Chapter 9
Journey to the Centre of Seattle
ELLENORA'S CHOICE: Beating Heart, by Ellie Goulding
Elle didn't understand why she felt so sad.
She knew it wasn't quite right for her to feel so glum about going home again- about seeing her family- but she was just that: glum. There was an overwhelming sense of sadness hanging over her head, and for all her telepathy she couldn't figure out where it was coming from.
This feeling was something she hid behind her obsession with Doctor Who. It was also perhaps for this reason that she had suddenly become so fond of the Eleventh Doctor: after all, it was he who routinely hid his issues behind his goofy and overly enthusiastic behavior. Elle knew this to be the situation in her case, and was only grateful that Neil wasn't there in his official capacity as Dr. Miller to psycho-evaluate her. Her own thoughts were distracting enough.
So she had pulled her smoldering soufflé from the oven (thinking all the while how 'Clara' that was and how apparently the only perfect soufflé she would make would be in the ones she made in her mind kitchen.) Then Elle went to change from her skirt (which, besides the rather entertaining reception it had gotten, simply wasn't functional) into her black skinny jeans and boots, she left the rest of the cosplay on, swapping the tight blouse for a more comfortably fitting one and packing the fez securely in her suitcase. Then she zipped up her bags, and threw on her green pea-coat (luckily for her, the Doctor had worn a similar coat in A Town Called Mercy.) When she got to her black leather gloves, however, she had a little more trouble. Seeing them had brought her attention to her hands- which in turn brought her attention to her finger.
A particular finger.
The question she'd been avoiding hit her again: did she really want to tell her family about Bernard right away? She'd made the mistake of NOT telling them before, and had told herself that she wouldn't make that mistake again. But when it came down to it, it wasn't that simple. The explanation she needed to give them about her engagement couldn't be told fully until she could tell them where she worked, who she was now, and why she had gotten engaged in the first place.
Of course, she could just simplify it...
…but how could one simplify the Emissary Clause?
Elle slipped her glove on over her ring, refusing to make a decision until the time came.
Casting a final glance around at her spotless bedroom, Elle slung her carry-on over her shoulder and wheeled her duffel bag out into the living room, closing the door with a quiet click. Who knew how much would have changed before she set foot in that room again.
She and Bernard agreed that they wouldn't make a scene about leaving—in fact, they were leaving it for Santa and Quentin to break it to the elves. It was the same small group of people who had been there the evening before that showed up. The only new addition was Buddy Claus, who had woken up with his mother and now sat on her hip, sucking his thumb and looking around sagely at the older people around him. Jacqueline was dressed already, but Jack had stubbornly remained in his pajamas, insisting that he was going back to bed soon after.
"Four thirty in the morning is an ungodly hour," he was saying as the two Head Elves walked in with their luggage.
"Oh yes, and we all know that at your age, you need your beauty sleep," Jacqueline said, crossing her arms smugly.
Jack gasped and clutched his chest dramatically. "That actually hurt, sister of mine," he said, his blue eyes sparkling good naturedly at his sibling.
Jacqueline broke down and laughed, shoving him lightly in the arm. "Oh don't be such a drama queen."
Scott, who had been talking privately with Carol, welcomed the two elves with open arms—literally. "Elle, Bernard!" he said cheerily, and folded his arms. "I see you two are all ready to go."
"Yes, sir!" said Bernard with a slight eyeroll and tilt of the head. Elle said nothing, but gave a small smile. Scott found this a little unsettling, as it usually was the other was around.
"Nice outfit," he said to the girl, pointing at her clothes.
Behind him, Jacqueline giggled. "Is that a bowtie?" She was thinking of the conference call. It was actually a subtle reminder to Elle of what they'd talked about. She hoped her friend's telepathy would pick up on the hint and connect the dots.
Elle frowned, adjusting her bowtie tentatively. "Bowties are cool," she said, casting an understanding look and a wink at the frosty sprite.
"Do you have everything you need for the trip?" Carol asked concernedly, her motherly side kicking in. She readjusted buddy on her hip and tucked a stray strand of his hair aside.
"I think so," Elle said, patting her coat pockets to check for her things. "Wallet, phone…unfortunately I lost my house keys over the years, but I've got this." She pulled out her new and improved Sonic, flicking her wrist to activate the prongs on the end. Its faint buzzing filled the air. "Actually, this should take care of pretty much anything we run into." She sighed. "Unfortunately it doesn't work on troublesome family members. Bother." She tucked it back inside her inner coat pocket, Doctor style.
