Chapter Four
Jack followed Nicolas and Ianto down to their secret headquarters below the Hub. It still burned, that something so massive was hiding right below him, but now that he knew more about the operation and the reasons behind it, he was starting to see things in a different light. It was still slightly unbelievable, but fascinating and even inspiring. He could only imagine the hard work happening around the world that night.
The jumpers all looked as exhausted as Ianto, as did their assistants. He saw an older woman help a jumper adjust her wrist strap before patting her on the shoulder; she smiley gamely but looked ready to collapse. Several people stood in the small kitchenette area, eating and drinking, and a few sat on the sofas, heads back and eyes closed, one even covered in a blanket and snoring lightly.
Jack noticed an assistant rushing over from one of the side tunnels, carrying the bag that must have been filled with gifts. He frowned, wondering how so much could possibly be stored in an old tunnel. Ianto saw him looking and offered an explanation.
"Transmat," he said. "We transport what we need when we need it."
"And where is it until then?" Jack asked.
"The North Pole, of course!" Nicolas answered with a wink. He walked over to talk to one of the men in black. Jack had the distinct impression they were both his elves and his army.
"Sometimes I half believe him," Ianto mused from beside him. "There's so much we don't know, don't understand. So much we take on faith. It's as much about the tech as it is about simply believing it's possible. I think if I tried too hard to work it out, I'd go mad."
"I get the feeling," Jack murmured in agreement.
Meghan hurried up to them then. She looked as tired as everyone else, though she apparently felt it was her duty to smile and stay positive and energetic. She glanced quickly at Jack before addressing Ianto.
"Mr. Jones," she started, but he stopped her with an epic eye roll accompanied by a sigh.
"No need to impress anyone, Meghan. You called me that once and I told you to never call me that again."
"If you say so, Ianto," she grinned, dropping the proper PA routine. "Just trying to help."
"I'm not sure anything will help," Ianto muttered, looking down and avoiding Jack's curious gaze. Apparently Ianto was still worried about Jack's reaction.
"Hi," he said, holding out his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness."
"Meghan O'Toole," she said, shaking his hand with a confident grasp. "Pleased to meet you, sir."
"Oh, only Ianto calls me sir," Jack replied, grinning when Ianto looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. "You can call me Jack. What do you do around here, Meghan?"
"I'm Ianto's assistant," she said. "I gather his deliveries, keep him on schedule, make sure he has coffee and food, things like that."
"Sounds like what he does for me." Jack laughed, while Ianto covered his face and suppressed a groan. "And he's brilliant at it, so I hope you're just as good."
"He's certainly quite particular," she said with a smile. "And yes, I am."
"I'm meticulous," Ianto interjected, stepping closer. "Meghan, Jack is joining me on my next jump."
Her eyes went wide. "Really? Isn't that against the rules? Does Nicolas know?"
"It was his idea," Ianto replied dryly. "I'm not sure what he's thinking. Where are we scheduled for next?"
She glanced down at a tablet. "Let's see…you were scheduled to start Swansea with Will and Charlotte, but maybe we can re-route you to a smaller delivery first." She tapped on her tablet before glancing up. "Llanwddyn," she said. "Small village in Powys, so one bag, about two dozen jumps."
Ianto frowned. "I remember it, it's the one with the dog, but that's a lot of deliveries in one go. I suppose Jack can always jump back with Nicolas. All right, can you get the gifts ready? I think Nicolas is talking to security and tech."
"Security?" Jack asked in surprise as Meghan hurried away to get Ianto's deliveries. "I'm not a threat. In fact, shouldn't I be the one worried about security here in the Hub?"
"We're not a threat either," Ianto replied, sounding weary. "We've got protections at all the perimeters, though it was made clear that no one was to go wandering. I imagine he's simply letting them know he'll be gone and getting the jump coordinates for my deliveries."
Nicolas returned at that moment, adjusting his wrist strap. It was slightly different than Ianto's manipulator, and Jack wondered if it was some sort of master control. Nicolas caught him looking at it.
