John was sitting on the sunken couch, running his fingers through his husband's hair, and watching Orange is the new Black with a mouthful of popcorn when he called. The phone in the other room rang out, making them both jump, and he stood, ignoring Alexander's whine of protest, and trudged through the hall to answer it, picking up without looking to see who it was.

"This is John, if you want Alex, he's not working right now." he said instinctively, expecting one of Alexander's colleagues calling about a case- but felt his blood run cold at the voice that answered.

"Jack, hello. I trust I'm calling at a good time?"

His father.

No. It couldn't be. How could he have got hold of this number? Why would he be calling? John had cut himself off from the man completely after he left for college, making it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with him, and hadn't spoken to him once since. What on earth did he want?

"F-Father? What do- Why are you...?"

"What, I can't check up on my own son?" came the voice through the receiver. John felt anger start to bubble in his stomach.

"You haven't tried to 'check up' on me once in the last eleven years. Do you expect me to believe that this is just a friendly call?' he shot back incredulously, voice rising. Henry Laurens merely chuckled off-handedly.

"Well, perhaps it's not just a friendly call. I wanted to let you know that I'm coming to visit you later this week."

"You're- you're WHAT?" John choked, panic flooding through him. He was coming? Here? "H-How would you know where I live?"

"You're forgetting that I'm a Senator, Jack; I have my connections. I feel bad for shutting you out all these years, and I want to see how you're doing. What's the harm in that? I'll be there Friday afternoon, and I'll stay until Boxing Day-I've missed spending Christmas with my family."
You are not my family. John thought- the words rising to his lips and sticking there, unspoken. Henry continued, unperturbed. "You mentioned an 'Alex'- your roommate, is he? I'd have expected you to be living independently by now, but I guess I over-estimated you. I trust that the rest of your situation will be to my satisfaction."

"Father-"

"No need, Jack, you can tell me everything when I arrive. I have to go, I have a meeting with an important sponsor- I'll see you on Friday."

"But-"

"Goodbye, Jack."

He hung up.

John stood in shock. He felt delirious.

His father. Coming home for Christmas. His father, who he hadn't spoken to in over a decade, coming to stay in his home for a week. Nothing about this was going to be easy. He was brought back down to earth by a shout from across the hall.

"Joooohn, come back! We're out of popcorn!" Alex. He had to talk to Alex about it- that was the first step to sorting out this mess. John walked a little dazedly back into the living room, sat down on the sofa and grabbed the TV remote, shutting off the screen. "Hey!" Alex pouted, going to grab the remote back, but stopped short as he saw the look on John's face. He put a warm hand on John's knee. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"I..." John ran a hand through his tangled hair. That was one thing Henry was sure to dislike- he'd always wanted to grow it out what he was a kid, but his father had refused, saying it would make him look like a girl. It was the first in a very long list. Almost everything about the life he now lead went against his father's wishes.

"John?" He looked over at Alex, his wide, concerned eyes and frown, and sighed. There was to easy way to say it.

"My... My father is coming to stay. On Friday." Alex's eyes widened even more in shock.

"What?"

"He- uh- he just called. He's invited himself over for Christmas." John explained, looking at his knees. Alexander frowned.

"I thought you two didn't talk?"

"We don't- not since I started college! I don't even know how he got our number, or our address... Says he has 'connections'."

"God..."

There was silence for a few seconds, then-

"I'm guessing he doesn't know you're married?" Alex murmured. John snorted.

"Fuck no, he doesn't even know I'm gay. He would have disowned me in a heartbeat- thinks it's a disease, or a choice- fucking bigot."

"Well... That's going to be pretty difficult for us to hide..." Alex began, gesturing to the wedding photos on the wall, and the other numerous pictures of them kissing, holding baby Phillip, swinging Frances around in front of the Colluseum- which they'd visited, courtesy of the Washingtons, the previous year, Angie smiling gap-toothed with a painting she'd done. "I mean- we're pretty out, and we have three kids, and-"

"Oh, I wasn't going to suggest we hide it." John assured him, shaking his head. "He's just... Not likely to react too well."