"O…kay!" said Santa, who had no idea what Elle was talking about. He reached behind his back and pulled out a brown leather wallet. "This is yours, from last time," he said, handing it to Bernard. Elle glanced over at it, interested. "Everything you need for identity purposes is in there. Elfland is working on creating a digital presence for you, so that nothing seems out of place should Mr. Connelly decide to look you up."
"He will!" coughed Elle quickly, then looked around like nothing had happened.
Bernard stared at her a long moment, and eventually shook his head, taking the wallet. "Thank you."
"Anything for you two, Bernard," said Santa with a warm smile. He stepped back and said a bit more loudly, "And now, you two had better be off. You're train leaves in ten minutes, you'll be cutting it close as it is!"
"Alright," Bernard said, taking Elle's right hand. "Are you ready?" he asked quietly, holding her gaze.
Elle took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be," she replied, squeezing Bernard's hand more tightly. She screwed her eyes shut as the bracelets on her wrists began to glow and heat up, the faint buzzing giving her arms a strange tingling feeling. The last sight she saw before teleporting out was of Santa, Mrs. Claus, Buddy, Jack and Jacquie all waving to her, happy smiles on their faces.
She took a mental picture, and saved it.
Something must have gone wrong with the teleportation, because instead of showing up in the station, they showed up in a train compartment. A sleeping compartment, from the looks of it. Two bunks were built into one wall, and a long bench lined the entirety of the other.
"Oh, that's great," Elle said, looking around the compartment with no small amount of irritation. "Just what we needed. This is probably the train to Minneapolis or something." She facepalmed. "Way to go me."
"Why do you assume it was your fault?" Bernard said, sighing as he took out the tickets from his satchel.
"Because I was the one who didn't keep my thoughts set on the destination during the process."
"And what were you thinking?"
"Uh…" Elle shuffled her feet. She muttered something.
Bernard raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"Geronimo!" Elle said more loudly. "I thought, 'GERONIMO!' rather loudly, okay? It won't happen again."
Bernard shook his head. "Yeah, it probably will. But I don't think it was you: I think we're running out of magic. It's almost time we turned human."
"I'd forgotten about that."
"No matter: this is our train…" Bernard looked up at the numbers above the door. "Our compartment, even."
"Oh!" Looking moderately pleased, Elle sat her luggage on the bottom bunk. "Sweet. Saves the hassle of boarding."
"To a point," Bernard said, setting his suitcase on the floor. "I've got to go and explain to the conductor, and get out tickets punched. Wait here, I'll be right back." He turned to go out the door, then stopped and made for the door on the opposite end of the carriage. Elle flopped back on the bed, letting her breath out. The door closed with a slightly metallic clang.
Immediately Elle sat up, fidgeting with her bowtie in a nervous way that would have made the Doctor proud. Not that she was trying to imitate him just then; she was genuinely nervous and it was a good thing to fidget with. She had gone away from the Workshop with Bernard before—which of course had been a complete an utter mistake thanks to Jack and Curtis—but this was different. It wasn't going to be just them and any strangers they happened to meet while out and about.
No, this was her family they were talking about: and as much as Elle tried to make it like she didn't care what they thought of Bernard, well…like any engaged girl taking her new fiancé home for the first time, she just wanted them all to get along, maybe even like each other. Her sisters…what would her sisters think? Elle—or rather, Ellington—had never dated or even showed any interest in boys, and here she was two years later head over heels in love? How did she expect them to react to that?
And her parents: even though she hadn't shown interest in boys didn't mean boys hadn't shown interest in her. Of course, no one had ever been 'good enough' for their 'Ellie Girl', and Elle highly doubted Bernard would be an immediate exception to that, especially after 'keeping her away' for two years—as they would see it.
She was really beginning to regret letting her mind wander down such a dismal path, when the sound of someone clearing their throat came from in front of her.
Elle had been so deep in thought, staring at the carpet intently that she'd failed to notice someone's feet standing in front of her.
This person was wearing a pair of dress shoes, a pair of black trousers, a dark blue almost black T-shirt, and a suit jacket. His hair was wavy and tousled, and he had a slightly confused look in his eyes.
