Chapter Seven
After a period of time to adjust and after checking up on a sleeping Lillian, the team plus the aliens move into the boardroom.
"Sorry about calling you a poof, but you must understand that was the human speaking," Marianne says. "Your boyfriend is very handsome and very intelligent."
Ianto smiles at the woman who was once quite dowdy. Now that she knows who she is, she has a regal air about her. With a shy voice, he says to her, "I accept your apology, and thank you, Gran. May I call you, Gran?"
"Of course you may. That's who I am," she says. "And Captain, I hope you realize what a wonderful man you're with."
Jack responds quickly. "You bet I do."
"Mr. Goodall," Gwen says. "When you say that you were here for research purposes, do you mean that your species were planning to come here and invade?"
Marianne looks at Gwen as if she implied that Light Keepers eat babies for breakfast. "Don't be vulgar, young lady," she snaps. "Invasions are for lesser species."
"Our old alliances were beginning to show signs of strain," David begins.
"Greed is a more appropriate word," Marianne interjects.
"So we were sent to learn as much about your planet and its cultures as possible in order to determine if Earth would make a good trade partner and ally," Mr. Goodall explains.
Mrs. Goodall speaks to Gwen as if she was speaking to a child. "You see, we are a pragmatic race, and after disastrous results in the past, we don't enter into agreements to lightly. Our leaders want to be sure that humans would not misuse our technology and that we could rely on your planet in times of need."
David adds, "We came to live amongst you and have the human experience so that we could give an authentic report. As humans, we would understand your desires, your fears, your motivations, etcetera. Those who sent us were supposed to come for us at the turn of the new millennium. I wonder what the delay is."
"Your planet was invaded, and those who were evacuated were scattered," Jack says.
"But, they will come for us," Marianne insists.
"No they won't," David says somberly. "We're disconnected. Who is going to return for a handful of orphans? Anyway only a handful knew we were here."
"They'd come for her," his wife says with a nod to Rory.
"Why did you chose to take this mission?" Ianto asks.
Marianne reaches out and pats his hand. "When I was recruited, I never had a real home nor a real family - none of us had that. That is what this project had to offer us. It may have not been a true family connected by light and blood, but when we had our memories wiped, all we knew was each other. We became the Goodalls because that's who we thought we were. And we loved you and our daughters as if you were our very own. Those feelings are still with me."
"That's all that matters," Jack says as he winks at Rory.
"Still would have been nice to see the place where we grew up once more," David muses.
"Now about Lillian," Marianne says. "What can we do to help her?"
"She needs to be re-energized," Jack says. "For that we need the third spark."
"But that belongs to someone else," Rory protests. "Lydia should have a choice in the matter."
"I'd offer you mine, but I'm afraid it might not be strong enough," David says.
"Then, we use mine," Rory offers.
"No!" Owen exclaims.
"That would be asking too much," Ianto adds.
"But mine is the strongest. I've already had a full transition, and I should have the right to choose what I do with my light," Rory insists.
"What about us?" Owen says.
"I'll still be here," she replies.
"But you won't be you," the doctor says.
"She'll regain her spark once Lillian is fine," Jack tells him.
"It took Rory three full months to transition. Is Lillian going to take that long?" Owen asks.
The Captain can only offer him these words: "It is Rory's choice."
"I just want to help," Rory says in a voice barely above a whisper.
"I know you want to do this for Ianto, but I can't lose you," Owen says with tears coming to his eyes. He knows that everyone is watching, but he doesn't care. "I lost Diane. I lost Katie. I almost gave up on having a normal relationship, but then you came into my life and wore me down with your tenacity. Now, you are my first thought in the morning. Yours is the last voice I want to hear before I go to sleep at night. And when the scum of the universe washes up on Cardiff, I can look into your eyes and know that there is hope out there, too."
"There is another option, my dear," Marianne says. "We would have brought it up sooner, but then there was all of that arguing. And to be honest, it was worth keeping my mouth shut just to hear that romantic speech."
"Rory," David says gently, "How would you like to adopt Lillian? She has never had the benefit of anyone's spark. You would connect her to your family, and I know she will be better off for it."
"I could do that?" Rory asks.
"We remove her old spark so that she is a blank slate, and you bestow her with your light, just as if she was reborn," Mr. Goodall replies. "You'd be like her father."
"All right," Rory says.
"She won't remember anything from your planet," Ianto comments. "All her childhood memories... gone."
"But she will still remember you and her life on earth before the crash. That memory is stored in another part of her brain that won't be affected at all by the procedure," David replies.
"What about after the crash?" Ianto asks. "Will she be able to recognize me once she's alert again?"
