The redhead stood up, not looking at anyone as she took the transmitter, placing it to her lips with a grim look in her eyes, "Hello, Ms. Cassini, it's the Oracle. Quick question if I may, how long have you been driving on the motorway?"
"Oh," the woman responded quickly, "we were amongst the first. It's been twenty-three years now."
"And in this entire time, can you ever recall seeing police car?"
The tension rose in the car, Bran and Valerie fidgeting uncomfortable, as Ms. Cassini's soft, hesitant voice replied, "I'm not sure."
"Could you look at your notes, please? Any police?" Cass insisted, voice soft and pleading.
"Not as such."
"Or maybe an ambulance? Rescue service? Any official car, belonging to a branch of public service or government?"
"I can't keep a note of everything." The woman huffed back, peeved.
The redhead shook her head head sadly, revealing, "its because there aren't any. The police office, it's all automated. They'll always respond by putting you on hold, because there isn't any police, or ambulances or rescue services of any kind. And there won't be."
The transmitter was snatched back from her hand angrily, Bran scowling at her, "Stop it. The Cassinis were doing you a favour."
"Someone's got to," the Doctor scowled back, protective instincts rising as he noticed the glare his tether was receiving, pushing her lightly behind him as he stepped up to the other man, "'Cause you might not talk about it, but it's there. In your eyes."
Putting a hand on his waist, Cass moved beside him, looking at the other couple softly, "Bran, Valerie...what if the traffic jam never stops?"
"There's a whole city above us. The mighty city-state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us." Bran shook his head.
"In that case, where are they? Hmm?" The Doctor responded, voice flinty with anger and irritation and impatience, "What if there's nothing, like Cass just told you? Just the motorway, with the cars going round and round and round, never stopping? Forever?"
Hon, calm down, they're just frightened. Cass' voice called in his head, her reassurance flowing through his veins, cooling the anger that had been gathering there.
He sighed, nodding softly, It's just...they refuse to see it. They'd prefer to live in denial, and keep us from finding Martha and snap and yell at you, rather than just seeing the truth.
It's not easy, letting go of everything you've ever believed, especially when that belief is tied so closely to your hope of a better life, Theta. She replied softly, her grip around his waist tightening, as Valeria snapped, "Shut up! Just shut up!"
Suddenly, the screen at the front of the car snapped to life, the blonde news anchor they'd seen earlier in the day appearing again, wearing a winning smile, "This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation."
Bran looked back at the tether couple, smiling jovially again, "You think you know us so well, Doctor. But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other."
Valerie smiled as well at his words, as Sally Calypso finished, "This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe."
A hymn began playing, and they sang along, voice mingling with the millions of others on the motor way.
"On a hill, far away. Stood an old, rugged cross. The emblem of suffering and shame-And I love that old cross. Where the dearest and best .For a world of lost sinners was slain. So I'll cherish the old, rugged cross, rugged cross. Till my trophies at last I lay down, I lay down. I will cling to the old, rugged cross, rugged cross. And exchange it some day for a crown."
By the end, Cass shook her head sadly, kneeling beside her tether by a hatch as he said, "If you won't take us, we'll go down on our own."
He'd just pulled his sonic out, buzzing it over the hatch quickly, when Bran's turned to them with wide eyes, yelping, "What do you think you're doing?"
The redhead looked at him with a shrug, "What we usually do, finding our own way."
"Capsule open," an electronic voice announced.
Valerie and Brannigan looked on in horror as a door in the floor of the car opened, revealing the hundreds of cars below them. One pulled up right underneath the opening, and the Doctor grasped his tether's hand tightly, preparing to jump down.
"Well, I gotta say, this isn't exactly what I'd meant when I told you I wanted to go bungee-jumping." Cass chuckled lightly, before reaching behind her and grabbing two scarves, wrapping one of them snuggly around her tether's nose and mouth, repeating the process on herself.
He nodded, his eyes smiling at her, fingers tightening around her own for a second, before unlatching, as he removed his coat, "Here we go."
Throwing it behind him, he warned lightly, "Look after this. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."
"But you can't jump!" Valerie yelled.
