The night air was calm, no breeze stirred the trees, and the stars were visible through the haze caused by the day time heating.
Hermione walked with her boyfriend, Jean, holding his hand, in her other hand she carried a guitar. She knew where they were going, once a week they walked there together, a small clearing outside of town, they had only done it once of course, but Hermione wanted to do it once for the next five year… before...
She was scared; Jean was scared she could feel it. They had found each other in the confusion. Hermione had known Jean before sure, but on that day, that fateful day everyone was looking for a kindred spirit, someone to help them be taken away from earth.
~*~
The week previously, Hermione had been alone, completely alone, her head spun. No it couldn't be true. Pushing her way through the market square, so many mother's sighing as they looked at their children they held in their arms. What was this? It couldn't be true, but it was. News guy wept, told her earth was really dying, cried so much his face was wet and she knew he was not lying.
All the people around her, fat or skinny, tall or short, all the nobody, somebody people were there, crying. All of them like her, thinking, praying, it couldn't be true, but it was.
She saw someone beating on a child, a woman, perhaps Hermione's age. A black man pulled the woman off, and ran to the child which lay there crying.
Blood pooled at Hermione's feet, and she screamed her voice lost in the thousands of cries and wails. Why now? Why here? Why? Why! WHY!
Her eyes followed the dark trail, to a man that lay on the ground, his eyes blank, and staring at the clouded sky. Her stomach heaved and she fell to her knees. The cold stoned felt so real. The pain in her legs was real enough. She knew it was true, she couldn't deny it.
She needed to find someone, anyone, who could comfort her. Hermione looked up, and saw him, Jean. Jean Sane, her friend from school, a familiar face. His eyes locked on hers, and she knew, he was there for her, and she was there for him. Five years… maybe it was enough to fall in love. She stood wiped the bile from her mouth.
The rain started, slow at first then harder, so thick, it washed the blood from the ground and all she could see of the people around her was misty shadows. She had found something that made sense. She looked up at the sky and began to cry the rain washing the taste of vomit from her mouth.
She felt strong arms around her. Jean embraced her, she could feel his confusion, his fear, but she knew; that he felt hers to, and that at least they were together and not completely isolated, from everyone around them.
He kissed her, 'you're beautiful, I want you to walk.'
She took his hand and they left the market, together.
~*~
Hermione sat on the ground, and looked up at the sky; the stars had been getting brighter, like it was their last chance to show the world, their beauty. Jean sat next to her and put his arm around her.
'You know,' she whispered.
'Hmm?' Jean said closing his eyes and enjoying the warm air.
'I never would have fallen in love with you if it weren't for what happened last week.'
'A week today,' Jean whispered, 'yes I know' he said, 'and the same goes for me, love is inspired by the strangest things.'
She turned to face him and kissed him briefly on the lips.
'Ever wonder,' said Hermione, looking back up at the sky, 'that maybe someone else is up there? Maybe a whole other world.'
'Of course! And now more than ever. I sometimes hope, that there is a Starman waiting in the sky, that he wants to come and meet us but he thinks he'd blow our minds.'
'That there's a Starman waiting in the sky, he'd tell us not to blow it because he knows it's always worthwhile.'
'Yeah…' Jean said pulling her closer and looking up a well.
Hermione looked at him and she saw the stars reflected in her eyes. She loved him yes, but because she needed to, because without him she had nothing. She knew he felt the same way, and so she loved him.
Hermione turned back to the sky, just in time to see a massive beam of white light shoot across it. Like a shooting star only a hundred times larger.
She could feel the heat emanate from it and moments later a blast of hot air forced both her and Jean onto their backs, knocking the wind out of them.
The light faded. Hermione had been half expecting an explosion.
'What the hell was that,' Jean whispered pushing himself up.
Hermione sat up and winced at the pain in her ribs and back caused from the impact, 'I have no idea,' she stood, 'but let's go find out.'
The events of the previous week, had not made her more cautious of things going on around her, on the contrary, Hermione was more willing to throw herself into the unknown.
Jean stood and smiled at her, offering her his hand, 'looks like it went over here.' He said pointing with his other hand and together they walked, to find the unknown source of the light.
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
There it was. Hermione saw it… him lying on the ground. She thought there would be things burning, or the trees might have been uprooted, but the only hint to the light beam hitting the ground was a small smouldering crater and the man lying in it.
He looked frail, his face was turned down, but she could see his bright red hair, his smooth pale skin.
'What the…' Jean whispered, 'I had been expecting maybe a rock at the most… but it's a man.'
The man moaned and moved his arms feebly. Hermione let go of Jean's hand and ran over.
'My god he's alive,' whispered Hermione, feeling his back as it rose up and down with laboured breathing. She grabbed his shoulder and rolled him over, to see his face and feel his pulse.
His face, though covered with mud was still beautiful, but in an otherworldly way, when she looked at it, there was something almost ugly about it, but it all came together to be breathtakingly beautiful.
She pushed her fingers onto his neck to feel his pulse; it came steady and with no abnormality.
The man moaned again, words came out muffled by his lips, 'soul love,' he whispered, so quietly that Hermione was not quite sure exactly what he said.
His eyes snapped open and he grabbed her arm with a force someone so frail should not be able to muster.
His eyes unfocused at first found her and locked on her face. They too were beautiful, but still odd, bright blue like a winter sky, but one pupil larger than the other.
