THE HOUSE ON SPACE-TIME LANE
EPILOG
by Galen Hardesty
~*~
Jane watched as Daria and Amy stared at each other for a long moment, and then suddenly fell into each other's arms. She had never seen Daria hug anyone that fiercely before.
Quinn also watched the tender scene, with puzzlement. Then she looked over at Jane and noted with more puzzlement that tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Jane, what's the matter?" she asked.
"Daria. 'M gonna lose her," was all Jane could get out.
Quinn looked back at Daria, still solidly locked to Amy, then back to Jane, looking as though her heart would break. "Lose her? Why? What do you mean?"
Jane's streaming eyes stayed locked on Daria. "She's going away. With them. She's the only one who can pilot the SuperTARDIS."
"Oh, you mean she has to give that Doctor guy a ride home? Well, that doesn't sound too bad. She'll come right back. How long could it take?"
Jane gave Quinn a funny look. "No, Quinn, she won't come right back. Why should she?" She dabbed at her eyes with a table napkin.
"Well, duh. Because this is her home. Her family and friends are here, and so is all her stuff."
Jane shot Quinn a look of irritation. "Quinn, where have you been? You heard the Doctor tell the story about Amalie and Darvian, and how Amalie got pregnant and then ran away in the SuperTardis, didn't you?"
"Yeah. So?"
"So, Amy is Amalie. She's a Gallifreyan. Daria is the daughter of Amalie and Darvian, so she's a Gallifreyan too, and she's going home, and she's gonna meet her real father for the first time, and she's going to become a Time Lord like her grandfather the Doctor."
Then, finally, Quinn got it. Her eyes opened wide. She gasped, and the color drained from her face. "No! It's not fair! Just when I decide I'm glad she's my sister, everything changes! Now you tell me not only is she not my sister, she's not even human, and she's going someplace thousands of whatevers away, and I'll probably never see her again!
Quinn's wails filled the kitchen. Jane grabbed another napkin from the table and dabbed at her eyes. Daria and Amy stood by the microwave in quiet conversation, often dabbing at their eyes as well. The Doctor stood with his back to the side patio door, quietly observing.
None of them saw the form of Tananda, lurking in the dimness of the dark side yard. Suddenly, a beam of intense light stabbed out of the blackness and struck Tananda, and she vanished in a greasy puff of smoke. Distant streetlights dimly glinted off the menacing form of a Dalek as it rolled out of the darkness, took up Tananda's observation post behind a holly bush, and began observing the Morgendorffer kitchen.
In the morning, Jake found a baseball cap with a Dirty Pierre's Pizza logo lying in the side yard, with a faint smell of scorched meat about it. He dropped it in the trash can as he left. Tananda didn't show up for work that day, and was never met with in Lawndale again.
La la LA la la.
EPILOG
by Galen Hardesty
~*~
Jane watched as Daria and Amy stared at each other for a long moment, and then suddenly fell into each other's arms. She had never seen Daria hug anyone that fiercely before.
Quinn also watched the tender scene, with puzzlement. Then she looked over at Jane and noted with more puzzlement that tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Jane, what's the matter?" she asked.
"Daria. 'M gonna lose her," was all Jane could get out.
Quinn looked back at Daria, still solidly locked to Amy, then back to Jane, looking as though her heart would break. "Lose her? Why? What do you mean?"
Jane's streaming eyes stayed locked on Daria. "She's going away. With them. She's the only one who can pilot the SuperTARDIS."
"Oh, you mean she has to give that Doctor guy a ride home? Well, that doesn't sound too bad. She'll come right back. How long could it take?"
Jane gave Quinn a funny look. "No, Quinn, she won't come right back. Why should she?" She dabbed at her eyes with a table napkin.
"Well, duh. Because this is her home. Her family and friends are here, and so is all her stuff."
Jane shot Quinn a look of irritation. "Quinn, where have you been? You heard the Doctor tell the story about Amalie and Darvian, and how Amalie got pregnant and then ran away in the SuperTardis, didn't you?"
"Yeah. So?"
"So, Amy is Amalie. She's a Gallifreyan. Daria is the daughter of Amalie and Darvian, so she's a Gallifreyan too, and she's going home, and she's gonna meet her real father for the first time, and she's going to become a Time Lord like her grandfather the Doctor."
Then, finally, Quinn got it. Her eyes opened wide. She gasped, and the color drained from her face. "No! It's not fair! Just when I decide I'm glad she's my sister, everything changes! Now you tell me not only is she not my sister, she's not even human, and she's going someplace thousands of whatevers away, and I'll probably never see her again!
Quinn's wails filled the kitchen. Jane grabbed another napkin from the table and dabbed at her eyes. Daria and Amy stood by the microwave in quiet conversation, often dabbing at their eyes as well. The Doctor stood with his back to the side patio door, quietly observing.
None of them saw the form of Tananda, lurking in the dimness of the dark side yard. Suddenly, a beam of intense light stabbed out of the blackness and struck Tananda, and she vanished in a greasy puff of smoke. Distant streetlights dimly glinted off the menacing form of a Dalek as it rolled out of the darkness, took up Tananda's observation post behind a holly bush, and began observing the Morgendorffer kitchen.
In the morning, Jake found a baseball cap with a Dirty Pierre's Pizza logo lying in the side yard, with a faint smell of scorched meat about it. He dropped it in the trash can as he left. Tananda didn't show up for work that day, and was never met with in Lawndale again.
La la LA la la.