Disclaimer: Don't own anything here, except maybe the idea and not sure that the boys haven't just got up and walked off on their own…
You can't choose your family…
"At last! You're late!" Rhiannon snapped as she watched Ianto get out of the car and walk across the grass to meet her.
"I'm sorry Rhi'." he said apologetically.
"What's wrong? Why are you limping?" she demanded to know.
"You should see the other fella." He said gently "I'm fine. Honestly."
"You don't look fine." She said and engulfed her brother in a hug, which he returned a little less fiercely. They sat down on the park bench and watched Mica chasing David across the play park, shouting "Pow, pow, pow" as though she was shooting at him.
"So, how are you?" Ianto asked, smiling and waving at Mica as she saw him, then at David as he looked to see who Mica was waving at.
"Me? I'm fine as always. Look, I won't beat about the bush…a mate of mine, Susan was out the other day, it was her anniversary and they went to that posh French place in town, the one by the memorial…and there was you."
"Ssso?" Ianto frowned, wondering what was coming.
"Well, there was you havin' dinner…with a man…"
"Probably was. We go for a drink occasionally."
"This was more than a bloody drink Ianto, if what she said was true."
"So…?"
"So you don't deny it then?"
Ianto sighed "Deny what Rhi'?"
"She said you looked like you were quite…well, intimate…you know, together. She also said he was gorgeous, like a movie star" she paused, "or an escort…"
"He works with me." Ianto admitted.
"Works with you?"
"So? You go out with Tina, don't you?" he countered.
"Not to posh restaurants…" Rhiannon scoffed, "and I said to her, well, he's been out with girls and she said well, no girl was getting her feet round that table, that was certain…" she looked at him "Have you gone Bender then?" and when he stayed quiet she said "You never tell me anythin' these days. Like after Dad died, that was it, you were off, you couldn't wait to leave…Like I did somethin' wrong. I didn't, did I?" She turned away, just gazing across the grass at Mica.
"Its my job…its difficult…. Its…" Ianto paused, coming to a decision, "he is very handsome…"
"No!" she was incredulous.
"Now stop it." Ianto warned gently.
"You're kidding me! Really though? Christ Almighty! But he's nice though, isn't he? Is he? I mean, since when?"
Ianto thought about it "Its weird, its just…different. Its not…men, its…just him. Its only him and I…don't even know what it is really, so…so I'm not broadcasting it."
"Oh no, honest, I won't say!" she reassured him quickly "If you want it kept quiet I won't say, I promise."
Ianto met his sister's eyes and smiled.
"Ay Ay, Gay Boy!" came the ebullient tones of his brother-in-law behind him "I 'ear you're takin' it up the arse…" he received a good natured clout to his shoulder that nearly knocked him off the seat and Johnny hove into view, a cheerful grin on his face. Ianto locked gazes with a very embarrassed Rhiannon who tried to hide her grin. "MICA!" Johnny roared "Come down off that thing now!" and he sauntered over to rescue his daughter from the climbing frame.
"Hey, am I interrupting?" came the familiar voice behind them. Ianto turned and smiled a little ruefully. Rhiannon turned and looked up as Jack came down the slope towards them. Her eyes nearly popped.
"Ianto, that isn't…him, is it?"
"Sorry, I'm late…work." He said, leaning in for a kiss "You did ask me to meet you here?"
"Its fine Jack, no problem. Jack, I want you to meet my sister, Rhiannon Davies. Rhiannon, meet Jack Harkness."
"Jack" she held out a hand and Jack took it. In a moment of pure mischief, he raised it to his lips and kissed it.
"The pleasure is mine." he said, looking her up and down. "Can see you all share the family good looks." She tried not to be drawn in by the man's obvious flirting and failed miserably. Giggling, she took her hand back and met his eyes. Yes, he was nice, very nice indeed. Susan hadn't been wrong about the man's looks. Almost a shame he was gay, she thought. Her next thought was to consider that her brother was a very lucky man.
"Hey, you tryin' to chat up my wife?" Johnny growled amiably, holding a struggling Mica in his arms as he walked back towards them. He found himself the subject of Jack's gaze, which made him feel a little uncomfortable as Jack grinned and said "Wow, Rhiannon, you have great taste in men."
Mica struggled out of her surprised dad's grip and ran over to Ianto. "Uncle Ianto, Uncle Ianto, is this your boyfriend?" she asked eagerly. Ianto picked her up and smiled "Yes, Mica, this is Jack. Jack, say hello to Mica, my niece."
"Hello Mica," Jack grinned at her.
"My friend Lizzie has two mums." She said proudly. "Are you and Uncle Ianto going to get married?"
