Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter Eight

Lily woke up early on Christmas Day, vaguely wondering if it was the law that everyone simply must be up as early as possible at Christmas. She'd woken up mostly due to Jack's restless shuffling beside her in the bed.

She opened her eyes to find Jack lying on his side, propping himself up on his elbow and using his free hand to play with her air as he looked at her.

" Hey, you're awake! " he grinned, his voice bright and cheery.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him, sitting up a little, though somehow a wide smile crossed her face and she couldn't stop it, " Yes, I am. And I think it's probably got a lot to do with you making as much movement as possible, to wake me up. "

" Well," Jack said, an innocent look on his face, though it didn't quite wash, " it is Christmas. I was just too excited to stay asleep any longer. "

She rolled her eyes, though she couldn't blame him for wanting to get up, and she reached out to lay a hand on his cheek. She rubbed her thumb across his cheek lightly and smiled, " Merry Christmas, Jack. "

He slowly turned his face towards her hand. He kissed the palm of her hand softly, before turning back to face her, " Merry Christmas, Mrs Harkness. "

She giggled, and all pretences that she wasn't as excited about christmas as the country's 5 year olds, were dropped. She suddenly moved forwards and pressed her lips to his.

He immediately returned the kiss, his hands reaching for her waist and pulling her closer to him, their kiss not ending in the process. Lily moaned against his lips, and during the kiss, Jack chanelled his excitement into energy and rolled over, hanging above her and pinning her beneath him.

Jack ended the kiss to go on to kiss her cheek, and then left a trail of kisses down her neck.

She giggled as he did so, and when he reached the opening of the shirt she'd worn to bed, she reached out to touch his cheek, and cupped his cheek with one hand.

She made him look up at her and when she'd got his eyes on hers, she leaned in for a kiss. He kissed her back eagerly and rested his forehead against hers when they broke apart.

" Now," Lily said with a smile, " as lovely as this is, there's presents waiting under the tree, and I'm really looking forward to having a christmas on earth that isn't filled with deadly christmas trees, or killer santas. "

Jack ignored her pout and slowly unbuttoned the first button of her - well, his old - shirt. He looked up at her, " The presents will still be there in a while, I promise. But for now, how about I get to unwrap one of my presents? "

His raised eyebrows and his hand beginning to unbutton the next button of the shirt made it very clear what he thought his "present" was, and she gave in - not that she'd ever seriously opposed it anyway.

" How could I ever resist? " she laughed.

A while later, curled up against her husband's body, revelling in the heat radiating from it and enjoying the security and safety of his arms, Lily sighed in contentment.

" Jack? "

" Yes, darling wife? "

" Let's go open the presents now," she said eagerly, propping herself up on her chest.

Jack chuckled. They'd both agreed not to go overboard on christmas presents for each other, and just buy a couple of things each, and they had presents each from Tosh, Owen, Ianto and Gwen.

" Agreed," he said, " how about you make yourself look especially gorgeous, and I'll get some breakfast going? "

He kissed the top of her head, distangled his body from hers and rolled out of bed and towards the wardrobe. She watched him snatch an outfit out of the wardrobe and leave the bedroom.

After Jack had gone downstairs, Lily plucked her christmas outfit from the wardrobe. She rarely bought new clothes, but she'd bought something nice to wear for this christmas day, and something for new years eve.

She put on her new black dress - it was knee length, quite sparkly, with bits of gold glitter all around it. It felt nice to dress up just because it was a special day, even if she wasn't really going anywhere.

She added the gold and pearl necklace that Jack had proudly presented her with two weeks ago on their wedding anniversary and made her way downstairs.

She walked into the kitchen to find Jack standing there in a pair of smart black pants and a crisp white shirt, his back to the kitchen door.

She leant up against the doorframe, folding her arms over her chest, and let out a wolf whistle, which made him turn around.

" I made us a bacon sandwich," he said, and she looked at him to see he was holding two tall, thin glasses, " and a glass of champagne. " He handed the glass to her, kissing her cheek, " and you look very beautiful. "

" Thank you," she sighed happily, " you look good too. Not often I see you in black and white ... very smart. "

" Thought I'd make an effort," he shrugged, pulling out her chair for her, and going to sit opposite her once she'd sat down, " though now I'm just hoping I don't spill anything down my white shirt. "

" Maybe I should make you wear a bib," Lily suggested, causing Jack to scoff into his champagne.

