The Nutcracker (Series 2)

"So…" Jack trailed off, tapping his fingers on the window as he gazed out into the dark night. "Where are we off to?"

"You'll see," said Ianto, eyes on the road. "It's a surprise."

"I'm not a big fan of surprises, you know," Jack replied after a few moments of silence.

"Yes, you are," Ianto replied. "You don't like secrets, remember?"

Jack sighed. He usually did enjoy surprises, and was particularly intrigued by whatever Ianto had planned. He was impatient, though, and Ianto's stubborn insistence was as much of a turn on as it was irritating. Whatever the man had planned, Jack hoped it was quick, because he had his own plans for the Welshman afterwards…

Ianto turned on the cd player. The strains of a symphony orchestra filled the car. Jack glanced sideways at Ianto.

"The Nutcracker?" he asked. "You have The Nutcracker in your cd player?"

"It's Christmas," said Ianto, as if that explained it.

Jack nodded, easily accepting the explanation, and couldn't help but whistle along. He sensed Ianto grinning next to him and stopped.

"Have you ever seen it?" asked Ianto.

Jack offered him a 'What do you think?' look.

"Let me guess, you were at the premiere," Ianto said, dry pitch to his voice. "Tchaikovsky was gay, you probably had a celebratory shag." He paused. "No, it wasn't an immediate success, you so comforted him afterward, didn't you?"

Jack shook his head, tempted to laugh but the matter-of-fact tone about his sexual past was a bit sobering. "No, I was not at the premiere. That was in Russia, wasn't it? I was, however, at the English premiere in…1934, I think. So yes, I've seen it. Been a while, though."

Ianto turned and looked at him in surprise. "You haven't been since?" he asked. Jack shrugged in reply.

"Not something I felt like I needed to see more than once," he replied. "I enjoyed it, though."

Ianto simply nodded in response. Jack glanced out the window again and started to get an idea.

"We're going to see it, aren't we? At St. David's?"

Ianto gave him a wink and a smile.

Jack watched him, studied him, searching for some crack in the façade, but there was nothing. "So…is there a reason, other than holiday cheer?"

"Tradition," Ianto replied. "I used to go with my grandparents growing up. Probably saw it a dozen times."

"And?"

Ianto grinned sheepishly. "Free tickets," he confessed.

"Tourist office promotion?" asked Jack, but Ianto shook his head.

"No, I actually know someone in the production."

"Who?" Jack asked without thinking.

"One of the dancers," Ianto replied.

"Ah ha," said Jack. "The truth comes out. Is she a former classmate? Neighbor? Girlfriend?"

"No, no, and definitely no," said Ianto. "He is…well, he's different."

"You know a male dancer?" Jack asked, unable to keep the excitement from his voice, and to his delight, he got the eye roll in response.

"Ballet is not exotic dancing, Jack. And yes, I know a male ballet dancer. I helped him out not too long ago—a case of sorts."

"Wait, you met him through Torchwood?" asked Jack, surprised. He turned toward Ianto with a frown. "What case?"

Ianto cleared his throat as he pulled into a car park. "It was while you were gone," he replied.

"Oh." Jack was silent for a moment. "Did he…was he…did you…" He didn't know how to ask, didn't think he had a right to ask, especially since Ianto had probably handled a number of cases during Jack's absence. That didn't mean Ianto had dated or slept with them all. And yet this was clearly different, and the thought that they were there to see one of Ianto's friends, possibly an ex-lover and probably in tight pants didn't sit right with Jack. It made him feel something he didn't want to feel even though he'd been feeling it for a while—that tiny spark of jealousy he usually prided himself on avoiding.

Ianto shook his head, a look of fondness crossed with exasperation on his face. "No, Jack, we didn't. He's…well, you know how you have contacts around the city you go to for certain information?"

Jack nodded, though he wasn't quite sure which contacts Ianto was referring to; Jack had been around for a long time, after all, and had a lot of contacts for a lot of different needs.

