Author's Note: We have reached a milestone in the story, and it's not even 'I've been writing it for two years, will it ever end?' Don't worry, though. This is not the end by any means.

Ianto was curled on the sofa with his laptop on his knees, wrapped in Jack's coat and a duvet on top of that. He had the year's financial reports open and was putting together the annual report, but his fingers were cold and slow and he wasn't really putting any effort into it anyway. Gwen's arrival on the other end of the sofa, lifting his feet out of the way so that she could sit down and settle them on her lap, was a welcome distraction from the tedium.

"Are you a bit warmer now, pet?" she asked, rubbing his feet through the duvet. "You look very cosy under there."

He smiled at her and wiggled his toes against her arm. "Much warmer. I feel like I should have the cat tucked up under here as well, but the computer's warm enough as well."

She laughed and squeezed his big toe to hold it still. "You and that cat."

"Bless his little white socks."

"Yeah," she agreed absently. "It's six months since you left, isn't it?"

"Is it?" He turned his attention back to the finances and shrugged. "It feels longer than that."

"It's six months to the day since we went to the pub for that last quiz. We should go tonight. People keep asking after you; I'm sure they'd like to see you." She glanced up at him through her lashes. "Unless you and Jack have something planned..."

"Celebrating the anniversary of splitting up?" he chuckled. "We barely celebrate birthdays, but going to the quiz would be nice."

Gwen pouted and squeezed his foot sympathetically. "That's not very... romantic."

"It's unconventional, but it works for us." He shot her a glare and smiled at her chastised look. "It's okay. We just fit ourselves around work and... living in different cities."

"I guess it's not easy," she murmured. "Don't you ever want to just throw it all in to be together? Or take him to London?"

"Sometimes." He shrugged without looking up. "But who doesn't? I'd love to spend a year without having to leave the house, but we'd be bored to tears by the first afternoon. It all seems idyllic on paper."

She frowned and stilled her hands, folding then across his ankles. "You're doing Christmas together though? You have plans?"

He raised his eyebrows at the screen and closed the lid, setting it aside on the corner of the nearest desk. "We're going to spend it with my family, actually."

"You have..." she laughed the end of the sentence off and patted his knee. "Sorry, Ianto."

He smirked, but knew full well that it was a telling demonstration of his relationship with his workmates as well as his family that the possibility hadn't registered to Gwen. It was, however, a relief to discover that she hadn't assumed a normal family on him. "I'm a normal human being, Gwen. Born this century even... well, the last one." He pulled his feet away from her and gestured to the kitchenette. "Coffee?"

"Always." She gave him her brightest grin and followed him to the kitchenette, not picking up on his signals. "So your mam and tad, any siblings?"

"Just my mam," he corrected softly. "Tad's not been around for a while. And then there's my great..." He closed his eyes and counted. "Great great aunt. She's going to be there. And she's a hundred and three."

"That's..."

"I know." He shook his head. "Apparently the secret to a long life is to live in a nunnery."

She laughed and thumped him, gently enough that it didn't disturb his sacred work. "Oh Ianto. I never know whether to believe half the things you say these days; you're as bad as Jack!"

"I did learn from the best," he pointed out. The coffee ready, he handed Gwen her mug and cradled his own against his chest. "And now, I'm afraid, I have to make noises about whether you've finished that report yet."

"I..." she sighed and hugged her mug again. "Do you really need it today?"

"Yes, I do." He poked her out of the kitchenette. "Go and get on with it, and I need to get on with mine anyway."

She left him reluctantly, hugging her mug for warmth and delaying drinking it as long as possible. Tosh gave him a pleading look around her computer and he smiled an acknowledgement before ducking back behind the coffee machine, emerging a minute later with a perfectly prepared mocha with extra chocolate. "Your coffee, ma'am?" he offered with a demure smirk.

"Why thank you, Jeeves," she accepted it from him and hugged it to her chest as Gwen had, sighing at the warmth. "Ianto, it's really getting too cold down here..."

