29

It was late in the evening. The weekend so everyone was home. Gray, Rose and Colin were over at the Glass House with Franklin while Ianto and Jack had Alice and Steven at their log cabin. It was cold, snow in the air and Ianto was glad that it had bene agreed to all have a quiet night without sharing the meal with both houses and having to walk around in the dark.

The kids had enjoyed the fish and chips from the local store in the village and their little picnic in front of the fire, already snuggled in their beds and it was just Jack and Ianto watching the flames of the fire with all the lights off.

"So, apparently tomorrow the boys are all going out on the lake in the boat for a spot of fishing. Colin is almost wetting himself with excitement" Jack said after a while "I hope Steven doesn't fall in. He has his life vest on the boat, right?"

"Everything is set, Alice wants to go too so Rose enticed her to do some baking instead. Of course Colin was then torn but finally agreed that fishing is better than cupcakes. And he can eat cupcakes after." Ianto smiled softly, staring into the flames.

"They are serious, aren't they" Jack sighed.

Ianto was about to reply when something took his attention, a flash of something in the trees. He leaned forward, placing the glass of whiskey on the coffee table and squinting as he took in the darkness, then another small flash.

"Tiger?"

"Torches or something in the tree line" Ianto said softly, rising now to step to the window, glad they were mirrored on the outside "There are people out there heading for the Glass House."

Jack rose from his own seat, his glass joining Ianto's as he asked softly "So… thoughts? Dad didn't say there would be late night visitors and… where's their vehicle?"

"Could be some hikers that got turned around at dusk on the wilderness trail around the lake and saw the lights on in the Glass House since we are in darkness… or…"

"Or?" Jack and reaching for a high shelf where his small gun safe sat behind some fake book spines.

"Or this is maybe Colin's father reacting" Ianto shrugged with a frown of annoyance "I didn't get that feeling from him though. This is… unexpected. He didn't strike me as someone to act without care."

"Well, I am going to go and find out" Jack said calmly as he exited the house and walked across the yard, Ianto feeling ill as he pulled on a black bomber jacket and zipped it up, stepping out into the shadows of the soft moonlight to wraith around as well, unable to be noticed as Jack made a bold and loud image in his white button down and gun openly held at his side.

"Can I help you?" Jack barked loudly, his confidence clear as he walked towards the flickering lights.

The lights froze, then a voice replied faintly "Ah… we seem to be a bit lost. We were looking for the Fraizers."

Jack withheld the urge to turn back to look in the direction of his husband… ah… ex-husband… and instead screwed up his face as the light fell on him "Well, you are on the wrong side of the lake there guys. This is the Hamilton Place and next door there is the Edwards place."

Not lights seemed to suddenly stop moving about, paused as he was stared at them then the lights fell to the ground as hissed arguments started. Ianto had moved in behind them and knew they were definitely looking for the Lake House.

Then he heard something that surprised him.

"The air tag is here so somewhere, here is the fucking bastard showing on the GPS" one hissed low.

"Well, he's a bit big to hide, T-Rex is the size of a feckin refrigerator" another hissed back.

T-Rex? Ianto stood there totally confused now as he had no idea why they would think one of the Hoodlum Motorbike Club would even be out here. Then he realized the bikes were still here. The sidecar ones. Ianto felt annoyance as Colin's father had nothing to do with what was going to be another turf argument played out in real time.

As Ianto pulled his cell phone from his pocket and started to text the boys, Jack kept talking to the men "Well you don't look well dressed for a walk, those shoes alone. Jesus guys, no wonder you hot lost out there. I bet you don't usually wander about in the dark like this."

T-Rex and the side cars… wait. This is before Colin. This is not Mayes? Hmmmm.

Jack had thought the same thing and waved an arm around "Look guys, I can't help you. I know there are some more houses that way and there are some storage sheds we all use over there, but they are locked, and the security gate are also locked this time of night."

Ianto grunted and ran silently to the tree line the men had come from, needing the cover to open his phone so the screen's light didn't show to those talking with Jack. He rang T-Rex who was waiting for an answer to his text asking him to, and told him what was happening, then listened to the silence, followed by a faint curse.

"It's you" T-Rex finally said "They are there for you. We are in lock-down after a turf push and… fuck. You are in danger Boss. They want to snatch you as leverage because they know you are a friend of ours."

"No, it's OK" Ianto said as he turned on his heel and peered around the tree he was hiding behind "I am no in danger at all."

"They are."