Okay... I'm really sorry, I've been having problems with my nternet - we got a new modem and it took a while to get access to the site. I'll be posting two chapters a day though, so don't worry! You won't have to wait too long for the rest of the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Jack or Ianto, RTD and the BBC does!

Chapter 4

"Can't we just move to Australia? We could leave the country and they would never have to know!" Ianto was getting more and more panicked as he got closer to 'impending doom' as he'd so eloquently put it the night before. Jack just rolled his eyes and concentrated on driving.

He'd been hearing things like that all week, since Bryn had gone home on Monday. She'd assured her brother that she'd support him on Saturday and would try to prepare their parents for the almost certain shock of his long-term boyfriend and their children. Ianto had been fine at first, but he'd slowly started to worry. It was so bad on Saturday that he had drunk five cups of industrial strength coffee and eaten nothing, despite Jack's protests.

"Ianto, if you're not careful, I'm going to sedate you as soon as you've greeted your family and lock you in the boot of the car." Jack looked sideways at his lover who'd slumped his shoulders and was resting his head on the window in resignation. He was quiet for the next ten minutes, but as Jack turned off the main road and closed in on his parents' countryside home, he'd started to panic again.

With a sigh, Jack parked the car next to several others on the gravel driveway and turned to Ianto, who had sunk down in his seat again, eyes closed, muttering silently as he tried to summon the will power to get out of the car. Jack looked up thankfully as he saw a familiar figure rushing across the gravel towards them.

Bryn was dressed in a bright yellow t-shirt with Snoopy on the front and baggy jeans, the usual array of bracelets and bangles on her arms. Ianto groaned as she wrenched the door open and grinned at him. He opened his eyes and frowned.

"Since when did you have a nose piercing?" Ianto looked at the small stud glittering in her nose and watched her shake her head slightly.

"I wasn't wearing it the other day, but still. You're so unobservant sometimes!" She exclaimed in exasperation.

"I thought you were supposed to stop at the ears." Ianto frowned again, but Bryn wasn't going to let him stall any longer.

"I kind of ran out of room, you know?" She grabbed his hand and dragged him from the car, gesturing for Jack to stay where he was. The two of them been on the phone the night before, organising their arrival the next day, completely unknown to Ianto. He watched with sympathy and admiration as Ianto allowed himself to be dragged towards the large green door that stood ajar.

"Mam!" Bryn yelled as she stood just inside the house, holding tightly to Ianto's hand in case he tried to escape. In seconds, Lydia Jones was at the front door, scowling at her son and oldest child.

"About time, Ianto Jones!" Her expression suddenly broke to one of happiness as Bryn threw the man inside and their mother caught him in another fierce hug. Ianto realised that Bryn had slipped away as soon as she was sure his mother was him securely. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

Lydia pulled back and looked at her son sternly. Ianto smiled sheepishly and rubbed his head awkwardly, the same way he always had done when facing his mother's inquisitive defiance. Sighing heavily, he lead her through to the large living room, sitting her down on one of the large sofas.

"On the phone last week," Ianto swallowed as his mother nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I was whispering because my daughter had just fallen asleep."

He watched his mother's jaw drop and eyes widen. Whatever she'd expected, a grandchild obviously wasn't that. Feeling a surge of pride and confidence, he plunged on. "She's almost a year old and her brother's just gone three."

"Oh my God…" Lydia breathed, tears in her eyes as she stared at Ianto in amazement. "I had no idea you were with someone. Is she here today?"

"Yeah, my family's with me." Ianto nodded, swallowing slightly as the nerves set in again. "Bryn came round on Monday and met them already. She really likes Jack."

Ianto waited hesitantly for his mother's reaction to that final bombshell. It took a couple of moments of stunned silence before Lydia Jones threw herself at her son hugging him once more and laughing happily. Ianto took a moment to recover from the strength of his mother's reaction before he hugged her back warmly.

"I thought I heard you." Another voice said. Ianto looked up and saw his Tad standing in the doorway to the garden, the French doors thrown open to let in the sunlight and summer air. "So you've finally settled down?"

