silkendreammaid

Title: Brandy
Author: silkendreammaid

Disclaimer: I do not and never will own Torchwood or the characters within.
Rating: PG13
Warning: Language
Characters: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness

Note: Written for the 2011 Advent Challenge. Prompt #6 taken from the 2010 prompt list.

Author’s Note: Takes place in my Canary 'verse...

Summary: It was just before Christmas when a Torchwood One team was called out to retrieve a small black box

Brandy

Ianto Jones sighed and closed his eyes. He leant back in his chair and slipped down slightly.

“Bored, Jones?” the light Devon accents of Terry Raye broke the silence of the small office on the twelfth floor of the Torchwood One Tower.

“More like tired and wondering what the hell we’re doing here,” Ianto replied without opening his eyes.

“It’s Christmas and London always sees alien activity at Christmas. And we are one of the best retrieval teams in all of Torchwood and therefore we are serving Queen and Country by being here on Christmas Eve rather than at home drinking egg-nog and wrapping presents. Who knows - maybe this will be the year we get the Doctor,” Mark Collins commented gently sarcastic from his corner. Grins and soft laughter echoed.

“Yvonne gets a hard-on every Christmas hoping for that,” Will Boyd said.

“She has more balls than most,” Terry added with a smirk.

“Personal experience there?” the only female member of their team, Karen Mcleod, queried mockingly with a poke at the stocky Terry.

“Fuck no!” Terry replied without hesitation. “God I can’t think of anyone crazy enough to tap that.”

“They say Captain Harkness from Cardiff has,” Will spoke up and Ianto rolled his eyes behind closed lids.

“I’d believe the one about him being here for over a hundred years before I’d believe that,” he replied, slumping lower in his chair.

“Same,” Mark agreed.

A comfortable silence fell between them.

“How about some coffee, Ianto?” Karen asked after a while.

“I have some brandy we can add,” Terry offered.

“We are on duty,” Mark pointed out.

“I’ll only add a small amount,” Ianto told him as he lifted himself out of his chair.

“You should just not give him any,” Karen grinned at Mark.

“It’s Christmas,” Ianto replied. “Everyone needs brandy in their coffee, even if it just a tad.”

“It’s his brandy anyway,” Terry said with a shrug and they all turned to look at him.

“My brandy?!” Mark exclaimed. “I don’t have any brandy.”

Terry held up a bag. “It’s our Christmas present to you,” he grinned. The others laughed as Mark spluttered and made a grab for the bottle. Ianto was quicker and snatched it from Terry’s hand. Before he could add it to the coffee though, the alert sounded.

“Hampstead Heath,” Karen reported in a completely professional manner and the others became equally business-like.

“It looks like an inanimate object, so it’ll be retrieval only,” Mark read over her shoulder.

“Equipment’s ready and vehicle’s being brought to the front,” Ianto said as he handed out the coms and picked up his coat.

“Okay team, let’s go,” Mark led the way out the door. “Brandy’s on me when we get back.”