Jack held Ianto's hand as they stepped into the house. His eyes widened, seeing that the hallway had been cleared of boxes and debris. Ianto stiffened beside him.

"They moved her things," whispered Ianto, tightening his grip on Jack's hand. "She's going to be so upset."

"It's okay, Ianto," Jack soothed, pulling his boyfriend into his arms and hugging him tightly.

"It's not, Jack!" Ianto said, his voice a bit muffled by Jack's shoulder. "You don't understand."

"Actually, I do. I read up on hoarding, Ianto." He pulled back from the Welshman, running his fingers through his hair. "Your mother isn't screaming in there. That's a good sign, right?"

Ianto's brows furrowed. "I suppose, yeah."

"Well then," Jack continued, pressing a kiss to Ianto's forehead. "Let's go talk to Rhiannon and Johnny and find out what's going on. One step at a time."

Ianto nodded and led the way into the lounge. Jack wasn't surprised to see that room greatly transformed as well. The couch and table were sitting clear of clutter, there was an armchair Jack hadn't seen in ages, and the last light of the day was filtering in through the window.

"Where did all the boxes go?" Ianto asked his sister, who was sitting with Johnny on the couch.

"Hello to you, too, Ianto," she replied, not lifting her eyes from the telly. Another thing Jack hadn't seen since he'd started coming over regularly. The television. "There're sandwiches in the fridge if you're hungry."

"Rhiannon…"

"I stored them, Ianto. Okay? I didn't throw them out. Mam would kill me."

Ianto visibly stiffened. "She didn't mind you moving them, then?"

"She threw a right fit, actually," Johnny spoke up, stretching his arms and yawning before dropping his arm back behind Rhiannon. "But it had to be done."

"I have to check on Mam," Ianto told Jack, worry etched across his face. "Can you…just…"

"I'll wait here," Jack interrupted. Ianto nodded and headed off to his mother's room. "So…Rhiannon," Jack started, giving her a big smile. "Haven't seen you for ages."

The girl – woman, really – turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Jack Harkness. Figures."

Jack frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She means it didn't take long for you to move in on her brother," Johnny stated, eyes burning into his.

"That's not fair," Jack began, placing his bag on the floor and putting his hands on his hips. "I…"

"Life's not fair, now is it?" Johnny interrupted, shaking his head. "What…you think you can just waltz right in here all high and mighty and sweep Ianto off his feet? He's a boy from the wrong side of town, for you, isn't he, Jack?"

"Don't talk about him like that," Jack said, growing angry.

"He's a good lad," Rhiannon said, folding her arms. "At least he was. Now he's just mouthy and looks down his nose at us, he does. That'd be your influence, then?"

"Ianto has known me since we were four," Jack pointed out, narrowing his eyes. "He's the same as he's always been. It's you who's changed."

"Watch your tone of voice with my wife," Johnny groused, getting to his feet.

"WIFE?" Ianto cried out from behind Jack. Jack turned toward him. "You married the likes of him?"

"Oi! You listen to me, you insolent brat…"

Jack spun around, getting in front of Ianto and coming face to face with a red-faced Johnny. "Don't you ever talk to Ianto that way. Back. Off."

"You've no business here, Harkness," Johnny snarled, his breath reeking of beer. "Get out of my house."

"This isn't your house!" Ianto said, trying to get past Jack. Jack didn't let him.

"What he said," he replied, shaking his head. "I have every right to be here. I've been invited by someone who lives here."

"As have I," Johnny growled. "And since I've married her, I have as much a right to be here as she does."

"No, you haven't," Jack told him, stepping towards him. "Rhiannon used to live here. Until she skipped out on her baby brother and left him to take care of all the finances and their mother by himself. Ianto still lives here. Ianto was responsible. Ianto has the eight to five job and puts food on the table and pays for his mother's care. What do you do?"

"You stuck up son of a…" Johnny's fist came up but Jack was faster, grabbing his hand and twisting it sideways. Johnny howled in pain and took a few steps back. "What the fuck is the matter with you? You got real problems, you know that?"

"With me?" Jack asked, moving forward and closing the distance between them. "You're in my boyfriend's house, watching the television he pays for, eating the food he buys and trying to run things. You threw a punch at me, buddy. It's not me who has the problem."

"Now that's enough!" Rhiannon cried, getting to her feet and looking accusatorily at Jack. "I left for a bit but I'm back. I'm older than Ianto and I make the rules around here. Since you can't respect that, I want you out. Both of you!"

"Rhi!" Ianto said, and Jack could hear the tears in his voice. "Don't."

"Look around you, Ianto," she told him. "This is what we accomplished since you've been gone. You couldn't do that, could you? Oh sure, you go out in your posh three piece suit, thinking you're better than us. But you couldn't even clean up the house."

"Those are Mam's things!" Ianto cried, stepping up beside Jack and balling up his fists. "She's passed out in the room. What did you give her?"

