Christmas With the Jones - Chapter 11d

[tardistenantsue]

Title: Christmas With the Jones - Chapter 11d
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Genre: pure fun
Summary: Finally, they get to the church!
Disclaimer: I soooo don't own the two main characters, but, by some weird twist of fate, I own Ianto's family. Not that I wouldn't share if asked...
Author’s Notes: Okay, so this would have been done a lot earlier, but I got lost on the service. Being a heathen who never sets foot in them for fear of collapse or other phenom - I asked around. And came up with this. Sorry if I am way off. Oh, yeah, this one is for Patelyne, who was my big damn hero during the writing of this. She got me off my butt and onto walking FIVE miles!!! Wow. Anyway, enjoy. Only two more parts of this. Then, on to the new one...



“Jack, come on!” Ianto took one last look in the mirror before going to check on him.

“I don't know, Ianto,” Jack's voice met him before he actually laid eyes on him.

Shrugging on his new suit jacket, Ianto looked up to see what Jack may be unsure of. The sight he was met with almost took his breath away.

Though the material of the suit that Jack was wearing was identical to his own - thanks to Mr. Jones - Jack's fit very different. Somehow, Ifan Jones had managed to capture Jack's style, and yet, updated it.

“What do you think?” Jack turned around slowly in question.

“I...it's...there are no words,” he stood, motionless, waiting for his vocabulary to come back to him.

Jack faced him, “Is that good or bad?” He looked down at his attire again.

Ianto closed the space between them. “It's wonderful. Tad did a great job.” He reached for Jack's hand. “I never thought I'd see the day Jack Harkness would doubt himself.”

“Ianto,” Jack turned serious, “we're going to church, I need to let you know that there is a very real chance that the walls will begin to ooze blood...”

“Oh, stop it.” Ianto punched him in the arm. “I thought you were being serious.”

Jack kissed him in response. “You look nice.”

“I said to be serious,” Ianto warned.

“I am serious.” He looked from Ianto's suit to his own. “We match. Do you do this every year?”

“It's tradition.” Ianto gave his familiar nod. “We all match to go greet God.”

Jack held in a laugh. “We all match? You mean the whole family?”

“Yes, that's the best part about having a Tad who is a master tailor.” Ianto reached to fix Jack's tie. “Seems funny to see you out of your usual clothes.”

“You've seen me out of my clothes plenty,” Jack moved to put his hands on Ianto's hips, drawing him closer.

“That's not what I meant and you know it.” Ianto scolded, leaning in to kiss Jack one time before they had to go out and join the others. “Now, we have to go to church. The walls will neither cave in nor bleed - please don't say anything like that in the car. It's going to be cramped enough will all of us in there.”

“We can't take a separate car?” Jack asked, running his hand through Ianto's hair. “By the way, I like your hair like this - don't cut it.”

Ianto rolled his eyes. “No, Jack, another tradition is that we all arrive in the one car. If we tried to take another one, I might get Mam's version of the evil eye. And, to tell you the truth, I would much rather slow-dance with a Weevil than make my Mam mad on the actual day of Christmas.”

Jack smiled knowingly, wondering if Ianto really knew everything there was to know about his mother - how she herself had been the one to teach Jack scare-tactics that proved to be more than effective on many the occasion, yet still managed to scare Jack himself witless. “Okay then, the whole family squished into the back of the family car it is. I suppose it can't be that bad.”

Ianto just looked at him. The last time they had done this, Delwyn hadn't been home and Lisa was the one going to church with the family. That was the year that Tad had made the suit that Jack liked so much on him. The one he had worn when there were no others clean and Jack had commented on. The one that he swore he would never wear again after Lisa. Dear God, they were going to ask about Lisa...

“...to the church?” Jack was finishing up when Ianto snapped out of his thoughts.

“What?” Ianto frowned at himself. “What were you saying?”

Jack cast a side-glance at him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” Ianto lied. “What were you saying?” he tried again.

“I was asking when we needed to get going to get to the church; are you sure you're alright?” Jack touched Ianto's cheek tenderly.

“Fine, fine,” Ianto pulled away. “And we need to get going now. Are you ready?”

Jack checked his pockets and reached for his coat. “As ready as I am ever going to be.”

Ianto stopped him, taking the coat. “Nope.”

“What?” Jack reached for his security blanket.

“Can't wear the coat. Mam will go spare.” Ianto placed it on the lower bunk, just out of Jack's reach.

“I have to freeze?” Jack whined, resisting the urge to stomp his feet.

“You can wear my coat if you want,” Ianto offered.