"He's one of my contacts. I helped him with something, checked in on him several times, and now we keep in touch regularly. If I have questions, I call him. If he needs something, he calls me."

Jack was completely lost. What sort of 'something' was Ianto talking about? Sexual favors? Bondage, domination, roleplay? Now he was starting to get upset, because if Ianto had questions, Jack would be more than happy to answer them.

"Jack." Ianto was eyeing him funny. "You okay?"

Jack shook himself. "Yeah, yeah—I'm fine. Just…surprised, that's all."

Ianto narrowed his eyes. "You think it's about sex, aren't you?" he asked, then shook his head as he undid his seat belt. "Not everything is about sex, Jack."

"It sort of sounds like it," Jack grumbled, and Ianto reached out to take Jack's hand.

"Jack, Bennett is an alien."

Jack stared. "What?"

"He came through the Rift. He's humanoid, but he couldn't go to Flat Holm, and he didn't need to. He's fine—intelligent, articulate, and he understands the circumstances, unlike most aliens who come through the Rift." Ianto shook his head and sighed. "So I set him up with a new identity, found him someplace to live, that sort of thing. What else could I do?"

Jack kept staring.

"Jack? Did I do the wrong thing? Because Bennett is a good man…alien…well, Jaal, I suppose. He's not doing anyone any harm, and he seems happy here."

Jack stared at him before leaning forward and kissing him hard.

"What was that for?" Ianto asked when they pulled apart. Jack laid his forehead against Ianto.

"That was for you and your brilliant mind and your even bigger heart."

"Oh."

Jack kissed him again.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked as they stepped out of the car. Ianto stopped to think about it.

"No reason, really. I didn't want the rest of the team to know, for one. About Flat Holm or me giving an alien amnesty without any real authority." Ianto looked sheepish at that last. "And to be honest, he's been a valuable resource, and a good friend. I guess I liked having that to myself."

"You own secret contact," Jack teased.

"My own secret alien contact," Ianto amended. "How else do you think I know some of the things I know?" He punctuated it with a wink, hands in his pockets as they hurried through the cold Welsh night into the hall.

"So he gave you free tickets?" Jack asked as they lined up in the queue. Ianto nodded.

"Sort of a thank-you, I suppose. Turns out Jaals have an innate sensitivity and incredible ability to dance. It's their heritage. Once Bennett discovered ballet, he asked me to forge some credentials." Ianto actually colored and looked away. "I didn't want to, but when he showed me how well he could dance, I knew he didn't need to go through all the training. He'd picked it all up himself watching YouTube videos. And now he's dancing in The Nutcracker."

"A remarkable story," Jack noted, and Ianto agreed.

"I much prefer dancing aliens to snarling ones."

"Can I meet him afterwards?" Jack asked as they presented their tickets to the usher. Although he implicitly trusted Ianto's judgement, he still wanted to meet this new alien in Cardiff, if only to keep himself aware of the refugee population. And know the competition.

"Absolutely," said Ianto as they made their way to their assigned row. They had fantastic seats, and Jack was growing excited. In part because he was enjoying a date at the ballet with Ianto, yet also because he had heard of the Jaals, but never seen a live performance of their legendary ability. "I've told him about you, and I think he's ready."

"Ready?" asked Jack.

"You can be a bit intimidating," Ianto pointed out.

"I can't help it," Jack protested, and Ianto laughed.

"I know," he said, patting Jack on the leg. "But he was still nervous. Apparently you've got quite the reputation in the underground alien community."

"I hope it's a good one," Jack grumbled. He worked hard to protect them and maintain a relationship with the small number of aliens who had found themselves stranded on Earth for whatever reason. It was important to him, given Torchwood's sketchy past.

"It is," Ianto assured him. "You do good things for them, Jack."

"Sounds like you are too," said Jack, once again struck by Ianto's ability to keep secrets, although he was glad that this one wasn't a dangerous secret. This one only reflected the Welshman's incredible sense of compassion and understanding.