He smiled, his face crinkling around the eyes. Ianto disentangled himself from his mother and stood up to welcome his father. The man was about Ianto's height, maybe a little taller and had hair a little longer than Jack's, about the same colour but greyed about the temples, matching the colour of his beard. Ianto held his hand out, but the man scooped him into a quick bear hug.

"You two want to come meet them?" Ianto asked, now convinced that Jack and his children would be fully accepted. His mother nodded and his father smiled, the couple holding hands as Ianto lead the way back through the house to the drive.

He smiled at the sight of Bryn holding Niamh above her head, the little girl giggling and flailing happily. Jack was stood close by, Griffin in his arms with his head resting on his dad's shoulder, smiling and murmuring to Jack as they watched.

Ianto stepped off the doorstep and Jack looked around, the blissful smile on his face still in place as he watched his lover walk across the space between them, the sunlight filtering through the trees pulsing across the fitted, khaki t-shirt and baggy jeans he was wearing. Ianto grinned at him as he got closer, scuffing his trainers a little as he watched Bryn and Niamh for a moment. Griffin stuck his hand out in alarm, pointing at the older couple approaching them and exclaiming.

"It's Nan and Grandtad!" Ianto blushed a little, Jack grinned and the old man approaching them laughed.

"You recognise them then?" Jack asked quietly, his son nodding fervently as he turned to look at him.

"I made sure they knew you." Ianto said quietly to his Tad, shoving his hands in his pockets in embarrassment and toeing a piece of gravel with his battered trainers. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his father smiling at him thankfully. Ianto smiled in reply and nodded, watching his father step past him and hold his hand out to Jack.

"You no doubt know I'm Ianto's father, Eli Jones." Jack shook his hand and smiled.

"Jack Harkness. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." The older man laughed heartily and turned to the little boy watching him carefully.

"And you would be?" He asked Griffin. Ianto noted that he was using much the same manner that Bryn had on first meeting his son.

"I'm Griffin, sir, and I'm three years old." He replied with confidence. His hand shot out and he pointed to the little girl resting on Bryn's hip and watching the interaction curiously, thumb in her mouth again. "She's Niamh and she's my little sister."

Griffin smiled, proud of himself for remembering all that information, and shook Eli's hand when he offered it. The little boy suddenly threw his arms out and Eli lifted him from Jack's arms. The little boy settled quickly into his Grandfather's arms and waved at Jack. Ianto turned his attention to his sister, mother and daughter.

"You can hold her if you want, mam." The older woman looked from her son to her daughter and nodded with a smile, letting Bryn hand over the little girl who was just smiling at the woman in the oblivious way that she usually had.

Niamh clapped her hands and settled into Lydia's arms and Ianto breathed a sigh of relief. He reached an arm out and wrapped it around Jack's waist, pulling him a little closer. Bryn smiled at the sight of her parents with their grandchildren and then the look of bliss on her brother's usually tense face. She stepped around them and grabbed Jack's hand, pulling him towards the house, Ianto following, holding Jack's hand tightly.

Once they were inside, Bryn let Jack go and punched Ianto in the arm. "See? If you'd just done that sooner…"

She glowered and linked her arm with her brother's and beckoned them both through to the garden, where she sat them down on the patio seats before leaving to go gather together her parents, niece and nephew.

"Thanks for coming, Jack." Ianto smiled before closing his eyes and sliding down in his seat a little, hands resting over the ends of the chair's arms to soak up the pleasant summer sun.

"No, thank you." Jack murmured softly, a smile twitching at the corners of Ianto's mouth at the hidden meaning. Jack looked around to see Bryn bounding into the garden again, the bag of toys from the car and a quilt in her arms, a grin on her face. She was obviously enjoying her family coming together like this and Jack made a mental note to make sure Ianto didn't slip away from them again.

"Hey, when's El-" Ianto began to ask his sister, but froze in place as he heard a yell, fear striking his features again.

"Ianto Ciaran Jones! Where the HELL are you?!" Came a new female voice from the direction of the driveway.