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09/30/08 edited to correct tense

Playing Darts on a Starfield

Rose thinks that's a valley hidden down in the shadows beneath her, where a few lights are showing. The sky above is faintly touched by the light umbrella from the city to her right- a city and valley full of sleeping people, awaiting the morning. Only her, only Rose and the Doctor are standing staring at the stars.

"Pick a star, Rose. Any one of them. I'll take you there."

"Any one?" she breathes, blood humming with cold, with excitement. They glimmer back at her, sparks of steel, large and small. She wants to pluck one out of the sky, roll it around in her fingers, feel it burn like the air in her lungs. Like starfire.

"Well, if it's going to take you this long-" starts the Doctor, but Rose leans against him. Somewhere behind them, wind chimes tinkle in a passing breeze.

"Where are we?"

"Dunno. Small university observatory. Earth." He studies the vast and promising heavens, then adds, "Fifty-one degrees north, if that makes any difference to you."

"I mean, what country?"

"Dunno. Canada, maybe."

"It feels cold enough to be." Rose draws the hood of her housecoat over her head, pulls it closer around her jacket.

"Well, I thought you probably wouldn't appreciate being chased off by angry astronomers. This lot hasn't met me yet, I don't think."

Rose just laughs, to the Doctor's chagrin.

She quiets, and goes back to staring. He watches her.

"How 'bout...that one?" She points to a moderately bright cream coloured point of light. He turns and sighs.

"Why are you humans so obsessed with Mars? Always the little green men from Mars. What about Jupiter? That's a perfectly nice place to visit. Beautiful aurorae."

"Where's Jupiter?"

"Way over there."

"Close enough. Let's go, then."