Life From the Ashes of War

Part Nine

by

Sabrina Lonewalker

Lucia watched her father and Rose leave TARDIS and enter the space station where they would see Earth die. Once the doors closed, Lucia went to her room, not wanting to deal with the memories that were surfacing in her mind. She curled up on her bed with a pillow clutched to her chest. She couldn't help it, she was thinking of her family, her world gone so long ago. She thought back, the afternoons after studies when she and her parents would go for a walk in the nearby park, the picnic basket that always went with them.

She had always loved playing chase and freeze tag with her friends and there was always that low hum in the back of her mind that reminded her she wasn't alone. She smiled remembering the nights her father, Jasper, would read to her before bed, always the fairy tales that she loved, princessess, dragons, brave knights and how always, true love triumphed in the end. Then it all changed when the Daleks came. She thought about that fateful day for the first time since it happened. She felt the comforting presence of TARDIS in her mind, reminding her that she was not alone.

The day had started like any other, lessons in the morning, play in the afternoon and then, the ships landed. That wasn't unusual but what happened next had sent terror through the population. The Daleks, crying, "Exterminate!" everywhere they went, slaughtering people, men, women, children without mercy. Her father took her to the basement of their home and told her to stay there, be as quiet as possible and someone would come for her. She was crying, "But what if they find me?" Jasper had smiled at her, "They won't find you in here my girl, I promise you that." He smiled and closed the door behind him.

She remembered cowering, hearing screams, blaster fire, the Daleks as they moved through the city then, the silence, all of a sudden, everything was quiet, too quiet but, she stayed where she was until she heard the Doctor's voice, calling to see if anyone was alive. She hadn't realized that she was crying into the pillow or how much time had passed when she felt strong arms pull her into an embrace and she heard his voice, "Lucia, I'm here, it's all right, I'm here." It was the Doctor.

She buried her face in his shoulder, the scent of the leather jacket giving her some comfort as she clung to him. he wondered if she had had another nightmare but, according to TARDIS, this was no nightmare, these were memories, memories she had finally allowed to surface and see the light of day. He had begun feeling the turmoil of her thoughts earlier but TARDIS has informed him things were under control and that he should finish what had started in the station. Only after he and Rose had watched the death of planet Earth had TARDIS mentioned that he was needed by his daughter. They had come back and he had sent the TARDIS into the vortex then, has come here as Rose went to her own room to think about what she had witnessed.

After a few minutes, Lucia pulled away slightly and smiled, "Sorry, didn't mean to interupt your trip." He smiled, wiping the tears away, "You didn't, we were heading back when TARDIS told me about you. I think Rose needs some time to herself after what we saw. Are you ok?" His voice was low, concerned and Lucia nodded, "I will be. I just hadn't let myself think about what had happened. I know, you tried to tell me but, I guess I just had to do it my way." She went into her bathroom to wash her face and came back out. "I'll be ok, Father. At least, I think I will be." He smiled and pulled her to his side, "Come on, let's find a place to visit that isn't so gloomy, ok?"

Lucia nodded and they stopped by Rose's room to see if she was interested. She was and they headed for yet another destination but this time, for fun, Lucia hoped, knowing how her father attracted trouble wherever he went. That was one thing Rose was going to have to get used to. She just hoped the young earth woman could handle it all. She helped with the console and finally, they landed. When they stepped out, it was like walking into a carnival. There were rides, booths, food stands, all sorts of things to do and see.

Lucia and Rose stayed with the Doctor as they walked around and once in a while, played one or two of the games there. The Doctor won Lucia a large stuffed animal that was almost as big as she was. Rose won herself a pixie doll and was enamoured with it. Later, they went to one of the food booths and got a bite to eat. It was a beautiful day, mild weather and they were having a good time. When the sun finally set, they walked back to the TARDIS, The Doctor with an arm draped over each girl's shoulder. They was confortable with each other but that was soon to change. One decision was going to change everything between them.

TBC