1

"It is not that bad!" Jack sighed as Ianto stood fuming at the letter in his hand.

"Not that bad. Are you insane?" Ianto hissed "This is deliberate. She did this to spite our child and you say it is not that bad!"

"Come on… it is not Jax's or her fault that his birthday falls in the fortieth anniversary of their marriage." Jack argued, now angry with Ianto for the way he was acting.

"Only… it doesn't!" Ianto was not backing down here "your parents wed a good two months from Jax's birth. Come on… who brings forward a wedding anniversary party by almost two fucking months!" Ianto spat with total rage now, thrusting the invite at his husband "If you want to go… go. Take the girls… fine. We will go… smile and be nice to everyone."

"Come on… he is too young to know it's his birthday anyway love" Jack tried, "He will just like a party and he will finally get to meet everyone. We can have his party when we get back. You know it will be nice to show him off to everyone, the King and Queen can't wait to fuss on him."

"Me ya mean" Ianto muttered "since Mother's little foray into our marriage your king and queen are dangling by their private parts."

Jack was also not about to back down and the shot at his mother did not go unchallenged "And you go off about my mother being over involved. What the hell do you call what YOUR mother did! Overthrew my family realm!"

Ianto stepped back and stared at Jack with shock "So… now you are moving back into her camp."

"Jesus Christ Ianto, this is not about taking sides. We are family… all of us." Jack threw his arms up "She is my mother and you will have to learn to get along with her sooner or later."

"So… right. Forgive and forget. It's OK Mother Harkness, I know you tired to kill me a little bit but we can get past it… here… have a sweetie" Ianto said in a syrupy sweet voice miming offering a plate, "Oops.. sorry. Check they are not the poisonous Killy Killy Die Die ones you offered me FIRST! But thanks for giving them to the previous one… I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"That is just childish" Jack said, folded his arms. Ianto did not answer, staring him down. He knew the bitch had gotten around him, been talking to Jack on the sly. Cow, wheedling her way back in.

"There will be security, we will have our own people there and she would not dare try anything as Uncle Marlin would skin her alive if she tried anything in his palace. Come on. It's a party!" Jack said looking at the invite again "And you did promise to try not to kill her."

Ianto sighed as he looked over at the little boy on the floor who was used to his parentals having shouty conversations. "Well… it is time the family met their Bladesinger.'

"Exactly, I can show you off… I know that gorgeous hair will have them all enchanted" Jack gushed then added "you sure? Not just a little crown… like a manly tiara. Or…."

"Stop it!"

.

.

"That sounds lovely dear" Queen Jennifer smiled at her son through the vid-screen, then looked down "Hello Jaxy, hello darling."

"GAM!" the boy shouted loudly, turning on the mat to wave and she laughed.

"So… the meeting of the family?" Ianto asked "We can do that this evening my time?"

"Yes love, I will set it up, all of us will enter the meeting… room… whatever you call it for your talk" she promised, then crouched to croon at the child some more "you know… Tadda and I got the invite too. I am thinking of sending your old tutor as our representative. He asks about you a lot."

Ianto felt his heart soar "Really? Master Theta? That would be lovely to see him again."

"Well… not like Tadda and me are going to travel all that way for a stupid wedding anniversary of a couple I don't even like. But I should represent" she rose and looked at Ianto "you look tired Poppet.'

"Jax is teething" Ianto sighed and then smiled wider "Tadda?"

"Hello boy" the king appeared behind his wife, hands sliding around her waist as he rested his head on her should to look at Ianto. Such a loving pose that he had to catch a print of it. "What are you doing love?"

"Took a photo of you" Ianto said as he touched the screen to dos o "You both look so wonderful and handsome. I wanted one for a frame for my room."

"Oh darling" the queen laughed.

"Is that harpy behaving herself?" King Ifan asked.

"So far… but she will be at the do as it is a party for her. I don't know… after what she did to her royal bloodline you would think the royal couple would not want anything to do with her, let alone throw her a party" Ianto huffed.

"Might be the only way to get her in a room to throttle her" the king giggled softly, showing himself to be as cheeky as his son when unattended by others.

Ianto grinned at his parents and then bid them farewell until the evening meeting with the entire family.

He had something to tell them all.

And he could barley wait.