Previous part of Daytrips and Knighthoods II - Calan Awst.

***

The private beach had been rented by Sarian for the entire week.

That was just in case one of the aquatically inclined brethren decided they wanted some 'me' time. The deal was very lucrative for the owner and guaranteed that they would not be disturbed. It was fully decorated with lanterns and indeed the heated pavilions were there as Jack had predicted.

There were stacks of beach chairs and blankets and various stations set up with hot chocolate and mulled wine and other beverages. Ianto grabbed a couple of cans of Brains Black while Jack grabbed a couple of blankets.

"There are beach chairs, Jack."
"But we can't have a cwch in chairs."

Ianto raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea here."
"Sure it is...come on." Jack patted the blanket next to him.

Ianto sat down and popped open a beer and handed it to Jack then opened his own. Ianto looked around, people were still arriving, some by busses rented for the occasion, some by car. Enid arrived by car with Dai, Carys and Haf and much to Jack's delight they had baby Morgan in tow.

Dai had deemed it safe for her to be removed from the med bay and Enid thought the exposure to Earth's seawater should begin as soon as possible. Haf reached for Jack as soon as he came within scenting distance and when Ianto walked up to Enid, Morgan made some very musical whistles and clicks to get his attention.

"I told you she would remember you, Ianto."
Ianto was thrilled and picked her up like he'd handled a baby every day of his life.

"No blanket?" He asked
"No, Ianto she does not require one. Come let's take her to the water." Enid started for the water line and Ianto followed carrying Morgan who sniffed the air actively and Ianto noticed her gills opening and closing more the closer they got.

"Here, I will take her. You don't need to get wet and she will become difficult to hold when she feels the water, so I'll need to keep a hand on her." Enid took the baby from Ianto and sat down on the sandy beach. The sun was still bright and glistened off the water enough to make Ianto squint.

"Don't do that, you'll get wrinkles." Jack was wearing sunglasses, of course.
"Well unless you have another pair of those I have to."

"Sorry, just the one pair...you want them? I don't wrinkle."
"Of course not, you wouldn't, would you?"

They stood by and watched Enid introducing Morgan to the water. As Enid predicted, as soon as she tasted the fresh sea water over her gills she tried to swim away. Enid dropped the caftan she was wearing and stepped into the water with the baby and then they vanished from sight.

"You look worried, Ianto...don't. Enid is a Stas and an adult Stas at that, she can out swim Morgan in a heartbeat and don't forget they can communicate under water. Morgan won't go far, young Stas are very dependant on their parent and they don't stray."

Jack clapped Ianto on the back and handed him back his beer.
"Drink up, they'll be music and dancing later...you'll need this."

Enid and Morgan spent a great deal of the first hour in the water and when they did emerge the baby was smiling and had a fistful of kelp on which she kept sucking.

Ianto handed Enid a towel and took Morgan so she could dry off. Morgan shoved the kelp at Ianto's face and quick study Ianto made munching noises which seemed to please Morgan a lot. By the time Enid was dry and dressed in another caftan Morgan was giggling and clicking wildly. Ianto was laughing.

"She loves that." Jack commented cradling the adoring Haf in his arms.
"She will be hungry now." Enid said and Ianto handed the happy baby back to Enid for a bottle of kelp colored formula.

"I don't even want to know what's in that bottle." Ianto commented.
"Probably not... I saw Rosy making it up...at least the fish had been scaled first."
"Oh thanks, Jack."

"Hey you asked."
"No, I definitely said I DON'T want to know what's in that bottle."
"Ooops." Jack grinned

"Yeah... I need another beer."
"Come on there are some snacks over near the pavilion there...there are sausages..." Jack wiggled his eyebrows.
"...Let's go get some sausages, Haf." Jack cooed and Haf laughed.

The afternoon moved inescapably towards evening. Jack and Ianto watched the fire pits banked and the baskets of seafood placed inside then covered with blankets of wet kelp.

"We used to do this when I was a kid... the whole village turned out and everybody brought a basket of food. The kids dug out the pits and the men finished them and built the fires.
Then we'd sit and talk and play games and sing while we waited for the food to be ready."

"Sounds like fun."
"It was. Then we'd eat and the parents would drink and tell stories and sing and we'd wake up in the morning in kind of a pile of kids under a blanket. It was... nice."
"You miss it."

"Yeah... that's how this all started...Tess and Marigold surprised me and it grew from there."
"So now it's a big to do."
"Yeah." Jack didn't look as happy as he should.

"You don't enjoy it?"
Jack answered quickly. "No, I do... really...it's just everything..."
"Reminds you of her? Honestly, Jack it's okay..."
"I feel like I live in the past sometimes...always trying to capture... things that are long gone"

"No you don't...you rarely come across like that...I mean this week, sure I see it...but usually you're kind of a live in the moment guy... completely different. I think Awst just makes you a little melancholy."

Jack lifted the sleeping Haf to his shoulder and pulled his coat over her and Ianto was a little jealous.

"She asleep?"
"Yeah, I guess we should find her mom." They walked back to where Dai and Carys were sitting with Enid. Carys was feeding Morgan.
"Does this mean I can keep this one?" Jack said cheerfully.
Dai rose to take the sleeping baby from Jack and placed her in her basket. Then Jack and Ianto went for a walk in the dunes.

The beach at sunset was lovely, the reddish orange sky giving way to purples and navy as the sun moved faithfully towards the water. Jack took them to the top of a dune away from the group and spread his coat out to sit. They stared out over the water and held hands like kids.

"This is nice..." Ianto finally broke the silence that hung between them "...that sky is gorgeous."
Jack turned to face him.
"I love you, Ianto."
"Okay...I love you as well...what brought this on?"

"I told you it should have been said to you at a more romantic time. I think this is romantic, don't you?"
"Yes, it is...thank you...it's still not easy for you though....saying it, is it?"
"No...every time I feel like I'm tempting fate."
"Well how about this...now that you've said it...and I know it...don't feel pressured to keep saying it...you know, just in case...alright?"
Jack nodded.

The sudden clanging of a ship's bell in the distance got Ianto's attention. Jack just stared out at the horizon.

"What is that?"
"That'll be time to eat."
"Oh, I thought perhaps we were suddenly in the way of a passing ship or something."
"No, nothing so dramatic...just dinner." Jack said quietly but then didn't move and Ianto shifted closer and put his head on Jack's shoulder.

"I think this is better than food." Ianto sighed and Jack turned slightly and kissed the top of his head.
"Me too."

About two more minutes passed and Jack sighed and then commented.
"Sarian's coming to look for us."
"How do you know?"
"Bloddy's a bit of a snitch."
"That's a new one for me, a telepathic snitch."

"And some with eyes in the back of their heads...and four arms...and wings...the whole family's weird...you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"
"A couple with gills..." Ianto added
"And don't forget the mood ring alien..."
"And the shape shifter... it's okay Jack...weird on a whole different level even for Torchwood...but okay."
"Come on, we'd better go or Sarian will make up some story about finding us naked and buried in the sand."

They got up and shook the sand from Jack's coat then kissed and headed back to the beach fires running into Sarian along the way.
"Ahh there you are...I was afraid you'd run off somewhere."

"Where would we go, Sarian?" Jack stopped and asked.
"Umm...okay... I've no idea...but it's time to eat and you know how Rosy gets when people are late for one of her special events."
"I know...but the sunset was gorgeous and Ianto and I were just enjoying the moment."

The food and drink was plentiful and after everyone had eaten their fill they began huddling around the largest of the beach fires. As the shadows grew longer and the chill set in Jack sat on the blanket behind Ianto spooning him. He whispered comments in his ear as stories were told and songs were sung, some in Welsh, some in English and some in Standard.

Ianto was intrigued when Siorus started to sing Olach the song from his home world that Jack had mentioned. And just as Jack had told him every single one of the rift children knew it and most everyone took a turn with a verse. Every single one who sang deliberately elongated their S consonants just like Si did due to his two tongues. Jack smiled and laughed but declined a verse.

Several guitars, an accordion, and various other instruments including fiddles, flutes and a crwth appeared as if by magic. Then many of the rift children took up their instruments and began to play taking turns at different ditties and sometimes playing as an ensemble.

Ianto couldn't help himself he was fixated on watching Gethin with his four hands playing the accordion. Mickey played a trumpet (no, really) Jack had explained he played a number of instruments but the trumpet had been the first he'd learned on Earth, Tesni had insisted.

They sang rounds and ballads and hymns including all the usual suspects like Cwm Rhondda, Deliliah, and Calon Lan and then they started on the Rugby songs.

Ianto sang along to the tunes when he knew the words and hummed or clapped or pounded the sand when he didn't. Jack took the occasional verse of some of the old songs and when Elain started a solo on the fiddle all eyes turned to Jack to sing Ar Lan y Mor. He did, without letting go of Ianto and began rocking back and forth.

Ar lan y môr mae rhosys chochion
Ar lan y môr mae lilis gwynion
Ar lan y môr mae 'nghariad inne
Yn cysgu'r nos a choddi'r bore

Ar lan y môr mae carreg wastad
Lle bum yn siarad gair âm cariad
Oddeutu hon fe dyf y lili
Ac ambell sbrigyn o rosmari

He got through the first two verses and then waved off, Blodwen picked up the rest in his place. Jack clutched Ianto tightly back against his chest and buried his face in the side of Ianto's neck. Ianto felt wet lashes brushing the skin under his ear and shifted around.

As the song ended Ianto peeled himself from Jack and got up then held his hand down.
"Let's go for a walk, I need to get my jumper."

Jack got to his feet and walked back to the SUV with Jack to get their jumpers. Ianto put his on over his hoodie and Jack took off his greatcoat and put his on. On the way back, Ianto snagged a couple of blankets from one of the piles and they veered off towards the dunes.

"Father!" Andras' voice was close so they stopped and turned.
"Andras?"
"Here, take this...it will help to ward off the chill." He handed Jack a small net bag that contained a bottle and two plastic glasses.

"Thanks, Andras...something special?"
"No...nothing special just a nice tawny port, it will help to keep you warm." Andras waved and walked back towards the beach fire.
"That was nice." Ianto smiled at Jack.

"I think we were set up, but what the heck...let's go."
They climbed the dunes and spread out one of the blankets they sat down and Jack opened the port and poured two glasses. They sipped the wine and watched the stars overhead. After a long while, Ianto broke the silence.

"Do you miss it...being out there?" Ianto curled against Jack and leaned up on an elbow lifting his head towards the sky.
"A little sometimes."
"Would you go back out there...if you could?"
"Now...no."
"Why?"
"Does it matter?"
"Is it some deep dark secret?"

"No...I just don't see why it matters; I won't go...there's nothing out there for me now...everything I could possibly want... I have here and now...a family...and someone to love who loves me...I'm not giving any of that up it's been too hard won. I got my answers from the Doctor...I know I'm stuck like this."

"And later?"
"Later? Probably...I have this long, black road ahead, Ianto... Every now and again I just want to pause under a street lamp before moving on...and hope that THOSE memories can see me through until I reach the next light."

"I wish I could DO something for you...to help you."

Jack smiled "You do...every day. Don't you understand...you make it easier? Everything reminds me of something or someone. The best I can hope for is to have that be something good...yeah there's sadness, I can't escape that...but hopefully they'll be enough good memories to chase away THOSE shadows."

"Are you really so well adjusted?"
"Nah, I told you I'm a good actor."

They lay together for a little while enjoying the comfort of each others arms and the occasional kiss.

"Jack, do they know about what happened when you got here...the rift children?"
"You're just full of questions tonight, aren't you?...A couple do...most only know because someone else has told them. Tess told a few of them some things...but I think Bloddy is the only one who knows all the details... because well you just can't hide things from her, why?"

"I just wondered...they treat you so...delicately..."
"Have you ever heard the adage you reap what you sow?"
"Of course..."
"Well... I think that may have something to do with it...plus in most societies other than here on Earth...elders are treated with respect. So they are somewhat deferential to me..."

"Somewhat deferential? SOMEWHAT?" Ianto sat up laughing.
"Okay...maybe a little more than somewhat."
"A LOT more than somewhat."
"Your point?"
"They seem to waver between handling you with kid gloves and worshipping you."

"I think you'll find the level of deference varies with the species...Mari for instance since she was born here on Earth is only slightly deferential to me and that's only because she's married to Gethin who comes from a species where family elders are the law..."

"Blodwen..." Ianto started.
"No...Bloddy's a special case. She was very young when she came through and has no real concept of either of her ancestor's species traditions. She was sold to slavers...she's the exception."

"Okay...so Blodwen aside..."
"Look, I got to them before anyone else could...I kept them from Torchwood, hid them. I gave them to someone who knew loss of the most primal kind and had abounding love for anyone who'd lost. They know what she meant to me and they also know my particular problem. I ask for their deference to me only in knowing what dangers they face here and how to avoid them. Anything else they've created themselves...a lot of it based on their own cultural mores... intermingled with or maybe tainted by established human family hierarchies...is that sociological enough for you?"
"Wow..."