"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, he's having kittens." Cass chuckled, squealing lightly when she was tugged into his chest, his arms wrapping tightly around her so as to keep her close when they jumped.
Valerie looked at them with wide eyes, "This Martha, she must mean an awful lot to you."
"Hardly know her," the Doctor shrugged, guilt thrumming through him, "I was too busy showing off. And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied."
"So did I," Cass mumbled, reaching around the clasp the fabric on his back, looking over his shoulder at the couple and winking, "And with that, we bid you two adieu!"
"Bye then!"
They jumped down, landing on the roof of the car beneath them, both coughing lightly from the fumes, as Cass pulled her sonic out, opening the door on its roof.
"Capsule open," the voice announced, and they dropped into it, finding a man dressed all in white and looking very pale.
"Who the hell are you two?" He scowled gruffly.
"Sorry," she waved, "Motorway foot patrol, just doing a quick evaluation."
The Doctor nodded quickly, "How are you enjoying your motorway?" As he kneeled by the floor hatch, sonic in hand as he buzzed it.
"Well, not very much. Junction Five's been closed for three years!"
Cass hummed, wrapping her arms around her tether again, saying right before they jumped to the car below, "Thank you, your comment had been noted! Have a nice drive!"
She quickly opened the next door, coughing more harshly as the fumes increased around them.
"Capsule open."
Two very startled Asian girls in the front, gaped at them, as they proceeded to open the floor hatch.
"Thank you for your cooperation." Cass said.
"Your comment has been noted." The Doctor added, as they jumped to the next car.
"Capsule open."
Cass chuckled, as her tether blushed fiercely, since the car they'd just dropped it contained two very naked passengers.
Sonicking the hatch, she winked at them, "Sorry about that, don't kind us and have fun!" Before squealing when the Doctor jumped, pulling her down with him, the tips of his ears still a bright red.
"Capsule open."
They both saluted a man decked out in all-red, before jumping down to the next car.
—
"Capsule open."
They jumped down into the car, a man dressed in a pinstripe suit turning to look at them with wide eyes, "'Scuse me, is that legal?"
At this point, both Time Lords were coughing too much to speak properly, the Doctor gasping lightly for breath, as Cass tried to slow her heart rates down.
Looking at the man, she tenderly ran a hand through her tether's hair, as he nuzzled into her, asking the driver, "I'm sorry, but do you maybe have some water?"
"Certainly." He nodded, reaching over to a water-cooler and filling a cone-shaped cup, handing it to her, "Never let it be said I've lost my manners."
She quickly gave it to her tether, glaring at him when he began shaking his head, "I'm alright, I'll drink after you. Stop arguing."
Sighing, he quickly drained it, placing it under the cooler again, before handing it to her, his fingers carding through her now tangled hair as she drank it.
"Is this the last layer?" He asked the man.
"Ah, we're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane."
Cass looked up, handing him the cup back gratefully, "There are three of us, can we drive down?"
He frowned, "I'd...I'd rather not."
She could feel the Doctor tensing behind her, but she nodded in understanding, "Alright, thank you anyway." Before kneeling by the bottom door, using her sonic to open it.
"You can't jump. It's a thousand feet down!" The man yelled.
The Doctor shook his head, reassuring him, "We're not. We're just looking."
Below them, there was nothing but a thick layer of dark, nauseating smog, with tiny pinpricks of flickering lights here and there. Suddenly, a loud, menacing roar echoed up to them.
"What's that noise?" The Doctor asked, frowning.
"I try not to think about it." The suited man confessed.
The redhead stood up, reaching for her sonic as she approached the screen, "A motorway like this...there has to be some kind of ventilation system. I can access it, trip the system by sending a pulse through it. It'll give us a bit of a breeze."
A hand grabbed her chin, lips landing over her own roughly before he tether pulled away, grinning proudly at her, smugness radiating from him when she had to physically blink his effect away, "You're a genius, love!"
"Um...yeah, sure." She murmured, cheeks tinting a bright pink as she turned back to the display, quickly hacking through, and doing what she'd spoken of.
"Got it!" She cried happily, running from her position to the bottom latch again, kneeling by it next to both her tether and the suited driver.
