Chapter 22

Saying Goodbye

Over the next week Lily hardly saw Matthew. When she went to church he would go out a side door just so he didn't have to talk to her. She couldn't help but feel like she had done something wrong. Both Tosh and Suzie told her not to worry about it, because she knew Jack before she knew Matthew...it wasn't fair for him to make her feel bad because she was in a relationship with Jack.

So she finally did decide to get over it. If Matthew didn't want to be her friend then fine, she had friends within the staff members of Torchwood and she was fine with that.

New Years Eve rolled around and the weather report was calling for Snow. Lily was excited about this and thoughts of the snow she managed to get incredibly excited for 2008. Snow would be a fun way to ring in the new year she thought.

When Lily woke up in the arms of Jack on the eve of the new year she looked up to see Jack with a far away look on his face. His arm was wrapped around her tightly. She moved her head to rest on his chest, "Jack what are you thinking about?" She murmured.

"The day I became in charge of Torchwood."

"When was that?"

"Eight years ago tonight."

Lily looked up into his eyes, "Tell me about it."

He shrugged, "There really isn't anything to say. I went out into the field and when I came back...my team was dead. And there was my boss...watching the festivities on the television. He had killed them all...and then he gave me Torchwood and he killed himself."

"But...why? I'm not complaining but if he killed the others why didn't he kill you?" She asked.

Jack looked at her with a grim look on his face, "There is something I haven't told you about me. I should have done it awhile ago but...I was scared."

Lily pulled out of his embrace and sat up, covering her naked body with the blanket, "What is it?"

Jack sat up himself and looked down at his hands, "You'll never believe me."

Lily smacked him on the arm, "Jack I've witnessed enough in the last few weeks...things that I wouldn't have ever believed in a million years...there isn't a lot I won't believe."

He sighed, "Lily...I'm immortal."

She looked at him for a moment and burst out laughing, "Your joking right?!"

He frowned, "No I'm not joking!"

"That's just...insane though."

Jack stood up and began to put on his clothes, "What do you want me to prove it to you?"

Lily pushed her hair out of her face and frowned, "Fine...but let me get dressed first." She stood up from the bed and found her jeans and a sweater.

Jack took her downstairs and found a knife in the kitchen drawer. Lily sat down and watched him.

"Just...watch." Jack instructed her.

The next thing Lily knew he was cutting a deep gash on his arm.

"Jack what the!" She cried.

He finished cutting, his face screwed up in pain, "Lily just watch my arm."

She was going to go get something to apply pressure so the bleeding wouldn't get so bad, but then right before her eyes, his flesh started to repair it's self. The wound closed up a moment later and all that was left was blood that had dripped from a now missing wound. Her eyes went wide in shock and fear, "Oh my God."

"I tried to tell you."

Her hands covered her mouth, "Jack...that's...." Tears were in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Lily." He turned to the kitchen sink and ran water over the blood on his arm, then he threw the knife in the sink.

"Why didn't...." She was struggling to speak, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He shrugged, "I couldn't find a way to tell you. Then you asked why I wasn't killed eight years ago...and that's why. Because he knew I couldn't be killed."

"But you could have told me!" She cried.

"There was never the perfect time! How do you suppose I work that into a conversation?" He shouted, "When we were shopping for a tree, 'Oh by the way Lily, I'm immortal!' Or I could have told you at the dance. There was never the time to tell you!"

A tear rolled down her cheek, "Don't shout at me. You could have sat down and told me. Don't give me that crap, because there were plenty of times when you could have just told me."

"Lily don't cry. I was always going to tell you. I just needed to find the right time to tell you."

"I...I have to go...I need to think." Lily then turned, she grabbed her coat from the hall closet and left.

Jack stood there a moment, as he began to clean up the blood from the floor the door opened again. It was Mary and her husband. They came into the kitchen, "Oh hiya Jack! Where is Lily?"

"She's...gone out." He muttered.

"Right...well we won't be here long. Just dropping stuff off before going to my brother's house for a party. So don't worry about us."

