Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not even a Christmas Carol book.

A/N: I'm sorry that this is unbetaed, but it was a chellenge that I miself made for Christmas and was supposed to be posted by today. When I have it betaed I wll replace this with the edited version. It also was supposed to be a longer one shot, but I didn't have a time to write later so in order to keep he deadline I'm going to post however much I've manged to write as a chapter and then keep updating.

The prompts were:

One character wants to have a proper Christmas, the other one is being a Scrooge.

the car broke down

Father Christmas

Aliens

The Christmas dinner ends in disaster.

He wasn't sure what he had dreamed of really, but he was certain it was better than the reality of alarms blaring almost into his ear. For one heart-stopping moment, Ianto thought that he was still in the Hub and that the Rift activity alarm had sounded. A moment late when his sluggish, sleep ridden brain started to catch up with the situation around, he realised that he was still sleeping in home with a warm body next to him. By the way of logic, the alarm that tried to give him a heart attack and a deaf ear was his clock alarm, proclaiming that it was time to get up for another day at work. Groaning to himself and not even bothering to open his eyes, Ianto swiped a hand on top of the bedside digital clock. He didn't estimate the right force and the clock slid off the table and crashed on the floor with and audibly loud noise. The body next to him stirred a bit and mumbled in protest.

Keeping his eyes closed, Ianto decided that he will let himself sleep just ten more minutes, it was Christmas after all. He hated working on Christmas. It seems that even shagging the boss, who seemed to sleep through the alarm even now, didn't mean he could stay home and be lazy for a day. Ianto supposed that it was still better than having to attend Christmas family meetings. He decided that he was already awake enough and there was no point in having ten minutes lie in. Kicking Jack's leg off he managed to entangle himself from bed sheets and human limbs alike. The captain still kept on sleeping undisturbed. Well lucky him, Ianto felt himself at the moment in that unhappy place where you were too awake to go back to a blissful sleep, but too asleep to be awake enough, the moment before his first cup of coffee.

Staggering into the bathroom to take a shower and get himself in his usual immaculate presentation for work. Only it was damn hard before he had even attempted to drink a coffee. The noise of his phone ringing came through the door while he was turning on the hot water in the shower.

"Ianto," Jack shouted through the closed door, "Someone called Rhiannon wants to speak to you and to know who I'm."

He hastily switched off the shower and ran back into the bedroom, dripping water all over the floor and cursing silently. He snatched the phone from Jack's had and started to make erratic gestures for the Captain to keep silent.

"Just my boss," Ianto answered the question that came from the other side of the phone. He knew his sister's curiosity wouldn't be satisfied by this answer but right now he didn't had the patience for her question and answer interrogation. He didn't have enough time in the shower to even begin to wake up and feel human again, and he was yet to have his first caffeine fix for the day. "No civil servant bosses don't take the liberty to sleep over at their workers, we had a Christmas party at the office and he was too drunk to go home so he came over to mine since I live closest to the office. Happy now?"

When he moved his head slightly to see what Jack was doing, Ianto could see the Captain giving him a smirk and trying to look amused. But something in his posture or eyes, Ianto wasn't completely sure, showed a spark of hurt after Ianto's refusal to acknowledge to his sister that there was something more between them than boss and employ. Rhiannon's next question took his attention away from Jack and the possible implications of what he had seen in his lover's gaze.

"No, Rhiannon, I can't come. I'm working today. Beside you know that I hate family Christmas dinners." Ianto sighed. They had this argument every year at this time, and every year he tried to explain to Rhiannon that he didn't want to see any of the relatives. Let alone have to be pleasant to them and eat and drink with them. The only time that he could actually get out of this was with Lisa and having the excuse that she will bring him to her family Christmas dinner to introduce him to them. That had shut Rhiannon up and probably aunt Aldyth, who never seem satisfied by certain members of the family and especially him. Aunt Aldyth was a scary old bat who still lived in her past and not noticing that her old aristocratic money had ran out after uncle Huw had died and left so many debts that even when she sold the house she barely managed to cover them. She had always thought that his mother could do better than his father. The fact that he looked so much like his mother, more gentle and delicate, not for a manual work, aunt Aldyth seemed to give so much hope in him, until he dropped college.

