Chapter Text
You wake up to the sound of the front door closing and keys hitting the table. You roll over to face the bedroom door just as it starts to open, Jack peeking his head around.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”
You shake your head softly as he steps into the room. “Don’t worry,” but you yawn at that moment, causing him to give you a look. “Seriously, it’s fine,” you wave your hand, sitting up. “How was the rest of your shift?”
He peels his scrubs off his body, leaving him in boxers and a black tee. You shamelessly watch as he talks about his night. “Fairly quiet, actually. It was nice.” He turns and looks, noticing you staring. “Though, you were the best part.” He steps over, pressing a kiss to the top of your head with a soft chuckle. “You’re staring, love.”
You hum softly, both in response to his kiss and his comment. “Yeah, I am.”
You watch him move around a bit more before speaking again. “You up for going out today?”
He lets out a quiet huff of a laugh. “Define ‘going out,’” he teases, tossing his dirty scrubs in their designated bin.
You roll your eyes, a smile on your face. “It’s me… I’m not going out in the same way everyone else is.” You laugh at the thought of seeing yourself out at a club or a bar, though can’t say Trinity hasn’t tried once or twice. “Just wondering if you’re up for leaving the house. Low effort, I promise.”
He holds up a finger as he steps into the bathroom to turn on the shower, warming up the water. He steps back into the room, eyes scanning your face. “What’re you up to?”
You smile softly. “Nothing crazy. Swear.” You make a motion of an ‘X’ over your heart, and he smirks, lips twitching in a way that immediately makes you want to kiss him.
“You’re trouble, love.”
“You love it.”
He laughs, and nods, before reaching for the bathroom door.
“Give me ten minutes to shower… time for a nap in between?”
You nod eagerly. “Doesn’t have to be until lunchtime.”
He hums, still smiling. “I’ll hold you to that nap.”
**
He’s still getting dressed as you finish putting things together in the living room. As you pick up the bag, a hand appears at your side, pulling it from you.
“Jesus, we need to get you a bell or something,” you mutter, but smile as you let him take the bag from you.
“I keep you on your toes, baby,” he smirks, pressing a kiss to your temple. You hum softly in response, grabbing your keys and sliding on your sneakers.
“Ready?” you ask, watching as he ties his boots, the bag sitting next to him.
“You gonna tell me where we’re going?”
You shake your head. “Absolutely not. And don’t peek in the bag either.”
He huffs, standing upright and grabbing the bag, and makes a show of holding it tightly closed. “Not peeking,” he mutters, but there’s still a smile on his face as he opens the front door for you.
In the car, his hand rests on your thigh as you drive, a radio station playing softly and the windows cracked.
You glance over at him, and he’s staring out the front windshield, watching the trees pass by. “You okay?”
He hums quietly. “Yeah, just thinking.”
“Uh, oh, that’s never good.”
He smiles and rolls his eyes. “Just… taking in the afternoon.”
You nod, understanding, and focus back fully on the road. Both your hands rest on the wheel, and you give him another smile when he squeezes your leg.
There’s another heavy quiet in the air as you pull up to the small cemetery.
“Baby,” he whispers.
“You tell me immediately if this is too much, yeah?”
He nods, but he gives your leg another squeeze, and you take it as approval. You offer your hand out for the bag, but why you thought today would be different, he doesn’t know. He instead takes the bag himself, and, as usual, he walks around the car to open your door for you.
You huff, but smile as you grab your things and step out of the car. “Thank you, love.” You press a soft kiss to his cheek as he shuts the driver door. He slides his free hand down to your waist as you walk down the stone path. You both stop when you reach the familiar gravestone, only a short distance from the quiet road.
He finally offers the bag when you put out your hand again, and you set it down to pull everything out. You lay out a blanket, big enough for the both of you to lay on, if you wanted. You gesture for him to sit, which he does, but his eyes never leave you. Every movement is tracked by him as you pull out more items.
You hand him a bottle of sparkling juice before pulling out a container of sandwiches. You sit down beside him, reaching back into the bag for the container of fruit and nuts you had added as well. You place two cups on the stone behind you, and it takes him a moment to start pouring the juice, his eyes still watching you. Once you have everything laid out, he hands you one of the glasses.
“You didn’t have to do all this,” he says after a bit.
“I know. But I wanted to,” you say, settling in fully beside him. You rest your head on his shoulder and watch the grave for a moment.
“He misses you a lot, and through that, I miss you, too.” You speak out loud, not necessarily to no one, hoping somehow Elizabeth is hearing you. “I wish I could have known you. You seem like such a wonderful person. Everything I’ve learned about you through him makes me love you more. I can understand why he fell for you.”
You look over, and you can see his face is controlled, trying to keep the emotions that he’s feeling in check. You nudge him softly. “Stop it, it’s just us.”
He huffs shortly. “God you two would have gotten along,” you hear him murmur as he lowers his head.
You turn back to face her grave, your eyes tracing her name etched into the surface of the stone. “You live through him. Through us. I know he grieves, and I wish there was a way I could fix it. But through that grief, you are always remembered, always loved. And while that grief isn’t linear, the memories won’t fade. They’ll gain strength. They’ll remind us of the importance of love and connection. Finding happiness in the small moments. They’ll always exist. Especially on days like today.”
You look over again, and you see a couple of tears have slipped down his cheeks. Your eyes widen slightly, taking in the raw emotion that is finally written all over his face. You set your glass down, and wrap an arm around him. “I’m sorry, was that too much?”
He immediately shakes his head, taking a small but deep breath. “No, no not at all. It was perfect.” He looks up at you, and you can see it in his eyes. The grief, the love, the intensity, the fear. All of it. It’s all there. And you adore every bit of it.
You rub his back slowly as he faces her grave again. “I miss you, Liz. Every fucking day. Some days, it would feel like I wouldn’t be able to stand it anymore.” His voice trails off a bit and glances over at you for a second. “But then she found me, and it’s like the world bloomed again. I’m not sure how the universe works or what happens after we die. But thank you. For loving me in this life. And for seemingly loving me in the next. And if you had a hand in helping the universe bring us together, thank you. I’m remembering how to love again - that it isn’t a thing meant for one person. How could it be?”
When he looks at you again, you have to blink quickly and swallow a growing lump in your throat. You nod in response. “And thank you, for loving him the way he deserved. I will love him with my whole heart, both in this life and the next. And you. You will always be in my heart with him.” You mimic his words, and he smiles softly.
“You still trying to get with my wife?” He teases softly, needing to break the moment just slightly.
A quiet laugh escapes your lips. “I’m telling you, we could be a power trio.”
He chuckles, glazing down at the band on his finger again. “I’d be lost without you two,” he whispers, placing another kiss on your temple.
“You’d find your way,” you say. “But I’m very grateful that you don’t have to do it alone.” You rest your hand on his again, allowing him the opportunity to move it if he wants. But instead, he takes your hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back of your hand as he does.
You lean forward a bit and rest your hand on the stone, the weight of his own hand in your other. You can feel the band on his finger, and it brings you a sense of comfort.
“Happy birthday, Elizabeth.”
**
Fin.