Fic: As Long As I Have (19/25)
Ianto rang Rhiannon’s doorbell somewhat apprehensively. Dinner at Rhiannon’s was something he hadn’t done in years and it had always felt like something he had been forced into doing; some little brother obligation that he had to act upon once in a while. His apprehension wasn’t helped by the fact that he knew that now that Rhiannon had had time to reflect on his job and his relationship with Jack there would be more questions she’d want answers to.
He hadn’t really spoken to Johnny since everything had come out, either, and he was nervous about how his brother-in-law was going to take it all. They had never really been friends, him and Johnny. Ianto was thirteen when Rhiannon first brought Johnny home and he thought him to be nothing more than a loser that they’d be shot of after a few months. A year later Rhiannon announced she was pregnant and Ianto resigned himself to having a loser for a brother-in-law. And while Ianto thought Johnny was a loser, Johnny considered Ianto to be a soft twat, something he had told him more than once. As Ianto grew a little older, and Johnny proved that, while he was clearly a loser, he was a loser who loved Ianto’s sister, Ianto grew to like him a little more. Then he’d upped and gone to London and come back less of a soft twat and more of a smart bastard and Johnny had practically despaired and frowned when people clocked they were sort-of related. But, really, Johnny was the closest thing Ianto had to a brother and there was some affection there; the kind that made Ianto want Johnny to approve of his choices, that didn’t want him to turn his back.
It was Mica that answered the door, grinning up at him. “Uncle Ianto!”
She was still in her school uniform and looked decidedly sticky, but Ianto had been prepared for this and had changed out of his suit before he’d said goodbye to Jack. He lifted Mica into his arms and settled her on his side. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Right Mica, where’s your mum?” he asked, carrying her through the house.
“Shouting at David,” Mica told him, a cheeky grin crossing her face. “And Daddy’s gone to the shops because Mammy told him off for not buying you any beer.”
“Sounds like everyone’s being told off by your mum today,” Ianto said, dropping Mica onto the sofa.
Mica shook her head. “Not me!”
“No?” Ianto said. “You must be behaving then.”
“I am,” Mica said as he sat down beside her. “I got a headteacher’s award at school today and David got a letter home so Mammy said well done and then she shouted at David but then she shouted at Daddy and then she shouted at David again and then when she’s done she’s going to shout at you!”
Ianto frowned. “Me?”
Mica nodded. “Yes,” she said, and then paused for a minute. “Because you’re a boy.”
“Your mum’s going to shout at me because I’m a boy?” Ianto asked. “Why?”
Mica shrugged. “Why not?”
Ianto didn’t have an argument for that, so instead he asked Mica about her headteacher’s award and listened to her babble about school while the sound of Rhiannon’s voice trailed down the stairs.
“And if you think your uncle Ianto’s going to take you to that rugby match tomorrow you’ve got another thing coming!”
Ianto hid a smile. He’d had similar things shouted at him when he was David’s age, but he knew as well as David probably did that Rhiannon was just as soft on her children as her mother had been on her baby boy.
He heard David’s shout back and tried not to laugh at the cleverness of his response. “Rugby tickets are dead expensive! You can’t make Uncle Ianto waste his money!”
“Well,” Rhiannon shouted back. “You’ll have to pay him out of your pocket money, won’t you?”
“Thought I wasn’t getting any for a month?” David responded.
“If you don’t stop your lip, it’ll be two!” Rhiannon called. “Mica! What are you doing?” Ianto heard his sister approaching but made no effort to let her know he was in the house. “We need to get you in the bath and changed before your uncle Ianto gets here. Not that he isn’t late already,” she despaired as she walked into the living room.
“I’m never late,” Ianto told her, half-affronted.
“Ianto!” Rhiannon said, surprised at the sound of his voice. “When did you get here?”
“About ten minutes ago. Are you making me go to the rugby alone?”
“Take Jack,” Rhiannon told him without a second’s thought. “What have you done with him tonight anyway? You could’ve brought him with you.”
“He’s out for dinner with Alice and Steven,” Ianto told her, watching as she moved about in the kitchen.
“Oh are they visiting?” Rhiannon asked, before turning to Mica. “Go and get changed. And wash your face; no time for a bath, now.”
Mica slumped off unhappily and Ianto looked over to Rhiannon. “Yeah, for the weekend. Thought we’d take Steven along to the rugby, too.”
“How are you even getting all these tickets? Johnny’s been trying for weeks.”
“Torchwood gets things done,” Ianto said with a smile.
“Hmm,” Rhiannon said, and Ianto could tell that she was still unhappy about what her little brother did for a living. “Well, if David behaves himself tonight you can take him along to the rugby. Why don’t you bring Steven and Jack here afterwards? Alice too. We can have a barbecue.”
“I don’t know, Rhiannon, it might be a bit...”
