ericadawn16 | When All the Stars Were Falling: Moon River

One of the stories I was writing long ago was When All the Stars Were Falling. I never finished it although I realize now that about half of what I do have isn't published anywhere online...

When Me mentioned she and the Doctor outliving all other immortals, it got me to thinking about the scene I wrote for the Face of Boe's death. Here it is if you're interested:

Title: When All the Stars Were Falling: Moon River
Author: Ericadawn16
Characters: Ianto Jones, the Doctor, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones
Rated: PG-13 ANGST MPREG AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: The Doctor takes Ianto to say goodbye to one of their dearest friends.
Author's Note: This has nothing to do with Iefan or Knocked Up or their stories.

Also, you don't need to have read anything before this. You just have to know that Jack and Ianto are happily married with several children and that their wedding song was "Moon River". The Face of Boe's tank is actually a Tardis while the large head is an illusion and I killed off Martha Jones, I'm sorry...

P.S. I tried not to change it as it was from 2012 or before when I wrote it, but some things got tweaked.

Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/140297.html

Moon River

January 6, 2019

Ianto reveled in the clean, quiet house since it wouldn’t last long. Jack was busy with errands, including picking the twins up later and the younger man had stayed at home with Martha. She was sprawled on a blanket in front of the telly; fighting off sleep. Then, there was an oddly familiar sound from the backyard.

His little girl’s head snapped up with a start; red ringlets flying.

“Can’t be…” he whispered to himself as she ran to him.

“Daddy, wat is it?” she asked, full of fear. The Welshman picked her up and she gripped his tee as tight as she could.

“Shh, don’t worry, sweetheart..” he told her and confirmed the source of the sound by looking out the window in the kitchen, “it’s an old friend.”

Ianto unlatched the back door and strode to greet his guest.

“It’s been a long time,” he spoke and the other wore a quizzical expression, “Has it? Feels like yesterday.”
And perhaps it had been because the Doctor was as he was several regenerations ago.

“And who’s this?” he questioned with a delighted tone and motioned towards the girl, “Ginger even.”

“This is Martha Jones because there should always be a Martha Jones in the world,” the younger man replied with a sad smile of the small child burrowing her face into his chest.

“Ah yes,” the Time Lord agreed; not meeting his gaze. He wished he would get on with it. The Doctor never made social calls unless he was called.

“I need you to come with me, Ianto. You’re the only one who’s right for this…”

“I can’t leave Jack like that or our family…leaving months at a time, like Jack and Martha did…”

“I’m not asking you for that…just a few hours, that’s all,” the visitor implored with those blue eyes of his.

“And leave a toddler unsupervised? Or should I call Jack…”

“NO!” cried the other with surprising anger, “You must never tell Jack what you see today…”

There was no need to question that. There could only be one reason.

“Timelines,” the Doctor confirmed, “but you should take her with us.”

“You want me to bring my daughter who’s not even two and a half on a trip with you?”

“Nothing will happen, I promise…cross my hearts and everything," the Doctor spoke, motioning over his chest. With resignation, Ianto realized there was no getting out of this. Martha was staring at the Tardis with wide, excited eyes. He picked her up and told her, "We're going on a quick trip."

"Yes!" she yelled with a clap. Barely five minutes after entering the Tardis, Martha appeared determined to explore everything. The Doctor wore an amused expression while Ianto hoped the Tardis wouldn't let her press a self destruct or something.

"We're here," the Doctor declared after a bumpy landing. "Normally, they would reject being inside each other but the other's just so sick that she allowed it."

Ianto was about to ask what he meant when the doors opened. Martha's blue eyes looked back at him, asking whether she could leave. He picked her up so they could step outside together. It was clear that they were in a TARDIS, but the light was so very pale and flickering.

“It’s dying, “The Doctor whispered, “like its owner.”

There was a gesture towards a pale figure on a large couch…so still that he could have passed for deceased. He stepped closer to study the body and nearly jumped out of his skin when the dry lips rasped, “You came.”

In an instant, he knew who they had come to see. He knew the identity of the man passing away in the fading TARDIS.

“Jack,” he uttered and the broken blue eyes flickered in recognition.
The other’s lips began to open until Ianto pressed his fingers to them. They were so papery and delicate…so different than he was used to.

“Don’t try to speak, I’m here,” the younger man told him, placing Martha on the other side of him and settling beside him as well. The Doctor sat on a leather chair nearby as though intruding, but there were no secrets anymore.

‘You said you’d come…you said…” the voice stuttered in the Welshman’s mind, ‘You said you’d come when you said goodbye.’ He was very aware of the tears that wanted to fall. His Jack was dying and what he remembered was this simple man from Newport’s last words. Strong arms surrounded the frail form and hugged him, his head rested close enough to Jack’s to touch.

“Daddy, was going on?” asked the little girl and there was a bare hint of a smile from the old man’s lips.

“We’re saying goodbye to a very, very dear friend,” he explained and there was so much to say and no way to express it. He thought of their wedding and then he knew what to do. After a short kiss to moisten those chapped lips, Ianto began to sing, “Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.”

Jack’s breaths were ragged now and the younger man kissed the dry cheek, a hand lightly ran through the very thin white hair. Martha had succumbed to her father’s singing and snuggled between Jack and the back of the couch. It was a position she had done before in their living room. Each intake of air sounded like it could be the last and he could feel the fear coming off his husband…once husband…always. He was needed.

“Jack, wherever you go, I will find you. I refuse to let death or darkness tear us apart,” he vowed as the little girl’s snores filled the room, “I promise I will find you and we will be together forever.”

Rather than let the tears that had built up fall, he continued the song, “Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see…”

Jack was gone.

”We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me,” Ianto finished with a huge sob and hadn’t even noticed the Doctor moved closer so that his arms were around the younger man. The Welshman touched the body still warm and closed those blue eyes one last time.

“Tell me what happened,” he requested, not looking at the Doctor yet.

Ianto kissed every inch of his husband’s virile, strapping body that night in a love-making session that lasted hours.

Eirene Jones was born just about nine months later and remained the youngest of their four children.