"I've got the fancy upgrade," he said. "Mine is the only one capable of jumping more than a month in time, and I can get to any delivery if there's an emergency. I can also carry multiple passengers, so you'll be traveling with me." Jack was about to protest that he'd travel with Ianto, but Nicolas continued. "I know you have your own manipulator, but it would take too long to program it for what we do."
Jack looked at him in surprise, since the thought hadn't even occurred to him. "It doesn't work anyway," he said without thinking. Nicolas looked genuinely surprised.
"It doesn't work? How so?"
"No time travel, not even basic teleportation," Jack said. He couldn't help but sound bitter, because it still stung that the Doctor had felt the need to police him and disable the wrist strap so soon after fixing it.
"We might be able to fix it," Nicolas began, but Jack cut him off.
"It's been disabled," he said. "And probably for reasons I'll understand better one day in the far, far future." He looked away to avoid any looks of pity from Nicolas, or worse, from Ianto.
"I see," Nicolas murmured. "Well, Mark has programed Ianto's next jump for me—"
"Meghan rerouted us through Llanwddyn," Ianto interrupted. "Small village, better for a first-time jumper."
"I saw," Nicolas said. "It popped up while he was laying in Swansea. A good decision. As soon as Meghan returns, we'll depart. I'm afraid you'll still have to jump with me, Captain Harkness."
"And what exactly will we be doing?" Jack asked.
"We will be observing," Nicolas replied. "Which is why you're jumping with me, as I have stealth mode." He held up his wrist with an affected pose.
"There's no such thing on a vortex manipulator!" Jack exclaimed. "At least, not that I've ever seen."
"I told you, I've got the deluxe version," Nicolas laughed. "It was actually designed specifically for us. I'm beta testing it."
"So instead of making us invisible it could rip us apart?"
"Of course not," Nicolas huffed. "Though whether anyone will be able to see you when we return remains to be seen."
"He's joking," Ianto interjected. "I've seen him use it already, it works fine."
"Spoil my fun," Nicolas grumbled.
Before either Jack or Ianto could reply, Meghan returned with a sack for Ianto. Though it was large and Jack was fairly sure a baseball bat was poking out of the top, it certainly didn't look like enough for over two dozen Christmas deliveries.
"Is that everything?" he asked. Ianto nodded as he hefted it over his shoulder.
"Bigger on the inside," he said. "Something about an alternate dimension, I think?"
"Dimensional transcendentalism," Jack said approvingly. "Dimensional engineering. Very clever—and useful."
"We'd be rich if we could market it for wardrobes," Ianto deadpanned. He looked over Meghan's tablet, double-checked his wrist strap, then signed off with a nod.
"Thank you, Meghan."
"Good luck," she said. "You'll want to start Swansea when you return?"
"Yes," he replied. "Shouldn't be long—assuming someone doesn't cause any problems."
"Who, me?" Jack asked innocently at the same time as Nicolas said the same thing. They all shared a laugh.
"Let's go," said Nicolas. "It's time for Captain Harkness to see the true magic of Christmas."
Jack laid his hand on the old man's left arm, nodded at Ianto, then waited for the crushing compression of dematerialization. It was time for a Christmas miracle.
Their first stop seemed relatively normal: a small, darkened room in what Jack assumed was an equally small home, probably a semi-detached cottage somewhere in the Welsh countryside. It was old and slightly run-down, but the crowded, well-worn furniture spoke more of love than lack of means, and the house felt warm and comfortable.
There was a crooked evergreen tree near a cut out fireplace housing an ancient stove. It was glowing with fairy lights and strewn with sentimental ornaments. Beneath the tree were a small number of wrapped packages. Ianto quickly stepped forward and checked his wrist strap, then pulled the baseball bat from his sack, scanned it, and placed it beneath the tree amongst the others. He stepped back, punched his wrist strap once more, and nodded at Jack.
"It's that easy," he said, smiling. "Next stop."
