Chapter One Hundred and Ninety
"Whatcha doing?" Adam said as he knelt down next to Faith and saw that she was drawing something on a piece of paper. There were several pieces of paper scattered over the coffee table and he picked up one of the pieces of paper, looking at what looked like a drawing of either him or Duer. "Is this supposed to be me?"
"No, that's Daddy," she said, taking the piece of paper out of his hand. "This one is you."
Adam picked up the piece of paper when he looked at the drawing and saw that she had drawn him wearing his fedora.
"Ah, and why are there clouds in my eyes?" he asked as he pointed to the drawing and she looked at the drawing then at him and smiled.
"That's because you see things."
"Hmmm…I see. So, why are you drawing all these? Not that I'm complaining."
"I'm drawing them for Papaw Pandor," she said while coloring in the hair on a picture that looked like Jamie and Adam frowned, tilting his head to one side.
"Um, why are you drawing pictures for him?"
"So he can see what we look like," she said then sat the crayon down and looked at him. "Daddy told me that Papaw is in Heaven an' I thought we could go there so I could give them to him," she said and Adam felt his hearts hurting.
"Oh, Butterfly, I don't know if Daddy can do that. Heaven's for the dead," Adam said and Faith frowned, folding her arms over her chest.
"Don't they allow visitors?" she asked when Duer walked into the room and leaned over the back of the couch.
"What's going on?" he asked when she got up and walked to the couch, climbed up onto the couch and he kissed the tip of her nose.
"Daddy, Uncle Adam says that I can't go to Heaven and give Papaw Pandor the pictures that I'm drawing for him," she said as Duer looked at Adam and Adam shrugged his shoulders.
"Um, well, as much as I hate to say this, Uncle Adam is right. I can't go where Papaw is."
"Not even with the TARDIS?"
"Nope, not even with the TARDIS," he said when the doorbell rang and they looked at the door. Adam got off the floor when he walked to the door and opened it, seeing Delmari standing on the porch.
"Hi, Mom," he said, kissing her cheek and she smiled at him.
"May I come in?" Delmari asked as he stood back and she walked inside while he closed the door behind her. Delmari walked to the couch when Faith got off the couch and Delmari looked at the piece of paper scattered over the coffee table. "My, someone has been busy."
"I drew them for Papaw Pandor," Faith said as Delmari looked at Duer and he sighed, wiggling a finger at her. Delmari walked closer as they walked to the other side of the room and Duer smiled, seeing Adam sitting on the floor with Faith and they started drawing on the paper Adam had taken from the pile.
"Muppy, what is going on? How did Faith learn of Pandor?" Delmari thought as she set up a privacy block and Duer sighed, running his fingers through his hair.
"She asked me why she didn't have a grandfather and I told her," he thought and Delmari nodded, sliding her hand into his.
"And now she is drawing pictures for someone who will never see them," she thought as she looked at Faith and felt her hearts aching.
"I wish she could have met him."
"He would have loved her." Delmari thought when she remembered something and Duer titled his head to one side. "Rassilon, I just remembered something! It was just after you…uh…it was after you found me and your father in bed."
"Yeah, that was something I didn't need to see!" Duer thought then smiled and Delmari rolled her eyes.
"Well, after you went into the bathroom, he left the room then came back a few minutes later and showed me this wooden box. He told me in all seriousness that if he were to die, he wanted the box burned with him."
"I remember you placing a wooden box on top of his body then folded his arms over it when we cremated him."
"I had to keep my promise to him."
"And you never saw what was in the box?"
"No, but he did say that his Butterfly gave it to him," she said as they looked at Faith and she was giggling while Adam tickled her.
"Muppy, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Delmari thought and he nodded, walking to the couch. He knew that it was risky going back into a person's timeline, let alone his own, but if what was in the wooden box was what he thought it was, he had to go or his timeline would come unraveled. Faith looked at him when he smiled and looked at the pieces of paper on the coffee table.
"Hmmm…you know what? I think we should take these to Papaw Pandor so you can show them to him," Duer said as Adam's eyes went wide and he blinked his eyes a few times.
"Um, Brother…." Adam said when Delmari placed her hand on his shoulder and he looked up at her. Setting up a privacy block, she explained what they were going to do and Adam grinned at Duer.
Solis
Pandor held Delmari around the waist as she snuggled against him and he kissed her hair. She stroked the back of his hands as he placed his chin on top of her head and he sent love into her mind.
"I am so glad that he knows the truth," Pandor said, looking at the bathroom door.
"So am I, but what worries me is how he will deal with that truth. I lied to him for centuries and let that…that…BASTARD drive him away!" she growled and he hushed her.
"I was there, remember? I held you after they forced him to regenerate and sent him into exile. I was there when Dex died. I was there…"
"I get it," she said with a giggle and he kissed the top of her head. "Do you remember when I snuck him out of the nursery so you could hold him?"
"Yep, he was so tiny and had all that hair! I swear he looked just like I did as a baby."
"I didn't know you had pictures of you as a baby."
