Torchwood Fic: Time Enough, 13/13
Epilogue
It was Jack's idea, and once they'd all agreed to the project, Gwen dealt with the city planners and Ianto made the arrangements. The day they'd chosen turned out perfectly, a pale blue sky decorated with strands of filmy white clouds, the air soft and warm on their cheeks.
Everyone dressed appropriately. Jack was magnificent in full military dress, his peaked cap tucked neatly beneath his arm. Ianto wore his most severely cut black suit and a white dress shirt, but included a lilac and purple striped tie in honour of Tosh's favourite colour. Gwen had chosen a floral dress in subdued hues of browns and pinks, her hair held back with a brown headband, her feet clad in fashionable, impractical shoes. Even Rhys was at his sharpest in a short-sleeved checked shirt, pre-knotted tie and sharply pressed navy Dockers.
The city had done a good job, Ianto decided. The four of them carefully descended the slope to the old gnarled tree that had once sheltered Lisa's memorial, Rhys gallantly helping Gwen over the low fence that now encompassed the tree and bringing it into the cemetery proper. City engineers had restructured the fence so that there was a natural pocket of space around the tree, enough room for a small bench that looked out over the ancient grounds and the newer plots beyond.
The four of them gathered on the far side of the tree, the one that looked out on the uncultivated field and to the bay beyond. They spoke quietly, Jack and Ianto shoulder to shoulder, Gwen's hand tucked into Rhys' elbow, until Jack pulled away to face them, the brim of his cap in his hands as he regarded them with a sorrowful smile.
"I know that it is customary and proper to say something profound at a time like this, but it seems presumptuous of me to try and put into words what we each feel, so forgive my clumsy attempt today. Though some time has passed, we will always mourn those that have gone on before us. Yet they are with us every day, in one way or another, and we will continue to honour them with our hearts, our minds, and our deeds." His voice roughened and he bowed his head for a minute, then looked up to the sky, blinking hard. "Whatever happens going forward, whatever the future holds for each of us, I want it known that I was very proud to serve with Toshiko Sato and Owen Harper and that their sacrifices-and the sacrifice of Lisa Hallet-will never be forgotten."
He held out his hand and Ianto placed one of three long-stemmed white roses across his palm. Jack held the fragile flower to his lips, then bent down and laid it across the permanently installed marker whose upraised letters spelled out Owen Harper, MD. Beside his name was the caduceus and beneath it, the words Beloved Physician.
Ianto turned to Gwen and handed her another rose, which she took with a tremulous smile. She let go of Rhys' arm and stepped to Jack's side to kneel beside him, pausing to brush her hand over Owen's name. Next to Owen's marker, less than an inch separating them, was the marker for Toshiko. Ianto had chosen a lighter metal for her memorial and beneath her name had the words Beloved Friend spelled out in Japanese. Gwen touched the flower to her cheek, eyes closed, then placed it gently across Tosh's name.
Ianto and Rhys stood by silently as Jack and Gwen rose to their feet, Jack's arm around Gwen's shoulder, pulling her close as they gazed down together on the two markers. Gwen turned her head to whisper something in Jack's ear and he smiled, giving her a squeeze before letting her go. She returned to Rhys as Jack stepped back and nodded at Ianto.
Taking a deep breath, Ianto moved a few feet away from his three companions to the small area that had originally held Lisa's small memorial. Now, in almost exactly the same place, was another marker, this one set in concrete like the others.
He'd never expected to be here again, never thought he'd find a way to honour Lisa's life anywhere other than in his thoughts. He'd carried the battered dragon key chain in his pocket ever since he'd found it in the mud, believing that by holding on to it, he'd never forget the girl he'd once loved.
Now the key chain was once again ensconced beneath Lisa's marker, forever memorialised in protective concrete, unassailable by weather or human hands. After Ianto slanted the last rose across the marker, he trailed his fingers along Lisa's name, then to the one word he'd had placed beneath it-Beloved.
He heard a quiet sniffle and looked up into Gwen's eyes. Walking out from the sheltering curve of Rhys' arm, she went to Ianto and guided him to his feet and into a hug that he returned, eyes tightly shut. They held each other for a long moment, wordlessly sharing their sorrow and taking strength from each other until Ianto pressed his lips to Gwen's forehead and then released her back to Rhys' arms.
Everyone looked to Jack, who smiled at Gwen and Rhys and gave them a nod. Stopping long enough for Jack to gather another hug from Gwen and a hand shake from Rhys, the two of them began making their way back up the slope to the street and leaving Jack and Ianto alone beside the tree that would stand as a sentinel to the loved ones they'd lost.
Ianto slipped his hands into his pockets as he joined Jack to gaze down at the other two markers. Beneath Owen's were entombed the small, irreverent pins he'd worn on his doctor's coat and the space beneath Toshiko's held her reading glasses and a tiny resin-covered cherry blossom that Ianto had found when he'd cleared out her flat.
"Thank you," Ianto murmured.
Jack put his cap on, setting it at a jaunty angle. "For what?"
"For this." Ianto shrugged. "For everything."
"I'd always admired what you tried to do for Lisa." It was Jack's turn to shrug. "They deserved to be in consecrated ground, all of them. I know it's not normal protocol for Torchwood, but-"
"But following normal protocol is hardly our strength, is it?" Ianto's grin was fleeting but sincere.
"Nope, but that hasn't stopped us yet." Jack placed his hand on Ianto's neck, guiding him close to drop a kiss on his temple. They stood together quietly, arms around each other as the sun's rays began to lengthen the shadows around them, until Jack withdrew his embrace and held out his hand.
"C'mon, Ianto. Let's go home."
I heard you say
Underneath your breath
Some kind of prayer
I heard you say
Underneath your breath
That you never want to feel this way about anybody else
finis
Also available in its entirety here: Time Enough