Jack just nodded, he finished cleaning up the mess then went to get his jacket and shoes from Lily's bedroom. He left Lily a note and then got in the SUV and drove back to the Hub.

Lily wondered for hours. When she finally did return home, the snow that had been called for was starting to fall, and fast. Her body was numb from the cold and she went to the kitchen to fix a pot of tea. Slowly she drank the first cup and then the second and the third. Allowing the heat to slowly warm up her body. She went upstairs to find the note Jack had left for her.

'Lily I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me because I love you. Jack.'

She sighed as she sat down on the bed and clutched the note to her. Slowly she reached for her phone and called Jack's number. It went straight to his voicemail, "Jack...I'm going to come over so we can talk."

She put the phone away in her pocket and then put her coat and gloves back on before going outside. Night had come fast and she was struggling to walk on the slick wet ground. Since it was so dark she didn't see the person walking behind her. And since it was dark the person following her didn't know who their prey was. But just was the water tower and crowd of people came into sight, Lily felt something cold pierce her back. She cried out but the cheers and music from the Millenium Centre didn't hear her. Lily fell back as the knife was pulled from her back and she hit the ground. Her attacker ran off, not even looking back.

Lily laid there on the cold ground for several minutes before she heard her named called out. Matthew came rushing to her side, "Lily?!" He cried, blood was seeping into the snow around her body.

She looked at him, "Matthew...." tears were leaking from her eyes, "Call...Jack."

He pulled her phone out of the pocket and tried calling Jack's number, there was no answer.

"Lily I'm going to call an ambulance."

She shook her head, "Matthew it's too late for that. I'm..." she closed her eyes then opened them again, "I'm going. Tell Jack..." She crying even harder now, "Tell Jack that I love him...and I forgive him."

Matthew seemed hesitant but he nodded.

"Thank you and..." she gasped in pain again, "I'm so sorry about...everything."

"Lily it's alright. It was never my place to get upset with you." He paused, "Did you see who did this?"

She shook her head and tried to speak but her eyes closed, they opened briefly again and then she closed them for a final time.

Matthew had silent tears streaming down his face as the Black SUV pulled up and Jack jumped out of the vehicle.

"Lily!" He cried, falling into the snow. He pushed Matthew out of the way and took her body into his arms.

She was lifeless, he had been too late.

And she wouldn't have even been out here if it hadn't been for the stupid fight they had, had earlier. They should have been in the Millenium Centre celebrating 2008...instead they had fought and when she came to see him she had been killed. Jack leaned down and brushed his lips against her cold lifeless ones.

Matthew watched as Jack cried into Lily's body. A moment or two passed and Jack looked to Matthew, "Did you....did you see who did this?"

Matthew shook his head numbly, "No...I got here after the person had run off. I am so sorry I couldn't...I couldn't do anything."

The next thing they knew another black SUV pulled up. Owen, Suzie, and Tosh came out of the vehicle.

"Suzie said there's been another-" Tosh trailed off at the sight of Lily's lifeless body in Jack's arms.

"Jack what happened?!" She cried, rushing to his side.

"I...someone murdered her." He murmured.

Owen came over to the body, "Oh my God...we, we should get her body out of here. Before anyone else notices and calls the cops."

Matthew looked up, "The cops need to investigate this!"

They all looked at him, "We're taking care of it..."

"Who are you then?!"

Jack was already picking up Lily's body to put her in the vehicle, "We're Torchwood. Now Go home Matthew...there is nothing you can do. If you call the Police, we'll deny it, and it's our word against yours." He turned and Owen had already opened the back of the SUV. Jack gently placed Lily's body in the back

Matthew watched with a heavy heart as the SUV's sped off into the night.

"But who would want to kill her?" Tosh asked as they walked in.

Ianto looked up, "Kill who?"

Everyone looked at him, Ianto and Lily had been pretty good friends in the short ammount of time they knew each other.

"Lily is dead." Jack said softly.

Ianto dropped the silver serving tray that he had been holding. Coffee mugs broke sending hot coffee all over the place.

Tosh rushed over to help clean up the mess.

