Martha sat demurely on the captain's chair, smiling lightly as she watched the two Time Lords pilot the TARDIS.
Well, it was more like Cass piloting, and the Doctor observing, arms wrapped around her waist from behind, face nuzzling into the crook of her neck, clearly tickling her if the light giggles she let out occasionally were anything to go by.
The human had realised, after their latest trip, that the redhead really was a better pilot than the Doctor, calm and focused in contrast to his constant jumping around and excitement.
"Just one trip. 'S'what I said. One trip, in the TARDIS, and then home." The Doctor commented casually, shooting Martha a smile, before looking down at his tether with a knowing grin and continuing casually, "Although, I suppose we could, stretch the definition. Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future. How do you fancy that?"
"No complaints from me!" She grinned happily, excited to continue travelling with them, and Cass chuckled, "Good, cause I do like having you around." Looking back down at the commands, she posited, "How do you feel about a different planet?"
"Can we go to yours?"
Immediately, the atmosphere dropped, both aliens turning softly around, the Doctor's grip tightening around his tether as she grimaced lightly, memories of their home invading the space between them.
But they had different reactions. Whilst he felt guilty and nostalgic, Cass was triggered, quickly managing to block some of the more painful moments of her life on Gallifrey from reaching her tether, managing to subdue her pain into a similar guilty sensation.
And she was guilty, just not of the same thing. She felt guilty at the momentary flash of relief she felt, whenever she remembered that Gallifrey was gone, and along with it, the High Council and Rassilon.
The Time Lord forced casualness into his voice, "Ahh, there's plenty of other places!"
"Come on, though!" Martha insisted, "I mean, Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look! What's it like?"
"Well, it's beautiful, yeah." He hummed, voice wistful, while Cass kept her eyes on the controls, refusing to open her mouth, trying very hard to numb their emotional connection so he wouldn't feel her.
"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?"
"Suppose it is."
"Great big temples and cathedrals!"
"Yeah."
"Lots of planets in the sky?"
"The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever, slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow."
She remembered those, small glimpses of the mountains throughout her very early childhood, before she'd stared into the Schism and been taken away. An orange sky and two suns warming her skin, blood-red grass and trees with burgundy leaves and the smell of the Skota flowers her mother used to grow and place all over their house.
But they were faint, centuries and centuries ago, and beyond that, Cass' memories of Gallifrey were tainted with pain and blood and tears. She could describe every version of her room in the council with accurate details, could tell you who was approaching from the tremor of their footsteps, knew exactly when the guards would change shifts, or when Rassilon would approach even before he'd been brought back to life.
Swallowing, she finally moved away from the Doctor, reaching for the keyboard and quickly inputting a random date, needing to get away from this topic, from this conversation, before the downpour of her memories pulled her under. Forcing a stiff, yet believable grin on her face, she turned to Martha as the young doctor asked, "Can we go there?"
"Nah, come on, Martha! Where's the fun in that for us, just going home? Instead," she quickly hopped between the various levers, tugging and pulling on the necessary ones, making sure to activate a few unnecessary ones as well, to distract from the topic as much as she could, "Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth! Second hope of mankind! Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York."
Her tether nodded, though his eyes narrowed slightly at the very clearly fake smile on her face, as he picked up for her, "Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built."
Landing them, he quickly threw his overcoat on, reaching for Cass' hand, finger weaving together tightly as he realised he couldn't feel her as clearly as he normally could. She was shielding her emotions from him, and she usually only did that when she thought he would dislike what she felt, or disagree with it in some way.
Gesturing for Martha to go out with a wave of his hand, he held the redhead back, looking at her meaningfully and she sighed, quickly removing whatever block she'd had on the tether, allowing him to feel exactly why she'd tried to shield it in the first place.
And for what felt like the millionth time, his hearts broke for her again. Because his Luna...his Luna wasn't torn up over the loss of Gallifrey, she was relieved.
