming true. They know that right? They cut you off but they must know that."
"Depends. I know a few of them recognized me but as to whether they actually read the whole thing of just believe the hype, I don't know" Ianto shrugged "I get the horrible feeling they have not read it, just heard the chatter."
"But… you wrote things that have yet to happen… you predict other possible things that… ah…."
"Yeah. Scary shit. Yeah. My brain keeps going over and over my different theories and cant' decide which one to settle one. I am even dreaming about it" Ianto rubbed at his face "I am so tired but each time I fall asleep I am dreaming all sorts of crap."
"Like what? Sharing is caring" she patted his knee and he laughed as Jack settled on the sofa with them and his bowl of popcorn. I know, just ate a glorious meal and this hollow legged bastard is still hungry.
"So, if there is a Queen and she is the one laying the eggs that turn into these creepy things… then she is the only thing that can stop production, right? All this talk of finding their lair and blowing it up… unless you pump gas down the tunnel system and blow up half the city… you have no idea if you even got her attention. She might not even be in the tunnel system anyway, what if she is still on the mother hip? Or at another location and the Drone Bugs simply take the new hatchlings to their area after they are born? Blowing up the Bug House will only piss her of and she will just need time to replenish her army… and she will be so pissed. The next lot might be more vicious as a result."
"And the spores… you think it's going to take over the world?"
"I might be overly paranoid there. It might be… the bodies degrade down and are more digestible for the Bugs. I am still thinking about it now I know they sort of… rot inside. I think it's the protein in our meat they can't digest properly. If so, this … infection thing… maybe is like a spider's bite where the victim rots inside to be more…. Shit" Ianto stopped speaking as he stared at her and she frowned back.
"what?"
"Well… what if…. What if once they rot inside enough, they go back to the hive and become the food for the babies?"
"Oh god, you ARE freaky" she shuddered as she rose from the sofa, showing her disgust in the very suggestion "Ewwww. Cannibals. Nope, I have to nope out on that, you gross bastard. Ew."
Jack laughed as he added to the conversation "Like a male praying mantis, have sex, create the babies then get eaten by the mama for sustenance during the pregnancy."
"No, you two are…. Ew. "
After she had moved away Jack slid along the sofa and placed his hand on Ianto's thigh, squeezing softy as he whispered "your brain is so vicious. This is why you are having those bad dreams sweetie?"
"I think so. It's my nature to chew over things and come up with three or four scenarios. I hate surprised ya know, I need to know the odds." Ianto said, leaning in for a kiss "Maybe I was a little overboard there."
"Maybe… but maybe it IS to make us more edible for them. Those ones rotting inside might be from a fight with another bug?" Jack suggested.
"Possible" Ianto nodded as he settled in against him, his head on his shoulder "Yeah."
Yeah. Brain whirring.
.
.
"Taddy?"
"Hey Angel Face" Ianto turned to see his daughter in the doorway of the office he was sorting out.
"Are you working?" she asked in an accusatory way.
"Sort of. With things happening with the Buggers, I want to keep track of things and maybe if I write down some of these things rattling about in my head they will go away. Like when you write down something hurtful the hurt eases. Maybe if I write it all down I can stop thinking about it all the time. It's making me sad and afraid. I know we are safe here, you are safe here but…you know my brain is crazy." He knelt to pull her into a hug.
"So, this will be your brain box?" she asked, looking at the bare walls.
He started to giggle at her innocence and clarity. SOOOOO his child.
"Yes, I will vomit my brain farts into here so my head can be less heavy with them." He laughed, kissing her softly.
"I like Uncle Jack, he's ours now right?"
"Yes" Ianto said as he learned the real reason she was there "Yes, ours. All ours."
"Good." She sighed as she relaxed in his arms "because I don't' want him to go away."
"Scary right? This world got scary and it's not fair. It's Ok to be mad about that, sad about it and also feel bad to still be OK when others aren't… you are not a bad person for being happy" Ianto whispered.
After she had left with a pep in her step Ianto looked at the bare walls and with a deep sigh he lifted the first map from the table he had chosen as a desk, unfolding it to reveal a large map of the area around them.
He pinned it to the wall with a determined grimace.