Jack merely stared at him. They had been through this one time before when they had decided to dress as one another for a fancy dress party Gwen had thrown. He had to admit, Ianto had looked damned sexy in Jack's usual dress, full to the braces and coat, but Jack had been so pinched by the shoulders of the suit jacket he was wearing that he had abandoned it halfway through the night in favor of only the dress shirt, tie and waistcoat combo he also favored Ianto in. His shoulders were simply too narrow for Jack to wear any coat that fit the Welshman in a complimentary way. “I can't.”

“Jack, not now.” Ianto set his hands on his hips and looked at the ceiling as if saying a silent prayer. “Can't you go anywhere without it?”

“It's not that I can't, Yan, it's that I will freeze my gorgeous ass off without it. And, you don't want that now, do you?” He tried puppy-dog eyes.

Ianto was having none of it. “Listen, I can see if Del has something here. His shoulders are a bit wider than mine.”

“Fine.” Jack openly pouted, scuffing his shoe on the floor. “But I won't like it.”

“You don't have to, Captain; you only have to do it.” Ianto went out the door to find his brother, Jack close on his heels.

“Del!” Ianto called, his hands in his pockets as he walked down the hallway to the sitting room, “Do you have a coat Jack could borrow?”

“Sure, no problem,” Del called back from his own bedroom. “I'll get it and meet you in the kitchen.”

“See?” Ianto reached for Jack's hand. “Problem solved.”

Jack smiled at him, still missing the weight of his coat. But he forgot all of that by the time they reached the sitting room, where the others were gathered. Ifan was standing with his back to them, Glenda fixing his tie and collar for him. Jack couldn't help but notice that Ianto's father was built very much like his sons. His mind flashed back to a time when he was younger, though he didn't look any different than he did right that moment.

A young woman who looked very much like one of the twins was leaning, the upper half of her body on the table in front of her. She was smiling at a man who had his hands tied behind his back, but the smile was not so much calming as it was terrifying. “I'm going to ask you one more time, Harkness. And this time, let's try to give the right answer, shall we?”

Jack had just smiled at her, the very smile that caused her son to come undone. He had said no words, uttered no sound at all. Just stared at her, memorizing the curve of her mouth; looking at her face and thinking that under different circumstances, he would like to be smothering that tiny nose with impossibly light kisses. That very action had made her mad.

“Harkness,” she purred, taking another tact, “Why don't you tell me what you were doing out on the docks so that we can get out of here?”

Jack's interest had been piqued. “Me and you?”

She had sighed, rolling her eyes in a way that Jack now thought he should have recognized. “No, out of this room - you and I separately.”

“Then I am going to have to decline the offer, thank you anyway, Miss...” He fished for her name.

She had shaken her head at him. And smiled. Dear God, she had smiled. Smiled even as she had pinned his hand to the table with that sharp-ass knife. Right in the middle of his upturned palm. “Now. Again. What were you doing there?”

Jack had gritted his teeth through the pain. “Picking up dock-workers,” he had answered coolly, his eyes never once leaving hers.

“Wrong again.” She had come around to him and pulled him by the lapel, not caring about the pain from twisting his arm. “You can't be that desperate. Just tell me. End all of this.”

“You know,” Jack gritted his teeth, “All you have to do is say you'll go out with me, and I'll tell you whatever you want to know over a meal, maybe a nightcap?”

“Now, now, none of that. I am only interested in hearing the truth - right here, right now.” She held her spot, never taking her hands off him. “Are you going to tell me?”

Against all he had been taught by his own mother about respecting females, Jack's Time Agent training had kicked in and he acted on autopilot. He leered at her just one moment before letting loose and spitting in her face.

And that's when it had all gone wrong. The woman had just smiled at him - a smile that, had it been directed at anyone else, might have been amusing - and delivered a headbutt that had knocked Jack from the chair and torn his hand from the table. “Bastard!” She had left him in that room, not knowing whether he should hold his head or his hand. Then, he had blacked out.

“...ready?” Ianto's voice broke Jack out of the vision he was wrapped up in.

Jack shook his head and rubbed it in memory, nodding to Ianto. “Yeah, how are we going to work this again?”

“I was thinking that maybe we could take two cars this year,” Mam spoke up. “What?”

“We never take two cars,” Myfanwy said, casting a sideways glance at Ianto to see what he thought of that.

“Well, we need to now.” Glenda shot back. “Where is Delwyn Robert?”

“Right here, Mam,” he called, tossing the leather jacket at Jack as he came into the room, looking for all the world like a carbon copy of his little brother. Jack tried not to think of that as he slipped the coat on.

“Okay then,” Mrs. Jones was putting her own coat on. “Ifan, you, Delwyn and the girls go in our car. Ianto and Jack will give me a ride in their car - won't you?”

“Yeah,” the two of them answered automatically, afraid to say no.

“Good, Ianto put on your coat and quit holding it. You too, Delwyn.” She pulled her own on. “This family would fall apart without me.”