"It makes me awful, I know. And it's a stain I'll wear forever, which is why I didn't exactly want you to know. I want to keep you away from my darkness as much as you do your own." She explained softly, giving him a sad smile and a shrug, and he simply pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips to her forehead, before pulling away and leading her towards the door, not saying anything, but smiling at her with so much love, she knew he didn't hold her own feelings against her.
And how could he, when they made sense? Why wouldn't she feel relieved to know that the people who'd tortured and hurt and killed her for centuries, who'd used her and tormented her for her skills and powers, were now gone?
Locking the doors, he pushed the topic to the back of his mind, knowing she wouldn't be willing to discuss it now, knowing they'd promised the human girl one last adventure.
But he'd bring it back up again, at some later point, just to make sure his tether understood that nothing could be held against her, that he loved and trusted her all the same.
Looking at Martha, he found her looking at them in annoyance, as she stood beneath an awing, shielding herself from the downpour they'd landed in, "Oh, that's nice!" She deadpanned, "Time Lord version of dazzling."
"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone." He forced a grin to his face, quickly tugging Cass' left hand up, pressing his lips to it, before taking off on a run, "Come on, let's get under cover!"
—
They dashed through a junk-ridden street, past what looked like giant dumpsters and old laundry swinging from a line, seeking refuge beneath another awning.
Martha looked up, "Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me. On a Wednesday afternoon."
"Hold on, hold on," the Doctor shook his head, "Let's have a look."
He hurried to a nearby screen, sonic already in hand as he buzzed it, static appearing but nothing more. When his brows furrowed in confusion, sonicking it again to no avail, Cass smiled fondly, reaching over and slamming her palm over the top of it, grin turning smug when an image appeared, of what looked like a blonde news anchor.
Looking at him, she smirked, "What? Violence works sometimes, just not on our TARDIS."
Rolling his eyes, he grabbed her hand, tugging her beside him, as on the screen, the woman stated, "... and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway."
The image shifted to reveal the New New York they'd already been familiar with, a gorgeous spired city on the coast of a large river, with sleek flying vehicles zooming in the air.
"Oh, that's more like it! That's the New we had last time. This must be the lower levels. Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under-city." The man grinned.
Cass rolled her eyes, looking at their companion with apology, "Sorry about that. I wasn't super focused while inputting the location, clearly. Didn't mean to land us here."
Martha shrugged nodding at her reassuringly, grateful for the apology, before looking at the Doctor, a small, irritated smile appearing on her face when he seemed just fine with their environment, "You've brought me to the slums?"
"Much more interesting! It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city."
His tether chuckled, nudging him lightly, "You really would enjoy anything, wouldn't you?"
"So long as you're here," he smiled back, winking at her, before hooting happily, "Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!"
Martha's eyes were still narrowed however, and she turned to the redhead with a light, slightly hurt, glare, "When he says 'last time', was that you two and Rose?"
Cass nodded, explaining, "Its a good starting point for trips, because the people are still familiar, as is the language and cultural manner in general. I figured, if you enjoyed New New York, and whatever trouble we may land into here, you'll definitely be ready for a completely different planet." Smiling gently at Martha, she finished, "I hope that's okay with you, I didn't just want to throw you into the deep end."
The human smiled happily, though her voice was embarrassed when she explained, "Sorry, I just thought..." she trailed off, and Cass smirked, understanding, "What? That I was trying to relive Rose through you? Nah, you're very different from her, so there was never any chance of that happening. I just figured you'd enjoy seeing a city you know so well...revamped."
And that really had been the truth, She remembered that in the other universe, that had been the reason behind the Doctor bringing Martha here, but Cass genuinely thought New New York was a good starting point for adventures. And besides, they were supposed to meet someone very special this time around, and she was not missing it again.
Grinning, she hooked her elbow through the girl's, leading them down the alleyway as she joked, "Now let's look around. I guarantee you, something's gonna go wrong, since the Doc and I can never seem to avoid trouble. Not that we try very hard, mind you."