"Well, it wasn't done, but my father was curious about photography and had a wide variety of cameras. My mother swore I would go blind from the flashbulbs," he said and she smiled, turning around and placed her face against his chest. Holding her close, Pandor smiled when he felt like someone was watching them and saw Duer standing in the doorway. Placing his finger to his lips, Duer hushed him then pointed to Delmari and Pandor looked at her, lifting her chin up. "Um, I have to pee."
"Now?" she asked as he nodded and headed for the door. He saw Duer go into Delmari's bedroom when he followed Duer and closed the door behind him. He was shocked to see Faith sitting on the bed and a large stack of paper sat in front of her.
"Hi," Faith said as Pandor looked from her to Duer and Duer sat next to her on the bed.
"Duer, what is going on?" he asked as he walked to the bed and sat down. "How did you get out of the bathroom and who is this?"
"This is my daughter, Faith, and I came with her from the future," Duer said and Faith smiled at Pandor.
"I have a granddaughter?"
"Yep, and a grandson, but I don't think you've met him yet," Duer said and Faith moved the large stack of papers then crawled on the bed to Pandor and sat next to him.
"Are you surprised to see us, Papaw?" she asked.
"Yep," Pandor said as he popped the "p" and she looked over at Duer.
"He pops the "p" like you do, Daddy," she said and Duer softly laughed.
"Where do you think I got it from?" Duer said, arching his eyebrows up and down.
"Please, will someone tell me what's going on," Pandor said and Faith looked up at him.
"I drew you some pictures and Daddy used the manipulator to bring us here," she said and Duer showed Pandor the manipulator strapped to his right wrist.
"Rassilon," Pandor whispered when he saw the look in Duer's eyes and he sighed, lowering his head. "Sorry, I know how you feel about that name."
"Well, considering who is using it right now, you're right. I don't like it," Duer said.
"Papaw, Daddy told me that you, Daddy and Grandmother can't be a family because of the bad Time Lord. That's not fair! You're Daddy's daddy not him!" Faith said when Pandor scooped her onto his lap and held her in his arms.
"You're right, it isn't fair," he said as he looked at the pile of papers and reached over, taking the top piece of paper off the pile. He looked at the drawing of red grass, a burnt orange sky and trees with silver leaves and she smiled up at him.
"That's Gallifrey," she said and he nodded. "Daddy showed me what it looked like, but I'm not sure if I got the leaves right."
"No, they're perfect," he said and kissed the top of her head. One at a time, he looked at the drawings while she told him who or what they were and Duer slid the digital camera out of his pocket, taking several pictures of his father and daughter.
"Oh, Father, how can I let you die now? This is so unfair," Duer thought as he set up a privacy block and placed the digital camera in his pocket. "Is this how Rose felt when I took her back to save her father? I chastised her for saving him and, in the end, he died. She cried all night after we left. No, I can't change what's to come. I know firsthand what will come of it. Oh, Rassilon, why are you doing this to me?"
"Is everything alright, Son?" Pandor asked as Duer's hearts ached and he sighed, wiping the tears from his eyes.
"Sorry, I got caught up in the moment," Duer said as Faith crawled to him and sat on his lap.
"Daddy, can Papaw come with us?" she asked and he saw the sadness in her eyes.
"Now, Butterfly, you know that he can't. He has to stay here and help me fight the bad Time Lord."
"Tell you what, Butterfly," Pandor said as he walked to the wardrobe and opened the door. Taking down a wooden box, he sat the wooden box on the bed and opened the lid. "I was gave this box to your grandmother as a wedding gift. Is it alright if I put the drawings in here?"
"Yep," Faith said with a nod of her head and he placed the pieces of paper inside the wooden box, closing the lid. "But you can't show them to Grandmother."
"Well, of course I wouldn't show them to her, they're mine!" Pandor said with a smile and she giggled. Faith got off the bed when she ran to him and Pandor scooped her up and held her. Duer took the digital camera out again when Pandor saw what he was doing and smiled, rolling his eyes. "You're as bad as your grandfather. He was always taking photographs."
"He was, Papaw?' Faith asked and he nodded while Duer got off the bed and walked to them.
"Sorry, but we have to go now," he said as Pandor hugged Faith and rubbed her back.
"Love you, my Butterfly," he whispered.
"Love you, too," she said then looked at Duer. "Do you love Daddy?"
"Yep," Pandor said, popping the "p" and held his arm out. Duer moved closer as they hugged and Pandor ruffled Duer's hair. Handing Faith to him, Pandor watched as Duer moved back and Faith waved at him. Waving back, Pandor watched them vanish when he looked at the wooden box and sighed. Holding the wooden box against his chest, Pandor headed for the door as he adjust his hold on the wooden box and left the room, wiping the tears from his eyes.
Delmari watched while Duer tucked Faith into bed then placed the silver picture frame on the night table and Faith smiled at the photograph of her and Pandor. Kissing the top of her head, Duer tapped the tip of his finger against the tip of her nose and she closed her eyes. Pulling the duvet up, Duer walked to the door when he looked back at her then turned the light off and Delmari closed the door. They walked down the hallway then down the stairs when he led her outside and they stood near the backdoor, looking up at the stars.
"He is watching over us, you know," Delmari finally said as he nodded and she slid her arm around his waist. Placing his head on her shoulder, he watched the stars twinkling in the night sky then looked at his mother and softly smiled.