"Oh. Yeah..." Alexander scratched the back of his neck, apparently considering something. After a moment, he voiced what John was already thinking.

"What do we tell the kids?" John exhaled slowly, rubbing his eyes.

"The truth, I guess." he sighed. "That my father is coming to visit us, and he doesn't approve of our relationship. They probably already know that a lot of people think two men or two women shouldn't get married- I mean, have you spoken to some of the parents at the school? Henry can just be another of those ignorant bigots. Hopefully, he won't say too much in front of them- he might still have that decency..."

"Here's hoping."

Alex sighed and slumped against the couch. "This sucks, John. It really fucking sucks."

"I know, babe. Trust my conservative relatives to ruin Christmas, huh?"

"No, I meant- for you! From what you've told me, he's a total asshole- even though he didn't know you were gay- he'll be ten times worse now- you shouldn't have to spend time with him! Shit, you're an adult, you're perfectly capable, you shouldn't have to answer to him any more! I'll- I'll call him back, tell him he's not to just barge into our home and bully you-" Alex's voice had started to rise gradually, the hand on John's knee digging in its fingernails. "That asshole- I'll call social services! I'm sure there's a law somewhere that says he can't just walk in on us when he's not welcome- and after all the shit he put you through as a kid? Never answered for that, has he... Oh, I could get an offence together, I could-"

"Alex! I... I'm sorry, I just...I don't want to dredge up that shit, alright? I don't... I just want to forget it. I want to forget him." John felt his throat start to burn as he fought back tears. He had thought that he'd escaped him. That he could forget that part of his life and move on- and now here it was, coming to stay for Christmas. And that monster would be around his children...

Alexander put his arms around him, burying his head in his shoulder. He smiled a little at the feeling, blinking the cloudy sheen from his eyes, and laced their fingers together.

"I'm sorry." Alex murmured. "I'm just mad, y'know? It's not fair..."

"Nothing's fair, Alex. Especially not my father."

They sat in silence, staring into space, both dreading the week that they were about to go through. John, still terrified of the man who had caused him and his family so much pain, who had the audacity to barge back into his life and call himself family, who had never respected him, had never come close to knowing or loving him, felt the long-gone bruises around his neck throb as though fresh.

Alexander, who had only a few whispered horror stories with which to form a picture of his father-in-law, felt sick to his stomach as well. John was so brave, so full of life and laughter, and he had gone through so much. What if this man, gone for a decade, barrelling back into his life... What if it broke him? He had only heard John talk about his father on a couple of occasions- once, in college, both of them cross-legged on Alex's bed as John shook and sobbed through his words, rubbing his neck and arms absently as if the phantom wounds still caused him pain... and once the first time they had brought Phillip home. His husband had had a steely look in his eyes, and he had vowed in a whisper that he would be everything that Henry Laurens wasn't- that he would show their baby that he was beautiful, and special, and valued, and that he loved him more than anything in the world. Both had broken Alexander's heart.

Reaching up and cupping John's face with his hand, he kissed him softly, gently, and felt the cool press of a tear-stained cheek against him. John gripped Alex's waist and pulled him close, relaxing against him with a small sigh, breaking away slowly with his eyes still shining

"I'm sorry. I'm just... I'm still scared of him."

"I'm not going to let him hurt you, John." Alex told him firmly. "I won't leave you alone with him, I certainly won't leave any of our children alone with him, and if he so much as looks at you in a way that makes you uncomfortable, he's out. Okay?" John swallowed, nodded, his forehead still pressed against Alex's.

"Okay."

Then, to Alexander's surprise, he pushed him onto his back on the couch, moved to straddle him, and pressed a soft kiss to the skin just below his ear. He felt Alex shiver beneath him, and smiled at the whine he let out when his teeth nipped at his neck.