Martha chuckled, and the Time Lord smirked, shrugging in agreement, thumb running soothingly over his tether's knuckles. And just like that, the second their feet hit the main street junction, a man flipped open the front flap of what looked like a large box, revealing it to be a cart instead.
Noticing them, he smiled, "Oh! You should have said. How long you been there? Happy! You want Happy!"
Other vendors opened up as well, all grinning and shouting their merchandise at once.
"Customers! Customers! We've got customers!"
"We're in business! Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read!"
"Happy, Happy, lovely happy Happy!"
"Anger! Buy some Anger!"
"Get some Mellow, makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long!"
The man who'd noticed them first shook his head, turning to look at the Doctor conspiratorially, "Younger, them. They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?"
"No, thanks," he shook his head, tugging Cass closer to his side, as he hurried them a little ways away.
Martha rounded on the Time Lord, aghast, "Are they selling drugs?"
"I think they're selling moods."
Cass scoffed, shaking her head, "Practically the same thing, I'd say. It's not like people take MDMA for medicinal purposes."
Other, more bedraggled-looking people walked into the alleyway behind, drawing more cries from the vendors, who began yelling their wares enthusiastically once more. A pale woman dressed in very dark clothes walked with intent toward the stalls.
"Over here, sweetheart! That's it, come on, I'll get you first!" One of the vendors, an older looking woman called, "Come over here, yeah. And what can I get you, my love?"
"I want to buy Forget." The woman replied, shoulders hunched in sadness.
"I've got Forget, my darling. What strength? How much you want forgetting?"
"It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway."
"Oh, that's so sweet." The vendor reached behind her into the stall, pulling out a circular token and handing it to the woman, "Try this. Forget Forty-three. That's two pence."
The blonde payed, and turned to walk away, token in hand. Though before she could use it, the Doctor ran to her, tugging Cass, who was tugging Martha, behind him.
"Sorry," he called, stopping in front of her, "but, hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?"
She swallowed harshly, "They drove off."
"They might drive back."
"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end. I've lost them."
"But they can't have gone far. You could find them." The woman just looked at him sadly, before sticking the token to her neck, "No, no, no, don't!"
But it was too late, as her expression had suddenly shifted from achingly sad, to serene. Her head tilted, a curious smile on her face, eyes hazed and unfocused, "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
Cass' eyes narrowed slightly, "Your parents. Your mother and father. They're on the motorway, do you remember?"
"Are they?" She simply nodded happily, "That's nice."
The redhead nodded, as beside her, both Martha and the Doctor had nearly identical expressions of disturbance, though while the human seemed surprised, the Doctor was simply accepting.
"Alright then, I'm sorry, I won't keep you." Cass smiled genially, stepping aside to watch the now drugged-out woman walk away, before sighing, "Its immediate, like a hit of morphine or high-intensity ketamine."
Martha scoffed, disgusted, "So that's the human race five billion years in the future. Off their heads on chemicals."
The couple turned to her, but right before they could reply, two figures sprung out from behind her, carrying guns and dressed in dark clothing. One man grabbed her from behind, throwing an arm around her neck and dragging her off, as his wife stood in front of them, pointing her gun straight at the Doctor. Immediately, Cass straightened, tensing as her training kicked in, diluted as though it may have been. Her eyes quickly moved between both, calculating how quickly she could extract her new friend from their grasp, and push her tether away, ensuring only a bullet graze, or a flesh shot at worst. But he heard her thoughts, and his arms quickly dropped to her waist, tugging her tightly against him, keeping her from jumping into the fray.
Martha screamed and struggled, but they were quick, retreating and taking her with them.
"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry." The man yelled apologetically, "We just need three, that's all."
"No, let her go!" Cass cried, running after them, the Doctor's hand wrapped around her own as he kept up as well, shouting, "I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, we can help. Both of us, we can help. But first you've got to let her go!"
The woman shook her head, nearly sobbing, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Sorry."
They disappeared behind a door, quickly slamming it shut behind them, and Cass growled, teeth bared as she pulled her sonic out, buzzing the door and unlocking it before they could reach it, kicking it open the second she was in front of it, her speed never diminishing for a second.