"Yeah, it happened on the way back," Bernard said, tugging at his shirt hem self-consciously. "Feels weird…last time, it was a process. This time round it's just bang, now you're a human adult. And this? Active camouflage." He ran a hand over his cheek absently, and grimaced—even though his face appeared to be completely bare. "I'd forgotten about the facial hair. That's just great." He sighed, and gave Elle a strange look. "Are you alright?"
Elle was looking at him with an expression that, had he known it, very much resembled the one he'd worn himself earlier that morning: shock, and awe. Her jaw was hanging open rather ungracefully and her eyes were wide, taking him in all at once.
"Elle?" Bernard's voice sounded like it was coming from somewhere very far away. Elle closed her mouth with a snap and swallowed hard, trying to form a coherent sentence.
Bernard looked embarrassed. "Is it that bad?"
Blinking twice, Elle stuttered. "I…I just…" She gave a short breathy laugh, and with a distant, glazed expression she whistled lowly. "Hooooo, baby."
Bernard reddened. "Excuse me?" he almost squeaked.
Still wearing a sideways (and slightly goofy) grin, Elle bit her lip, staring at Bernard in a way that made him slightly nervous. Abruptly, she shook her head and slapped her left cheek, holding a finger in front of her nose with a severe expression as if chastising herself. "Sorry," she apologized. "You sorta got the one-up on me there. You look…" She looked him over again, and swallowed thickly. "You look good, B. Really good. Really, reeaaallly—"
"Okay, okay," Bernard said, still blushing furiously as he held up his hands before him in a placating gesture. "I get it." He grabbed the edges of his suit jacket and shrugged to adjust it, Elle inwardly screaming and rolling around in her mind over how 'Doctor' that looked. "Thanks."
"Just telling the truth," Elle said, trying to look anywhere but at him. She tugged at the collar of her blouse, slightly loosening her tie. "Is it just me, or is it hot in here?" Finally she gave up on her look and slipped out of her coat.
"A little," Bernard said, his voice cracking. An odd feeling came over him as he watched her take off her coat and roll up her sleeves. Something about the way her cheeks were flushed was very…
He coughed. "I'm just going to um, take a walk," he said briskly, Elle immediately nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah. You do that. I'm just gonna…sleep for a while." Elle practically dove under the covers and hid her head.
"Okay…" The sound of Bernard's feet heading towards the opposite door came through the blankets muffled. Then the door creaked open—and instead of a quick click of it closing behind him, there was a long pause. "I love you," he called quietly.
Under the covers, Elle grinned at the swelling feeling in her chest. "Love you too," she replied, smiling. A moment later, the door closed.
Suddenly feeling much better about things, Elle burrowed into the surprisingly soft pillow and put on her headphones, turning on some much needed music before falling asleep.
She couldn't have known that deep in the pocket of her coat, her fob watch had begun reeling, its hands spinning and counting forward to days that were still yet to come.
Bernard came back after awhile, mind slightly less haywire. He wasn't looking forward to the new hormones waging war with his head in future, but supposed it couldn't be helped. Hopefully if he kept a close eye on his thoughts he could filter them and prevent slips of unwanted ideas getting out to Elle.
He came quietly into the room, and found Elle sleeping with her headphones on, a surprisingly peaceful look on her face. The music was loud in the quiet rhythm of the train—even from across the room he could hear the song streaming out. Not surprisingly it was Ellie Goulding. With a shake of his now much less curly head, Bernard went to check his suitcase while wondering if all of his other clothes had changed as well—when suddenly, the dull roar from the headphones faded out, and, oddly, a song began playing aloud. Bernard figured Elle had selected the song for her alarm feature, and almost went to wake her. But the lyrics struck him, and instead he took a seat on the bench across from her, watching her thoughtfully.
Guess it's true I'm not good at a one-night stand
But I still need love 'cause I'm just a man
These nights never seem to go to plan
I don't want you to leave, won't you hold my hand?
Despite the brave face he was putting on for Elle, Bernard was thoroughly miserable. More and more it seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he was going to lose his Betrothed. He had stuffed the feeling down, knowing that Elle would sense it through their newly forming Bond and confront him or try to comfort him. Truth be told, nothing she could say could take away that feeling.
