60

Ianto moved the box around in his hand, glancing at Gwen who seemed… amused.

"Ah… thank you Superintendent… how lovely of you" Ianto said after a while and the older man nodded his approval. The man with them was a subdued version of the one from earlier, his eyes moving from Ianto to the Big Cheese.

"Well, you sent such a nice care basket for the front line workers. We have had a shitty Christmas what with the virus, all the new bullshit involved … the protested who hated the lockdown and vaccine mandates… and still you managed some nice sweeties that all of us could imbibed… hell… you remembered the vegans and Celiacs as well" he huffed, then motioned for Ianto to open it.

Cautiously, Ianto opened the gift and stared with mute shock at the huge snow globe. It was a snow white deer standing in the snow, a large head raised high so the snowflakes in the shaken water moved around him. Not all white… some flecks were that stuff that was pearlescent. Oh.

"Not a goat but… near enough. Jackson here tells me you have deer wild in these parts too… no hunting right?"

"Ah… yes" Ianto tore his eyes from the snow globe to smile politely "We have a lovely little herd of them. A sixteen pointer in charge… he is friendly with the King of Goats though… luckily."

"Yes, you do not want to get the wrong end of that" he man laughed. "Grobbley here tells me the bugger is strong."

"Yes. Wow. A snow globe… sort of a thing. I do have a wee collection of them, funny how one thing can lead to many… well… this is lovely. Not got one like this" Ianto said, gushing appropriately as he tried not to glare at his husband. He knew full well who told them about Ianto and his little collection of snow globes in his office the kids were not allowed to play with.

Only Ianto and Jack knew … well… and John but you can't count him in anything… only they knew the reason for that first snow globe all those years ago. Best marriage counselling reminder there is to try harder to make things work.

He did wonder though… if that bitch marriage councilor ever discovered the one he had made for her and left in her collection all that time ago, even as he had nicked one of hers as his own. Huh. It had been a rose he took. Yellow for remembrance.

Yeah.

Good memories.

"It will look lovely in Rose Cottage" Ianto said, the huge HJ Mansion called that affectionately by the villagers due to the huge rose gardens around it….Bets' roses of course.

Coming up smelling like roses huh?