As they ran down a shadowy corridor, they could hear Martha yelling, voice tinged with more anger than fear, "Cass and the Doctor are so gonna kill you, and never mind them, I'm gonna kill you myself! Let go of me!" A second passed, and then she screamed again, "Don't you dare! Don't put that stuff in me, don't! Get off me!"
They burst out into daylight seconds too late, right as a car floated up into the air, and sped away.
Cass bit her lip, free hand clenching tightly, before hissing, "Nope, not again. This isn't happening again!" Quickly, she spun them around, hurrying them back through the alleyway, and running towards one of the vendor carts, fist pounding on the covering angrily.
The Doctor pulled her into him, calmness and warmth seeping through their bond into her as he tried to quiet her anger, whispering, "It's okay, we'll get her back, I promise."
"This can't keep happening. I mean I know we both have awful, terrible luck, but honestly this is getting ridiculous." She huffed back, swallowing heavily as the front of the cart flipped open, and the vendor who'd been selling the Forget grinned creepily at them, "Thought you'd come back! Do you want some happy Happy?"
The Time Lord shook his head, scowling, "Those people, who were they? Where did they take her?"
"They've taken her to the motorway." Another vendor stated, opening up to look at them.
"Looked like carjackers to me." The forget-seller added.
"I'd give up now, darling. You won't see her again." Another vendor piped up, smiling pitifully at the redhead.
"Used to be thriving in this place. You couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end."
Cass gritted her teeth, "He was saying they needed three. Explain, now please."
"It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying three adults."
She glanced up at her tether, both of them nodding in agreement at the idea, as he asked,"This motorway, how do we get there?"
"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You can't miss it."
Before they could leave though, the redhead glared at the vendors, "Word of warning, I'd pack up your little stations here, because by the time we're done, I promise you, your business won't be needed anymore."
—
The Doctor was forcing open a large door at the end of the alley pointed to them. The second the lock opened with a loud clang, they stepped through onto a platform, heavy smog hanging in there around them, causing both of them to gag heavily.
Unfortunately, Cass inhaled sharply at the smell, which caused her erupt into a fit of coughs, bending in half to aid her lungs, the Doctor grabbing onto her quickly, shoving her face into his chest to keep her from inhaling anymore of the fumes, sticking his nose into her hair, beginning to cough as well.
A car stopped before them, the door opening as a large man in protective gear leaned out yelling, "Hey! You daft little street struts! What are you doing, standing there? Either get out or get in! Come on!"
Quickly the Doctor pulled Cass into his arms, pushing her through the open door, following swiftly after, gaze moving over her with increasing worry when he noticed how red she was getting.
"Did you ever see the like?" The man who'd stopped for them mumbled, as a dark haired woman handed the Doctor an oxygen mask with a small smile, "Here you go, should help her."
He nodded gratefully, placing it over his tether's mouth and nose, relief flowing between them when she began breathing properly, her voice echoing through his mind, Remind me to never complain if we land in modern Los Angeles about the smog again. This is hell.
He chuckled lightly, leaning down to press his lips to her hair, as their saviour began taking off his gear, revealing that he'd a cat, much like Novice Hame had been, still muttering, "Just standing there, breathing it in!" He turned to them with wide eyes, "There's this story says back in the old days, on Junction Forty-Seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet!"
The dark-haired woman chuckled, shaking her head, "Oh, you're making it up."
"A fifty-foot head!" He repeated, getting back into the driver's seat, "Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose."
"Stop it. That's disgusting."
"What? Did you never pick your nose?"
They laughed happily, and Cass sighed, leaning her head against her tether's chest where he'd pulled her, removing the mask from around her face, and placing it on his own, whispering, when he immediately began complaining, "I'm good my love, promise. You've inhaled a fair amount as well, so just breathe a little for me, please."
"Bran," the woman suddenly yelled, "we're moving!"
