13.

Jack stood quietly in the doorway, watching Lauren sleep. She'd dozed off on the short walk home from the restaurant where they'd had her first birthday party, and after Jack had changed her diaper, she'd gone right back to sleep almost immediately, completely exhausted by all the attention. It had been a small group, but still too large for the flat; Ianto's family had been there, as well as their friends, and Lauren's grandparents had come into town for the weekend as well. They were staying at a nearby hotel, but Jack had invited them back to his flat for a drink. He wanted to give them a set of the pictures Ianto had taken for Lauren's birthday, as well as tell them about his plan to move. He suspected one would go over better than the other when he mentioned moving in with Ianto.

He hadn't tried to keep his relationship with Ianto a secret from them, although he hadn't told them either. He and Ianto had not hid it at the restaurant, however, so it must be fairly obvious that they were involved. Jack had caught Dayfd Morgan frowning at him more than once, and had watched Ellen whispering to her husband, as if calming him. Ianto had noticed as well, and had grown quieter over the course of the party.

Unsure how to bring it up with them, Jack stood in the doorway, enjoying a quiet moment with his daughter, unable to believe she was a year old. She had been with him for six months, and they had survived all life had thrown at them. Lauren was happy and healthy, and Jack was incredibly happy as well. He only hoped the Morgans didn't try to interfere with his plans for their future.

With a sigh, he pulled the door shut and turned toward the living room. Ellen was sitting on the sofa while Dafyd was gazing out of a window over Cardiff. Jack cleared his throat to gain their attention. "What can I get you?" he asked.

"A glass of wine would be nice," Ellen replied. Dafyd turned around and nodded.

"Scotch for me, please."

Jack decided he'd have a scotch as well. He poured them both a generous measure, remembering that Dafyd liked his over ice, and opened a bottle of white wine for Ellen. Taking all three glasses back into the living room, he handed them out before collapsing on the sofa and taking a long sip of his drink.

"It's been quite a day," Ellen remarked. She patted Jack on the knee, reminding him of his own mother. "You did good, Jack. The party was lovely." She took a sip of wine and smiled. "A tad unconventional, but everyone seemed to have a good time, especially Lauren."

"We go there a lot," Jack said, ignoring the comment about the party being unconventional and focusing on the positive: yes, everyone had definitely seemed to enjoy it. Just because the way he did things with Lauren was different from what the Morgans expected didn't mean it wasn't as good. "It seemed the perfect place since we like the food and the people, and there was no way we could fit almost twenty guests in here!"

"It worked out well," said Ellen. Dafyd sat in a nearby chair and set his drink down, exchanging a glance with Ellen.

"Have you thought about getting a bigger place?" he asked in his typically abrupt manner. "I'm not sure how much longer you'll manage here with all the toys Lauren got today."

"Especially the push-car!" Ellen laughed. It had been a gift from Ianto's sister, along with profuse apologies since she knew he didn't have much space, but her own kids had loved theirs so much they'd worn it to pieces, and she knew Lauren would love it just as much, so they could take it to the park to play, right?

"Ellen wanted to get her a playhouse," Dafyd huffed. "But where would you put it?"

"Actually, I have been thinking about moving," said Jack. "And now that Lauren's birthday is over, I'll probably start looking."

Ellen and Dafyd exchanged glances once more, and Jack steeled himself, sensing he might not like what they had to say.

"You should think about moving up by us," Ellen said. "It's a wonderful town, there are so many nice, affordable places available right now, and we'd be able to help out with Lauren so much more."

"We could help with the finances as well," Dafyd added. "Assuming you moved to Aberystwyth, that is."

Jack stared at them in shock and surprise. Dafyd's face was neutral as he sipped at his scotch; Ellen look both embarrassed yet hopeful. They were offering to pay him to move closer so they could be with their granddaughter; he wasn't sure whether to be offended or flattered. Yet it felt like they were trying to control him, and that made him reject the offer almost immediately. He liked Cardiff, his job, and his friends, and most importantly, he wanted to stay with Ianto.

Rather than growing defensive and angrily rejecting their generous offer, Jack knew he had to tread carefully. He wasn't related to them, but they were a part of Lauren's life, and he respected that. They were the only grandparents she had, and despite some differences of opinion and belief, he wanted them to remain a part of her life. He set his drink down and forced a smile.

"Thank you," he said. "It's very generous of you to offer so much for Lauren, but I can't accept it." He held up his hand when Ellen started to protest. "First, because I can't take that kind of money, not when I can provide for her perfectly well on my own. But more importantly, I love Cardiff. I went to school here, spent several years here before moving away. I came back to be closer to Gray, and even though he's gone, I want to stay. We have friends here now, a life. I hope you understand."

Dafyd nodded stiffly while Ellen sighed sadly. "Of course we do, dear. We only want what's best for Lauren—for both of you."