The man looked down, frowning at the decreasing smog, "What are those shapes?"
Large pincers and claws slowly materialised through the smoke, and Cass breathed in slight horror, "Holy fuck, Macra. I thought they were extinct."
Her tether nodded, "They're alive."
"What the hell are they?" The driver asked.
"Macra." They repeated.
"The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy." The Doctor added, explaining, "Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better."
"They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food." Cass finished.
"They don't exactly look like empire-builders to me." The suited man frowned.
"Well, that was billions of years ago. Billions." The Doc began.
Cass took over, "They must've devolved down the years and now they're just beasts."
"But they're still hungry and our friend's down there."
A clank sounded above them, and they all looked up.
"Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!" The suited man grumbled as feet dangled down, a woman dropping.
"Love, we've invented a new sport!" The Doctor cried excitedly, while Cass smiled fondly, reaching down to help the woman up, greeting, "Nice to actually meet you, Novice Hame. Please don't pull the gun out, it makes my tether twitchy unless I'm holding them, and the owner of the car doesn't look too fond of them either."
The nurse looked at her in wonder, "Oh, he told me how incredible you were." Before looking at the Doctor, "Doctor, Oracle, you're a hard pair to find."
"No guns!" The driver yelled, "I'm not having guns!"
Hame reassured him, "I only brought this in case of pirates. Doctor, Oracle, you've got to come with me."
He embraced her quickly, before pulling away and frowning, "No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation."
"Oh for hell's sake, honey. She's sought forgiveness, and clearly they're not doing that anymore." Cass grinned happily, nodding at the woman, who added, "I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance. And if you two come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself."
"We're not going anywhere," the redhead stated, "You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra! And if our friend's still alive, she's stuck down there!"
Hame straightened, "No, you two are coming with me, now!"
"No, no, no, you're coming with us, or leaving!" The Doctor argued.
The nurse shook her head, quickly reaching for Cass' arm, seeing as the Doctor already had a hold on the redhead's hand, "I'm sorry, Doctor, Oracle. But the situation is even worse than you can imagine."
She pressed a button on her wristband, yelling, "Transport!" As Cass cried, "Oh, don't you dare!"
But it was too late, as the three of them disappeared in a stream of light, only to reappear in a dusty, unkept room, with sunlight flooding through irregularly.
Cass groaned as she stood up, shaking her arms, "God, I haven't teleported anywhere since the other universe."
Arms wrapped around her waist, and she found herself tugged to her tether, who huffed angrily, looking at Hame, "You can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha."
The nurse shook her head, "I only had the power for one trip."
"Then get some more!" He yelled, "Where are we?"
"High above, in the over-city."
"Good! 'Cause you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway! Millions!"
"Honey..." his tether's disturbed voice drew his attention, and he looked down to find her shaking her head sadly, "I think this is the senate."
"May the goddess Santori bless them." Hame whispered, gesturing to the rows of seats above them, each holding a skeleton.
The couple kneeled beside one, Cass whispering, "What the fuck happened? What did this? How long has it been like this?"
"Twenty-four years, Oracle." The nurse replied sombrely, kneeling beside the skeleton, explaining as she pointed to a token on its neck, "A new chemical. A new mood. They called it Bliss. Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished, even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Oracle. They were saved."
They stood up, jaws clenched at the turn horror and urgency of the situation.
"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic?" The Doctor asked.
"There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking."
"Who's 'we'? How did you survive?"
Hame brightened, "He protected me." She turned to cass, tears shining in her eyes, "And he has waited for you, Oracle. These long years."
Not far off, a low, grumbling voice called from the back of the room, "Cass, Doctor."
The two took off in that direction, the redhead dropping to the floor, knees cracking against it harshly right as she'd reached the speaker, eyes soft as she gazed at the Face of Boe, old, tired face.
Her tether kneeled beside her, his hand reaching to intertwine with her own as he whispered, "The Face of Boe."
"I knew you would come," Boe whispered happily, his eyes swinging to the redhead, "You always do."
"And we always will," she promised quietly, as Hame joined them, explaining, "Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sins."
"Old friend," the Doctor murmured, "what happened to you?"