"Right. I'm there. I'm on it." Bran, the driver smiled, pulling a lever on the console, the engines in the back of the car spewing out smoke as they moved forwards. Behind them, other cars moved into place around; horns beeping in every corner. They didn't go far, though, and after a couple of seconds Bran drew the lever back.
"Twenty yards! We're having a good day." He smiled, the woman nodding happily, as they both turned back to the Time Lords, unable to keep from smiling as they watched the red-haired woman gently cup the man's cheek, love in her eyes as she spoke to him too softly for them to hear.
Bran cleared his throat delicately, and they jumped slightly, flushing as they turned back to him, the Doctor taking the mask off, "And who might you be, sir, ma'am? Very well-dressed for hitchhikers."
"Thanks. Sorry, I'm the Doctor, and this is my wife, The Oracle." The man introduced, smirking when he heard Cass grumble at his usage of her title, still a little too breathless to verbally complain.
The man scoffed, "Medical man and psychic wife! Ha-ha! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie."
"Nice to meet you." Valerie waved her hand politely.
"And that's the rest of the family behind you." Bran finished, gesturing behind.
The two turned around, the Doctor removing a blanket from one of the baskets to reveal a little of kittens, Cass immediately cooing at them, reaching down to lightly scratch at a head, "Oh my god, look at you. You're adorable!"
A tiny black one curled around her hand, and she picked it up, cradling it to her chest happily, aware of the soft smiles she was receiving as she asked the parents, eyes never leaving the adorable creature, "How old are they? If I may ask?"
"Just two months." Valerie smiled.
"Poor little souls." Bran sighed, "They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway."
"What, they were born in here?" The Doctor asked, coming to stand behind his tether, pressing a small kiss to her temple as he watched her nuzzle the kitten, a soft grin on her face.
"We couldn't stop." Valerie nodded, "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance."
The redhead looked up at them, "What? You've been driving for two months?"
Bran laughed, "Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now."
"Sorry?" She blinked, confused. Surely they haven't been in this car for the past twelve years...
"Yeah! Started out as newlyweds! Feels like yesterday." Bran nodded, shooting his wife a grin.
Valeria rolled her eyes, deadpanning with a small smile, "Feels like twelve years to me."
He reached for her, tickling her gently, grinning as she chuckled, "Ahh, sweetheart, but you're still lovely."
Behind them, the other married couple shared confused glances, as the Doctor asked again, "Twelve years?! How far did you come? Where did you start?"
"Battery Park. It's five miles back."
"You travelled five miles in twelve years?!" Cass gaped, incredulous.
The driver looked at his wife, "I think they're a bit slow."
Turning around, the redhead pressed a sweet kiss to the top of the kitten's head, before slowly putting it back with its litter-mates, weaving her fingers between her tether's after, as Valeria asked them kindly, "Where are you from?"
"Never mind that," the Doctor murmured, "We've got to get out. Our friend's in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. We should get back to the TARDIS." He reached for one of the doors with his free hand, opening it, only for both him and Cass to be once more engulfed in a cloud of black smoke, as Bran informed them, "You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by."
The Time Lady quickly slammed the door shut again, having had the forethought to hold her breath this time around, rubbing soothing circles over her husband's back as he coughed, nuzzling into her neck.
"You're passengers now, Sonny Jim!"
Looking at him, she asked, "When's the next lay-by?"
"Oh... six months?"
Cass bit into her lip, looking at her tether in consideration, neither of them finding the answer all that amusing.
—
The red-tipped sonic screwdriver buzzed in front of a screen with the insignia of the New New York Police Department, lighting both Cass and the Doctor's reflections on it, as he held a vocal transmitter in his hand, and she kept trying to access her way into any database.
"I need to talk to the police." He announced.
A robotic voice responded, "Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."
"But you're the police!"
"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."
He sighed, head dropping onto Cass' shoulder in disappointment, and she quickly turned to press a kiss to it, smirking, "spoiler: we get her back, I swear. Just gotta have some patience, Time Lord."
