RP ~ Graveside Memorial Service For Aidan And Wes

[on_holy_ground]

Darius watched as the family and friends of the two young men left the warmth of the church and made their way into the small cemetery that was cradled next to St. Julien's. His eyes rested for a moment on each in turn, checking for both those he had seen before, and those he had not. Even with Aidan's friends from the Department present and the security measures he and Korda had discreetly put in place, Darius was ill at ease. Aidan's death reminded him too much of his own demise almost fifteen years ago. He could only push the uneasiness of that memory aside as he prepared to console those in attendance.

As the mourners approached the tent that had been set up, they could see the two caskets covered in a spray of blue and yellow roses towards the back. The sisters of the boys had decided it would be best, all things considered, to have them closed for the service. On the front of either side of the caskets, there are wreaths composed of long stem strawberries, and centered at the back between them is the monument, which would have normally taken several weeks to make. However, Darius knew some people who had worked night and day to complete this one at his request. Finally, there are three rows of chairs facing the boys, set aside for close family and friends in attendance.

Standing to the side at the moment, Darius waited for everyone to take their seats or to stand just behind them. He caught sight of Ynez in the group and it calmed his nerves just a bit. It had been a long time since the priest had performed any kind of ceremony, let alone one such as this, and it had caused him a few sleepless nights over the past week. However, after a few moments, he walked up to stand between the two boys and looked out at those who had come to say good-bye.

“We have gathered here today to pay our final respects to two young men who have left us far too soon. I have spent a great many hours trying to find the right words and tone for this day, and yet nothing I have written or found seems to really capture them. How do I define a life such as theirs in just a few short minutes? How do I call to mind all the memories and the joy that they always seemed to bring with them? How can I express the loss that their passing has brought to those who have known them?”

“The simple answer is that I cannot even begin to do so. These two boys apart were enough to light up any room they entered. Together, they were blinding at times. Most people that knew them could not even think of one without the other. They had a special connection to each other that I think most people only dream of finding, and while I am saddened by their loss, I am grateful for the fact that they are leaving this place together.”

“Aidan and Wes would not want us mourning them for long. They would want us to continue on, and to live our lives to their fullest, just as they did. Remembering that every moment that we have is precious, and that we should make the most of each and every one of them. They would want us to laugh at their memories and smile at the thought of them together. For while they may be gone from our sight, they will always be here in our hearts.”

Darius slipped a hand in his pocket, and pulled out a sheet of paper, which those in the front would likely see had been crumpled and flattened many times. “I will now read two things which struck me as I was searching for the words to say today. One is a Hopi prayer, and the other is a poem by Henry Scott Holland."

“Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet white doves in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die."


"Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped into the next room.

I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.

Put no difference in your tone,
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was,
Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It it the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near,
Just around the corner.

All is well.”

As he finished the last word, Darius looked out at them once more. "At this time, if there is anyone who wishes to say something on their behalf, or to say a final goodbye, then I invite you forward to do so now." Darius stepped aside, allowing someone to take his place.

[OOC: Anyone is welcome to make a new thread under this post to speak on behalf of either or both of the boys. Speaking to family, friends, and general hobnobbing however, should be done at the wake that follows. I simply ask that there be no wank of any kind associated with this, because if that were to happen then we would get very upset. These boys mean a lot to us, and we don't want any trouble surrounding these events. Also note that both the funeral service and the wake are private and that only friends and family will be in attendance. There will be no cameras, surveillance, reporters, Watchers, or anything of that nature involved, and the security level at both the funeral and the wake is extremely high given the circumstances. Nobody will be getting in without being seen. So if a pup is not here personally, then there is no way for them to know anything that happened or anyone who might have attended either event. I'm mentioning this in order to make sure that all the pups who are in attendance can do so without worry about such things as some value their privacy a great deal, and because it makes sense given the circumstances. Expect some slowtime due to holidays and whatnot, and please keep in mind that these events occur in game and are not meta. My apologies for the length of this, and please do have fun, or as much as you can at a funeral at any rate. ;)]

Comments

[sacredeyes]

Peninnah had promised her assistance to Darius through the funeral. As he had requested she had prepared coffee and cocoa at the church for any who wanted to warm up during the service. There she stood off to the side beneath the small cover erected for those who might come for refreshments. She didn't know the boys but the sense of intense grief was enough to bring sadness to her eyes as well. It came to her that perhaps she might need to be here for comfort as well if the grief became too much for those in attendance. Until such time as that might be requested of her Peninnah stood in respectful silence listening to the service and watching the mourners pay their respects.

