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Ianto stood at the customs counter trying not to be argumentative as he again asked them not to open the jar. Of course, this large, pretty jar had something in it, the x-ray has told them so and they were determined to find out what the powder was.

"Look, I have the documentation to…" Ianot stopped talking as the heavyset man simply pulled the lid off, the effort used making the entire thing puff grey powder up into the air, into the man's face and over the uniforms, Ianto missed as he stepped back.

Ianto blinked slowly as he took a deep breath then said "Well. Now you've met the wife."

The other Customs Officer stood to one side gaping at the spectacle her partner was making as he choked, coughed and promptly dropped the jar… yeah… of course it shattered and the ashes of Ianto's late wife were now all over the place.

Ianto felt a strange satisfaction, she would have loved that. One more Fuck You to the authority. Ianto waited as they all screamed yelled and tried to fix things. The huge coffee jar they found made him gape "You want my wife to go in a coffee jar? Wow… well… she was black."

Cue more horror and running about. As Ianto struggled not to laugh tears rolled down his face, his delight hidden behind snorts and gasps. It looked like he could be upset too, I guess. He did not exactly correct those moving to comfort him.

In amongst the chaos, he noticed another man having some fun, repeatedly saying in a dull monotone that had a hint of cockney bastard to it "No… medical device too. No, I am a doctor and those are medical devices too. No… I have the paperwork to carry on… no… no… medical."

The man caught Ianto's eye and the two of them shared an eyeroll worthy of such stupidity. Finally, a tin was found, one that had contained chocolates and now he found a wild giggle forming as he again pointed out that she had been a woman of colour in life, and he had called her his Hot Chocolate. Oh well… he sort of preferred it, the pretty flowers on the side something she would have liked.

It was irony at it's best.

He was packing his things away when a voce interrupted the conversation going on around him "Is there a problem here?"

Ianto turned to find the most handsomest man he had ever seen, his old WWII Great Coat out of place over the modern pilot's uniform but by the gods, he wore it well.

"No Captain, just… ah…"

"They thought I was trying to illegally export my late wife's ashes to the underground cremains drug movement overseas" Ianto calmly waved at the latent power residue all over the place, some of Lisa now forever to be part of the customs area.

The man's eyes widened slightly as he looked at them "And you never thought to ask what was in there before opening it?"

"Well… the thing is… it was a rather… ah.. fluid moment and…"

"Fluid. Seems a bit dry to use that term" the Captain growled and Ianto found himself smiling softly as the man bristled on his behalf. "You had to break a seal to do so, right?"

"Yes Captain, sorry sir."

Then the Captain averted his glare, his face turning to a movie star's megawatt mile that had Ianto a little week at the knees. I mean… Lisa had been gone for over six months and … by the gods… he was not a fucking monk ya know. The last year had been… dry.

"Captain Jack Harkness" the captain extended his hand

"Jones… Ianto Jones." ianto stammered, finding himself stepping closer and smelling … wow…he even smells expensively decadent.

"Well Mister Jones, I do apologise for this… rudeness. I think we are on the same flight" the captain looked at Ianto's boarding pass sitting on the counter "Yep. Huh… only a few rows away form one another. I am deadheading back for my next assignment. Don't worry, this is a quiet flight, why I like it to sleep."

The captain wafted off as Ianto turned to glare at the Customs Officials who were also staring after him with a look of longing before shaking themselves out of their reverie.

Ianto was soon boarded and found himself behind the wing, as he preferred with a good aisle seat. The doctor was sitting across the aisle from him with a pretty Japanese woman who seemed to be ignoring him as she worked on her laptop, the man at the window seat ignoring them all. To Ianto's other side were a young couple, clearly just married with confetti still in their clothing as they held hands and gushed at another, the entire world not seeming to exist.

He envied them. He had never known love like that. Lisa was… well. She sort of told him they were getting wed, did the entire thing and sort of… bulldozed his life. He did love her, don't get me wrong but it was more of a comfortable love. She was compatible. Until she wasn't. Her death a horrible shock, the cancer diagnosis a precursor to a nasty and mercifully quick death. Said death enlightening him to the fact she had a lover who wanted to play merry hell at the wake, the debts she had hidden from him and the most hurtful thing of all… an abortion early in their relationship that he was sure had been his.

No, six months after all the angst, he was ready to scatter her ashes in Tahiti like she wanted, saying bye bye to her and all the baggage attached. One more push, one more task to please her.

Then he would be free.

"Sir? Can I put that in the overhead locker for you?" the flight attendant was gesturing at his carryon bag that was clutched firmly in his arms. Lisa inside.

"No, me wife ya see, she…"

"Sorry sir, regulations" she seized the bag before he could properly explain and shoved it in the locker above his head. Commotion further down the aisle got her attention and she moved off as a Welsh accept boomed out with annoyance abut someone in their seat.

Ianot stood and calmly retrieved the carryon bag. Lis. Settling back to tuck it under his seat where she would not see it. Felt… cheeky. Since Lisa died, he found himself doing a lot of … cheeky things.

One last push and then he would be free.

Even if it meant he would be adrift.

Well… until he chooses to end that too.