Discovery: Chapter 34 - It Was the Best of Times

RATING:  Chapter 34 -G, Its Christmas with Ianto's family, after all!
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Owen, Rhiannon, Johnny, Mica, David
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; Aunty B's and RTD's
WORDS: ~ 1400
SUMMARY:   Ianto and Owen spend Christmas Day with the Davies Family.

Title is from the opening line of a Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.'  The Worst of Times (Christmas at Gwen & Rhys' house) is featured in the next chapter.

Christmas Day started early at the Jones residence. Mica and David were up by 6 AM and wanted to open their presents. They knew they had to wait for their parents to get up, so they checked every few minutes on them to see if they were awake.

 

“Do they look awake to you?” Mica whispered none too quietly to David.

 

“Are their eyes open? No, then they’re not awake,” David said sarcastically.

 

The children left their parent’s bedroom for the third time. Rhiannon and Johnny laughed quietly after the children were gone.

 

“Oi, how many more times do you think we can fake them out?” 

 

“Oh Johnny, you know how much they want to open their presents, let’s just get up. You know they are not going to leave us alone until we do.”

 

Rhiannon got up a few minutes later and went downstairs to start the coffee. 

 

“Can we open them now, can we!”

 

 Rhiannon yawned. “How about some breakfast first, then presents. Hopefully your Tad will be up by then.” The kids grumbled a bit but finally sat down to eat some cereal. 

 

Johnny finally made it downstairs by 7 AM. Mum came down a few minutes later.

 

“Who was making all that racket,” Mum asked in Welsh. ‘I thought there was a herd of Welsh ponies tromping around the lounge earlier.

 

“Its Christmas Gram and look, Santa was here!” Mica’s eyes were wide as she surveyed the additional presents under the tree as well as the empty plate and cup that had held Santa’s milk and cookies.

 

David went to say something and Johnny shot him a look. David shrugged, looked right at Johnny and remarked, “Yeah, Santa must be awfully big and fat with all the snacks he had last night.”

 

“Santa needs to keep his energy levels up just in case he needs to spank some naughty boy.” David didn’t look intimidated in the least.

 

Everyone took turns opening presents. Since money was pretty tight most of the gifts Johnny and Rhiannon had gotten the kids and Mum and each other were practical things like new coats and boots for the winter. When David and Mica opened Ianto’s first presents and saw the hats and gloves, Rhiannon could see they were a little disappointed. “Look, they go perfectly with your new coats. And they’re cashmere, that’s very posh you know.” 

 

The adults were very pleased with their gifts from Ianto.   They all remarked on the quality of the sweaters and the shawl. Rhiannon shook her head, “he always had good taste. These must have set him back a bit.” 

 

Johnny grimaced, “yeah, and we didn’t get him much, did we?   Just some socks and a box of chocolates. I’m a little embarrassed, really.”

 

Rhiannon smiled, “I took the liberty of adding something to his gifts. You probably don’t remember but I have a pair of cufflinks that our Tad used to wear. They’re real gold and have Tad’s initials on them. I was going to give them to David some day, but I think Ianto will enjoy them more.”

 

Rhiannon turned to David and Mica. “You know there’s a second present from Uncle Ianto for each of you.” When the kids opened their second gifts, all hell broke loose. David hugged the Lego Pirates Fort box tightly and twirled in circles. “This is the best Christmas present ever!” Mica was so overwhelmed with her Barbie Playset that she jumped up and down until she was breathless.

 

Rhiannon and Johnny smiled. This was turning out to be the best Christmas they’d had in many years. “You make sure you thank Uncle Ianto properly when he gets here,” Rhiannon admonished.

 

“Oh, and Uncle Owen asked that I give you these,” she said handing each child an envelope. David and Mica were thrilled to find that the envelopes contained gift cards from The Entertainer Toy Shop. Rhiannon and Johnny were speechless when they saw the each card was in the amount of £30. “And also thank Uncle Owen; that was very, very nice of him.” Quietly, to Johnny she added, “I’m going to wrap up that bottle of champagne we were going to take to the New Years party for Owen. We can get another bottle during the week.”

 

***

 

Owen let Ianto drive the Honda to Rhiannon’s house. He had some difficulty shifting but managed to get there without any major mishaps. ‘Whew, that was harder than I thought it was going to be. I’m going to have to talk to one of the physical therapists when I get back to see what I can do to strengthen my grip for driving.’

