5

Ianto was in shock, he knew he was. Recognizing this he took a moment to try and remain calm before he left the kids with Toshiko in the back of the SUV, doors locked and safe.

He walked back into the house where Kathy Swanson was crouched by Rhiannon's body with a look of distaste, "I would say the stab wounds to the chest here, any one of these would have been fatal. Christ, the force here… you can see the hilt bruising from the force. The others to her neck and face… these are pure rage."

Ianto stood and watched as she reached out to touch Rhiannon, Ianto startling everyone by making a low growling noise in his throat as he stepped forward to stop her. She turned her head to look up at him "Mister Jones?"

"This is my sister" he said with a shaking voice, his rage and grief making all of him shake really "She hated her face being touched, same as me. Please don't."

"Your… oh. Oh, I am sorry" she said with genuine sympathy as she leaned back and let Owen lean over more.

"Well, they are about to bring fuckface down to the ambulance, I want to go outside and be by the SUV so the kids don't have to see" Jack said, leading Ianto back out so they could stand between the kids and the stretcher making a flesh wall between the SUV and the stretcher, they did not have to see him ever again.

Nope.

Jack had wanted to disappear the fucker altogether and only the fact that these kid needed closure had stopped him.

"I don t know what to do" Ianto said softly as he stood there, feeling Jack's body leaning against him, the warmth of it comforting. "I have to tell them she is not in that ambulance. I hink they know but… I have to tell them."

"Now we take those kids somewhere so they can process all of this" Jack replied "Come on. Owen and Gwen can clean up here, Toshi can come with us. They seem to like her."

"We need clothes for them... we need… oh god." Ianto seemed flustered and Jack felt for him, that same look of despair he had worn after Lisa, so soon after Lisa and Jack held back form drawing him into his arms knowing Ianto did not want that.

Not yet.

"Come on, Gwen will grab them some things from their rooms. When we get there, you can text her a list" Jack said as he encouraged Ianto go get in the SUV and they drove out of the police cordon, the tape fluttering as Andy held it, his face pale as he looked into the vehicle at Ianto and they shared a look.

Jack noted it.

They knew one another. Gwen's old partner and Ianto knew him?

Jack made a mental note to ask about that some other time.

They drove off into the night.

The nightmare still lingering.

.

.

Next morning Ianto was already suited and booted, his little apartment heaving as his bed was full of kids and the kitchen full of Jack trying to make some breakfast. The kids were still asleep and he knew they needed more things from the house so he decided to head that way, passing Owen in the corridor as he approached the apartment with some takeaway bags from McDonalds. Jack would be relieved as Ianto had nothing really in the cupboards and the kids hated porridge.

Jack was starting to learn the hard way that Ianto didn't have much of anything. Only the bare minimum and apart from the clothes, the flat seemed unlived in.

.

.

Ianto arrived at Rhiannon's house and spent a moment staring in shock at the scene before him. The police tape was fluttering in the wind and the police that were supposed to be on duty at the crime scene were nowhere to be found.

However… there was what appeared to be a moving truck in the driveway with the doors open.

He got out of the vehicle and walked slowly around the side of the truck, looking in the back to see some of the furniture in there, as in the good stuff… his anger flaring as he saw his dear mother's antique dresser shoved in there without even a blanket to protect it, some of the cushions for the new sofa he had got Rhiannon for Christmas last year also thrown in.

He was shaking with rage as he stepped inside to find the living room in chaos as two men argued about the best way to get the massage chair out of the corner of the room.

"What the actual fuck are you doing" Ianto roared, surprising himself with the hatred in his voice and Johnny's brothers dropped the chair with shock, the large crack as something broke making them all cringe.

Ianto was about to demand an answer where something cracked him in the side of the head and as he staggered back he turned to find Johnny's father standing there with one of Rhia's gaudy lamps in his hand.

Ianto focused on him, his anger now supernova and as the man reared back his arm for another swing a loud shot rang out, freezing the entire thing.

"I believe Ianto asked a question" Jack snarled levelling the Webley at the man with the lamp, the barrel smoking as the bullet lodged in the ceiling let some dust float down over them. "Next one is in your fucking head."

Then from the kitchen where the blood was still on the floor, appeared Johnny's mother, her arms full of Rhiannon's good tablecloths "Who the fuck are you in MY son's house?"

Ianto swung to face her and said in a syrupy sweet voice "I am the motherfucker about to fuck you up… mother Davies!"

"How dare you…"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Ianto roared in her face making her step back "put those on the table, do NOT get blood on them and back out of the house… all of you… fuck off."

"This is my son's house. While he is away we will be moving in and taking care of it and we ned room for…" she startled to bristle.

"This house WAS me sister's house. I know it was hers because I helped pay for it" Ianto counteracted "He already moved out and relinquished it, so he didn't have to pay for the kids! And, I also helped her with her will and know it is now the property of the kids."

"The kids" she surged forward "Yes. Well… they can live here with us. Will need us to take care of them. Being blood and all."

Ianto turned to Jack with a look of sheer rage as blood trickled down his forehead from the blow, then he walked out without speaking, the desire to snatch the gun and kill them all so cloying in the heat of the room.

He was about to spontaneously combust.

Where were the fucking police?