"Thank you," Jack said, surprised at how easy it had been. He half wondered what the reaction would have been had he accepted their offer. But then he would have had to move hours away from his job, from Ianto, and he would have almost certainly been subject to more of their suggestions and demands when it came to raising Lauren.

"So where do you think you might look here in Cardiff?" she asked. Jack shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "Something in Pontprennau might be nice, or Portcanna. Maybe Llandaff. Somewhere with parks, families, good schools." He trailed off with a shrug. "We haven't had much time to talk about it, yet alone start looking. At this point it will probably be sometime after the new year before we move."

Jack realized he had slipped when he noticed Dafyd frowning, but it was Ellen who asked about it. "You're going to talk to Lauren about it? I didn't realize she'd have much input at this age." She raised an eyebrow as she sipped her wine and waited for him to respond. Jack ran a hand through his hair, trying to decide what to tell them.

He hadn't told them he was dating Ianto, so perhaps now was the time to tell them everything. He hated the thought of it becoming an issue in their relationship with Lauren, but Ianto was a part of her life as well, and a strong and loving part of it. They needed to know, and if they couldn't accept it, then it would be their choice about how to deal with it.

"Look, I haven't said anything, but I'm sure you noticed at the party," he started. He waited for a moment, but when neither one of them said anything, didn't even offer an understanding smile, he continued with some dread. "I've been dating Ianto for several months," he blurted in a rush. "And it's serious. We're thinking about moving in together, into a house big enough for all three of us."

"All three of you?" Ellen asked, and Jack nodded.

"Me, Lauren, and Ianto. You saw how he is with her today. He's brilliant, and he loves her like crazy. It only came up last month, and we said we'd wait until after Lauren's birthday to even start talking about it."

They were quiet for a long moment. Dafyd looked angry, but he did not say anything; Ellen's hand on his knee probably stopped him. She took a deep breath and spoke.

"It's not that we don't like him," she began. "He seems like a wonderful young man. But we're not sure this is the best environment for a young girl, Jack. Can't you see how it might be difficult?"

Jack shook his head. "No, not really. It was difficult when I was first learning how to be a parent, when I was grieving for Gray and Carys and having to take care of their daughter on my own, alone. Ianto has done so much for her, and for me, since we met him. I can't imagine what our lives would be like without him."

"But you can't be serious about him," Dafyd said, his voice short and clipped. "He's a man. You can't get married, settle down, be a family. That's not…normal."

Jack felt his temper rise, but tried hard not to respond instinctively with anger and resentment. It wasn't anything he hadn't experienced before. It had taken his own family a little while to understand his life, but they had quickly realized that Jack was still Jack, that he simply loved who he loved, and it was better to accept and support him than to condemn and alienate him. He'd run into various prejudices over the years—friends, coworkers, even strangers who didn't approve and felt they had every right to let him know. In general society seemed more accepting of same sex relationships, yet Jack knew that older generations often saw things differently. He could only hope he might change the Morgans' minds.

"It may not be what you consider normal because we're both men," he started, "but there's nothing stopping two men from getting married, buying a house, and starting a family anymore. Love is what's normal, and I love him, very much. And he loves me, and Lauren. That's all that matters, after all."

Dafyd stood up and walked away, standing stiffly at the windows once more. Ellen was staring down at her hands. Jack reached over and took one in his own. "He's a good man, an amazing person. Lauren is crazy about him. He's good for both of us, and I can't imagine a better life for Lauren than having two people who love and support her raising her."

He knew he was speaking for Ianto in a way they'd not actually talked about. He wasn't positive Ianto wanted to help raise Lauren, though he knew Ianto loved her dearly. He was a man meant to be a father, and Jack hoped he might want to take that role someday for Lauren. Which was when he realized that everything he'd said about marriage, houses, and families was what he wanted with Ianto, even though it had been less than six months since they'd met.

Ellen glanced over at her husband, then squeezed Jack's hand. "I can't say I understand," she said quietly. "I want to, though. And more than anything I want the best thing for Lauren. A home, a family…and if that means with Ianto, then I can only hope that you're all happy."

Jack wondered what her husband was thinking, but decided he couldn't worry about it. Ellen, at least, was trying. He swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded. "Thank you," he said. "I am happy, happier than I've been for years. This is definitely the best thing that's ever happened to me."

She took a deep breath. "I'd like to get to know him, then," she said. "Maybe we can all meet for brunch tomorrow?"

Dafyd turned around, arms crossed over his chest. "Ellen," he warned, but she waved him off.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," she said. "But this is our granddaughter I'm looking out for. Honestly," she turned back to Jack, "if you were dating a woman, I'd want to get to know her as well. I'm worried for you and Lauren. We're not the only ones who will have a hard time with it."