The next home was much smaller, much darker, and much colder. The furniture was old, the walls bare, the carpet worn. This was a family who couldn't afford a tree; Jack wondered if they could afford food. There was only a single gift by the fireplace. Ianto placed four packages beside it, his demeanor more serious.
"Why four gifts?" Jack asked quietly.
"Four children," Ianto replied.
"Here?" Jack barely stopped himself from exclaiming in surprise. "But there's hardly enough room for one child, let alone four! And there was only one present when you arrived."
"They can't afford any more," Ianto replied. "I was here last year as well, I remember it. These are the hard ones, knowing there are so many kids growing up with so little. Even more difficult are the shelters, the orphanages, or the homeless jumps."
Jack gazed around, seeing the poverty written into the life of the home. He wished he could leave something, and started to pull out his wallet as it was all he had, but Nicolas stopped him.
"You're a good man, Captain," he said softly. "But that's not our purpose tonight. Others can help during the year, but our job is to ensure at least one smile, one happy moment, on Christmas morning when they wake up."
"Do you know what the gifts are?" Jack asked. Ianto nodded. "What they want? Or need?"
"Gifts are all programmed into my wrist strap. The team that handles location and presents knows more about each family, though. Privacy concerns don't let us access anything about them."
"How do they know? It must be hard enough to locate every child in the world, but to know what to get them?"
Ianto shrugged and did not answer, so Jack turned to Nicolas. He merely touched his nose with a wink. "Trade secrets," he said. "Next jump?" And without waiting, he took Jack's arm and left the cold, dark room. Jack was glad those children would all wake up to a gift of their own.
The homes they visited came from all walks of life: from average to impoverished to exceptionally well-off. There was a two-room cottage that was in deplorable shape, barely habitable with no decorations in sight, and a large detached home, richly decorated, that sat in the middle of the Welsh countryside surrounded by rolling fields, with a nine-foot Christmas tree guarding a dozen carefully wrapped packages. Jack knew that life dealt every family a different hand, but seeing it up close was eye-opening and humbling.
They jumped to a home where a young child who couldn't have been more than five or six years old was sleeping soundly on an old sofa with a hand-knit blanket laid over her. Ianto smiled, put a finger to his lips, and tip-toed to the tree, where he laid her gift next to what was clearly a new bicycle. Jack wondered how her parents had slipped that past her.
At their next stop, Jack couldn't help but wonder about the girl. "Do they ever wake up?" he asked as Ianto took out a flat package—probably a book, judging by the full shelves behind him, cluttered with tomes of every shape and size. "What if they see you?"
"It happens," Ianto replied. "Not often, but we're trained on how to handle it. The majority of the time we're written off as a dream, but once in a while we'll get a good shout-out."
"A shout-out?"
"A child who shouts for the rest of the family. In which case, we wink and leave—emergency departure programmed into our wrist strap—and attempt again later."
"And then what?" Jack asked. They were in the back room of yet another Welsh semi-detached, an oversized Christmas tree in the far corner bursting with lights and tinsel.
"We can usually make the delivery at an earlier time, but it's handed off to another jumper. And if that doesn't work, Nicolas sends in a team."
"My very own special ops," Nicolas chuckled. "Who could be out of a job if we adopt stealth mode for all the manipulators, now that I think about it. And the Scots team would be so disappointed."
"A lot of people like the danger," Ianto said when Jack gave him a curious look. "The risk of being discovered, the adrenaline rush of sneaking around—all for a good cause, of course," he added. "I don't mind, but I'd adopt stealth mode in a second. Then I could deliver Mica and David's gifts."
"That's your niece and nephew?" Jack was relieved he remembered the names of Ianto's relatives.
"We're not allowed to deliver to anyone we know," Ianto grumbled. "Rules of conduct, in case of discovery."
"We've let people go for breaking them," Nicolas added. "Speaking of which, we're not here for tea. We should continue before we wake anyone with this scintillating conversation."