"Failing." Boe responded.
For some reason, the sight of him, so frail and fragile sent a pang of deep pain through Cass' hearts, tears pearling on her eyelashes, one slowly trailing down her cheek.
She didn't know why she was crying, but somewhere, deep in the recesses of her mind, of her soul, she knew how much he meant to her. How much she loved him.
"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea." Hame explained.
"You saved them," Cass whimpered slowly, the Doctor's arm moving to circle her waist, pulling her to him tightly, his confusion over her reaction flowing through her.
Hame nodded, "The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running."
"But there are planets out there," the Doctor argued, "You could have called for help."
"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years."
"So the two of you stayed here, on your own, for all these years." The Doctor said, rising to his feet.
Hame nodded, "We had no choice."
He reached over to her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, a smile on his face, "yes, you did."
"Save them, Doctor, Cherry-pie. Save them" The Face of Boe whispered.
The Time Lord looked down at his tether, hearts clenching at the the look of pure pain on her face, at the grief flowing between them, as she whispered, "Cherry-pie?"
She remembered that nickname. It brought forth so much joy, and happiness and warmth to her chest, but she didn't understand how he knew it.
Glancing back at her tether, Cass swallowed, "Go. I'll stay with him, keep him strong until you're back."
—
He was staring at a screen, his 'nerdy specs' on, Hame standing beside him, "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, it still registers! That's Martha. I knew she was good. Novice Hame, hold that in place."
Cass meanwhile, was still kneeling beside Boe, talking to him in a whisper, ensuring no one could hear them, "How do you know that name Jack?"
He couldn't smile, but she felt it still, grazing across her mind tenderly, "You'll find out soon enough, Cherry-pie. And I can never apologise enough when you do."
The redhead blinked quickly, more tears slipping down her cheeks, and he chuckled, "Don't cry, kiddo. It'll all work out in the end."
"But, you can't die. You're supposed to live forever."
"Nothing is eternal, Cassandra, you know this. Everything ends and everything dies eventually."
When she felt a flash of frustration from her tether, she glanced back, watching as he typed with growing frustration on the keys, and Boe whispered reassuringly, "Go, help them, save them. In my experience, you're usually the one who saves the day anyway."
"but.."
"I'm not dead yet, Cherry-pie. Go." He commanded softly, and she nodded, standing up and running to her tether, right as he was exclaiming, "Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity beds."
"There isn't enough power." Hame argued.
"Wrong," Cass announced her presence, striding to the wall with wiring, immediately pushing her tether's hands away, eyes glowing golden, "You've got me. I'm not only a vortex wielder somehow, I'm also fucking genius with machinery." Looking at her tether, she smiled reassuringly, though still sad, "Take over the computer, you're better at that than me. I'll deal with the power inversion."
"Hame," the Doctor yelled as he ran to the screen, "every switch on that bank, up to maximum!"
He rotated a knob in a console on the floor, aiming the sonic screwdriver at it as well, "We can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people."
He flipped a switch, only for the lights to power off, Cass crying desperately, "No!"
They kept trying to boost it back up again, to no avail, until finally, the Face of Boe said, "I give you my last..." transferring the power that remained in his tank through the city, saving everyone below.
The Doctor jumped up, Cass already dropping back beside the face, and he cried excitedly, "Hame, Cassie, look after him! Don't you go dying on us, you big old face. You've got to see this."
And just like that he ran back to the controls, Hame rushing behind him as they hurried to open the gates to the people on the motorway, leaving a glowing Cassandra behind. She looked down at the Face of Boe, golden vortex swirling in her eyes, as she raised her hands to his tank, pushing some of the energy through to him, until he whispered, "No. No more."
"but...you're dying," she gasped back, whatever connection she had to him, whatever love she felt for him pushing through her hearts, breaking them apart.
He smiled gently, "Everything ends Cherry-pie, and everything dies. I've outlived the world, maybe its time for me to follow as well."
Closing her eyes, she shuddered lightly, nodding, before leaning her forehead against the tank, "Who are you?"
"You know who I am."
"Who are you to me?" She repeated, looking into his eyes, watching as a small tear fell from there.
