9

"Sorry doesn't cut it for either of us, does it" Jack said after a second cup of coffee had materialized and the sunset started to paint the sky with it's brilliance. They had watched the sunset here so many time in the past, grew up here each summer on this deck. Damn it all.

"No. Too much stew on the wall" Ianto agreed, Jack snorting with mirth at the old joke that started the day his mother threw a plate of stew at the wall while screaming at Franklin over something she wanted to buy but he had stopped the purchase of it. They were teenagers watching with open mouths at the dinner table at the time. It became a family joke, any mistake or accident got the quip much to her annoyance. It all made sense now, Jack knew things that had confused him but they now made perfect sense.

"Would you like to see a photo?" Ianto asked "If you promise not to try and take him from me.. I will let you see."

"Oh Ianto" Jack's voice broke as he folded forward to lean on his thighs, the sorrow so heavy between them "I… you think me a monster."

"Well, does Lucy?"

"I offered to Mary her ya know. One part of it, when the lawyers were involved and the mess was so stinky I said I would marry her if that made it OK but she told me she would kill herself first" Jack laughed hollowly "she said... even Ianto could not stand you and he could stand almost anything."

"Your mother has too strong a hold on you, on everything. She is the queen and she knows it. What sort of relationship did we have where I was second fiddle to her all the time? Seriously, you were never going to marry me, never going to declare your love. She did not want it and deep down you know you would always back down to please her, her tears and tantrums only rivalled by your own son's. God, he can go off like a fucking Fourth of July cracker." Ianto laughed softly "Stomps his foot like her too, you have to see it. Fucking terrifying."

Jack smiled softly "Could I? Meet him? If we promise to share, if I sign anything you want to make you believe that I will not take him from you. That I only want a chance to be in his life. Please? Can I see my Dad's little replica?"

"If the lawyers… fuck. Archie. We will go see Archie and he can sort out some sort of legal thing that makes your mother toothless. Then. Then I will consider it. Not here, as much as I want him to see the place I fell in love with his bastard of a father I do not trust her." Ianto finally said with a grimace "But I do think we can… in time… come to some sort of agreement. He does ask about you, for you. He is old enough now to ask things I cannot answer without him seeing the hesitation there. I don't want him to hate you for hurting me. I don't want him to think he was anything but a creation of love. For a while."

"I have never loved anyone the way I love you" Jack said firmly.

"And yet you sample the goods" Ianto said, and then he laughed as he waved a hand "It's OK. Just because I never had anyone but you, that doesn't mean we both should be monks. You are Jack Fucking Harkness, you could not be a one-man kinda guy when we were together, of course you were not."

"I made a lot of mistakes" Jack agreed as he shuffled to the edge of his chair "I know I spoiled everything, I know that. You will never forgive me and shouldn't but our boy… our son… I deserve to know him, he deserves to know me."

"We shall see. Paperwork first!" Ianto said firmly.

We shall see how deep the shit can get now.

Ianto was stronger now, his son old enough to speak for himself if need be and Jack was awake.

For now.

.

.

Jack was leaving, walking towards his car with a strange feeling he had never felt before. Fear. True fear. Ianto could run, leave overnight and never come back. He had to trust that he …

"JACK WAIT!"

Jack spun to see Ianto running towards him with a harried look "Jack, it's Rhia. Johnny found the address and is there smashing windows and creating chaos. I don't know what to do from way over here, they are terrified."

Jack immediately got his phone out and made calls while Ianto stood there, then Jack asked "Address. Where are they?"

Ianto reluctantly gave it along with the phone number for Rhiannon's cell phone and Jack relayed them then closed the all before calmly eyeing Ianto "Come on. I have someone coming to scoop them up and hide them somewhere safe. The Gulf Stream is fully loaded and ready on the tarmac, you can be there in under six hours"

Ianto did not hesitate as he turned back towards the house "I will need my passport and a few things for the kids."

Jack got out his phone and made another call.

To be on the safe side.