I write this with tears in my eyes and those of you who have seen day four will know what I mean. How can they do this? It is beyond me. I am destroyed and am finding hard to write now.
Preparing For That Day.
Phoenix sat on her bed with the pen in one hand and paper in the other hand as she gazed at the photo of her and Jack on the beach. That was one of the most perfect moments in her life, her long life and she tried to hold onto that she see stepped ever closer to hell. She knew that she had the tiniest of chances of getting out of hell alive but she doubted that she would, she wasn't sure that she wanted to get out of hell. She looked at what she had already written and then wrote the last line. This letter was important, it was for Jack when she didn't make it and would be given to Captain Matthews the day The Devourer would come.
Phoenix signed it and then put it in an envelope and hid it amongst her things in the safest place. Phoenix looked at her watch and it had only just reached 12 midday but she couldn't stay there any longer. She had been there for 6 months already and it was lonely. There was no signs of life, no noises and she craved that. The sound of human life in all it's glory. She picked up her weapons belt and slung it around her waist, catching it on the other side and fastening it in the middle. She walked outside into the bright sun and felt the heat on her face and arms. The air was hot and dry as she called a Vortex and it opened in front of her. She stepped onto the metal floor of the hub, dust on her boots and the team are looking at her as though she were something they hadn't seen before.
"What?" she asks them and they all shack their heads.
"Would you like some coffee Phoenix? I'm just about to put some on," he asks her.
"Coffee would be nice Ianto. Thanks," she tells him as she closes the Vortex behind her.
She goes and sits down on the sofa and she watches as the team exchange glances, they knew something she didn't and she didn't like it. Ianto came back with her coffee and handed it to her with the strangest of smiles and she knew for sure that something was going on.
"What's going on?" she asks them and they all look at each other as though they don't know what she is talking about.
"Nothing is going on Phoenix," Toshiko replies and goes back to her lunch as she typed.
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1300 hrs came and Owen, Toshiko, Gwen and Ianto walked onto the range in their body armour and they looked like a small army. It was the way she needed them to look. Then Jack walked in behind them and stood to the side.
"Why are you here Jack? I only need them here," she asks him as the team pick up their weapons from the table.
"I thought I would come and watch. See how they get on. I'll stay out of the way," he tells her as the team stands on their marks.
"Make sure you keep out of the way and quiet while your at it," she tells him really not wanting him there.
"Yes boss," Jack tells her saluting but when he sees the look on her face, he stops.
Phoenix orders them into their stances, each one different according to their sword. After running through what they had already learnt, Phoenix moves onto the next thing.
"You are now going to use those moves against me. You need to learn how to come at someone with what I have shown you and you need to experience your strike hitting something or it will take you by surprise on the battle field and you don't want that. I will not attack you, I will just defend and there is no chance in hell that you will injure me as you aren't anywhere near good enough," Phoenix tells them.
She senses their reluctance to attack her so she starts to get just a little angry.
"If you don't do this, if you don't learn, you will die. Ianto, how do you think Jack and your sister will feel? Gwen, how will Rhys feel when he finds out. Not one of you wants to die do you?" she asks them as she drawers her swords from her belts.
Gwen raises her sword and so does Ianto as he looks at Jack and they attack both at the same time. Phoenix smiles as she defends against their blows, one after another and then Owen and Toshiko joined in. Jack watched as Phoenix was in her element. He watched as with both swords in her hands, she defended against all four of them at the same time, shouting advice to them as they went along. Jack thought how beautiful she looked, how beautiful she always looked when she fought, her blond hair flying around in all directions, swapping how she held the swords in her hand so fast that no-one saw it, her body twisting and turning as swords came flying at her from all directions.
He couldn't watch her anymore so he looked at Ianto instead. The team soon tired, not used to the fast pace and they had been at it nearly 2 hours, the armour starting to get heavy on them. She decided to cut them some slack as they had done better than she expected them to.
"Stop!" she shouts and they slow down and stop, bringing their weapons down and finally breathing almost collapsing on the floor.
"You did well today. I am proud of each of you. The only thing, tomorrow, can you just attack me instead of me having to say those things to you because despite what you might think, I don't actually like saying things like that," she tells them as they look up at her.
She sheathed her swords and then went around the team taking their weapons as they got their breath back. She took them back to the table and started to lay them back in the bag.
"You looked beautiful in your element," Jack tells her as he stands by the table and strokes her hand.
"Don't Jack. I made your choice for you. I told you that," she tells him as she pulls her hand away and carries on putting the swords away.
"But I had no say in that choice did I?" he asks her as she puts the bag under the table.
"Right then you guys. I will see you in the morning for more training. Rest up because your going to need your strength, she tells them all as she heads to the door of the range.
"Wait a minute Phoenix. There is something we want to say before you go," Ianto tells her and she stops and turns slowly.
"We don't want you to go back to that place on your own. We want you to stay here with us and we want you to come on a Torchwood night out. It's long over due and after what we are going to be doing in a couple of days, I think we need to let our hair down," Ianto tells her and she feels an uncomfortable mix of uneasy and happily surprised that they would want her to come out with them.
"Who's going and where as I can't really go out there, Paradox," she reminds them.
"That's taken care of. Gwen went shopping earlier and got something for you to wear in your size, Owen has found us a nice pub to go to, Toshiko found a nice restaurant to go to and I have arranged travel and I will make sure that you won't cause a Paradox. It will be all of us including you Jack and we don't want any arguments," Ianto tells them both, Phoenix and Jack.
"I don' do out Ianto, you know that," Jack tells him.
"Well you are tonight. We will be on standby in case but we are going out, all 6 of us and I am having no argument," Ianto tells him.
"Not to nit pick but I haven't got anything to do my hair with and such," Phoenix tells them.
"That's why you are coming home with me," Gwen tells Phoenix.
"What about Rhys?" she asks Gwen not sure if she wanted to meet him or not, another memory to wipe.
"He's fine. He's going to be at work until later so we will have the flat to ourselves," Gwen tells her with a toothy smile.
"And when is this all going to happen?" Jack asks feeling very much out of his comfort zone.
"Well, we're all going now but Ianto is staying here for a little while and then we are all being picked up," Toshiko tells him and Gwen grabs hold of Phoenix's arm and starts to drag her out of the range.
"Jack," Phoenix shouts back and he shrugs at her.
Gwen and Phoenix arrive outside Gwen's flat in her car and Gwen turns the engine off and both women get out of the car and Gwen looks it up. Gwen takes Phoenix up to the flat and let's them both in.
"You make yourself comfortable in the lounge and I will be back in a second," Gwen tells Phoenix disappearing as Phoenix went into the lounge.
Phoenix looked around and even though the flat was smaller and compact, it was very homely and loved. Phoenix looked around the pictures and there were pictures of Gwen and Rhys, Gwen and her family and Rhys and his family. Phoenix carried on looking around and felt her heart break as she craved this, a life, a family and a home.
"You must get lonely running around on your own from place to place and fighting other peoples wars?" Gwen asks her standing at the corner of the wall.
"It's peaceful but yes, it's lonely," Phoenix admits.
"I am running you a bath as I thought you don't get many baths doing what you do," Gwen tells her.
"You didn't have to do that for me Gwen. Why are you doing all this? Why are all of you doing this for me?" Phoenix asks her.
"To say thank you. So we can all have a little fun before hell happens," Gwen tells her and Phoenix knows that she is lying but she let her carry on anyway.
"You get in the bath and will bring you some towels. There should be everything you need in there but if you need something, just call. I'll put the kettle on and makes us a coffee," Gwen tells Phoenix and smiles at her and Phoenix smiles back.