8

Ianto slept like the dead, Jack sitting on the side of the bed watching him while Owen did the rounds talking to people. It was less than half an hour after Ianto had fallen asleep that there was a pounding at the door and Jack opened it to find a rather irritated Red Cap standing there.

"I thought so. They said you were back, tell me Captain… how the hell did you get through the cordons?"

Jack went to reply but the man's eyes had already tracked down behind Jack where his muddy boots were still in plain sight, despite Ianto's repeated scolding about not using the wet room like he was supposed to. He might as well take out an advert. Yeah… the trails.

"Well, we are onto that too, we have now taken some advice from locals and have ALL routes in and out blocked!" he snarled.

"Why?" Ianto asked sleepily from the doorway, the knocking seemingly waking him "Why can't we get in or out? Is it something contagious?"

"No… no it's just precautionary. We still have no idea what happened and if there was some sort of anomaly that might happen again" the man said softly as he watched the tall thin man in his teddy bear PJs scuttle over to fold under Jack's arm like a child.

Jack knew this tactic, Ianto used it with the doctors and nurses when he didn't want them poking about with their needles too early in the morning after a round of treatment. He tucked Ianto against him and sighed "Look… I do not know what is going on but my place is here, in my home. My village. Now that I am back, we can better liaise things right? I am the one in charge…."

"No Captain Harkness. You are not!"

"Excuse me?"

"This entire village has been deemed a place of interest for the UNIT division that deals with… anomalies. We own this place and we own you!" the man's finger poked at Jack' chest and Ianto felt a flare of anger, forgetting he was trying for the little boy routine.

"Poke my husband again and I shall bite that finger clean off!" he snarled in a low tone.

The General looked at Ianto and laughed softly "My, you do have claws."

"Sorry, but you've woken me and I am feeling a little peaky today so…"

"Peaky? Unwell? Any nausea? Vomiting? Loose bowels?"

Ianto stared at the man with confusion and Jack was the one to answer "If you were doing your research you would know that my husband has cancer, the medications made him ill. Sometimes the old saying 'the cure is worse than the cause' is used around here!"

"Oh. Of course. Yes. Prostate Cancer, you…. Sorry. It is noted. Sorry, it's just that there are several of the village women suffering form some sort of stomach complaint. We think it may have been something in the water that…."

"Owen thinks that too. Something in the water" Jack said and then felt the soft pinch to the inside of his arm that was a typical Ianto Warning System to shut up. Jack shut up.

"Yeah" Into quickly covered for him "Like some sort of contagion from upstream. Maybe some factory dumping waste and we were all sort of poisoned or something. Could be a class action looming for that."

After the General had gone Jack turned to Ianto "what is it?"

"It's hinky."

"Hinky? Is that a word?"

"Must be, I just used it. Scooby Doo uses it all the time, or rather Thelma does… no … let's just… stay small here Cariad. Let's not stick our necks out, yeah? Something is going on and the only way to get the truth out of those Red Caps is to play their game."

Jack nodded, knowing Ianto was right. He knew about these people more than Jack. He went to suit up in his best uniform to go offer assistance.

And maybe find the answers they need.

.

.

"Good morning Missus Edwards" Ianto entered the corner shop and headed for the display of hobnobs. He then discovered the good Mister Edwards calmly building a display of antacids. "Oh, this is a good brand. Do you have the chocolate flavour? The banana has a funny aftertaste."

"You've used this one?" Missus Edwards asked as she watched her husband take off to check the boxes out back.

"Yes, with my tummy. I've tried all known cures and this is a good brand for that burn in your gullet. I have some on hand all the time. Gods, it makes your heart swoon when the cold rushes past." He said with a roll of his eyes that had her smiling. "I will take three bottles if it is in stock. Good price too."

"Well, we got those in last week and were going to put them out for the holiday season but three women have come in here this morning looking for some and I, myself, am gassy. Like I ate something that does not agree with me."

"Bummer… but I am glad you had this here already. Might want to restock, it will be popular, especially with the fete around the corner. Bound to be a lot of over eating with all the food stalls" Ianto pointed out.

"Oh goodness yes" she laughed along with him and he felt a little better.

So maybe in a weird kind of way Owen was right.

Something in the water?