"AND Haf and Morgan will be even more different because of their age and the way they'll be affected by this family. That's another reason I wanted Enid back here to care for Morgan. Morgan's going to need someone to relate to...and the only one that will fit that bill is Haf. Blodwen can only help so much; Morgan and Haf are going to need to rely on each other."

"When did you get so smart?" Ianto laughed.
"I was always smart Ianto, I just prefer not to flaunt it, it tends to demoralize the troops..." Jack kissed him on the nose "...now, do you want to sleep here on the beach and be stiff and frozen in the morning or would you prefer to go back to that comfortable hotel bed?"

"Well as romantic as this is...that hotel also has a shower and I have sand in bad places." Ianto wriggled slightly as if to prove his point.

"Well for godess sake we'd better go, I don't want...anything... important to get eroded by sand."

They kissed again and Jack got to his feet and held out a hand pulling Ianto up. They picked up the blankets and empty bottle and glasses and headed back to the beach fires.

***

Jack spoke to Rhosyn and Sarian. When he was comfortable everything was taken care of they headed for the SUV and back to the Seren Wib.

The shower was hot and lengthy. The clothing they'd worn was bagged for valet service and placed outside the door.

Ianto preferred to care for the greatcoat himself and brushed it lovingly until it was sand free. Jack watched with a look on his face that made Ianto draw out the brushing as long as possible. They made love for a long time before falling asleep entwined.

Jack awoke first, and reviewed his agenda for the day on his vortex manipulator. Since many appointments had been rescheduled there were a large number of appointments scheduled for that day.

Morgan's naming ceremony was scheduled now for the following day so a number of scheduled appointments for that day had to be rearranged as well.

Jack silently lamented the loss of quality time with Ianto due to the family obligations. He vowed to himself he'd make it up to the young man; quite possibly with another trip back here in a few weeks, or maybe Paris. He sent a message to the front desk with their breakfast order and woke Ianto.

"Come on sleepyhead...breakfast will be here in a half hour and I know you'll want a shower."
Ianto turned over and buried his face in his pillow.
"Wanna sleep more."
"Okay but you'll be sleeping alone...I've got appointments."
"Don't care... go away." Ianto slurred into the pillow.

Jack kissed the back of Ianto's head and got out of bed pulling the duvet up over the sleeping man. He went to the bedside table and pulled out a pen and paper and wrote a note then placed it on the table at Ianto's side of the bed.

Ianto,
I tried to wake you but you wanted to sleep. Call for breakfast when you're ready. I have appointments in the sitting room so get dressed before you come out.
Other than helping Enid manage logistics for her move you don't have anything scheduled for today until dinner.
Go back to sleep.
?
Jack

Jack showered, dressed and ate his breakfast on the terrace outside the sitting room. At five of nine he opened the suite door so the troops would not knock and disturb Ianto. The troops and his first appointment arrived promptly at nine.

At ten fifteen all eyes turned briefly towards the bedroom door as the shower in the ensuite started. About 15 minutes later Neil arrived with a room service cart and was admitted to the bedroom. At eleven fifteen Ianto entered the sitting room with a smile and everyone in the sitting room save Jack stood and bowed.

Jack suddenly had to rub something under his eye and look in the other direction (but only until he could adequately suppress his smile and regain his composure). Ianto looked around the room, smiled tightly and nodded in response, then as everyone sat back down Jack looked up and smiled at him.

"Good morning, Ianto...sleep well?" Sarian was smiling.
"Very well thank you, Sarian. Good morning, everyone. Sorry to be so late."

Jack got up and took him aside.

"You don't have to be here."
"Don't be ridiculous, where else would I go?"
"There's lot of other things you could do...you could tour the winery, go back to the beach...even help Enid plan her move."
"I'd rather be here, Jack... with you."
"Okay but I didn't twist your arm."
"No Jack...my decision."

They spent the time until lunch with Jack's last two appointments then joined everyone in the large dining room for the buffet lunch.

"Sarian has the ballroom out of bounds until the dinner tonight."
"The pirate party."
"Yes...should be fun. If you want we could get you a costume?"
"Are you wearing a costume?"
"Ummm, no."
"There's your answer then."
"Okay, suit yourself."

"So how are the appointments going, you caught up?"
"Nearly, a lot have shortened their appointments or cancelled entirely unless they had an issue or urgent business. Some of those who are closer to Cardiff have decided that we can catch up with a lunch in town or on Flat Holm. So that cuts down a lot on the load."

"Well that's nice. So you might actually get in a little down time while we're still here?"
"Maybe...Sarian told me to ignore the schedule he has a special event planned for tomorrow afternoon right after Morgan's naming ceremony."

"What does that mean?"
"I have no idea he's not telling me anything."
"What about Blodwen?"
"She's not talking plus she's shielding...and when she shields I've got no chance."
"Well I guess we wait for the surprise then, yeah?"
"I suppose but you know I hate surprises."
"I know."

After they finished eating Jack started to make the rounds of the tables again and Ianto checked in with Enid who was sitting with Dai and Haf.
"Where's Carys?" Ianto asked as Morgan started to snuffle the air and then squirming reached for him.

"She's duty officer until 4." Dai responded as he winded Haf on his shoulder.
Ianto took Morgan from Enid and lifted her to his shoulder as she clicked and whistled happily.
"There's my special girl... Enid, let's go for a walk shall we?"
Enid smiled and stood then walked with Ianto. They began to discuss the logistics of her move to Caernarfon and what would need to be moved from the Thurso house.

When lunch ended Morgan returned reluctantly to Enid and Ianto went looking for Jack. He was no longer in the dining room and was not in either the suite or the rose garden. The troops were already in the suite all set up and waiting. Jack's first appointment Elain Lloyd-Morgan the Yarren veterinarian from Abergavenny and her human husband Marc were there to discuss their plans to expand their practice to include small animal medicine.
Everyone anxiously awaited Jack's appearance.

"Hasn't anyone seen him?" Ianto asked Sarian who as president of the family council was present for nearly every meeting.
"Not that I am aware. We're not entirely sure when he left the dining room..."Sarian pulled out his phone "...let me check with the front desk."

Ianto smiled tightly at Elain and Marc.
"So...expanding? You do large animals exclusively now?"
"Have done since we were married..." Elain explained "...I'm a little tough to explain away..." Elain motioned towards her fur covered body "... and doing farm visits is easiest. Welsh farmers ask no questions when you take excellent care of their animals at a reasonable price."

"So how do you plan to expand into small animals... I assume that means dogs, cats and the like, yeah?"
"We have another vet in mind who would work exclusively with the small animals. One of the small animal practices is closing... the vet is retiring to Spain and there will be a big hole in the small animal business. We don't think the other practices will be able to absorb them all. We have someone that we knew in school who is willing to relocate."

Ianto smiled "Well that's good news. If you don't mind my asking what's the issue, then?"
"Capital..." Marc chimed in "...we just don't have enough capital at this time to acquire another facility AND pay another salary."
Elain took over "You see, we just got a mobile facility to aid the large animal practice so we just don't have the liquidity right now. We were going to ask father for a loan."
"A mobile facility?"

"X-ray, operating room and treatment room...very expensive, but sorely needed in our area... we only took delivery of it in April."
"I'm sure Jack would have no problem..." Ianto's phone signaled a new text message "...excuse me a moment." He took out his phone and glanced at the screen.

Ianto,
I will be delayed. Please take my appointments for me. Give them all what they want, U have full fiscal authority, be back soon.
J

"What! Oh he's GOT to be kidding, isn't he?" Ianto showed the screen to Sarian who shrugged.

"I have no idea where he is, but this is very clear, Ianto. Delyth..." Sarian showed the text screen to the accountant who nodded.

"Okay then... Elain, Marc...Jack has given me authority to grant your request. Delyth will take care of the transfer."
Delyth nodded and started to type. Elain and Marc were thrilled and grasped each other's hand. They rose and both bowed deeply to Ianto.

"Thank you, tad. We think you will be pleased with the results once we are up and running."
Ianto stood, blushing and extended a hand to shake. Elain grabbed him close in a hug instead and once she released him Marc did the same. Ianto continued to blush until the two were out the door.

"Who's next?" Ianto shrugged and sat down.

Down the hall from the suite a door opened and admitted Marc and Elain into another room.

***

"Well how'd it go?"
"I think you are going to be in a bit of trouble father." Marc said.

"He was not happy; you may want to get comfortable in this room for tonight. I suspect you'll be sleeping on the couch in the other room." Elain laughed her canines glinting from her furry face.

"He'll get over it... I'll explain it to him later."
"So what will you be doing while he slaves away with business?" Marc asked.
"Might watch a movie...or take a nap. See you later guys, thanks for the assist."

They hugged him, bowed and left. Jack sat down and brought up the holo of the suite sitting room where Ianto was engaged in the next scheduled appointment.
"Sorry about the ambush, Ianto." Jack said out loud to the image in the hologram.

About an hour later, confident in his deception Jack headed for his office to get some work done. He had been planning on adding details to the archive on some alien technology that had been secured by Five and just hadn't found the time to get to it. He worked for a couple of hours adding as much detail to the archives as he could remember or cross reference from his vortex manipulator and the Five mainframe itself.

"I hope you're happy." Ianto was standing with his hands on his hips at the doorway.
"Ianto! I um..."
"If you're trying to think of a good excuse, don't bother."
"No?"
"No, I'd really prefer the truth if you don't mind."

"Okay...look there are all these items waiting for background information to be entered into the mainframe. I just needed some time to do data entry. You on the other hand needed to become more familiar with the family business processes."
"So you set me up?"

"Maybe...are you mad?"
"Everyone else was in on it, weren't they?"
Jack was quick to answer "No..." then rethought and opted for the truth "...not everyone... per se."

"I find it odd that Sarian who seems to know everything about everyone here AND there whereabouts pretty much all the time should so suddenly lose track of one of the major players in this whole exercise."
"Okay, okay... I had a little help..."

Ianto smirked and folded his arms across his chest.
"Okay...a lot of help..." Jack shook his head "...it was a group effort. But I really DID need the time to do some information entry...see, I've been working." Jack motioned at the multi screened monitor where several views of an oddly shaped device were on two screens and information was being filled in on a form on another.

"Just because you were actually working does not make it alright."
"I'm sorry?"
"And THAT only goes so far."
"How can I make it up to you, Ianto?"
"That's better...You can come back to the suite and get dressed and take me to the pirate dinner."

Ianto came around behind Jack's chair and leaned over his shoulder.
"What IS that thing?"
"I think it's a power pack for a Bortras weapon. I've got some scans running and will know more after they finish."
"When's that?"
"Few hours yet..." Jack typed in a few commands and lowered the monitor. "...it'll notify me when they're done. Let's go."

He stood up and kissed Ianto and they headed for the door.
"I'm sorry about the ambush. But I figure you'd make a huge argument out of it if I'd asked."
"You are right about that."
"But it wasn't so bad, was it?"
"No...not as such, but I'm uncomfortable with the bowing."

"I knew that... I told you..."
"Yeah but now they've also taken to calling me tad...did you know that?"
"Umm...I'm not sure we can do anything about that. They think of authority figures as parents or elders...you're certainly NOT an elder...and since we're umm, together I guess they figure tad is an appropriate title."
"I'm not happy about it most of them are older than me."

"Cheer up...could be worse, they might've called you mam instead."
Ianto stopped in his tracks and glared at Jack when he turned to face him.
"Not even remotely funny, Harkness."
"Sorry."
"Yeah...you seem to be saying that a lot lately and it's coming too easily. I'm beginning to doubt your sincerity."

Jack walked back to Ianto and took his face in his hands.
"Don't ever doubt that I love you, Ianto. I may still be stupid and reckless and occasionally make an error in judgment but I would never deliberately hurt you."
"I know that Jack, but loving me does not give you carte blanche to make decisions for me, remember that."
"I will, I'm sorry."
They returned to the suite and got ready for the pirate themed dinner.

The large ballroom had been made over with models large and small of sailing ships from many worlds and times. Ianto walked around the room amazed as Jack explained the origins of some of the ships represented.

Ianto didn't know which was more entertaining the decorations or the costumed participants.

Most of the rift children were dressed in some type of pirate costume a lot of them using the Earth 18th century type pirates as a model. Everywhere were pirate hats, eye patches, cutlasses and simulated peg legs. There was more than one shoulder that bore a parrot and a couple that even had small stuffed monkeys.

Everyone was laughing and admiring each other's costume and Ianto had all he could do to keep from falling down laughing when he heard the very dour appearing Bryn, who was sporting a hook painted on his right claw greet everyone with a growled 'Arrrrgh'.

The dinner was well underway when Jack's vortex manipulator started beeping frantically. Jack held his arm in his lap so no one else could see and started pushing buttons. Then he pushed back from the table.

"I'll be back, Ianto." He started for the door. Ianto moved quickly to follow him.
"Where are you going?"
"I've got to go to my office, something's happening with that device I was running the scan on and I don't like it."
"I'll come with you."
Jack spun on him. "No...you, you stay here. Look I don't know what's going on, it looks like it's building a charge."