[kaycee-jazz.livejournal.com]

Kaycee saw Peninnah attending to the refreshments and made her way over. "Hello Peninnah," she said softly, reaching to give the other woman a hug. It wasn't the time or the place for anything other than what they were there for, and she stepped back again. "We will catch up soon, but meantime I'll to give you a hand," she told her quietly.

[sacredeyes]

She was accustom to giving hugs now and returned Kaycee's.

I will be fine alone. You are here for other reasons but I do thank you for the offer.

[broadsword-babe.livejournal.com]

I stood silently, facing the two caskets. Unless I was very much mistaken, the priest was Immortal as well, but this was not the time for such observations.

The day wasn't as bitterly cold as I thought, although the churchyard was covered in a blanket of new snow from the storms that had blown across the area in the past days. It reminded me of my Norse homeland.

I recognized the Hopi prayer from my time in Arizona over a century before. The poem was also a very moving choice. I wanted to send the boys on with a Norse prayer of my own, but I stood back, waiting for the right moment to say my goodbyes. After a few moments, I walked to the two caskets and laid a hand on each and whispered in the old Norse, a language I hadn't spoken for so long I barely remembered the prayer.

'Lo, there do I see my father. 'Lo, there do I see my mother, and my sisters, and my brothers. 'Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning. 'Lo, they do call to me they bid me take my place among them. And live in the halls of Valhalla where the brave may live...forever.

I could almost see the pair of them trying to drink both Odin and Loki under a table. I smiled wistfully, remembering the one and only time I'd seen them.

[no-bedof-roses.livejournal.com]

Alexa arrived by taxi, having come from the airport after leaving her friend in Boston. She had just spent the last hour on the phone with Mark, as he tried to explain to her why he was still in Spain and not there, in New York City. She understood how he felt about funerals and about reminders of death. He was grieving the death of his friends, and at the same time he envied them. At least Stelios was there, at the house, to make sure that Mark was all right. She promised him that she would explain his absence, and make a donation in all three of their names.

She sat quietly, staring at the caskets and still disbelieving that these two young, vital men were gone. She wouldn't get to put ice down Wes' back at work, or hug Aidan when he came in. It was all so wrong. She looked around for Adam, because they were going to meet here, at the service, and listened to the beautiful prayers and poems.

When the priest invited them to come forward, Alexa went up to the caskets, and laid flowers on each. There were two sprays, small and tied with simple ribbon, of tropical flowers, like the ones on the island. They were bright and cheerful, and she set them on the end of each casket, pressing her hand to the wood sadly and murmuring goodbye to each. She wasn't one for public speeches, and she knew the boys would understand. Then she moved on, back to her seat, as others came up to pay their respects.

[iris-angel.livejournal.com]

Adam was late arriving to the funeral, but he did see Alexa go up to the caskets and place her flowers on them both. He looked at her sadly of how she lost her friends.

He had never got along with either Aidan or Wes. There was a history there that he didn't wish to share with that many people. However, watching her grieve almost broke his heart. He was also upset that Mark wasn't able to make it for her. He understood, a little. They had a talk about it, but it would take time for Mark to see the beauty in life. Coming to a funeral would not make him see that. In fact, it might make Mark regret getting married in the first place. Something like this could be very traumatic to someone like Mark. He didn't wish that for Alexa or Mark and so he left it be.

When she was done, he quietly made his way to the seat next to her and took her hand in his.

[no-bedof-roses.livejournal.com]

Alexa was so relieved that Adam was there. She knew that he had come for her, and she was more grateful than she could say. He understood, so well, all of the conflicted feelings in her.

She squeezed his hand, and then turned to look in his eyes. Alexa couldn't help the tears, and she laid her head on his shoulder and cried quietly. The loss was unbearable.

[iris-angel.livejournal.com]

He didn't have anything to give her for her tears, but he did put his arm around her shoulder and hold her tighter to him. He stroked her arm, even over the thick coat that she was wearing.

[no-bedof-roses.livejournal.com]

Just having him there with her was a comfort. He understood her, and so many things, so well. It was one of the things she loved about him. "I love you, Adam" was all she could whisper, holding onto him, feeling his warmth in the cold tent.