"Sorry," Ianto murmured, but he exchanged an amused look with Jack, as if he were finally starting to relax and not worry as much about Jack's reaction to his secret. Jack was glad, because he could see how much this meant to Ianto, how much he enjoyed each jump, each gift he left for a child. Jack felt a sense of pride begin to override his surprise and hurt at learning about Ianto's second job and the mammoth secret operation beneath the Hub.
They jumped a few more times before they came to a home where a brown dog slept beside the fireplace. It jumped up immediately, tail wagging furiously. Ianto must have known what to expect, because he took a treat from his pocket and held it to the animal, who took it happily and licked his hand while Ianto petted him.
"Wish I knew his name," Ianto whispered. "Third year in a row I've met him here."
"Do you always carry treats?" Jack asked, trying to hold back a laugh. The dog—some sort of terrier mix—turned toward him and barked loudly. Jack swore under his breath. "And does stealth mode not include sound dampening?"
"I don't believe so," Nicolas murmured. "And he can probably smell us as well." The dog continued to bark. "Time to go—we'll meet you at the next stop, Ianto."
Ianto shook his head as he held out another treat, quieting the dog. Jack held on to Nicolas as they transported to the next home to wait for Ianto. Jack wanted to ask a dozen questions, but the Welshman arrived not long after and set about placing several gifts under the tree.
"Five more jumps," he said. "Did you want to go back to the Hub with Nicolas?"
Jack shook his head. "No way. This is fascinating—seeing what you do, seeing how people live, how they celebrate Christmas."
"Life is quite different outside of the Hub," Ianto replied dryly, but with no malice. Jack almost stuck his tongue out, beause Ianto was as guilty of working too much as any of them.
"And outside Cardiff, not to mention—" He almost said something about how things had changed over the years, but stopped himself in time. He had a strange feeling that Nicolas knew, however, because the older man nodded in agreement.
"Well, I don't know many kids," Jack finished lamely.
"Then let's finish," Ianto said. "I'm getting hungry." He glanced sheepishly at Nicolas. "I sort of rushed through my last few bags."
"I noticed," Nicolas replied. "An energy bar won't get you through Christmas Eve, Ianto. You'll need a proper meal when we get back."
"I can pick up something," Jack offered immediately. He'd planned on spending the night with Ianto, cooking and eating and enjoying Christmas together; even if they had to eat fish and chips in a cave, it would be worth it to be together for the holiday. And Jack still had so many questions. They'd simply exchange their gifts—and other things—later.
"Everything's closed," Ianto pointed out. "And that's what we have assistants for."
"Where do they get food if everything's closed?" Jack asked. "Don't tell me you have a catering team!"
Ianto laughed quietly through his nose. "No, but that's a good idea. Usually they pick something up ahead of time, or we snack our way through the day. On Christmas Eve, though, we usually jump for food. It's sort of a tradition that jumpers treat their assistants to a nice dinner on Christmas."
"Jump?"
"Jump back to yesterday, maybe, and either pick up something or eat out." Ianto shrugged. "Last year we went to a kebab shop in Barry. I can pick up something a little nicer, if you don't mind eating with Meghan."
"It's fine," Jack said, though he would have preferred spending time with Ianto by himself. He felt Nicolas watching him, as if reading Jack's thoughts. Still, there would be time after Ianto finished his deliveries. "As long as she doesn't mind me asking a dozen questions!"
Ianto rolled his eyes and they set off for their last few homes. There were no more sleeping children, no more pets, and the deliveries all went quickly and smoothly. They were back in the Hub before Jack knew it; he was almost sad it was over. He wondered how many times Ianto did this—how many nights and weekends had he given up over the past month?
"Welcome back!" Meghan said, hurrying up to them and taking Ianto's bag. Nicolas excused himself and left to speak with one of the mysterious men in black. "How did it go?" She paused and glanced at Jack, but smiled. "With a first-timer?"
"Perfectly," Ianto said, sounding surprised. "Which is remarkable, considering there were three of us. We didn't wake anyone, we weren't attacked by any pets, and everything went fine. Thank you," he told Meghan with a warm smile, then turned to Jack. "And thank you. I hope it helped you understand better."
