Hi everyone! I wanted to thank those of you who read the previous chapter and left such kind reviews! It's been a while since I've written fanfiction; I forgot how much I love it. Anyway, I loved Interstellar...I saw it 6 times in theaters, which is typical unheard of for me. I hope the science of this isn't too fuzzy. Without further interruption, please enjoy the this chapter! Thanks for reading!

Across the Horizons

Chapter 1

"TARS, how much longer until we reach Edmunds' Planet?" Cooper's voice broke what felt like an eternal silence. His voice was rough, strained from a lack of use.

"Nice to see you awake Cooper," TARS remarked, "I was beginning to think I'd have to wake you from Cryo sleep myself, lazy." His cue light blinked, causing a dazed Cooper to smirk.

"Nice to see you too slick, how long?" Cooper reiterated.

Cooper had stolen a Ranger Spacecraft, much smaller than the ship they had for the Endurance, though it had enough life support for a 2 year journey as well as a sleep chamber that Cooper took full advantage of. For Cooper, this mission was entirely about the destination rather than the journey.

"Remaining trajectory to Edmunds' Planet in Earth time is eight days," TARS answered.

"Eight days, huh slick. Hope we can surprise Dr. Brand. About how long has she been stationed on Edmunds?"

"Cooper, you know there is the possibility that she hasn't survived, you acknowledge this, yes?"

There was a pause in the conversation. Cooper's faced remained stiffly determined, with a hint of question behind his eyes.

"How long?" Cooper repeated, firmer than before.

TARS paused again, "If she landed safely on Edmunds, by the time we arrive, she would have been there 9-10 months."

"Nine to ten," Cooper questioned, "Well how do ya figure that? Why not one or the other?"

"On Cooper Station, my power source was nitched, therefor I can't approximate for the time I was out. However, it is my understanding that from when you entered Earth's galaxy and from your time on Cooper station, as Dr. Brand got further away from Gargantua, time passed more quickly. Therefor more time has passed for her than for you."

Cooper didn't follow. "You know TARS, you'd think after what I've seen I'd be able to understand what you just told me, but-"

"Cooper, maybe I should make it more simple for your small human mind," Cooper rolled his eyes as TARS' humor light went off again, "While in your reality it seems that only twelve months have passed since you left Cooper Station, due to Relativity, my estimate is that for Dr. Brand, it's been 23 months since we left her at Gargantua. Get it?"

Cooper got it, but the situation stunned him into a silence. 23 months all by herself. Man, 23 must be an unlucky number.

"She's been alone for that long? Almost two years?" Cooper thought out loud.

"Don't forget that she has CASE to keep her company. And she probably spent a good amount of that time in Cryo sleep." TARS could sense the guilt radiating off of Cooper.

"Still, that's a long time to be on your own." Cooper briefly thought of what Amelia might look like after two years. Would her hair be longer? He couldn't imagine it. He liked it short. Cooper quickly brushed away the thought.

"Cooper, like I said before, there's no way of knowing for sure if she's even survived all this time."

"TARS, that's enough!" Cooper lashed out, his face uncommonly angry, "How is that supposed to help at all?"

TARS remained undeterred, "I just think you should prepare yourself for the worst. Even though Cooper Station recieved signals from Edmunds, it doesn't mean the planet has been entirely without fault. After all, Edmunds himself stopped sending signals long before she even got there."

TARS was quiet for a moment as he allowed Cooper to think this over. Cooper sighed heavily, briefly considering the possibility, then deciding against it.

"No TARS, she made it."

TARS didn't respond, knowing that Cooper often made assumptions based on heart rather than logic.

Cooper had another question, "So you think Dr. Brand is entirely alone, other than CASE? You don't think Edmunds made it?" The question came out cautiously, reminiscent of the time he had first asked TARS if Edmunds and Brand were an item.

TARS was able to pick up on the cue, "There is no reason to believe that Edmunds has survived. Based on the signal that Cooper Station received from Brand, it is safe to say she is the soul survivor, and she believes it."

"What do you mean?"

"Brand has no reason to believe or know for sure whether or not humans survived. For all she knows, she is the last human alive. She doesn't even know for sure if her signal reached Cooper Station; she doesn't even know what Cooper Station is. She was sending signals out in hopes that it may reach whoever was left of Earth."

With each fact TARS relayed to Cooper, it dawned on him how alone Brand must feel, and the guilt overwhelmed him. Of course, sacrificing himself to enter the blackness of Gargantua had been for both humankind itself as well as Amelia. Somewhere in the back of his mind, not thinking he would survive, he had hoped Edmunds would be alive. He didn't want Amelia to be alone.

He hadn't thought of the other possibility. That he would survive and that Edmunds would not.

"Cooper, what are you thinking? I sense a great deal of stress." TARS asked carefully.

"Nothing, I just didn't really think this whole thing through."

"Well Cooper, I'm sure Dr. Brand will be happy to see you. Almost as happy you will be to see her I'm sure." TARS cue light blinked once again.

Cooper raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?" Though Cooper already knew the answer.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Dr. Brand is the only female on Edmunds' planet. Soon you will be the only male. According to biology-"

"Alright TARS that's enough." Cooper felt the heat rise to his face. It wasn't fun letting a robot get the best of him, though Cooper would be lying if he said he's never thought of Dr. Brand in that light before.

Dr. Brand….Amelia, in the beginning, was something of a mystery for Cooper. Initially, she came off as a little arrogant and intentionally private, though she wore her emotions on her plainly in her expressions.

Cooper thought about what Amelia said back when the team was deciding whether or not to head towards Mann's or Edmunds'.

"Love isn't something we invented. It's observable, powerful, it has to mean something."

Amelia turned out to be right, as evident by the fifth dimensional representation of his time with Murph. But was there something more to it? Amelia had also said that she was drawn across the Universe to a man that she loved, even though he may be dead.

And here Cooper was, leaving behind an elderly Murphy, leaving behind the rest of humankind to travel across the horizons towards the person he is most drawn to.

He hesitated to throw around the world "love," but any other excuse seemed weak. She's alone, I'm just keeping her company like any person would. I can't leave her to think she's the last human alive in the entire Universe. There's nothing left for me at Cooper Station.

All these excuses held some truth, but not the truth. Behind every logical reason for joining Dr. Brand on an unfamiliar planet, was the underlying excitement that Cooper felt in the pit of his stomach when he thought of reuniting with Amelia. The truth was in the crooked smile that appeared on Coopers face at random times of the day, when the image of Amelia popped into his head. He held imaginary conversations with her inside his mind. He could see her roll her eyes, he could hear her laugh wholeheartedly, and he could almost look into her eyes and see the compassion underneath the pretense of indifference.

"Love is the one thing that we're capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space. Maybe we should trust that, even if we can't understand it."