"I know," said Jack, beginning to relax. It was a valid concern. "I've experienced it before. It's not easy, but we don't choose who we love."

"I know," she murmured, a fond look on her face. She let go of Jack's hand and stood. "So tomorrow, then? Say half past eleven? Will Lauren be up by then?"

"Her morning nap is usually done," Jack nodded. "Gwen doesn't think she's much longer for it anyway and will probably transition to one nap soon. So that sounds perfect. Oh!" He remembered the book of photos Ianto had put together for the Morgans and hurried to grab the gift bag Ianto had left for them on the kitchen counter. "This is for you, from Ianto. He wanted you to have a collection of the photographs he took for her first birthday."

Ellen took the bag with a smile and called her husband over. He stood stiffly beside her as they took out the small album and browsed through the photographs. Slowly his shoulders relaxed, and Jack thought the older man might have even smiled. Ellen laughed fondly at some of the photographs, impromptu shots Ianto had taken of Lauren in between some of their attempts at more formal poses. Everything had turned out amazing, from the pictures of Lauren in her favorite purple dress, to the ones of her sitting around in jeans and a t-shirt playing with her favorite stuffed animals and books. Ianto had even included a few with Lauren and Jack, and Ellen's hand went to her mouth when she came to those.

"These are wonderful," she said. "Tell Ianto thank you for us. We love them."

"You can tell him tomorrow," Jack replied. "And he said if you'd like any individual prints, he'd be happy to do those as well." He was relieved that they had enjoyed the book; he hoped it showed them how well Ianto knew Lauren, and how much he loved her.

Ellen hugged him with a promise to do so. Dafyd nodded; whereas he would normally offer his hand, this time he did not, and Jack knew that he still had a long way to go with Lauren's grandfather. But he at least had some hope, that one day they might be more accepting of both him and his relationship with Ianto. He did not want Lauren to miss out on spending time with her grandparents, not because of him, and he didn't want to have to choose between them and Ianto.

The Morgans left after that, and Jack shut the door behind them with a sigh. He was exhausted, mentally and emotionally. It had been a good day, but a long day, a fun day, but a tiring day. And though he was happy with the way the party had gone, he was slightly disappointed in how the night had ended. Grabbing his phone from the kitchen, he knew exactly how to turn his mood around.

Free for brunch tomorrow?

Ianto replied almost immediately.

Are you inviting me over for the night? What about your in-laws?

Jack laughed. They are not my in-laws, and they've gone back to the hotel. Of course I'm inviting you over for the night, but you're also invited to brunch. With those in-laws.

What?!

Jack laughed again, already feeling better at the thought of seeing Ianto. Come down. I have a lot to tell you before tomorrow.

See you in a few minutes.

Jack sat down and considered how to tell Ianto about the Morgans' response to his and Ianto's relationship. He suspected Ianto had caught on to some of it over the course of the day, and he hoped the Welshman wasn't upset. He was sure that once the Morgans got to know Ianto, they would love him as much as Jack did. And if not, then Jack knew it would be their problem to deal with, not his.

He and Ianto had a house to buy, and nothing was going to stop him from moving in with Ianto. He knew that more than anything now.

Dafyd Morgan did not come to brunch the next day. Jack was disappointed but not surprised, and hoped that Ianto was not offended. Ellen was honest about it, apologizing for coming alone, but telling them that Dafyd was struggling with the idea of Jack and Ianto as a serious couple planning on moving in together.

They walked to a café around the corner, talking about the party the day before. After praising Ianto's work on the photographs and thanking him for the book, Ellen began asking him all sorts of questions, from his job to his education to his favorite foods. He seemed friendly relaxed at first, but grew more suspicious as the questions continued. He picked at his food, before finally setting down his fork and addressing the issue.

"I'm sorry, but I feel as if I'm on a job interview," he said, his words light but his tone frustrated. He sounded upset and unsure, and Jack didn't like that Ellen could do that to Ianto, who was usually so calm and confident. "Is there something going on here that I don't know about?"

Ellen sighed and sipped at her mimosa. "I'm sorry, Ianto," she said. She reached across the table and patted his hands. "It's just that Jack has spoken so highly of you, I wanted to get to know you myself."

"I'd rather have filled out a questionnaire," Ianto mumbled, stabbing at a piece of sausage.

"But that wouldn't have been nearly as much fun," Ellen replied, the joke falling flat as Jack glared at her. Lauren stopped burbling in her chair and watched them, sucking on a sticky, syrupy hand. Ellen sat up straighter.

"Jack said you were thinking about moving in together. I want to be sure that being raised by two men, even two men who love her, is the right thing for Lauren."

Ianto stared at her, before directing his wide eyes toward Jack. He'd told the Welshman about his conversation with the Morgans the night before, so that Ianto wouldn't be surprised, and yet he still seemed shocked by Ellen's interference—or perhaps it was the reference to raising Lauren. Jack was worried he might have said to much to Ellen the night before.