" Hope you're looking forward to cooking christmas dinner," Jack said after they'd finished their breakfasts.

Lily laughed, " Christmas dinner? I can't cook something like that! That's why we bought that stuff where it's already cooked for you. "

Jack knew exactly what they'd bought - something that was still christmas dinner, but would take limited amounts of cooking - but just to annoy her, he narrowed his eyes.

" What kind of wife are you going to make, if you're not even cooking chrstmas dinner? "

She shrugged, " The same kind of wife I was when I didn't cook christmas dinner last year. Maybe next year I'll give it a try. If you'll help me, that is. "

" I suppose I could stretch to that," Jack shrugged.

Lily nodded, " Good. See, don't worry about your christmas dinner. I promise by the time we've got a little family, I'll have worked out how to cook. "

Jack scoffed, " I'm not holding my breath. "

She kicked him playfully under the table, " It's not my fault.I was brought up in a spaceship which just made you whatever you wanted - I never had a need to cook. "

When they'd eaten, Lily threw their plates in the sink, deciding she'd wash them later, and she'd only just put them down when she heard music playing from the living room, looked over her shoulder, and saw that Jack had left the christmas.

Jack had gotten himself as excited about christmas as a child, and when Lily appeared in the doorway, he grinned and reached out for her hands.

He pulled her into the middle of the living room and started swaying in time to the music, wrapping his arms around her and proceeding to dance around the living room.

" Last christmas," he sang, leaning down so his lips were close to her ear, " I gave you my heart. "

She laughed gleefully as he suddenly spun her out and back in to him, and he was there to catch her when she flew back at him. He continue to sing, " but the very next day, you gave it away. "

" I did not! " she protested indignantly.

" This year, to save me from tears," he sung, his arm tightening around her waist as they slow danced, " I'll give it to someone special. "

" You will not," Lily told him sharply.

Slowing down to a stop, Jack sighed, " I was trying to be romantic, but fine, if that's the way you want to be. "

" It's not very romantic to sing me a song about some girl who broke your heart, is it? " Lily challenged, raising her eyebrows, though her hands remained around his neck.

" You've just missed George Michael's whole point," Jack sighed, rubbing his hands up and down her back, " the point is, he got his heart broken last year, but this year it's alright because he's going to give his heart to someone better. "

When Lily didn't reply, he nodded, " Fine. "

Lily watched him stroll over to their CD player. he pressed the fast forward button a few times, and when he let go, he turned back to her with a grin.

" This better for you? " he asked, walking back towards her.

She smiled when she hear the song and held out her hands, " Much better. "

Jack took hold of both of her hands warmly and pressed his lips against hers. Their kiss was long and deep, and when it ended, Jack kept hold of one of her hands firmly, and placed her other hand on his shoulder, before wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her in.

The song had already started, and Jack joined in with the lyrics, " All I want for Christmas, is you" he sang, his voice low and perfectly in tune, an effortless grin on his face.

She laughed in delight as he spun her around, and by the time the song was over, she was laughing wildly, her hands encased by his.

" Very well done," Jack nodded in approval.

He kissed her cheek, and when they broke apart, he squeezed her hands before letting go of them. " Presents, then? "

Lily nodded, going to sit on the floor beside the christmas tree. " Oh, leave the CD on," she smiled, patting the carpet beside her, " I think it's nice. "

" As you command, of course," Jack smirked, sitting down beside her, " what have we got? "

" From me," she said, reaching out for the first present and tossing it into his lap. Jack picked it up and felt all around the package - it was soft and quite bulky, and his curiosity was aroused. He opened it slowly and she smiled as she saw the look of dawning comprehension on his face as he pulled the wrapping paper away.

" It's a new coat! " he exclaimed, holding it up.

