10
The roads were clear enough to return to the Harkness House and as Jack headed for his study, Ianto headed for the upper story where he knew the bedrooms were. He picked his way over the uneven floor, telling himself that the structural engineers who had told them it was safe and given them only half an hour to collect what they could before the site was locked down for the insurance company must know what they are doing. An aftershock could hit at any time and this meant haste, Ianto sure to be hesitant and careful as he picked his way carefully over the rubble.
With that in mind ianto headed for the floor safe in the back of the wardrobe, falling to his knees and opening it with ease, removing the piles of papers, the jewellery boxes and he reached for the four large bricks of gold in the bottom of the safe. He placed it all into one of the high-end handbags probably worth more than a month's wages, before zipping it up.
He then took the time to pack clothing and costume jewellery, all the things he knew the old bitch would like despite his dislike for her. He was still Ianto, after all. So, then he headed downstairs with the suitcases left sitting at the top of the stairs, the three antique vases that had survived sitting with them to go into the lockup with the other furniture and things of worth that could be salvaged.
They left the men packing everything into the SUVs and then headed for the lockup which had still been in one piece as expected.
"I don't know if it will all fit" Jack said as he looked at the truck pulling up behind them.
"Mine is next door, there is room in that as I know what I have to collect is only a drop" Ianto replied softly, waving a hand and Jack looked over at the next one with surprise.
"You have one here too?"
"There are things in there pre-marriage that I did not want your mother to smell out and take from me" Ianto replied and Jack felt the low blow, then Ianto added like he had not noticed Jack's grimace "and besides, my new place is so small… well… was so small I could not fit the heirloom items of my dear mother's."
Jack stopped to think now, remembering the argument years ago when they first moved in together and Jack scoffed at the antique furniture Ianto had tried to bring into the house, telling him it was best for a bonfire. His mothers? His dead mother's? Shit.
Ianto turned to face him, like he had caught the brainfart and sighed "And now you are chastising yourself for making horrid remarks about those things I felt so dear and kept despite your hatred of them. Again… your mother never saw them and had no idea of them, or I am sure that pre-nup would have given them to you for your bonfire."
"Ianto…"
"Come on. My place next. We both know Steven will be heartbroken if we can't get his bloody rocks" Ianto huffed moving away and Jack's hand that had been reaching for him was left there in midair.
Ianto had shied from him like a horse.
And the mental kick in the head made his eyes water.
.
.
Ianto's door was ajar and Jack was worried, only to find a strange mark spraypainted on the door that clearly could not shut given the skew of the doorframe. It looked like an owl or something, made with hieroglyphs.
"It's a Hoodlum mark" Ianto said softly, turning to face Jack like he knew something was wrong "this area is protected by them. No one will cross that threshold."
They entered to find things not as bad as the Harkness House, mostly because Ianto's place had been so spartan in comparison and as Jack looked around he saw that other than the bloody bookcase, not much else of worth was there.
They emptied out the children's rooms and Ianto's wardrobe then left the rest, most of it replaceable. Ianto did not like the colour of the sky and wanted to head back to the kids.
They returned to a sullen child and a surly teenager so… not much had changed in their absence. Of course, opening the doors of the SUV to show the rocks gained a crowing child and an eye rolling teenager now.
Ianto silently placed the handbag into his ex-mother-in-law's arms and she squealed at the weight, then her eyes widened as she recognized the reason racing off to check the contents like he might have stolen something. Clearly too shocked to even try to work out ho he knew the combination to a safe he should not have even known was there.
Rose and Gray were equally glad of their own things and Owen and Toshiko were content with what they had managed to gather from their own apartment. With the day setting, the evening meal underway a quiet comfort settled over the Lake House.
Only the distant rumble of a quake that they did not really feel.
This time.