"Ianto?" Jack watched Ianto carefully as he formulated his next words, "You have never asked me about what was said the night we threw Mom out."

Ianto froze, his wine glass half way to his mouth and carefully placed it down instead. Their evening meal was sans children as they watched a DVD in the other room "I figured you would tell me when you were ready."

"No more secrets" Jack said softly and Ianto smiled.

"After me, Mom tried to have a second child. Three times, I watched her glow and preen, then cry and wail as she lost them." Jack fiddled with the table cloth.

"So, that's why my fathers talking about me upset you? Why you understood my memorial garden for my siblings? What did she do?" Ianto prompted after it seemed Jack was choking on the words, "IVF?"

"No." Jack sighed, "That's what she was already trying. Oh god!"

"Tell me Cariad" Ianto soothed, reaching out to grasp his fingers.

"A private adoption" Jack looked up with a grimace, "They went through baby photos of me, then took one away. About three months later, Mom told everyone she was pregnant and it was a surprise as they hadn't been trying. I remember seeing her with a cushion, pushing it into her pants."

Jack sighed.

"Then, suddenly there was a baby. Mom was crying and saying that it was so like me" Jack rubbed his face, "Dad kept saying that they weren't supposed to have one so soon, agency said it would be another month or so before a suitable baby might come up."

"Mom told people he was premature but healthy and I couldn't work out why they pretended."

"Oh Jack" Ianto rubbed those fingers in his grasp, "So when she called our boys cuckoos…"

"Yeah" Jack snorted, "She forgot what she did!"

"Your Dad?"

"Loved him. Of course he did" Jack smiled, "That's why he loved our boys, he saw the beauty in them. Mom never really liked Grey and would spoil him to please Dad. All the time, telling me to do better, be better for the Harkness bloodline."

"Oh my God!" Ianto gaped. "That's why she shows no interest in Rory!"

"Yeah." Jack let his head loll back as he stared at the ceiling. "That's why she wants an heir from me. A "real" Harkness."

"God!" Ianto frowned at his husband, "What would she make of Stephen?"

"We will never find that one out!" Jack said angrily, "She will never get near them!"

"Them" Ianto repeated.

"Ah, come on" Jack sighed, "Not still jealous of a one night stand with someone years ago?"

"No, just the mother of your child!" Ianto said softly.

"Well, I guess that makes us even then!" Jack barked, then grimaced as Ianto balked.

Ianto rose to leave the table and Jack held fast to his hand.

"Please, I didn't mean it" he begged, but Ianto pulled his hand away and walked into the kitchen, placing the plate in the sink and scratching at the edge of the cast that was due to come off that week.

Jack stood in the doorway and tried to think of how to fix what he had just done when he really just wanted a hug.