Milliways Bar: You couldn't be near her, wouldn't hear what Annie says...
"DI Tyler." She says it in a tone he can't quite parse, a little bemused, a little fond though they've only just met, and for a moment he considers pointing out that he's a DCI, but that's probably just part of his so-called paranoid delusion too, according to her. "You don't seem like the rest of them, and you're clever enough to know that what you're saying can't be true."
He stares at her, for just a moment, and then his hand moves almost of its own accord, comes up to rest on her chest, just above her heart. He closes his eyes, focuses on the steady beat of her heart under his palm, and that doesn't seem right somehow. You didn't feel heartbeats in dreams, or at least he didn't in his dreams. He never felt anything at all...
"Yes, it's beating," she said slowly, and his eyes snapped open. "I have to go."
She steps past him, toward the door, and Sam pivots to face her, panic surging in his chest momentarily. Like a child, afraid to be left alone, and it's silly, really. But without someone to talk to, everything just seems a bit more unfriendly, a bit more... "Where?"
"What do you care? I'm not real. As soon as I walk out that door, poof, I'm gone. Here I go. Ready, steady-"
She walks out, closes the door behind her. Sam steps forward, and pauses in front of the door, staring at it. If he opens it and she's not there, if it's just going to prove... what? If she's not there, he's not even sure how to interpret that, other than that he really is mad. He takes a breath, and opens the door.
He stares at her, for just a moment, and then his hand moves almost of its own accord, comes up to rest on her chest, just above her heart. He closes his eyes, focuses on the steady beat of her heart under his palm, and that doesn't seem right somehow. You didn't feel heartbeats in dreams, or at least he didn't in his dreams. He never felt anything at all...
"Yes, it's beating," she said slowly, and his eyes snapped open. "I have to go."
She steps past him, toward the door, and Sam pivots to face her, panic surging in his chest momentarily. Like a child, afraid to be left alone, and it's silly, really. But without someone to talk to, everything just seems a bit more unfriendly, a bit more... "Where?"
"What do you care? I'm not real. As soon as I walk out that door, poof, I'm gone. Here I go. Ready, steady-"
She walks out, closes the door behind her. Sam steps forward, and pauses in front of the door, staring at it. If he opens it and she's not there, if it's just going to prove... what? If she's not there, he's not even sure how to interpret that, other than that he really is mad. He takes a breath, and opens the door.