“A bit what, Ianto Jones? It’s not optional. You bring Jack and his family round tomorrow night and we’ll have a family night in.”
“Rhiannon, Jack’s family aren’t...”
“What? Don’t you go thinking your boyfriend and his lot are better than us, Ianto. ‘Cause they’re not. And if he’s with you for who you are, then he’ll be happy to come along. You might be all flash suits and fancy cars these days, Ianto, but this is where you came from and if Jack wants to be with you, he should accept that.”
“That’s not what I meant, Rhiannon.”
“Honestly; you turn gay and suddenly get all these fancy ideas.”
“What fancy ideas?” Johnny asked from the doorway. “He’s not trying to get you to redecorate is he?”
Ianto rolled his eyes.
“Hello, Johnny.”
Johnny nodded at him. “Alright mate?” He lifted the carrier bag he had in his hand. “Want one?”
Ianto glanced at his watch and then shrugged. “Yeah, why not?”
Johnny opened two bottles and Ianto took his with a smile at his brother-in-law.
“What’re you two having it out about then?” Johnny asked, sitting down next to Ianto.
“Nothing really,” Ianto said.
“My brother’s turned into Mr High-And-Mighty,” Rhiannon told her husband, turning away from the oven. “Too good for his family, that’s what.”
“Rhiannon, I didn’t say that.”
“Well, you might as well have. You and your ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea’.”
“Alright!” Ianto said, resigning himself to losing the battle. And probably the war, too. “We’ll come. Just... don’t cause a fuss.”
“Right then. That’s settled. Now, I was going to ask... what do you want to do for your birthday?”
“I honestly hadn’t thought about it,” Ianto said, closing his eyes and wondering if Rhiannon would be going on at him all night.
“You fancy some air, mate?” Johnny said, and at that moment, Ianto decided his brother-in-law wasn’t so much of a loser after all.
Jack had been on edge all day, practically bursting with excitement at seeing Alice and Steven again. The fact that he was allowed to be a part of their lives was so new to him that he wasn’t entirely sure how to react to it and so he had spent all day wishing the hours away. He’d been distracted from the moment he’d woken up and he knew he should have been paying more attention at work and he should definitely hade paid more attention to Ianto, especially after he had arranged all of this. Jack had been very touched by that, he had tried not to show just how much it had meant (everyone already thought he’d gone soft), but Ianto had certainly been rewarded.
In the small amount of time Jack had been a part of Alice’s life he had always debated at length what they would spend their days together doing. He’d panicked far more about it than had been necessary; Alice was content to go along with whatever the day brought them, so long as she got to spend time with her father. But she wasn’t seven years old anymore and didn’t think half as much of Jack as she had then; she would take far more effort to impress and Jack was going to have to tread as carefully as he did when Alice was fifteen and half-hated the father she barely knew.
He was taking them to one of his favourite restaurants; it was a small place, hard to find if you didn’t know where to look. It was a family-run place and Jack had taken a girl there the night it had opened, some forty years ago.
Waiting for them outside the train station, Jack tried not to obsess too much about impressing them and concentrate far more on enjoying the time he had with them. There was always a risk that something could happen and Alice would stop him seeing Steven and the past could well repeat itself; if he left Steven’s life now, by the time he reached his teens Jack could be a figure of hatefulness, someone in the background, another person who’d let him down.
He brushed all thoughts of that from his mind as he saw Steven racing towards him, Alice walking out of the train station behind him, calling at her son to slow down. Jack lifted him into the air with ease. “Hey buddy,” he grinned, placing Steven on the bonnet of the SUV.
Steven beamed, “Hello Uncle Jack.”
Jack had a smile and hug for Alice, too, once she accepted without complaint, much to Jack’s surprise. “Hello,” he said, his voice soft. He kissed the top of her head, feeling a rush of love for his daughter as he was hit by memories of the days he’d been allowed to take her out; meeting her and Lucia at the train station and whisking Alice off for an adventure. He was sure Alice didn’t remember half of them.
Jack lifted Steven down from the car. “Go on, in you get. We’ve got a table booked for seven.”
“Can I sit in the front?” Steven asked a hopeful smile on his face. Jack nodded and laughed as Steven punched the air before climbing into the passenger seat.
Alice smiled at her father. “Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” she said. “You always had a flash car when I was little.”
“You always wanted to sit in the front,” Jack said affectionately.
“Mum used to hate that. You indulging me and her relegated to the back seat.”
Jack nodded. “She always said I drove too fast.”
“You did,” Alice told him. “I used to love it.” She paused. “Don’t drive too fast with Steven in the car though,” she continued and Jack laughed, holding the car door open for her.
“I’ll try my best,” Jack promised, still laughing as he moved around to the driver’s side door.