"Speaking of uncomfortable..." he murmured against Alex's skin, mouthing lower and lower and twisting his fingers into the hem of his t-shirt. "I'd be willing to bet that a certain someone wouldn't be completely... at ease with our PDA..." Alex snorted and pushed him away, re-angling them so that he could pepper John's jaw with kisses.

"What are you saying?" he muttered "we make out in front of him and watch him squirm?"

"I mean... It's a possibility..." Alexander chuckled as he kissed him, reaching up to tangle his fingers in John's hair, tugging just enough to make him whine, but then pushed them both upright, legs still tangled.

"Really, though... Should we play it down? Or up?"

"I think we should just be normal." John shrugged. "Let him see that we're a perfectly happy, loving family, and watch him get annoyed when he can't accuse us of brainwashing our kids."

"Alright... sounds like a plan." Alex grinned, kissing him again, and then pulled him up off the sofa. "C'mon, let's head up. It's late, and we need our strength to prepare for this shitstorm."

"Hey, we've got two days. We'll be fine. We'll kill him with kindness."

"I'll kill him with our bread knife." Alex muttered. John laughed.

"That's why I love you."

"Ah yes, the enormously sexy act of murdering one's immediate family."

"But of course."

They fell into bed, curled together, and had little trouble falling asleep. Whatever shit Henry Laurens had to throw at them, they could handle it. Their college friends hadn't called them a dynamic drastic duo for nothing. They would be fine.

They decided to talk to the kids about it over breakfast the next morning. Four members of the family were around the kitchen table eating their breakfast- Angelica and little Frances spilling their porridge over the table, Phillip shovelling Cheerios into his mouth as fast as he could go, and Alexander licking jam off his toast so that John swatted at his head with a tea towel. John himself was finishing the washing up from the previous night, half of a cereal bar hanging out of his mouth. Once he had stowed the last plate away in the cupboard, he turned to address the room- just managing to catch Phillip as he went to barrel out into the hall.

"Woah, woah, hold your horses!" he laughed, ushering the little boy back to the table. "Your dad and I need to talk to you about something. You too, Angie. Frances is too little to understand..." He took a seat next to Phillip, looking to Alexander for approval to go forward and, when he nodded, took a steadying breath. Phillip and Angelica were both watching him intently. They could tell that whatever he was going to say was serious.

"We're going to have a visitor over Christmas this year." he began. "We only found out last night, so it's a bit of a surprise. My..." He swallowed. It was harder to say than he'd thought. Come on, man. He could to this. He took another deep breath.

"My father... Your grandfather is coming to stay with us." Both of the children's eyes widened in surprise.

"Your Papa?" Phillip piped up in confusion. "I-I thought you didn't have one..." He trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"No, I do have one." John told him, smiling wryly. "I just haven't talked to him for a very long time. He phoned us last night and said that he was coming to visit over Christmas. He will be arriving on Friday afternoon this week." The two kids looked from John to Alexander and back, apparently seeking conformation. Alex nodded.

"That's right. Now, your grandfather doesn't actually know about us yet. About me, you, and Frances, that is- so it's going to be quite a surprise for him when he gets here. The reason that we needed to talk to you about it is..."

"Is that my father isn't a very nice person." John finished for him. "He can actually be a very nasty person. He wasn't a good father to me when I was little, so he probably won't be a good grandfather either. And... And he won't like the fact that me and your dad are together." Angelica and Phillip looked a little confused at that, so John tried to explain. "You know Mr Eaker, who lives up the road?" They nodded. "Do you remember that he said that we shouldn't be married, because we're both men? Well, your grandfather will think that too. There are a lot of things he won't like about us. He won't like that us boys have our hair long, and he won't like that Phillip does ballet, or that he loves to bake, because he thinks those are girl things." Phillip blushed at that, and looked at the table. "-which is stupid." John finished firmly. "We know that there aren't girl things or boy things, and there's nothing wrong with doing something that you love. Right, Phillip?" He reached across the table and squeezed his son's shoulder. Phillip looked up at him and smiled.

