9

The doors of the sanctuary opened behind him, and Ianto turned to see several parents gathered near the back. He glanced at his watch and realized rehearsal was almost over. They could use another hour of practice, but clearly his young charges were already done. Which probably explained the sword fighting.

Ianto clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"All right, that's it for today," he called out to his cast. "We'll pick up from the angels' entrance tomorrow. We have a lot to do so please be here on time so we can get started right away."

Excited chatter filled the air as the kids shuffled off the stage. A couple of them even took flying leaps to the ground. They all raced up the aisle toward their parents. Ianto watched them go with a smile, wishing their energy could be bottled and sold.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and Ianto turned to see Cerise Martin hovering. A few paces behind Cerise stood Angelica Jennings.

Ten-year-old Cerise already had a marked struggle with her weight, which made her self-conscious. Still, she could act and had an amazing voice, which was why Ianto had cast the girl as Gabriel, a significant role that included a solo. Unfortunately, Cerise had struggled throughout the rehearsals so far, her obvious insecurities making her flub lines or loose pitch on her solo.

"Do you need something Cerise?" he asked.

"Mister Ianto, I don't know if I can do this," Cerise whispered, keeping her gaze pinned to the floor.

Ianto's heart broke for the poor girl. He wished he could assign confidence as easily as he did a role in the pageant. "Of course you can, honey. You'll remember your lines, and the song will come together. You'll do great."

"I don't know," Cerise said, shaking her head. "I was talking to Angelica and she told me I shouldn't push myself to be Gabriel if it was going to make me miserable."

Well, at least Ianto knew why the other girl was lingering in the background. Angelica's grandfather was mayor of Cardiff, and her mother and father, Tammy-Lynn and Terrance Jennings III, were practically the town's golden couple. Ianto was several years younger than them so they'd never been in school together, but he knew all about their demanding reputations. Especially when it came to Tammy-Lynn. One didn't cross her and expect to come out unscathed.

Angelica was already promising to be every bit as difficult as her mother. She had to be the star in everything, and she'd naturally expected to be Gabriel this year. When the role had gone to someone else, she had not been happy.

"Why would you encourage Cerise to give up her role, Angelica?" he asked, regarding the other girl with suspicion.

Angelica's eyes widened in a show of innocence.

"I was only trying to help. She looked so upset when she kept messing up. People were laughing at her and saying mean things." The last part was thrown toward Cerise, who hunched her shoulders and looked as if she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

"Angelica said she would take over my part if I couldn't do it," Cerise whispered.

"She did, huh?" Ianto said, his temper rising. "That's so convenient."

Ianto had been wrong about who had the better acting chops. He'd never met a child who was so adept at manipulation. Angelica shrugged. "Only if Cerise insisted. I don't want her feelings to be hurt."

"She'd make a prettier angel," Cerise murmured, her face reflecting despair.

Yes, Angelica did have a beautiful exterior with her blond hair and blue eyes, but her interior seemed to be total darkness. Ianto didn't like to think ill of children who were too young to have any opinion not supplied by their parents, but Angelica seemed well on her way to becoming one of those mean girls, if not worse.

Ianto reached out and lifted Cerise's face to his.

"You're beautiful just the way you are, and you are the perfect Gabriel."

The girl's cheeks turned a rosy pink, but a little smile appeared. "You think I'm pretty?"

"Yes, you are, and I'll practice with you till you get the part right. Okay?"

Cerise nodded

"Good," Ianto said. "Why don't you get here early tomorrow, and we'll rehearse together?"

"Okay."

Cerise still looked doubtful, but at least she was smiling again. Ianto considered that a win. She only hoped more rehearsal would solve the girl's confidence problem. Cerise walked off down the aisle toward her mother. Ianto waved at them as they went out the door.

"Thank you for letting me know Cerise needed help," Ianto said, glancing back at the junior manipulator with a big smile on his face. "You are such a good friend."

Ianto struggled to contain his amusement as Angelica warred between being furious or playing off the incident as a generous favour.

In the end, she settled with aiming a glare of pure venom Ianto's way before stalking away. Ianto watched the girl until she was gone and then went about putting all the props and costumes away. He bent over to pick up a stray halo, and when he turned around, he found Jack standing in the centre aisle.