Bernard wasn't one to be overly demonstrative in public; nor did he even tell Elle how much he really cared. They both used sarcasm to protect themselves—sometimes , even from each other. In the beginning—the first few months after the pocket-watch incident, for example—it had been a process of really realizing how much it was possible to care about someone. Sure, he cared about the elves, he cared about Santa and Mrs. Claus, Judy and Abby, Quentin—hell, he even cared about Curtis. But this was different, he found. This was love, and somehow, it had gotten its hooks into him deeply.
Oh, won't you stay with me?
Cause you're all I need
This ain't love it's clear to see
But darling, stay with me
Unlike most people believed, Bernard knew he could live without Elle. He knew that it was possible to miss someone like crazy, to feel like you were going mad because they weren't there, and have to keep going anyway. KBO, Elle would have quipped: Keep Buggering On. But Churchill quotes or not, having to KBO when it came to love—when it came to Elle—was just about the most undesirable thing Bernard could think of.
Elle herself loved to pretend that being sappy was stupid. It was her personality, to be sarcastic and blunt and secretly scared. But once he'd proven himself to her- once she'd trusted him-she'd melted, become vulnerable with him in a way that was almost childish. As much as she complained about him using the 'puppy dog eyes', she used her 'baby blues' to destroy his willpower in a way he didn't expect her to fully understand. And seeing her melt had only made him fall in love with her in yet another way.
Why am I so emotional?
No it's not a good look, gain some self control
And deep down I know this never works
But you can lay with me so it doesn't hurt
Sure, her fangirling could get extreme sometimes, but for the most part she kept it separate from work and was generally her usual, simultaneously mature and funny self. The crazies she got hid her fears and put something humorous in their place, so that no one would laugh at her. For her to have gone public with her Who obsession only served as proof of how deeply troubled she was—and what was more, he could feel it. She was as scared as he was of being abandoned—they were each afraid that the other would choose to walk away, and their fears were feeding off of one another through the Bond.
Not that it was the Bond's fault. It was only trying to break down the protective wall they'd placed between each other, to keep from becoming what they each had unwittingly deemed 'uncomfortably' close. There had been moments when they'd pushed that wall down, only to rebuild it shortly afterward. The Bond was ensuring that everything, desirable or not, was flowing between them: a subconscious stream of mental communication that was affecting them in more ways than even Bernard realized.
Oh, won't you stay with me?
Cause you're all I need
This ain't love it's clear to see
But darling, stay with me
Watching Elle sleep there while she looked like nothing in the world was bothering her for the first time in awhile, Bernard felt hopeless. Everything felt like it was on the brink of disaster—one false move from him and the world he knew could come crashing down. But for her—for them—he would figure out how to make things right. He would fix the hole he'd dug between Elle and her family, and he would convince them to allow him to remain in her life.
Bernard sent a wave of warm tender thoughts at her with his mind, testing the Bond's functionality. He saw her smile faintly in her sleep, sigh, and roll over, hugging a pillow close to her. A smile tugged at his own lips, but quickly vanished as an unwarranted tear slipped down his cheek. It surprised him slightly, but he ignored it.
"I'll fix this, Elle," he whispered, his voice shaking slightly as the last few lines of the song closed. "So you can stay with me." The space between the bunk and the bench was narrow— he reached out and took her hand, and kissed it.
Oh, won't you stay with me?
Cause you're all I need
This ain't love it's clear to see
But darling, stay with me
Then he clasped it between his hands and bowed his weary head. A faint energy ran between his hands and Elle's as he closed his eyes, welcoming the strange tingling in his head that was the beginning of a firm connection between their minds.
Now if only he knew how to make sure that nothing would change between them. Unfortunately, a small part of him was nagging that as soon as they reached Seattle, all bets would be off.
Damn hormones.
ELLENORA'S CHOICE: Hanging On (Edit) and Hanging On (I See MONSTAS Remix) by Ellie Goulding
SH-THUD BANG!
"Wha-the…" Elle woke suddenly from a deep and satisfying sleep and sat up in a panic, whipping something out from her pants pocket. "Whoever it is, I'm warning you! I'm armed!"
Beside the bunk, Bernard stood with his bags in hand. "It's alright, we've just arrived," he explained, looking out the window at the darkening sky as the train's brakes screeched rather loudly. "You've been sleeping all da—is that a water pistol?"
