Raining again. Classic British weather. It rains on happy days and important days and days as miserable as this one. The weather matched the scene and the emotional crowd perfectly. The rain pinged off of the gravestones and into muddy puddles in the middle of the path.
Jack's boot splashed into the puddle and got muddy water up his coat. He didn't care. If there was one thing he never missed, it was the funeral of his friend. Especially if he was one of the only ones left. He made sure he had a bouquet as he made his way to the graveside. He was only just in time.
The smooth black casket was being lowered into the hole as he stood by watching. For the first time in almost fifty years, Jack didn't flirt with anyone. He didn't want to. After the ceremony, he placed the bouquet at the foot of the gravestone and stepped back. Jack tapped the back of the deceased's husband, Shaun Temple.
"I am so, so sorry Shaun. She was a wonderful woman. In fact, she was the most important woman in the universe!" Jack said.
Shaun could only nod. Jack's eyes filled with tears too. Especially because he knew he was the only one left who remembered. Well, the only one here anyway. Jack stayed behind as the others went off. He touched the cold stone face and sighed a goodbye. It was down to him to add her gravestone to the graveyard of heroes.
Except, to most humans, they weren't heroes. They were just normal people. Their bodies weren't even buried there but tombstones were still laid out for them. There were countless rocks dedicated to people who were so different from one another. There was nothing to join them together. Nothing to people not in the know. But these people, these special people on this special planet just on the edge of the universe, are bounded but the most important thing in the universe. These people, are the friends of the doctor. Each and every one. When one of the doctor's friends died, they got a tombstone on this planet. Regardless of where their body actually was. Jack had two. One for his first dead (which made him immortal) and one for his actual death as the face of Boe. There were hundreds of tombstones dotted across the dusty surface of the abandoned planet. Some as old as time itself. Some as new as the one he just ordered. It was painful for Jack to walk through the tombstones. He knew so many there.
Rose Tyler
defender of earth
Mickey Smith
the tin dog
Martha jones
saved the world with a story
Sarah Jane Smith
world class journalist
There was so much pain in a few stone words sometimes. But there were thousands more in thousands of rows all across this planet that the doctor mourned. Jack didn't think he could bare it if he was the doctor. Then he came to the brand new tomb. It was shiny, black, cold and made of marble. The girl who didn't know how extraordinary she was. And the doctor was too late to remind her. Jack saluted. She deserved it.