7

"So.. this will tell you?" the old man asked as he watched Ianto lay out the kit. Jack sat back watching as Ianto explained it all and his old man seemed lovely, taking it all in and nodding with open interest.

"So… Toshiko has a friend at the lab downtown that can fast-track it. We will know within 24 hours if Dad was telling the truth or not about me not being his. I know I am… deep down I know I am but now he has said it… you know me Grandy. I am not gonna be able to let it go." Ianto settled to smile as his GrandTad nodded.

"And what about you, young man?" Ifan turned his eyes to the handsome young buck that had snuck along the tree-line with Ianto, sniggering and making weird noises as Ianto slapped at him and giggled as well. Ifan had watched them coming from a distance, blatantly showing themselves as they pretended to be bloody Bond spies or something. Ifan knew a lot about his boy and this look that was thrown at the man every now and then was more than he had hoped he might ever see.

The boy was smitten. Not like the others who were simply pleasant, or that Lisa who Ifan was sure he brought home just to upset the apple cart with her dark skin and challenging stare. OH no… each time these two looked at one another they smiled.

"I am a Harkness sir. From over by the Bay. My dad is American, hence the accent but my mom is Scottish. Raised between the Us and England a lot. Then Dad got a posting here in Wales at the army base… been here ever since. Dad is retired now, prefers here to the US. Mom loves it here, closer to her family." Jack smiled. "I did a tour in the air force myself. I am just here to leer over Ianto and enjoy the madness."

"And any kids?"

"Yes sir. A daughter, she lives with her mum and I see her every second weekend." Jack said as Ianto stalled out. What. What? Really? Jack saw his face and added "Lucia and I were friends in college and every now and then when we were lonely or bored we would hook up We do love each other, but not… LOVE each other. Not like that. Alice was an accident and Lucia wanted to keep her. Glad she did, she is a lovely little beastie. Lucia and I are still good friends. Platonic now, she has a husband now and a second little one."

"And where do they live son?"

"They live over in the south side villas. She makes a good bit of coin with her job at the local council and he is in some sort of real estate thing. Don't really know him that well. I just say Hi and Bye when I pick Alice up. I don't want him to feel threatened with me around." Jack shrugged.

"Franklin!" the old man suddenly blurted out with a start "You are Frankie's son!"

Jack gaped "Yes."

"Ah, I know that old horn dog. Christ almighty, we did our own fair share of bar hopping back in the day. Your father knows him better Ianto. I was the old bastard that snuck them into the bars when they were still underage. What a small world. Hew and Frankie were good mates, fell out over a girl. Well now… Mary. Your mother?"

"Yes sir!" Jack started to laugh. "Hew. That was… I remember a photo of him in the old stuff in Dad's drawer. He said Hew was an old friend. Yeah."

"Frankie loved her on sight and Hew was jealous, tried everything he could to get between them, including making a pass at your mother. I always wondered who he was jealous of, him or her. Didn't end well between the two boys. Well … and here we are. Look at you two."

"Life is a series of fate filled moments I guess" Ianto agreed with a nod of his head as he pondered things "So… mum?"

"Came later. On the tail end of it all. I think he only got together with your mother in an attempt to try for couple-dates and things before realising that Frankie was done with his bullshit. By then your mother was preggers with Rhiannon and he was kinda trapped by his own game."

"But she said he wooed her and… really? He was using her and forgot a condom? All that shit they talk about at each wedding about how they met and stuff… more lies?" Ianto was getting angry again and told himself to let it go.

"Shakespeare could not have written this better" Jack said, then he started to laugh "Oh honey. Your face."

"You know... this last week has been the most surreal of my life. So many ups and downs I need a seatbelt." Ianto groaned, flopping back theatrically in his chair as Jack laughed some more.

"On the bright side… you did get me!" Jack finally choked out between gawfs.

"Oh ha-ha" Ianto made a face at him and then smiled as he watched Jack collapse with peels of laughter.

Yeah.

He was pretty lucky there.