47

"Tadda?"

Ianto was kneeling, tying the shoe of a little one, the others watching intently and mimicking his hands like they were not even aware they were doing it. By this time tomorrow, they would be tying their own.

"Yes Ali?" he replied without looking up, Jack's daughter calling him what everyone waist height seemed to these days.

"It's going to rain, will the ribbons get wet?"

All heads swiveled to stare out the window, then turn to stare at Ianto for an answer. He rose and walked to the door, looking out and scenting the air like he was seeing if a dragon's breath was coming before it. Then he turned to face them "Alice is right. It will come in the night. Maybe we can ask the Daddas to get the ribbons and you can each carefully roll your own one? I will search for a special box for them until their next job."

A single universal nod.

Owen was soon rallying the troops. Well… the Dads. Ianto was not a Daddy. Not a mumma either, he was a Taddy and apparently he was the ONLY Taddy. They had all started to notice this as well, Ianto's status. No one was willing to admit it, but… they were a little relieved that he was the one with the weight of their thoughts. It was now obvious to Jack that there was some sort of psychic link there and they had not seemed to control him with it, Ianto reassuring Jack that there was none. Even combined, they were not strong enough to do that to him, simply speak.

Yeah, they all knew that too, his soft whisper sometimes when arguing with a child not in the room is quite… as Owen puts it… freaky.

Ianto rose and was walking towards the main room where the other kids were all awaiting only to freeze in the doorway, the kids all doing the same, then all heads swung to the south to stare into space. It was more than slightly unnerving as Holly and Alice rose, Mica and David rushing to them and pulling them back like the other kids might suddenly explode or something. The circus kids were held tightly by their parents.

"Tiger?" Jack said softly as he tried to hold back from grabbing Ianto into his arms.

"They found another errant baby" Ianto replied as he walked into the center of the room, "Shush now."

Everyone settled to watch as the kids all moved onto a circle around Ianto who had stepped into the middle of the room.

"Is it just me or is he sort of an aerial… or are they protecting him" Owen questioned as he rose to stand outside the circle, searching Ianto's face.

"He told me it's like… he is a conduit. For some reason he strengthens them, maybe because Ianto was empathic to begin with?" Jack replied "also the fact he gave birth to one, and has the testosterone factor back now… no one else can have that"

"Makes sense I guess, he does seem to have always been a little touched… in a scary way. Knowing my favorite food, when I am cold he reminds me where I left my jacket… he knows things, doesn't he" Owen nodded.

"I wonder if it goes both ways" Jack and Owen continued their conversation without even realizing the others listening in might not share their calm observations, and Rhiannon pulled her kids back more from the group.

Surprisingly it was Johnny who asked "But they don't' hurt him right?"

"No, he says it is like hearing a transistor radio not quite on the station. Some days a clearer signal than others." Jack assured him, touched to see Johnny show concern. A usually dower man, Johnny was not given to shows of affection, not even with his own kids.

"Is the bubba OK?" Mica asked one of her many cousins, her hand reaching out to touch Zane's shoulder before her mother could stop her.

Zane's head turned to look at her… no … through her as he replied softly "Yes. He's trying to fight back. We are trying to help."

"Help?" Mica asked with a child's innocence "How Zanney?"

"We are sanding strength" Ianto answered "Hush now, we need to concentrate. He is almost through the door to the woods beyond the house."

"Oh no... his mummy" one of the other kids whispered "She's down."

"They killyed her… see?"

"Focus" Ianto hissed, crouching to get to the same level as the kids who crowded around him, all touching now.

Then… whatever it was, it was done as Ianto rose to shoot his cuffs and clear his throat with open annoyance.

"Soooooo" Owen said slowly.

"So… I need your motorbike" Ianto tined and looked at Owen "I know where he is and he is still running, if he follows the stream like we told him, I know the car park for the wilderness trail he will pop out at."

"He's alone" Jack was sickened.

"Of course not Daddy Jack" Little Jazzy said softly "He has us and we are coming for him now."

Ianto snatched the keys and took off out the door, Jack following.

"Tig, tell me where then go like the hounds of hell are after you, I can meet you on the road coming back if I know the way" Jack called out as Ianto straddled the bike and started to klick the engine over.

"Where we had our first overnight date" Ianto yelled back and Jack grinned.

"Oh yeah, THAT weekend."

Then with a loud roar, the motorbike was gone along with it's sexy rider.

Jack knew he could never catch him now, because that man rode like a devil.

And those he was racing for had no idea that the devil always wins.