Jack took off and started to run towards the tunnels to the hidden base. Ianto stopped for a second before he ran back into the ballroom and smack into Sarian who'd seen Jack and he leave in a hurry.

"Ianto?"
"Sarian, something's wrong. Jack was running a scan on one of the pieces that was waiting to be archived. He just got a signal that looks like the thing is going to explode."
"Which item was it, do you know?"

"I don't remember what he called it but he thought it was a power pack for a weapon."
"I know the one...we thought it was Bortras technology."
"Yes!"
"Wait here a second." Sarian turned back to the ballroom and started to shout.

"YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!! I need the immediate response team now everyone else is on standby and NO ONE is to go into Cartref until cleared by myself or the director."

The audience hushed immediately and around twenty people including Blodwen and Dai ran towards Sarian.

Sarian took out his PDA and started accessing the Cartref mainframe.
"Father was running a scan on that piece we picked up in Tenby. According to Ianto he said it looks like it may explode. Father has gone in to try to stop it. Please prepare for possible disaster deployment for search and rescue."

No one spoke but they moved quickly across the ballroom foyer and headed for the Cartref base. Blodwen stayed with Ianto and Sarian.
"Blodwen, anything?" Sarian looked to the tiny woman who was standing stock still and staring into space.

FATHER?
not now, baban. i'm busy.
WHERE ARE YOU?
heading for the fourth level archive...nearly there... is everyone clear?
THE IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TEAM...
is NOT to come onto base...everyone is out i think. i told them to evacuate.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
try to discharge it safely.
FATHER,IT'S NOT WORTH IT.
not now blodwen.
IANTO IS...
ianto is to stay in the hotel...you ALL are.
FATHER...
please baban keep him safe. don't let him try to...

Blodwen dropped to the floor unconscious as the ground under their feet trembled. Ianto paled and turned towards the foyer where the immediate response team had taken off at a run towards the Cartref base.

He looked down to where Sarian was lifting Blodwen from the floor as the rest of the rift children started out of the ballroom. He broke into a dead run towards the underground tunnels to the base.

Blodwen awoke with Enid and Carys and the two infants next to her, the ballroom was otherwise empty.

"Blodwen are you alright?" Enid asked. Carys was rocking the cradle where the two infants lay side by side with tears running down her face. The babies having picked up on their caregiver's anxiety were restless and crying.

"It's taddy...he's ..."
"Shhh, sweetling you know he will be alright." Carys laid a hand on her.
"That's not happened before, has it?" Enid asked
"No, he's never...died...while we were connected before..." She lost her composure and began to sob. Enid pulled her tightly into a hug.

"You need to take a few deep breaths and relax. Try reaching out to him again." Blodwen wiped her face with the frilly sleeve of her pirate shirt and did as Enid suggested.
"No...there's nothing."
"Perhaps he's shielding?" Carys asked hopefully
"No...if he shields I can feel the shield. There is nothing at all."

Enid nodded. "Carys and I must stay with the babies; they can sense the family's distress. You must go to Cartref and help Sarian. They may need assistance in finding him if there is much destruction. But go calmly, sister...do not broadcast your distress to the others. Despair will not aid in locating him."

Blodwen took several deep breaths and got to her feet. She kissed both Enid and Carys and ran as fast as her short legs would carry her towards the tunnels. Enid and Carys hugged each other and waited.

***

In the tunnels to the Cartref base the immediate response team was deploying remote controlled sensors that they had retrieved from one of the team's vehicles.

The remote sensor module was a little larger than a cricket ball and reminded Ianto of the antigravity light Jack had used in the 'Playroom' back in Cardiff. According to Sarian this one had not only light but optics and audio sensors as well. Two of them were now being deployed through the tunnels and everyone was watching the monitor screens.

Sarian refused to allow anyone to enter the tunnels closest to the Cartref base until reassured there was no danger of collapse. Although the Cartref base was reinforced the extent of the damage from the explosion was not known.

Gethin the Creteven with the four arms who knitted so fabulously was by trade an architect and Eurig Owens the very small yellow Zocci-Vinvocci hybrid was an engineer and both had had a hand in the design and construction of the Cartref base. They were closely watching the progress of the sensors and directing the controllers to look to certain structural features.

"Just let me go in and look...this is taking too long." Ianto was pacing and raking his hands through his hair.
"No, Ianto...no one goes in until we are certain there is no danger of collapse. Please, I know you're upset...we all are. Try to be patient, he'd never forgive either of us if anyone went in and got hurt." Sarian stood behind Gethin and Eurig and was listening to their conversation.

Eurig and Gethin conferred briefly in what sounded like Welsh to Ianto and then turned to Sarian and spoke in English.
"The tunnels look structurally sound on the surface although it will take ultrasonic inspection to be sure. We think they're okay right up to the main control room, so we'd like to stage from there, director."

"Please do..." Sarian answered and then spoke to everyone present "...tunnels look sound, we are going to move ops base to the main door...no one goes in..." Sarian looked directly at Ianto "...and I mean NO ONE goes in, until we examine further. Blodwen, anything?"
"No, director...nothing... I keep calling, but there is no answer." She trembled and looked like she was about to burst into tears. Mari, Gethin's human wife wrapped her arm around her and pulled her close to comfort her.

The immediate response team picked up and headed for the door to the Cartref base which looked intact. Gethin and Eurig examined the doorframe and nodded giving Sarian the okay to open the door.

When the control room door was opened the results of the explosion could finally start to be seen. The large screen mounted on the wall was cracked in half and anything that had been on a desk was on the floor including monitors and keyboards. The etched glass wall had fallen into a million tiny pieces on the floor and a few ceiling panels were down. Dust motes formed when the air pressure changed with the door opening.

"Daff, see if any of the internal monitors are working; Bryn, Delphine, Eirys see if you can get any of the internal systems up, I want CCTV of all the levels. Where's Carys... we need to know about the condition of the mainframe?" Sarian started to organize the disarray.

"Carys is with Enid and the babies." Dai responded
"I'll go help Enid so Carys can come; I'm not much use to you here anyway." Mari volunteered and headed for the door to the tunnels.
"Thank you, Mari...keep the children in the hotel, until we know that everything here is okay."
"Yes, director." She headed for the tunnels.

Ianto assisted in setting up a couple of monitors and watched as the stations brought up CCTV on the various levels. Eurig and Gethin moved from one monitor to another, assessing the damage that could be seen on the other levels.

"First level is sound, director. Superficial damage only nothing looks structurally unstable."
"Thank you Geth..." Sarian turned to Eurig "...How about the elevators?"
"I would not suggest they be used until further detailed examination can be completed."
"Noted, thank you Eurig...Bryn, what about the stairwells?"
"I am trying to bring up CCTV in the North stairwell now, director. It appears some of the cameras may be down." Bryn replied from across the room at a terminal.

Sarian then addressed the entire group.
"Give me what you can...I want a rescue team ready to go as soon as we determine the safety of the stairwell."

Ianto felt like he was having a nightmare...watching and powerless to do anything to move proceedings forward. Dai came up beside him and put his hand on Ianto's arm. Ianto looked down at the hand before looking up into Dai's face.

"Ianto please sit down, you look like you're going to pass out..."
"I'm fine."
"No you really aren't." Blodwen came up on the other side.
"Father will be fine, we all know that."
"That doesn't make it easier, Blodwen."
"No, it doesn't...but you're transmitting so much distress I find it very hard to sense anything else past it...if he's unconscious or comes back weakened I may not be able to sense him."

"I'm sorry... I can't help it...we need to find him." Ianto started for the control room exit. He suddenly found his way blocked by the very large Delphine looming in the doorway.
"Tad, please wait until the director gives us the all clear...we cannot chance any injury to you...father would never forgive us." She smiled gently at him.

Ianto grabbed at his head in frustration.
"Sarian... I want answers...is the stairway intact or not?" Ianto practically shouted.
Sarian looked to Eurig who was sitting next to Daff at one of the monitors.
"Yes director the stairway seems intact and undamaged down to the fourth level. However we cannot bring up any of the CCTV for the fourth level."

"What about under that?"
"CCTV is responding everywhere else director except for the fifth level north archive..."
"So we can assume there is damage at least to the fifth level archives as well. Bryn, I need to know if there is anything dangerous in either the fourth or fifth level north archives that could have been compromised as a result of the explosion."

All around him, each one of the rift children and their significant others all assumed their Torchwood Five personas and started working trying to determine the threat level. The activity just made Ianto feel all that more helpless.

"Please, Sarian... I need to go look for him."
"No, Ianto...not yet. Believe me we want to get to him just as much as you do. We just have to make sure no one else gets hurt in the process."

Across the room, Eirys had brought up the archive listing for the two levels and called Sarian to her station.

Most of the rest of the people in the room went to look or were otherwise occupied working on restoring services. Carys entered and took up a station to assess damage to the mainframe and several more were assisting her.

Ianto looked around the room and walked casually to the doorway then when he got to the hallway he ran for the stairway. He palmed the sensor for the door to the stairwell and entered taking the steps down in leaps while hanging onto the handrails. He stopped before the door to the fourth level and took a deep breath.

"I'll find you, Jack hold on." He palmed the scanner for entry and tried the door. When it didn't open he yanked at it with a frustrated growl.
"DAMMIT...OPEN!"
He turned as the troops came down the steps en masse.

"I locked you out, Ianto...we needed to make certain it's safe..." Sarian touched the comm in his ear "...Delphine, you can release the fourth level stairway door...sorry Ianto, Delphine noticed you were missing and secured the door." Sarian handed Ianto a respirator "...you'll need this, the air cycling system isn't working down here and there is a lot of dust from the explosion."
"Open the door." Ianto put the respirator on and waited.

"No...the sensors go first...we'll need the light and it may help us..." Sarian stopped before finishing the sentence but Ianto knew how it ended. Find the body or what's left of it.
"Do it." Ianto stood aside and waited.
Sarian nodded and the door released. Members of the immediate response team sent in the two sensors one after the other and the controllers moved up with the monitors so Sarian and Ianto could see.

The hallway was dark and the air was still thick with dust. The sensors panned in every direction before moving, one high and one low.
"Do we have ears?" Sarian asked.
"Yes director. I'll adjust the volume."

With the volume on high, the sounds of settling concrete and rocks could be heard along with the occasional shattering of glass. Some of the walls had buckled and all of the ceiling tiles and the lighting were hanging down or already on the floor.

"Geth, Eurig...assessment?"
"Hard to know, director...it's too dark and there's still so much dust. We suggest another team go to the fifth level and try to assess the ceiling and walls. There may be some light and less dust so we may be able to tell if there is damage to load bearing walls and the floor supports for level four."

Sarian turned to a member of the immediate response team.
"Get another sensor or two and go to the fifth level north for a sweep. Eurig, go with them. I need a report NOW, people. Blodwen?"
"Still nothing, director but it's so hard to tell." She looked down embarrassed and obviously distressed that she was having trouble.

"I'm sorry, Blodwen." Ianto said softly.
Sarian patted him on the shoulder.
"It's alright, Ianto...we understand, really. We're all distressed...keep trying Blodwen."
She nodded and Ianto smiled apologetically at her.

Sarian was suddenly distracted and touched his ear.
"Report?...anything else you can see?"
Ianto suddenly realized that Sarian was listening to a report from either the control room or the fifth level assessment team.

"Do you have another comm link?" He asked Sarian who turned and motioned to another team member who then turned and retrieved another earpiece from a tactical box. Ianto immediately placed the device in his ear and heard multiple voices all speaking in a language he could not understand. He leaned toward Sarian.

"What are they saying, I can't understand...is that Standard?"
"Yes, sorry Ianto. Cartref protocols all require unscrambled communications to be in Standard. That way we don't have to worry about anyone overhearing anything they shouldn't." He touched his comm and said something he assumed to Carys because he heard her name although the remainder of the conversation could not be understood.

"Very good, thank you Carys...attention everyone...Carys has determined that the mainframe has not been compromised and she is scrambling comm signals. It is now safe to use English for communication over the comms."
"Thank you." Ianto looked relieved.

They listened via the comms as the team deployed to the fifth level performed a quick safety assessment.
"Director, the fifth level appears sound up to the weapons lab. The ceiling is down from there and I cannot tell if it is stable or not. I suggest approaching only as far as the first provisional archive and advise caution."

"Noted...thank you....okay, we're going to proceed cautiously here people. Where're Fflur and Rhosyn?"

Fflur Jenkins stepped out of the crowd; Ianto had seen her before but had not as yet met her. She was humanoid but obviously not human. Her long arms and legs were oddly jointed and her head was very large. Ianto's original impression was of the typical Roswell alien stereotype except for two features. Her large eyes were a deep blue and she had an elongated, almost muzzle like nose. She walked up to Sarian.

"Fflur, I want you and Rhosyn to go in...it will be difficult with so much dust in the air...see if you can get any scent."
Fflur nodded "Yes, director."
"Rosy?" Sarian looked down at his executive chef. "Will you be alright doing this?"
"I will be fine, director."
The door was opened and the two women stepped into the dusty darkness.