"Right." he murmured.

"He also won't like most of our friends. He'll probably be quite angry that we all call Lafayette and Peggy 'they', instead of 'he' or 'she', because he thinks that you can only be the gender your body was born as. He won't like that Auntie Eliza and Auntie Maria are married either, or that Uncle James, Auntie Dolley and Uncle Thomas are all in love with each other, and he might be quite nasty to a lot of us. So, what I really want to tell you two is that, no matter what he says, it doesn't matter. You just block him out, OK? And if he says anything that hurts you, or confuses you, or makes you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable at all, you need to come and tell me or Dad straight away, and we'll sort it out. We really wish this wasn't happening, but we can't change it, and I'm really, really sorry. Hopefully, we can just ignore him, and have a nice Christmas together. Is there anything you don't understand?" The children shook their heads seriously, looking quite worried. "I don't want to scare you." John assured them, looking from one to the other sincerely "But I wanted you to be prepared for what might happen. Alright?" They nodded. "Ok. Off we go, then, let's get ready for school."

Phillip and Angelica got down from the table, put their bowls by the sink, and scurried off to fetch their bags from their rooms, and John sighed, rubbing his head. Alex squeezed his hand.

"You did really well." he said, quietly.

"Really? I don't know, was I too harsh about it? I think I scared them..."

"They need to know the truth about the situation." Alex countered. "You were completely honest, and didn't exclude anything. Can't ask for more than that. If they were scared, it's for good reason. The guy hates most of the adults they know just for existing- it's going to throw them a little. But you were definitely right to make sure they know they can talk to us. You did wonderfully."

"Thanks." John pressed a soft kiss to his lips, before getting up and adding his own plate to the pile by the sink. "I'll go help them, are you good to take Frances?"

"Yeah, of course. I have the whole week off, us two can stay home today, yeah? Have some bonding time."

"She's a year old, Alex."

"And already a genius." his husband sighed fondly, unstrapping Frances from her high chair and deftly hitching her into his arms. "We're the best parents ever."

"Yeah, yeah." John shook his head and headed out into the hall, where Phillip and Angelica were pulling on their shoes. Angie was having trouble with the laces, so he bent down to help her. Immediately, he noticed how quiet she was. While Phillip was a boy of few words, but a little ball of energy, shooting around like nobody's business, Angelica talked a mile a minute. She always had something to say, little chatterbox that she was, but right now, she was silent- and there was only one obvious reason why. Once he had tied her shoe, he put a hand lightly under her chin so he could look into her face.

"What is it, snowflake?" Angelica didn't answer, but shrugged one shoulder, looking at the ground. John took her hands gently, lowering his voice further still. "Come on, sweetie, you can tell me what's wrong. Is it about grandpa?" She nodded. "What about him?" There were a few seconds of silence before she answered.

"Will..." she whispered. "Will we still get to see everyone for Christmas? Laf and Uncle Herc and our Aunties and everyone? Or will it just be grandpa?"

"Oh, baby..." John murmured, taking her into his arms. "Of course we'll get to see everyone. It'll be just like normal, but with one frowny man in the background, OK? I'll make sure he stays away from you as much as possible. I promise." Angie buried her face into his chest, clutching hiss T-shirt. Turning slightly, John saw that Phillip was watching, looking nervous himself, so shifted the girl into one arm and held the other out to his son, holding him tight when he came over and wrapped his thin arms around his waist. He pressed a kiss to his forehead, atop the curls so exactly like his own. "You're both so brave." he told them. "I wish you didn't have to deal with this. I'm so proud of you."

Alexander, watching from the kitchen with little Frances curled against his own chest, felt a stab of resentment towards Henry Laurens. This was what he was putting their family- their children- through, and he hadn't even arrived yet. He resolved on the spot to make sure the next week was as unpleasant for him as it was surely going to be for them- and hey, if that meant shoving his sexuality in a crusty old bigot's face, well... That was certainly a sacrifice he was willing to make.