MY SKIN

Owen was peacefully asleep when suddenly Jack jumped on top of him and began to bounce up and down on the bed. Alice squealing in his arms.

"Come on Uncle Owen, its Christmas time" Jack squeaked in a falsetto voice. "Santa Clause has been and we wanna open the presents, come on you big Scrooge"

"Urgh, Jack you dick leave me alone" Owen mumbled rolling out from underneath Jack and pulling the covers up higher. "I want to sleep"

Jack gasped. "Owen, don't use such language in front virgin ears like Alice's. I want my daughter to remain pure and innocent"

"With you as the father it won't last long" Owen muttered before getting up. "All right, all right, let's get the thing over and done with"

"Oh yes that's definitely the spirit, I can practically hear jingle bells being hummed under your breath" Jack said sarcastically as he stood up. "Come on Owen, have some fun it's Christmas"

"Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun!" Alice chanted clapping her hands together.

Owen smiled. "All right then. Let's get these presents opened" he said.

Mrs Harkness had then stuck her head round the door. "Jack! I thought I told you to leave Owen to sleep in" she scolded her son.

Jack whistled and tried to look innocent under the glares of Owen Harper and Mrs Harkness.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

Tosh woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen; she stumbled out of bed and grabbed her silk kimono dressing gown to wrap herself in as she entered the living room. The clean living room with the sparkling white fake Christmas tree didn't look Christmassy at all, much to her silent disappointment.

"Ah Toshiko-Chan, Merry Christmas" her mother said coming in from the living room. "I am making a full English breakfast for us, help yourself to the presents"

"Thank you Okaa-san" Tosh said quietly bowing down her head briefly before sitting down on the cold large leather sofa, feeling cold and lonely as her mother clambered round in the kitchen.

She subconsciously reached up and began to play with the locket that Owen got her, smiling to herself at the thought of seeing him again.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

Ianto inwardly groaned as he was forced to wear the Christmas cracker paper hat by his grandmother. Christmas had been ok with the usual traditional present opening and thanking everyone, Ianto had received some nice shirts, ties and books he had wanted to read while his father had given him a man's present of a football t-shirt which Ianto knew was going to remain in the back of his wardrobe like all the other football shirts, posters and balls have been shoved in. Then everyone got dressed and helped cook the dinner, Granny Jones insisted on Ianto who can cook a four course meal on his own to help since she couldn't trust Rhiannon or her son to do anything but burn the house down. They then sat down for dinner where cider was served to everyone and the crackers were broken and bad jokes were being told.

Ianto knew that the dreaded conversation would be brought up soon, the topic of girlfriends. His father would make snide comments, Rhiannon would defend him while attempting to move the conversation onto her and Johnny and Granny Jones would insist Gwen was his girlfriend. However before Granny Jones had turned her head to Ianto to ask the same question she ask every three months there was an urgent knock on the door.

"Hmm I wonder who that could be" Granny Jones murmured as she slowly made her way to the door and answered it. "Oh hello there John, do come in. Rhiannon didn't tell me you were coming for dinner"

Johnny Davis had burst into the small dining room, his face red from the wind and panting slightly as if he had run for a while.

"Johnny!" Rhiannon exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"There was something I desperately wanted to ask you, I would have asked earlier but I only just got what I needed so I left early this morning" everyone blinked in confusion when suddenly Johnny went down on one knee before Rhiannon. Rhiannon gasped while Granny Jones smiled with tears in her eyes, Mr Jones leaned forward and Ianto rolled his eyes. "Rhiannon Jones, the love of my life, the reason for me to breathe, please do me the honour of becoming my wife"

He pulled out a small black velvet jeweller's box and opened it up to reveal a small diamond on a silver ring. Rhiannon clasped her chest, tears springing to her eyes. "Oh Johnny" she whispered, flinging her arms round him. "Yes! Yes! A million times yes!"

"Well done mate, welcome to the family" Ianto's father said patting Johnny on the back.

"Oh first my little Rhiannon is getting married and hopefully soon Ianto will pop the question to that lovely Gwen girl" Granny Jones said wistfully. "I'll give you my engagement ring when the time comes dear"

Johnny burst out laughing. "Sorry but I thought Ianto was a poof"

Johnny asked Rhi to marry him, she said yes and now I'm in hell. Get me out of here! Ianto text quietly and quickly to Andy.

TWTWTWTWTWWTWTWTWTWTWTW

"Who's the cutest thing on earth? You are, oh yes you are" Jack cooed as he began to take even more photos of Alice with his brand new digital camera. "You're the most gorgeous thing on the planet"

"Jack you're creeping me out" Owen said as he wrapped his scarf round his neck.

Alice giggled as she threw her brand new doll at Jack's head causing Jack to give her a mock glare and start tickling her, snapping photos of her squirming and kicking her way away from him.

"Jack stop teasing your daughter" Mrs Harkness said firmly before hugging Owen tightly. "Oh Owen dear, are you going to visit your Nana? Would you please take this dinner to her, it's leftovers from earlier. I just don't trust that hospital food"

"Of course and thank you again Mrs Harkness" Owen said hugging her back before leaving the house.

As he walked down the street, Owen swore he saw a car with tinted windows beginning to follow him...again.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

"Ah hello dear, you're Owen's little friend aren't you?"

Tosh turned bright pink as she realised Owen wasn't in the room with his grandmother. It was early afternoon and after a tense morning her mother had gone to her bedroom/study to do some paperwork leaving Tosh with nothing to do but read her brand new books or watch the Christmas specials on TV. Unwilling to be lonely Tosh had decided to go to the hospital to see Owen and hand him his Christmas present, something she had been meaning to do all week but never got the courage to do. Instead of seeing Owen though she was in a room with a sweet elderly lady who was almost a stranger to her.

"What was your name again dear? Tish? Tash? Owen has said it repeatedly but my memory isn't what it used to be, Trisha? Natasha...Tanya...no that's not it..."

"Tosh!"

"That's it!" Nana said clicking her fingers together. "Hello Owen dear"

Tosh whirled round to see Owen looking stunned. She blushed harder and lowered her head looking at the present she was clutching tightly. "Hello" she said quietly. "I came to give you, your Christmas present"

"You didn't have to" Owen said taking a step forward.

"I did! Especially since you've been so kind and brought me that locket" Tosh blurted shoving the present into Owen's chest. "I'm sorry, I got to go now"

She then darted out of the room leaving a bewildered Owen and a chuckling Nana.

"Sweet girl, very shy though" Nana observed.

"Yeah she is" Owen agreed unwrapping the present to reveal a biology text book.

Not just any biology text book though. It was the one he had wanted to read back in September.

"Very special" Nana added slyly.

"Definitely" Owen agreed staring at the present in shock.

Back                         Home                              Torchwood Main Page                              Next