"A sedative," Johnny replied, still staring at Jack and rubbing his hand. "Bitch needed it."

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, blood boiling.

"You heard me," Johnny spat. "Now get the hell out of my house!"

"It's not your house!" Jack shouted back. "How many times do you need to hear that?"

"Jack…don't. He's not worth it."

"He can't talk about your mother like that, Ianto."

"I know. But…just…" Ianto tugged on his shirt sleeve. Jack glanced at him and saw pleading in his eyes. "Please."

Jack sighed, nodding as he stepped backward. Johnny sneered at him.

"You chicken shit."

"Don't push me, Johnny," Jack told him, glaring. "I'm only backing off for Ianto's sake. We're not finished with this."

"Oh, you're finished, alright," Johnny told him, moving toward him. Rhiannon grabbed the loop on his jeans.

"No, Johnny. Just leave them be for now. We'll deal with them later."

Johnny swung an arm backward, catching her across the face. "Let me handle this, Rhiannon!"

Rhiannon gasped, holding her cheek. "Johnny!"

"I SAID LET ME HANDLE THIS!" Johnny raged, lunging toward Jack. Jack ducked down, grabbing the man's legs and lifting, which sent Johnny over the top of him. He crashed into the tea cart that graced the wall, breaking it with a loud snap.

"Oh my God!" Rhiannon cried.

"You hit her!" Ianto accused, throwing himself at the man now trying to catch his breath on the floor. Jack reached an arm out, looping it around Ianto's waist and preventing him from getting to Johnny. "Let me go, Jack! He hit my sister!"

"I know," Jack said softly, the anger still present but being tamped down by concern for Ianto's wellbeing. "I know, Ianto."

"He didn't mean to," Rhiannon said, moving over to Johnny and checking his head. "He's not…he's not violent."

"Could have fooled me," Ianto said, struggling against Jack's grip on him. "Why would you marry him, Rhi? Why?"

"Ianto…"

"No, Jack! I want to know."

"Because…because I love him!" Rhiannon told her brother, tears streaming down her face. "I love him. And…"

"And what?" Ianto asked, finally starting to relax in Jack's arms. Jack wrapped his other arm around him, pressing a kiss to his neck. Ianto sighed.

"I'm pregnant, Ianto."

They just stared at her for a moment, Ianto tensing again in Jack's arms and Jack holding him tightly, unwilling to let him go and make things worse. "Y-you're…"

"Pregnant," Rhiannon nodded, sniffling. "We're going to have a baby, Ianto."

"I don't…I don't even…" Ianto trembled. "How could you let this happen, Rhi? Y-you took off…and left me here. And…now…"

Rhiannon's face softened. "I didn't want to leave you, Ianto."

"But you did!"

"I know." She turned back to Johnny, who was struggling to get to his feet. "I…I can't talk about this right now. I have to look after Johnny."

Ianto hung his head for a moment. Jack just held him, watching as Rhiannon led her husband into the hallway and through to the guest room. Rhiannon's room, to be more accurate. The door closed behind them with a soft click and Jack turned Ianto around in his arms.

"Hey," he said softly, lifting Ianto's chin. "It'll be okay."

Ianto shook his head, still crying. "It won't," he replied, voice shaky. "Please, Jack. Just…"

Jack caught him when he crumpled, drawing his boyfriend up and into his arms. He tucked one arm beneath Ianto's knees and the other around his back. Jack made his way to Ianto's room, depositing the shaking form on the bed and kissing his head softly.

"Get ready for bed," he told him, heading back to the lounge to collect his bag. When he returned, Ianto was exactly where he'd left him.

"What about dinner?"

"Are you hungry?"

"No," Ianto replied, shrugging. "I guess not, really."

"Me neither," Jack told him, removing Ianto's coat and draping it over his desk chair. He then did the same with Ianto's suit jacket, waistcoat and shirt, before moving on to his shoes, socks and trousers.

Ianto didn't argue, just allowed Jack to undress him. When Jack handed him a pair of pajamas from his wardrobe Ianto took them wordlessly, slipping into the soft cotton with a sigh.

"I'm so tired of fighting with them," Ianto murmured, looking up at him with wide, sad eyes. "I want my sister back."

"I know," Jack replied, kneeling on the floor between Ianto's legs and running a hand through his boyfriend's hair. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to blows."

Ianto's face reddened with renewed anger. "He hit her, Jack. How could he do that?"

"He wasn't thinking. I believe it was an accident." Ianto looked incredulous. "I'm not saying he wasn't careless, Ianto. And reckless. He's an idiot. But I don't think he meant to hurt her."

"I'm not so sure."

"Only time will tell, Ianto," Jack said, pressing a kiss to Ianto's lips. Ianto kissed him back, clutching at Jack's coat and pushing it off his shoulders before grabbing at Jack's braces and tugging them down. "Hey, slow down."

"I want you, Jack," Ianto told him, working the buttons to Jack's dress shirt. "Please. Please make me forget what happened tonight."

