12

Johnny was sitting in the dining area eating the slop they called food, complaining loudly to one of his 'friends' about it. Well, a distant cousin actually, on his mother's side. Seems there were family members in here and they had congregated to him, like flies to shit.

The huge black man who approached had them all freezing, his bulk alone scary enough for one of them to nervously depart with a mutter that he needed to check in with the screw for something.

"You gonna eat that?" the man asked in a deep drawl.

"Fuck off" Johnny said, immune to bullies, being one himself.

The little skinny white fella that had been standing behind the black man poked him with his fork "Oi, he said fuck off. You're in me way."

The man actually blinked and… fucked off. Now… that should have been a warning signal but Johnny was a bully… not a brainiac so he grinned and invited the man to his table.

"Skidmark"

"Excuse me?"

"Me name is Skidmark on account of the fact I am slick as shit and when you really get to know me, you will shit yourself" the weird little man said, reminding Johnny o a chihuahua or something, or maybe a rat. What were they… possums? The large rat things with teeth, this skinny dude's teeth the largest part of his face, laughing as he spoke.

Johnny decided he liked him, if only for the freak factor.

So when he went to the bog for a slash, he didn't care if the rat man followed, talking bullshit about being 'the man' and telling him to be sure and take a god crap before dinner because it was chilli and he didn't want too much shit in there already which Johhny happily complied with. As he stepped out of the stall Skidmark asked "Gonna wash your hands? You know, no one wants to eat with shit stuck on hands."

Johnny scrubbed his hands and turned to show them to the weird man, quietly amused by his weirdness, turning the hands over to show he was clean.

"Good" the man said, then to Johnny's immense horror he stepped forward and opened his mouth… unhinged his jaws…. And proceeded to swallow him alive.

No one heard his screams.

.

.

The kids were gigging uncontrollably as Andy stomped about with a large tinsel boa as he screeched about the GORGEOUSSSSS house and the GORGEOUSSSSS decorations.

As he camped like a nutta Jack received a ping on his phone, poking at it distractedly, grinning and sliding it back into his pocket. Ianto noticed and raised his eyebrows.

"Just closing a case" Jack whispered "can wait until after Christmas."

Ianto looked at him sideways but let it go, sure whatever it was Jack had it covered.

The kids were happy, the house was warm and thing were going well. The only thing Ianto worried about was the Davies family and he knew they would not go away, no matter how much he wished it and he knew in the New Year the moment the lawyers were working again, he would get hassled.

He decided to ask Jack for a good lawyer's name.

.

.

"The contents of your sister's will are iron clad. There is nothing to be concerned about here not given the fact they already had orders against them and her father is a convicted pedophile" the man said calmly "they will NEVER get those kids."

Ianto was still nervous but glanced at Jack who nodded his agreement.

Thy would NEVER ger those kids.

.

.

Gwen was being weird, making small noises as she listened to someone on the phone then said softly "Alright Andy, keep your hair on. I don't see what we can do about it."

Ianto noticed about the same time as Jack and he moved closer as he watched her face contort and her growled "So?" made Jack move closer, especially as she glanced over at the kids and furtively loked around, focusing on Ianto who was scowling openly at her now.

"Gwen?"

She closed out the call and sighed "I don't know why he's going off at me. I mean, nothing to do with us and he keep wanting to talk to Ianto about it."

"About what?" Ianto asked in a dangerously low tone Jack knew well waving a hand at her to continue.

"Well apparently a little kid was snatched for their Christmas School Play and he's going off on one" she rolled her eyes as Ianto paled and looked at Jack.

"Description of the child?" Jack asked.

"A little girl with blonde curly hair and dressed as an angel" she replied with a snort, "god, how many angels are there this time of year?"

"In Mica's class there was only one angel in the play" Ianto groaned softly "Her. She was to play the angel and her best friend Annabelle was the one to take over if she got stage fright or broke her leg or something as they look a lot alike."

"And the name of the school?" Jack asked.

Gwen said the name of the kid's school and then gave her own groan as she finally got the problem and she cursed as she pulled out her phone again, calling Andy to confirm that he was right, she was wrong. This was clearly a case of mistaken identity.

The Davies family had tried to snatch Mica and taken her stand-in by mistake.

Oh boy.

Ianto moved closer to Jack and whispered "See? You were right."

"Ianto, you knew the answer to the question and me telling you only made it an agreement from me. Those kids were never going back to their old life. I might not have been wrong but in the time I have known you, you have NEVER been wrong." Jack assured him.

"Yes I was. Once, and I will always regret that" Ianto replied.

"Lisa was not a mistake" Jack said as he pulled him into an embrace, not caring who saw as he comforted him "Love is never a mistake."

"Hush now" Ianto muttered into his chest and Jack took amount to enjoy a rare show of public affection.

But in the end Gwen was right.

The Davies family and their stupid self-inflicted doom was nothing to do with them.

They were nothing to them at all.