Chapter Nineteen: Brothers and Sisters

I don't believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.

~Maya Angelou

Jack didn't have to look far to find his husband. Ianto was sitting on the front stoop of his mother's house, shaking. The Captain sat down next to him and gathered him into his arms, holding him tight.

"We should go," the young Welshman murmured at length. "Mam will probably never let me back in her house again…"

"I think even she'll agree he's had that coming a long time, Sweetheart."

He shook his head, loosing his battle against hot angry tears. "You don't understand. When Cade… that time he hit me… the one time she knew about…"

"He…" he hit you more than once…? but Ianto shook his head again, a clear sign that he didn't want to get into it. So Jack shut his mouth and listened instead of asking questions he knew he wouldn't like the answers to anyway.

"When I was seventeen… I told you…"

"He broke your nose."

Ianto had walked out of the house after coming out to his parents. They hadn't actually chucked him out on his ear, but they had made their position clear. He could do whatever he wanted to do when he was off on his own but as long as he lived under their roof, he would 'straighten up.' He'd ended up riding around on the bus all day… then he met Wendy and she took him in. Fed him bologna sandwiches. Told him he could stay.

When Ianto came home to collect some of his things, Cade punched him so hard he broke Ianto's nose.

"Mam took his side, Cariad," he said, miserably.

"That was a long time ago."

"Please… just get Seren and Jason and meet me in the car. Please, Jack," he begged when his partner didn't move right away. "I just want to go home."

"All right. But just so you know…"

"Don't," Ianto cut him off; he knew what Jack was about to say. "I'm not proud of what I just did. I just couldn't take it any more and I know from experience that there is only one way to stop someone like Cade. I wasn't even thinking, I just… reacted," he shrugged, not meeting the other's gaze. He hated it that he'd so completely lost control and lashed out like that.

Jack reached over and took his chin gently, forcing Ianto to look at him. "You reacted the only way you could. You said it yourself, there's only one way to stop someone like that. You did what you had to."

"They were just words, Jack. Words can't hurt anyone…"

"Like Hell they can't! Abuse is abuse. I'll get the kids," he said then, before Ianto could argue with him. He stood and hauled the younger man to his feet, then he leant in and pressed his lips to his Welshman's mouth. He was still shaking, but he returned the kiss as ardently as ever. "I won't be long," Jack promised when they parted. He heading towards the back garden.

Ianto turned towards the street, but the sound of the door opening made him turn around… if it was Cade…. He swallowed hard when he saw his mother. He might almost have rather it been his older brother come to have another go at him.

"You're leaving?" Alice's tone was cool. Dry. Her expression equally so.

He didn't meet her gaze. He couldn't. "I think it's best, Mam."

"Why don't you stay." It wasn't a question.

"I… we…" he shook his head. He just wanted to go home.

"I think there's something you should know about your brother… not that I expect it to excuse anything."

Ianto frowned, but when his mother sat down on the step and motioned for him to follow suit, he did.

"Something happened a few weeks ago… I don't know… maybe I should have mentioned it sooner, at least to you. You of all people might understand… I suppose that's what I was afraid of, really. Some things a mother doesn't want to know about."

"What's going on?" he asked. Despite the tumult of unpleasant emotions, there was something in her expression that stopped him from trying to run away.

"Apparently…" she cleared her throat, looking increasingly uncomfortable. "I guess… Dillon," (Cade and Deidre's seven year old son), "found a magazine in Kae's bed a few weeks ago and brought it to Deidre. He'd found it tucked up under Kae's mattress like he was hiding it." Her tone and expression told Ianto the sort of magazine they were talking about.

But Kae was thirteen years old, so Ianto didn't understand the problem. "I assume you mean a… you know… nude…" he found himself suddenly uncomfortable as well, to be discussing anything involving nudity with his mother. "I should think like father like son," he finally managed, although he supposed he hadn't meant to sound quite so harsh. It wasn't as if he and Gavin had never looked at lingerie ads when they were that age. "I just meant to say that it's perfectly natural for a boy his age…" Deidre should know that.

"It wasn't a girly magazine, Yan. Or… that is to say, it wasn't filled with girls, it was for girls. Women. You know. It had pictures of… men. Nude men." She blushed a deep shade of crimson.

Ianto couldn't quite process the information… Kae was as bigoted as his father… wasn't he? Or was he just confused and trying to sort through his own thoughts while emulating the only male role models he has…? Deidre's family were just as narrow minded as Cade when it came to any one who wasn't working, middle class, white, heterosexual and British.

"That doesn't excuse what Cade said to you," Alice went on, quickly. "I just… I hope you can at least understand."

"That Cade probably blames me and Jack? Yeah, I understand that."

"Ianto…"

He shook his head. It would at least explain why the last time they'd all been over for dinner, Cade had nearly taken his son's ear off dragging him away from he and Jack. "I hope you realize it's not contagious."

"Ifan!"

"Sorry. I'm just angry."

"You've every right to be," she surprised him by saying. "I just wanted you to understand why he is the way he is…"

"It wasn't just today, Mam. I've been putting with… with his… shit," he paused but said the word anyway, "all my life. I don't think I will ever understand why or what I ever did to him."

She heaved a sigh, but nodded. "I won't choose one of my sons over the other."

He looked away a moment, but refrained from reminding her that at one time she had. Jack was right, it was a long time ago and he had done little to make his mother's life any easier back then. He reached over and took her hand; she held onto him tightly. "I'll come back by tomorrow with the baby… I promise."

"You can stay…"

"No, I can't…"

The door opened again; it was Jack with the kids. Ianto leant in and kissed his mother's cheek. "If… if Deidre wants to talk… what you told me… she's welcome to call or… whatever she's comfortable with. I don't actually know that talking will help…"

"I'll let her know."

Ianto stood and helped her to her feet. "I… I'm sorry for losing my temper."

She waved it aside and leant over to Jack instead, giving his cheek a quick peck. "We'll see you again soon…?"

"Count on it," he promised her.

A/N:

Well, gang, I think this officially wraps this one up... hope you enjoyed... thanks again for all the reviews and comments. They are always much appreciated.