"Sarian? What's going on why are you sending a chef in there?"
"Ianto, Rhosyn is an Androgum...they are some of the best blood trackers in the known universe. Her taste and smell senses are extraordinary. That's why she's such an excellent cook. Fflur is Nifftee...from Polla Azuris they also have an exceptional sense of smell. I want them to go in to see if they can locate him before we go in disturbing everything and possibly causing him any additional injuries or deaths. They'll go in...see if they can locate a blood scent and hopefully that will help us find him."

Rhosyn and Fflur were handed torches and the sensor orbs were brought back towards the door to aide their search.
Rhosyn was so nervous she was practically quivering, Ianto took her hand.

"I'm going in with them..."
"Ianto, no you are not." Sarian spoke softly
"You can't stop me, Sarian."
"Ladies...let's go find him."

Fflur stepped into the hallway first followed by Ianto and Rhosyn. Fflur raised her face and sniffed the air...then sneezed violently, twice. Rhosyn squeezed Ianto's hand and turned her head from one side to the other and stepped out in front of Fflur.

As if inspired by the two women, Ianto took a deep breath and also sneezed, then coughed.
"Sorry, I have no idea what I thought I would smell."
Fflur smiled at him, he guessed (it was really hard to tell) and then they moved further into the hall. Ianto was calmer now that he felt like he was doing something.
"Rhosyn, anything?"
"Nothing yet...Fflur?"
Fflur tilted her muzzle slightly. "Dust...a lot of dust...the lighting circuits are fried...I can smell the circuit liquid."

Rhosyn had stopped and turned back towards Fflur but froze suddenly and opened her mouth.
"I've got him." She spun back away from them and took another step forward, then opened her mouth again. She started moving.

Ianto caught up quickly. "Where?"
"Ianto, there's blood...a lot of blood."
Fflur followed them both and stopped.
"Rosy?"
Rhosyn went back to her. Fflur started to speak rapidly in Welsh; the only word Ianto could make out was 'tad'.
Rhosyn replied also in Welsh and Ianto knew they were trying to keep something from him.
"Rhosyn...Fflur...what's going on? You're not telling me something, what is it?"

***

"Ianto, there is a great deal of blood and it seems spread over a wide area...we may be finding body parts instead of a body." Rhosyn was mostly composed but a couple of tears escaped her eyes.

Ianto swallowed and said nothing but started further down the hall holding the torch out in front of him. The two alien women spoke in hushed tones and then Fflur spoke to Sarian in Standard over the comms.

Sarian turned to Dai "We'll need to retrieve as much as we can find, Dai...can you get a containment unit?"
"Yes, director." Dai raced away in the direction of the med lab.

"I want light in that corridor. Collect every hover lamp we have. I want them all, now."
Three members of the immediate response team bowed and were gone in seconds.

"Blodwen..." Sarian put a hand on her and bent down "...this is going to be very difficult for all of us, but especially for you and Ianto. This has happened before I've seen it, but not since you were newly arrived and very small. I'm going to be blunt...we collect all the...pieces...and put them together. He will still come back, however it will take longer and be very painful. It will cause you a great deal of distress and Ianto will be in worse emotional shape than he is now. Will you be able to handle it? I hate to do it but I can have both of you sedated until it's over if necessary. I know you and father have a unique connection and I'm not certain how much psychic trauma there will be for you while it's happening."

"I think I can... I can... I WANT to try, director. I need to be able to help Ianto get through this. I want to try at least."
Helen came up next to Blodwen.
"I can give both of you something to help take the edge off, it may be best for Ianto anyway."

While the discussion was ongoing, the team returned with the hover lamps and Dai came back with a box and started to hand out plastic bags to several of the emergency response team. Sarian turned to address the troops.

"This is not going to pleasant for any of us. I want volunteers...this is no longer search and rescue. We know father is currently dead and we are going to retrieve as many...pieces...as possible. Helen, Dai...choose a couple of volunteers. We are not going in force...the rest of you, we're going to need to have this rubble cleared so we can start repairing any damage. Please proceed with caution, anything you come across you don't recognize...stop and call for assistance. Bryn, you and Delphine and Edwin get started on containment for recovered and possibly damaged archive items... Carys, I want you to set up a linked station here and on the fifth level to coordinate the identification and assignment of archive items." Carys responded through the comm and the team members went into action.

Helen and Dai chose their 'biological retrieval' team which consisted mostly of the medical or medically inclined rift children including all the veterinarians. The immediate response team returned with several boxes of hover lamps and set them by the door. The biological retrieval team picked up plastic bags and torches and headed into the hallway.

Ianto was still standing with Fflur and Rhosyn when Helen and Dai and their teams came into the hallway.

"What's happening?" He looked around him as the members moved passed him and started picking their way through the rubble. Blodwen and Sarian came into the hallway and Sarian spoke to him as Blodwen laid a small hand on his arm.

"Ianto...we need to retrieve...as much as we can find. He will still come back it just will take a little longer. Helen and Dai are taking care of it. Come back and wait with us."
"What? I have to find him..."
Sarian took a deep breath and tried to compose himself.
"Ianto...there is no HIM right now...there's just pieces. There won't BE a HIM again until we collect all those pieces and wait...please don't make this any harder than it is already."

Ianto stopped and looked Sarian in the face, then Blodwen and all around him at the other rift children AND their significant others all in operational mode. On their faces he saw the raw distress he had been too focused to see before and realized he wasn't the only one suffering here. These people all loved Jack as well; some for longer than Ianto had been alive and they were all distraught. His better angels spoke to him and he laid his hand on Blodwen's cheek as he spoke.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I got so caught up in my own needs that I forgot you all love him as well."

Relief was written all over Sarian's face.
"We have another unique problem Ianto and I would like you to handle it."
"What?... if there's anything I can do."

"Blodwen has a very special link with father... and that is going to put her under a great deal of stress when he starts...um, healing. I've seen this once before...a long time ago, she hadn't formed the link with him at that time and even then it was ...difficult for her..."

"Sarian, I'll be fine." Blodwen's hands were in fists at her side.
"Well if you are then you can help keep Ianto's anxiety down."
"I'll be fine, Sarian." Ianto was only slightly more composed than Blodwen.

Sarian looked exasperated and threw up his hands.
"Well then you can be fine...together...and if either of you... needs someone, then you have the other. Helen can provide a sedative or any anti-anxiety medication for you, Ianto."
"Wait...what about Blodwen?"
"Those drugs don't work well on me, Ianto."

Ianto turned to her. "Do you feel it every time he dies?"
"Thankfully, no...he's never died when we were connected or in close proximity until now. If I'm close enough that he can sense me and there's danger, he shields...this is something I've never had to deal with before."
"You did...once, right after he found you...when you first came to us. I thought you were going to die too..." Sarian shook his head sadly "...you didn't have a well established link then, you'd only been here a few weeks. It was...difficult...even then."
"So you have no idea how it's going to be for her this time?"

"None." Sarian touched his comm when Carys called to report.
"Director, the BBC is reporting an earthquake centered in the Gower peninsula area...4.5 on the Richter scale."
"Any local damage?"
"Minimal damage reported so far...a few injuries, no deaths."

"ONE death." Ianto mumbled and Blodwen squeezed his hand.
Elain came back out of the hallway and spoke softly in Standard to one of the other emergency response team who then took off up the stairs at a run. She glanced at Ianto, looked quickly away and moved immediately back into the corridor.

"What's happening, Sarian?"
"The retrieval team is asking for a Vellandite container...that's a container we use for storing biological materials."
"Why, so secret they need to use Standard to communicate?"

Sarian took a deep breath and turned to Ianto.
"They were trying to spare your feelings, Ianto. They've located some...larger body parts and don't want to try to bag them. The container just makes the most sense it's closed and watertight."
Ianto looked around, as much distress as they were all in they were still being deferential to him and he'd had about enough of it. He flicked his comm on so everyone could hear.

"Can I get everyone's attention for a minute?..." he stepped away from Blodwen and directly in front of the door. The immediate response team and those members of the retrieval team that were in proximity to the door came closer.

"...While I DO appreciate what you are trying to do...in regards to the current retrieval of..." he swallowed hard "...body parts. You need to understand I am first and foremost a Torchwood operative...there isn't a lot I haven't seen in my time at Three and before that at One. Your sensitivity is admirable but unnecessary. I am not some delicate flower who is going to swoon into a faint at the sight of his blood. I've cleaned up...bits...of him before, right off his coat...so there is no need to whisper or hide things to try to spare my feelings. Let's just get it over with, yeah?"

Around him, various members of the family nodded in agreement and resumed the gruesome task at hand. Four members struggled down the last of the steps with the Vellandite container which to Ianto looked like a large Styrofoam cooler more than any sort of alien technology. Once at the bottom step, a touch on the side deployed wheels that were built in and the container was pushed into the corridor for easy access by the retrieval team.

Ianto looked down at Blodwen who was trying to be stoic in the face of so much distress being emitted by her siblings.
"Blodwen, would it be easier on you to be further away?"

She shook her head sadly. "There is so much distress right now; it hardly matters where I am. I can shield from this, Ianto...I already have...you for some reason are the most difficult to block...we will need to discuss that and perhaps perform some testing on you after this is over. No, I'm fine right now; I suspect that will change once father... starts...to come back."
"Alright...but if you need to be elsewhere, let me know." He smiled gently and noted to himself that she'd yet to let go of his hand.

Over the next several hours the pieces of Jack were carefully retrieved and other teams had begun to clear the rubble and restore order to the archives and other parts of the base that had been damaged.

Helen and Dai followed the Vellandite container out of the hallway and reported to Ianto and Sarian.
"We've found everything we can, director. We'll take him to the med bay and wait there. Hopefully when...it starts, we can do something to assist...at least ease his pain."
"Pain?..." Ianto looked at Helen "...how much pain?"
Sarian answered his question "As I remember from the last time there was a lot of it, Ianto."

"Is there anything you can do for it?"
Helen answered him this time "I have some ideas. We don't know if they'll work; but we're going to try."
Sarian nodded "Please do anything you can for him... let me know if there is anything we can do."
"Yes, director." Helen and Dai followed the group struggling to get the container up the stairs to the upper levels.

Sarian touched his comm "Eurig...any word on the elevators as yet, this would be easier if we had at least one running."
"You'll have the south bank in a few minutes, director. The north bank shafts will require physical inspection before we will authorize their use."

"Understood. Please make that a priority; it will make clearing the rubble easier. We can begin cleanup down here now, we'll add another shift to the rotation. This will have to be a working Awst now folks. I want the archivists to check every container of rubble that is taken out of either level; the video catalog needs to be available to all, Carys. Bryn, see that everyone is issued a PDA and assigned a rotation."
"Sarian, Blodwen and I are going to the med bay."
"Understood, please let us know if you need anything."

Ianto nodded and he and Blodwen started to climb the steps.

***

Helen and Dai had chosen to place Jack in the bed of a chamber designed for aquatic life forms.
The coffin-like container was watertight and would aid their plan to fill it with a saline gel once Jack began reforming. They hoped by adding a viscous, saline gel that contained anesthetics Jack's return would be less painful then the last time this had occurred which Helen remembered in great detail.

Helen and Dai were bent over the container carefully placing all the pieces of Jack that had been found into the container. They declined any help from the others in order to minimize everyone else's distress, but Ianto suspected that Dai would be holding little Haf and Carys a lot closer when he finally returned to them.

Their gory task complete, they consulted over the best drug to use and started adding the saline gel and anesthetic as soon as they saw changes in the gore in the bed. Sarian had called to report the additional body pieces they had recovered and were going to bring to the med bay had virtually dissolved into nothing before their eyes.

"That means it's really starting..." Helen turned to Ianto and Blodwen "...it's not going to be...comfortable from here on out. Are you both sure you want to stay?"

"Yes because it's been so very pleasant right up until now..." Ianto grumbled and looked into Helen's eyes then Dai's "...sorry, it's just getting to me how everyone is trying to spare my feelings. I'm staying...Blodwen?"

"I'll stay as well..." before everyone in the room started to protest she held up a hand "...I may be able to help once the process is further along...and in a worst case scenario if it affects me badly I'll already be in the med bay..." She smiled up at Ianto before looking at Dai then Helen "...I will let you know as soon as I sense anything from father."

Helen returned to the monitor and Dai added a small round disc to the inside of the container.
"We're going to be monitoring temporal activity as well; we were unable to do so the last time this happened. It may help us in the future should this happen again."

Ianto and Blodwen sat down and waited. Sometime after that Helen and Dai began working frantically at the terminal.

"What's happened?" Ianto looked up anxiously then stood and walked to the monitoring station. Looking over the shoulders of Dai and Helen Ianto could see the gory pieces beginning to coagulate into a rough log shape.

Every time he blinked when he opened his eyes another area became more human shaped. He managed to keep his eyes open long enough to see a femur form amidst the bloody rubble and then blinked away tears. Then he tried to convince himself the tears were from forcing himself not to blink, he most certainly was NOT crying.

Blodwen was sitting in a comfortable chair and looked for all the world like she was asleep. Ianto decided not to disturb her in case she was managing to get some rest.

Helen looked up at him and took his hand.
"It'll be fine, Ianto...just be patient."

