(Untitled)

[iliketodruitt]

John wasn't sure what the island normally looked like, having arrived after it changed, but he was conflicted about its current appearance. The Victorian period held one of the happier times of his life, but also one of the darkest. He was thankful that there was no Whitechapel here, already it was hard enough to be here. It seemed as if half

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[seeyousoonthen]

Savannah had waddled out into the city to find herself something nice. What she'd found was the fanciest hat she'd ever seen, complete with ribbons and feathers. It was almost busy enough to distract the eye from her belly. She couldn't wait until she had this stupid baby.

Oh, what a thought. She shouldn't be so hateful.

Straightening her hat a bit, she heard the comment and turned to see who was talking.

"Oh, he was here last December, for real. I haven't seen him this year, but this year the city is awfully big, don't you think?" she replied cheerfully.

[iliketodruitt]

Like all the other blondes that seemed to generously populate this place, this one twisted the guilt inside of him, threatening to flash the faces of his more famous victims across his memory. As if to make things worse, this girl was even pregnant. With an effort, he pushed them aside. The guilt he fully deserved could come later, at a time that was more appropriate for it.

"I don't know, it seems to be only a fraction of what I recall of it," he said, glancing around. "Though I suppose that it's big enough for one person to go unnoticed by people for several days."

[seeyousoonthen]

"That's just what I mean. I've been staying close to home but I had to get out a little bit. I have a feeling that I'm going to miss so many people this month. Why, oh, I've missed you! I'm Savannah," she replied.

She thrust out her hand to shake his. Nothing stood in the way between Savannah and a true and genuine greeting. She loved meeting people and the island was just one opportunity after another to meet new people and broaden her horizons.

[iliketodruitt]

"John," he said, reaching out to shake her hand. She was so impossibly eager and cheerful, it was impossible not to smile at her. It was probably a very, very poor idea on his part to continue talking to her, but a friendly conversation sounded so nice.

"And forgive me, I realize that it's not the politically correct thing to say, but I would not feel a gentleman if I did not... should you be out alone in this weather in your condition? The ground is terribly slick without someone to steady you."

[seeyousoonthen]

"Oh, well, probably not. I just had to explore some. I've been taking tiny steps," she replied. It wasn't the best explanation but it was true. She was tired of the trek from the compound to her home and back.

"If you'd like to walk me back I wouldn't say no. It would be safer to have someone to haul me up off the ground if I fall. Do you have time? Would I be imposing?"

[iliketodruitt]

John knew that he should say no. If for no other reason, that he knew it would look suspect to those who knew him and his past. But John was better, those desires were faded and remnants of a creature that he no longer had a part of. He was tired of shunning human contact though, especially since he no longer needed to.

"It would be my pleasure to, Savannah," he said, offering her his arms to take.

[seeyousoonthen]

Savannah gladly took his arm. Perhaps Tim was right and she was naive about the world- she chose to see it more optimistically, though. Savannah saw the good in everyone and always expected the best from people.

And life on the island had only reinforced her belief in the goodness of mankind. Even Boyd, a troubled man who had made a terrible mistake, had his heart in the right place. Every single other person was sweet as could be. Oh, certainly everyone could have a bad day but there was no person she'd met who had broken her world view.

"So, John, where do you come from? London like this? It's a thing around here to ask where and when you come from since time is so strange. Oh! I just love hearing about other peoples' lives."

[iliketodruitt]

"I was originally born in a time and place much like this," he said. While all of the steampunk technology was not technically historically accurate, outside of that it was very much like home. Slightly romanticized, but accurate enough that it made him feel somewhat at home.

"Though I come from the year 2010, from a city in Cambodia. Where and when do you come from, Savannah?"

[seeyousoonthen]

"I'm from two thousand one. From North Carolina in America. I'm from a little town called Lenoir but I was going to college in Chapel Hill," she explained. The street was indeed slippery and her foot slid forward. She held on tightly to his arm to keep her balance.

"No one here has ever heard of Lenoir. It's back in the hills. Horse country and such. Cambodia is exotic; did you travel a lot, John?"

She was so eager for a story and her bright blue eyes and broad smile begged wordlessly for him to tell her just every old thing.

[iliketodruitt]

"I must admit that it's not a place that I am familiar with either," he said. Savannah from North Carolina was a geographically interesting combination as it was. Heaven help the girl if she ever moved to Georgia.

"But I did travel quite a bit. Almost constantly for the past hundred years or so."

When you were able to teleport, you tended to get around to all sorts of places that most people never got a chance to.

[seeyousoonthen]

"A hundred years? Oh my," she replied quietly. It wasn't anything she had a hard time believing, considering the sorts of people she'd met since she'd been here. She knew Jane Bennett and Anne Shirley and she'd heard of so many other people. Tony Stark was some kind of super hero or something. The fantastic and unbelievable were just an everyday occurrence here. A hundred years was nothing.

"I always wanted to travel. I never made it out of North Carolina. Well, until here. Do you want to tell me about where you've been? What was your very favorite?"

[iliketodruitt]

"I will tell you about anywhere you would like to hear," John reassured her. He didn't often talk about his travels or the places he had been, mostly because he didn't really have people to share those sorts of things with. Nikola and Helen had done it all themselves and... really, there was no one else.

"My favorite often changed over the years, but any of the large cities were always fascinating. Rio, Paris, Madrid..."

[seeyousoonthen]

"I've always dreamed of visiting a big city. a real big city, like New York or L.A. or something," Savannah gushed. "You should just tell me every old thing about it all. I'd love to hear every detail. I work with little kids all the time so getting to listen to an adult is just...well, let me tell you, you never appreciate something so much as when you don't get it very often."

[iliketodruitt]

"Who am I to turn down such an enthusiastic, appreciative audience?" he said with a chuckle, thankful that no one was around to answer that.

"The most fascinating thing I found of London, and the world, during this era, was the acceptance of ideas by the intellectuals. The application of science to solve all problems was beginning to take full effect. Did you know that not until the mid-19th century that hospitals realized they needed to keep things clean to prevent disease and infection?"

[seeyousoonthen]

"I didn't know that. I did know Civil War hospitals were filthy, but I never really thought about when that changed. Or why," she replied. A contraction slowly rolled through her; it wasn't hard enough to even make her blink but it was enough to feel. Enough to know there was an end in sight.

"Are you a doctor?" she asked without pausing. "Living for over a hundred years would mean you probably have a useful job, right?"

[iliketodruitt]

"I don't have a medical degree, but I do have more knowledge than most medical doctors," John said. He had never gotten a formal doctorate like Helen had, things had become too complicated before that could happen, but he had never stopped learning.

"I've never stayed in one place long enough to hold down a steady job. I was fortunate that an... old colleague left me a rather large sum of money that allowed me to pursue my interests at leisure."