"Uhmmm, well," Jack found himself stumbling about for a moment, at a loss for words. This was rather unusual for him. Usually he just brazened anything out, but in the face of her question he could see how awkward this must be for her. He rubbed his face with one hand. "Yeah, I am." He looked up as he heard her sharp intake of breath. "He never told you about us?"

"No," she said. She looked about the small kitchen, clearly uncomfortable and looking for something to do. Her eyes settled on the box of pastries from the bakery. "Would you like some breakfast? I brought a lot because I couldn't make up my mind. There's plenty to go around."

"Sure, I'd like that," Jack said. "Let me go… uhm… get changed first." She nodded her head and busied herself in the kitchen cabinets as she looked for plates for them. Jack went back to the bedroom and hesitated. Should he wake Ianto? He figured he better talk to his sister first before Ianto had to deal with it. He abandoned the robe on the bed and put his trousers on. Leaving the braces hanging, he pulled on a vest and a shirt before pulling the braces up over each shoulder. Glancing at Ianto, he could see that the younger man was out like a light. Stifling a chuckle, he closed the bedroom door to let him sleep before heading back to the kitchen.

Rhiannon was seated at the small table with one of the coffees she had brought in front of her. The other one sat in front of Ianto's chair, so Jack sat down opposite her. She had placed the pastries on a plate between then and was picking at a coffee roll. She glanced up as he walked into the room and down again as he sat down.

Jack looked at the wrapped present in front of him and understood why she was there. "You came to surprise Ianto for his birthday, didn't you?" She nodded without looking up. "Look, I can go if you want. I don't want to make things uncomfortable for you."

"No, please don't leave on my account," she said. She finally looked up. "I'm just a little embarrassed, is all." Jack smiled as she finally looked at him. Her face, though heart-shaped, was very similar to Ianto's. They had the same eyes. "Ianto never mentioned being… um, with someone. Well, other than Lisa."

Jack tried his damnedest to hide a wince at Lisa's name. She wouldn't know the story, of course. "He didn't?" Jack asked. She shook her head. "Well, we have been busy lately." He reached out to take a danish and brought it over to his plate. He figured that if he acted nonchalantly, then maybe she would relax a bit more. "Besides, since when does Ianto share anything?" He asked lightly. She smiled at that and let out a tiny laugh.

"True enough," she admitted. "Please, have the coffee. If I know my brother, if it isn't hot he won't want it." Jack nodded and popped open the lid. He took a sip and sat back in his chair.

"He never mentioned that he had such a beautiful sister." He could see her flush with embarrassment at his comment. But it was true. She was absolutely gorgeous.

"So," she said after taking a sip of her own coffee and picking at the coffee roll again. "You and Ianto."

"Yup," Jack said, unable to hide a grin. "Me and Ianto."

"Isn't that a bit awkward?" She asked, her eyes darting up to his face before looking down again at her plate. "I mean, being his boss and all?"

"Not really," Jack said. "We manage to keep business separate from the non business stuff." Usually, he thought to himself. Well, except for when we start playing games in the Hub. Of course, he couldn't say that.

"I see," she murmured, though she didn't see at all. She was confused, but Jack was going out of his way to charm her, and she could see why he would be appealing. "I never knew he was… Well." She paused. How did one say that they didn't know their brother was interested in other men? "I mean, he was with Lisa, so I thought…" Oh God, she thought. There I go again, mentioning her again. Can I be more awkward? "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

Jack stifled a chuckle. As awkward was the conversation was, he found Ianto's sister delightfully appealing. Obviously, the Jones' allure was a family trait. "Sometimes you just can't help who you find yourself attracted to," he said.

"I suppose," she said. Her thoughts were whirring around inside her head as she thought of a safe topic to discuss. "Were you planning to do something for his birthday?"

"Later on," Jack said vaguely. He had thought to take Ianto out for a night of dinner and possibly dancing, if he were up for it, but hadn't said anything to him about it yet. He mentioned the dancing and Rhiannon perked up at the thought of Ianto out and enjoying himself for a change.

"Oh, that's nice." Rhiannon kept on flashing back to the scene from the bedroom. She felt like the image was seared into her brain. She remembered seeing the scattered clothes on the floor, as if they had been ripped off one another on their way to the bed. Shirts, a belt, trousers, socks. She shook her head as she tried to clear out the thoughts. Though she had only had a glimpse, she could remember the intimate way they had been entwined, Ianto's hand resting on Jack's back as if he had fallen asleep while caressing Jack's hair. He probably had. There was so much she realized she didn't know about her little brother. She started to laugh softly.

Jack ate and watched her. He could see that thoughts were flitting through her head because her face showed every single one of them as they passed. Chagrin at what she had seen, a smile before her eyes closed briefly as a slow blush crept onto her cheeks again. "What?"

"I have known him all my life," she said as she tried to stifle her laughter. "Never have I ever seen his room as messy as it is right now."

Jack chuckled. "I'm a bit of a bad influence on him, I guess." Her laughter broke the ice for them and they started chatting together, mostly commiserating about Ianto.

*