Jack sighed, touching their foreheads together and stilling Ianto's hands. "Not like this, Ianto."

The Welshman's face fell. "But I need you."

"And I'm right here," Jack said, placing soft kisses all over Ianto's face. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You don't want me?"

Jack swallowed. "I want you more than you can imagine," he said, shaking his head. "But right now isn't the time to take that step."

Ianto nodded slowly, and Jack got to his feet, removing the remainder of his clothing before slipping into the t-shirt and pajama bottoms he'd brought from his house. He and Ianto took turns in the washroom getting cleaned up and then Jack settled down beside him on the bed.

"We can watch telly, if you want," Ianto offered, picking up the remote control. Jack nodded and Ianto switched the box on, turning to spoon with him. Jack's arm wound around his waist, holding him close.

Sometime later, Jack nuzzled the back of Ianto's neck. "Do you want me to touch you, Ianto?"

Ianto turned his head. "Touch me…like…"

"Like last time," Jack replied, letting his hand trail down his boyfriend's stomach. "It's not what you wanted to do, but…"

"You'd do that for me?" Ianto asked, rolling onto his back? "What about you?"

"I'll be fine, Ianto."

Ianto seemed to be considering it for a moment. "M-maybe…" He didn't continue, blushing fiercely.

"Maybe what?" Jack asked, pressing a kiss to the corner of Ianto's mouth.

"If we can't have sex," Ianto started, swallowing and licking his lips. "Maybe you could…with your mouth…"

Jack grinned. "You want me to go down on you?" Ianto blushed again, and Jack thought that particular shade of pink was amazing on him. "I could do that."

"R-really?" Ianto stammered, eyes wide and full of hope.

"Really, Ianto," Jack replied, crawling over him and giving him a deep kiss.

Ianto moaned when Jack's hand found him, and Jack wasn't surprised to find that just their talking had Ianto incredibly turned on. By the time he'd pulled Ianto's pajama bottoms down and ducked his head, the Welshman was squirming on the bed.

Several minutes later found Ianto moaning his name over and over in a chant as he came, the boy's fingers tangling in Jack's hair, and Jack couldn't help but smile when he released him and pressed a kiss to Ianto's thigh. "You okay?" he asked, reaching for a tissue to dry Ianto off.

"I…just…wow, Jack."

Jack grinned, tugging up Ianto's pajamas into place before positioning himself at Ianto's side once more. He buried his face in Ianto's neck and breathed him in. "So, good then?" Ianto giggled, turning onto his side and drawing Jack's face up, kissing him long and hard, seemingly not caring where Jack's mouth had just been. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Yes, Jack," Ianto said between kisses. "Yes, yes, yes."

"Yeah?" Jack preened, rolling onto his back and putting his arms behind his head. "I guess all that porn helped."

"Jack!" Ianto smacked his arm playfully.

"What?" Jack asked, turning his head and smiling. "I had to learn somewhere."

Ianto was blushing furiously, and he tucked his head against Jack's chest. Jack lowered an arm and wrapped it around him, letting the Welshman lay on him.

"You sure you don't want me to…"

"I'm good, Ianto."

Ianto's hand slid down Jack's chest, his stomach, and then between his legs. "You're hard as a rock."

Jack closed his eyes, sighing. "Yup."

"Let me."

"Ianto, you don't have to."

"Please, Jack? I want to."

Jack opened his eyes to find Ianto watching him carefully, his hand closing around the hardness in Jack's pajamas and causing Jack to thrust his hips involuntarily. "God, Ianto." Ianto was still watching him, eyebrows raised. "Okay. Okay, Ianto, yes."

The other boy's face lit up and Jack realized he'd not seen him smile like that in ages. When he released into Ianto's mouth a few minutes later with a grunt he knew there wasn't anything he wouldn't do to make the Welshman happy. Not that getting a blow job from his boyfriend was a great sacrifice.

"I love you, Ianto Jones," he purred into his ear afterward, holding the boy close. "So, so much."

"And I love you, Jack Harkness," Ianto replied, snuggling back into his arms, his back to Jack's chest. "Always." He yawned, covering his mouth before turning off the television. "I'm sleepy now, Jack."

"Me too," Jack agreed, not really concerned that it wasn't anywhere near time to go to bed. Ianto turned off the light and Jack tightened his grip around his boyfriend. "And it's going to be okay, Ianto," he told him, knowing Ianto would understand what he was referring to. "You'll see. We'll get this all sorted, I swear."

Ianto sighed, letting his fingers tangle with Jack's. "I hope you're right, Jack."

"I'm always right."

"Cheeky."

"But of course," Jack teased, kissing his neck. "Goodnight, my beautiful Welshman."

"Goodnight, my handsome American."

Jack snorted, closing his eyes.

Tomorrow was another day. He'd make everything better for Ianto, he told himself, determinedly. He had to.

~tbc~