"I'm trying. Bennett has introduced me to a few others. I'm setting up my own network, I suppose. It's not what One would have done, but it feels more right. It's what we do." Ianto glanced at the program and smiled, pointing out the Jaal's name in the program. "Have you ever seen a Jaal dance before?"

Jack shook his head. "No, but I've heard of them. We should be in for a real treat."

"I couldn't find much about them in the database," Ianto said. "But my guess is that they are mildly telepathic and broadcast while they are dancing. It's the only way to explain how moving it was to watch. It was…incredible. Breathtaking, really."

Jack searched his memory for whatever he knew about the Jaal and nodded. "I think you're probably right. Although, he must be highly trained to be able to perform in front large audiences. Jaal are also empaths, and from what I remember reading, dancing in front of an audience is difficult with so many emotions battering them at once."

Ianto nodded. "That's what Bennett said, but he said he's been trained to block the audience. Apparently he was just beginning his career on his home planet. I wish there was some way we could send him back."

"Did he say when he was from?" asked Jack hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. If the Jaal was from their time, it might be possible to contact an alien cruiser for transport. But if he wasn't, then there was very little they could do.

"The future," Ianto murmured, glancing down before meeting Jack's eyes. "Another reason I couldn't take him to Flat Holm."

"You did the right thing," said Jack, and now it was his turn to squeeze Ianto's hand. "If he's happy and dancing, then we are about to see something amazing."

"I think we are. And he seems happy, but I know how hard it is for you, out of your time…" Ianto trailed off, and Jack leaned over to kiss him.

"I'm happy too," he whispered.

"So am I," said Ianto. "Thank you for coming with me. Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas. And thank you for inviting me. I wouldn't miss it." They sat quietly for a moment, reading the program, before Jack leaned close once more.

"So did Bennett show you any…moves?" he asked innocently. Ianto cocked his head with an incredulous look.

"Jack, I told you we didn't—"

"I meant ballet," Jack interrupted.

"No you didn't," said Ianto, and Jack grinned.

"No, I didn't. But one can hope. Apparently Jaals are good at more than just dancing."

Ianto stared at him for a moment, then back at the stage with a thoughtful look on his face. "Well, it appears I missed my chance then."

"You probably did."

"Maybe I'll have to take him up on his offer after all," Ianto continued. "For research purposes."

"You—what?" asked Jack. "But I thought you said—"

"Watch the ballet, Jack."

"But Ianto…you're not serious, are you? You wouldn't really…well, shag an alien, would you?"

"I'm shagging you, aren't I?" asked Ianto. His voice must have been too loud because the couple in front of them turned around with wide eyes.

"But I'm not—" Jack started.

"Relax, Jack," Ianto replied with a silent chuckle as the music started. "I was only joking."

Jack took Ianto's hand and held it tight. "I hope so. I don't want to compete with an alien for your affections."

"You never will, Jack," whispered Ianto. He squeezed Jack's hand, glancing sideways with a small smile.

And neither will you, Jack wanted to add. I'm all yours. But the dancers appeared at that moment, and Ianto's face lit up as the Christmas celebration began on stage to the strains of the familiar holiday music. Jack's gaze was glued to Ianto, who rolled his eyes and gestured toward the stage.

"Watch the ballet, Jack. Not me."

"Yes, sir," he murmured, eliciting another smile from Ianto. They held hands through the first act, though Jack found his mind wandering more than once from the story before him and instead to the remarkable man beside him.

Yes, he was Ianto's, and Ianto was his. For as many holidays as they had together.

Author's Notes

I saw the ballet this season and couldn't resist somehow writing about it. Little did I suspect it would birth an OC! While Ianto mentions Bennett's origin a bit here, there is also more to Bennett's story after this. Someday I hope to write about him one day, as I am sort of intrigued by the idea of Ianto helping and befriending an alien while Jack was gone. Bennett is the happy version; last year I started a much darker twist on something similar. So someday! My 'I want to write a story about this!' list is very, very long. I hope you enjoyed it. The next one is a fun ride. :)