His smile brushed across her mind, filled with infinite love and tenderness, stroking a piece of her soul she'd long ago thought dormant, "Somethings are better found out in due time, Cherry-pie, you know that."
Behind her, she heard the Doctor yell happily, "It's been quite a while since I saw you, Martha Jones." Right as the tank's glass cracked beneath her fingertips.
Cass gasped, and suddenly, she felt his presence beside her, her grief and crushing sadness calling him louder than her voice ever could have. Wrapping his arm around her, he tugged her into his chest, as Hame cried loudly.
—
"Doctor? Cass?"
Martha's soft, subdued voice drew their eyes to her, and they turned their heads, gesturing for her to come.
The human girl smiled softly, before it dropped when she noticed the redhead's tear-stained face and bloodshot eyes.
Hurrying to their side, she barely paid Novice Hame or the Face of Boe any mind, putting her hand on Cass' shoulder instead and asking, "What happened?"
Cass swallowed, smiling sadly, introducing, "This is Novice Hame, and before you freak-out, she's a cat."
Martha greeted the nurse quickly, a slightly bewildered smile on her face, as Cass finished, laying a gentle hand on Boe's tank, "And this..this is the Face of Boe."
"He's the one that saved you, not me." The Doctor informed her softly.
"My lord gave his life to save the city." Novice Hame sobbed, "And now he's dying."
"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left."
Boe chuckled, the sound wheezing, "It's good to breathe the air once more."
The young doctor leaned closer to the tethered couple, whispering, "Who is he?"
Cass didn't answer, keeping her hand on the tank, not wishing to tear her attention away from the dying man, who was so important to her, though she couldn't tell why, and so, the Doctor did, replying softly, "I don't even know. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years." He looked up at Boe, grinning, "Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now."
"Everything has its time. You know that, old friend, better than most."
"The legend says more." Novice Hame began.
"Don't," Cass barked, tears pearling on her eyelashes once more, "there's no need for that."
"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a pair of travellers." She ignored her, continuing.
"Stop," the redhead hissed, "stop it. not yet. Who needs secrets, they're awful anyway, right?" She smiled gently at Boe, who once more chuckled, the sounds weaker than before, "I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you are the last of yours, Doctor, Oracle."
"Then don't go," she whispered, the Doctor nodding beside her, his own grief mingling with hers, "That's why we have to survive. All of us. Don't go."
Boe opened his mouth, but before he could speak, a flash of light lit up the room, a dark-haired woman stepping out of it and hurrying to his side, dropping to her knees before him, her hand reaching for the glass.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, surprised.
She chuckled, the sound wet with tears, "You really didn't think I'd let you do this alone, did you dad?"
His face softened visibly, and she nodded, "it's okay, tell them. I won't leave your side until the end."
His eyes moved once more to the couple, and he wheezed out, "I must. But know this, Time Lords. You are not alone."
The Doctor starred at him, uncomprehending, while Cass shut her eyes in desperate understanding. As the Face of Boe's eyes closed for the last time, the dark-haired woman's shoulders heaved with sobs, and she pressed a kiss to the tank, whispering, "Be seeing you, dad." Before rising to her feet, and without turning around, teleporting away.
The trio of travellers stood up, the Doctor pulling his tether into his arms, feeling her silent tears fall on his chest, as Hame sobbed loudly behind them, before leading both her and Martha away, back towards the TARDIS.
—
She'd calmed down by the time they'd reached the Pharmacy Town alley they'd parked in, the only proof of her previous tears being the swelling around her bloodshot eyes, and the redness of her face.
The Doctor had kept his arm around her, keeping her nuzzled into his chest, while her other hand had grabbed onto Martha's tightly, needing to make sure their companion wasn't lost again.
The alley was completely empty as they walked past, the carts left abandoned. The human girl gasped at the sight, and the Doctor chuckled lightly, "All closed down."
"Happy?" She asked, looking not at him, but his tether, the worry in her eyes clear.
Cass smiled at her gratefully, nodding, "Eventually, yeah. I'll be happy, happy."
"New New York can start again." The Doctor announced, "And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs, cats in charge! Come on, time we were off." He began leading the to the TARDIS, only to stop when he noticed neither Cass nor Martha were moving.
