Sidebar: I'll Meet You On the Other Side: The Long Walk Home
Title: I'll Meet You On the Other Side (7.5)
Characters: John Smith (aka Alt!Ten)
Rating: G
A/N: Inspired by a comment from voicegrl. No beta for this, I'm afraid, so no hunting down persiflage_1 if there are typos or cultural issues.
Story Index
Synopsis: A brief interlude. John realizes that living in Pete's World can sometimes be a bit too serendipitous. There might be an incident with an animated advert at the bus stop.
The Long Walk Home
There were many, many blocks to go before he got home, and John's body, bruised and battered, just couldn't take much more activity. This is what it was like to be human. All that energy, boundless and bountiful, was gone. He'd felt tired before in this world, but never this weary. He'd really taken a risk today, pushed himself too far. "Simon would be very cross with me right now," he muttered.
He could see the bus stop ahead; this would probably be the smart thing to do. A quick bus ride home--he was fairly certain he could sort out the complex sequence of buses to take to his destination--and he could take a bath and put himself to bed. Maybe, too, he could begin to forget about meeting up with Martha.
He knew he was being silly; surely he'd see her again. Their paths had crossed now, they knew each other, they'd had an adventure. It had always worked before--meet a pretty girl, save her life, have her save yours (and this time, it had been her listening that did it, saved his life when he didn't realize it needed saving), and before you know it, you're rolling along in the TARDIS, bouncing around through time and space.
He grimaced. "Works great when you're driving. But Jack's in charge here." He was at the stop and he stood next to the shelter and ran his hand through his hair. How long would this bus take? Did he have correct change? He started rooting around in his pockets and counting coins.
Music in his ear kept messing up his count. He rolled his eyes--bloody adverts--and looked over at the screen attached to the shelter. It was an advertisement for a travel agency, and the sugar-sweet voices warbled out to passersby
When will I see you again?
When will we share precious moments?
Are we in love
Or just friends
Is this my beginning
Or is this the end
When will I see you again?
The song was playing over visions of singles looking forlorn and lonely, then morphing into couples dancing, walking on beaches, skiing, kissing on bloody cruises, and it was dated and cheesy, but he could feel the tears pricking the corners of his eyes all the same.
He pulled out the sonic, setting 753, and pointed it at the sign. The advert was silent and the screen began to smoke and sputter. The bus pulled up to the stop. John decided to keep on walking; he needed to clear his head.
**************
Experience the sweetness too!
Characters: John Smith (aka Alt!Ten)
Rating: G
A/N: Inspired by a comment from voicegrl. No beta for this, I'm afraid, so no hunting down persiflage_1 if there are typos or cultural issues.
Story Index
Synopsis: A brief interlude. John realizes that living in Pete's World can sometimes be a bit too serendipitous. There might be an incident with an animated advert at the bus stop.
The Long Walk Home
There were many, many blocks to go before he got home, and John's body, bruised and battered, just couldn't take much more activity. This is what it was like to be human. All that energy, boundless and bountiful, was gone. He'd felt tired before in this world, but never this weary. He'd really taken a risk today, pushed himself too far. "Simon would be very cross with me right now," he muttered.
He could see the bus stop ahead; this would probably be the smart thing to do. A quick bus ride home--he was fairly certain he could sort out the complex sequence of buses to take to his destination--and he could take a bath and put himself to bed. Maybe, too, he could begin to forget about meeting up with Martha.
He knew he was being silly; surely he'd see her again. Their paths had crossed now, they knew each other, they'd had an adventure. It had always worked before--meet a pretty girl, save her life, have her save yours (and this time, it had been her listening that did it, saved his life when he didn't realize it needed saving), and before you know it, you're rolling along in the TARDIS, bouncing around through time and space.
He grimaced. "Works great when you're driving. But Jack's in charge here." He was at the stop and he stood next to the shelter and ran his hand through his hair. How long would this bus take? Did he have correct change? He started rooting around in his pockets and counting coins.
Music in his ear kept messing up his count. He rolled his eyes--bloody adverts--and looked over at the screen attached to the shelter. It was an advertisement for a travel agency, and the sugar-sweet voices warbled out to passersby
When will I see you again?
When will we share precious moments?
Are we in love
Or just friends
Is this my beginning
Or is this the end
When will I see you again?
The song was playing over visions of singles looking forlorn and lonely, then morphing into couples dancing, walking on beaches, skiing, kissing on bloody cruises, and it was dated and cheesy, but he could feel the tears pricking the corners of his eyes all the same.
He pulled out the sonic, setting 753, and pointed it at the sign. The advert was silent and the screen began to smoke and sputter. The bus pulled up to the stop. John decided to keep on walking; he needed to clear his head.
**************
Experience the sweetness too!
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