"What do you mean she's dead?" Ianto asked gently.

"I mean someone took a knife and stabbed her in the back, just like that other body we found the other night."

"Oh my God." Ianto reached around for a chair and sunk down into it.

"Suzie help me get Lily out of the truck," Owen instructed as he brought a gurney up from the autopsy bay.

Suzie seemed a bit out of it so she didn't respond.

"Hello, Suzie?!" Owen snapped.

"What? Oh yeah, sorry."

Owen rolled his eyes, together they carried the cart out to the SUV. Jack went to his office and sat down sadly.

Tosh stood up as she threw the broken mugs into the trash. "This is horrible," She murmured.

Ianto looked at her then glanced over to where Jack was. He was crying silently.

A moment later the lift came down with Owen and Suzie, the guerny between them. Ianto and Tosh watched as they took Lily to the autopsy bay. Suzie came up the stairs she looked sick, "Do we want to...use the glove?"

Jack came out of his office and brushed a tear away, "Yeah...go get it."

Suzie went to her desk.

Jack slowly walked down the steps of the Autopsy Bay. Owen stood back and watched as Jack brushed Lily's hair out of her face. Suzie came down the steps next, Ianto had his stop watch and Tosh went to the computer station.

Suzie moved behind Lily. She lifted her head in one hand. Jack stood next to Lily's body and nodded at Suzie. She moved her gloved hand to the back of Lily's head. There was a moment or two and then Lily cried out.

She looked around and saw Jack, "What....what's happening?"

Jack took her hand, another tear was forming in his eye, "Lily look at me you need to calm down and look at me!"

She took a deep breath and looked at her, "Jack I was dead...how am I here?"

"Lily we have a device that brought you back and we don't have a lot of time. Did you see who..." He was struggling to speak, "Did you see who did this to you?"

She shook her head, a tear rolled down her cheek, "No...I never saw them. They got me from behind and..." she was crying herself now as the impact of the fact she was dead hit her, "I was already on the ground when they rushed off."

Jack sighed.

"We still have a few minutes or so." Tosh said softly from the computer.

Lily looked back at Jack, "I...I don't want to go back. It's not fair! I..." she was crying even harder now, "We didn't get enough time together."

"Lily I know."

Then she thought of something, "I was coming to say...I'm not mad at you. I love you...I understand why you couldn't tell me before."

Jack nodded, "It's alright. I love you too. I..." he glanced at Ianto, they didn't have that much time, "I'll always love you. I promise."

She smiled at him despite her tears.

Jack leaned down and they shared a kiss, and then Lily was gone. The connection died. Jack stepped back from her, "Put her in the morgue. Let me know when your done and you all can go."

He turned and left the morgue.

A while passed, Owen prepared her body and then she was placed in the white body bag. Suzie looked to Owen as Lily was strapped down onto the cart. Together they took her down to the morgue, they found a spot and closed it up.

"I'll uh...be right up." Suzie said to Owen.

He nodded slowly and went back upstairs.

Suzie stayed for a moment. She looked at the freezer a tear rolled down her cheek, a single tear, "I'm so sorry Lily. I didn't know it was you." Then she turned and ran back upstairs, brushing her tears away.

The End

XX

A/N- Okay so I told my friend Ellie you all would be after me with pitchforks. Anyways...I've decided last minute to write a quick epilogue. Considering I have three hours to finish and post this story. So yeah. I hope you all aren't too terribly upset with me and how this story went. But this is actually something I had planned before I even wrote this story. Going all the way back to The Butterfly Has Flapped It's Wings (which God willing I'll finish posting this life time). I have always planned to kill off my female lead. But I've never had the heart to do it. When this story presented it's self to me I knew I had to do with this character. Trust me it was incredibly painful to write Lily's death scene. I STARTED CRYING!

But I made a vow to myself that I would do this with this story. Sadly it had to be done. Master's Return people? I am going to try and re-write the last chapter sometime within the next week or so. Please bear with me.

Please review and give me love...or hate. Whatever.

Much love to you all for sticking by me for these last 11 months.

Beccs! ^_^