"It definitely helped," Jack said, wanting to say more but not in front of others. He wanted to tell Ianto that he was amazing, that Jack was so proud, that he wished he could help in some small way. "I think what you're doing here, all of you, is pretty special. Thank you for sharing it with me."
Ianto looked surprised at Jack's compliments and gratitude; he made note to thank Ianto more often for what he did around the Hub, let alone for the rest of the world. The Welshman looked almost flustered as he remained speechless, while Meghan glanced back and forth between them before clearing her throat.
"Did you want to start on Swansea?" she asked tentatively. Ianto shook his head.
"No, I need a break, I'm starving. Do you like Italian?"
"Love it," she said. "Eggplant parmesan is my favorite."
"Great," Ianto said. "I know a little place in Caerphilly, and I know for a fact none of us were there yesterday. Care for a quick Christmas dinner?"
"Absolutely," Jack said. "Something spicy, please. I'll be in my office, I want to check on—"
"You're coming," Ianto interrupted, then glanced at Meghan. "Both of you."
"Are you allowed to bring passengers?" Jack asked. "I thought only Nicolas could do that."
"We all have a plus one," Ianto joked. "Like I said, last year Meghan and I went to Barry. And I can get Mark in tech to tweak it for two. We can jump to Caerphilly, have dinner, and be back in ten minutes."
Meghan shook her head. "You should go, I don't want to intrude." She held up a hand when Ianto protested. "Really, Ianto. I don't want to be a third wheel, I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. And then you don't have to bribe Mark. If you could bring me some eggplant parmesan, though, you'd be a wonderful boss."
He nodded. "Of course we will. How about a dessert run later? Favorite ice cream place?"
Her eyes lit up. "Brilliant! I'll let Nicolas know you're on your dinner break and get you ready for Swansea. I can eat while you jump."
"You shouldn't have to eat alone down here," Jack protested, though he was looking forward to the time with Ianto. She seemed nice, however, and he didn't want to ruin the tradition of jumpers eating with their assistants, especially on Christmas.
"I won't," she said, and winked. "I'll eat with Mark in tech."
"I knew it!" Ianto laughed. "I'll bring something for you both then. Thank you."
"Thank you," she said. "See you in ten."
Ianto nodded and guided Jack toward the tunnel leading back up to the Hub. "You sure this is okay?" Jack asked quietly. "I don't want to get you into more trouble than I already have."
"We deserve at least ten minutes together on Christmas, don't you think? It's one jump to get something to eat." He glanced back, lowered his voice, and tapped his wrist strap. "Although I can travel through time, so we could always stop at mine, if you wanted."
"Dinner and a quickie?" Jack asked with a laugh. "I like the way you think!"
"It would definitely help get me through the rest of the night," Ianto grinned. "Although, I shouldn't be too late. I think I've only got a few more jumps after Swansea."
"Sounds good." Jack pulled Ianto to a stop in the tunnel and wrapped his arms around the Welshman's waist. Now was the time to say something, assuming the words would come. "Ianto, I…well, I'm sorry I walked in on you, and that I reacted so badly. But thank you for sharing this with me, for allowing me to join you and see what's really happening on Christmas around the world. It's amazing." He leaned forward and kissed Ianto. "You're amazing. Happy Christmas."
"Thank you," Ianto replied, sounding genuinely surprised and touched. He smiled and kissed Jack back. "Happy Christmas, Jack. Let's go celebrate a little before the night is over."
Jack took his hand and squeezed it affectionately, for he knew this would be one holiday he would always remember. He had not only met Father Christmas, but he was spending Christmas with an incredible man. It couldn't get any better, and Jack looked forward to many more Christmas holidays together.
Author's Note:
I apologize for the delay on this chapter! We traveled over the holidays and played Pass-the-Christmas-Virus around the family, with at least five of us down and two more sniffling. I'm starting to feel better and hope to finish the epilogue soon. I hope you enjoyed this look at Ianto on the job! Thank you for reading and Happy New Year!