"Friends and family, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of Dr. Elizabeth Lancaster Brooke, aged 87. Elizabeth passed away last Tuesday at 5:16pm after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. Elizabeth will always be remembered as a loving wife, mother, and friend to all…"
A young woman stood back behind the group of mourners, hiding among the gravestones, dressed somberly in black. She smiled. It was a good turnout, better than she had expected. She was constantly underestimating the amount of people a single life could touch.
"Little is known about Elizabeth's early life. Her parents died when she was young, and Elizabeth was placed in the West County Children's Home in Gloucester. She later was accepted to Imperial College London, where she studied astrophysics and later achieved her Ph.d."
Dr. Lancaster, she thought with a smile. It sounded so very official. I suppose it only made sense that I should gravitate towards the stars. She chuckled. No pun intended.
"Elizabeth was well known for her work on the Mars One project, which works towards colonization of Mars. She was later instrumental in the design of Bowie Base One and gained a lot of support from her colleagues for the idea."
A murmur went through the assembled crowd. The young woman smiled. Evin's family never did like that idea much. Her own family, on the other hand, well. She had a funny idea they wouldn't have minded at all.
"Through this work she met her husband Evin Brooke. The two were married in London in March of 2008. They had one child, Devan John."
An older man in the front row was weeping silently, earning sympathetic looks from the rest of the group. The young observer badly wanted to comfort him, but forced herself to keep her distance.
"Evin passed away early last year. His loss took Elizabeth hard, and it was anticipated she would not live long without him."
Oh, my Evin, the woman thought. I thought I couldn't live without you. She glanced down at her hands, which danced with a faint golden light. Turns out I don't have much of a choice.
She thought back to that baffling moment in her hospital room, when she'd felt herself slipping away. She had been ready, had said her goodbyes, and she when the regeneration came, she was prepared. The world exploded in golden light, and when it was done, Elizabeth Lancaster was gone, and in her place stood a young woman with an unfamiliar face and a head full of memories she could finally call her own.
Mystery, she thought with a smile. I suppose I can start using that again now.
"Elizabeth is preceded in death by her husband Evin Brooke and daughter-in-law Adelaide Brooke. She is survived by her son Devan, her grandson Jason Brooke (Emily), and her great-granddaughter Susie Fontana Brooke."
Actually, she survived them all, Mystery thought wryly. Was this how the Doctor felt too? Then again, the Doctor never went to his own memorial service.
"Her family and friends will remember her for her tart sense of humor and love of life, as well as for everyone she met."
She watched as the service concluded and the mourners slowly dispersed. There was no casket, which had been difficult to explain, but she'd managed to convince Devan as she lay in the hospital not to worry. Instead, there was just a simple tombstone, now piled with flowers.
Mystery walked up to it and knelt on the snow-covered ground. 'Elizabeth Lancaster Brooke,' it read. '1984 - 2071.'
She traced her fingers over the engraved years. How old am I really? she wondered. If a baby is born in all of time and space, when is her birthday? She'd have to ask the Doctor when she next saw him - and she was determined to see him again.
Her hand fell to the simple message carved into the stone. Amare, memoria, et mysterium. "Love, memory, and mystery," she murmured with a chuckle. "Could there be anything more appropriate?"
Mystery stood up with a smile, brushing the dirt and snow off her knees and straightening her funeral clothing. "Goodbye, Elizabeth," she whispered. "I so enjoyed my time with you, but that time's done now, and I've got to move on." She kissed her fingers, then pressed them to the cold stone.
After a moment, Mystery stepped back and turned away from her old life. There's whole universes out there, she mused as she walked out of the cemetery. I wonder what you'd have to do to get out and explore them? Whatever it was, she intended to find out.
A.N: It is finished and I am emotional. I take some margin of comfort in knowing that because this epilogue takes place in the year 2071, Mystery is still alive and well somewhere right this very moment. I was careful to leave space for lots more Mystery adventures, as I come up with them. Also I'm going to post my quote key that I've been making so faithfully as another chapter right at the end. Read it or don't, it doesn't matter much to me. I just kept it because I like to feel clever. I will also be removing it from my profile after this.
I will be having a sequel, as I'm sure I said, and it will take place after this story but before the epilogue, which should be interesting. It will feature guest appearances from River Song and Torchwood, which I'm extremely excited about as well. Again, if you want to keep updated about what I'm doing, feel free to follow me as an author (and if you want to favorite me too, I certainly won't object). That way I think you'll get an email when I start new stories, at least. I'm not sure what else, honestly.
Incidentally, if anyone can answer Mystery's question there (If a baby is born in all of time and space, when is her birthday?) please let me know, because I am legitimately curious.
Sorry if my Latin isn't perfect, I've never taken any Latin, I just picked that much up from choir but it seemed to fit.
And now, beloved readers, the time has come for me to finally bid you farewell for this story. I shall miss it terribly, and I shall miss hearing from you all so often. You're reviews and messages are the bright spots in my day a lot of times, and I cannot thank you enough. So, much love to you all, and thank you again for sticking with me all the way to the end. It has been one heck of a ride, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
-Forever the Optimist