Beside him, his wife nodded happily, " I know you've already got your beloved coat, but it's ancient now, and it's been patched up so many times. I'm not saying you shouldn't wear it, but this is an alternative if you ever want one. "

Jack silenced her by leaning over and kissing her lips briefly, " It's brilliant. " It was certainly different from his other coat, though it was clearly still period dress. He stood up and pulled it on - it fitted perfectly, " you must have spent ages looking for this," he said, " thank you. "

He folded it up very carefully and sat down next to her again, reaching for a present, " One for you now. "

He gave her a small package and she rattled it, laughing when Jack warned, " Be careful! "

She ripped away the paper to find a fancy looking glass bottle - a very expensive bottle of perfume.

They kept exchanging presents, until Jack had recieved the coat, a very old bottle of whiskey, a set of fancy pens with his first name engraved on them, a sterling silver keyring engraved with the word "husband," a few books he'd dropped several million hints for, and the complete box set of Desperate Housewives so far - a tv show which he'd watched with Lily for the first time and kept watching with her every week, as much as he pretended he wasn't watching it because he actually liked it. She'd also bought him a bumper set of action movies to balance it out.

Lily meanwhile was sitting in front of a pile made up of perfume, a huge box of chocolates, earrings to match the necklace she'd been bought for her anniversary, a framed picture of the two of them, as she'd been telling him she wanted one for her desk, a new pair of designer glasses - which she only wore when thinking hard, because she thought they made her look smart - and a selection of sweets for her desk drawer, since she was always nibbling at something when she was bored.

Their selection of presents from their friends was small and assorted.

From Gwen, Jack recieved a pair of silver cufflinks - a present Lily was sure Rhys wouldn't have suggested, but probably put up with because they were moving away anyway. Lily recieved a bottle of wine. From Tosh, Jack recieved the very practical gift of a full stationary set - which Lily thought Tosh probably hoped would help him with the dreaded admit. Tosh had bought Lily a cream scarf covered in poppies, which she knew would match Lily's favourite trench-coat.

Ianto had bought them both huge gift sets of mugs, hot chocolate, various types of coffee, chocolate sprinkles and marshmallows. Owen had bought Lily a year long subscription to a astronomy magazine, and had bought Jack - probably rather begrudingly since christmas cheer was hardly his thing - a tie and some socks.

" Thank you, kitten," Lily said, getting up on her knees and shuffling over to him. She reached out for his face, and he smiled as her hands met his cheeks.

He leaned in and their lips met slowly. Their kiss was familiar yet still as exciting as ever, and when they broke apart, jack took hold of both of her hands.

" And thank you," he said, slowly standing up and helping her to her feet, " but I've got one more present for you. Something really special. "

" Really? " Lily asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement, " you didn't have to - you've got me some lovely things already. "

" Trust me," Jack said, " this is the best present of all, but I just have to go fetch it. "

Her curiosity peaked and she shook her head, " Fetch it from where? "

He tapped his nose as he started towards the door, " Can't tell you, but I couldn't keep it here without you finding out about it. Won't be long, I promise. "

She grinned at the thought of him getting her a present that couldn't be kept in the house, and she couldn't think at all what it could be, though she was very grateful for having a husband who wanted to spoil her rotten.

Unable to stop grinning, she nodded, " Ok. I'll see if I can find us a Christmas film for when you get back. "

When Jack had gone, she settled down on the sofa and started flicking through the channels. She found a romantic comedy starting in a short while and settled on that. She'd just got comfy on the sofa when her mobile phone rang and she answered it to find Tosh on the other end.

" Merry Christmas," Tosh said happily.

Lily laughed, " Merry Christmas, Tosh. Thanks for our presents. "

" And thanks for mine," Tosh replied, " fancy meeting up later on for a drink? With Jack and Owen, of course. "

" Yeah, I'm sure we'd like that," Lily said, " Jack's just popped out for some kind of secret present, but I'll tell him when he gets back. Where shall we meet you? "

" How about the Fox and Hounds? " Tosh suggested, " say 6 o clock? "

Lily nodded, " Yeah, we'll be there. "

Ten minutes later, Lily heard the door open, and Jack called out, " I'm home! "

" Hi! " Lily called out, without getting up off the sofa, " I'm still in here. "

She heard Jack moving around in the hallway, and putting down what sounded like several things. Filled with curiosity, she smiled and stood up, and was in the process of going into the hallway when Jack put his head around the door, " Don't move," he said quickly.

