Tosh stumbled along as Stanley dragged her down a path that led from the back of the large manor to a small chapel tucked back near a thicket of trees. She could hear people talking and laughing as they approached.
"Sounds as though the guests are having fun." Georgette said with a smile.
"I told you it was all taken care of." he said.
"So you did." she replied.
Georgette walked ahead and opened the door and led them into a small foyer, a set of double doors across from the front door, and two single doors to each side of the entrance.
"Sit her down here." she said, indicating a chair off to the side. "She needs to be able to walk down the aisle on her own." she added, smoothing the skirt of the wedding dress out. "Don't want people talking, now do we?"
"Of course not." Stanley said, "I'll go and fetch something to pep her up a bit."
"You do that." she agreed.
Stanley wandered off to the door on the left of the entryway as one of the double doors opened and Faith and Gwen came walking out. Each was dressed in some very old fashions. Tosh would have guessed they'd been popular, well, about seventy years ago.
"Gwen." she said, feeling relieved. "Faith."
"Oh, she is out of sorts isn't she?" Gwen said, shaking her head. "It's the nerves right before that big walk."
"We both had it when we got married." Faith said. "Don't worry. You'll forget them soon enough."
"And be replaced by all new ones on the wedding night." Gwen laughed.
"As if you waited." Faith whispered as she jabbed Gwen in the ribs.
Tosh just stared back and forth between the two of them in confusion. What were they going on about? Was this some sort of trick to fool the Milners?
"Oh, come now Soo-Jin." Georgette said with a sigh. "You remember Jennifer and Grace."
"Jennifer and Grace?" Tosh shook her head, not understanding at all.
"Yes." Faith said. "I'm Jennifer White, this is Grace Wilkins." she added. "Ringing any bells?"
"I do think this wedding has done away with her wits." Gwen said. "Poor thing."
"No." Tosh said, her voice slowly coming back. "You're Gwen Cooper, and you're Faith Madden." she explained, pointing to each in turn.
"Oh my." Gwen said. "You need a stiff drink."
"You always think everyone needs a stiff drink." Faith joked.
"Why don't one of you go and fetch her something." Georgette suggested.
"I'll just run and do that." Gwen offered. "Be back in a tick."
"We were even nice enough to find your friends to have at the wedding." Georgette whispered to Tosh as she adjusted her veil once more. "See what all we've done for you."
"These aren't my friends." Tosh hissed. "I don't know what you've done to them..."
"Mrs.Milner, why don't you go and see what's keeping Grace with that drink." Faith said. "I'll keep an eye on our little bride."
"I'll do that." she answered with a smile.
"Here, drink this." Faith said as she opened her purse and took out a silver flask, the initials J.A.W. engraved on the side.
"I don't know what's going on." Tosh muttered as she reluctantly took the flask and took a swig of what turned out to be gin.
"You're getting married, silly." Faith laughed. "It is overwhelming, I know." she said. "When Neal and I decided to finally do it..."
"Neal?" Tosh asked. "That's your husband I assume."
"Of course it is." Faith answered, looking very concerned. "You were in the wedding, Soo-Jin." she said, trying to remind the trembling, confused, would-be-bride.
"God, what is happening?" Tosh groaned as she handed the flask back to Faith and leaned forward, hiding her face in her hands.
"Here we are." Georgette said as she came back, holding a glass of wine.
"No thank you." Tosh said, pushing the offered glass aside.
"She had something." Faith said with a smile.
"What?" Georgette asked.
"She had a sip from my flask." she answered serenely.
"You carry a flask." she scoffed. "Doesn't surprise me in the least."
"Don't worry, Soo-Jin, it'll all make sense soon." Faith said confidently as she stood up.
"No..." Tosh said as her head began to pound.
"You can go back in now." Georgette said, shoving Faith towards the double doors. "Move along now."
"Mother!" Christopher hissed as the doors opened.
"Get back in there." she said, "You can't see her before.."
"I know, but I need your help." he said.
"I'll keep the bride company." an all to famliar voice said.
"Jack?" Tosh whispered.
"Thank you, Mr. Harley." Georgette said with a smile. "I'll only be a minute."
"Jack!" Tosh said.
"Hey there." he said as he sat down next to her. "Is this bizarre or what?"
"No kidding." she said. "So, what do we do?"
"We do what we have to." he shrugged. "You'll walk down that aisle. Then we can all go home."
"What?" she asked, taken aback by his answer.
"It's the easiest thing to do." he said.
"Jack..." she began to argue, but stopped as her head began to pound again. "Oh god." she hissed.
"You all right?" he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Soo-Jin?"
"I'm fine. Just nervous." Tosh heard herself say, knowing deep inside that was the wrong answer.
She wasn't nervous, she was angry, confused, scared out of her mind. Just about anything but nervous!