'We've got five years,' the man said in a melodic voice
'He's stuck on your eyes,' Jean said.
'Five years,' the man repeated
'What a Surprise,' Hermione said, smiling a little as tears came to her eyes, 'we've got five years,' she agreed.
'My brain hurts a lot,' said Jean.
'Five years! That's all we got!' shouted the man and Hermione together, passion coating their voices.
The man collapsed, and Hermione pulled him out of the dirt, it began to rain, she didn't even notice the clouds moving in.
'Here help me,' she said to Jean.
'What is he?' he asked, somewhat irritated.
'He's the Starman,' Hermione whispered.
Jean leaned over and hoisted the Starman partially onto one shoulder, and Hermione took his other side.
They carried the man in silence walking with him back to the city.
~*~
Hermione lay down the Starman on the couch in the small living room in the apartment they shared.
He mumbled something in his sleep, but stayed unmoving.
'What are we going to do with him,' said Jean, 'he can't stay here, it's hard enough getting food for ourselves, let alone a sick man.'
'Just until he wakes up,' Hermione said as she sat next to the Starman as he lay on the couch.
The rain and wind picked up outside blowing through the cracks in the ceiling. The apartment was cold, drafty and often wet, but a shelter was more than most people could say.
The week previously Vandals had ransacked the town, burning homes and buildings, steeling food, blankets, furniture and any other supplies, the order was breaking down in the city.
'I'll go out tomorrow morning,' Hermione said, 'in the mean time you should get some sleep.'
'What about you?'
'I want to stay awake just a little longer,' she said looking at the man on their batter couch.
Jean looked irritated, but said nothing except, 'alright, good night love,' and he kissed her good night and left the room.
Hermione lifted her hand and stroked the beautiful face of the Starman. He twitched restlessly but showed no signs of waking.
'Who are you?' Hermione wondered aloud.
The man moved his hand up to his face and grabbed Hermione's hand, letting his fingers slide around hers.
The way he did it reminded Hermione of a baby, so interested, like he'd never felt another hand before, she shivered at his touch, it was so alien to her.
A breeze blue in through the cracks in the walls, whistling as it forced its way into the small apartment.
The Starman shivered and Hermione stood, and went to the other room to find him a blanket.
She saw Jean sleeping on the moth eaten mattress lying on the floor, his breathing slow and steady.
She grabbed the extra blanket and went back out to the Starman; he was sitting straight up and staring at her. She blushed, it was strange that he was naked and awake now, not like before, when it had been more like a trance, but now he was aware of her staring at him.
He turned his head slightly to one side, 'Where am I?'
'My apartment,' Hermione walked over and gave him the blanket; he took it looking a little unsure.
There was a few seconds of silence.
'What are you?' Hermione blurted out, she blushed again, she had meant to say who are you, but it hadn't really been what she wanted to know anyway, she knew who he was, and he was the Starman.
'I'm not really sure, I'm lost, what are you?'
'I'm human,' said Hermione a little confused.
'I'm human to then,' he said, a little unsure, 'but I'm not from earth… I think I'm different, but I think like you don't I? I speak like you to.' He held up his hand and looked at it, then looked at her, 'yeah I'm human,' he said.
Hermione smiled but was confused, how could someone be unsure if they were human or not?
'My name's Hermione,' she said, sitting on the couch near his feet.
'Ziggy,' the Starman said, 'Ziggy Stardust.'
Interesting name, Hermione thought, but thought it was more polite not to say.
'What happened to me? Where am I?' Ziggy asked, feeling the back of his head and wincing, 'and why do I have a splitting headache?'
'I don't know exactly what happened, but you're in my apartment, I think I said that,' Hermione said smiling trying to be friendly, maybe the fall or whatever happened had messed up his short term memory.
'I think you did say that, but I mean, am I still on Mars?' He said.
'What?' Hermione shouted, and then remembering Jean next door whispered 'sorry, I mean what?'
'Am I, or am I not on Mars?' Ziggy asked, tilting his head the other way.
'No, of course not,' Hermione said still confused, she was starting to wonder if he was a crazy man.
'Then where am I?'
'London, in England, You know like on Earth?'
He lay down and looked unseeing at the ceiling, 'earth he repeated. Gods, so it worked?'
'What worked, what are you talking about?' Hermione said seriously confused and scared.
'Let me explain,' Ziggy said smiling understanding her confusion.
~*~
Two days previously, Ziggy sat alone as always, he was always alone, always had been, it had been him and his mother, then his mother died, and now he was alone, no one else on the entire planet.
He watched earth on the monitor, this was his one connection to others, but now… it was ending, everyone was dying, Earth was really dying, then he really would go completely insane, without anyone or anything on this entire god's damned planet.
He watched as a home was set on fire, as people murdered each other, and through this all, they still found love. It fascinated him, why couldn't he have it? Why did no one love him? He knew the answer, because he was utterly alone, and no one would or could love him… unless he could get to earth, down to people, and save them. He knew he could, he knew what the problem was and he was going to save them and at the same time make everyone love him, everyone would; he would be loved by all of them, all the people.
He pulled on a finger then another finger cracking them, he would get down to earth, find love and save everyone.
He picked up his guitar, his only companion and played it, his fingers moving rapidly over the frets and the strings. He sat contemplating Earth, and even more, contemplating love.
~*~