[iris-angel.livejournal.com]

He leaned in close to her, "I love you too. Those were beautiful flowers. I'm sure that they would have appreciated them." He didn't want his own feelings to cloud giving her comfort.

[lawyer-frank.livejournal.com]

April, dressed in her funeral MacLeod (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_MacLeod) tartan dress, (http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b21/nightwing_r/Home/ladies-evening-outfit.jpg) sat quietly in the first rows of chairs in from of her brother's grave. She held a rose in her hand and stared at the coffins in front of her. She had stayed as strong as she could for Aidan and even per Korda's request. However, this was her breaking moment.

Darius spoke so wonderfully and she couldn't hold it in anymore. She leaned on Frank and Adalia for support, even though she hardly knew her. By the end, she was crying and not very softly. She was sobbing and there were times when she could hardly breathe.

When Darius stepped aside, she went up to the graves to pay her respects. She touched Wes's coffin with her hand and then put the rose she was holding on Aidan's. She could have made a speech, but the truth was that she was too emotional. She would have, but she would have mentioned things that some people might not have known of. Instead, she sat down and cried and watched others pay their own respects.

Seeing a Friend Off

[lingdian-shi.livejournal.com]

He had reviewed the cards in his hands so many times that they had become dog-eared. When he started to go through them again, she rested a gloved hand on his knee. Through the tinted glass she could see some of the City's landmarks festively decorated for Christmas. She wanted to point them out and ask him about them but she knew better than to disturb his concentration. Besides, they wouldn't be stopping today as they might have in the past. They had a very important appointment -- they were expected at the funeral of Aidan and Wes.

It was when the driver gazed at her in the mirror and caught her eye that she realized they were near the Church. A quick glance to her left at André made her shake her head at the driver. The car went past their destination and turned to go around the block. André didn't even comment on it as he continued to review the cards. The man to her right opened his mouth to say something but pressed his lips closed with a smile. Her hand slid across the leather seat until their fingers touched. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and he winked back at her. She playfully pulled her hand back and rested it in her lap.

She looked out the window again. They were almost all the way around the block now and when they got to the front of the Church the driver would stop the car and they'd have to get out. Then it would be more than just talk. It would be real.


Green mountains range beyond the northen wall.
White water rushes round the eastern town.
Right here is where, alone and restless, he
Begins a journey of a thousand miles.

Re: Seeing a Friend Off

[andre-korda.livejournal.com]

He looked at Darius for only a moment and then addressed those in attendance. "It is very cold, so I shall be brief." He smiled a pleasant smile, not at all fettered by his deeper feelings. "I have learned that wisdom holds little comfort at times like this save to remind us that moments of sadness are bracketed by the joys of life. I offer no words that would shield you from darkness and doubt but I can speak of the pleasure of remembering." He paused and took a deep breath.

"Although I lament both these men passing, my heart yearns more keenly for one. I simply did not have a chance to be familiar with Major Janson. I will humbly say of him that he held integrity, strength, and loyalty above all things. His sacrifice for love was one that few people shall ever understand. A man far from his home yet still filled with the hope of a bright future and family." He bowed his head very slightly towards the man's casket.

Then he gazed at Cee. "Learning and understanding often comes from those who share our lives. Lessons can be difficult but for the most part they are filled with wondrous examples of what it means to simply live! To embrace every moment life offers is a rare gift and one that should be dearly cherished. But it is more important to honor those that teach you how to appreciate those moments. I owe a great debt to Aidan for sharing that with me." His eyes scanned past the crowd to one of the cars idling nearby. "It is a obligation I shall always endeavor to keep well in my heart. He taught me so much..."

He stopped, simply looking at them for a long time as he carefully deliberated his next words. "He was comfortable with himself even if at times he seemed unsure of how others perceived him. He understood the true value of friendship especially when some around him did not. He loved fun. His enthusiastic nature enabled his gregarious and generous character to shine more brightly than most."

He moved to the open ground beneath Aidan's casket and crouched down beside it. He carefully removed a small satin pouch from his jacket and opened it, allowing the contents to spill slowly into the grave. "Once he told me of a secret place," he said softly, unconcerned if anyone heard. "A beautiful green hillside where as a boy he often went. He carried the memories of that place with him always... and forever it shall be that way. For you may not lie on that hill, but it will still embrace you."

He rose and went to April and cupped her hand between his. He smiled reassuringly at her. "I once asked your brother, If you don't care what people think of you, why do you ask their opinions?" His smile brightened and so did his eyes. "He told me that he wanted to build character. To take the difficulties life dealt him and turn them into something positive. He said he asked because the more opinions he got the better his choices would become."

