Title: Bred in the Bone (4/?)

Author: Emma

Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Andy Davidson, Toshiko Sato, others

Rating: Starts PG, but hey, it’s got Jack and Ianto in it!

Disclaimer: Oh, please. If I owned them, would I let some of those idiots write the scripts? And if I were making any money off them, would I be where they could find me?

Summary: Andy Davidson must embrace his inheritance in order to protect Jack and Ianto’s daughter Gwen

Author's Note: This is an AU where Gwen and Owen were killed by Gray. So if you want to know why Martha is married to Rhys and Jack and Ianto have a CP and two adopted daughters, you may want to read  Evolution  first

Author’s Note: The title is shamelessly stolen from Robertson Davies’s magnificent novel. It’s also an old saying: what’s bred in the bone will out in the flesh

Author’s Note: Those of you who speak or have some knowledge of Welsh will have realized by now that I'm taking some liberties with the language. It will all be explained, I promise

Part One is here; Part Two is here; Part Three is here
 

            I broke all sorts of traffic rules getting to Toshiko’s place. My guts were in a knot. Tosh was one of the coolest, toughest people I knew, and she had sounded nearly out of her mind with fear.

            Tosh lived on the top floor of one of the converted buildings on West Bute Street. After she had returned from her trip with the Doctor, she had wanted a clean break with her old life, so she traded Asian modern for Edwardian Art Nouveau. Something had happened during that trip. The shy, socially awkward geek had disappeared; instead we got an outspoken warrior with a ferocious appetite for life.

            Jack had been delighted, Ianto had been amused, and I had been… disquieted. I had met the old Tosh a few times and had liked her a great deal. It took me a while to warm up to this one, even though she dazzled me.

            Over the years we had grown slowly closer. We’d found we had similar tastes and when we disagreed, we were both stubborn enough to keep the argument going past insanity. Two or three times a week we ate dinner at her place and settled in with a movie or a game of chess. If I had been an objective observer I would have said we were gently sliding towards something deeper and more complex than just friendship.

            I pulled into the first empty parking space I saw and ran the rest of the way. Kevin, the security man, waved me through to the penthouse elevator. When the doors slid open, rose petals cascaded down on my head. Swearing, I backed out and headed for the stairwell. Once inside, I stood on the first step and Searched for the closest Path; this part of Cardiff was criss-crossed with them.  When I located it I borrowed a bit of its energy to build a Path of my own to Toshiko’s library.

            I stepped out into an orgy of destruction.

            Furniture had been smashed, paintings ripped from their fames, bookcases overturned, and books shredded. Dirt and rotting vegetation had been ground into the carpets. Rose petals lay in drifts on top of every surface. The only survivor was the antique oak cabinet where Tosh kept her collection of crystal animals.

            Somewhere I could hear Toshiko screaming.

            I followed the sound to the long gallery that faced towards the bay. It was the main public space in the flat and it was cleverly arranged to serve several functions. At the far end, French doors led from the kitchen and dining area into a small terrace where Tosh grew herbs and flowers in all sorts of containers.

            Tosh stood with her back pressed against the doors, her katana held in proper hasso no kamae. Three tywyl encircled her, trying to break through, but obviously not brave enough to tangle with cold iron. On the other side of the glass, more tywyl scratched and hissed.

            Fear was the tywyl’s strongest weapon, but they had miscalculated with Tosh. Somehow she had pushed past the terror and now she was magnificently furious. Her screams were a challenge, and she had drawn first blood; her blade and her shirt were stained green and gold.

            “Peidh’o!” I barked, Casting a shield around Tosh. “You can do nothing here!”

            The hissing reached an ear-numbing level then cut off abruptly. The tywyl circling Tosh turned slowly around to face me. The oldest one of them threw himself at me until he was so close I could feel his breath stir my hair. He was powerful both in magick and in status. I was certain he hadn’t been among the ones that had attacked me earlier. The outcome might have been much different if he had.

            “Ahhh. The young one. Much power, but still unblooded. Shall we fight, you and I?”

            He spoke taffodh y Tylwyth, the High tongue, after a fashion, so I returned the favor. “Why are you here?”

            “Shall I tell you? Yes, I shall. The Mother is protection for the Chosen. She must not be here.”

            “The  Mother is under my protection, tywyl. And that of others. Or didn’t your younglings tell you about the Bound?”

            “I know of the Bound. He was denied me. Me!” His voice rose in a shrill whine. “It will not matter much longer. The darkness will soon be here and all Bindings will be cast off.” He looked at me, then at Toshiko. “She is fierce. We shall remember her… for later.”

            “I think you will find she shall remember you.”

            He threw back his head and laughed, a rasping horrible noise that hurt the ears. Then they were all gone.

            I huffed in relief. “Now that was too damn close.”

            Tosh moved a bit closer but the katana was still at the ready. “Andy?”

            “Yes, Tosh, it’s really me. Promise.” As I said it I realized how ridiculous it sounded. “Want to play twenty questions?”

            She laughed. When we had taken the first tentative steps towards friendship, we had played games of twenty questions about every subject under the sun.

            “No, that’s all right. What is going on, Andy? What do the fairies want? How is it you speak their language?”

            “Well, technically they’re not fairies and they speak my language.” I was babbling, automatically stalling for time. “I need to call Jack.”

            “You sound like the Doctor when you do that,” she said. “Talking without saying anything. Answers, Andy.”

            “All right, but it’ll be best if I just tell everyone at the same time.” I tapped the implant under my right ear. “Jack.”

            It didn’t take him long to answer. “Andy?”

            “Jack, don’t ask any questions, ok? The fairies attacked Toshiko.” I cut him off before he could even get started. “No, dammit, don’t say anything. She’s all right. It’s time to talk, Jack. I need you and Ianto to come to the Hub.”

            “What about Gwen?” he asked.

            “She’ll be all right in the house for now.” I took a deep breath. “Martha, Rhys, and Euan should be there too. I want to get this out of the way all at once. Twenty minutes.”

            He rang off without a word. I smiled at Tosh. “He either trusts me insanely or he’s giving me enough rope.”

            “Knowing Jack, both.” She was cleaning the katana. “Let me change out of this… mess and we can go together. Take my car and come back together later. I don’t think I want to be alone for a while.”

            “Actually, Tosh, I think I’m going to introduce you to a new way to travel.”