Ianto and Jack exchanged a glance and Rhiannon said "Mica, for goodness sake…"
"No, that's OK." Jack said, grinning "We've not been together long Mica, I don't know if your Uncle Ianto likes me enough yet…" the little girl studied him for a moment before declaring "Well, I like you, you smell nice." And she threw her arms round his neck and hugged him hard "and if he doesn't ask you, he's bloody daft!"
Ianto and Jack went home later in thoughtful mood. Rhiannon seemed to have taken the news of her brother's shift in sexual orientation quite well and even Johnny, a traditional Welshman by all counts, hadn't turned a hair at the news. Jack had liked the no-nonsense couple a lot. They were down-to-earth and ordinary, a perfect foil to Ianto's out-of-the-ordinary profession. Rhiannon loved her brother, that much was plain to see. Over the course of the afternoon, Jack had seen her looking their way, a small smile on her lips at the two of them as they stood close, watching the children playing, Jack with his arm round Ianto's shoulders.
He was pleased that Mica had taken to him, giving him a little kiss on his cheek when they said their goodbyes. Her brother had also shaken his hand. Jack had wondered if Ianto might consider having children sometime. Jack's stomach flipped as he thought about how much he was really considering going back on his vow not to do that again. For Ianto, he would be willing to try. That admission was a shock.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Jack, can I talk to you?"
"Sure" Jack came in to the living room from the kitchen. "You want coffee first?"
"No, sit down."
"This sounds serious." Jack sat on the couch and looked at his lover.
"If anything happens to me, would you see Rhiannon and the kids are OK?" he said quickly. Jack looked at him, speechless for a moment "Its just, I've been thinking, if anything did happen, and lets face it, I've come close twice now already, I want you to take care of Mica and David for me. You know, visit them sometimes, make sure they're OK, if they need anything…that sort of thing. I know Rhiannon likes you. It would just set my mind at rest."
"Of course I will. You know that. No problem, Yan" Jack agreed. "But we take it one day at a time, each day as it comes, OK?"
"OK. But we don't know what's round the corner…we have no idea if I'll still be breathing by tomorrow night…"
"Yan, you can't think like that."
"I do though. No pension plan in Torchwood, remember?"
"Yeah, otherwise I'd have been pulling mine ages ago…"
Ianto didn't laugh "Look Jack, I'm not sure what we're doing is right."
"Right? What are you talking about?"
"Well, look at us. Dangerous job, secret occupation…what are we doing Jack? Are we fooling ourselves? What are we looking for after all, distraction? Tell me, are we really being honest with ourselves? I'm not sure that we even have a future."
Jack looked at him, an angry retort forming on his lips but he bit it back and frowned instead. "Then what's all this been about? What about us? What about Love? I think you're wrong!" he said vehemently.
"Why?"
"Because, I can't think like that…"
"You're immortal. I wouldn't expect you to."
"That's not it. I'm human, just like you. I have emotions and needs and wants and thoughts…I'm not dead from the neck up because I'm immortal."
"Jack…"
"No, you listen to me Yan. I love you. I do not want to lose you again. You hear me? I don't care how stupid this is, how short lived or lacking in a future. This is what we have now, now, you hear? We don't need any more. All we need is each other…all we need is this!" Jack was angry and scared and more than a little upset. He didn't understand Ianto's change of heart. He felt helpless, feeling all they had slipping away from him as he sat there, coming so soon after their previous altercations and problems, it was too much. "Tell you what? I'm going out. I need time to think and I can't stay to see this disintegrate in front of my eyes…" he stood up and headed for the door, tears blurring his vision.
"Jack!" Ianto called. Jack ignored the plea and grabbed his coat "Jack!" Ianto ran to catch him and grabbed his arm before he could leave. He spun Jack round and slammed him against the wall so hard his head flew back and banged into the unyielding brick.
"Ow! Jesus, that hurt!" he stood there, holding his head and looking slightly stunned. "That rattled my teeth!" he growled "Damn it Yan, you're so…masterful when you're angry!" he grimaced a grin, chagrined.
"God, Jack I'm sorry!"
"Don't!" Jack grabbed Ianto's arms to steady himself "I deserved it."
"Jack, I really am sorry. I had no right…I'm just…scared, that's all. I'm so full of questions that have no answers."
"Would you...get me to bed, I think you just managed to give me a concussion…"
He felt gentle fingers moving over the back of his skull as Ianto checked him out.
"Not broken, thank god. I didn't expect you to hit quite so hard!" Ianto helped him into the bedroom and sat him down "You feeling dizzy?"
"A bit."
"Oh fuc. Double vision?" he held fingers up in front of his eyes "How many?"
"Three and a half." Jack quipped and then said "Two." on seeing Ianto's glower.
"Let's get your clothes off and get you into bed." His head was throbbing, a dull ache where he had hit. He didn't resist.
"Could you get me some painkillers?" he rasped as Ianto pulled the duvet cover over him.
"I think I'll call Owen first." and Ianto went to call.