 

Owen nodded. He was surprised that Ianto had driven as well as he did. He really didn’t think that Ianto would be able to manage a stick shift, but as long as he was cautious about his driving, Owen reckoned that he’d be OK.

 

Owen and Ianto arrived at Rhiannon’s around noon. Ianto looked more rested and relaxed than he had Christmas Eve. Now that he wasn’t worried about the reception he would receive from his family he felt like a huge burden had been lifted off him. Additionally, Owen had convinced him to take a very small dose of an anti-anxiety medicine to help prevent another panic attack.

 

The kids were hugging Ianto and Owen while talking excitedly about their presents the minute they came into the house. Rhiannon was just beaming at the way her kids had taken to Ianto. And Johnny had been right about Owen; he was a good person and not just to Ianto.

 

Owen and Ianto were finally able to make their way over to greet Rhiannon, Johnny and Mum. “Ianto, as you can see, your gifts were a smashing success. And Owen, you shouldn’t have, really. If you both sit down we have a small gift for each of you.” 

 

Owen unwrapped the bottle of champagne and the chocolates (originally intended for Ianto) and smiled. “I have the perfect person to share these with.” 

 

‘Does her name happen to be Tosh?” Ianto asked.

 

“You never know, and I’m not one to kiss and tell.” 

 

Rhiannon handed Ianto two gifts.  “Open the soft one first; it’s just a silly gift. Then the small box, OK?” 

 

Ianto opened the soft package and pulled out two pairs of sock, one decorated with reindeers and one with Christmas trees. “I guess this is payback for teasing David about pajamas with bunnies. But they’ll be great with jeans.” 

 

Ianto couldn’t imagine what was in the small box. He opened it up and gasped. It contained the most beautiful gold cufflinks with the initials SJ on them. “They were your Tad’s, Ianto; I want you to have them.”  Turning to Owen, “our father’s first name was Selwyn, which would be Julian in English.”

 

Ianto choked up a bit. “Oh Rhiannon, these are brilliant.  Thank you, I think this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

 

They had a wonderful dinner with Christmas ham and potatoes and brussel sprouts, followed by a traditional pudding as well as a chocolate truffle. They were finishing dinner right at 3 PM when the Queen’s speech was broadcast. They turned it on and were not surprised to hear the Queen speak about the dedication of the armed forces in Afghanistan. They were astonished to hear her also speak about the sacrifices of ordinary citizens in the fight against terrorism and referring specifically to the survivors of Torchwood One.

 

“Oi, let the media free-for-all begin,” Owen snarked. Ianto just shrugged. ‘That medication has really taken the edge off Ianto,’ Owen observed. ‘He might need more of it over the next few months.’

 

 After the speech, Ianto worked on the Lego Fort with David while the rest of the family played the Swansea edition of Monopoly.*

 

As usual, Mum won, having gotten Te Morgan’s Hotel (the best property), as well as the National Waterfront Museum and Mumbles Pier. Rhiannon only managed to snag Liberty Stadium, and Mica got Shelter Cymru (the least expensive property). Johnny spent most of his time in Jail and only managed to acquire the Dylan Thomas Center. 

 

It was only 7 PM when everyone started yawning. Hugs and kisses were exchanged all around and Ianto promised to call Rhiannon as soon as he was back in Cardiff. 

 

As they got into Gwen’s car, Owen’s phone rang. He saw it was Tosh’s number and answered the call. Tosh sounded a little odd, not upset, but a little disoriented. “Are you still at Ianto’s sister’s house?”

 

“No we were just leaving, is everything alright?’ Owen queried.

 

“We seem to be having a very unusual Christmas dinner.” Tosh began to laugh uncontrollably. Then she hung up the phone.

 

Owen looked at Ianto and told him that he thought that something was wrong at Gwen’s. “That was Tosh and she was very subdued and then she started laughing like a hyena…almost a little hysterical. We’re going over there right now and sort things out.”

 

Ianto nodded. He was still riding the high of the day and only hoped that whatever was going on at Gwen’s wouldn’t spoil what had to be the best time he’d every had with his family.
___

 

*This is for real, the first Welsh edition of monopoly featured Swansea to the disappointment of the residents of Cardiff. The edition was produced in both an English and Welsh language version.