"At least you'll have someone." he said as he helped her to her feet. "I'll be going home alone."
"How are we feeling now?" Gwen asked as she came back, holding a glass of wine.
"Better." Tosh answered, causing herself to scream mentally.
What the hell was going on here?, she wondered.
"I don't think we've met." Jack said as he smiled at Gwen. "Jack Harley."
"Grace Wilkins." Gwen offered. "I think you've met my husband." she added.
"Husband. Of course." Jack said.
"What is the hold up?" Faith asked as she came back out, Ianto and Owen right behind her.
"Well, hello there." Jack said, sounding as charming as ever when he saw Faith.
"Hello." she said.
"I don't think we've been introduced." he tried again. "Jack Harley."
"You've met my wife before, Harley." Owen, or was supposed to be Owen, answered.
"Neal!" Jack said, seemingly just realizing the other two men were there. "I don't think I could have, I would have remembered."
"You were drunk, you vomited in my handbag." Faith said.
Tosh's mind was reeling. Mentally she knew this was all wrong. These people were her friends, but they all had the wrong names. Faith and Owen weren't married, and watching Gwen and Ianto holding hands, she could only assume that he was supposed to be Mr. Wilkins.
"Oh, yes." Jack said. "I remember now." he smiled again. "Did I pay you for that?"
"No." she answered.
"Better than when you fell face first into our daughter's cake." Ianto said.
"Oh, little Helen's birthday." Jack said. "Sorry about that, Vincent."
"An apology a year later." Gwen said. "I'm sure that'll make Helen feel much better."
"I think this is why I'm not invited to parties anymore." he whispered to Tosh.
"Why are you lot out here?" Stanley said as he seemed to appear from nowhere.
"Just checking on the bride." Faith said as Owen/Neal slipped his arm around her waist.
"Well, back in, all of you." Stanley said, shooing them away. "Jennifer, tell my wife to start the music. We'll come in when she does."
"Will do." Faith said with a smile as the group headed into the chapel.
"Mr. Harley." Stanley said. "I hope we won't have any troubles from you this evening."
"I promise." Jack said, sending a wink Tosh's way before disappering into the chapel.
"Ready?" Stanley asked as he offered his arm.
"Of course." Tosh said, ignoring the voice she could faintly hear in her head telling her to run, run as fast as you can!
The music started and the double doors opened. They began their slow walk down the aisle to Georgette Milner playing the Wedding March on an old pipe organ.
The next few minutes was a blur. A priest was telling them what to repeat, the ever creepy Christopher was slipping a ring on her hand, and she slipped one on his.
"Congratulations." the priest said as the couple turned around.
What have you done?, a voice kept saying. What have you done?
"Welcome to the ranks!" Gwen said as she hugged Tosh.
"You can join our weekly complaints group." Faith joked as she waited to hug her.
"You've done well." Jack said as he kissed her hand.
"I've just one more thing to say to you." Christopher said as he leaned towards her. "What have..."
"What have you done, Owen?" Faith's voice said, coming through loud and clear as Tosh lurched forward suddenly.
Tosh slowly opened her eyes and blinked. Looking around, she saw that she was in the SUV, Owen was driving, or had been. At the moment he seemed to be having a row with Faith.
"I'm not the stupid animal that came running out of nowhere!" he responded. "Why don't you ask that damn fox what he was doing?"
"Did you hit him?" Faith asked as she unbuckled her seatbelt.
"I hit something." Owen answered as he did the same. "Figures you'd get only half an hour away from home before something bad happens."
"Have a nice sleep?" Ianto asked as he tried to ignore the arguing in front.
"What?" Tosh asked, feeling a bit dazed.
"Good sleep?" he asked again. "Did you know that you snore?"
"I do not!" she cried.
"Uh, yeah, Toshiko, you do." Jack put in.
"Loudly." Ianto added.
"I do not." she added as she looked forward to see Owen and Faith moving outside the SUV, presumably looking for the fox they were fighting about. "What's going on?" she asked, feeling as though one of the Milners was about to pop out of nowhere.
"Owen wasn't paying attention and we think he hit a fox." Ianto informed her.
"Did Owen say we were only half an hour out of Cardiff?" she asked.
"Yeah." he answered.
Looking at her watch, she saw that it was nearly eleven. She decided to try to text Alun, just to apologize for not showing up.
"My phone's working." she said, as she stared at her phone is amazement.
"I know, weird isn't it?" Ianto asked. "Out here in the middle of nowhere really, you get a signal." he said. "But you can stand in the wrong place in your flat..."
"Now he's going to crawl off somewhere and he'll have no way of caring for himself." Faith was saying as she and Owen got back in.
"Maybe he has a little fox wife who'll kiss it and make it better." he said as he put the car in gear and they started moving again.