He had heard Rhiannon's arguments for so long- it was the same every year- now he could just stop listening and still come back to the conversation at the right time to give his usual answer.

"Yes, Rhi, I know but I work, just in case of emergency," Ianto answered with exasperation. "Yes, there are emergencies in the Tourist Office work, what if someone had lost their way around Cardiff and a family is waiting for them?" He went to the adjoining kitchenette and switched the coffee machine on to warm up the water. "Yes, Rhi in the night as well," he sighed tired of the argument already and looking hungrily at the coffee machine's light willing it to turn on faster to indicate that is ready to make that much needed coffee.

"Maybe it's just an excuse, you know I hate this things," he was ready to resolve to pleading by now. "Why do I need to come and be nice to people I don't even remember for the better part of the year?"

He could hear Mica over the phone asking her mother why she was angry and Rhiannon answer of, "Nothing sweetheart, your uncle's just bein' a Scrooge again."

"Bah Humbug," he muttered crossly mocking his sister.

Of course she won the argument, she always did in the end when proposing that if he didn't go to her house, she was going to organise the dinner at his flat. It was every year the same, and he really didn't know why he even bothered to argue, perhaps he hoped that this time it will be different. That was every time until she mentioned his flat, he wasn't sure if she ever was serious, but really couldn't take the chance that she was. Finally agreeing to go there if he finishes work on time, he hang up the phone with a heavy sigh and made his and Jack's coffees.

Two strong hands sneaked around his back and pulled him against the Captains chest.

"You know, if you look at your flat a person would never guess that is a Christmas time," Jack said softly to him. "Where's your decoration, and a Christmas tree?"

"What's the point of havin' a tree in doors anyway?" Ianto asked in turn. "Puttin' something for a couple of days and then havin' to hoover green tree needles from the carpet for months?"

"Well some decorations then," Jack persisted grinning. "Maybe we can put some decorations, curl up on the sofa or something. Or we can decorate the Hub, a Christmas at Torchwood. I bet Gwen had already put something up, she wouldn't miss, she looks like a Christmas person. Maybe I can come to your family dinner."

God, Jack sounded so enthusiastic and hopeful like a little kid. Ianto would never have though that about Jack as someone who would get so excited about something so mundane and domestic.

"No, you are not coming to my family dinner," Ianto said with a bit more force than needed and shoved the mug with coffee in Jack's hands. "What's the point in putting decorations when I'm hardly home and will have to take them off soon enough?"

He almost regretted seeing the kicked puppy look on Jack's face but was so worn out by Rhiannon's argument that it didn't hold. Taking his coffee, Ianto made his way towards the bedroom to get ready for work.

"Beside, don't you remember what happened last Christmas?" Ianto tossed over his shoulder to his lover. "You and John used my car to commit suicide. Very merry indeed."

"Why are you such a Grinch?" Jack asked annoyed, his Christmas spirit already starting to dissipate by Ianto's behaviour.

"I'm not a Grinch," Ianto said draining the last of his coffee and leaving the mug on the bedside. "I'm just practical and don't see the point in all that hassle, of rushing around putting colourful stuff that you hate during any other time. Or wastin' your time in wrapping stuff and sending cards for people you don't remember the better part of the year. I have enough paper work as it is. Beside you are way too chipper for someone who doesn't even origin in from a culture who celebrates Christmas."

With his part said Ianto entered the bathroom and started to brush his teeth, a moment later he was followed by slightly hurt looking Jack who joined him in brushing his teeth. Maybe it was the domesticity of the Christmas time or the fact that Jack was so eager to have a Christmas this year that made him paranoid, but he suddenly noticed things he hadn't before. Like the routine he and Jack had built to perfection managing to work around each other in the bathroom getting ready for work like a real couple. It scared him and for a few minutes Ianto stared in the mirror at their reflections.

"Jack…" he finally said after spitting the toothpaste out. "When did you move in?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Jack annoyed still feeling the burn of Ianto's mood.

"I mean you have your, toothbrush in my bathroom. We work around each other with practice. You don't even have a key from my flat, but everywhere I turn suddenly your stuff is around." Ianto finished and went to the cupboard pulling out Jack's clothes for the day, throwing them on the bed as an example.