"I don't know," Marianne says. "I wish I could tell you."
xxxx
In the autopsy room, Jack and Owen make the preparations. Jack hauls out the spark extractor and places Lillian's old locket in the receiving capsule while Owen places a mask over her mouth. After adjusting the settings, Jack flips the switch, and as the machine sucks out the old light, the patient's eyes open wide and her body becomes rigid. Her blood pressure skyrockets as a small light no bigger than a dying ember leaves her body and goes into the mask and through the machine until it finds its home in the locket. The patient eyes shut once again, and Jack takes the locket and snuffs out the old light.
"Now," David says quietly as he holds onto his wife's hand.
Rory steps forward and takes Lillian's hand. Like her father did with her the moment after she was born, she gives Lillian the gift of joy and love. They all watch the scan of the patient's brain as the synapses begin to fire, and the light begins to settle in its place along the amylgada and forms the brain section that separates the two species. Soon, new paths slowly grow from that spot like vines creeping along a structure.
"It's a miracle," Gwen says.
"It's biology," Jack muses. "It's millenniums of evolution that rewards the strongest of a species. But yes, it is impressive."
"What happens now?" Ianto asks.
"We wait," Marianne replies. "I'll put on some coffee."
"The machine is tricky," Ianto says. "I could show you…" But his voice trails off when he meets his grandmother's raised eyebrow.
"Don't patronize me," she says firmly. "I think I can make coffee on my own. Your place is by Lillian's side, but I will accept Gwen's help."
"Yes, ma'am," she murmurs. The former police woman follows the elder woman like a puppy or a submissive maid.
"I like her. I should have met her months ago," Jack whispers in his lover's ear.
"Back when we were a couple of poofs?" Ianto asks.
Jack replies with a snicker and a nibble on Ianto's ear. He is suddenly aware that everyone else has witnessed this small moment of intimacy. "What? Can't a man show just a bit of affection?"
Tosh and Rory both giggle.
"I think I'll have a walk outside along the bay," David says with a warm smile for his grandson. He turns to Toshiko and asks, "You wouldn't mind keeping an old man company?"
The computer expert takes his arm and replies, "Actually, I think I'd like that."
"So if Rory and I get married," Owen says to Ianto, "I reckon that would make you my grandson. Does that mean I can boss you around?"
"Oh, you mean more than your already do?" the Welshman snaps back.
"Absolutely not," Rory answers. "Grandparents coddle and spoil their grandchildren."
"So if you marry her, you're going to have to be nicer to me," Ianto says.
"Shit. You and your bleeding heart," Owen mutters to Rory.
xxxx
Outside, the elder man and the young woman enjoy the cool crisp breeze coming in from the water and the glow from the setting sun.
"It all looks so different now," David comments. "All these people running about filled with the minutiae of daily life. It makes you wonder if they ever stop and contemplate their place in the universe. I know that I rarely did as a human."
"Mr. Goodall, after all of your research, would you have given the Earth a favorable report?" Tosh asks.
"It doesn't matter now, does it?" he replies.
"I'd still like to know."
"Earth is a mixed bag, isn't it? I liked your Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Ghandi. They were both decent fellows with sound principles, but so many of your other leaders were so corrupt and so much racism. I wonder how the lot of humanity would react if they knew who I really am."
"What about your species?" Tosh asks. "From hearing your speak earlier, it sounds like you were treated like second class citizens on your planet."
"Well, we can't all be doctors and engineers, and it's not like the disconnected were forced to live in the slums or a ghetto."
"What did you do?"
"I was an archivist, and I'll have you know that I was known for my superior memory," Mr. Goodall proudly states.
"So you weren't even a scientist or an anthropologist?"
"No. None of us were. We were recruited because we could blend in the background and were talented at gathering and sorting through information."
Just like Ianto,Tosh thinks to herself. She turns to David and says, "With all due respect, your planet doesn't seem to be much better if they abandoned four orphans on a potentially dangerous planet. Jack always says that your species are snobs."
"But our species is better than most. We are more intelligent. We have better technology. We could also render the technology of our enemies useless with a push of a button if we wanted to."
"You could do that?" Toshiko asks in awe.
"Just because we can doesn't always mean we should," David answers. "And that little trick only gave us enough time to apply evasive maneuvers before our enemies struck back with brute force. I suppose our way was on the outs anyway. Perhaps we were just too proud of ourselves."
"Maybe your species is still out there - finding a new home and rebuilding," Toshiko says.
"Maybe," David replies.
"Sometimes, I wonder if humanity is worth saving myself," the computer expert admits.
"Is there someone special in your life?"
"Sort of," she replies with a shy smile. "He's a police officer, but he doesn't know what I do."
"Secrets. That can make life difficult," David says. "But is he worth saving?"
"Of course he is."
"What about your family?"
Tosh thinks about her own mother, and what she sacrificed for her. "I would give my life for them."