Elle looked at the thing in her hand and back to him. "Let's find out." She shot him twice in the chest, leaving two wet marks on his shirt. "Hmm. Looks like it."
Bernard rolled his eyes, and buttoned his suit jacket. "Come on, up you get." He sat his suitcase down and offered her a hand. "We need to get going."
Elle threw off the covers and climbed out. "Oh alri—" She hit her head on the edge of the upper bunk. "OW!"
Immediately concerned, Bernard checked her head. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" Elle said, brushing his hands away, and brushing her hair back from her face. She tucked it behind her ears, and froze. "Oh."
Her ears had gone round while she was sleeping.
"So: how do I look?"
"Human." What Bernard wasn't mentioning was how Elle had become a bit more curvaceous than she had been before—in what he could only consider as the 'right' places. But seeing as he couldn't really say so without sounding lewd he kept that information to himself—and secretly relished it.
Elle scowled. "Really? Not funny. I get all caught up over you, and you just stand there and…" She was abruptly (but far from rudely) cut off.
A few seconds later, Bernard pulled back. "You look as beautiful as ever," he said, looking strangely reverential. "Doctor." Elle turned crimson and turned to put on her coat.
"Nice save there, mister," she said, deflecting. "You know something? You kiss different when you're human."
"Bad different?"
"Just…different."
Bernard said nothing, but grinned.
Elle grew more solemn though, as she gathered her things and followed Bernard out of the train compartment. A few minutes later they were off the train, standing in Kings Street Station next to a platform labeled Amtrak Cascades. Stepping out into her city again was perhaps one of the best feelings she had ever experienced. Elle really loved Seattle, and missed it almost as much as her family. The perfect blend of eccentricity, art couture and cityscape held a special place in her heart that the Pole would never replace.
Still, she felt as if looking up were wrong, somehow. She felt slightly guilty at her relief in returning. A little gladness was understandable, given her absence; but she didn't think it right that the relief was so intense. Also, a strange shyness had overcome her. She felt out of place, and almost fearful. Seeing so many adult people after so long in the Workshop was unsettling for Elle, who was, in spite of her fangirling, used to feeling like one of the more mature people in the room. So she kept her eyes to the ground for a few gut wrenching minutes, and watched her booted feet follow after Bernard's, trying to regain her confidence.
Elle breathed in the air as if savoring it, her eyes closed. "I love this station," she told him quietly. "It's technically in Chinatown district, so you can practically smell the food."
"I see." Bernard was looking down at his phone—the non work related one, of course; that had been left back at the Pole—and was trying to find the number for a taxi service online. Elle moved closer subtly, a headache trying to hit her as the amount of people in the station (but mostly, their staggering amount of thoughts) was beginning to get to her. She peered over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?"
"Taxi."
Elle laughed outright. "Seriously? I thought you'd know how to get a taxi, Bernard. You're way too old not to know something that simple."
He glared playfully at her. "I know how to get a taxi, thank you! I was trying to find a company that your father isn't monitoring."
"Oh, who gives a fish finger?" Elle said, dragging him by the hand out of the terminal and towards the front doors. "We're going to be seeing him in less than an hour anyway." Now the excitement was beginning to hit her.
"Riiight. Okay then, just…never mind. Taxi!" They were standing outside, next to the street with dozens of other passengers looking for a ride, or getting picked up by family. Maybe next time they'll come to get you, Elle told herself hopefully.
An empty taxi drove past them, not paying Bernard any mind.
"Okay, I know he saw me."
Elle facepalmed. "Yeah, so do I. I wouldn't have stopped either; you look completely ridiculous jumping up and down like that. You're not short now, remember? I'm pretty sure you've grown an inch or two, you're taller than me now." She measured her height against his, and found that he was indeed three inches taller than he'd been before. "Are you sure you've finished…changing?" she looked around to make sure no one had overheard them.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Bernard tried not to look impressed by the fact that he was slightly taller. "Oh, that's what you meant when you said 'physical changes.'"
"No crap, Watson."
"Again with the 'Watson'. Why are you referencing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work? And why am I Watson?"
"Because I can," said Elle, feigning patience with her fiancé. "Also, in this situation, only one of us is Sherlock—and it's certainly not you."
Bernard scowled.
