A/N Boxing Day, short and sweet. Told you we'd come back to angst. Just a nice little bit to round the story off. Not quite finished though, there will be a New Year's Eve piece, if real life doesn't intrude. Thank you so much for your reviews – glad you weren't too graphic as the reviews do come through to my email and that can be a bit public.
This chapter is mainly Chloe's doing with my tweaking. I've heard JC is very pleased with the Xmas day chapter – I'm pleased. The Welsh voice though – fair to say he'd not a shipper.
And finishing up – remind me not to do a story with a deadline ever again. Boy, it's been so hard. But so much fun.
So, until NY, this is McParrot, over and out.
twtwtwtwtwtwtwtw
Jack stretched and looked across at the man sleeping soundly on the other pillow. He smiled at the tousled innocence of a sleeping Ianto. Not so innocent when he was awake was he? Thoughts of yesterday nearly made in him reach over and kiss him awake, but that wouldn't be fair. Ianto needed a lot more sleep than he did and although Jack knew he wouldn't complain… well there was something else he could do that Ianto might appreciate even more. A last Christmas present so to speak before life intruded and they had to go back to work.
Carefully Jack climbed out of bed. With all their antics yesterday they'd made an awful mess. He'd clean it all up. Ianto shouldn't have to do it. They would have to go back to work today though, their impromptu little holiday (Jack refused to think of it as anything else, because then he'd have to remember why he'd broken down in the first place) hadn't been fair on the others and they deserved a couple of days off now.
Jack had a quick shower, noted the tree induced scratches were nearly gone, dressed and then headed into the kitchen to start there. He hadn't allowed Ianto to clean up anything yesterday, something he knew Ianto had been very uncomfortable about. They'd put leftovers in the fridge and that was all they'd done.
Now Jack scrapped plates, filled the sink with soapy water and started washing up. He actually quite liked being domestic like this. It was calming, earthed him in the mundane and the here and now. He just didn't have cause to do it very often. Yesterday, here, Christmas with Ianto, it had been fantastic. It would have been fantastic even without the sex. He'd never had Christmas with anyone he cared about before…
He gasped, hanging onto the edge of the sink to hold himself up as all the memories he'd tried to push away flooded back. All the tragic unhappy Christmases.
Get a grip he told himself, even as he found himself feeling for the wedding ring he was still wearing. No. No! This is Ianto's house. I've had a fantastic Christmas with Ianto. No one died. We are happy. Think of Ianto. He pulled off the ring and flung it at the floor. I'm going to do nice things for Ianto. He pushed himself away from the sink. When I'm finished here I'll make breakfast. Yes. What have we got that will do for breakfast? Going through the fridge and Ianto's pantry he forced his mind back into today, Ianto, breakfast, Ianto still asleep in his bed, oh and finally, yes, so nice - memories of yesterday.
Panic averted but feeling decidedly shaky Jack decided he'd better have a go at tidying the living room too. He paused in the hallway first. He'd forgotten about all the stuff in there. If he woke Ianto now they could have another play with the bar and the mirrors before work. The lights were all still there too. No, it might be better to wait until after work when they wouldn't be rushed. He'd leave all of this stuff right where it was.
Feeling better he stood in the living room doorway and grimaced. All of Ianto's careful decorations were trashed. He picked up the broken tree. They'd have to get rid of that somewhere. It had been standing in a bucket of sand which was now spread across the floor with all of the ornaments and tinsel. Sighing Jack started picking them ornaments up and putting them back in the box they'd come out of. The tinsel was all tangled. He thought of throwing it away and buying Ianto or his mum a whole new lot next year. Something glistened and as he picked it up his whole careful façade of happiness crashed.
The glass deer, the indestructible fragile thing was broken!
Ianto found him howling like a madman in the middle of the devastation in the lounge.
'Jack! Jack what's wrong?'
Unable to speak around the pain tearing through his heart Jack showed him the shattered pieces of the deer.
'What happened? Have you hurt yourself?' Ianto didn't seem to understand.
'It broke,' he said feebly.
'Jack, it doesn't matter. It's just an old ornament.'
'It was indestructible. You said.' Didn't Ianto see? 'But we broke it.'
And Ianto did see. He pulled him into his arms. 'It's all right Jack. I'm not broken.' He kissed his nose. 'I'm not made of glass, and I'm no more fragile than anyone else. And,' he kissed the tears off his cheeks, 'I am not broken with you.' He pulled back until Jack could see his eyes, made sure he was looking. 'You make me whole. I was broken and you have fixed me. All right Jack. Do you understand? You fixed me.'
Numbly Jack nodded and fell into his arms sobbing helplessly. Ianto lowered them onto the sofa and sat there a long time holding him in his arms. Jack felt his heart and his old wounds start to heal.
'I don't want you going in to work today,' Ianto said a long time later.
Emotionally exhausted Jack still managed to grin. 'Funny, I was just thinking that about you.'
'Well okay. I won't if you won't. I'll just call and let them know.' He sat up a little and looked at Jack seriously. 'You realise though that I am not going to stay cooped up at home for the next, what six days, until January the first. Nope. Not going to happen.'
Jack sighed. He didn't even try to make a joke about keeping Ianto in bed. 'I know. I can't protect you any more than I usually do and I promise I will try not to favour you over the others. But,' he eyes were bright with tears. He was terribly fragile, 'sometimes Ianto I can't help it.'
'I know.' Ianto kissed him. 'I don't like it when you put yourself in harm's way either.' He got up. 'I'll go make that call. You go back to bed. Then Jack, if it's all right,' he looked diffident, 'will you tell me about the others. The ones you've loved.'
Jack nodded. He smiled. 'Louise was beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. Pauly and Euan, they were twins and no one would have said they were beautiful, not by any stretch of the imagination…'
'Go get into bed Jack,' Ianto smiled. 'I'll be right there.'
