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Ianto did not want to be part of the thing, his love for her tempered by his hated for her mother, so he left the house so she might have the video call in peace.
He headed to his happy place, soon engulfed in toddlers that were screaming with glee as uncle Ianto lay on the floor of the Baby House and left them clamber over him. He gave it an hour, then headed back to find Jack there at the kitchen table with a face of thunder and a cup of coffee. Ianto sat and asked "Is she done?"
"Yeah. She's asked for some time alone. I think she wants to cry and then get herself together before emerging" Jack rose "coffee?"
"Can I have a mocha Cariad?" Ianto asked, watching Jack use the coffee machine he had got for shits and giggles, one Jack could finally use competently. Once the cup was in his hands Ianto relaxed, ready to wait it out with Jack.
Finally, fifteen minutes later, she emerged and walked to the kitchen where she slid into Ianto's lap and cried into his chest much like her daughter did sometimes as a child. Ianto may be closer to her in age for sure, but sometimes Chrystal saw the Taddy in him the same as everyone else did and right now needed his affection.
"She… she's dying. Wanted my forgiveness or something. Can you believe that? Like… all is forgiven."
"What did you tell her?" Ianto asked as he rubbed her back gently.
"I let her ay her long winded spiel, all pre-rehearsed and written on boards off screen someone held up. All full of remorse and hopes for my future. Then after some silence where she looked at me with wide eyes full of hope… I told her…." She stopped and made a soft sigh of sorrow "I told her to take some good sunscreen with her as the heat will be bad for her skin."
Ianto snorted softly.
"She always went on about my skin, even as a small child I remember her scolding me for going outside without a hat on to protect my skin. Only thing I could think of to say" she started to laugh sadly "She's dying. She's really dying."
"And it's OK to be sad about that love, as much as you hate her… she's you mother and it's OK to be sad she's dying even if you want her to die" Ianto counselled as gently as he could "The last of that life, the last part of your old family. It's OK to be sad."
"I don't' want to bury her… I want nothing to do with her" she sobbed.
"And that's what the lawyers are for. We don't need to know anything else." Ianto assured her, "She can rot in hell and never taint Shangri La. OK?"
She nodded as she closed her eyes and let him love her for a while.
Safe.