"I see," Ianto replied. He took a long sip of his coffee, obviously trying to gather his thoughts. "I do care about her," he said, starting slowly. "And about Jack as well. I suppose this is where I'm supposed to assure you that my intentions are entirely noble toward them both, but I'm not sure why I should. I don't think it's any of your business how I feel about them, and I don't how much it would help if you've already made up your mind about us both being men."

Ellen glanced down at her hands as if properly chastised. Jack wasn't sure what to say and remained silent, waiting to see how she might reply. She had seemed open to the possibilities the night before, and he only hoped that meeting Ianto had helped, and not hindered, her opinion.

"I'm trying," she began. "To be open-minded, that is. But that's challenging at my age, you must understand. Things were different when we got married, not as open as they are now. You've both made me think about things, though. I can see how much you care about each other, and about Lauren. I still worry, though, about others accepting it." She glanced between them. "What about when she starts school? What will her teachers think? Her friends? What about strangers on the street?"

"We don't care about strangers on the street," Jack jumped in. "We haven't experienced any issues with strangers anyway. All our friends and family have been supportive. And I'm not sure why you're worried about Lauren's teachers and friends, that's years away!"

Ellen raised an eyebrow. "If you're thinking about moving in together, I'm assuming you're serious about this relationship being long-term. Because you have a daughter to think about, Jack, and bringing someone into her life only to break up with them six months later will confuse her. I don't want her living in an unstable household of rotating men spending the night, moving in and moving out, and I have no problem expressing that opinion!"

Jack leaned forward, unable to keep the anger from his voice. "You can express that opinion all you want, but you don't have a say in my relationships! Especially because I have no plans to break up with Ianto, ever. He's the one, and I don't care what you think about two men getting married and raising a family, because that's what I want someday, for me and for Lauren."

Ellen's eyebrows flew up, and then she slowly smiled, inclining her head toward Ianto. Jack turned to find Ianto staring at him with a look of utter panic. Jack knew he'd stuffed it, and took Ianto's hand in his own.

"That didn't come out right," he stammered. "At all, because I'm not proposing, honestly. Not here, in the middle of a café with a plate of eggs and bacon, I'd never do that. I'd do something much more romantic, like—"

"Stop," Ianto said, taking his hands back. "Just stop. Marriage and proposals are all fine and good, but not…not right now, okay?" He glanced over toward Ellen, who was watching them with both amusement and concern. "It's one thing to think about moving in together, but I never considered…I don't know if…marriage?" He finished weakly. "Really?"

Jack hated that Ellen was right there, witnessing his unbelievable ability to not only put his foot in his mouth, but to choke on it as well. Fortunately, she started coaxing Lauren into eating more of her pancake, obviously trying to give them some privacy. Jack lowered his voice.

"I'm sorry, but I do think about it," he said. "Someday, in the future. Not now, not when we've only known each other for what? Less than six months. I know it's too soon," he said, entreating Ianto to believe him. "But please don't write this off. I want to find a house together first, make a real go of this. I thought you did too."

Ianto nodded slowly, as if he was still in shock. "Yes, yes I do. But, er, let's not bring up the m-word for a while, all right? It's…yeah." He blew out a long breath. "It's way too soon," he finished, echoing Jack's words.

"But not impossible?" Jack whispered. He hated to ask, but he wasn't sure if he could stand not knowing.

Ianto glanced down, then gazed fondly at Lauren. "Not impossible," he replied, meeting Jack's eyes. "Just extremely unexpected."

"I'll take it!" Jack leaned forward to kiss him. "I'm glad I didn't mess that up too badly!" he said. They both laughed nervously and returned to their plates. Ellen took Lauren from her chair and bounced the girl on her lap, watching them both with a smile.

"You make a very handsome couple," she said. "Even if that was incredibly awkward."

They all laughed, even Lauren as she waved a spoon in the air. Ellen took it and set it out of her reach. They finished their meals, the conversation much more relaxed, and Ellen asked Ianto for several prints of the photographs he'd taken of Lauren. He was happy to send them, and Jack felt things slowly returning to normal. His hands stopped shaking and his heart stopped racing, and he told himself that not only did Ianto still want to move in with him and Lauren, but he hadn't run the other direction when Jack had slipped up and mentioned more.

The problem was, both Martha and Gwen were getting married before the holidays, and Jack knew he'd be thinking about the m-word constantly now that he'd mentioned it. But first they would look for a house, and hopefully there would be no other complications.

Author's Note:

Sorry this was so late. I promise I won't abandon this story. I haven't abandoned a Torchwood story yet, and I will finish this one! This may or may not be the penultimate chapter, though. I'm not quite sure yet, so we'll see what the muse brings as I flutter between my other stories. Thank you for still reading!