Ianto did as she said and offered her his arm on the way out the door. Mrs. Jones accepted it, and turned to her husband once they were both outside, “We'll meet you there. Wait for us outside.”

“Yes, Glen-,” Ifan said, unlocking the doors. “Be careful.” He walked over to kiss her before he got into the vehicle.

Jack sighed watched them, they were so perfectly fit together. Mrs. Jones caught him and smiled. “Can I have front seat, dear?”

“No other way,” Jack agreed, running to get the door for her. Once she was inside, he went back to the driver's side to get into the back seat. “Well, here we go.” He smiled at Ianto as he fastened his seatbelt.

“Oh,” Glenda said, turning in her seat to look at Jack. “You should know that we are going to show you off.”

“Oh, Mam,” Ianto begged as he started the SUV. “Don't.”

“You're embarrassed of your boyfriend, then?” She made a clucking noise with her tongue before turning back to Jack. “Our church is very open. I don't know what his problem is.”

Ianto rolled his eyes. “It's not that, Mam, it's just...” He let out a soft sigh, knowing it was useless to even try arguing with her. “Okay. Introduce him around.”

“I was going to anyway, Ianto Andras.” She shifted in her seat. “I don't need your approval. I am your mother.”

Jack held in a laugh and noticed that Ianto had his left hand sandwiched beside the seat, held out for the other man to take. He grabbed it and gave it a little squeeze, noting the small smile Ianto gave him in the rearview mirror. Jack was glad that he was being accepted into the family, if not a little nervous at the same time.

“We're here,” Ianto announced after a bit and Jack looked out the window to see that the rest of their group was already there, the twins leaning against the car in boredom as Del was busy watching the people going by. With one last squeeze of Jack's hand, he let it go.

They joined the others, Glenda beaming at Ifan as he took her hand. Del offered an arm to each of the girls, leaving Jack and Ianto to look at one another before making the choice to merely walk behind everyone. On the inside, it was cozy, and it was clear to Jack that families had their own sections that they usually sat in. Mrs. Jones led them to one right in the middle - not too close, but not so close to the exit either.

“Hey there, stranger,” A voice called to Ianto before putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Becca!” Ianto sighed in relief. “I am so glad to see you.”

“And this is Kyle.” She gestured to the man standing beside her. “Kyle, this is Ianto Jones.”

“Pleased to meet you, Ianto,” Kyle offered a hand that Ianto took. “Becca was telling me that she saw you at the mall the other day. Hoped I'd get to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you as well,” Ianto gave a short nod. “Heard a lot about you from her.”

There was a chuckle from the two of them as they realized that they had run out of things to say. Jack stepped in with a greeting.

“Hi, Becca,” He offered a hug before looking over to Kyle. “This must be Kyle.” She nodded and he continued. “Pleased to meet you, Jack Harkness.”

Kyle took the hand he was offered and shook it. “Nice to meet you as well.”

More silence followed and then Glenda was there. “Oh, hello - Becca, Kyle - nice to see you again. Doing well?” She watched them nod before turning to the boys. “You two go ahead and sit here.”

Everyone seemed to be settling into their seats, so Jack and Ianto followed suit. Mr. Jones smiled as he took his seat next to Ianto; he had sat on the end since the kids were small in the event they needed to leave the room for a moment. Jack was next in the line, with Mrs. Jones beside him. She patted his leg after he sat - a small reassurance, but one that he needed. “It will be fine, dear,” She told him in her church whisper.

“We're going to sing,” Ianto leaned in to warn Jack, thinking it might put him more at ease. But, somehow, he felt him go more rigid. “Don't worry, we don't have to stand or anything. Just sit here.” Ianto laughed on the inside. Something about Jack being afraid of churches and the activities that went on inside them struck him as extremely funny.

After singing, a verse was said, and then, that was when it all got very confusing. The congregation was asked to greet the newcomers - and Jack had felt Mrs Jones pushing on him to stand while Ianto held him to the seat by a hidden hand pulling on the back of his coat. This resulted in a mad whisper across him between mother and son that had Jack holding in a laugh. Finally, it was decided that Ianto and Jack would stand together and nod, nothing more.

They stood and looked around, seeing other couples standing, thinking that would be it, but then someone began calling names of the members of the church who were standing and asking who they had brought along. Ianto tensed beside Jack. All the other couples were male-female. He tried to drag Jack back down to sitting, but found that his mother had slung her leg over the seat of the pew. Sighing, he introduced Jack when called on to do so, hoping that it didn't sound like he didn't want to be there. Judging from the looks on the rest of the congregation's faces, he was fine. Shooting his mother a hateful look, they sat once again.

