The Twelve Days of Christmas
31 December
That New Year's Eve Ianto was feeling a mixture of happiness and apprehension. Happy because he and Jack had spent the previous evening with Gwen and Rhys enjoying a meal followed by a club. Everyone had been on good form and later the two men had decamped to Ianto's flat for some great sex. He was apprehensive because Jack was going to try to jump - leap, whatever it was called - to the source of the gifts that had been arriving for the past six days. Jack may promise to be back within fifteen minutes but Ianto felt sure he be would gone longer. Maybe forever.
Putting this thought aside as best he could, he walked through the cog door balancing the box of pastries in one hand and carrying a bag of groceries in the other. He had made an early trip to the supermarket and stopped at the fancy bakery on the way back as they all deserved a treat. He climbed up to the work area where Gwen was sitting at her desk.
"I bought us some pastries," he said cheerily, depositing the carrier bag on the table and holding out the box to Gwen. "Help yourself."
"Thanks, Ianto, I need a sugar boost. These wretched end-of-year figures won't add up." She reached into the box and after a moment's indecision picked a raspberry turnover.
"Need a hand?"
"Rather have a coffee," she mumbled around the pastry.
"Okay. Where's Jack?"
"Armoury."
Looking over, Ianto still couldn't see his boss. The armoury was obscured by the large nativity scene and part of the containment fields that held the trees and birds that had been arriving with monotonous regularity. "Take your word for it."
"Oh he's there all right. Said he wanted a bigger gun for later on." She saw the spasm of pain that crossed his face but didn't see how the subject of Jack's probable departure could be avoided. She sympathised with Ianto and wished there was something she could do but didn't know what. "Any joy with the rings?"
"Umm. They're real gold, like we thought." Ianto pulled a heavy gold ring from his pocket. It was one of the ten they now had and he had got it assayed. "Current market price is £900 an ounce and this ring is just over three ounces."
"Wow! Multiply that by ten and we have a tidy sum." She sucked a sugary finger.
"Jeweller said he'd take it there and then," confirmed Ianto. "Might be more difficult to dispose of them all, don't know how to explain why we have so many, but there's no rush. I'll make that coffee."
Taking the groceries to the kitchen he left the bag on the side next to the old box he'd found for the goose eggs. The birds really had been 'a-laying' when they'd arrived the day before but luckily they were native birds and had been shipped to Gwen's smallholding-friend – with the additional three hens - before any more eggs had appeared. Standing at the coffee machine, he saw Jack emerge from the armoury with one of their largest guns – a black boxy one with a shoulder strap – and head for the work area. Following a few minutes later, he gave his colleagues their coffees and watched as Jack, who had already demolished a pastry, lovingly stroked the gun lying beside him on the couch.
Gwen, sitting at her desk, looked from Jack to Ianto and was struck once again how much they relied on one another. In just two years they had gone from boss and employee and occasional bed partners to a couple – even if they both shied away from admitting it. She hoped, for both their sakes, that Jack wouldn't be away for long. She doubted Ianto would come through it unscathed if he was.
"So, here's the plan," said Jack, aware of the slight tension in the air but not showing it. "With that last set of co-ordinates, there's no problem about jumping to the source of the gifts. Be able to find out which of my many fans is sending them!" The joke fell flat, even Gwen failed to raise a smile.
"I'm not sure you should, Jack," said Ianto, raising his eyes to look meet Jack's gaze. "I know I've moaned about all this … stuff but I'd rather cope with that than … Well, than see you getting into something we know nothing about."
"I'm not going just to stop the gifts. Whoever's behind this has been sending them for a reason. I have to find out what that is." For once Jack was utterly serious, his gaze locked with Ianto's, willing him to understand. "And whatever's waiting for me, I'll deal with it." The seriousness disappeared in an instant and he was grinning widely. "Have more faith in me!"
Ianto smiled faintly, accepting the inevitable: Jack was going to do this whatever he – Ianto – said. "We'd better make sure everything's ready then."
A few minutes before eleven, the three of them were standing at the foot of the invisible lift. Jack, actually standing on the lift, was wearing his greatcoat and had the large gun slung over his shoulder while he studied his vortex manipulator. Gwen was nearby using a hand-held scanner. Only Ianto had nothing to do. He was standing close to Jack and had to stop himself reaching out to touch the greatcoat one last time.
"Okay, kids, ten seconds."
Jack was concentrating on the display and didn't see the look of anguish on Ianto's face. Gwen saw it and suddenly knew what she had to do. She grabbed a Glock from just inside the armoury and thrust it into Ianto's hands at the same time as she pushed him onto the lift. Off-balance, Ianto grabbed Jack to steady himself.
"Go with him!" shouted Gwen, standing back as Jack pressed the button on the manipulator and he and Ianto - a surprised but willing passenger – disappeared in a flash of light.
The Hub was very empty. Gwen stood, gazing at the space her colleagues had occupied and wondered why she had done something so stupid. She had no idea what lay at the co-ordinates or, come to that, what the journey would be like: would Ianto survive? "You stupid twat!" she exclaimed, berating herself for a moment of madness.
Twittering and chirruping from behind the containment field reminded her that another gift should have arrived. The scanner confirmed that indeed another tree was up on the Plass. She brought the lift down into the Hub, dragged it off into the containment field then used the lift to go up to street level. As had happened the day before, the six geese were busy laying eggs right by the water tower. Today they had been joined by seven swans swimming up the side of tower in a gravity-defying feat. Amazingly, none of the passers-by were taking any notice of this phenomenon. Gwen rounded up the compliant geese and sent them down on the lift while she contemplated the swans. Luckily she was saved from having to take action when, responding to something she couldn't detect, they all swam to the top of the tower and flew off to the Bay, settling on the choppy waters. Deciding that was the best place for them, she checked her watch: 11.12. If all went to plan, Jack and Ianto should be back in a couple of minutes.
She moved away from the lift, not sure what would happen if she was stood on the paving slab when they materialised. Thoughts of mingled atoms – she had seen too many transporter accidents in Star Trek – drove her a dozen paces away and she sat on the steps, gaze fixed on the slab and muttering under her breath.
"Come on, Jack. Come back to me. And bring Ianto back too."
A church clock in the distance struck the quarter hour and she held her breath. Nothing happened. Jack and Ianto did not appear. Nor were they anywhere on the Plass. What was she supposed to do now? Standing, she walked slowly back to the lift and something small and blue fluttered down. Holding out her hand, she caught the laminated piece of paper and read: All well. Be back tomorrow, same time. Take the rest of the day off, Jack. PS: Happy New Year.
Will they be back? Read tomorrow's chapter to find out ...