"You can be such an ass at times." she retorted.
"You know you want me aga..." Owen yelped.
"Shut it." she warned.
Jack, Ianto and Gwen exchanged glances at the last little exchange, but said nothing. Tosh ignored it as she texted Alun an apology for being hours late and not havning gotten in touch with him sooner.
Two minutes later, her phone sounded:
Don't worry, we can do it another time.
Love ya, Alun
Tosh smiled down at the message and leaned back against the seat and stared out the window. She didn't want to fall asleep again, afraid that she'd travel back to the Greenlee Manor. She just half listened to the continuing argument between Owen and Faith and laughed along with the others.
Tosh walked up to the door of her flat still rather at a loss for words where that dream was concerned. It had all seemed so real. And yet...
She stopped when she saw a figure at her door, just sitting on the floor. Looking at her watch she saw it was fifteen after midnight. Who on Earth...
"There you are." Alun said as he caught sight of her.
"Alun?" she asked. "What are you..."
"Wondered if you thought it was too late to do our little movie night?" he asked as he held up a couple of bags. "If you're tired though..."
"No, I slept on the way home." she said, not mentioning that she wasn't too keen to sleep anytime soon anyway.
"Great." he said. "I've got food, movies, beer." he added as he handed her a bag and a parcel.
"I'm hours late for a date, and you bring me a gift?" she asked as she looked down at the parcel.
"Not from me." he said as he picked up the bag of dvd's. "It was here when I arrived and some kids were hanging about." he explained. "I don't trust children. Sneakly little buggers."
"I see." she laughed as she unlocked her door and let them in.
"You sit down and pick out a movie." Alun said as he took the food to the kitchen. "I'll warm things up."
"Sounds good." she called as she sat down and started opening the package.
"We're working with this new program at work." he called out over the clattering of dishes. "Seriously, hun, you should see what all it can do..." his voice drowned out as Tosh saw what was inside the parcel.
Old photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, locks of hair, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates and,Christmas, birthday and post cards. She just stared at them:
Dear Mum and Dad, April, 12,1959
We're loving it here in Los Angeles. You wouldn't believe how different it is from home. Ralph and I can't thank you enough for sending us on this honeymoon. I can't wait to tell you all about it when we get home,
Love always,
Debra and Ralph.
Tosh stared down at the postcard. Mum and Dad? Who did this belong to?
She stared open-mouthed at the picture she found next. Standing in a long white gown, it was her, next to Christopher Milner, his parents and...the Torchwood team and Faith. Flipping the photo over she couldn't believe it.
March 2, 1938
Our Chris's wedding to Soo-Jin Kim, and a few family and friends. Neal and Jennifer White, Vincent and Grace Wilkins and Jack Harley.
All the names that were in her dream. That same dress. She tossed the picture down and flipped through more of the papers.
Dear Soo-Jin, June, 14, 1940
Been so long since we last saw eachother, just wanted to update you on a few things. After five boys, we finally have our little girl. At long, long last. Her name is Brenda Marie. She's just so beautiful. Of course that might be because she's mine, but I think most people feel that way, or they should.
Grace and Vincent have bought a house just down the street from us. I think their oldest and our Brenda will be quite the pair when they're old enough. Her being just a bit better of course. I was so happy to hear about your good news. Twin boys! I know how that feels, twice over!
I hope you and Chris come down with the kids for a visit, it's been far too long.
Love and wishes, as always,
Jennifer
Twin boys? Tosh once again just stared at the old, yellow, faded letter. How many children had her other self had?
Christopher Paul Milner April,5, 2000
Age 97, died Tuesday, of natural causes. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Soo-Jin (Kim) Milner and their twleve children, seventeen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
"Doesn't that sound great?" Alun's voice broke in as he put a plate down on the coffee table in front of Tosh.
"What?" she asked numbly as she stared at the clipping.
"The computer program I was babbling on about." he said as he looked at her. "You sure this isn't too late?" he asked. "I can leave.."
"No, it's not that." she said. "It's these newspaper clippings."
"Soo-Jin Milner, age 88, died in her sleep surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren." Alun read. "Nice way to go." he said as he handed her the fragile clipping, dated May 5, 2000. "Some old family stuff?" he asked as he looked through a few things.
"Yeah." she nodded as she read a birthday card from a grandson named Arthur.
"You want to finish looking through these?" he asked. "Movie can wait."
"No, I want to watch a movie and just make a pig of myself." she said as she gathered the things and put them back in the box.
"If you're sure." he said as he picked up a few things that had fallen on the floor. "Been a long day?" he asked as he leaned back, Tosh resting her head on his shoulder.
"You have no idea." she said as the movie started and she thanked her lucky stars that she was at home, with Alun.