So we come to the end, again. It's been so lovely to know that people still want to read about this insane little AU, so thank you all very much.

Jack was up to the elbows in parchment when Ianto returned to their living quarters. He'd expected a reaction at finding Jack ensconced at the table that was actually Ianto's desk. He didn't get one.

Ianto barely even acknowledged Jack's presence in the suite, merely going through the motions of peeling off his coat and hat and hanging them properly before dropping into the nearest armchair with a bone-weary sigh. Jack concluded that things hadn't gone as hoped with the reindeer, which was hardly a surprise to anyone except Ianto.

"You didn't stay for the landing," Ianto commented, rubbing a hand across his eyes.

"Hung out with Nick in his chambers," Jack explained, moving to settle into the armchair across from Ianto. He'd have preferred side by side on the sofa, but this was probably a better set up for what promised to be as much confrontation as comfort. Ianto nodded, hands peeling slowly down his face. Hadn't heard a word, Jack mused, or at least hadn't registered any of them.

"You'd didn't miss much," Ianto continued, sinking back and closing his eyes. "Bumpy doesn't begin to cover it."

"They got down safely though, didn't they?" Jack said soothingly, but also because it'd cause a wrinkle in his own plans otherwise.

Ianto nodded, proving he'd at least begun to listen to what Jack was saying. "If I'd had any real presents in the sleigh they'd have been smashed," he continued gloomily. "Assuming they hadn't fallen off somewhere over Greenland."

Jack reached across to rub soothing circles onto Ianto's knee. "It's gonna be OK, Ianto."

Ianto opened his eyes. "Not in time for Christmas," he disagreed.

Jack grinned. He couldn't help it.

It didn't go down too well.

"What are you smiling about?" Ianto snapped. "I suppose you think it's all very funny, don't you? Or maybe you're gearing up for the 'I told you so' speech. All that wasted time that I could have spent with you, huh?"

Jack flushed guiltily, remembering how often he'd voiced that exact complaint when Ianto had worked long hours with his elves. Still, Ianto had take part of the blame. If he'd just told Jack what was going on, they could have fixed it together. As he was about to prove. As he should have proved long ago.

Nick must have been terribly tempted to bang their heads together. The patience of a saint, indeed.

"I'll ignore that because you're tired and depressed," Jack countered grandly. "Now stop bitching and come see what I've done to your flight charts."

Adrenaline was a wonderful thing, Jack mused smugly, as Ianto surged to his feet and practically flew across the room to the table covered with scribbled-over parchment. "Tell me you didn't," he pleaded, scrabbling for the uppermost flight map.

"I did," Jack countered, laying a hand atop of Ianto's. "And you'll thank me for it. Let me show you."

Ianto looked up, biting his lip.

"Captain Jack, remember?" Jack prompted. "RAF greatcoat? Trust me on this, would you?"

Ianto's hand turned beneath his own, grasping it tightly. "I do," he protested. "I do trust you, Jack."

Jack shook his head. "You haven't," he said. "Not that I've given you much reason to, but for Gods' sake, Ianto, I was a pilot. Did it never occur to you to think I might have something to add when it comes to laying out a flight plan?"

Ianto shut his eyes. "You said you were with Nick," he said slowly. "He's been running off his mouth, hasn't he? Interfering old sod."

"One of his best talents," Jack agreed smugly. "For which I have already thanked him, to which you can add yours at your leisure, if you can remember what that is, given you've stopped having any. But that's going to change, because from now on, Ianto, we're going to do this together, OK?"

Ianto looked up at him with the entire Milky Way in his eyes, and perhaps some of the maps got brushed off the desk in the ensuing moments, but Jack was careful not to step on them and he'd made copies anyway.

XXX

"Supply dumps," Ianto said, gazing up at Jack with what should have been admiration but was annoyingly closer to frustration. "Why didn't I think of that? All that space taken up with feed that could have been presents."

"Cause you're a reindeer driver, not an airman," Jack replied smugly, prodding a frown line with his finger. "Speaking of, the supply points need to be this side of the Rift, so Nick can use the second string to deliver the feed until they're ready for carrying presents."

Ianto frowned, and they lost a few moments while Jack kissed it away. Things were getting very interesting when Ianto pulled back sharply, looking around with concern. "Jack," he began, warningly. "What if..."

Jack laid a finger across his lips and grinned. "Did I mention that Nick is planning to have a word with Jingle and Bells and their cronies about their unfortunate habit of barging in uninvited? They won't dare override him because he's less of a pushover than you. And if they try," he continued pressing more firmly with the finger, because the risk of being bitten was one he was nobly willing to take, "Especially before you've had a chance to eat and rest and whatever else we might think of, I reserve the right to pull their pointy ears."

The noise Ianto made was supposed to sound horrified, but came closer to amusement. "They aren't that bad," he protested, after shaking his head free. "And besides, that wasn't what I was going to say."

Jack raised a brow, even while inspecting his sadly unbitten finger.

"Well, not all I was going to say," Ianto amended. "You see," he continued, in a deceptively innocent tone which got Jack's attention instantly. "I was just wondering why you aren't flying the second string yourself. Being a pilot and all."

Things got interesting, interspersed with broken bits of conversation.

"You'll really have to let the elves make you a hat, at least."

"Long as I can still wear the coat."

"Love the coat."

Things would be interesting until the end of time.

XXX

Epilogue, some weeks later

Christmas was over, again. A very successful Christmas. So successful that plans were underway for a second string of kangaroos as well.

In the North, children made snowmen with their new gloves. In the South, they made sandcastles with their new buckets.

In a secluded room at the North Pole, two over-aged kids made whoopee.

A long, ochre-red coat adorned one bedpost, a military greatcoat the other. An Akubra lay on the floor, having not quite made it to its hook.

Jack's cap had made it further, possibly due to the shape, more likely because Jack was still at the stage of being extra careful with it. They elves had sourced him a genuine WWII RAF cap – or possibly just created a perfect replica. Jack wasn't going to delve into that because he knew better than to question the provenance of an olive branch, which this certainly was, given that they could have stuck him with one of those helmet things with the earflaps.

The other clothes hadn't received any consideration at all, though Ianto would probably pick them all up before cleaning day.

"Hey, do you wanna see what else the elves made me?" Jack asked.

Ianto looked up with blatant frustration. "Now?"

Jack wriggled his hips, drawing attention to regions thoroughly explored but not currently uncovered.

"You finally let them into your underwear drawer," Ianto noted, swallowing heavily as Jack contorted through poses he must have learned as an underwear model, 'cause if he hadn't been, that was a crime against materialism. "Boxers. Nice boxers. Blue." He cleared his throat, harshly. "Snug."

Jack loved how he could make Ianto's sentences break up, even after all this time.

"Embroidered," Jack added, flipping over. "I gotta hand it to them, they're good. The thread doesn't even itch."

Ianto went from broken sentences to breaking into laughter, not something usually caused by the display of Jack's somewhat perfect posterior.

But perfectly centred, one on each cheek, was a beautifully executed Christmas decoration.

"Nice baubles," Ianto said, and grabbed.

Happy New Year!

btw, The 'Nice Baubles' thing comes from a T-shirt my husband gave me for Christmas. My daughter was horrified.

And just a thought, if there's anything particular you'd like to have written for this 'verse, feel free to ask. It worked this year!