As the musculature started to gather on the reforming skeleton Ianto tried NOT to think of the growing mass of blood and guts as Jack. It was a little easier that way and so far that strategy had been working. But when the essential framework was complete and the internal organs started to fill in the gaps, the mass started to move more and Ianto felt his gorge rising.

The more 'it' moved the more 'it' became 'Jack' and as the organs were complete the body squirmed in the saline gel now tinted pink with fresh blood. A skinless, bloodied, featureless Jack began moving around more in the gel and Dai and Helen debated lowering the level so that Jack would not breathe the anesthetic gel.

Ianto wavered between fascination and horror. He'd seen Jack come back before, had seen wounds heal right before his eyes, but he'd never seen him come back from this kind of devastation; he couldn't NOT watch.

As Jack's features developed evidently so did his consciousness. His lidless eyes opened and he began to scream, his first several breaths were taken under the saline gel and he panicked trying to rise from it.

Ianto was in a near panic himself.
"He's drowning...lower the level..." When neither Helen nor Dai moved quickly enough, Ianto went over to the container and lifted the skinless, hairless, earless head out of the warm gel with his hands, eliciting another scream at the touch on highly sensitized nerve endings. Ianto looked down into lidless, unfocused blue eyes and started to shake as the tears ran down his own face.

The gel level was decreasing, but slowly and the slime on his hands, some of it gel most of it Jack's hairless scalp was causing the head to slip through his hands.

Everyone was aware of when Jack finally regained full consciousness because both he and Blodwen produced a blood curdling scream that made Ianto want to slap his hands over his ears.

Once the screaming started it continued. Dai was at Blodwen's side while Helen still monitored Jack. Ianto wept freely, his hands still occupied he dripped tears onto Jack's macerated head.

"Jack!...Jack!...I'm here...you'll be fine....shhhh, I know it hurts but you'll be fine. Look at me, Jack..."
Jack's screaming stopped when he looked into Ianto's face, Blodwen's did not.

Ianto watched as Jack's hair, ears, eyelids and nose formed and he took a quick look to make sure all the 'other parts' in which he had a vested interest were also back as they should be.

Jack stopped struggling when he stopped screaming and Ianto was so relieved at that he continued to cry. As the perfect skin finished forming over the perfect limbs, the gel was completely drained and Helen came into the bay with warmed blankets and towels and handed one to Ianto.

She leaned into the pod and spoke to him.

"Welcome back, Jack...I'm going to release the sides of the pod so we can get you dry and warm...try not to move, let us do all the work."

The sides released she and Ianto quickly dried Jack off as best they could and covered him with warm blankets. Ianto looked away long enough to realize that not only had Blodwen stopped screaming but she was also nowhere to be seen. A quick glance into the next bay revealed why. Dai had picked her up and carried her into the next bay and was hooking her up to monitors. She looked either asleep or unconscious.

Helen slid a chair into the backs of Ianto's knees and he reflexively sat down and took Jack's hand. When a touch didn't get a pain response Helen attached a single electrode to Jack's chest, smiled at him and stroked his cheek then spoke.

"You rest up... I'll get you some water. Are you alright, Ianto?"
Ianto nodded and smiled "I'm better now."
Helen smiled "I'm going to bring in another bed...so we can make him a little more comfortable and get some rest."

She left the room and returned in a moment with a regular med bay bed and together they managed to transfer Jack. She pushed the pod out into the hallway and returned with additional warm blankets; tucking Jack up like a small child.

Ianto knew that dying exhausted Jack and the messier the death the more time it generally took him to recover. The fact that Jack had yet to even speak just proved it.

Helen produced an oddly shaped bottle and pressed the spout to Jack's lips. At first there was no response until she squeezed it a little and the water entered his mouth. Once Jack realized what he was supposed to do he began sucking greedily.

Helen looked at Ianto, "Here, he needs fluids...I'll get another bottle. This should be easier than feeding Morgan." She smiled.
Ianto took the bottle and held it in place as Jack sucked almost continually.
"Easy, Jack...there's plenty...not so fast you'll get sick."

Ianto was appalled but Jack managed to finish the litre bottle in no time and seemed to be looking for more. Helen returned with another cold bottle of water and he traded off.
"He'll be very thirsty for a while...there's plenty just keep offering it to him."
"Won't he get sick from so much water?"

"No...the more...extensive the injuries the more he seems to need fluids. I've never seen him get sick from them."
"Okay..." Ianto raked his fingers through the again perfect hair and smiled down. Jack still stared at him but didn't smile or speak. When the bottle he was holding was empty Ianto spoke. "I'm just going to get some more water, I'll be right back."

He stepped out of the med bay and spoke to Helen who was at the monitoring station.
"Is Blodwen alright?"
"We aren't sure, Ianto...she's still unconscious."
"He hasn't spoken yet...that's a little disconcerting."
"I find that just like with the fluids...the more...messy the death the longer it takes him to get back to himself. He's still a little scrambled. See...here are his brainwaves now..." she brought up a split screen with a file. "...here are his typical brain waves. Just give him some time; he'll be fine."

"I'm sorry I don't mean to question everything...it's just he's usually so talkative even right after he comes back."
"I remember the last time this happened...it was almost 24 hours before he could manage to string together a whole sentence. Count your blessings because as soon as he CAN speak he's going to start demanding to get out of bed."

Ianto laughed "You're probably right about that. Please let me know as soon as you know something about Blodwen. I suspect that's going to be the first question he asks when he can speak."
"You're right about that."
Ianto picked up another bottle and headed back into the room. Jack appeared to be asleep; but as soon as the spout touched his lips he began to suck again.

An hour later, Ianto was dozing in the chair next to the bed and Jack appeared asleep. Helen and Dai were again side by side at the monitoring station but now Sarian sat with them and they watched two different sets of vital signs. Jack had not shown any signs of waking as yet but his brain waves showed he was in slow wave sleep which Helen told Ianto was not uncommon for Jack after a nasty death.

Blodwen who also appeared to be asleep was being monitored as well although never having experienced this before where she could be monitored the physicians were flying blind as to interpretation of her brain waves. They monitored her vital signs closely.

Unfortunately they could only record her brain wave readings, compare them with her normal ones and hope for a chance to understand them in the future.

Enfys, who was one of the nurses from the Flat Holm facility woke Ianto carefully and motioned for him to come out of the room. He looked over to see that Jack was still asleep and followed her, rotating his head to work the kink from his neck.

Helen and Dai were still there but now they were sitting at a table eating, Helen indicated that he should sit next to her.

"I'm not really very hungry."
"Eat, Ianto...or I'll tell Jack when he wakes up."
"That's blackmail."
"Yes it is, now eat."

Enfys was manning the monitors and Ianto looked up and saw Sarian sitting with Blodwen.
"How's Blodwen?"
"No change, I'm afraid...Sarian's sitting with her. Her vitals are good...she just won't wake up."
Dai shook his head. "We're hoping that when father wakes up he can help us."
"How? Jack's not a physician."

"No, but he WAS connected to her when he died, so maybe he can reach her where we can't."
"Like an open circuit on a phone line."
"Exactly. So, we wait for father to wake."
"What's Sarian doing?"
Helen looked at Sarian and then back to Ianto.
"Pretty much the same thing you were doing in there. Sarian and Jack raised Blodwen. He's...concerned."

"What about Jack?" Ianto asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well if he and Sarian raised her isn't Jack going to be a bit upset as well?"

"No doubt, but he's also our best chance to help her because of that link with her. Even in my time we know very little about the Shinsaanan and even less about the Mendyrian and she is of mixed heritage. Jack and Sarian have the most experience with her but Sarian's race, the Tujortrian have no telepathic abilities."

"I wasn't aware that telepathic abilities in humans were all that developed either." Ianto was eating, although his heart really wasn't in it.
Helen answered him
"I'm from the 47th century Ianto there are a lot of differences between now and then. Jack is from the 51st century and a colony world to boot. Colony worlds always select and breed for abilities."

Dai added "And father was a time agent so he has certain additional...enhancements."
Ianto put down his fork.
"You all keep referring to the time agency like it's something taboo to discuss...why is that?"
Sarian came out of Blodwen's room and picked up a plate, then selected a few small sandwiches and sat down.

"Well for one because Jack would prefer not to discuss it, OR remember it." Sarian answered as he sat down.
"But why exactly IS that?"
"Because he left them and that's a chapter of his life he'd prefer closed."
"But why is it so hush-hush?"
"Because, Ianto people don't leave the Time Agency...he's kind of an anomaly." Dai answered.
"I just don't get it." Ianto shook his head.

"Agents...TIME agents...don't leave the agency...they just don't. The agency took two years of his memories...and don't ask why because only the agency knows...and he wanted them back or an explanation. When they gave neither, he left. We don't talk about the agency because it reminds him of those two missing years. You think he's broody during Awst? Then you don't want to be a witness to him brooding over that time of his life... it's painful for him, so we don't talk about it." Sarian answered.

"Besides..." Helen added "...the agency doesn't take kindly to its agents walking out on it, so we aren't entirely sure he isn't a wanted man."
"Okay, so I won't ask any more. I just hate secrets."

"So does father..." Dai said "...which is what bothers him so much about those two years. I mean it's not as if he doesn't have time to spare. Two years isn't a blink in the eye of what his life will be, but not knowing drives him a little nuts."

"The Time Agency and Time Agents are almost sacred where and when most of us are from. Both are highly regarded and revered, every annum millions apply for the agency and 99 percent are turned down. Even mopping their floors is a position held in high regard, agents are..." Sarian faltered.

"Rock stars?" Ianto offered.
Helen laughed, "Something closer to God than that, I'm afraid."
"Ahhh that would explain his ego, then." Ianto nodded, laughing.
"From what I hear compared to the rest he's almost shy and retiring." Helen added.

Dai said "It's quite a story to tell if you have even MET one...people will buy you a drink just to hear how you met a time agent once even if only in passing on the street."

"They are the stuff of legend and they always have been. Some of the reverence you see towards Jack is from that association. There are very few who are not aware of the agency...a part of their motto is 'known of'..." Sarian started.
"But not known." Dai finished. Sarian nodded.

"Everything they do is completely...covert is the only word I can think of. You never even know they are there; because just by revealing their presence they may disrupt the timelines. So...no one ever knows who they are."

"What about retired ones? Surely they will..."
"There ARE no retired time agents, Ianto...well, not that anyone including themselves ever knows about. Some legends say they are executed; some say they have mind wipes and go to work as farmers on some backwater colony. But in fact, no one knows what happens to them. We DO know Jack's an anomaly. And like Helen said we aren't entirely sure he isn't a wanted man, for escaping them alive with an intact memory...or mostly intact. Although there is little fear they would be able to kill him; they probably would put him away in some temporal envelope for the rest of eternity."

Enfys who had been standing by listening joined the conversation for the first time. "I think that perhaps the only thing worse than having eternity would be having it while isolated from the rest of the universe."

***

Ianto turned to respond and saw Jack sitting quietly on the side of his bed. He got up so quickly the chair he had been sitting in fell over behind him.

"JACK!" Ianto was the first to his side; a heartbeat later everyone else had joined him. Jack looked dazed and his eyes weren't quite... right. Helen lifted his chin and gazed at his face.
"Jack...how do you feel?"

He shook his head weakly but made no attempt to speak. His hands were limply lying on his lap and when Ianto took one of them in his there was only the barest of squeezes in acknowledgement.

"Let's get you back down, shall we. I don't think you're quite ready to be sitting up yet." Helen started to lift his legs to put him back into bed and he laid a hand on hers then tried to brush her hands off.

"Nnnnnn." Was more grunted than spoken.
"Jack you need to rest." Ianto offered. Jack just shook his head in response and resisted every hand laid on him.
Jack looked around the room as if looking for something.

"Jack?" Sarian asked leaning down to look into his eyes.
Jack reached up awkwardly and pulled off one of the facial appliances Sarian wore, flinging it across the room.
"Jack!" Ianto took Jack's hand as he reached to grab another.

"Jack, stop that." Ianto whispered. Jack's hand reached out to Sarian's face and a shaky index finger poked one of the sensory indentations typical of Tujortrian facial anatomy.
"Why is he doing that?" Ianto asked.
"Blodwen used to do the same thing when she first..." Sarian stopped speaking abruptly and looked at Helen.

Helen shouted at Enfys who was still in the monitoring station.
"Enfys, roll Blodwen's bed in here."
"No time for that, I'll get her." Sarian moved quickly to Blodwen's bed and scooped up the tiny woman, carrying her into Jack's room.

"Now what?" Ianto asked
Jack looked up and saw Sarian enter and with seeming great difficulty flopped his arms off of his lap and laid them palms up.

"Well, let's try this." Sarian sat on the bed next to Jack and draped Blodwen across both of their laps. Jack managed to bring an arm back up and across her body in a feeble attempt to pull her closer. Sarian pushed Blodwen's limp upper body up into Jack's shoulder and waited.

Jack leaned down and placed his lips to her head and closed his eyes.

