Epilogue

The wind blew Romana's hair across her face as she stood on the top corner of a building above Cardiff bay. The black jacket she wore billowed in the air and the long scarf flew around her. So much had changed in the past few days. She stared out over the bay, below, the entrance to the hub could be seen. She had to make a choice, well, it should have been a choice, but it was mostly made for her now. There was no going home. No seeing her Team again. No seeing Joey again...

She sighed to herself as she stood there, her mind caught up in her thoughts. Memories returning to her after five years in an alien body. She never heard Jack approach.

"That's my favorite spot."

She smiled to herself, but didn't turn to face him, "I should have guessed."

He laughed as he approached her place, "Well, I did get that love of hights from you."

She turned to face him, "Really now?"

"Oh yes indeed, Romi."

She looked away for a moment, then back at him. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, "Oh Boe..."

Jack raised his hand to her face and gently caressed her cheek, "I was so sure you were dead..."

She nodded, "I know... You talked a lot to me, remember."

Jack stared at her. She had the face of a sweet, twenty-one year old girl. The girl he and his team had come to know as Astra. But in her eyes, he now saw the same wisdom and intellegance that he'd seen in his sweet friend Romi. And now that he knew what it looked like from himself and the Doctor, he saw the age. The years of life that she'd had, "Of course I remember."

"So my Captain, where do we go from here?" She asked him.

Jack shrugged, "I don't know. It's up to you really."

"Up to me... Everyone keeps saying that," It wasn't a question, the way she put it. He knew that, "No it's not..."

"Maybe he's wrong..." Jack started.

She shook her head, "I may have once thought him the biggest fool I'd ever met... But no book could've ever prepared me for what I saw when I traveled with him. His knowlage... self taught as it was... No, if he says there is no way back, then there is no way back."

"So... What will you be doing? Going with him?" Jack asked. Suddenly scared, that she might leave and jealous of the Doctor if she chose the Doctor over him.

"As tempting as it sounds... Travelling around in the TARDIS, saving the universe again... No... I," She looked at him, uncertanty flared in her beautiful eyes, "I was hoping I could stay here, with Torchwood..."

Jack felt his heart do a jump for joy in his chest as she said those words. His smile lit up his face, "Well, I don't know Romana... I mean, my computer tech Astra... She'd be sorely missed if she left..."

She looked at him, but her face betrayed nothing.

"I don't see why not... But... The others will want to know..."

She nodded, "What to call me." He nodded, "This body... you know about Regenerating... This body is Astra Lifrey. I have many more lifetimes to be Romana again. So, what do you say we get back to work?"

Jack nodded and watched as she walked past him to the stairwell. There was no one there but them. No one to see him make a fool of himself over something he'd wanted to do since the very first time he'd met this extraordinary woman. And the change of face really hadn't changed how he felt. Yes, he loved Ianto and he would never deny that. He'd loved... And lost a lot of people in his time. But he'd never really gotten any of them back. But here she was. His first love. He'd truely been a young man when he'd met and fallen in love with her, but he'd never told her. His fear of being rejected lead to smeone else winning her heart and he knew that Rhiley still held Romi's heart and now, he was also quite sure the Doctor held a little too. But then, the Doctor held a little of everyone who crossed paths with him.

"We got the TARDIS," He said to her.

She turned back to him and smiled, "Good... Did... Was it Rhiley who took my sketch book?" She asked.

He nodded, "Yeah. It's in my office."

She nodded, "I asked him to come for me if I took too long..."

He reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from going any further. It was now or never. He closed the distance between them with one step. Their bodies were so close, but he was only touching her where he held her. Slowly his other hand reched up and cupped her cheek tenderly in his large hand. His lips hovered just above hers and then he closed the distance, meeting her lips gently and hesitantly at first. But when he felt no resistance from her, he threw in the years of watching her from so close, but so far, the years of distress over her death and the joy of having her there in his arms, now after all that time.

He knew the moment couldn't last forever, but now he'd at least had that moment. He slowly and regretfully moved away from her. She looked lost in a dream when he looked at her face, "Romi... Astra... I... That was totally inapropriate of me..." He finally manged.

She shook her head, "No... Not really... What took you so long Boe?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and laughed, "I have no idea."

She cupped his cheek with her smaller hand, "Don't be sorry Boe. You and me, we have forever. Right now, you have Ianto and you're great together."

Jack nodded, "We are, aren't we?"

She smiled at him, "You should tell him so, more often."

She linked arms with him as they headed back to the Hub. There was still a rift to manage, a city to save and an awful lot of running to do...

A/N: Well, this is it. Good bye from Jack, Gwen, Ianto, Taye and Astra. Not for forever. They'll be back in my new fic 'In Plain Sight' It'll start soon... I hope. I'm also planning a prequel about Jack's life before he became a conman. While in the tima agency with John, Romi and Rhiley. So keep an eye out for that if you're interested.Don't forget to tell me what you thought about it... Maybe I can find soe Myfawny plushies for anyone who does?

Anja