Chapter 35 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/13039.html

Discovery: Chapter 34 - It Was the Best of Times

RATING:  Chapter 34 -G, Its Christmas with Ianto's family, after all!
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Owen, Rhiannon, Johnny, Mica, David
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; Aunty B's and RTD's
WORDS: ~ 1400
SUMMARY:   Ianto and Owen spend Christmas Day with the Davies Family.

Title is from the opening line of a Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.'  The Worst of Times (Christmas at Gwen & Rhys' house) is featured in the next chapter.

Christmas Day started early at the Jones residence. Mica and David were up by 6 AM and wanted to open their presents. They knew they had to wait for their parents to get up, so they checked every few minutes on them to see if they were awake.

 

“Do they look awake to you?” Mica whispered none too quietly to David.

 

“Are their eyes open? No, then they’re not awake,” David said sarcastically.

 

The children left their parent’s bedroom for the third time. Rhiannon and Johnny laughed quietly after the children were gone.

 

“Oi, how many more times do you think we can fake them out?” 

 

“Oh Johnny, you know how much they want to open their presents, let’s just get up. You know they are not going to leave us alone until we do.”

 

Rhiannon got up a few minutes later and went downstairs to start the coffee. 

 

“Can we open them now, can we!”

 

 Rhiannon yawned. “How about some breakfast first, then presents. Hopefully your Tad will be up by then.” The kids grumbled a bit but finally sat down to eat some cereal. 

 

Johnny finally made it downstairs by 7 AM. Mum came down a few minutes later.

 

“Who was making all that racket,” Mum asked in Welsh. ‘I thought there was a herd of Welsh ponies tromping around the lounge earlier.

 

“Its Christmas Gram and look, Santa was here!” Mica’s eyes were wide as she surveyed the additional presents under the tree as well as the empty plate and cup that had held Santa’s milk and cookies.

 

David went to say something and Johnny shot him a look. David shrugged, looked right at Johnny and remarked, “Yeah, Santa must be awfully big and fat with all the snacks he had last night.”

 

“Santa needs to keep his energy levels up just in case he needs to spank some naughty boy.” David didn’t look intimidated in the least.

 

Everyone took turns opening presents. Since money was pretty tight most of the gifts Johnny and Rhiannon had gotten the kids and Mum and each other were practical things like new coats and boots for the winter. When David and Mica opened Ianto’s first presents and saw the hats and gloves, Rhiannon could see they were a little disappointed. “Look, they go perfectly with your new coats. And they’re cashmere, that’s very posh you know.” 

 

The adults were very pleased with their gifts from Ianto.   They all remarked on the quality of the sweaters and the shawl. Rhiannon shook her head, “he always had good taste. These must have set him back a bit.” 

 

Johnny grimaced, “yeah, and we didn’t get him much, did we?   Just some socks and a box of chocolates. I’m a little embarrassed, really.”

 

Rhiannon smiled, “I took the liberty of adding something to his gifts. You probably don’t remember but I have a pair of cufflinks that our Tad used to wear. They’re real gold and have Tad’s initials on them. I was going to give them to David some day, but I think Ianto will enjoy them more.”

 

Rhiannon turned to David and Mica. “You know there’s a second present from Uncle Ianto for each of you.” When the kids opened their second gifts, all hell broke loose. David hugged the Lego Pirates Fort box tightly and twirled in circles. “This is the best Christmas present ever!” Mica was so overwhelmed with her Barbie Playset that she jumped up and down until she was breathless.

 

Rhiannon and Johnny smiled. This was turning out to be the best Christmas they’d had in many years. “You make sure you thank Uncle Ianto properly when he gets here,” Rhiannon admonished.

 

“Oh, and Uncle Owen asked that I give you these,” she said handing each child an envelope. David and Mica were thrilled to find that the envelopes contained gift cards from The Entertainer Toy Shop. Rhiannon and Johnny were speechless when they saw the each card was in the amount of £30. “And also thank Uncle Owen; that was very, very nice of him.” Quietly, to Johnny she added, “I’m going to wrap up that bottle of champagne we were going to take to the New Years party for Owen. We can get another bottle during the week.”

 

***

 

Owen let Ianto drive the Honda to Rhiannon’s house. He had some difficulty shifting but managed to get there without any major mishaps. ‘Whew, that was harder than I thought it was going to be. I’m going to have to talk to one of the physical therapists when I get back to see what I can do to strengthen my grip for driving.’

