The Twelve Days of Christmas
25 December
Jack Harkness stood on the raised platform that formed the work area of the Torchwood base and looked out across the wide, open space to the armoury and above it the hothouse. He smiled. It had been a lot of work but now it was perfect.
Every railing in the place was adorned with thick tinsel and ropes of lights, shining brightly in the subdued lighting. The large Christmas tree stood to the right of the space in a special area of its own, the lights on a cycle of changing colours which reflected off the grey walls. Underneath the tree rested a small selection of presents, wrapped in gaily patterned paper in various shades of red and green. A table and chairs were set up beside the tree, with crockery and cutlery laid out for two. In front of the armoury, obscuring the glass wall through which one could usually see the Torchwood weaponry, was a nativity scene. The figures had been carved in Bavaria nearly a century earlier and were half life-sized: they looked superb on the tiered platform. On the wall of the hothouse above was a laser light show with various changing Christmas scenes involving lots of snow. The entire Hub was bright and brash, just like the man who had created the display.
Rubbing his dirty hands on his trousers, Jack went to the office and through the hatch into his compact quarters. A shower and clean clothes were all that was needed. Well, until his guest arrived.
At eleven o'clock, Jack was back in the work area. Carols now played softly and he sang along trying to keep calm as he paced back and forth. Ianto Jones was due any minute. Their first Christmas Day together as a couple was about to begin. Jack could hardly contain his excitement. An unexpected noise drew him back to the office and he picked up the mobile, his heart sinking to his boots when he saw the caller ID.
"Ianto, Merry Christmas!" he said as jovially as he could. Was Ianto going to call off their celebration? Had he decided to stay with his sister after all? Had he drunk too much the night before? Was he ill? All these thoughts went through Jack's mind as he waiting to hear the familiar Welsh voice.
"Merry Christmas. Jack, what's going on?"
"What? It's Christmas, Ianto, that's what's going on. You know, you come here and we sing carols and get presents and drink a lot and eat a - "
"I meant on the lift," interrupted Ianto.
"The lift?"
"The invisible lift," repeated Ianto with commendable patience.
"What about the lift?" Jack moved round his desk to the PC and clicked through some icons to bring up the CCTV from Roald Dahl Plass above him. "Oh." Pause. "Did you bring that?" he asked with a smile in his voice.
"No I didn't!"
"Perhaps someone forgot it," went on Jack, anxious to get Ianto into the Hub. "You look nice. Like the hat."
The image on the screen showed Ianto dressed in a warm woollen coat standing by the water tower, mobile to his ear and a canvas shopping bag in his other gloved hand. On his head was a red pointed hat trimmed with white fur. He felt a complete idiot but knew Jack liked him in red and it was Christmas after all. Before him, and the object of his undivided attention, was a tree standing on the paving stone that formed the top of a lift down into the underground Hub. The perception filter made anything on that particular stone invisible but, used to it as he was, Ianto had no trouble in seeing through it.
"The tree, Jack, focus on the tree." Ianto took a pace forward, put his bag on the ground, and used that hand to reach for a label hanging from a branch. "It's got your name on it," he said when he'd read the glittery letters.
"Really!" shouted Jack. "Someone left a present for me! Jump on the lift and I'll bring you down." He closed his mobile.
He waited very impatiently for Ianto to squeeze onto the paving stone beside the tree and then activated the lift bringing it down into the Hub. Running out into the main Hub, he took the sloping steps down past the base of the water tower and skidded to a stop. Looking up he could see foliage and the figure of Ianto as the lift gradually drew nearer and nearer until it clunked into place.
"There's a bird in the tree," said Ianto, making a fast exit from the slab to stand by Jack. "Fat thing."
"Wow, a present." Jack spared a few seconds to gaze at the tree in awe, trying to remember the last time he had received an unexpected gift, before throwing his arms round Ianto and hugging him tight. "I'm so pleased you came," he whispered into the other man's ear.
"I said I would. Now will you let me go, I'd like to breathe again."
Releasing him, Jack, grinning from ear to ear, took one gloved hand and pulled him into the middle of the space. "What do you think? Good, huh? See the nativity, that's for you 'cos I know you like them. And the lights, d'you like those? And the music? I've got all the carols. Oh, come here." Excited as a child, he dragged Ianto towards the cog door and placed him carefully under the basketball hoop from which hung a large ball of mistletoe. "Time for a kiss." Jack's eager lips latched onto Ianto's and he comprehensively kissed the younger man.
"Okay, okay," said Ianto, several minutes later, when he managed to get away. "There's lots of time for that later." He extricated himself from Jack's arms and straightened his coat and hat, glad he'd left his bag by the lift. "Right now, I want to know about this tree. Do you think it's all right? Not a bomb or anything?"
"Sensors would have picked up if it was a bomb." Jack was serenely confident, too happy to be shaken from his good mood. "How did you know it was for me?" He walked back towards it as Ianto stopped to remove his coat and gloves and place them on the half-moon bench before following.
"There's a label."
"Oh yeah." Jack hefted the tree off the lift and placed in by the curved outer wall out of the way. "For Captain Jack Harkness, with sincere gratitude," he read. "Doesn't say who it's from."
Ianto was now standing beside him again, examining the tree in more detail. "I've never seen a tree like this before. The leaves are very thin. And what's that bird?" He pointed to a fat fowl sitting on an inner branch.
"It's a fruit tree. Loads of them all over the galaxy. Not seen one on Earth before," he admitted thoughtfully.
"It's alien?"
"Umm, but not dangerous." He reached a hand to the bird which cheeped once and climbed onto his wrist. "Hello, what's your name?" The bird put its head on one side and surveyed Jack, one eye open and one eye closed.
"Maybe we should run some tests," suggested Ianto.
"Nonsense! It's harmless, you can see that. Besides, it's Christmas Day and we have so much to do." The accompanying leer spoke volumes. "Time to open our presents!" He put the bird back in the tree and grabbed Ianto's hand, pulling him to the Christmas tree.
The rest of the day passed in a long round of fun for the two men as they opened presents, drank, ate a meal Jack had prepared, played silly games, watched television – including The Queen – and then made love. Neither of them gave any more thought to the strange gift … other than Ianto who put some food out for the bird when he fed Myfanwy.
More tomorrow ...