"Get it now?" Elle tossed her hair. If her hair hadn't been flat ironed straight and everything except some bangs pulled back into a bun, he would have yanked one of her curls. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't an option. "Now, let me try." Elle stood out on the edge of the sidewalk, and waved a hand in the air at the nearest empty car. "TAXI!"
Sure enough, the car pulled up alongside them, the taxi driver grinning at her in a friendly way.
"See? Easy." Elle crossed her arms and gave him a smug look. "That is how it's done, Watson."
With a roll of his eyes, Bernard picked up their suitcases and took them to the trunk. Elle smirked after him. "Just kidding!" she called lightly.
"Yeah right."
Once they were safely inside the vehicle, Elle turned to the driver. "1350 East Hill Drive, please," she said, flashing him a charming smile.
The driver grinned back. He was around her father's age, and was one of those people you could just tell was nice. "Sure thing, miss," he said, turning off into the traffic.
Elle leaned her head back against the seat, and sighed. Bernard took her hand and rubbed circles on her thumb in a soothing way, casting a wary smile at her. She smiled tensely back at him. Bernard had noticed the driver kept casting funny backward glances at them in the rearview mirror, and he found it unsettling. Or maybe that was just the fact that he was about to meet Elle's father for the first time.
"Say," the man said eventually, pointing a finger at them in the mirror. "You aren't that that Connelly girl that went missing a few years back, are you?"
"What makes you ask that?" Bernard replied quickly, squeezing Elle's hand a little tighter.
The man shrugged. "She just looks like her, is all. Those Connelly girls were always in the papers back then, and I know a face when I see it." He smiled at them in a secretive way. "Also, the address is a dead giveaway."
"Right." Bernard looked at Elle, who responded with a look that said, 'sorry.' "Could we keep this between ourselves, please?" he said, using his best 'I mean business' tone.
"Certainly," the man said, turning off the street to board an onramp. "It's just nice to see that she's come back with a nice young man."
Elle tried not to roll her eyes, but leaned on Bernard's shoulder all the same.
The rest of the ride passed in silence. All too soon, they were pulling up in front of the big old house that Elle hadn't seen in what felt like forever. The holly bushes out front were still as surgically trimmed as usual, and the driveway was spotlessly clean, with a silver convertible in the driveway.
"Looks like they didn't keep the Maserati then," Elle said, slipping out the door farthest from the house. "Shame. Our second kiss was in that car."
Bernard sighed, and handed the driver his card.
"Lookin' forward to meetin' her father?" the driver asked, looking back at him confidentially as Elle rummaged around in the trunk.
"How did you know?" Bernard said dryly, giving a weak smile.
"Hey, I don't blame you," The man said. "Phillip Connelly is a good guy, but he's papa bear when it comes to his girls. You've got a hell of an introduction to make."
"Where did you learn all of this, anyway?" asked Bernard, suspicious.
"I told you. The newspapers used to love writin' about those kids. They stopped after she disappeared, though. So a word to the wise: if news gets out that Ellington Connelly's come home, stay away from the press. They'll be sendin' paparazzi after you like crazy."
"Geez," Bernard said, rubbing his face. "How rich is her father, that they care so much?"
The driver grew solemn. "Richer than he was before she left. And anyway, her disappearance was quite the story. I'm sure they'll want to meet the guy that made it all possible." He gave Bernard a knowing look.
With a sigh, Bernard took the card back from the man. "Thanks," he said, stepping out of the car and onto the street.
"Oh, and sonny!"
Bernard bent back down into the doorway, resisting the urge to tell the man just how much older than him he was. He raised his eyebrows expectantly.
"Between you and me, I think you'll do just fine. You seem like the kinda guy to make an impression, if you know what I mean. Mr. Connelly may be one of the biggest businessmen in the city, but I think, if you play your cards right…" He shrugged. "You might be just the guy to impress him."
Bernard said nothing, but smiled. "Thanks. Thanks again." He closed the door, and the taxi drove off, leaving Elle standing in the street with their luggage and a resolved expression on her face.
"You ready?" she asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
With a nod, Bernard picked up his suitcase. "You?" They started walking.
"Now just remember," Bernard said quickly, "no matter what happens, we'll work it out, okay? If they give you trouble, refuse to believe it's you, or demand explanations you can't give—even if you have to lie to them, which would be understandable, even though you had to do it before and probably don't want to do it again…"
"Bernard."