 

Owen nodded. He was surprised that Ianto had driven as well as he did. He really didn’t think that Ianto would be able to manage a stick shift, but as long as he was cautious about his driving, Owen reckoned that he’d be OK.

 

Owen and Ianto arrived at Rhiannon’s around noon. Ianto looked more rested and relaxed than he had Christmas Eve. Now that he wasn’t worried about the reception he would receive from his family he felt like a huge burden had been lifted off him. Additionally, Owen had convinced him to take a very small dose of an anti-anxiety medicine to help prevent another panic attack.

 

The kids were hugging Ianto and Owen while talking excitedly about their presents the minute they came into the house. Rhiannon was just beaming at the way her kids had taken to Ianto. And Johnny had been right about Owen; he was a good person and not just to Ianto.

 

Owen and Ianto were finally able to make their way over to greet Rhiannon, Johnny and Mum. “Ianto, as you can see, your gifts were a smashing success. And Owen, you shouldn’t have, really. If you both sit down we have a small gift for each of you.” 

 

Owen unwrapped the bottle of champagne and the chocolates (originally intended for Ianto) and smiled. “I have the perfect person to share these with.” 

 

‘Does her name happen to be Tosh?” Ianto asked.

 

“You never know, and I’m not one to kiss and tell.” 

 

Rhiannon handed Ianto two gifts.  “Open the soft one first; it’s just a silly gift. Then the small box, OK?” 

 

Ianto opened the soft package and pulled out two pairs of sock, one decorated with reindeers and one with Christmas trees. “I guess this is payback for teasing David about pajamas with bunnies. But they’ll be great with jeans.” 

 

Ianto couldn’t imagine what was in the small box. He opened it up and gasped. It contained the most beautiful gold cufflinks with the initials SJ on them. “They were your Tad’s, Ianto; I want you to have them.”  Turning to Owen, “our father’s first name was Selwyn, which would be Julian in English.”

 

Ianto choked up a bit. “Oh Rhiannon, these are brilliant.  Thank you, I think this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

 

They had a wonderful dinner with Christmas ham and potatoes and brussel sprouts, followed by a traditional pudding as well as a chocolate truffle. They were finishing dinner right at 3 PM when the Queen’s speech was broadcast. They turned it on and were not surprised to hear the Queen speak about the dedication of the armed forces in Afghanistan. They were astonished to hear her also speak about the sacrifices of ordinary citizens in the fight against terrorism and referring specifically to the survivors of Torchwood One.

 

“Oi, let the media free-for-all begin,” Owen snarked. Ianto just shrugged. ‘That medication has really taken the edge off Ianto,’ Owen observed. ‘He might need more of it over the next few months.’

 

 After the speech, Ianto worked on the Lego Fort with David while the rest of the family played the Swansea edition of Monopoly.*

 

As usual, Mum won, having gotten Te Morgan’s Hotel (the best property), as well as the National Waterfront Museum and Mumbles Pier. Rhiannon only managed to snag Liberty Stadium, and Mica got Shelter Cymru (the least expensive property). Johnny spent most of his time in Jail and only managed to acquire the Dylan Thomas Center. 

 

It was only 7 PM when everyone started yawning. Hugs and kisses were exchanged all around and Ianto promised to call Rhiannon as soon as he was back in Cardiff. 

 

As they got into Gwen’s car, Owen’s phone rang. He saw it was Tosh’s number and answered the call. Tosh sounded a little odd, not upset, but a little disoriented. “Are you still at Ianto’s sister’s house?”

 

“No we were just leaving, is everything alright?’ Owen queried.

 

“We seem to be having a very unusual Christmas dinner.” Tosh began to laugh uncontrollably. Then she hung up the phone.

 

Owen looked at Ianto and told him that he thought that something was wrong at Gwen’s. “That was Tosh and she was very subdued and then she started laughing like a hyena…almost a little hysterical. We’re going over there right now and sort things out.”

 

Ianto nodded. He was still riding the high of the day and only hoped that whatever was going on at Gwen’s wouldn’t spoil what had to be the best time he’d every had with his family.
___

 

*This is for real, the first Welsh edition of monopoly featured Swansea to the disappointment of the residents of Cardiff. The edition was produced in both an English and Welsh language version.

Chapter 35 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/13039.html