Don't give up (for rude_not_ginger)
"ASTRIIIID!"
It was over, she'd done it. She'd actually done something worthwhile. For him, for all those people on the planet beneath, all six billion of them, because he would save them. This will have been worthwhile, her life well spent and it only took a moment's thought, barely seconds of hesitation before she knew what she had to do ( Read more... )
It was over, she'd done it. She'd actually done something worthwhile. For him, for all those people on the planet beneath, all six billion of them, because he would save them. This will have been worthwhile, her life well spent and it only took a moment's thought, barely seconds of hesitation before she knew what she had to do ( Read more... )
He gave up. With a frustrated kick to the machine, he shouted, something about how he could do anything. And he couldn't. He couldn't save her. Oh, Astrid. He couldn't save her.
He turned away, but then she said something. She responded.
"Astrid?" He was right, he could save her! He ran back towards the control box. He didn't want to touch it, he didn't want to ruin what he had.
"Astrid, can you hear me?"
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That enthusiasm on Astrid's face was worth a thousand hugs, he decided. And she was back. She was right there.
He stepped over to his companion and pointed up at the sky. "See there? Just next to Orion's belt, that cluster of stars? That's Fr'Rioats. Snows every day, all year. Becomes a bit of a tourist spot in the late 5600's, but right now, it's completely untouched. A brand new world."
He wanted to reach down and take her hand, but one couldn't have everything. It was wonderful just knowing he'd have her as a companion. That was enough.
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"That one there?" she pointed herself. "Next to those three in a row? I can't imagine snow without any footprints for as far as you can see. That's the best bit, being the first to leave your mark..."
That thought made her wonder if she would make a mark anymore. The distant twinkle of London's lights shone almost as brightly the star he was showing her, she thought. Life on this planet, all those millions of people none-the-wiser, and the sacrifice of footprints in the snow was worth it a million times over in return. That's what she told herself anyway, for now, at least.
Mr. Copper had quietly taken his leave by now, he knew where he wasn't needed. Besides, he had a new life ahead of him, and so did she, well as much as a life as it was, he'd considered.
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He grinned down at her, then back up to the sky. There was saddness in all this. Astrid would never be herself again, and all the possible side effects of the Titanic and everything else, they added up. But he couldn't think about that. He wouldn't think about that.
"And that's what you and I have. A whole sky."
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She smiled back at him, full of hope and excitement, the sadness easily masked by his infectious verve, and what lay ahead.
"And you're sure you can squeeze me in?" She teased, looking over at the Police Box he called the TARDIS.
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Oh, this was the best part.
"Well, I'm sure we've got some space." He pulled out his key, slipped it into the lock, then held the door open for her.
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"Oh my Vot! This is-- this is-- how?"
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The TARDIS in his head hummed happily. She'd missed Martha after she left. To have someone new within her walls was wonderful.
Now, should he give her the tour first, or wait until she runs around the TARDIS?
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She's already gone, off the ramp, nosying at the central console as she rushes towards it in breathless wonder. She pauses to look at the various buttons and levers and coils and gadgetry and the central column. Right now, it's probably a blessing in disguise that she can't touch anything, who knows what she'd have pressed or switched already?
"Thank you." She beams at him, her hand tracing over a particularly prominent lever, imagining how it would feel under her fingers.
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He reached over to the lever next to her hand and pulled it down, then twisted the knob over her shoulder. It was almost like he could reach over and touch her, that they were half-dancing around the console.
"So! Icy planets, triple moons? Sound good? Or bigger?"
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She hadn't felt a thing, but she snatched her hand back suddenly, balling her fist as it flew to her chest protectively. It was too strange, it shocked her.
"I think Ferioats sounds wonderful." She glazed over the sudden movement with a genuinely enthused smile, fudging the pronunciation of the planet ever so slightly.
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