Six Months Later (Relative Dimensionally Speaking)

"Pull it down, nice and smooth… smoother… smoother… Jack, on what planet is that smooth?"

Jack jerked the lever back up and the TARDIS lurched. "Sorry," he muttered as the Doctor stumbled into him.

"You did that on purpose," said the Doctor. His tone was harsh, but his features showed no anger. Also, he made no move to right himself.

Jack managed a nervous smile. "Am I really that predictable?"

The Doctor smiled. "Stunningly." There was a brief moment, where neither of them said anything, reminding Jack of another awkward moment from six months earlier.

Suddenly, the Doctor pulled back. "No! No! No!" Jack had let go of the lever. The Doctor grabbed it and the TARDIS jolted again, throwing them both to the floor.

"Well now we're buggered," said the Doctor, leaping to his feet and checking the console readout. "We've probably missed Christmas." He drummed his fingers on the monitor. "Well, what do you know! Christmas Eve, 2010. That's the right one, if I recall correctly."

"Yup," said Jack. The six months he'd spent traveling with the Doctor had given him time to think. He knew he would never forget Ianto, and he had the photograph in the top drawer of his nightstand to prove it. He may have lost everything else he owned when the Hub blew, but he could start another collection of memories right there.

He glanced over at the Doctor, who was on his hands and knees, pulling up a panel of grating beneath which he'd stashed the sack of presents they planned to give out. He'd found himself thinking about that day the Doctor had kissed him increasingly more frequently. Not that that meant he wanted the Doctor to kiss him again. Did it?

"Jack, can you help me carry this?" The Doctor's voice shook him from his reverie.

"Sure." He shrugged on his coat and reached out for the other corner of the sack.

"We're just like Father Christmas, aren't we?" said the Doctor, grabbing his own coat, and pulling open the door. "That is, if Father Christmas had a companion."

Jack shrugged. "How do you think he gets to every kid in the world in one night?"

The Doctor considered this as they stepped out into the early evening. "Could be... oh, it's snowing! For real this time, oh, that is just brilliant, that is." The Doctor beamed, glancing up and down Gwen's street. There were few cars and the snow lay unmarred in the road, powdery and pristine. The Doctor stuck out his tongue, catching a few snowflakes. Jack grabbed the sack and slung it over one shoulder.

"Oh, there you go!" said the Doctor happily. "Exactly like Father Christmas. Come on." He led the way up the walk, his coat billowing behind him. Jack took a moment to admire the way the snow clung to his hair, weighing it down, and then shook his head and followed at a more sedate pace. The Doctor leaned on the doorbell and knocked briskly.

"Hello!" he exclaimed when Gwen opened the door. "Hope we're not too late."

Gwen smiled. "Oh, it's so good to see you two. Come on in." She hugged them both, Jack somewhat awkwardly, considering the bag on his back. "What's all this then?"

"We couldn't travel through time and space without bringing back a few souvenirs." Jack kissed her on the cheek. "Where's Eddie?"

"Oh, he's been a terror," said Gwen, leading the way into the sitting room. "He's teething and he won't sleep."

"We've got something for that." The Doctor relieved Jack of his burden and dug around inside it. "Teething ring! From the plan Eroton. And, let's see..." He set the sack on the floor and began pulling out wrapped parcels. "These are for you and Rhys... and Eddie, of course."

Gwen sat down in the chair nearest the Christmas tree. "You didn't have to do that!"

"Sure we did." Jack sat on the couch opposite her and took her proffered glass of eggnog.

"Spoiling Eddie's our job," said the Doctor, plopping onto the couch next to Jack. He pulled his glasses out of his suit pocket and slipped them on so he could read the tags as he set to sorting packages. "Ah, this is for you, Jack! From me." He gave him a jaunty wink, as he handed him the slightly heavy box. "Open it later."

Gwen smiled fondly at them. "It's really good to see you, Jack. I'm glad you're doing well."

Jack laughed. He hadn't been too sure he was doing well, but at least he looked it. He took a sip of his eggnog. "Good to see you, too."

"And look who's here!" exclaimed the Doctor. Rhys had come downstairs and entered the room, Eddie in his arms. Immediately, the baby began squirming, reaching out for the Doctor and Jack.

"If you insist," said Rhys, handing Eddie off to the Doctor.

"Oh, he does remember me," said the Doctor, touched, as Eddie waved his arms at him. His chubby little hands latched onto the Doctor's glasses and tugged. "Oh... oh... Uncle Doctor needs those to see. Let's see what else we've got." The Doctor held his glasses on the bridge of his nose with one hand while reaching for a package with the other.

Eddie grinned.

"He's getting big," Jack observed. Eddie craned his neck and regarded him curiously.

"Here we go," said the Doctor, having gotten the paper off the parcel one-handed. It was a set of stuffed animals they'd got on Falroschia. "Look, Eddie. There's a grokk and a rylp and a Werealian Nerazmataz. And a cow! What does the grokk say, Eddie? Floo! Floo!"

Eddie laughed. "Foo! Foo!"

"Clever kid," said Jack.

"Just like his dad," said Rhys.

"Oh, you know what a grokk says?"

Rhys pointed at the toy bird his son was now gnawing on. "Floo, floo."

It was nice, Jack thought, sitting by the fire with the people he cared about. Eddie soon dropped off to sleep in his lap, still clutching the stuffed grokk.

"Don't know what my mum will think of this when she sees it," said Gwen, taking Eddie from Jack to put him to bed.