"There's your answer," David man tells her. "I'm suddenly in the mood for some chocolate. I tell you we would have gladly offered you the secrets of our teleportation devices in exchange for the Cadbury corporation. There's nothing as delicious as a piece of milk chocolate where I'm from."
xxxx
One coffee break and a Chinese dinner later, Jack sends Tosh and Gwen home. Worried about their safety while they are still in the early stages of their transitions, Ianto arranges for his grandparents to stay at a near-by hotel. Lillian is still unconscious, but her brain continues to repair itself and her vitals grow stronger. Ianto sits next to her in the medical exam room.
Jack bounces down the steps and reports, "I've fed Myfanwy, and Rory has just finished feeding the Weevils. You know, they've really taken to her. Janet even likes having her chin scratched. It's like she's Rory's bitch."
"Could Rory be the Weevil Whisperer?" Ianto wonders.
"She's good with her hands," Jack says. "Just like her father."
The younger man raises an eyebrow, "Did you ever…?"
"Ana Lucia was hot, and Hector had this incredible charm."
"I see."
"I wanted to. I even offered a three-way, but no," Jack says. "They only had eyes for each other. Light Keepers mate for life. But you should know."
"I am still human," Ianto reminds him. "I'm merely a serial monogamist."
"Then why is it that every time I look in your eyes, I see a spark?"
"Awww," the master snarker says sarcastically.
"Hey, that was a good line."
"But you have to admit that was a wee bit saccharine."
"A bit," Jack admits. "But you love it."
"A bit," Ianto admits. He gazes into the Captain's eyes and tells him, "Thank you for this. Thank you for having faith in my mother."
"You don't have to thank me. I'm just glad that you get the second chance with your mother that I never did."
"Hey, if you're with me, you get the whole package, my entire family included. Do you think you can handle that?"
Jack smiles and kisses Ianto's hand. "Your grandmother looks like she is a force to be reckoned with, but I think I can."
xxxx
As she waters and feeds the plants in the greenhouse, Rory smirks at Owen.
"What?" he asks defensively.
"You love me," she giggles.
"What?" Owen exclaims in mock denial.
"You are so in love with me," she says. "You said as much in your wonderful speech. All that was missing was those three little words."
"Which aren't exactly easy to say," Owen points out.
"You really are worried about losing me."
"Yeah, I am," he confesses. "I could be killed tomorrow by an alien death ray or mauled by a Weevil. We have to make every moment count."
"I know."
"Would you have allowed Jack to take away your memory again?" Owen asks.
She looks at the sadness in his eyes, but she will not lie to him. "Yes."
Owen takes a deep breath, but is unable to hide his hurt feelings. "I thought so."
"But let's just be glad that it didn't come to that," Rory says as she touches his face.
He nods and places his hands on Rory's hips. "You know if you had, I would have been angry, but I would have understood."
"Would you have forgiven me?"
"Let's be glad that we'll never know," Owen replies.
Jack tears into the room and interrupts them, "Owen, she's waking up."
xxxx
In the autopsy room, Lillian is murmurs about light, static and circuits while Owen checks her vitals. "It looks good. Ianto, talk to her."
"How are you mum?"
"Ianto?" Mrs. Jones whispers. She looks at him and blinks several times to adjust her eyes. "Where's my little boy?"
"It's me, mum. It's Ianto."
Lillian recoils in fear, but after looking into her son's blue eyes, she realizes that he's telling the truth. "Where's here?" she asks.
"You're safe," Ianto replies, unable to hold back his tears. "You're in a place where they can fix you. This is where I work, mum."
"I feel…" she pauses to find the right word. "Dizzy. That noise in my head."
"It will go away in a bit," he assures her.
"Where's your father?" Lillian asks. "It's been so long…I was driving…"
Ianto can feel his heart break as he recalls that he never told his mother that her husband was dead, "I'll explain later, but you need your rest right now so you can get stronger. Mum, this is Dr. Harper, and he is going to examine you. Do you understand?"
"Yes," she replies. "I do."
Ianto begins to weep as he begins to feel so many different emotions all at once. He gets up and reaches for Jack's hand.
Lillian takes one look at the Captain and says, "You and my son…"
"Yeah," Jack answers.
"That face… I've seen it before," Lillian says sleepily.
"All right, Mrs. Jones," Owen says. "That's enough for now."
But she has one more question: "Doctor, what is going on? I hear this noise and I can see these lights in my head."
"You are becoming exactly who you were meant to be," Owen replies.
"You'll get used to it; you'll learn to control it," Rory assures her. "I promise. Just give it time."
"So far, so good," Jack whispers in Ianto's ear.
"Well, yes, but how do I tell her that her husband is dead? How do I explain where she's been" Ianto whispers back.
"Tomorrow, Ianto," the Captain replies. "We'll take this one step at a time."
A/N: In case you were wondering, I did choose the name Goodall after the primatologist and Leakey follower, Jane Goodall, who spent her life observing the chimpanzees of Africa.