He leaned down and softly told her, "He told me that he wanted to be wise one day without losing himself and his youth. I will tell you that when he said those words to me, I understood more about him than lifetimes could bring. He did accomplish that, my dear. And there is no greater journey than one filled with such truths."

While travelers' intents are fleeting clouds,
A friend's affection is a setting sun.
He waves good-bye, and as he goes from here,
His dappled horse lets out a lonely neigh. ~ Li Bai

[muse-as-needed.livejournal.com]

Adalia stood, and then walked slowly over to the caskets. She rested one hand briefly on Aidan’s, wishing that she had gotten the chance to know him better. She had only met him the once, at the ceremony where he had been married to her brother, and she had thought that there would be time. It seemed now that maybe there never really was any.

After a moment though, she took a breath and turned to look at Wes’ casket. It seemed unreal, standing there in the cold air and hearing her brother’s laugh in the back of her mind. Like he would somehow come back like he had so many times before. Always, he had come back. Always there had been a quick com or something telling them that it had been a mistake, that he had escaped, or that he’d been rescued. Except this time that com hadn’t come, because this time it was real.

Lifting a hand, she places it on the top of the coffin, and softly started to talk to it as though Wes were standing right there in front of her. "We always knew this would happen, you know. I think a part of us expected that each time we heard from you, it would be the last time. Only, that never happened, and eventually we started to think that maybe you really were just that lucky. Except you weren’t, were you? Because now I’m here, looking down at you in a box, and wondering how I’m supposed to tell mom that you’re not coming home."

Adalia paused for a moment to collect herself before continuing. "Damn it, Wes, what am I supposed to do? Their putting you in the ground, and you were never meant for that, were you? I know it’s not really you anymore, and so it shouldn’t matter, but it just seems so wrong to me. You were always meant to fly, not to be tied to this place where you don’t even belong."

Reaching into her jacket, she slowly pulled a small disk shaped item out of her pocket and switched it on. Suddenly, a three dimensional image of an X-wing flying through a field of stars took shape, and seemed to float just above her hand. At this point, she could have cared less who might have seen it and what they might think. "I can’t just take you away though, knowing that your loyalty and love are both here now. All I can really do, is give you this little piece of the sky, and hope that it'll be enough."

Glancing at Darius, who nodded slightly, she carefully set the holoprojector on top of the casket. She knew that the priest would see to it that it was put where it belonged. After one last brush of her fingers against the wood, she returned to her seat, and let the numbness close around her once again.

[kaycee-jazz.livejournal.com]

Kaycee had listened to the people speak, each one's sorrow showing like a pall around them. Watching Addie set up the holoprojector made her take a deep breath. The last time she'd seen Wes was when he'd finally departed the lands of her childhood, the strange stone that had almost brought destruction to the lands recovered and safely hidden in her things. Finding somewhere he could drop her off closer to civilisation had been close to impossible and she'd finally managed to convince him she would be fine to get south on regular airliners, and return here after her tour for the journey back to the Islands, as they'd planned on doing before. His grin and wave, Heyu's squeaks, burbles and flashing lights - and the X-wing had lifted off to head back to this City. They'd spoken a few times on the phone, him trying to see if he could find out about the Stone and letting her know he'd fixed the island's position from what they'd learned from Majallu.

And now none of it seemed real.

She stood up, stepped forward and stood between the two caskets.

"Just over a year ago many of us celebrated Wes and Aidan's union on the other side of the world, and it was one of the most wonderful, happy occassions I've had the joy of being a part of." She paused to take a steadying breath.

"There was another time, the two of them told me of a place, a special place to the both of them, and tree." She looked from one casket to the other, a hand resting on each, and could see that tree, on the edge of the cliff, the two of them beneath it, together, almost as if they were standing there in the graveyard. Without saying anything more she started to sing >the song that had played at their wedding. (http://www.comewriteinn.net/Loreena%20McKennit%20-%20Bonny%20Portmore%20(Theme%20From%20Highlander%20En.mp3)

O Bonny Portmore I am sorry to see
Such a woeful destruction of your ornament tree
For it stood on your shore for many's the long day
Till the long boats from Antrim came to float it away.

O Bonny Portmore you shine where you stand
And the more I think on you the more I think long
If I had you now as I had once before
All the Lords in Old England would not purchase Portmore.