"Yeah?"
"Not helping."
Bernard bit his tongue. Why was it that sometimes, things came out less helpful and more rambling? "Sorry. I'm just…I'm just trying to help."
Elle nodded firmly. "I know," she said softly, and took a deep breath, pausing when they reached the end of the driveway. "To be honest, I'm not sure anything you could say could help me right now." She took another deep breath, and closed her eyes, breathing out through her mouth. Her breath evaporated into steam in the cold wintery air. "I just wish this weren't so hard."
Uncertain about how to comfort her when standing so close to where her father probably was, Bernard set a hand on her shoulder. He also looked up at the windows of the enormous house—mansion, really—and wondered from which window a sniper would have the best shot at his head. Then, he tried to push that unwanted thought from his mind.
"Alright," Elle said, squaring her shoulders and effectively shrugging off Bernard, "There's nothing for it." Adjusting her coat, she whispered, "Geronimo," and strode up to the door, not once looking back. Bernard followed quickly behind her.
ELLENORA'S CHOICE: I'm the Doctor, from the Doctor Who Season 5 Soundtrack, composed by Murray Gold
When she was standing on the front step, Elle rapped smartly with her gloved knuckles on the dark wood of the solid front door, and waited.
After a long while, the sound of footsteps pattered. Elle's stomach jumped into her throat. Who would answer the door? She wondered in a state of half panic. She hadn't considered this. Mom, Dad, Dottie? Annise?
At last, the door creaked open…
…to reveal two children, a girl and a boy.
The girl had long auburn hair, clipped back high on her head, and deep brown eyes. Beside her, the boy had a thick mop of dirty blond hair, with turquoise eyes peeking out from under the fringe. He was hiding behind the girl a little, and appeared to be the more shy of the two.
"Hello," said the girl, head cocked curiously. "Who are you?"
Elle searched frantically for words. This had been nothing like she had expected, or prepared for…which left her at a bit of a loss. Who were these children? Why were they at her house? They couldn't have been more than six, and were thus too young to be Annise's friends.
So given the enormous hole left in her thoughts, Elle said the first thing that came to mind:
"Hello! I'm the Doctor!" Elle pulled out her sonic from her coat and brandished it, grinning. She thumbed over her shoulder. "And he's an elf!"
"Elle!" Bernard looked horrified. Only two seconds there and she'd already given it away.
The children looked skeptical. "You're lying," said the girl, crossing her arms petulantly.
Elle made that displeased look Eleven made whenever someone argued with him. "Alright, fine," she said, "only half of that was true." She knelt down in front of them, a secretive grin on her face.
Bernard held his breath…
"I'm the Doctor," Elle said, adjusting her bowtie.
…and he started breathing again. That was close.
"You can't be the Doctor," the girl replied sassily. "The Doctor's a man!"
Elle gasped in mock horror. "Is not!" she said, drawing herself up.
"Is too!" the little boy offered.
The girl looked back at him. "Quiet, Ben. You know what Mummy says about talking to strangers."
"But Aubrey, you're talking to strangers!"
"Hush, Ben!"
Elle was frowning thoughtfully. Behind her, Bernard was trying (and mostly failing) not to smirk at the children's argument. "If I wasn't the Doctor," Elle asked finally, "how would I be able to do this?"
Pointing her sonic at the door, she locked and unlocked the security system. Then, she dimmed and brightened the lights in the foyer. And finally, she rang the doorbell several times, without touching the button.
Aubrey's eyes were wide with disbelief. The boy's jaw was practically on the floor. "You are the Doctor!" he whispered in amazement.
Elle smiled conspiratorially at him. "I know."
All the while, Bernard was watching this and wondering why he wasn't stopping Elle from showing off to unsuspecting children. After awhile, he figured it was because it was rather adorable, really.
Slowly, the girl broke into a grin. "Clara!" she called back over her shoulder.
"What is it, Aubrey?" came the voice of another girl. A moment later, a short, curly haired girl appeared in the doorway behind them. Her bright hazel eyes took in the sight of the people on the doorstep, and widened.
"Oh hello!" the new girl said. "And who are you?"
"Clara, she's the…" began the little girl—that is, Aubrey. Elle quickly held a finger to her lips, and winked at her. Then she turned to the older girl, a serious and slightly miffed expression on her face. The taxi driver recognized her, but not these people, who were in her family's house?
