With a silent gasp of horror, Tosh watched Owen gleefully snatch a small box from Ianto's hand. The Welshman was sitting at Jack's feet playing Father Christmas, passing out the gaily wrapped pressies piled under the tree.
Tosh realised that when she'd told Owen to collect their gifts to take to Jack and Ianto's house, she'd forgotten about the one special box she'd set in the branches of their little tree. It was meant to be opened in private, when it was just her and Owen.
Grinning like a ten-year-old, the medic held the gift up to his ear and shook it vigorously. After listening to the rattle for a moment he smirked and announced, "It's a new pen!" Just a week ago, his favourite pen had met a grisly end when a Krijbo, whose Weevil-related injuries he'd been examining, had managed to swallow it and then hours later expel it in a pile of extraordinarily stinky and corrosive poo.
Before she could stop him, Owen whipped off the carefully tied silk ribbon, shredded the beautiful Japanese rice paper wrapping and popped the top off the box.
The look on his face was so comical that Jack roared with laughter and sloshed eggnog over Ianto's head. The special holiday beverage had been made especially for him by Ianto from a recipe Jack had received from an American soldier during World War II. It wasn't normally served in Great Britain and especially not in Wales, and so none of the other three cared for it, saying it was "too thick", "too sweet", and from Ianto, "not a traditional Christmas drink". Jack didn't mind their opinions, saying that just meant the entire batch was his to enjoy. Other than the occasional glass of whiskey he shared with Ianto in his office after hours, it was really the only time the immortal enjoyed drinking alcohol.
"Hey!" Ianto yelped as he leapt to his feet and moved away from Jack, swiping ineffectively at his now sticky, dripping hair.
Fortunately, Tosh was already on her feet and close to the kitchen so she was by his side in an instant, handing him a wad of wet kitchen roll to clean with and then a tea towel with which to dry.
"Ummm… Tosh?" Owen's voice was quiet, unusually soft for the usually acerbic doctor.
Hit by a sudden attack of nerves, Tosh concentrated on tidying up the fallen ribbons and papers the foursome had scattered about.
Sensing the sudden change and unusual mood in the room, Jack and Ianto became silent and still. Ianto had returned to the floor and was once again leaning back against Jack's chair, nestled between his legs.
Owen stood up and crossed over to his wife, taking her hands in his, stilling her nervous movements. He held up the box's contents. "Is this true?"
The petite Japanese woman nodded shyly. "You were supposed to open it at home."
Tears sprang to Owen's eyes as he engulfed Toshiko in his arms, thus enabling Jack and Ianto to see what had been in the box.
Upon its revelation, Jack made a strange noise and swung his leg over Ianto's head as he jumped to his feet and hurried into their bedroom. He returned just moments later with a small box which he dropped into Ianto's hands as he sat back down.
"I guess great minds think alike." He smiled softly at Ianto and then waited with baited breath as Ianto opened the package that was nearly the same in size as Owen's.
Refusing to acknowledge that his hands were shaking, Ianto lifted the lid on the unwrapped package and peered into the box. Its contents were indeed identical to Owen's and they prompted the same reaction. Ianto twisted around and grabbed a hold of Jack, pulling him down to share a passionate kiss.
It took several minutes before Owen and Ianto finally untangled themselves from their respective spouses, looked at one another and crowed joyfully,
"We're having a baby!"
End