Ianto saw that now very familiar golden glow begin where Jack's lips met Blodwen's head. The rest looked on wide eyed, only Helen had the forethought to grab a handheld monitor to see what was happening.

"What is that?" Enfys asked and everyone but Ianto shook their heads.
The golden glow expanded, engulfing both Jack and Blodwen's heads and Sarian started to reach out to try and touch it. Ianto stopped his hand.

"Don't..."
"But what is that?"
"I'm not sure." Ianto answered, tentatively.
"But what's he doing to Blodwen?" Dai asked.
"I don't know... I just get the feeling that whatever it is...it won't hurt her, or him."

The glow intensified, flaring for a second then died away and Jack slumped forward over Blodwen's body. Blodwen's eyes opened and she lifted a hand to stroke his cheek, smiling at Jack who again appeared to be either unconscious or asleep. Only the closeness of Dai and Sarian prevented the duo from falling onto the floor.

Blodwen climbed off her father's lap and helped ease him back onto the bed, then stroked his hair back from his forehead and kissed him.
"Blodwen are you alright?" Ianto asked.
"I am fine...now, thank you Ianto."

"What happened, Bloddy?" Sarian hugged her hard enough to crack ribs.
"It was like getting caught in a vacuum. We were connected when he died..."
"But you were okay after that." Ianto said.
"I was right up until the time his consciousness returned and I was feeling for him. He returned and..."
"You got hooked like a fish."
Blodwen considered the analogy briefly.

"Very close...I think perhaps getting caught in the undertow...like a riptide, is a better one. His consciousness came back when I was not prepared and with such a force that my mind was dragged into his. I'm just glad Sarian remembered that old trick and recognized it; I'm not sure I would have been able to get back on my own."

"You used to do that to me all the time when you were small...you'd lure me close, like you wanted to hug or kiss me then rip off an appliance and fling it across the room."

"It used to make you very cross..." Blodwen noted "...but it made father laugh. I liked your cross face almost as much as I liked his laugh. But I think he was laughing more at you being cross than at me." Blodwen kissed Sarian on the cheek.

Ianto looked over at Helen.
"How is he?"
"Now, his brain waves are normal for him and he's in a deep sleep."
"I think he will be for sometime. He was trying to help me get back to my own body. He used every bit of energy he could muster to keep me intact and isolated; he kept saying he was afraid of losing me in the dark. He wouldn't let go of my hand... mentally." Blodwen blushed slightly.

"But what was that glow?" Enfys asked.
"I think we just witnessed a consciousness being transferred, Enfys." Ianto responded.
Sarian and Dai nodded.

Then Helen assumed control.
"Enough, Blodwen...you get back into that bed..." she pointed at the bed in the other cubicle. "...Dai, you'd best let Carys know everything's okay or she will be beside herself and Haf will pick up on it. Sarian, you may sit with Blodwen, Ianto you may sit with Jack...but only for an hour then you have to go back to your room for some rest. Edwin, Andras or Bryn can run Cartref for a while, Sarian you also need some rest."

"What about you?" Ianto asked.
"I'm here for two more hours then Elain is coming to relieve me."

An hour later Rhosyn was sitting with Blodwen, they were holding hands and speaking softly. Edwin (Jack's mood ring alien) who was currently shaded a pale Mediterranean blue (he claimed it was a soothing color) was sitting with Jack and reading to him.

Ianto who was supposed to have gone back to the hotel suite, had gone instead to the director's office and was reclining on the couch with a cool flannel across his eyes. He occasionally lifted the flannel to peek at the large holographic projection that was being emitted by the coffee table next to him.

He'd brought up a view of Jack's cubicle in the med bay and was listening to Edwin reading Stranger in a Strange Land to Jack. He wondered at the choice of literature and would ask Edwin or Jack about it later. Edwin's voice stopped in mid sentence and Ianto removed the flannel and looked up. Edwin had moved to Jack's side and was leaning in and speaking very softly, and so was Jack. Ianto dropped the cloth and was out the door on his way to the med bay.

He practically skidded to a stop outside of the med bay doors, he wanted to enter with a little more dignity. He tugged at his waistcoat and entered casually.

Enfys was sitting at the monitoring station and smiled at him as he entered. Elain was in Jack's room with Edwin (who was still blue) they were standing either side of his bed. Ianto stopped at the door and Elain looked up.

"Well it looks like someone didn't follow Helen's orders. You got here much too quickly to have been in your suite. Looks like you have a visitor, father."

Edwin turned towards the door and smiled then walked towards Ianto still in the doorway. He paused briefly to whisper to Ianto before leaving the room.
"He asked for you as soon as he woke up." Edwin patted Ianto on the arm, bowed slightly and left the room smiling and becoming a sunny yellow color.

Ianto came up to the bedside and picked up one of Jack's hands.
"You scared us all, you know...why does there always have to be so much drama?"
Elain laughed "Welcome to the family, Ianto. Drama is our middle name, isn't that right, father."

Jack's eyes were only half open but he smiled and answered softly. "Most of the time...did you miss me?"
"Desperately, you and Blodwen terrified everyone with that little trick."
"How'ssmy baban?" Jack slurred.

Elain answered.
"She's fine, father...sleeping like you should be doing, but she's fine."
"Thanks to you." Ianto added.
"'S'my baban." Jack managed before his eyes closed completely. Ianto looked up at Elain who studied her hand held monitor.

"He's fine...just exhausted. He'll probably sleep for several more hours."
"I'll sit with him." Ianto pulled up the chair and sat down holding Jack's hand. He picked up the book Edwin had abandoned, opened it to where he'd left off and began to read.

Four hours later, Jack's eyes blinked open.
"Ianto?"
"I'm here." Ianto got up and leaned over the bed.
"How are you feeling now?"
"I'm fine...how's Bloddy?"
"She's fine, sleeping in the other cubicle. You scared everyone Jack."

"How bad was the damage?" Jack still sounded tired but was no longer slurring his words and could keep his eyes open.
"Well, you'd have to ask Sarian for a full report but the fourth level north archive was pretty badly damaged and there was some to the fifth level north as well. They were working on clearing the rubble and making a structural assessment last I heard."

"Good...any other injuries?"
"No, you got everyone out in time; you were the only casualty. I just don't understand what you thought you were going to be able to do."

"Exactly what I did...get everyone out and I did manage to bleed off the majority of the energy. That explosion would have taken out the entire hotel and a sizeable chunk of the Gower if I hadn't. That was only the residual energy; it was just at about five percent when it went; I'd already dumped the rest."

Ianto was wide eyed. "Good lord! It's a good thing you got there then we thought it was big as it was. I don't even want to think about what could have happened if you hadn't gotten to it in time."
"Me neither..." Jack sighed "...this facility was well constructed... I'm glad I didn't let Eurig and Gethin talk me out of the energy dampers for each archive. Everyone argued that they were unnecessary."

"I'm sure they will be very contrite." Ianto replied with a smile.
"Where're my clothes?"
"Jack, you got blown to bits...there are no clothes... but I'll go get some for you."
Elain walked into the room.

"Sarian is on his way over with some clothes for you, father. How are you feeling?"
"Surprisingly good for probably being a bag of bits a little while ago."
"More like a bucket." Ianto added.

Jack sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. When Elain raised a furry eyebrow and coughed he pulled the sheet across his lap.
"Sorry."
"Quite alright, father...here's Sarian now." Her ears twitched.

Sarian came through the door carrying a hanger and a package under his arm.

"Good to have you back, father. Here are your clothes." He handed the package and hanger off to Ianto and moved back to the cubicle door.

The touch of a hand on a panel next to the door and the formerly transparent walls became deep blue effectively screening Jack and Ianto in the cubicle while Jack dressed.

***

When he was finished dressing, Jack cleared the cubicle walls and emerged. Sarian and Elain were speaking softly by the monitoring station.

"Blodwen still asleep?" He asked Elain.
"Yes, director and I would prefer she remain that way for a while, if you don't mind."
"I agree...I'll be on comms, call me when she wakes up. I want to have a look at the damage. Sarian, shall we?"

Sarian bowed slightly to Elain and responded.
"Certainly, director... here are comms for you and Ianto." He handed them each an earpiece and they headed for the med bay door.
Sarian began his verbal report as they walked to the elevator.

Jack described what had actually happened and how devastating the explosion might have been had he not been able to bleed off most of the stored potential of the device. Sarian made a note on his PDA to amend the data about the item in case they ran into any more in the future.

Jack looked around at the rubble created by the explosion and shook his head.
"Those dampers did the trick. I want additional dampers installed in all the archives and storage levels."
"That's going to be an expensive retrofit, director." Sarian pointed out.
"When has the expense ever mattered, Sarian? There could have been lives lost here."

"Um, there WERE lives lost here, Jack." Ianto added.
"I mean...you know what I mean, Ianto."
"Yes, I do...and just because you come back doesn't make your death any less meaningful."
Jack stopped walking and turning to Ianto, kissed him.
"Thank you for that..." He turned back to Sarian "...When can we get a cost and timeline estimate, Sarian?"

"Well since Geth and Eurig are both here, it shouldn't be too long. Probably by Awst end, they're still waiting for the rest of the rubble to be cleared from both levels so they can run their integrity scans."
"Well, as much as I'd like to say double the shifts on rubble clearance it IS Awst..." Jack sighed.

"They work very hard all year so they can enjoy this week, director." Sarian added.
"... We've had enough drama for one Awst. Okay, but as soon as Awst ends I want every available hand on the damage control team working on this. I want this section back up and running by the end of September."

"Isn't that a little...optimistic?" Ianto asked.
"Not at all, we have the resources we just need to get them moving." Jack answered.
"I'll work out the details and you'll have a timeline for completion and rough costing by Awst end." Sarian made several notes on his PDA and they headed back up to the first level.

The main control room almost looked as if nothing had happened. Everything was clean and back in its place except for the etched glass wall and the huge screen monitor that was currently being replaced.

"We fortunately had a spare monitor but the wall will need to be replaced."
Jack nodded. "Order it and a back up monitor for that one and whatever else needs replacing. Did we get a damage assessment of the elevators yet?"
"Eurig and Geth are on it. Eurig wants to do an integrity scan on the moving parts first then he'll inspect the shaft."

Jack nodded "Good. Have Delwyn and Delyth work on the funding now. I don't want any delays because of that at least."
"Already noted, director." Sarian nodded.

Jack walked up behind Carys who was instructing Delphine on rerouting some of the computer feeds.
"Carys, how's the mainframe?"
"Fine director. We lost the cameras and network in the immediate area but nothing we can't easily repair or patch with the reconstruction."
"No patches...rerun the network. I don't want a chance of a sensor patch failing on a damper. I want clean installs."

"Yes director, I'll have the estimate on Sarian's desk in four hours."
"Carys, you have an infant. Enlist any help you need but Haf is your first priority always..." He placed a hand on her shoulder then kissed her cheek "...she won't be little for long, don't miss a moment of it. Since I want clean installs just reroute the current network temporarily. Get me some fresh biomatrix and I'll go visit mainframe later to start the grow."

"Yes, director I'll have Delphine assist me with the estimates and I'll go check the biostock."
Jack smiled "Good. Let me know when you're ready for me."
She nodded and sat down at a terminal.

"Start the grow?" Ianto asked.
"The mainframe is biological here much more than the one at Three. But here the entire network is also biological, we don't run cables so much as direct cellular growth. Patching means scar tissue and scar tissue is more difficult to work with. It's easier and cleaner for everyone to just amputate the affected area and grow a new network. We have specialized cells for that."
"Is it...painful... for the mainframe..." Ianto asked hesitantly "...I mean is it injured? Does it hurt?"

Jack smiled and wrapped his arm around Ianto's shoulder and then answered "It is an organism, Ianto and although it is biological it has no pain receptors. So it acknowledges the injury and then works around it. It isn't in pain. The mainframe itself also seems to prefer clean interfaces, we've done patches before and always lost functionality and responsiveness. We'll merely cut the specific network nodes away and begin growing new ones."

"The problem comes in when you have to seed the grow..." Sarian started to add but was shutdown by a look from Jack. Jack started to guide Ianto to the main door.

"Let's go get something to eat and show the troops I'm back. Otherwise they'll start to get nervous and all decide to visit us... at inopportune times. Carys let me know when you're ready. Sarian, you coming?"
Sarian nodded and joined them in the walk back to the Seren Wib.

The evening's events had come to a screeching halt with the explosion and since many had been working on the damage control teams the dinner had become a 'catch-as-catch-can' event. Jack had assured Ianto that practically all the rift children who weren't actively working on the recovery effort would be waiting in the dining room. Ianto wasn't sure he believed him until they walked in and heads turned in their direction.

The prior table arrangements had been completely changed, the head table now gone. A small crèche had been arranged in one of the darker corners. The two rocking chairs there were occupied by Carole, Siorus' human partner and Llinos each holding an infant and rocking. Ianto, Jack and Sarian were greeted by smiles. Andras guided them to an open table and called over one of the wait staff.

