34
"Uncle?"
David's voice was hushed, like he was trying hard to be quiet and Ianto was instantly on alert. "What is it love?"
"Mum didn't come back."
"Back from where love?" Ianto asked as he rolled off the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans, Jack grunting as he rolled to the other side of said bed to check the babies in the bassinette that had fitted neatly in the gap. The moonlight flowed in through the skylight bathing the cabin in soft light.
"She headed into town to get the mail and some food. She was supposed to be back two hours ago. I watched the clock and made a mental movie thing like you taught me. To pretend I am there walking to each place and she should have been back ages ago."
"Good boy, yes, that was a good idea. Did you factor in travel time?" Ianto was now forcing feet into shoes.
"Yeah. Lots, like… double time in case she forgot something and went back, and still no mum. I am a little freaked … so me and Mimi left"
"You left?" Ianto stopped moving, now fully focused as Jack turned to look up at him from his seat on the bed with raised eyebrows. "Where are you love?"
"We went along the goat track to the place where we camp sometimes in the good weather, then me and Mimi wandered for a while until we got to the old ruins, you know the ones. The sheep like to sleep there in the shed when it's hot."
"And you are there, hidden in the stone walls?" Ianto asked as he turned to grab a shirt.
"Yes sir."
"OK, don't move, listen for anyone coming and be a good boy a little longer. Mum might have a flat tyre to something, car trouble ya know? She knows where the fallback point is so she will know to come for you if that's the case. And if she calls your name out as she comes…"
"Run, she's not alone."
"Good boy." Ianto sighed, glancing over at Jack who was already getting the guns out of the gun safe under the bed. Ianto scooped up the bassinette and carried it quietly through to check the girls and then place in the main cabin. Owen was already clambering over the side of the boat as he had seen the light on.
"What's the go?" he hissed.
"Rhiannon didn't arrive back after heading out for supplies. The kids have run and hid, feel they are being hunted out there and I think they might be right."
"Shit, if they have her…."
"They might have the kids' location but that's it. They fell back to the agreed hiding place, we have to go now before the sun is up. Darkness is our friend out there on the moors, it's a scary place if you don't know your way about" Ianto faced Owen square on, rare to see that they were about the same height when Owen was not trying to be less. Ianto smiled as he nodded to him and Owen nodded back.
Passing the torch.
As Jack passed he slipped a handgun into Owen's pocket and neither man spoke, no need.
Owen had the helm.
.
.
"I thought Francine and the others…"
"Left. Francine wanted to check on Marcus. They are all likely in his bunker."
"bunker."
"Doomsday prepper, bomb shelter… end of the world… bunker. Marcus was always a little extreme. They would have tired to get her to go with, but Rhiannon hates tight spaces. And Marcus." Ianto stopped walking and canted his head like he was listening to something on the wind "Silence from here on it Cariad. I smell tobacco."
"Surely they are not stupid enough to… oh right. UNIT."
It was another half hour of bobbing and weaving about before Ianto stopped and pointed.
Jack could see the faint red bobbing, then another and another. Fuckers were wearing their hats while hunting? Dicks.
Ianto motioned with his hand and they skirted around them, towards the ruins that had been a stone house, turned into a storage shed for hay and was now three walls, a bit of roof and hay bales that the cattle had clearly started to rip apart.
Ianto gave a soft call like a loon, an eerie call the night bird would make over the moor and they had heard faintly while getting here, much to Jack's displeasure. As Ianto finished the call, he gave a sharp squeak, then stopped.
The hay moved.
The two kids ran for them, hell for leather without even checking. The dogs with UNIT stopped plodding along and swung as they detected the sound of footfalls.
They gave themselves away.
Ianto bit back the bark of scold, instead making another barking noise that made Jack jump beside him. A fox. A fox was now running and the dogs with the men started to bay instantly, sintering at their leashes.
"A bloody fox, get them under control!" came a command.
Ianto cane that sharp, high screaming noise that had the men cursing and pulled at the dogs more "Sounds like a rabbit sir, no doubt what the fox was after."
"Come on, they're not here. Let's try the next fell."
Ianto held the kids tightly to him and then sighed, moving to lead them off the battle field.
Triumphant.