And So, Here They Are
By guardyanangel
It's an unspoken rule that one comes to the graveside of the one you mourn for on days that hold such significance for them as today, and so, here they are.
Cheshire thinks to herself that Roy looks older than he did when she saw him last, long before the worst nightmare for both of them came true and he was reduced to the pale, drawn man that she sees before her. If there were room left in her heart for anything but grief, she would feel sorry for him, but she can feel nothing but the mind-numbing sorrow that clenches her heart every time she stands before this headstone.
To Roy, the trembling woman before him seems distant, unaware of the fact that there are tears trapped in her eyes like diamonds permanently set in a golden ring. He doesn't think that she even notices the violent tremors that wrack her entire body as she stares at the place where their daughter is buried. There's a flower clenched tightly in her fist, and another one of the same species-Lian's favorite- held in his, and as he steps forward he takes her hand that's holding the flower with his free one, bringing her to kneel before the grave while guiding her hand to the bottom of the stone.
They lay down their flowers at the same time, side-by-side, and for the first time in years she allows him to hold her. They hadn't expected their next meeting to be like this- had expected it to be in a battle where one would try to chase down or hurt the other- they hadn't expected that this loss would bring them together again, that Lian's death would bind them together in a way her birth never could.
They never expected this, yet now Lian is gone, and so, here they are.
Neither is sure if the moisture they feel touching their cheeks is their partner's tears or their own, and in truth it matters very little. They are one in their combined grief, now, and as they stand Cheshire's hand grips Roy's fiercely before she speaks.
"Happy birthday, baby."
The whisper rips the both of them to the core, and they find themselves embracing again. They had sworn never to see each other again, never to involve their personal and professional dramas in the life of their daughter, never been together on this the day of her birth.
Never, until now. Because Lian is gone now, and so, here they are.
A/N: Originally written for the Comment Fic community over at LJ, just moving it over because I'm clearing out my Livejournal account.