A Torchwood Christmas Carol

a Torchwood story

by RoadrunnerGER

Disclaimer: The usual, the BBC owns them, unless they are willing to give them as Christmas present to us. A Christmas Carol is written by the adored Charles Dickens. This is to honour both of them and the actors playing our favourite characters so well.

A/N: Thank you for all your lovely reviews. :D We almost reached the end of this story. I have to admit that I'm not quite finished with the final chapter, but it's pretty long, so I decided to split it up so that we can celebrate Christmas together. MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone! Enjoy!

The End Of It - Part 1

Jack was twisting in the air. The sensation of falling was sickening. He had no idea how far he had fallen or how deep the abyss still was, because it was absolutely dark. There was nothing he could see except blackness.

Jack screamed.

Struggling he tried to turn. Flailing his arms he searched hold somewhere, anywhere. Still he dropped into unknown depths.

Jack's arms were trapped. Something flapped into his face and he tried to brush it away.

Then he hit the ground.

Surprisingly it did not hurt as much as he had expected.

He did not die.

Feeling around he brushed over fabric and pulled it aside. It slid off his face and now he could see a light shimmer above him. It was a big round hole. A ladder leaned beneath it.

Then it hit him.

He was in his bunker.

He fell out of bed.

Blood shot to his face. Jack could sense his cheeks heat up.

"A nightmare," he panted. "It was a bloody nightmare."

Up in his office the grandfather clock struck two.

Remembering that he had let Myfanwy out Jack put on his boots, climbed out of the hole and went to open the hatch. Just a moment later the pterodactyl glided in and landed in his nest.

Only now Jack took his time to think about what had happened. He strolled over to the kitchen area, contemplating if he should try and make coffee, but he never really understood the silvery machine Ianto worked miracles with. So he decided against coffee. His heart still beat frantically anyway.

For a nightmare I remember it pretty well, Jack thought. It was as vivid as if I really made those trips. Just like the travels I used to make during my time with the Agency.

It was true. Now that he tried to recall the night's events he saw the beach of Boeshane, he smelled the salt of the sea in the air. He watched Ianto with his parents and he saw the Daleks in Cardiff.

Tears shot in his eyes.

Time's short and precious. If not for me then for the people I love.

Love.

It was the first time he admitted to himself that there were people he loved. People who were worth that he showed them his affection.

My love.

Chills ran down Jack's back when he thought of Ianto. He loved Ianto. The young Welshman owned his heart and seeing what could happen if he did not allow himself to love Jack finally fell hard for him.

But there was more.

Feeling a sudden rush of energy Jack ran down in the vaults to the storage rooms. There he rummaged through piles of boxes, in search for decorations former Torchwood employees had used.

Jack carried everything he found up to the central hub and started to work.

xXx

Startled awake by the proximity alarm Jack almost fell out of his office chair.

"Damn!" he gasped as he caught his fall. "I only wanted to sit down for a moment."

Obviously that moment turned out to be a little longer. A quick look at his watch told Jack that it most likely was Ianto who came to work. It was only seven. So Jack got up and went from his office into the main Hub to see who arrived.

"Good morning, sir," Ianto greeted him when he saw him emerge. He already was on his way to the kitchen area.

"Good morning, Ianto," Jack replied and sighed clearly audibly. "Coffee."

When he heard Jack enter behind him Ianto said, "I take it that it was a calm night, sir."

"Oh, really?"

"If you had time to decorate the whole Hub."

"Yeah…" Jack murmured.

Ianto still was busy making coffee when Jack's right arm wrapped around his shoulders from behind and the left hand took hold of his hip. He took a sharp breath when Jack snuggled up to him.

"Shouldn't I finish preparing the coffee first?" Ianto teased, craning his neck to look at the captain.

"In a moment," Jack rasped, turning the young Welshman around and claiming his lips with his own. His arms closed around him and held him tight while he intensified the kiss.

"What was that for?" Ianto panted when Jack released him.

"I just felt like it," Jack replied with one of his famous grins.

"Then this probably was not a good idea."

Ianto tried to turn out of his arms, but Jack would not let him go.

"Jack! Stop it!"

"Don't want to," Jack pouted. "I missed you."

That made Ianto frown with suspicion. What was Jack up to?

"I was only gone for the night."

"Too long."

Now Ianto definitely felt uneasy.

"I don't want to be your toy," he grumbled, pushing himself off Jack as far as his hold allowed. "Let go of me."

"You…" Jack was thunderstruck for a moment, but then he could see where he made his mistake. "You're not my toy," he said, his voice suddenly hoarse. "Please believe me that you're anything but my toy."

Joy lit up in Ianto's eyes but faded quickly.

"Now you're making fun of me," he accused.

"Ianto!"

Jack looked seriously hurt and Ianto hesitated.

Lightly massaging Ianto's back with his thumbs Jack murmured, "Is it too late to come to your parents with you?"

Once more Ianto shoved him back a bit, this time to look at him quizzically.

"Are you kidding me? If you are, quit the shit, Captain Harkness."

"I'm not kidding, Ianto," Jack softly said. "I'd love to get to know them." Then he beamed at him. "Isn't Christmas the perfect opportunity to meet the parents of one's boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Ianto frowned.

"Lover."

Ianto frowned even deeper.

"Fiancé?"

"Jack!" Ianto slapped his shoulder. "Stop kidding around!"

"I'm not kidding…" Jack mumbled, already nuzzling Ianto's ear as he pulled him into his embrace again.