Jack lay back and closed his eyes. Boy, he hadn't bargained for that one. He must have been off balance, he thought, or maybe he hadn't really wanted to resist. Ianto came back, sat down next to him and reached for his hand. "I really am sorry…I let my fears get the better of me…"
"Almost worth the pain." Jack replied. "Look, Yan, I'm sorry too. But we belong together, you and me, for as long as we can get. Why try to deny the feelings, they won't go away."
"No, I know." He sighed "Not sure I want them too, just…I wish I could face the future with a glad heart, I've got the love of a good man, what more could I want…?"
"Oh, I don't know, stability, security, safety? A normal life? The job isn't perfect Ianto, that could have something to do with it."
"Define normal." Ianto retorted. He switched the side light on and the overhead off and went to put the coffee machine on.
A few minutes later the doorbell rang and Owen stood on the doorstep, bag in hand.
"Thanks for coming." Ianto let him in and walked with him to the bedroom.
"No problem Boss." Owen said "What did you do to him?"
"Slammed him against a wall…" Owen looked quickly at his boss for any sign of humour but there was non.
"What you two get up to is non of my business." He said, looking uncomfortable.
"It wasn't like that!" Ianto retorted "We were arguing…"
"You two?" Owen said incredulously "Exactly what did you do?"
"Pushed him against the wall and he hit his head, probably put a dent in the brick."
"Let's have a look then." Owen pulled Jack into a sitting position and investigated the back of his head with firm fingers. He felt around the bruising and pressed here and there, ignoring Jack's wincing as he did so. "Well, doesn't look like its fractured. Any nausea? Vomiting? Headache? Flashing lights?"
"No sickness, no lights, just blinding headache…"
"That's good. Well, not good for you, obviously, but it might have been worse…" Owen took out a pencil torch and shone it in Jack's eyes, peering into each one, watching the response. He held up two fingers and asked how many Jack could see, checked his heart rate and blood pressure and declared nothing seriously wrong. "Mild concussion. Painkillers and bed rest for 24 hours. I know you won't stay in bed any longer, knowing you. You'll be fine. Any change, call me at once though, got that? If you can't wake him up, if he starts being sick, you know the drill."
Ianto nodded "Will do. Thanks Owen."
"We can handle things tomorrow Boss." Owen said suddenly "If we need you, we'll call. Stay home and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid!" He suggested, then frowned and added "And that goes for you too Boss, no beating him senseless again, you got that?"
"Yes, thank you Owen." Ianto said exasperatedly "See you later…" and he showed the doctor out.
"How are you feeling now?" Ianto asked from the bedroom doorway.
"Not bad, the painkillers are kicking in…" he looked sleepy.
"I'm sorry." Ianto sat down on the bed, shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Yan, stop it." He was smiling now "You just don't know your own strength."
"I was desperate…"
"Why?"
"I didn't want to lose you either."
"You know Ianto, you don't have to knock me unconscious in order to keep me." Jack looked ruefully at his lover and grabbed Ianto's hand "Come to bed?"
Ianto sighed and smiled "I'll go tidy up first. I made us some coffee…you want some?"
"Refuse your coffee? Never." Jack relaxed back into the pillows. His head was tender at the back but bearable, the ache had receded to a manageable level. He would cope with it though. Through it, Ianto had shown him how much he really needed him, albeit in a rather desperate way.
"Jack?" Ianto was standing there with two steaming mugs on a tray, his shirt sleeves rolled up, a short plain black apron round his waist.
"You look like a very sexy waiter." Jack observed with a grin.
Ianto grinned back and placed the coffees on the bedside table "There you go Sir, your coffee. Is there anything else I can get you?" he said respectfully, playing up to the role.
"Yeah, I have this very hot date arriving soon, can you show him in when he gets here?"
"I think I can manage that Sir. Will he be wanting coffee as well?"
"Oh, I should think so. I'm hoping he'll soothe my fevered brow to make up for throwing me against the wall."
"I hope you're going to punish him severely for doing that to you." Ianto deadpanned.
"Oh, I'll think of something." Jack replied.
"I really don't know how anybody could do that to you Sir."
Jack grinned "Why not?"
"Because…" Ianto leaned close "you're a very kind, very good looking, very forgiving and very wonderful man, Jack…" he covered Jack's mouth with his own. The kiss was gentle and undemanding, comforting and warm. They broke away and Ianto's blue eyes gazed down into Jack's.
"When he arrives" Jack added, "can you also tell him he's forgiven?" He smiled and saw the relief in Ianto's eyes before the younger man stood up.
"I'll tell him Sir." He said as he left the room, a smile on his face as if all was right with the world again.
Oh, the boys are having fun adjusting to being a couple… what next, and is Ianto going to do as his little niece suggests? Reviews are always welcome…
And sorry, I cannot resist sticking song lyrics in there! I challenge you to find them…