Tosh closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was stood alone in the middle of the Hub. The first thing she noticed was the silence. There was nothing; no gentle hum from the mainframe, nor soft whir of the rift monitor, not even the rustle of Myfanwy making her nest for the night. There was something reassuring about the stillness though, after the chaos of before. It enveloped her like a blanket, comforting her as she figured out this new world.
Tosh wasn't scared. The familiarity of the Hub took away her fear. She only wished she wasn't alone. She had hoped – more than hoped – that someone would be waiting for her. Unsure what to do next, Tosh walked over to her workstation. Her computer was turned off but, in essence, her desk looked exactly the same. She smiled at the Post-it note she'd kept pinned to the screen.
Can you run me a search on Weevil activity in Roath asap? Owen :)
"Not my usual style was it?" said a voice behind her.
"That's why I kept it. It was proof that you could be nice to me, even when you bit my head off at the slightest thing."
Tosh smiled and turned around.
"I'm sorry Tosh, I truly am. I should have been kinder. I should have took you on that date. I should have noticed. How long did you -?"
"Since the beginning - but it doesn't matter now. Some things just aren't meant to be. Are you real? Or am I just dreaming this?"
Owen looked himself up and down, contemplating Tosh's question.
"I feel real," he replied. "I feel alive, which is, well, unusual considering."
Tosh laughed.
"I bet you've missed that feeling."
"Umm. It wasn't my finest moment – being the dead man walking."
"I thought you coped well," Tosh reached out and touched Owen's cheek. "You feel warm again."
"I can feel you touching me," Owen smiled. As Tosh lowered her hand, he took it in his own.
"If this is what we get, then I'm happy," he said, looking around at the Hub and then back into Tosh's eyes. He could see they were brimming with tears. "Please don't cry," he whispered. "We'll be OK."
"I know," said Tosh. "That's why I'm crying."