All the Birds in the forest they bitterly weep
Saying "where shall we shelter or where shall we sleep?"
For the Oak and the Ash they all cutten down
And the walls of Bonny Portmore are all down to the ground.

O Bonny Portmore you shine where you stand
And the more I think on you the more I think long
If I had you now as I had once before
All the Lords in Old England would not purchase Portmore.

Once finised she took her hands from the caskets and silently moved away.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_call_me_snake_/]

Snake lingered in the back of the crowd. He hated funerals after burying too many people himself. Still he would pay his respects due to the two men. Many people walked up to speak about them, tokens of memories that Snake didn't honestly have. He'd only met them a few times. Plissken knew it wasn't his place to speak but there was something he would do that no one else had.

A pause came in the speakers. Snake took that as his cue to do what he'd planned. Unlike the others he didn't grieve openly. Instead he kept stoic and indifferent despite how he felt inside. He paused between the two glancing at both coffins before stepping to Aidan's. On his coffin he left a spread of playing cards. The Ace of Spades, the Queen of Hearts and Jack of Diamonds were left in a spread with three white poker chips. It had more meaning to Snake than simply his knowledge that Aidan had liked to play cards.

The other coffin was the hard one to look at. Snake stood at the head of Aidan's coffin staring at Wes'. He barely knew the man but it hit too close to home. He was a pilot and he deserved that recognition. Formality from his military training came back without much thought as he walked to the foot of Wes' coffin. Slowly he pulled out the American flag trimmed in yellow-gold fringe. It was the flag of an officer's burial. Ceremoniously Snake unfolded it to cover the bottom half of the coffin. Once that was done Snake turned to leave. He needed a drink and some time to think before he could be social or deal with the grieving.

[rogue-skeptic.livejournal.com]

Hobbie was there because he couldn't not be there, as much as it hurt.

He was wearing clothes not of Earth make but that more or less fit in even if they looked a little "off". They were all in dark, somber tones, except for the bright yellow ribbon he'd gotten somewhere and tired around his left bicep.

He wasn't very good at coping with grief, even if he was as practiced as any other soldier at losing friends through the years. This was different. This was Wes.

And he hadn't even been able to die the way he was meant to: in flight. It hadn't even been for a cause but for something that belonged to this backwater little planet. There was definitely too much emotion tied up in all of that that Hobbie didn't trust himself to say anything at all so instead, he hung back and watched the others go.

[lawyer-frank.livejournal.com]

It had been rather difficult for Frank to cope with any of it. He had been there and he had watched his best friend die. He had watched the rage that Wes was in before he was also killed. He was there to see that most of the people that killed them were torn apart by his bare hands. He was there…

That was something that Frank didn’t think about until he was released from jail. He had become numb and built up walls around it so that he wouldn’t think about it. Although, how can one not think about it? How can someone not constantly see the way that they hacked off Aidan’s head with a machete? How can one not be effected by the way that the lightning and quickening quickly surrounded everything? How can one not go crazy from thoughts of it when they were standing right there to witness it all?

He didn’t. He pushed it all aside for the moment so that he could focus on whatever task was at hand. Frank, however, could feel the cold shoulder from April as soon as he got home. He could tell that she was angry that he had survived without a scratch on him. He could tell that she secretly wanted it to have been him. He felt it before. She felt the same way when Aidan died the first time. Frank was supposed to have been in that car. Frank was supposed to have died in the accident. Yet, Frank was still alive and Aidan had died twice. He knew that she wasn’t going to be the only one that thought that way. People had seen his name in the paper. They knew that he was there. They knew that he had survived without a scratch on him and yet the other two died. He knew that would lead to a lot of questions and most of the people would accuse him of killing them himself. How else would you explain it? If they knew about Frank, then they knew that he worked for Wolfram and Hart. That isn’t a law firm with a good reputation for a lot of people. How do they know that Wolfram and Hart weren’t behind the attacks? They don’t and Frank knew that he might have to answer a lot of questions. He was prepared for that because he was a lawyer. He could answer anything. That wasn’t true. He could answer anything except for ‘why he was alive and Aidan and Wes were dead. Why?’ He couldn’t answer that…

***

Frank went the hospital so that he could bring Tess to the funeral and Wake. He helped her to change in something suitable for it and then helped her into her custom made wheelchair. She had both of legs broken and she needed special care. He would provide her with any service because he knew that she was great friends with Aidan and Wes.