Ianto didn't hear the rest of the service, for all of the thoughts going on in his head. Twice he looked over at Jack, only to find him listening so intently that his look wasn't returned. But Del noticed him.

“Ianto, calm down,” he whispered roughly. “You knew it was going to be like that. Mam wasn't going to let you get away with just standing.”

“I know,” Ianto hissed back, ignoring the look he was getting from Glenda as he talked behind her and Jack. “Shut it, will you?”

Glenda caught Ifan's eye and nodded almost imperceptibly. Ifan thumped Ianto in the back of the head with a quick movement, his eyes facing front.

“Owww...” Ianto groaned, bringing a hand to the spot he had been hit in.

“Look forward, boy,” Ifan growled, bringing Ianto right back into his childhood.

Ianto grunted and crossed his arms on his chest until it was all over, at which point Glenda pulled him away from Jack and into a group of her friends. Ianto stood as she bragged on how well he was doing working for the Cardiff Tourism Board, wishing he could just go out back and have a cigarette like he used to after Christmas service.

Across the room, he spotted Jack with his sisters, talking animated to a group of their friends, hoping he wasn't telling too many tales out of school. He was still watching, a smile on his face when he felt himself being pulled again. Spinning, he found Becca.

“Ianto? I have someone I want you to meet,” She said, more addressing Mrs. Jones than Ianto himself. “Is that okay?”

“You go on, son,” Glenda urged, as if he had been the one to stand there on his own. “Becca will take care of you.”

Becca smiled at her as she dragged him further into the crowd. “You looked like you needed to be rescued,” she explained. “You can breathe now.”

“Thanks.” Ianto smiled down at her before searching once again for Jack.

“He's perfect for you, you know,” Becca's voice was saying.

“What?” Ianto looked down. “Who?”

Becca gave him a look he knew well. Tosh had the same look, he thought off-handedly. Maybe that was why he felt so close to her. “Jack.” Ianto went to protest, but she continued. “Don't try to play like it's something it's not.” Ianto nodded, not really knowing what else there was to say. “Oh, there's Rosemary. Ianto, you remember my cousin? She used to come over during the summers?” She didn't wait for an answer. “Oh well, she's coming this way.”

“Hello, Becca - is that Ianto Jones?” A blonde girl that reminded Ianto a bit of Gwen Cooper asked, shifting the baby she was carrying on her hip.

“It is,” Ianto answered. “Rosemary?” He vaguely remembered her, but with the help of a supplied name, he figured he could play it off.

“Oh my gosh, you remember me. That's so funny!” She laughed in a more nervous than amused way and turned to Becca. “Can you hold Oliver for me? I'll only be a minute.”

“Sure.” Ianto heard Becca's response, but was busy watching Jack. If he wasn't so secure in the way he knew Jack felt about him, he might have been more than a little jealous of his little sisters and the attention they were getting from the Captain. Even without the coat, the man made the same movement that would cause the fabric to move just so. His thoughts were interrupted by something being pushed into his arms. It wasn't until he was already holding the object that he registered it as Oliver.

“I can't-” he began, but Becca was already threading back through the crowd, for a reason Ianto hadn't actually heard. Looking down at the small boy, he smiled and put him to his shoulder, noticing the way the little boy molded to fit him. The child let out a small sigh and Ianto felt him get heavier. He managed to find Jack again, this time catching his eye. Jack's face softened when he realized who was staring at him, frowning a bit at the scene he was witnessing. Ianto shrugged and smiled back. Their eyes locked for a moment and something - Ianto wasn't sure what - passed between them.

“Give me that baby,” Mrs Jones demanded, pulling on Ianto and breaking his eye contact. “Oh, he's getting so big!” She cuddled the baby to her and Oliver sighed, contented once again. “Go over there with Jack, I've got this.” Ianto smiled, grateful to her. “Not like I have any grandchildren to cuddle...” she smiled as he rolled his eyes and went to join Jack.

“I need some fresh air,” Ianto told Jack as he neared him, running a hand up the back of his neck as a nervous habit. “How about you?”

Jack nodded, turning to the young women surrounding him. “Ladies, it has been nice meeting all of you.” He then let Ianto lead him outside with a sigh. “Well, that went well.” He reached for Ianto's hand and found it waiting for him.

“If, by 'well' you mean that it was a fucking train wreck then, yes, it went well.” He pulled himself closer to Jack. “I wish I had a cigarette...” he mused, half-talking to himself.

“Yan?”

“Yes, Jack?”

“They're your family,” He reminded him.

Ianto laughed in the back of his throat. “I know.” He looked at Jack. “They're not perfect, but that's why I love them.”

“Hmmm,” Jack mused.

“What?”

“Must be a 'Jones' thing.”

“What? What are you on about?”

“It's the same reason I love you.”