The human turned to both of them, eyes narrowed lightly, "But what did he mean, the Face of Boe? 'You're not alone.'"
"I don't know." The doctor whispered.
She glanced between them, nodding towards their clasped left hands, "You've got each other, is that what he meant?"
The redhead smiled at her softly, shaking her head, "it's a nice thought, but no. He said 'But know this, Time Lords', meaning he was speaking to the both of us together."
"Then what?"
The Doctor shrugged, "Doesn't matter. Back to the TARDIS, off we go."
But Cass sighed, shaking her head when she noticed Martha sitting on a chair, staring at him sternly. Pulling on his hand, she shook her head, whispering low enough that only he could hear, "No more lies, Theta. I can't deal with it today, please."
He looked confused, glancing back at Martha and asking, "All right, you staying?"
"'Till you talk to me properly, yes." She huffed, "Cass always explains, but you never do. And she doesn't look up to answering any questions right now. He said 'last of your kind'. What does that mean?"
"It really doesn't matter." He muttered, aiming for flippancy, but falling short of the landing.
"Doesn't it though?" His tether murmured, looking at him meaningfully, her exhaustion and grief clear in her eyes.
"You don't talk. You never say! Why not?" Martha yelled.
His shoulders slumped, and he finally sighed, "I lied to you, 'cause I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky."
Cass took over, seeing and feeling his struggle and sadness rush through her veins, "We're not just Time Lords, Martha. We're the last of them."
"The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else."
"What happened?" The human asked softly.
He hesitated for a second, before pulling a chair and sitting down, immediately tugging his tether into his arms, "There was a war. A Time War. The last Great Time War. Our people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine."
Cass breathed, nuzzling into him, knowing he was talking mainly to keep her from doing so. Allowing his own memories to hurt him, so her own didn't pain her.
But she would never let him drown alone. And so, voice soft and hesitant, as though straining to remember, she interjected, "The leaves on the trees were silver, sometimes this glimmering burgundy bronze, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song, and send the smell of the Skota flowers wafting through every open window..."
And so they spoke, for what felt like hours and hours, until the burden of memories had lessen from the Doctor's shoulders, and somehow, Cass' as well.
—
He found her sitting on the door's edge, legs dangling out into space as she cradled a mug in her hands; her sad, introspective position, he'd called it before.
Taking a seat beside her, he leaned agains the wall, staying quiet, knowing she'd talk to him when she felt like it, but needed to be beside her still, to remind her that she wasn't alone.
"I know that," Cass whispered, turning to smile at him softly, "I have you, I'll always have you. It's just..."
"The Face of Boe died," he finished, reaching over and grabbing her hand, "He died today, and it affected you more that we both thought it would."
"And I have no idea why." She sighed, biting into her lip. "That nickname he called me...Cherry-pie, only one person called me that, and I don't...I don't understand how he could have known."
The Doctor nodded, seeing her memories flash through his own mind, understanding what she'd meant, "It's like he said, everything gets found out in its own time."
"I guess." She shrugged, placing her mug beside her, eyes moving up to the stars again, as though she couldn't seem to hold his gaze for long.
His own narrowed in confusion, but when he felt her guilt again, the sliver of self-hatred she felt for her thoughts around Gallifrey, he quickly used his hold on her hand to pull her to him, cupping her cheek tenderly the second she faced him, foreheads nearly touching.
"If I had known you back then, known what they'd been doing...I would have killed them all."
Cass shook her head, a small, sad smile on her face, "No, Theta. Becasue you're good, and no matter how much you try to convince yourself that you're a monster, you could never stop being good. Better than me." She bit her lip, shrugging, "I've made my peace with a long time ago, and like I told you, my feelings about the council and Gallifrey...it's a stain I'll always wear, but it is mine. Don't take this one on yourself."
He looked at her, so many thoughts running through his head, but ultimately, none making it out, knowing she could hear them all already. Instead, he nodded, making sure to say, "Then remember that I love you through and regardless of it all, Luna." Right before he kissed her, right before he pulled her into his lap, the stars beyond the only witness to how much they loved each other.