Melting into his captain's hold Ianto returned his affection. The young man was putty in his hands and Jack enjoyed it with an innocent delight. Their lips found each other again. When Ianto leaned against him, their mouths glued together in a passionate kiss, Jack shoved his free hand into his lover's trousers. A few expert strokes were enough.

With obvious glee Jack welcomed Ianto's gasp down his throat.

Trapped between the hand and Jack's obvious excitement Ianto experienced a rush of arousal.

And that was when Jack let go of him.

"Didn't you say you wanted to make coffee?" Jack asked innocently. "I'm waiting."

All Ianto could do was trying to keep standing. He was shuddering. The sudden loss of contact caught him off guard.

"You could make the coffee now," Jack said, his smile turning to a smirk. "If you can."

Ianto just reached out for Jack to pull him back into an embrace when the proximity alarm disturbed them.

Shit! Ianto thought, backing off Jack. His face was flushed and his trousers did nothing to hide his arousal.

"Hey, Jack!" they heard Gwen's voice wave up to them. Looking down they saw her enter through the cog door, almost blinded by the load of stuff she was carrying. "I'm not gonna take no for an answer. I brought some fir branches and streamers and ornaments and we're gonna brighten…" She lowered her baggage beside her desk. "the Hub… up… a… bit."

She trailed off when she looked up and was confronted with what Jack had done in the night.

"Wow!" she exclaimed.

Ianto was glad that she got distracted by the decorations. So he could turn unnoticed to the coffee machine and continue with brewing the first coffee of the day. Inside of him something else was brewing. He could hardly concentrate on his task. All he could think about were Jack's hands on his body.

Maybe I should just grab him and pull him down to the vaults with me, he thought, but dismissed the idea.

Once more the proximity alarm went off, announcing another arrival. A moment later Toshiko and Owen entered the main Hub. Both froze in their tracks when they spotted the decorations.

"How long has Gwen been here already?" Owen panted at the sight of long streamers and boughs of fir and holly. "I can't believe it!"

"This… looks… great!" Tosh remarked, amazed. "It must have taken you forever!"

"It wasn't that much work," Jack replied.

"You could've tried to keep her from turning the Hub into a Harrods' showcase!" Owen growled, holding a bough aside to reach the autopsy bay and vanishing down the stairs.

"I could have," Jack mused, "if it would've been Gwen."

"Gwen?" Toshiko turned to her colleague with obvious confusion.

"My stuff's still in the bags and boxes," Gwen pouted. "I found the Hub like it is."

"Jack, did you do it?"

"Yep," the captain smirked. "Do you like it?"

"It's wonderful," Tosh praised. "Especially the tree."

They all gathered around said tree. It was tall, reaching up to half of the height of the first walkway, and dark green. Its branches were covered with countless fairy lights, shimmering ornaments in different colours, wooden ornaments of snowmen, reindeer, birds, angels and many more, as well as straw stars and glittering streamers.

"Where did you find that stuff?" Owen growled as he rejoined them.

Jack grinned.

"Vaults," Ianto murmured, distracted by the idea of finding a calm spot there as well.

"Did you know where it was?" Jack asked. "I had to search Alex's boxes."

"Sure I knew," Ianto pouted.

"Something is still missing, though," Gwen remarked.

"And what would that be?" Jack asked, confused.

"Presents. There are no presents under the tree."

Now Jack laughed out loud.

"Guess that's because Santa wasn't here yet," he laughed. "But first we still have work to do, right? So… everyone back to business."

Owen rolled his eyes and strode back to the autopsy bay. He still had to examine a Millennium Bug.

Toshiko and Gwen took place at their workstations.

Jack returned to his office and Ianto to his coffee machine. A few minutes later the young Welshman reappeared with a tray to distribute the mugs to his co-workers.

"Jack?" he said when he gave the captain his coffee mug. His nerves fluttered as he sensed Jack's fingers brush over his own before he took the pot.

"What is it, Ianto?"

Jack's smile made Ianto's insides rumble. "I would like to go through some artefacts with you, sir. I archived a whole bunch but I'm still not sure how to categorize some of them."

"Okay, Ianto," Jack agreed. "Why don't you go down to the archives and I'll be with you as soon as I finished my coffee. Okay?"

"Of course, sir."

All the way down to the vaults Ianto wondered if the electrons running wild in his body were due to arousal or to bad conscience at lying to his captain. The archives were in perfect order. Actually he suspected that Jack knew that as well.

So he was not sure about what to expect when he heard steps approach from behind until he felt Jack's hands on his hips and his mouth on his neck, nuzzling its way up to his ear. Tilting his head to the side he granted the captain access.

"Hmmm," Jack moaned. "A foretaste of the Christmas dinner…"

Spinning around Ianto shoved Jack face forward against the wall and grabbed for his belt. In a matter of seconds he had it undone and the trousers slid down his legs.

Upstairs in the main Hub Toshiko readjusted a CCTV camera.

"Gwen," she hissed, gesturing her colleague to come over.

Eagerly Gwen complied and joined Tosh in front of the workstation. Their gazes were captured by one of the monitors.

"Wow! Those bodies…!"

"Yeah…"

"What's up, ladies?" Owen grumbled as he passed the desk behind them and stopped short when he spotted what they were watching. "Okay, I take back the ladies. You think it's okay to watch?"

Both nodded.

"You're taking on Jack's bad habits, girls," Owen teased, but was unable to turn his view away from the screen.

"How did they do that?" Tosh wondered, tilting her head to the side.

"No idea," Gwen said, shaking her head.

Then all they could see was a panting heap of flesh on the ground.

That was when the Rift alert sounded.

tbc…