"You are saying it as if it was something bad," Jack said frowning. "Not that I need a key to enter your flat but it would have been a nice though of you if you gave me one."

He gave Jack a withering glare, dried his face and threw the used tower on the floor before exiting the bathroom and starting to put up his suit of armour for the day. In defiance of everybody's cheery Christmas mood, he traded his usually bright red or purple shirts for a dull grey one and a black and grey striped three piece suit, with a grey and blue tie.

"If you have to go to the family dinner, I suppose we should stop by the shops so you can buy presents," Jack shouted from the bathroom before emerging and starting to dress up for work himself.

It was too domestic for Ianto, he really though that anymore and he wouldn't be able to stand it and will do or say something he would regret later.

"We are not shopping together Jack," Ianto said firmly and started to go through his possessions and clothes trying to find the car key's cursing.

He was sure that he had left them on the letter table near the door, but they weren't there right now. It was as if some evil Christmas gnome had moved them just to mock him and made him late for work because of his refusal to be swept by the Christmas farce. At least he wasn't going to be the only one late for work, if he was going to be late. The boss was going with him. For a moment he contemplated on walking to the Hub, but one look out the window at the heavy and cold rain was enough to discard that idea. And people where wondering about where his Christmas spirit was, as if there was anything Christmas-y out there, at least the weather could have been nicer and gave them a white Christmas, but no, it had to piss down on them. After ruining all his attempts in cleaning his flat last night, in the vain hope of finding his car keys he was ready to give up. There was the unwashed load in the wash machine which really was his last ditch attempt in finding them and not having to walk or try to find spare change for a bus ticket. Unfortunately, they weren't in his laundry either.

"Are you looking for these?" A fully dressed now Jack asked Ianto from the bedroom doorway dangling a set of keys on his index finger.

Scowling, Ianto snatched them from Jack's hand and put his shoes and coat exiting the apartment without waiting for Jack or even saying thanks.

At the end they ended up doing some shopping, Jack had worn him out with pleading, asking to see what that Christmas fever was and singing combined parts of Christmas Carols, which Ianto couldn't even began to guess where his lover knew from. Ianto would have been quite happy to just give them some money, or apology that he was working and had no time for shopping. What was he supposed to buy to all them anyway? Especially aunt Aldyth, Mica and David were easy, he was going to give them money anyway, and it seemed to work with them quite well. But that was the core of his relationship with his nephews, he gives them money, they don't really bother him when he is around. In the end he opted for the safety of buying everyone a thirty pounds gift card from Top Shop. That settled he sighed that maybe finally he could concentrate at going to work and doing his work. If he strikes lucky for once today, they will have so much rift activity and work and clean-up to do, that he wouldn't possibly leave Gwen and Jack doing it alone, so he will have the excuse not to go to the dinner. Or maybe he would have to stay late so Gwen could go home to Rhys and their in laws, she sure will enjoy it more than him. Or maybe if he was really, really lucky today the world will be ending.

Unfortunately dragging Jack out of the shopping centre was harder than he thought it would be. Somehow the man had never stricken his as a shopping lover, but right now he was like a kid in a toy store. Ianto noted the fascination with shiny objects for later. It was like watching a raven trying to snatch a shiny foil from a silvery surface. By the time they got back to the car, Ianto was sure that they were at least twenty minutes late for work. Not that anyone would notice of course, he was sure that Gwen won't be in until half past eleven and with hangover. Still he hated being late. Turning the key in the ignition, he had another nasty surprise for a day that seemed bent on giving him one after another. The car chocked, spluttered and then just died.

Jack looked at him tentatively anticipating the volcano that was about to explode the moment Ianto stopped staring at the dashboard. Taking a deep breath he tore his gaze from the dashboard and moved it to Jack, and then deliberately calm and composed moved to the front of the Peugeot to open the lid of the engine. Both men looked at the engine and had to admit that they hadn't a clue of what to do.

"I think is fucked," Jack gave his very helpful opinion.

"As if you know," Ianto almost cried. Taking out his phone he resigned to calling AA who told him that they will be there by half an hour. "So much for emergency," he muttered and put his collar up starting to walk with determination, Jack following him silently. So he would have to walk in the rain after all, if the day was going to go that way he was sure that he would break something, preferably heavy and expensive.