Life, Love and Death through Time and Space
Chapter One
by
Sabrina Lonewalker
They had walked to the park across from Grace's home and were talking as he began remembering. She was becoming more and more attracted to this strange man who was talking about watching meteor showers with his father in a place called Gallifrey. Then, inexplicably, he began raving about the shoes she had found for him, how perfectly they fit him and took off running!
He came back to her, smiling, his eyes lit with laughter like a child's and she had leaned against a tree to watch him. Then, he looked at her and there was intelligence in those eyes she hadn't seen before. He remembered who he was. He told her, "I'm the Doctor." Then, in his exuberance, he had abruptly pulled her to him and kissed her.
She remembered the sweetness of the kiss and yet, there had been a hint of passion there that had intrigued her and they broke apart. He was looking into her eyes and she remembered saying, "Do that again." He did kiss her again, a more tender kiss, but still with that hint of passion and then, everything had changed.
He had pulled away in fear, closing his eyes, refusing to look at her as he tried to explain what was happening to him. An enemy of his that he called 'The Master' had opened something called the "Eye of Harmony" and was able to see through the Doctor's eyes. She listened with disbelief as he told her what was happening, what the Master was wanting to do, kill the Doctor and take over his body. He said something about being within the first fifteen hours of his regeneration cycle and how the Master could exploit that to kill him and take his remaining lives.
She didn't know what else to do so, she had run, run home. The Doctor had followed her, trying to explain in a more rational way what was taking place, not just to him but to her world. He finally got into the house and explained. He needed her help and she had agreed to help him. One thing had led to another and they had ended up inside his machine, which he called the TARDIS.
She remembered helping him but then, she shivered as she remembered what she would rather forget, The Master had come in and had forced her to help him. First, he had her knock the Doctor out then help strap him to a gurney. She had fought, fought hard to break free of him but, she wasn't strong enough. Then, he had her place the device on the Doctor that would restrain him and keep his eyes from closing so that the Master could claim his body and remaining lives then, just after releasing her from his control, he had kissed her, hard.
She had shuddered, that kiss was so cold, to devoid of everything the Doctor's kiss had been. Then, the Doctor had yelled at her to run, the control room and she remembered, he wanted her to reroute the power and she ran, ran faster that she had ever run before. She had gotten underneath the control console and tried to remember what he had told her to do. Finally, she had managed to get the TARDIS into a temporal orbit.
She ran back to him, climbed the stairs and released his restraints telling him they were in temporal orbit when the Master, angry, flustrated and defeated, charged at her. He had picked her up and threw her off the staircase. She heard the Doctor scream her name then, she heard her neck crack and there was silence, silence and oblivion.
When her eyes opened, she saw him looking down at her. She wasn't sure but, she thought she saw a tear running down his face. For her, she wondered? Then, she heard his voice, that wonderful, beautiful voice. "Hello Grace." She smiled and raised her arms to him and he pulled her against him, hugging her tightly, whispering, "You came back." She remembered smiling then, he helped her off the floor.
They went back to the control room and he set the TARDIS to land on Dec 31st. They materialized in another park and stepped out to watch the fireworks. Then, he looked into her eyes and said, "Come with me, Grace, go with me. There are things I can show you that no one on earth has ever seen before. Come with me, I love you."
She had been so tempted then but, the thought of her patients, all those people who needed her came to mind and she stepped back. "I can't, not now. You come with me." His face had fallen and he nodded, "I understand." Then, he looked at her and smiled, "Me come with you?" He looked at the fireworks then said softly, "It's tempting." He then walked over, stepped into the TARDIS and she had watched it fade away. She went home but, nothing was ever the same. She worked, as good as she always had but, she took to staying home after work. She didn't even try to date.
She had taken her coffee out on the front step on this clear, cold night to look up at the stars and wonder what he was doing, was he happy?, was he alone? It had been almost nine months since he had left and she missed him terribly. She had realized she had made a terrible mistake in staying behind but, she didn't know how to find him. Then, unbelievingly, she heard something. It was faint at first but then, it grew louder and she slowly rose to her feet.
A blue police call box materialized on her front lawn. She held her breath as the door opened and he stepped out. "Doctor?" She whispered. Those warm eyes looked at her and he smiled. "I had to come back, Grace, it's been so lonely without you." The cup in her hand crashed to the pavement then, she fairly flew into his arms. "You came back." She whispered, mirroring what he had said when she came back from the dead. He smiled as he caught her and held her against him then, he spoke softly in her ear, "I had to come back, to ask you again if you would come with me. I love you so much Grace. Space is empty without you beside me. It's so lonely out there without you."
She had drawn back to look at him as he held her and she knew, she knew that this was the man, the man she had waited her whole life to find and she knew, she knew he needed her and that this time, she wasn't letting him go. "Yes, I'll go with you." She said softly. His eyes lit up with joy and he kissed her again then, led her into the TARDIS.
The door closed, he set the controls and the TARDIS left earth. Then, he pulled her against him, kissing her passionately then, leaned back to look into those beautiful, intelligent gree eyes of hers. "I've let myself be lonely for too long, Grace. I've had other traveling companions but, they were just friends, nothing more. I wouldn't let them be anymore than just friends. I think I was afraid, Grace, afraid to let myself love but now, I realize, I wasn't a whole person but thanks to you, I can love again. It was as if, when I saw you, I had known you forever. I had to come back and find you."
Grace smiled as she wound her arms around his neck. "I waited for you my whole life, I know that now. I love you and I'll be by your side, forever." The smile on his face spoke volumes but when he kissed her, he said so much more. It took awhile for them to break apart and Grace laughed, "Well," she asked, "Where will I stay?" The mischief in his eyes was postively dancing, "Where do you think?"
Grace looked at him, "In your room?" She asked. "Our room, if you wish," he said softly. Then, he smiled, "Of course, you will have your own room for those times you want to be alone." Grace laid her head on his shoulder, "I can live with that." he smiled, then, he called her the name that would forever define their relationship, "My Angel."
End Part One