"Father, you must be hungry. I regret we cannot offer you much of a selection of meals at this time. Beef Borginioune or Salt Marsh lamb roast are your choices unless you'd prefer some of the more exotic fare."
"I'll have the lamb..." Jack said "...and Andras, no wine for me."
Andras nodded "Of course father...and you Ianto?"
"I'll have the same...and no wine for me either."
"Of course... Sarian?"
"I'll have the Beef, Andras and the red wine...thank you." Andras nodded at the waiter who poured water for all three and left immediately.

"I'm very glad you came, father...everyone has been asking about you."
"I know, Andras...I'm fine, just a little tired. I'm going to bed as soon as we've finished eating. Has everyone else been through?"
"Nearly...Blodwen of course has not and Rhosyn. But those who cannot leave Cartref have been delivered meals so you three are the last to dine."

"You should send meals to the med bay then dismiss the wait staff." Sarian said and Andras nodded and left.
"Maybe after we're done they'll all start heading back to their rooms. I'll make the kitchen self service." Sarian said. Jack nearly choked on his water.
"Rhosyn will kill you, if you do that."

"I know but it's so late if we want staff for tomorrow we need to do something. You know they won't leave." Sarian motioned around the room to indicate the other rift children.
"Well when we're done eating, I'll encourage them to return to their rooms until breakfast."
"It's nearly dawn now, breakfast isn't far off." Sarian laughed.

Jack started to work on his vortex manipulator.
"Appointments?" Sarian asked
"Yeah, do you know if there was anything urgent for today?"

"Nothing...although I think Celyn and Deryn were going to break their news to you."
"News?" Ianto asked as their plates were being put in front of them.
"Celyn is the one I told you about who was considering moving to Germany." Jack managed with a mouthful of food.

Sarian threw Jack a look and finished. "Celyn and Deryn have been quite an item. Celyn practically lives in Port Talbot now. They were going to ask for father's permission to bond."
Ianto turned to look at Jack "They have to ask you?"

Sarian laughed as Jack shoveled food into his mouth.
"No, Ianto they don't HAVE to ask but most prefer to." Sarian commented.
"I've never said no to family members bonding, it's only when there's an indigenous human involved that it gets tricky. But they all ask anyway." Jack said putting the last potato on his plate into his mouth. Andras who had been standing close by brought over another plate for Jack, and took the empty.

"Andras are Deryn and Celyn here now?"
"No, father they are both on duty."
Jack broke a dinner roll and buttered it, then shoved half into his mouth.
"Okay lesss leefndem nnn..."

Ianto dabbed at his mouth with his napkin and spoke. "Jack...it might be easier for us to understand what you're saying if you'd wait until your mouth is empty before you speak. Did they have no table manners in the fifty-first century?"
Sarian and even Andras started to laugh and Jack, adequately chided, chewed, swallowed and then spoke again.

"I said...let's leave them on for today, cancel everything else unless there is something urgent and I'll call them when I'm ready for them..."
Sarian put down his fork and made a note on his PDA.
"...also make sure the rota is established for the damage control teams AND Gethin and Eurig. They'll run themselves ragged before they'll stand down."

"I'll take care of it." Sarian made another note on his PDA.
"And what about Sarian, doesn't HE get to rest?" Ianto asked.

Jack laughed and Sarian smiled.
"Ianto, my home world has very long diurnal units. I can go for about three days before I need a nap. That's why Jack loves me as his Assistant Director." Sarian laughed and Jack nodded.

"He's quite possibly the only person who sleeps as little as me." Jack added while buttering the other half of his roll.
Ianto watched as a few rift children filtered into the room as others left and he realized he was watching a shift change.

"Are they going to work all night and all day?"
"Very probably..." Sarian answered "...they know we are skeleton staffed for Awst and no one wants to delay recovery of the needed areas and systems."

"See the way we work here is everyone takes a turn in Cartref. Those who live elsewhere come in for two weeks to a month at a time and put in their duty. Everybody works for Cartref at least part time, some are full time employees. But no one wants to have to come back to work on recovery, so they'll try to get as much done as possible this week." Jack said then looked up at Ianto who was finishing his second helping.

"You want more?"
"Couldn't eat another bite." Ianto wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushed his plate away.
"I'm done too." Jack sat back in his chair and tossed his napkin on his plate.

***

"We're going back to our room, Sarian. Let me know when they get the paths laid and are ready for me...Ianto shall we?"

Jack got up and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, Ianto stood and started to walk to the door.
"Okay everyone...you've all seen me, I'm okay. Blodwen is okay, she's sleeping in the med bay. We have the mop up ongoing and everyone has their part to play in that. I know you like to be together in times of distress but that's over now. I want everyone to get some rest; Sarian will be making assignments so we can finish the recovery before Awst end. My appointments for tomorr, umm TODAY have all been cancelled except where advised otherwise. So if you have something urgent please notify either myself or Sarian. Bore da." Jack started out the door taking Ianto's hand when he reached him, they headed for their room.

Jack undressed quietly and was in bed before Ianto came out of the ensuite. He looked up drowsily and Ianto smiled.
"So...no ravishing then, yeah?"
"I'm sorry, I..."
"I was kidding, Jack..." Ianto slipped into bed beside him and Jack shifted to lay with his head on Ianto's chest "...go to sleep...I'll take a rain check for later."
"Thanks." Jack mumbled against Ianto's chest and his breathing evened out.

It was early afternoon before Jack awoke he lay quietly just watching Ianto sleep for a few minutes before Ianto opened one eye cautiously and looked at him.

"I could feel you watching me. What time is it?"
"One thirty...you can go back to sleep if you want."
"And what will you be doing?"
"Well, I need to see Deryn and Celyn and then I need to check on the mainframe and see how the work is going."

"Well then I'll get up."
"You don't have to."
"I WANT to. I'm sure there's something I can do to help somewhere. Besides I need to check and see how the arrangements for Enid and Morgan are progressing."
"Okay...but I want you to take some time for you today...do something, go to the winery...go back to Rhosilli, something, anything that isn't work."

Ianto shook his head "Honestly Jack, none of this FEELS like work to me...well, yesterday did a little with the explosion and all...but for the most part, no."
"It's hardly the Bahamas like last year or Paris..."
"Both of which are overrated, I think. No, I much prefer the homespun type of holiday..."

"So, then I could just buy a caravan..." Jack laughed.
Ianto shook his head and responded quickly. "Not QUITE THAT homespun, sir...I like amenities."
"Caravans have electricity and running water these days. And caravan parks even have showers."
"Those don't count as amenities. I'm talking four or five star type amenities." Ianto scolded.

"So no holiday camps either, then?"
"Not unless they offer room service and a spa."
"Noted..." Jack kissed Ianto and then slid from the bed and offered a hand.
"...so, shower?"
Ianto nodded, took the hand up and followed.

After a breakfast that was mostly lunch, Jack called Sarian for a situation report. While he was speaking with him on the phone Blodwen came to check in. Ianto kissed her on the cheek and ushered her into the sitting room.
Jack was arguing with Sarian on the telephone and stepped out on the terrace to finish his call.

"How are you Blodwen?"
"I'm just fine now, Ianto."
"What in the world are they arguing about?" Ianto shook his head.
"Sarian wants father to wait to seed the mainframe nodes and father doesn't want to wait."
"I don't understand what the issue is?"
Blodwen leaned forward and spoke very softly.

"The issue is, it will cause him another death and Sarian wants him to wait a day or two."
Ianto looked horrified. "What! Why will it cause him a death?"
"Shhh, Ianto he will be angry with me that I told you."
Ianto's voice dropped into a whisper.
"Why will it cause him a death, it's a computer?"

"The mainframe is in a room in high temporal flux, father doesn't permit anyone else to perform mainframe maintenance because of the dangers of the vortex."
"What is that?"

"I am not a temporal engineer, Ianto so you have to get father to explain. What I do know is that the room is dangerous to anyone other than father...well it's dangerous to him as well; but he comes back. It basically removes life. The last person who tried to perform work on it died...that was Carys' sister. Just two minutes of making the connection to bring it online aged her over one hundred and fifty years. She managed to get out; but died in father's arms. Since then he will not allow anyone other than himself to go inside. Amputating and then seeding new nodes is a lengthy operation."

Ianto and Blodwen were so engrossed in their conversation that they did not hear Jack finish his call. He stepped inside through the terrace door, stopped and realized what they were discussing.

"It's basically the Abbadon event all over again, Ianto. But there's no one else who can do it. I won't let any of them take the chance."
"Which is why they wanted to patch the network." Blodwen finished, blushing and looking embarrassed.

Jack scowled at her. "You know, Blodwen...you're becoming just like your brothers and sisters. I was going to tell him, you know...just remember nobody likes a telepathic snitch."
Blodwen blinked slowly and took a deep breath, sounding exasperated. "I'm sorry father, but you would not have told him until afterwards."
"Yes and there was a reason for that." Jack said flatly.

"Because you knew I'd argue with you, like Sarian." Ianto finished.
"Yes. But I am the only one who can do it, Ianto...so save your breath. Unless there's a problem, I shouldn't have to go in there again for another couple of hundred years."

"That is true, Ianto..." Blodwen added "...the tissue is mostly self regenerating so age is not a problem, only injuries like the explosion."
"I want to regrow whenever possible, Ianto...because one day something will happen and I won't be here and they WILL need to use patches. This way they'll have cleaner interfaces, and no scar tissue to work with."

Ianto nodded in understanding. "I get it, I really do. I just wish you wouldn't have felt the need to keep it such a deep dark secret."
"I'm sorry." Jack DID look suitably chastised.
"So when they are ready to regrow the node you'll be dying again, yeah?"
"Yes...I'm sorry but it is necessary."
Ianto nodded in resignation although he was obviously still unhappy.

"I should go." Blodwen stood.
Jack walked over to her and gave her a hug.
"You're okay?"
"I'm fine, father...I'll see both of you later."

Jack walked her to the door, kissing her on the top of the head then opening the door for her. When she left Jack headed back into the sitting room.
"Ianto I was going to tell you...I was not trying to keep it from you. I just really didn't want to argue with anyone else today."
"I understand, Jack."

"Now I need to call Celyn and Deryn." Jack made a couple of calls and in short order the usual troops arrived with computers and recording devices AND Deryn and Celyn. Ianto was surprised when Deryn sat down next to Jack on the settee and Celyn sat across the coffee table from them both. Celyn explained that he was withdrawing his request to relocate to Germany and Jack affirmed that he thought he was making the correct choice, without letting on that he knew why the choice was being made.

"Father, as you may know Deryn and I have been seeing each other for some time now and we would like to discuss this with you."
"Certainly Celyn, how can I be of assistance?"
"Father, I love Deryn very much and would like your permission to ask her to be my mate." Ianto was a little surprised that Celyn actually looked nervous.

"Is this something you both want? How do you feel, Deryn?" Jack smiled and asked, taking Deryn's hand.
Deryn dropped her head and squeezed Jack's hand then spoke.
"I...I love Celyn, father and I want him to be my mate."
"Where do you plan to live, Celyn?" Jack asked.
"Well father, Deryn loves the Port Talbot area so we thought we would live there."
"And what will you do?"

Ianto almost laughed, Jack sounded like a proper father seeing to his little girl's future.
"I thought I would come to Cartref full time. I have almost finished my certification as an engineer and I know Eurig cannot be here as much as you'd like."
"I think that's a marvelous idea, Celyn. You WILL have to apprentice with him first however."

"I am aware of this father. Eurig and I have already set up my apprenticeship and I will submit that schedule for your approval."
"Forward it to Sarian, so he can make the arrangements. It's always good to have another engineer in the family, especially one that will be staying on site. Everyone else is too far."

"Everyone loves the Gower, father...remember it's your rule that keeps us all from living here." Celyn said brightly.
"I just prefer not to put all my eggs in one basket, Celyn...less risk for everyone that way..." Jack looked into Deryn's eyes and then back to Celyn "...so you two are serious about this?"

They both nodded.
"Good...then you of course have my blessing." Jack nodded and Celyn stood and moved in front of Deryn who stood. When Celyn folded one leg under himself in a semblance of kneeling he took Deryn's hand.

"Deryn, I love you and would very much like for you to be my mate. Will you walk with me through this new life?"
Deryn glanced over at Jack and then spoke. "I will be your mate, Celyn. We will walk this life as one and with love."

Celyn unfolded his legs and stood. Jack took a hand of each and placed them together.
"My blessings on your bond." He kissed both, then removed his hand and they kissed each other. Ianto was mesmerized.

Jack sat back down and Deryn and Celyn sat side by side on the couch.
"Have you thought about when you would like to have your ceremony?"

"Not as yet, father. We were considering the winter solstice since the season is sacred to both of our cultures."
Jack nodded "I hope you know I will not be providing a herd of Gleert for you." Jack directed at Celyn.
Celyn laughed "Nor do I expect any, father."

"Good thing, I don't think either Sarian or Edwin would appreciate the slime."
Deryn laughed and elbowed Celyn "But I DO expect to be provided with my weight in bsaam, as is the custom."
Jack shook his head and laughed "And good luck with that one! But if you do please let me know where you find it so I can start hoarding it now!"