He had rented a van especially for her transportation and helped her in and out of it. He was careful to wheel her to the cemetery service, but stayed back. It was too hard to push her any further in the snow, gravel, and between gravestones. If she wanted to get closer, then he would happily carry her but it was her call. For now, he stayed back with her and watched people pay their respects to Aidan and Wes.

The Funeral

[naughty-tess.livejournal.com]

Talking to Face had helped a lot. Tess no longer wanted to die, and she wasn't quite as broken as she had been. For those few days she'd been utterly destroyed. Still, life had no color anymore. Food didn't taste good, nothing was interesting. She didn't feel like doing anything; not that there was much she could actually do anyway. Her spirit, maybe not broken anymore, was severely damaged. She knew she was depressed, but she almost felt like she should be for now, so she'd said nothing to the doctors or nurses about medication. It wouldn't seem right to feel better right now.

She wondered if the boys had met her mother yet...

She remembered what Frank had said in the hospital, and she looked up at him now as the tears started. She felt like she'd never run out of them. "You can carry me, Frank," she said quietly. "I want to be closer."

Re: The Funeral

[lawyer-frank.livejournal.com]

Frank nods slowly as he carefully picks her up from her chair. To Frank, she hardly weighed anything at all. Then again, he was gifted with great strength per his agreement with Wolfram and Hart.

Wolfram and Hart who had failed him...

He cradles her into his arms and moves her closer, and waits for instruction of where she would like to go.

Re: The Funeral

[naughty-tess.livejournal.com]

She has lost some weight in the hospital, especially during the darkest days after she found out about Aidan and Wes and barely ate anything.

"Is there a seat near the front? I want to be close. If there isn't, as close as possible, please." She holds onto his neck, trying to ignore the strangeness of the whole situation. The boys dead, her being carried, the awkward casts on her legs... it's all so surreal.

Re: The Funeral

[lawyer-frank.livejournal.com]

"There's a seat." He says as he looks at the front row of chairs and there is an empty chair in front. Frank carries her over, despite the odd looks from people. He then carefully manages her into the chair as he just stands at the end of the row with her.

Re: The Funeral

[naughty-tess.livejournal.com]

She doesn't know him very well, but she takes his hand anyway, hoping he won't mind.

Re: The Funeral

[lawyer-frank.livejournal.com]

He looks down at her and squeezes her hand softly.

Re: The Funeral

[naughty-tess.livejournal.com]

She feels strange watching Father Darius now, but she's not dwellin on it. She has far too many other things to think about right now.

[kronos-endtime.livejournal.com]

There was a memory of mourning locked away in his mind and smothered by time. There were fragments of recollections when he'd given comfort to loved ones at such sorrowful events. There was a time when he cared to do more - but that time had long ago passed.

He'd arrived and remained at a distance. Steam rose up from the manhole veiling him in a cloud. He was good at being a shadow, a distant icon of the old ways, obscure and forgotten, like the dust of ancient artifacts in lost tombs.

He came because of convenience. He watched because it pleased him. He looked up at the heavens not out of a thought but because his heart remembered what it was like to mourn.

The misty cloud of steam rising from the sidewalk subsided but he had already gone.

[immortalmacleod.livejournal.com]

After Duncan got the information about the services for Wes and Aidan, Duncan went quietly and managed to hear the tail-end of what Darius said. He stayed in the back, knowing the other Immortals would sense his presence there anyway, but there was no way he would not show up. He left after Darius spoke, walking into the distance.

[facelorran.livejournal.com]

Face did not sit in the front with the family, but instead stood off to the side. He wore the same outfit that he had for his mother's funeral nearly a year and a half ago now.

He didn't go up to speak at first, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses as he observed those in attendence. It wasn't until he was certain there was no threat to him that he made his way forward, squeezing both Addy and April's shoulders as he passed them to stand up front.

Standing in front of the caskets, he placed a hand on each one of them, thinking of the two men inside. Finally, he looked up at the people who had gathered.

"It's sad when a person who can be so elegant with words is left speechless. There is so much to say, so much that we would be here for days before words could truely express the two lives that have left us. But I'm pretty sure Aidan and Wes would get bored and cold and start yelling about finishing such a speech long before it would end.

"But then I think about them, and I realize that it doesn't matter what we say. Everyone who is standing here knows just how much these two men meant to us all. They touched our lives all in different ways, weaving their spirits into ours.

