A/N. Thank you for your reviews for the last chapter, very much appreciated. This chapter is set on Christmas Eve and is a little influenced by my love of Wii Sports Resort. :) There will be a Christmas Day chapter, but it won't be up until the weekend. Enjoy this chapter, it was nice to write something so normal, although it wasn't easy. Normal and Torchwood don't usually go together lol. Merry Christmas everyone, i hope you all have a great time. x

Chapter 36.

Christmas Eve arrived without incident and the plans to have a get together at Jamie's were firmly in place. Molly had spent the morning helping Jamie preparing the food for later that day, but had left when he had gone to pick up Jess, as she had to go back home to get ready. Molly was back at Jamie's just before 4pm, they had decided on an earlier start because of the children. Molly knocked on the door and after about a minute Jamie answered it.

'Hey.' he said, as he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

'Hi. You get Jess ok?'

'Yeah, she's in the lounge playing with her Christmas present.'

Molly rolled her eyes, 'I knew you'd give in and give it to her straight away.'

'We struck a deal, she had to lay the table and sort out the seating arrangements, then she could have her present.' They walked towards the lounge where Jess was playing on a Wii.

'Hi Jess,' Molly said as she entered the room.

'Hi.' Jess replied smiling. She pressed pause on her game and then went over to Molly and gave her a hug. 'How are you?'

'I'm good, thank you. You seem to like your present.'

'I love it, although…' Jess said lowering her voice to a whisper, 'I have a feeling dad got it as much for him as me.' Molly laughed.

'Hey, I heard that,' shouted Jamie from the kitchen.

'Your dad said you arranged the table, will you show me?' Molly asked.

'Sure' answered Jess, her face lighting up. Jess showed Molly into the dining room. There was a table set up, that had seven chairs and a high chair, that Jamie had got from Gwen earlier, set around it. There was a festive cover over it. There were also place cards so everyone knew where to sit. Molly went over and picked one up. 'Did you make these?' Jess nodded. Molly looked at how the places had been arranged and noticed that Jess had sat herself between Molly and Ianto. 'So how did you decide how to place everyone.'

'That was easy. I put Gwen, you, me and Ianto on one side and then Jack, dad and Rhys on the other so that everyone was opposite their partner. There's no one actually opposite me, but I think it works. Oh and then I put the high chair on the end because I wasn't sure whether Gwen or Rhys would feed Mary.'

Molly smiled and was impressed by how well thought out the seating arrangements were, and that Jess was definitely older than her years. 'So you didn't want to sit by your dad.'

Jess shook her head. 'Nah, I'd rather sit by you.'

''Thank you, it will be nice to sit next to you too. How about you show me how to play your new game.'

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and Jamie went to answer it. Jack and Ianto were stood outside and Jamie could also see Gwen and Rhys getting their things out of the car. Jamie stood outside as Jack and Ianto entered, he took their coats and hung them the coat stand just inside the hallway.

'Go through into the lounge Molly and Jess are in there.' said Jamie. He then waited for Gwen and Rhys to come up the path. Gwen was carrying Mary, Rhys carrying a holdall, no doubt full of Mary's things. They came in and Jamie shut the door behind them and also hung their coats up on the coat stand. Jamie held out his hand to Rhys to introduce himself, as this was the first time they had officially met. 'Hi, I'm Jamie, nice to finally meet you.'

'Yeah you too.' said Rhys shaking his hand.

'Come through. I think we managed to baby proof everything.'

'Thanks. Mary's at that age where she's into everything.'

They walked into the lounge where the others were gathered and they said their hellos and either shook hands or hugged in greeting. Gwen put Mary down and Jess went straight over to her. 'She's so cute, she's looks just like you Gwen.' Jess said.

'Good job really, because you'd have to feel sorry for her if she looked liked her dad.' said Jack, causing the others to laugh.

'Watch it.' said Rhys looking a little offended.

'Molly what are you doing?' asked Ianto, looking over at Molly who was holding two controllers in her hand and pulling them back like a bow.

'Archery, and it's harder than it looks.' she answered, as the virtual arrow missed the target completely.

'You have a lousy aim.'

'Well, if you think you can do better, bring it on.' Molly said offering up the controls to the game, which Ianto took.

The atmosphere in the apartment was as care free as any of them could remember. Ianto and Molly were trying to outdo each other in archery, Jack was talking to Gwen, Jess was playing with Mary, and Rhys was in the kitchen helping Jamie, even though Jamie had insisted that he didn't have too. Half an hour after everyone had arrived and they were sat around the table, all in the places that Jess had set for them. Jamie and Molly then handed out plates with turkey on them, before setting the potatoes and vegetables in the middle of the table so that they could help themselves. Mary was sat in her high chair mashing the food in her hand, while Gwen was trying to coax her into at least eating some of it. Christmas crackers had been laid out and they all took turns in pulling them with the person next to them or across from them. Jack held out his cracker to Ianto and said. 'Pull my cracker,' with a rather suggestive look on his face.

