The phone rang for a few breaths, and Jack nearly hung up, but then a warm and motherly voice filled the line.
"Hello? This is Mrs. Jones." The immortal swallowed the lump in his throat and stood, pacing behind his desk.
"Umm, Hello, Mrs. Jones, it's Captain Harkness." A slight laugh filled the line.
"Oh yes! Yanny's boyfriend. What can I do for you mab?" The immortal smiled to himself over the use of the welsh word.
"Well, ma'am, please forgive me for this, but I wanted to know about Ianto's Father." He heard a sharp intake of breath on the line. " I know it isn't my place, I do, but I'm worried. Ianto was really upset and frightened by the though of having to tell him about, well, us, and ma'am I cannot stand to see him upset." The captain heard the sound of a car pulling over.
"What has Ianto told you?" Jack could hear a slight hint of worry in her voice , but it was quickly dismissed.
"He won't tell me about it, just that he doesn't want me meeting him, because he's afraid I'll get hurt." He heard the rustling of fabric, and then another shaky breath.
" Ianto's father is a very, well, let's say traditional man. He has made his opinion on the topic very well known throughout home. Back when he used to drink, he would get, physical with Yanny. Thought he was less of a man because he was more intellectual, and he would sing, and he never brought home a girlfriend. Used to say that he would beat him into being a man." Jack felt his throat constrict as he looked down at his lover, who was pouring coffee now, shirtless and totally unbothered. Right after saving yet another life. He felt rage pouring into his heart, that anybody could harm his Ianto.
"When Ianto met Lisa, everything changed. Jonathan stopped with the beatings when he was drunk, Ianto stopped hiding so much, everything seemed to be getting better. Then Ianto left, and we never really saw him again. He would pop in for Christmas's with Lisa, but he wouldn't stay long. I think Jonathan drove him away. He's sober now, and he's apologized to Yanny for all that he did, but there was something broken there, that I don't think can ever be fixed." Jack saw Gwen and Ianto look up at him, and he stepped back, unable to meet the Welshman's gaze.
"So Ianto is afraid that." Jack couldn't voice it, it hurt him too much.
"Yes, he's afraid that when his father finds out about you, he will elapse into hurting him again." Jack swallowed the bile rising in his throat. His Welshman had been through so much, and now he was trying to protect Jack from it all.
"You wanted to send Ianto to the man, face to face, knowing exactly what Ianto thinks will happen." The immortal heard another rustle of fabric. And this time the woman's voice wavered slightly.
"Jonathan has changed Jack, and I wanted you to you could keep there too, so that you could keep Yanny safe. I didn't realize that he would want to protect you from that, or that he hadn't ever told you." Jack plopped back into his chair, anger and compassion swirling through him.
"Well now I do know, and there is no way that my Yan is facing this alone. Tell me though, Mrs. Jones, why Ianto has to be the one to tell his father?" There was a pause and then,
"Because Ianto can take it, and I can't." The line went dead then, and Jack tossed it angrily into its cradle. The Welshman walked in then, two mugs of coffee balanced on a tray, and a keyboard under his arm.
"I believe that means that UNIT has been less than helpful." The immortal paled slightly. In his quest to help his lover, he had completely forgotten about UNIT.
"Err, yea, I'm about to call them back and ask what the hell is going on." The Archivist gave his captain a quizzical expression, having felt the apprehension in the statement.
"That wasn't UNIT was it." The immortal paled further, and finally crumbled. Standing back up once more, he walked over to the Welshman and wrapped him in his arms protectively.
"Oh Ianto, why didn't you tell me." The Welshman pulled back, his hands on the immortal's shoulders as he searched his lover's eyes.
"Jack, who were you talking to?" The immortal bit his lip, nervousness coiling in his stomach. "Jack, you know that I know you're nervous. I just want to know why. What didn't I tell you?" Jack lunged forward, kissing Ianto fiercely. The Welshman squeaked in surprise, but soon fell into the kiss, his lips melting with his lovers as Jack reassured himself of his partner. Proved that he was real.
"I called your mother Yan. She told me what happened. I never knew, and I am so sorry." Ianto pulled away his fist colliding with the side of the captain's jaw.
"You WHAT?" The Washman screamed. Jack stood there, stunned, holding his jaw with one hand, the other in front of him in an attempt to placate his lover.
"I was worried about you. I just wanted to know why you were so afraid." Ianto ran his fingers through his hair, trying to cool his temper.
"I told you to forget it Jack. I told you that I would deal with it."
"But, Yan, he could hurt you. If I was there, I could at least defend you keep you safe." The immortal saw the Welshman tense, as he stepped dangerously close to Jack.