"Yeah?" His head raised quickly, looking at her with so much hope, and she nodded, gesturing towards the screen, "I'm gonna try hacking through to the actual database, figure out what's happening. Maybe expedite the process a little."
"I'll talk to Bran and Valerie, see what they know." He hummed, leaning over to lay his lips over her own quickly, pulling away, only to kiss her twice more, murmuring, "It's never enough."
Pushing him lightly, she chuckled, turning back to the screen as she spoke into his mind, you're insatiable.
Can't help it, love. He grinned back as he moved away, sending her a gentle mental-kiss, before heading towards the parents, and asking, "Is there anyone else? I once met the Duke of Manhattan; is there any way of getting through to him?"
"Oh, now, ain't you lordly?" Bran remarked.
"We've got to find our friend."
"You can't make outside calls. The motorway's completely enclosed."
"What about the other cars?"
"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah." Bran nodded, "Well, some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friends list. Now, let's see, who's nearby? Ahh! The Cassini sisters!"
He held up his own transmitter, speaking jovially into it, "Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here."
"Get off the line, Brannigan." An older, clearly amused woman responded, "You're a pest and a menace."
"Oh," he laughed, "come on, now, sisters. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"
"You know full well we're not sisters. We're married."
"Oooh, stop that modern talk! I'm an old-fashioned cat. Now, I've got hitchhikers here, call themselves the Doctor and the Oracle."
He handed the Time Lord the transmitter, and immediately, the Doctor placed it to his lips, saying, "Hello. Sorry. I'm looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked. She's inside one of these vehicles, but I don't know which one."
"Wait a minute." Another older woman piped in. They could hear the sound of pages turning as she asked, "Could I ask, what entrance did they use?"
"Pharmacy Town," Cass supplied, remembering that it was what one of the vendors had referred to the place as.
"Pharmacy Town, about twenty minutes ago." He repeated into the device.
"Let's have a look." She murmured softly, "In the last half hour, fifty-three new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction."
"Anything more specific?" He huffed, clearly growing impatient.
"All in good time. Was she car-jacked by two people?"
"Yes, she was, yeah."
"There we are. Just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had three on board. And car number is four six five diamond six."
"That's it!" The Doctor cried happily, "So how do we find them?"
"Ah. Now, there I'm afraid I can't help." The older woman sighed sadly. He turned to Bran, pointing towards the calling device, "Call them on this thing. We've got their number. Diamond six."
The cat-man shook his head, "Not if they're designated fast lane. It's a different class."
"You could try the police." The woman's voice floated through the transmitter again, trying to be helpful.
The Doctor's shoulder slumped in slight defeat, "They put me on hold."
The other older woman, the one who'd answered their call offered, "You'll have to keep trying. There's no one else."
"Thank you," he nodded, handing Bran the transmitter back, and returning to his tether's side, kneeling behind her, his arms wrapping softly around her waist as he leaned his chin on her shoulder, watching her work.
When her shoulders tensed, eyes narrowed in realisation at her findings, he turned around, asking their driver, "We've got to go to the fast lane. Take me down."
"Not a million years." Bran retorted.
"You've got four passengers!"
"I'm still not going."
Cass sighed, looking back at him with sad, guilty eyes, "She's all alone, our friend. She's alone and she's lost in a planet that's not her own, and its all my fault because I brought us here. I'm begging you, Brannigan, please take us down."
Her tether's hand landed on her shoulder, reaching for the back of her neck, thumb rubbing over her pulse softly as he tried to push his reassurance and love into her, trying to appease her guilt.
Valerie looked at them pityingly, shaking her head, "That's a no. And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there."
"Why not? What's the risk?" The Doctor asked, as Cass turned back to the screen, anger now beginning to slither through her veins at what she'd discovered, "What happens down there?"
"We're not discussing it! The conversation is closed!"
"So we keep on driving."
"Yes, we do."
"For how long?"
Bran swallowed, "'Till the journey's end."