Ianto rolled his eyes and replied. 'How do you manage to make everything sound so suggestive?'

'It's a gift, and you know you love me for it.' answered Jack . Ianto couldn't help but grin at him.

Everyone sat and ate as much as they could, chatting away merrily about everything except for work. Partly because Jess couldn't be allowed to overhear anything about what they did, but also for once they were able to pretend that this was the sort of normal thing they did all the time, and that aliens and Rifts in time and space didn't exist. Deep down they all knew this wouldn't last forever, but for now they were going to revel in it. After they had eaten their fill of dinner, the Christmas pudding was bought out.

'Did you make this?' asked Gwen.

'No, my culinary skill are not quite that good, I bought it.'

'You should have lied and took credit for it. No one would have known' said Rhys.

When all the pudding had gone Jamie started to clear the things away to the kitchen. The others all went back into the lounge, drinks in hand, except Ianto who followed Jamie into the kitchen. 'Can I help you clean up?'

'It's ok, you're a guest.'

'Yeah, but it will go a lot quicker if I help you.'

'Thanks, I appreciate it.' They started to clean up in a companionable silence until Jamie broke it. He cleared his throat at first unsure what to say. 'Ianto, can I ask you something.'

'Ok', Ianto replied a little cautiously at the nervous look on Jamie's face.

'I just wanted some advice on something, and I thought you'd be the best person to ask, but I need you to keep it to yourself.' Jamie knew he was rambling.

'What is it.'

'How do think Molly would react if I proposed to her?'

Ianto didn't know what to say for a minute. 'Honestly, I don't know.'

'I just wondered if you two had ever talked about it'

'We have in the past talked about whether or not we might get married, but that was before.'

'You mean before Torchwood.'

'Yeah. If you'd had asked me that question last year, I'd have said that she would say yes straight away. Now, I'm not sure and I'm sorry about that. If you want my advice though, go for it. You love her, she loves you, take the chance.'

'Thanks.' said Jamie. They could hear the sound of laughter coming from the other room. 'I wonder what's going on in there?'

This question was answered when Gwen can wandering into the room, with a big grin on her face.

'What's so funny?' asked Ianto.

'Well, Jess was showing us one of the other parts of her game, it imitates swordplay, you have to get your opponent off the podium. Anyway, Rhys was playing Molly and not doing very well, which Jack found funny, so Rhys challenged him.'

'Don't tell me Jack is currently losing?' said Ianto.

Gwen grinned even more, 'Yep, and I have a feeling Rhys isn't going to let him forget it.'

'This I have to see.' said Ianto and he hurried off into the lounge where Jack was looking mightily fed up as his character on screen was forced off the podium again. Rhys meanwhile looked triumphant.

'Take that, 2 nil to me.' boasted Rhys.

'Maybe we should have a real swordfight, see who comes off worst then.'

Rhys was about to retort when the doorbell rang. Jamie looked at his watch and noticing the time he said to Jess. 'Say your goodbyes Jess, that'll be you're mum.' Jess pouted slightly and was about to argue that she wanted to stay longer, but Jamie had already gone to answer the door. She went up to Molly and hugged her, then said Merry Christmas to everyone before heading towards the door. Jamie returned five minutes later.

'We better be going too, Mary needs to go to bed. Hopefully she'll go through the night and not be up too early. I could do with a lie in.' said Gwen picking Mary up and putting her coat on. 'Thank you for a lovely evening, this is the best Christmas Eve I've had in some time.'

'No problem, hopefully tomorrow will be just as good.' answered Jamie.

Gwen and Rhys got their things together, and then Rhys took hold of Mary so that Gwen could say her goodbyes to everyone. Jack and Ianto decided to go too. As they headed for the door Ianto went over to Jamie and said quietly, 'Good luck, if you decide to go for it tomorrow.'

'Thanks, have a good night.' They left and Jamie locked up behind them. 'So' he said turning to Molly, 'alone at last,' as they both collapsed onto the sofa.

Outside Jack and Ianto were walking towards the SUV. 'You know I was thinking,' started Jack, 'that I should maybe let you unwrap one present tonight.'

'Oh yeah,' said Ianto, 'and what would that be.'

'I can't tell you that, it's a surprise. I can promise you that you will definitely enjoy it.' said Jack, a grin on his face and his eyes twinkling mischievously in the lamplight.

''Well then, I can't wait to unwrap it.' Ianto replied taking hold of Jacks hand. They both picked up their pace and got into the SUV and back to Ianto's place as fast as they could.