"Bsaam?" Ianto asked quietly.
"A metallic element discovered in the 39th century...rare even then, but found on Deryn's home world. Not to be found in the Sol system anywhere."
"I could give you your weight in sheep if you'd like?" Celyn asked jokingly.
"No thank you, my love. They have beady little eyes and make me nervous."
"Your loss, Deryn." Jack laughed

"It's alright, Deryn...they make me nervous too." Ianto added.
"Okay you two, please advise us the date you would like to hold the ceremony and where. Sarian will assist you with any arrangements for relocation and renovation...and congratulations to you both." Jack smiled and both Celyn and Deryn stood received hugs from Jack.

"Will you require assistance in locating another place to live?"
"We would like to stay in my house, father...we need only make a few renovations to accommodate Celyn's needs." Deryn said.
"Talk to Gethin and Sarian about what you need done renovation wise."
Deryn and Celyn bowed to both Jack and Ianto and then left.

Jack looked at the troops who were assembled to document the appointment.
"Is there anything else?"
"Not at this time father the remainder of the appointments have been either cancelled or rescheduled."
"Good, then you can all get back to what you were doing. Ianto and I will go over to Cartref."
Jack headed for the door. "Ianto, let's go... I want to see how the recovery efforts are progressing."

Passing through the bustling Seren Wib lobby, they ran into Enid who was pushing a pram that held both Haf and Morgan. Jack kissed Enid and leaned into the pram he picked up Morgan who was awake and kissed her on the head.

"So, Enid...two babies, something going on or are you just greedy?" Jack asked jokingly while rocking from side to side.
"No father, Haf was cranky last night and kept Dai up much of the time...Carys just went to bed so I thought I'd take Haf for a while and let them both rest."

"Good idea. Carys won't leave once we start the grow so she should get as much as she can now...why did Haf keep Dai up all night?"
"I think the stress, Azarian infants are very sensitive...I'm sure she picked up on everything going on around her. Dai was practically dead on his feet."

"See! I knew you'd make an excellent mother...why don't you come over to Cartref with us and you and Ianto can go over your plans while I work with the mainframe?"

They strolled through the tunnels to the hidden base and into the control room. Activity continued to be high although it looked as if there had been some personnel changes.
Jack checked in with Delphine who was working with the system and headed for Sarian's office.

"Ianto why don't you and Enid use the DOD's office for now. I need to talk to Sarian for a couple of minutes." Sarian looked up as Jack walked into his office still carrying Morgan and Jack closed the door behind himself.

***

Ianto and Enid made themselves comfortable in the Director of the Day's office and Ianto started checking the list of items they had ordered.
Enid had made an additional list for needed items from suggestions from other rift children and Dai and Carys. Ianto and she started shopping.

About a half hour later, Jack came in carrying the now sleeping Morgan and slipped her into the pram. Haf who was awake and being fed by Enid immediately became distracted and started to refuse her bottle.

Jack swooped down, relieved Enid of both the bottle and the infant and left for his office with the now cooing and eating Haf. He sat down at his desk and started to dictate to the system. Ianto had followed behind him and stood peeking around the doorframe, then returned to the DOD's office shaking his head.

"What's wrong?" Enid asked looking over several changing table options.
"It's just so...odd to see him so comfortable with an infant. I mean most men are at best uncomfortable around infants if they've never had any...not him."
"Are you completely sure he's never had any?" Enid asked
"Well, no...but I know he's not had any...recently."

"Father's from a colony world, Ianto...a very young colony world. On those worlds everyone has to chip in to do everything. On a colony world as soon as you are old enough to know which end to feed, a child is given responsibilities like caring for an infant. The chances are very good that father has had quite a bit of experience in child care. The female we found with Morgan could not have been more than a few cycles older herself."

"I suppose I need to see past Earth behaviors."
"Yes... there are very few worlds out there...even human worlds that are as backwards as Earth if you'll pardon my bluntness." Enid added
"That's becoming pretty obvious, however there IS still the whole bowing thing." Ianto laughed.
"And THAT you will get used to, trust me."
"Everybody keeps saying that..."
"You will." She smiled and returned to her screen.

They worked together for about an hour before curiosity got the better of Ianto.
"I just have to go have a look...it's very quiet in there."
Enid chuckled as Ianto got up and walked to the office door. He moved quietly to Jack's office door and looked in.

Jack was working at his desk with Haf now sleeping quietly in his arm. The empty baby bottle was sitting on the end of the desk and Jack was speaking quietly to the computer and occasionally typing in something one handed on the keyboard. He looked up at Ianto and smiled.

"I can take her if you'd like?" Ianto offered quietly walking up to the desk.
"Yeah...she's asleep now...out like a light once she finished her bottle."
Ianto carefully relieved Jack of the sleeping child and Jack returned to work. Ianto slipped Haf into the pram next to Morgan and spoke softly to Enid.

"I'm just going to see what he's up to...I'll be right back."
Enid smiled and nodded and Ianto headed back into Jack's office.
Jack looked up.
"Having fun shopping?"
"I suppose...but baby items wasn't something I'd anticipated shopping for when we left Cardiff."

"No, I guess not... you have to hand it to them, my kids are full of surprises."
"They are that...so what are you doing?" Ianto moved up next to Jack to look at the computer screens.
"Well... I'm studying the mainframe...Carys has already mapped out the affected nodes but I want to double check and make sure there won't be any collateral damage. I'd prefer to make one single trip in there if possible."

"Can you show me what you have to do?" Ianto dragged a chair up next to Jack.
"Sure..." He brought up a new screen with options and enabled a holographic display of the mainframe internal structures. He began describing the process and manipulating the hologram to show Ianto precisely what he'd be doing.
Sometime later, Enid tapped on the doorframe.

"Sorry to bother you, father..."
"Not a bother, Enid... I'm sure Ianto is tired of the lecture."
Ianto just rolled his eyes and then smiled at Enid.
"Ianto I emailed you my selections for the additional items...there's nothing urgent. I'm going to head back over...Carys will be coming on duty soon and I know she will appreciate some time with Haf first."

"I'll take care of the order this afternoon, Enid." Ianto said.
"You know, Enid...we still have that beach rented you should take advantage of it."
"I plan to, Father...several of us are going I want Morgan to get used to the taste just as soon as possible."

"What, no laverbread?" Ianto joked.
"Who needs the bread part when you can just eat the laver?" Enid laughed and waved as she turned to leave.
Ianto shook his head and waved her off.

Ianto sat down on the sofa in the director's office, resisting the urge to put his feet on the coffee table.
"So, Jack....tell me more about the process with the mainframe."

Jack got up from his desk, came over to the sofa and sat down next to him, taking his hand.
"Not to much to tell, it's only tricky because of the temporal field around it otherwise it's fairly straightforward. I go in...literally cut away the nodes for the damaged areas and apply..." Jack started to move his hands in demonstration "...almost like a poultice of biomatrix. That gets wrapped with what Carys calls a control plaster which allows us to provide direction to the growing cells and flip the switch...once that's done the rest is just about controlling and guiding the growth and that part is all programming driven."

"So...surgery then?"
Jack nodded "Yeah, pretty much...or field medicine, if you'd prefer..." then he added "...I'm good at field medicine, lots of practice."

They sat quietly for a moment, Ianto's hands now flat on his thighs mirroring Jack's pose. The silence stretched to breaking making Ianto uncomfortable until he finally slapped his hands on his thighs and spoke.
"So...coffee?"
Jack startled slightly at the sudden question.

"Sure...love some."
"Right!" Ianto got to his feet and headed for the kitchenette. He started making the coffee and Jack came to the door.
"You know I wouldn't do it if there was any other way but I need to make sure they are as prepared as possible for the future. I don't want them sacrificing someone unless it's absolutely necessary. If I make sure they always have clean installs now, there'll be less scar tissue to worry about in the future."

Ianto stopped grinding beans to speak but didn't turn towards Jack.
"So you don't plan on staying around then?"
"Well that depends on the timeframe you're talking about. Do I plan to leave...No, not for a while...probably not in any of their lifetimes but I will...eventually."

"What about my lifetime?" Ianto still did not turn.
Jack walked up behind him and put his arms around Ianto's waist, then kissed him behind the ear.

"Ianto...I don't plan to leave you...ever...if I can help it. But I have to think in millennia...not years or decades or even centuries. So my plans are a little longer range than you're used to. You know, I can't promise to be with you my whole life...but I will promise to be with you for yours."

Jack's hands dropped as Ianto turned into his arms.

"Thank you...you have no idea how much that means to me."

They kissed slow and deep, Jack broke the kiss off and spoke still holding Ianto.
"Carys you have lousy timing."
"My apologies, director... Ianto." Carys stood at the door to the kitchenette, looking slightly embarrassed.
"It's alright, sweetling...did you need something?"

"I have prepared the biomatrix material and we are ready to begin whenever you are..."
"Is there enough?"
"I've made certain there is more than enough in case you create any collateral damage while excising the nodes. I don't want you to have to make any additional trips..." Carys glanced at Ianto's worried expression. "...Ianto would never forgive me."

"Thank you, Carys..." Jack looked Ianto in the face and held him closer "... Ianto and I BOTH Appreciate it. I'm going to have a cup of coffee and then I'll be right along."
Carys nodded and of course bowed "I've set up a monitoring station at the mainframe entrance. We will be ready when you arrive, please take your time."

"I always do, Carys...I always do." Jack said without watching her go, then kissed Ianto on the nose.
"So...coffee?"
"Coming right up, sir." Ianto set back to his task.

Seated side by side on the couch, Ianto was quiet but edgy.
"Come on, Ianto...something's bothering you."
"Well...other than the obvious... I do have some questions."
"Shoot..." Jack replied automatically then hesitated and waved his hand "...figuratively speaking, of course."

"Just how long do you think ... this will take." Ianto reconsidered asking part way through his question.
"Ianto... that isn't the question you intended to ask me now, was it?"
Ianto took a deep breath and replied.

"No...no it wasn't."
"What you REALLY wanted to ask was how long you should expect me to be dead...right?"
"Yes."

"It depends on how long I need to be in there... last time it was a day. This time it could be longer... but I WILL come back... I always do... and always will."
"Absolutely certain of that, are you?"
"Positive. I'm as certain of that as I am that I love you."

"Nice segue to end the discussion."
"Thanks, I've been working on conversation transitions."
Ianto leaned over and kissed him.
"Keep on working."

"Oh..." Jack feigned insulted and placed his hand on his chest "... I'm wounded!"
"Not yet..." Ianto laughed "...but you WILL be."
Jack shook his head. "You're good."
"Watch and learn, Harkness... watch and learn."


They finished their coffee and made their way to the mainframe. As she had stated, Carys had several monitoring stations set up outside the access door to the mainframe. Jack stepped up behind Delphine and patted her on the shoulder or somewhere near where a shoulder would be on someone who didn't look like a large mound of greenish moss.

He picked up a pile of white clothing from the corner of her station then sat down and started to remove his shoes. Sarian stepped into view sorting the straps on a harness.
"I was wondering where that was." Jack said to him.
"I was just checking it."
"If it breaks this time you're suspended." Jack laughed.
"Ooo, really? A vacation! Where are my scissors?" Sarian started to look around.

Jack finished slipping on the special suit, booties and hood then stepped up to Sarian and into what appeared to be a climbing harness.
"What is that for?" Ianto looked around.

Carys answered. "It's a retrieval harness, Ianto. We need to be able to get him out if he dies in there. The harness allows us to literally drag him out if he can't make it out on his own."
"Ahh, good idea."

Jack laughed "Yeah except the last time the harness material was degraded by the isolation field and it broke as they tried to extract me."
"How did you get out then?"
"Dylan...Dylan came in and dragged me out." Jack said quietly.
"Oh have I met him?" Ianto looked around.
"No, Ianto and you won't...he's... he's gone."
"Oh..." Ianto looked around as the faces surrounding him suddenly looked sad. "...I'm so sorry."

Sarian changed the topic "This harness is woven titanium... not as easily degraded as the nylon one. It'll hold no matter how long he's in there."

Ianto nodded and watched as Jack tightened straps and checked buckles. He pulled up a sleeve and took off his vortex manipulator, handing it to Ianto and kissed him softly.
"Hang onto this for me... I don't want to run the power down any sooner than necessary."

Ianto held the supple leather strap, still warm from Jack's wrist in his hands and stroked it with a thumb. Jack slipped on a pair of gloves and pulled up a surgical mask. The only thing Ianto could see of Jack was his blue eyes staring over the mask.

"Okay...let's do this...where's the biomatrix?"
Delphine handed Jack a heavy looking container and Carys affixed a clasp to the harness with what appeared to be a toolkit.

"The control plaster is in the container under the biomatrix." Carys said.
"I was wondering why the container was so big."
"It was Delphine's idea... instead of you having to carry multiple containers she made one that holds everything but the tools."

Jack nodded and smiled at Delphine "Good job, sweetling... I appreciate it, the fewer the containers the less time I'll need to spend looking for things."
"Thank you, director...I want you in there as little time as possible."

Jack stiffened and spoke. "Okay I'm ready."

***

Next part of Daytrips and Knighthoods II - Calan Awst.

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