"Tell her it's a parrot," said Jack easily, following her upstairs. The Doctor had gone out with Rhys to turn off the incredibly intricate light display. The Doctor was absolutely fascinated by it.

"I suppose that would work," she said, giving her son a kiss and laying him in his crib. "Now, you two are just in here. This is our guest room." She beamed. "First guests we've had in the guest room!"

Jack opened his mouth. "We... what? I was going to go back to the TARDIS."

"Oh, come on." Gwen waved her hand dismissively. "It's much cozier in here. Besides, that thing hasn't got a chimney. How's Father Christmas going to get to your stockings?"

Jack considered pointing out to her that Father Christmas didn't actually exist when he noticed there was only one bed.

"The Doctor doesn't really sleep," he informed her.

She blinked. "What? What does he do, then, putter around at night like a cat?"

Jack considered this. "Yeah, I guess so."

She shook her head and smoothed the duvet. "I don't know how you put up with it. It'd freak me out to have him wandering at night!"

It suddenly occurred to Jack that Gwen seemed to have the wrong idea about the implications the Doctor's nighttime activities had for Jack.

"I don't wander," said the Doctor from the doorway. "Generally, I just tinker."

Gwen smiled and headed for the door. "That's almost as bad. Good night."

"Good night," said the Doctor, smiling. She shut the door.

"So," said the Doctor, looking at Jack.

Jack sat on the edge of the bed. "Gwen thinks..."

"I know what Gwen thinks."

Jack glanced up at him. "Then why didn't you tell her the truth?"

The Doctor rocked back on his heels, his hands in his trouser pockets. "I suppose I thought it was fun."

Jack quirked an eyebrow. "Fun like kissing me?"

The Doctor's face fell. "I'd forgotten about that. Nearly."

Jack snorted. "I hadn't."

The Doctor sighed. "I'm sorry. I'll... I'll just go back to the TARDIS. And... tinker." He turned, placed his hand on the knob.

"No," said Jack softly.

The Doctor hesitated.

"I didn't mind," said Jack finally.

The Doctor looked surprised, but he did not fully turn around. "Are you sure?"

"Doctor, it's been two years for me. If it never goes away..."

The Doctor turned. "It never goes away," he said hollowly. "If it went away, you wouldn't be human. Or Time Lord. But it's not supposed to go away."

Jack sighed and sat down on the bed.

They sat in silence for several long minutes. "It's Christmas now," said the Doctor. "I suppose you can open your present."

Jack had almost forgotten about it. He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled it out. Carefully, he unwrapped it. It was a... "What is it?" asked Jack cautiously, turning it over in his hands.

"It's a timey-wimey detector!" cried the Doctor indignantly. "It's just like mine, only pocket-sized. Sized to your pockets, that is. It'll be very handy if we ever get separated. Then you can detect me, because I'm very time-wimey."

"What about me?" asked Jack, turning the device over again.

"Oh, you're practically the king of timey-wimey!" The Doctor reached over and laid his hands over Jack's, showing him how to work the detector. It started to beep and a wheel at the top began to turn. "I hope Gwen and Rhys don't have any spare hens lying about."

Jack decided it was safer just not to ask.

"I mean, that's the thing," the Doctor continued. "We're sort of better off with each other, I imagine." He suddenly yawned hugely. "Oh dear. That would be the... eggnog."

"What do you mean?" asked Jack.

"It's my binary vascular system. Add egg to nog and..." He yawned again. "I'm out like a light."

"No, I meant–"

"Oh," said the Doctor sleepily. "I just meant we're unusually timey-wimey, you and me, so it sort of makes sense. Running around, saving the universe. You won't die and I'll just regenerate. One-of-a-kind things, we both are." His eyes fluttered. "At least let me have a bit of the bed."

Jack set his timey-wimey detector on the nightstand. "Sure," he said, kicking his boots off and sliding over under the covers, rolling over to face the window. He heard two thunks as the Doctor's trainers hit the floor and then the Doctor's feet slid down next to his.

"G'night, Jack," said the Doctor.

Jack turned. "Good night."

"You could kiss me," said the Doctor, as Jack reached to turn out the light. "I'd actually like that and trust me, that's not the nog talking."

Jack hesitated.

"You said you didn't mind before."

Jack bit his lip.

"Or if you don't want to, you don't have to. I just thought maybe. I mean... we've both lost people, Jack. We're both going to lose people. It's a fact, it's in our natures. But maybe... if we had each other."

He was looking seriously at Jack, more seriously than he'd ever looked at him before.

Jack couldn't tell who made the first move. Maybe it was both of them.

The Doctor's kiss was tender and hesitant, as though he expected Jack to pull away at any second. Jack slid closer, reaching around to grasp the back of the Doctor's neck and deepened the kiss, to show he was truly serious. When they broke apart, Jack realized he was smiling.

"All right?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah," said Jack.

The Doctor returned his smile and reached out to brush a lock of hair from his forehead. Then, suddenly, he yawned again.

"Sorry," he said rubbing his eyes. "There's the nog. Remind me not to do that again next Christmas."

Jack grinned. "I won't."

The Doctor smiled sleepily and lay down, pulling up the covers. "Good night, Jack."

Jack leaned in and kissed him on the forehead before lying down himself. "Good night, Doctor," he said, as he felt a cool arm slide around his waist.

For the first time in two years, Captain Jack Harkness slept and did not dream.