Always With You
Summary: Taylor Moore(from "Home Invasion") goes to Tommy's funeral to pay his respects.
Author's Note: I gave Taylor's grandmother the name, Eleanore West.
The tiny suit he wore felt itchy against his skin but he didn't complain. He didn't complain as his grandmother took hold of his hand and led him over to the front pew where Laurel Lance sat, head lowered and hair falling around her too pale face like a veil. She seemed thinner than the last time he'd seen her and when she lifted her eyes to his, they were red rimmed.
"Hello Miss. Lance. I'm so sorry for your loss. When Taylor heard what happened to Tommy, he so wanted to come to say goodbye. I wasn't sure if it would be alright or not but...my grandson was unable to stop talking about him. When he found out what happened, he was devastated. That young man really had an impact on Taylor. I don't know what he did or said, but he had to have been an amazing person." Eleanore West said, running her hand through her grandson's silky blond locks.
Laurel gave Taylor a watery smile. "I think Tommy would be honored to have you here." She told him, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "If you want, you can sit with me."
"Laurel..." Quentin Lance warned his daughter, eyes filled with worry as she threw him a glare.
"Would that be okay, gramma?" Taylor asked, giving his grandmother his best, wide eyed puppy dog expression before taking the seat next to the woman who had spoken to him. He let Laurel's arm curl around his shoulder and leaned into her, watching from the corner of his eye as his grandmother took the seat beside a pretty girl with curly hair and blue-gray eyes.
When the preacher was done speaking, everyone went up to say their goodbyes to the man lying in the coffin and Taylor reached into his pocket with one hand to make sure the thing he wanted to give to Tommy was still in his pocket. Slowly, he let his grandmother and Laurel lead him to the coffin, watching as his grandmother laid a rose on the young man's chest.
Taylor reached into his pocket again to pull out the "Avengers" card, placing it on Tommy's chest. It only made sense. Tommy was a hero. He knew how the man had died. How he'd saved Laurel's life. It seemed obvious that he was meant to be an Avenger. "Say hello to my mommy and daddy when you get up to Heaven. And let them know I see them every night in my dreams. And give my mommy a hug and kiss when you see her." He heard Laurel let out a shuddery sob from beside of him and he reached out to hug her. "Don't worry. Tommy is always with you." He whispered the words Tommy had said to him about his parents and gave her a boyish smile before taking his grandmother's hand. "And besides, my mommy will take care of him. And he's with his mommy, too. He's safe now."
He didn't see Laurel for awhile after that. Not until years later, when he's twenty two and he runs into her again at the coffee shop. Her hair is cut shorter and she looks older and she seems to be babysitting two children who he finds out are the kids of Tommy Merlyn's half sister. It's there that he tells her that because of Tommy, he is going through training to be a firefighter so he can be a hero...just like Tommy was.
the end