The drove to the restaurant at a reasonable speed, Steven filled the car with conversation (occasionally broken up by requests that Jack drive faster) and Jack tried not to get too nostalgic. Steven jumped out of the car first when Jack parked and waited impatiently for Jack and Alice to emerge. He was a bundle of energy and Jack wondered if he’d been as excited as Jack himself about the weekend.
“Uncle Jack?” Steven asked as they headed towards the door.
“Yeah soldier?”
“Can I tell the lady who we are?”
Jack nodded. “Go for it.”
He held the door open for Alice and Steven to walk through and he watched as Steven spoke to the lady at the podium. “Table for Harkness,” Steven said confidently. The woman smiled indulgently at Steven.
“Right this way, sir,” she said to him and Steven turned, giving Jack a thumbs up, before following her through the restaurant.
They took their seat and the waitress, whose name completely escaped Jack, though he knew she was the grandaughter of the owner, gave Jack a small smile. “No Mr Jones tonight, Captain Harkness?” She looked almost hopeful and Jack bit back a laugh. He had, after all, slept with both of her grandmothers.
“Not this time, Jessica,” he said, finding the name at last, “Family time tonight.”
Jessica nodded. “Ah, right. Can I get you any drinks?”
“Water for me,” he said, glancing at Alice. “Wine?”
Alice nodded, requesting white, and Jack ordered a bottle while she scolded him. He turned to Steven. “What’ll it be, mister?”
“Beer?” Steven tried. Jack laughed and Steven sighed dramatically. “Coke, please.”
Jessica wrote down their drinks order and moved away, leaving them to study their menus. Jack smiled to himself; so far, so good. Alice seemed relatively pleased with him and Steven was obviously enjoying himself. He needn’t have worried half as much as he had.
As dinner progressed, Steven talked enthusiastically about anything and everything; school, his favourite television programmes, next door’s dog, whatever came to mind. Jack watched him with a proud smile on his face. He was growing up far too fast and yet everything he said and did just made Jack swell with pride; this was his grandson, he was part of Jack and Jack was part of him and he was absolutely wonderful.
“Are you looking forward to the rugby then, Steven?”
Steven shrugged. “I don’t even know how it works.”
“Nor do I, and Ianto’s been trying to explain it for months,” he smiled. “I’m sure David will keep you up to speed.”
Steven frowned. “David’s coming?”
“Yeah,” Jack said slowly. “Is that okay?”
“He hates me,” Steven said, his voice quiet.
“Nah,” Jack insisted. “He just doesn’t know you yet.” He ruffled Steven’s hair. “David probably thinks that you hate him.”
“I don’t,” Steven told him. “I don’t know him.”
“Exactly,” Jack said with a grin. “You’ll get on brilliantly; he can teach you about the rugby, I’m sure it can’t be as complicated as Ianto makes it sound.”
Alice laughed and Jack glanced over at her. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said, smiling. “You’re just ridiculous.”
Jack frowned, which only seemed to make Alice laugh more. He sighed and pouted a little and Alice rolled her eyes, smirking into her wine.
When Steven left to go to the toilet a few minute later, Alice gave Jack a small smile. “You’re so alike,” she told him and Jack blinked. “You and Steven,” she explained. “You’re so similar sometimes. He definitely gets his pout from you. You frown and sulk in exactly the same way.”
Jack’s frown melted away then and he grinned. Despite the fact that Alice had never denied the fact that Jack and Steven were related, this was the first time she’d made any comparison between the two of them, and it warmed his heart a little, even if she was mocking him.
Jack’s phone rang when they were halfway through dessert and he glanced at it, fearing an alien induced interruption. Ianto’s name flashed up on the caller ID and he gave Alice an apologetic smile before answering. “Ianto.”
“Jack.”
Ianto sounded a little tipsy, but Jack didn’t comment. “Everything alright?”
“Good, yeah.” He paused. “You might have to pick me up. Or I’ll get a cab.”
Jack laughed. “Are you drunk?”
“No,” Ianto sounded a little affronted. “I’ve had a few beers. I’ve had to; Rhiannon’s gone into mother hen mode. She makes my head hurt.”
“So does too much beer, Ianto.”
“Anyway,” Ianto said, not biting at all, “Rhiannon’s insisting I bring you, Alice and Steven here for a barbecue tomorrow.”
“Insisting or demanding?”
“Demanding.” Ianto paused. “I think you should agree. If Rhiannon wasn’t my sister, I’d be absolutely terrified of her.”
“Warning taken. No, we’ll go. It’ll be fun.”
“That’s not the word I’d use,” Ianto said, but Jack could tell he wasn’t against the idea half as much as he made out. “Is everything going okay?”
Jack glanced at Alice, who was watching her son with a smile on her face, and Steven, who was making his way through a mountain of ice cream happily. He grinned. “Everything’s more than okay.”
> Chapter 20