The promised trip to the Valleys didn't happen for two weeks, as things came out of the rift to distract them. Once Ianto made the commitment though, he was determined to get there with Jack.
On the day they left, Rhys came in to do rift watch with Gwen. Things were supposed to be slow, so they had stocked up on old DVDs and were going to watch them on the large screen display in the board room. Ianto was more nervous about leaving them alone than Jack was,, but Gwen assured them that should anything major happen she would get in touch with them. They did take the SUV, as that would allow them to tie in remotely if they had to.
"Ready?" Jack asked and Ianto nodded. They had packed up some presents for his mother, sister, brother in law and the kids. Jack glanced at the back seat and chuckled. "Bribery works."
"That's not why I'm bringing them, Jack." Ianto said with his trademark eye roll. He shifted gears and pulled away from the curb. "Now behave yourself."
"I don't think that's physically possible," Jack said and Ianto snorted in response. He worked his way out of the city in short order and made the familiar drive in the direction of home. One the way they chatted about different stuff – mostly work, though Jack did quiz Ianto about his family, and what he should expect. Ianto timed their arrival so that it was just about lunch time. At least that way they would be busy eating as a way to break the ice.
Jack craned his neck as he looked around the small town where Ianto had grown up. "Very picturesque."
"Mmm," Ianto said noncommittally as they turned down a road that had scattered houses set back from the road. He smiled as he caught sight of his mother's house. He pulled into the drive and shut off the engine. "Ready?"
Jack found himself nervous now that it was time to go inside. "Shall I grab all this stuff?" He asked with a toss of his head and Ianto nodded. Together they got out of the SUV and Ianto loaded Jack up with presents before taking the rest himself. He heard a door slam behind him and knew that his mother had come out to meet them. He shared a glance with Jack who was pretty much buried behind all of the boxes in his arms. Giving Jack a wink, he turned around.
"Hi Mam," Ianto said with a smile. His mother stood on the top step and looked at him for a long moment.
"Well, don't just stand there, get in and drop all that stuff. What did you go, buy out Cardiff?" she asked incredulously, and Ianto chuckled. She opened the door to let him step through with his packages, Jack a few steps behind him. "He's made you into a pack mule!" She exclaimed. She stopped Jack one hand to his arm and took the package that was obstructing his view. "There, at least you can see now," she said and nodded to Jack so he could go through the door. Jack smiled at her without saying anything and ducked through the low doorway and into the living room.
It was a simple room with a sofa against one wall along with a rocking chair which was off to one side of the well used fireplace. Ianto had put down the packages on the coffee table and started taking the stacked boxes from Jack, placing them next to the ones he had already set down. A moment later, he found himself engulfed in a hug as his mother wrapped her arms around him.
"Stop that now, and let me look at you," she scolded him. He hugged her tight and sighed with contentment. She pulled back and cradled his face before pulling him down for a kiss. "You look tired."
"You always say that, Mam." Ianto said fondly. He looked down at the diminutive woman in front of him. "Mam, I want you to meet Jack." She turned to look at the tall man in the long coat who was standing off one side.
"So you're Jack," she said and he smiled and gave her a nod. "Well, let's get a look at you." She moved over to where he stood and stared up at him.
"Captain Jack Harkness at your service," he gave her a gallant bow and she smiled. Oh, he certainly was a charmer. Ianto moved to stand next to him, as if to provide a buffer between them. "It's a pleasure, Mrs. Jones."
"Jack, this is quite obviously my Mam," Ianto said, feeling a bit foolish. But he wanted everything to go all right and he wasn't sure how his mother would react to meeting Jack.
"Please, sit. May I get you something to drink?" Jack shook his head but she went out to the kitchen can came back with a tray of iced tea anyhow. Jack and Ianto sat down on the sofa together.
"Haven't done this in a while," Jack said softly, to which Ianto chuckled. When Ianto's mother returned he stood up again.
"Oh, no need to get up just because I walk into the room, Captain," Ianto's mother said with a laugh. She put the tray down and placed the glasses in front of them on the coffee table before sitting down in the rocking chair. Jack sat back down again with a nod. She tilted her head and watched him for a long moment. She could see that Ianto was glancing between the two of them as if uncertain how this meeting would go. "So, how did you get to be a Captain?"
"RAF, ma'am." Jack said. The coat said it all, though she hadn't seen one of those since she was a young girl.
"And a retired RAF captain with an American accent is now in charge of the Cardiff Tourist Bureau office?" She asked. The skepticism was evident in her tone. Ianto started to open his mouth and she put up a hand to forestall him. "Not now, Ianto. I'm talking to your friend." He sighed heavily.
"Funny how that worked out," Jack decided to be brash about it. "Amazing the odd things we just fall into in our lives." Ianto choked on his ice tea and they both looked at him in concern.
"Don't mind me," he said as he cleared his throat. For a moment there he thought that Jack was going to just tell his mother everything. He still might, since you never knew what was going to come out of Jack's mouth. Ianto sat back cautiously.
"I'm glad you got here before the kids arrived. It gives us a chance to talk," Ianto's mother said. Jack nodded and waited for her next question. Listening to her, he knew where Ianto got that steel core when getting answers. She rocked in the chair while she regarded them. "May I call you Jack?"
"Please, Mrs. Jones," Jack said with a nod. "I would prefer that."
"So Jack, did you set out to seduce my son?" This time Ianto coughed as he inhaled his iced tea. He put the glass down on the table and said "Mam!" in protest.
"I seem to remember it was mutual seduction," Jack said with a smile. "Wouldn't you agree, Ianto?" Ianto chuckled. He should have known that nothing his mother said would upset Jack.
"That much is true," Ianto said. He moved closer to Jack and put his hand on Jack's knee. He wasn't going to let his mother bully Jack. His mother watched as he did so.
"Isn't it all a bit irregular?" She asked.
"Mam, you have no idea," Ianto murmured and shared a grin with Jack. Jack chuckled.
"What would you like to know, Mrs. Jones?" He asked. She proceeded to ask him about where he grew up (on the coast was his answer,) his family (parents deceased, brother incapacitated due to a childhood injury,) why he kept Ianto working such long hours (it was a very busy office and to be honest, Ianto was a bit of a workaholic, though Jack was trying to change that,) and so on until the clatter of feet on the steps announced the arrival of Rhiannon and her family.