"I know." He tucked his free hand into the pocket of Jack's coat and took a sip from his coffee whilst he thought. "I'll have a word with Jack. We can't shut up completely, but there must be something we can do. Short of fixing the heating."

Tosh looked sheepish and hid her face in her mug, avoiding the subject. "You look good in Jack's coat, by the way."

"It's okay, Tosh." He nudged her shoulder with his hip rather than extract his hand from the warm pocket. "We weren't to know that it would get this cold, and there's nothing we can do down there until it gets warmer."

"I know," she sighed. "I still feel guilty."

"Of course you do." He glanced up at Jack's office and raised his mug in a salute. "You're Torchwood, it rubs off on you."

She was frowning when he looked back down at her. "Are you alright, Ianto?"

"I'm fine," he assured her. "Someone seems to want his coffee."

"And maybe even his coat back," she suggested. "Better not keep him waiting, then."

He laughed and turned away, winking at Jack on his way back to the coffee machine. Five minutes later he let himself in to Jack's office and set one mug down on Jack's coaster, safely out of reach of the hand that was gesticulating vaguely, before hitching one hip onto the edge of the desk and drinking his own freshly prepared coffee whilst he waited for Jack to finish his conversation.

"I'll talk to him and let you know by the end of the week if I can, Kathy. You know how our schedules are," Jack told whoever he was talking to, dropping his gesticulating hand onto Ianto's thigh and tucking it under the wool of his coat. "We'll try to be there. And thanks for the tip-off." He hung up and slid his other hand up under the coat as well, pressing the backs of his cold fingers against Ianto's stomach. "Is that for me?"

"Yep. I thought you might be in need of a warm up." He nudged the mug closer to Jack, but tolerated the cold fingers through his shirt. "Who was that on the phone? Don't tell me you were actually making nice with Kathy Swanson."

Jack pulled his best innocent face, which didn't work very well on Ianto and hadn't since they'd known each other all of a week, and curled the tips of his fingers under Ianto's belt. "The police are having another charity gala ball next month, one of those where you give them a lot of money to be allowed to dress up and eat canapés and drink too much champagne, and also give them more money for things like holidays and dinners with... people I haven't heard of." He chuckled and shook his head fondly. "I've not been for about fifteen years, thought we could do a good deed and improve our standing with the police at the same time."

"You promise to behave?" Ianto checked.

"I always behave."

He sighed fondly. "Drink your coffee, Jack."

Jack laughed at his expression and splayed his hand again, reaching for his coffee with the other. "You're warmer now, that's good."

"I am. The coffee's helped, and I do love this coat." He smirked and fended off Jack's wandering hand before turning serious. "It's not healthy to be down here all the time, Jack. At least until we've got the heating fixed."

He sighed and looked out into the Hub, at Tosh and Gwen who were working close together, kept warm by the computers and the electric heaters were using. Beyond the circle of technology and light it was uncomfortably cold, and down in the archives it was simply unbearable. "I know. You scared me earlier, you know."

"I know." He smiled fondly. "You pick the strangest things to worry about. But I might have an idea."

"You always do. What is this idea?"

"Our place." He gestured with his mug to take in the whole Hub. "Set up in the living room. We'd have more fun, and Tybalt would love it."

Jack huffed amusement and nodded. "You know we wouldn't get rid of Tosh at the end of the day."

Ianto shrugged. "We have a spare bedroom, and we might even get our bed to ourselves for once."

"Sold to the gentleman in the rather fetching coat." Jack laughed. "You're sure? It could be chaotic."

He feigned steeling himself and downed his coffee. "I'll cope."

"Okay." Jack stood up and went to the doorway. "Can you make a list of everything we need? Then we can pack up and get everything to our place tonight."

"I'm on it." He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the others were still working and leaned forwards, cupping the back of Jack's neck to hold him in place for a kiss. "Pub quiz tonight?"

Realisation dawned in Jack's eyes and he nodded. "Yeah, that would be good. We've got a record to reclaim. Cardiff University have our trophy."