Peripeties

Peripeties. n. - A sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances (especially in a literary work)

Okay, Doctor. You said you'd explain later. Those Cyberman things are gone, that girl's back with her dad, we're sitting in a cafe, and it's later now.

No, no, don't go off on the technicalities of time and prepositions. You're just trying to get out of answering. I just helped you electrocute a bunch of robots from outer space, the least you can do is tell me what the hell just happened.

...uh huh. No, no, explain that part again.

Wait, wait, they were alive? Inside the metal? I thought they were just robots! And I...I helped you...I think I'm going to be sick...

Oh. Oh. No, no, I see what you're saying. so more like putting them out of their misery, huh? Okay, slightly. It makes it slightly better. Very slightly.

Heh. Yeah, I was pretty brilliant, wasn't I? Well, you happened to pick up the daughter of an electrical engineer and a chemist, so lucky you.

..wait, say that again? You want me to come with you? Like, in that crazy bigger-on-the-inside box of yours? And do what? More of this?

Oh, yeah, I'm sure it isn't always like that. Right. You're not fooling me; you were way too calm about the whole thing, considering. For the most part. This cannot be your first evil cyborg encounter.

Oh, very funny. Yes, now I'm the one who's avoiding answering you. About if I'll go with you.

I...I can't.

No, don't. Please. Don't try and convince me. It's not like I don't want to. I really mean it, I can't.

Why? Well...

Normally I don't like talking about it. Boring personal family stuff. But you did just save my life, so here goes.

Basically - and this is going to sound bad coming from a grown woman, I know - if I run off, it'll just kill my mother. No, that's not an exaggeration. She would literally work herself into a frenzy, and it wouldn't be good. She's already got kind of a weak heart. I can't be responsible for that.

Yeah, I know moms are supposed to let their kids go. She's not...there's some history there.

It's...you sure you want to hear this?

Ok, I warned you.

So my mom had a younger sister. When my aunt was in her senior year of college, she went off with her and my mom's stepdad on a trip to the Canary Islands over spring break. And she just...never came back. Disappeared off the face of the earth. They looked for her for months. Nothing. Nobody saw her leave, nobody was admitting to even having talked to her past a certain point, no evidence of her being kidnapped...nothing. And the stepdad was a huge creep, so they really thought he'd killed her, but he had an alibi. So it was just months and months of not knowing, and waiting for the police to call and report that they hadn't found anything, and making up worse and worse scenarios because they didn't know anything. The way Mom tells it, it was just soul-destroyingly awful.

But in the middle of all this, she gets pregnant with me. By the time I was born, they were pretty sure my aunt was dead. They'd had a memorial service and everything. And then Mom decided to name me after her sister. Which, you know, touching, right? Hah. Try obsessed.

Basically she felt like she'd failed her little sister, failed to keep her safe, so she poured it all into me. My mom never let me out of her sight. Almost literally. I had a babysitter until I left for college. And even then, I couldn't actually leave. I had to go to a college in my hometown before she'd let me get my own apartment. I mean, you'd think it was cool, being the first kid in your school to get a cell phone, right? No. If it rang, I had to pick up. No exceptions. One time she called during class, and the teacher hung it up and took it away. Twenty minutes later Mom comes storming in, yelling at me. At me. Because I'd "scared her." They almost had to call security. No matter what I'm doing, if she hasn't heard from me in the last 24 hours, she will call, and if I don't answer she will find me. And cry at me. Dad left when I was ten, he couldn't handle her. Mom made me change my name when she changed hers back, too.

And her rationale is always the same. It's always her sister. "I can't lose you, too," was practically a catchphrase. Once she accidentally said "I can't lose you again," and I freaked out. I was eight, and they'd just had my aunt declared legally dead. I thought Mom wanted me to be my aunt for her for a while. Kind of traumatic.

So yeah, Mom has issues. And I'm her only kid. So me running off...I don't know what sort of state she'd be in when I got back. I'm sorry. I can't believe I'm turning this down, I really can't. I mean, evil cyborg-whatevers aside? This has been the most amazing day of my life. I mean, there's stuff out there! Like, real, honest-to-god aliens and spaceships. And you want to take me to go with you...you have no idea how much this is killing me to say no.

Oh my god, I'm going to live the rest of my life knowing that I turned down my one chance to see other planets. Jesus. Shoot me now.

...what do you mean, "It also travels in time?"

Wait, where are you going! No, come back!

God, what have I done. What have I-oh, Mom, not now. Don't call now.

Huh. Not Mom. Hello?

Oh, thank god, it's you, Doctor. Where did you run off to? Wait, why are you in Atlantic City? Yes, I was there, once, on my 21st birthday. Yeah, we got really drunk, and there was this weird guy who asked me to say hi to his friend on the...on the...

Uh, hi.

Th...thanks, but it's not my... Whatever. Happy birthday to you too.

You're right, we...we do sound a lot alike.

Listen, can you put the Doctor back on, please?

Hi, yeah, can you come back here, please? Now?

Hello again. Yes, I think that talking to myself the best part of a decade ago is pretty good proof. Which means...you weren't kidding. You can really travel in time.

You can travel in time.

So...oh my god, I can go with you. And we can go for as long as we want. And you can bring me back here, now, so nobody will miss me. Mom'll never know! This is just...amazing! So yes! Yes, I'll come with you!

What, we're leaving now? Shouldn't we pay for the-

Okay, okay, now! And we're running!

Oh man, I still can't quite wrap my head around this ship. Bigger. On the inside. I just...wow.

My name? Oh, right, we never did get around to that, did we? Jess, Jess Brown.

Oh, uh...no, actually. Jessica's my middle name. I can't go by my first.

Well, one, it's my dead aunt's name, and two, it's...weird. Really weird.

Do I have to? Really? I don't want to tell you, it's embarrassing. My grandparents must have been smoking something ridiculous when they came up with it.

Well, of course I thought about changing it when I turned eighteen, but then I thought...this poor girl. I used to think I hated her, you know? For disappearing, and making Mom crazy, and ruining my life. But when I got older I realized how tragc it really was. Just a college kid, and nobody will ever know what happened to her. She probably died alone, thousands of miles from home, and the only legacy she can have on this whole planet is a neurotic sister, and a resentful neice she never met. So yeah, I can't take what little impact she made away from her. My aunt may have vanished, but at least her name will live on.

Even if it is a stupid name.

Because really. Who names a kid Perpugilliam?