" What on earth are you doing? " Lily asked.

" I'll be in in a minute," Jack told her, shooing her away with one hand, " sit down. "

Lily did as she was told, going to sit down on the sofa. A few moments later, Jack walked into the living room with a very large blue box, a red ribbon tied around it, which he was carrying very carefully.

He put the box down on her knees, and added, " Be careful with it. It's delicate. "

Lily held the box close to her with one arm, and she felt a hole in the side of it. Feeling the box with her fingers, she felt a few holes in it - air holes maybe, she allowed herself to wonder.

Slowly, she pulled at the red ribbon and it fell apart. She lifted up the lid and threw it to one side. The box was full of stuffing and padding, and she looked up at Jack, who nodded encouragingly.

She put her hand in the box and was alarmed when whilst brushing aside some of the padding, she felt something warm and furry. Her eyes widened as she realised what it could be and looked up at Jack again.

" Come on," he said, " don't you want to know what's in there? "

" I'm definitley intruiged," Lily replied, grabbing a handful of padding and throwing it out. Suddenly, she saw a little nose poking up throught the padding, and her heart leapt as she realised what it was. She eagerly brushed away some more of the padding and inside the box, the little nose poked up more, followed by the rest of a head.

She gasped when she saw a little black dog looking up at her. Its big brown eyes met hers, and her heart was filled with love for the puppy. The little dog was adorable and she fell in love with it immediately.

She reached into the box and carefully picked it up, holding it close to her chest, while Jack helpfully came over to take the box off her lap so she could rest the puppy in her lap.

" Black labrador," Jack announced as he sat down next to her, " 10 weeks old. It's a boy. And he's all yours. "

" He's so cute," Lily beamed, sighing happily as the puppy allowed her to stroke it gently, and headbutted her hand in an attempt to get more contact.

She was already full of love for the puppy and she couldn't believe Jack had bought her a dog.

" What do you think? " Jack asked carefully.

" I love him," Lily grinned, as the puppy continued to knock into her hand, clearly already loving his new owner. She leaned into Jack as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she glanced up at him.

" Thank you, so much," she said, " this is ... he's gorgeous. I can't believe you bought me a puppy. "

Jack chuckled, " Couldn't resist - thought you'd like him. "

" Thank you," she repeated, leaning in.

" More than welcome," he whispered, closing the small gap between them and pressing his lips to hers. She smiled into the kiss and it was short but sweet.

" Remember though," Jack said, tapping her nose playfully and enjoying the look on her face when she wrinkled her nose up unhappily, " a dog is not just for christmas. "

" Thank you," Lily said, stroking her new puppy gently and affectionately, " he's ... he's so cute. God, you are the best husband anyone ever had. "

" Jack will do," Jack shrugged, earning himself a playful glare. " So, what are you going to name him? "

" Sure I'll think of something," Lily said, " I'm not quite sure yet though. Hey, how long has he been kept in a box? Where did you keep him until now? Have you got all the stuff? "

He laughed at the question, " He hasn't been in the box long. I bought him a couple of day ago, and he's been in Ianto's care until this morning. I kept all the things for him in the garage. Picked him up from Ianto's and I only put him in the box to give to you just now. "

Lily nodded, taking it it. " What about when we're at work? it's a long time to leave a dog alone. "

" He could come with us," Jack suggested, " anywhere we wouldn't want him to be has a locked door anyway, and at least there'd be people around all the time. "

Lily nodded as she thought about it. She felt completely happy and she knew that this christmas day was going to be perfect.

With her adorable puppy on her lap, and her husband's arms around her, Lily looked up at him happily, " Merry Christmas, Jack. "

He grinned, " I think you've already said that today. "

" I know," she shrugged, " but I meant it. It's a very merry christmas. "

" I suppose it is," Jack nodded, reaching out to stroke the puppy, and absent mindedly scratching behind its ears, " he is cute, isn't he? I just hope with this little one around, he's not going to take all your time away from me. "

Lily laughed, " I'm sure there's room in my life for both of you. "

Satisfied, Jack nodded. " You're right, you know," he said, " it is a very merry christmas. Merry Christmas, Mrs Harkness. "

Author's Note: Feel free to suggest names for the Harkness puppy.