"You don't need to protect me Jack. I put up with him for 19 years. I can handle it once more. You think that I'm a stranger to pain? Do you think that I can't take it? Because I'm not. I may not have been around for hundreds of years, but I've been through so many things. Did you ever wonder about the cannibals? Why I simply stayed quiet and took it? Why I didn't complain when I got back?" Jack froze. No he hadn't. In fact, that night he had just dropped Ianto off at his flat and left, only to find himself there the next morning when the Welshman hadn't come in. He remembered his horror at seeing him unconscious on the floor, his breathing shallow and blood pooling on the carpet. The immortal shuddered.
"Yan, I never thought that-" Ianto nodded sitting down on the couch with his face in his palms.
"Yes Jack, you never thought. It seems to be a theme with you." The Welshman looked up, only to catch sight the purple bruise blooming on his lovers cheek. The sight brought bile into his throat as he reached a tentative finger out to it.
"God, Jack, I-" He swallowed, words failing him. The immortal felt the despair and pain in his lover and knelt down in front of him.
"It's ok Ianto, it'll go away in a few moments." But Ianto shook his head.
"No it isn't ok Jack. Can't you see? I'm turning into him! This is the second time if hit you in the space of a week." The Welshman swallowed, fighting for control over his emotions.
"He was the monster that haunted my nightmares long before I met real monsters. Even now, amidst dreams of Cannibals and Daleks, he still shows up, and rails at me. I can still remember every word, and every blow that I got for when I did something he didn't like." The immortal took Ianto's hand in his, holding it over his injured cheek and looking the Welshman dead in the eye.
"You are nothing like him. You have hit me a total of 3 times in our relationship, and I've deserved every single one of them." Jack's other hand found its way onto Ianto's knee. "Compared to other relationships I've been in, you're a saint Yan. Hell John and I used to have knock down drag out brawls over who would do the dishes. And that was before this whole immortality thing." Ianto managed a smile at that. "We are a couple now Ianto, it isn't just a title either. Couples face challenges together, and I aim to be by your side for this." Ianto nodded.
"So how much did she tell you then." The immortal sat on the couch beside his lover, and was relieved when Ianto didn't shrink away.
"She said that when your dad was drunk, he would beat you for being, err, effeminate." The Welshman snorted derisively.
"She always did look for an excuse for him." The captain's eyebrows furrowed.
"What?" Ianto sighed.
" Tad drank, sure, but he wasn't a drunk by any means. Truthfully he was usually sober when he
decided that I was due for punishment." The immortal felt another flare of rage at the injustice.
"What could possibly drive a man to do that?" The Welshman chuckled, a sat sort of chuckle that twisted Jack's heart.
"His favorite saying was that he already had one daughter, he didn't need another one." Jack felt a burning hatred flood his emotions. Ianto must have felt it too, as he put his hand on the immortal's. "Jack, I know that it isn't fare, but he truly did think that it was for the best." The captain's heart once more went out to the Welshman.
"Are you really so perfect as to defend those who harm you?" Ianto smiled softly, and moved his hand onto the captain's chest, just over his heart.
"I defended you." There. Just three words and the Welshman had completely flipped the whole conversation on its head. The immortal floundered for an answer, his entire argument deflating before him.
"but, I love you!" The Welshman smiled.
"And I'm sure he did too, in his own way. Don't get me wrong, I don't hold anything against you. I know that you had your reasons for what you've done, god knows that most of it was well deserved. But the thing is, in his own sick and twisted way, so did he. " The immortal rubbed his temples, and looked again at his Welshman.
"You're the guy who routs for the villain in a movie because you feel like he's misunderstood, aren't you." Ianto smiled again.
"Well in Norse Mythology, Loki, the trickster god-" Jack held up his hand.
"I've seen the movie. I get your point." Ianto's brow furrowed.
"Movie? There isn't a movie about Loki. Documentaries sure but not a movie." Jack tried not to smile.
"There isn't a movie yet. I forget, you know, my years. I'm in the right century at least." The immortal expected to see shock, but was only greeted by understanding. "You're not even going to question what a 51'st century man was doing watching 21'st century movies?" Ianto shrugged, standing up again.
"It's a bit off topic, but, considering that we are already constantly remaking movies, and we've only had cinema for a around 100 years, I'd imagine by the 51'st century, you would have run out of ideas completely." Jack snapped his mouth shut, closing off a comment about the TARDIS and the Doctor's movie taste.
"Back on topic then, are we going to do this then?" The immortal felt a pang of fear from Ianto, but the Welshman nodded.
"Yes, but later. We have work to do now."