Oh hell, no.
"I'm Ellington Connelly," said Elle, raising an eyebrow with the faintest air of superiority. "And I've come home."
After staring for a long moment, Clara slowly broke into a grin. "Annise!" she called back into the house. "You're going to want to see this."
A slow set of footsteps rang through the hall. Clara pulled the children away from the door, and there…
There, wearing a tight blue suit, a long brown overcoat and a red pair of Converse trainers, was—
"Annise?" Elle asked, slightly breathless. Her sister had grown, her hair was slightly less blonde, and she was definitely more grown up. She was nearly a teenager, and her physique showed it.
"Ellington?" Annise asked, green eyes bulging. She took in Elle's costume from head to toe. "But…how is that…possible?" She pulled out her tenth Doctor sonic replica and flashed it over Elle as if scanning her, casting her in an eerie blue light in the dusk. Elle did the same in return, except hers made a sound and clicked open at the end. Its crystal flashed a bright green, phasing.
They held up their Sonics in front of each other like a mirror image, staring in disbelief.
Bernard opted to stay silent and out of the way for this tentative part. He watched quietly with both hands behind his back, watching with a slightly guilty feeling in his stomach.
"Password?" asked Annise, skeptically, as if testing her.
"Auspicious Salamander." That was a long story, involving a trip to Chinatown a spelling test and a book series they had adored a few years before.
Quickly, Annise raised her hand in the Vulcan salute, Elle mirroring her gesture at precisely at the same moment.
"Le ab dollen," said Annise, casting a wary eye over her sister. You're late, in Middle-earth Elvish.
Elle tipped her head from side to side in an acknowledging way. "No. Im goheno nin, an ngell nîn goheno nin. Peditham hi sui velyn?" Yes. I'm sorry, please forgive me. May we speak as friends now?
Annise gasped, and covered her mouth with both hands to stifle her sob. Tears slithered quietly down her cheeks. "It's you…it's really…" she sucked air jaggedly.
"Merry Christmas, kid," Elle said with a short laugh, grinning but with fresh tears smarting her eyes. "I'm back."
Ahahahaha FINALLY! *sobs in relief* I've gotten to the part I've been dying to write since the end of TEC. This is gonna be so much friggin fun (and drama, alas!)
Ah, the return of the mysterious Clara! What is she doing in the Connelly household, anyway? And how is Annise going to react to Elle's sudden return? And the others, Phillip, Josette, and Dottie? Who are these two mystery children? How did Annise find out about Who, if Elle wasn't there to tell her about it? And how is Elle going to introduce Bernard? AHHHHHHHHHHHHH SO MANY QUESTIONS. ;)
SHOUTOUTS: To WinterFrost15, who is destroying my feels over in Frost and Fire. Go check out her story, IT WILL KILL YOU WITH ANGSTY BERNORA, LIKE THE WOMAN IS MORE DIABOLICAL THAN ME D: She is extraordinarily talented, so go give her some love! Also, to Dani (SafyreSky). I have noticed, my dear, that in comments for FandF you have been referring to Elle as 'Elle bean'. :D CUTEST THING EVER OMG I LAUGHED SO HARD! I LOVE IT! So thanks, even though it was on another story and not even directed at me…yeah. I kidnapped that comment cause it was Elle-related. ;)
For those of you who haven't heard it yet, the Ellenora's Choice listed above, Beating Heart, by Ellie Goulding, was featured in the movie Divergent (2014). So is Hanging On (I See MONSTAS Remix), as far as I know. Give it a listen for ambience in this chapter, it's very applicable! Like, EXACTLY. Good stuff (: I have also set up an 8tracks playlist for this story, and both are inside for easy access. Go to 8tracks and look up the TEC2: Defining Elle Mix, if you will. It's been updated today so everything is either new or a better version. Feel free to leave a comment on a song you think should be added in the comment section of either the story or playlist. I'm open to suggestions!
I have also gone over all of the previous chapters of TEC2 and edited them, adding songs and changing a few things here and there formatting wise, nothing huge or plot heavy. Just FYI (:
Hope you enjoyed the EXACTLY 7k chapter, guys! It was a sort of apology for not updating in so long.
Leave a comment, if you will. I'd love to hear your feels on this. I'm totally psyched to get going with the real plot now!
-Ana