She trudged along, you didn't have to have working eyes to know that is was gloomy. Cassie hadn't seen the Doctor is quite some time now. What had it been? Six months? Perhaps he was gone for good. But she didn't want him to be. He left messages occasionally to tell her he's be ther to see her soon. She tried not to be disappointed every night when she crawled into bed, another day gone and no Doctor to brighten the murky darkness of the winter. It was February now. In Cassie's opinion February was the worst month out of the entire year.

She stopped when she heard it. The whirling and whering. She tried not to get excited, was he driving up to her now? Would he pretend they were on these magnificent adventures again? Maybe they really were adventures, but it didn't matter. What would he say this time?

"CASSIE! QUICK!" He yanked her into his TARDIS.

"DOCTOR!" She stumbled as he rushed her up stairs and he pushed and shoved her around his "console" and stopped suddenly, letting her bump into him. "Doctor what is going on!?"

"Shhhhhhhh!" She felt irritated. What was he doing? What was so important? And why did she need to be quite!? That was the worst part. She could hear that whirl of the engine as the Doctor moved about, but that was all she could hear. If whatever this machine was, wasn't so loud I would be able to hear what was happening she thought. It didn't matter, the Doctor came to stand by her again pulling her close. He whispered.

"I've had this idea for a time now, that there's more to your "global warming" than you realize. I was right."

"Doctor," she pushed him away and sighed. "What are we doing? You disappear for six months and then yank me into your TARDIS and start talking about global warming theories?"

"Well it's no matter now, I've taken care of it. Where would you like to go?" She could hear him moving around again. She had missed this. The sound of the Doctor stumbling about his machine, his breathing, the breathing of the TARDIS, and a sound. Such an ancient sound. Like a song that no one could hear but she. Cassie would have sworn that it was there, but when she'd mentioned it the last time the Doctor had said he couldn't hear a thing.

"Doctor."

"Yes Cassie?" He sounded distracted again.

"Take me someplace I can see" He stopped moving all together. And then started moving all at once. "Where are we going?"

"There's something I'd like to show you." The engine picked up and Cassie had that landing sensation. "Come with me," he took her hand and stepped outside.

Only it wasn't outside. At least not the outside Cassie had been experiencing just a few moments ago. It wasn't gloomy anymore. And people were laughing and talking. It was warm.

"Doctor?"

"Sh sh sh! In here, come on now!" He pulled her through swinging glass doors and there was something about the place they'd entered that felt...ancient. More ancient than the TARDIS even.

"Cassie, how do you feel about mountains!?" She laughed at this.

"Well I don't feel any particular way. I've never seen them. I've never even lived anyplace where real mountains were. Why?"

"We, Cassie, are in a museum."

"You took me to a museum?"

"Oi! Not just any museum. This is the Intergalactic History Museum of Time. I want to show you earth."

"Doctor I live on earth. We're still on earth!"

"Just trust me. Feel this." He put her hands against something pointed and slowly moved her hands across the intricacies of this model.

"Mountains?"

"Yes, it's an actual simplified, proportional to size model of the topography of earth. These are the Himalayas. What do you think?" She tried to hold back tears that suddenly threatened. No one had ever shown her things like these.

"It's beautiful Doctor. Absolutely beautiful."

"What else would you like to see?! There's more of earth! Or any planet you can imagine, planets made completely of obsidian, planets where oceans pass through the core. All models you can see."

"Oh Doctor, will you show me your home?" He dropped her hand.

"I-I've never shown anyone my home." He picked up her hand again and walked slowly to another model, moving her hands gently across the planets surface.

"What's she called?"

"This, this is Gallifrey."