He barely suppressed a yelp at seeing him so suddenly.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked, his pulse leaping. Ianto wanted to blame his instant reaction on fright, but knew Jack's presence had triggered the onslaught of sensation.

"Not long." He walked the rest of the way, until he was standing right in front of him. "Let me help you put this stuff away."

"You always seem to show up at the right time," Ianto said, watching as he hefted the box with ease.

"I'll always show up for you, Ianto," he said, already heading for the back hallway.

Always show up? What did that mean? He picked up the smaller box and hurried after him, hoping he would elaborate.

"That was a good save earlier, by the way," he said. Ianto was still stuck on his earlier statement.

"What?"

"Your successful attempt to squash the coup in the ranks of your Christmas pageant," he said over his shoulder. "It was pretty masterful."

"Oh, with Angelica? You heard that?"

He dropped the box in the closet and turned. "I did."

"Angelica is from one of Cardiff's most influential families. Unfortunately, she knows it. I should warn you to be careful when dealing with them. They can cause trouble for anyone."

"I'm not scared of big fish in a little pond," Jack said.

"Well, Tammy-Lynn's family practically owns the pond. Her husband's family is connected, too."

"And they're raising Angelica in the same mold. It looks like you might have a budding Iago on your hands." Ianto winced at the reference to the villainous character from Othello, but couldn't deny the accuracy. "I'm afraid so, although it feels wrong to judge a child so harshly, especially in church."

"She isn't completely lost," Jack said, his expression growing serious. "Some of our congregants simply need extra prayer. Perhaps there's something wrong at home and she's expressing what she's seen or lashing out at others to compensate for her own pain."

A jolt of wonder swept through him, and he stared at him in amazement.

"What?" he asked in bemusement. "You're looking at me like I just pulled a rabbit out of my hat."

"Maybe you are a magician. How could you guess that about a little girl you've never even spoken to?"

Jack shrugged. "It's not difficult to identify motive in most people. They're either acting out of love or pain. Like you." He reached out and touched his cheek. "You obviously love those kids. I think they know it, too, especially Cerise."

Speaking of Cerise, Ianto was blushing in much the same way the young girl had earlier. He could feel heat rising to meet where his hand rested against his skin. Flustered and more than a little skittish, Ianto pulled back. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was in the office looking through your father's books," Jack said. "He said I could keep anything I wanted."

"He's giving away his books?"

His stomach knotted at yet another reminder that come January his father wouldn't be the minister here anymore, life was moving on without him. Which reminded him that he was supposed to be busy finding one of his own.

Schedules, and perhaps a subconscious reluctance Ianto would never admit to, had kept him from rescheduling the date with John Henry. He would certainly never admit that a certain handsome minister played any part in that reluctance.

"He's not going away permanently, Ianto," Jack said in a gentle voice.

Jack should have his own show, Psychic Minister.

"I know," he said, turning away from his all-seeing eyes before he did something stupid. Like start bawling. He seemed to know he needed a second to recover because he didn't say anything.

"So, what are your plans now?" Jack asked, clearly changing the subject. "I bet you're ready to go home and collapse after managing the troops."

"Are you kidding?" he said, grateful for the distraction from his own thoughts. "I have Christmas shopping to do."

"Tonight?" he asked in surprise.

"Tonight and every one till Christmas probably. Fulfilling the wish list for the Jones family requires months of dedicated research, intense preparation and endless patience. Despite the fact that I start in June, there is never enough time to get it all done."

"Okay, sounds like a plan then. Mind if I tag along?"

Ianto blinked at him. "You want to come Christmas shopping with me?"

"You just reminded me I have some last minute things I need to get, too. I'm not nearly as organized as you, so I usually end up racing around town at the last minute buying whatever is left in the stores. Plus, I always need help finding something for my mother."

Of course, he wanted help picking out gifts. For a moment, Ianto had imagined he wanted to be with him.

Stupid imagination.

He pasted on the exact same smile he'd used with Angelica earlier and nodded. "Sure, that should be fun."

Jack's lips twitched, and teasing humour flashed in his eyes, before he turned away. "Shall I drive or do we take separate cars and meet up?"

"I'll meet you there."