"There's a culture where I'm from that talks of a force that binds us all together. As I look at all of you, some I have met with the passage of time, and some I have not. Many of you I probably would never have met at all had it not been for Wes and Aidan. And yet here we are, together, binded together with the same sense of loss, pain, and sorrow.

"I think the reason we all cared so much for them was the fact that in our eyes, they were the kind of people we wished we could be, in a way. Sure, Wes and Aidan had their faults... but who doesn't. Yet, to them, their friends were the most important thing. Well, after sex, I think."

Face smiled a bit. "Wes and Aidan always had a smile for us. An encouraging word. A stiff drink. A hug. Or if needed, a swift kick in the ass, which I can admit that I received many of on more than one occassion. They genuinely cared about us, which is rare these days, no matter what world you come from.

"They would want us to remember them. But not to think about the tragic moments that are fresh in our minds. They would want us to focus on the other memories, the ones that made them endearing to us. The ones that made us all fall in love with them as friends and family."

"We will all meet them again in the end, and they will probably have a party waiting to greet all their friends once more when we get to our time to join them in the aferlife. Now that's one party I don't plan on missing..."

He turned to go, his touch lingering on Wes' coffin jsut a bit longer before making his way back to where he had stood, putting his sunglasses on to hide any sign of the emotions raging through him.

[boywonder3.livejournal.com]

Tim Drake didn’t know what to think when he first pulled up the news article (http://lt-wes-janson.livejournal.com/211377.html) about the holiday massacre on the computer. He was mostly shocked because the article made it out as if it was a random act of violence while some people were getting a tree for Christmas. He decided that this would be the kind of article to watch and look into and so he made sure that anything leading to any answers would be pulled up on the screens in front of him.

He looked into the position of some Gotham criminals who might be as cruel to do such a thing. Poison Ivy was the first suspect that he had in mind. Every year, thousands of trees are ‘sacrificed’ for the sake of Christmas. It would be just like her to want a little revenge. However, the automatic weapons and sheer numbers of graphic violent death was simply not her style of doing things. The other suspect would be the Joker, being as how he always needed a ‘good laugh’ during the holiday season. However, the murders didn’t sound like him either. Patiently, he tried to search on any possible leads but came up with nothing.

He didn’t get his answers until he got an email from an April MacLeod about the death of her brother, Aidan. The news about Aidan and Wes’s death came as a shock because he was just at their house to have a poker night. He only sort of, but didn’t really know them. His life doesn’t really allow him to make friends outside of ‘his inner circle’, and so he didn’t really get to know them as he should. Still, their passing was something that had struck a cord with him. They were seemingly good and genuine people who didn’t deserve the fate that they got. Then again, there were a lot of people that he knew that didn’t deserve the fate that they got. The death of Aidan and Wes almost sent Tim over the edge. It made him realize, once again, that he can’t save everyone. People were going to die and it was out of his hands. Although he would love to believe that he still has some control over things like that, the truth was that he didn’t. He might be able to save a few lives, but not all of them and they wouldn’t stay saved forever. His outlook on what he does was becoming bleak and strained. Regardless of the countless training, psychological testing, and brilliant skills that he possessed, he was breaking down. In fact…this might have tipped him right over that edge.

It was an edge, however, that he was not ready to fall off of yet. He was still clinging to the sides and he knew that he could be saved from falling completely. He needed to focus. He needed his friends there. He needed to be around people that would look after him. He needed to patch up some strained relationships that he had before it was too late. First, he would go to the funeral with Cissie, his new roommate. Then, he would go out with Jason and try to patch up whatever differences that they had in the past. That would be harder to achieve, but he was determined to do so. He was going to trust Jason, actually trust him. It was a long time coming and he welcomed it. Hopefully, it would make them brothers again and not enemies. Then he would surround himself with other friends and family so that they could make sure that he was on the right path.

*****

Tim and Cissie stand at the back of the funeral service and watch as others say things over the caskets of Aidan and Wes. He’s thankful that Cissie is there with him, although she didn’t know the deceased at all. He thought to only bring her because she was his roommate and not back to being Arrowette, quite yet. He wanted everyone else to still continue to try to save lives and do the greater good.

His eyes showed no emotion behind them as he watched all of the people talk about the deceased. He did, however, take Cissie’s hand in his and squeeze it lightly as he continued to watch.