I am not responsible for any tears you may shed in this chapter.
I'm warning you now.
"Fire!" Rita heard the cries of the soldiers as she dived for cover somehow managing to crawl safely to Jenny who was exchanging gunfire with Cobb.
"Jenny!" Rita shouted crawling up beside her.
"Mum?"
"Jenny whether you actually are my daughter or not come with us, please your making a mistake, killing is horrible... I should know." She swallowed hard. "Please don't make the same mistake Time Lord or not you are clever and I know it. Make the right choice."
"I'm trying to help you!" She protested continuing to fire her weapon, helplessly Rita watched before hearing the Doctor shouted.
"Stone, Jenny, come on!" He shouted.
"We're coming!" Jenny shouted.
"Be there in a moment Doctor!" Rita shouted over her shoulder then turned to Jenny under cover. "Please make the right choice."
"Cease fire. Cease fire." They heard Cobb call.
"Stone!" The Doctor shouted. Jenny then stood up pointing her gun at Cobb.
"You're a child of the machine." He said to her calmly. "You're on my side. Join us. Join us in the war against the Hath. It's in your blood, girl. Don't deny it."
"Jenny don't," Rita warned cautiously standing up. Seeing the girl's eyes flicker upwards she grinned as Jenny fired at a steam pipe above Cobb, Rita then grabbed her running back.
"Stone, Jenny, come on!" The Doctor shouted. "That's it."
"Hurry up!" Donna shouted.
"No, no, no, no, no, no." The Doctor groaned. "The circuit's looped back."
"Zap it back again." Donna shouted.
"The controls are back there." He nodded at the blue box.
"And it would take too long to reset." Rita groaned running a hand through her hair.
"They're coming." Jenny heard the voices getting louder.
"Wait. Just." The Doctor worryingly looked at Rita unable to do anything to help. "Stone, there isn't... Jenny, I can't"
"Oh, it's been a long time," Rita muttered pacing back and forth. "Too long, but it's the only way..." she muttered to herself again then reached into her pocket bringing out a hair band. "Oh, I hate putting my hair up." She groaned. "Jenny lets see where you really belong." She said standing on the left. Jenny raised a brow at her.
"You mean..." her voice trailed off at Rita raised her brows nodding slightly.
"I haven't done this in a long, long time."
Jenny grinned looking at the Doctor. "Watch and learn, Father." The two then stepped back slightly before doing a series of somersaults and flips through the beams dodging them all, the Doctors mouth gaped open at the sight of both the blonde's side by side as Donna breathed "No way." They finally finished at the end standing in front of the gaping Doctor and Donna gracefully finishing in front of them both. "But that was impossible."
"Not impossible." The Doctor broke out into a wide grin. "Just a bit unlikely." He tightly hugged Rita laughing as Rita and Jenny started to laugh along with them. "Brilliant! You were brilliant the both of you absolutely Brilliant!" He quickly kissed Rita then hugged Jenny beaming the Doctor and Rita seeming to accept the situation and that Jenny was their daughter.
"I didn't kill him." She told the Doctor joyfully. "General Cobb, I could have killed him but I didn't. You were both right. I had a choice."
They looked over their shoulder seeing Cobb and the soldiers appear at the other side, Jenny and Donna both ran while the Doctor took Rita's hand staring Cobb down.
"At arms."
"We warned you, Cobb. If the Source is a weapon, we're going to make sure you never use it." The Doctor glared at the man.
"One of us is going to die today and it won't be me." He said as the soldier began to fire. The Doctor and Rita ducked into the hallway escaping the bullets.
"Where did you learn to do that?" The Doctor gaped at Rita.
"My parents knew I was clever, they didn't like that I was cleverer than them at one point and wanted me to know how to fight for the Time War." She said. "Let's just say that their plan didn't work." She winked at him as they ran after Donna and Jenny.
"So, you travel together, but you're not 'together'?" Jenny asked Donna clearly seeing that her parents were most definitely together with how close they were. But what was Donna?
"What?" Her eyes almost popped out at the comment. "No. No. No way." She said waving her hands. "No, no, we're friends, that's all." She looked slightly sick. "I mean, we're not even the same species. There's probably laws against it..."
"Well one of the Doctors previous companions, Leela married a Time Lord called Andred, of course, many disagreed but everything worked out and they were happy." Rita cut in.
"If you're not together then..." Jenny trailed off looking between her parents. "Are you two...?"
"We're engaged." The Doctor broke out into a wide smile. "Just before we came here." He grinned at the Time Lady beside him.
"Ah yeah." She hummed in thought. "Not our finest hour." She chuckled. "We wouldn't be here without Martha." Rita gave Jenny a pointed look. "'Collateral damage'" she quoted the young blonde who looked at her slightly guilty. "Martha made me admit my feelings towards the Doctor." The Time Lady nodded in thought the Doctor slightly nodding in somewhat of an agreement with her statement.
"And what's it like, the travelling?" Jenny questioned Donna.
"Oh, never a dull moment." Donna nodded. "It can be terrifying, brilliant and funny, sometimes all at the same time. I've seen some amazing things though. Whole new worlds."
"Oh, I'd love to see new worlds," Jenny said in awe.
"You will." The redhead nodded at her. "Won't she, Doctor, Stone?"
"Hmm?" They both turned around.
"Do you think Jenny will see any new worlds?"
"Doctor?" Rita raised a brow at him. "It is your TARDIS after all."
"Now you know that's not true." He softly smiled at her. "But I suppose so."
"You mean." She blinked at them. "You mean you'll take me with you?"
"Well, we can't leave you here, can we?" He smiled at her.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you." She ran up hugging them both. "Come on, let's get a move on."
"Careful, there might be traps." The Doctor warned quietly groaning as she ran off.
"Kids. They never listen." Donna shook her head then glanced at the Doctor his face looking slightly cold, hurt and distance. Rita worryingly looked at him slowly placing her hand in his. "Oh, I know that look." Donna looked at him. "I see it a lot round our way. Blokes with pushchairs and frowns. You've got dad-shock."
"Dad-shock?" The Doctor frowned at her.
"Sudden unexpected fatherhood. Take a bit of getting used to."
"No, it's not that." He shook his head continuing to look straight on. Not even glancing at the Time Lady beside him.
"Well, what is it then?" She asked. "Having Jenny in the TARDIS, is that it?" She raised a brow. "What's she going to do, cramp your style?" She joked. "Like you've got a sports car and she's going to turn it into a people-carrier?" She added slight humour not seeing the clear look on his face, one Rita had witnessed too many times. Gently she squeezed his hand knowing how sensitive he was about the topic. She didn't blame him for it at all, but he blamed himself from time to time even when she repeatedly told him it wasn't his fault.
"Donna, I've been a father before." He softly replied.
"What?" Donna blinked confusedly. "But I thought you two...?" She looked between the Time Lords.
"Not me Donna." Rita shook her head the Doctor then continued to speak his voice sounding hurt and lost.
"I lost all that a long time ago..." he breathed the Time Lady ran her thumb along his knuckles. "Along with everything else." Rita slowly shook her head.
"I'm sorry." Donna sadly replied not looking at either Time Lords. "I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me? You talk all the time, but you don't say anything."
"I know." He looked saddened. "I just... When I look at her now, I can see them...The hole they left, all the pain that filled it... I just don't know if I can face that every day."
"Oh, sweetheart." Rita moved his arm so it was over her shoulder allowing her too tightly hug him to give some comfort seeing him extremely hurt.
"It won't stay like that," Donna promised. "The Stone will help you like she always does, Jenny will help you as well. The three of us will."
"But when they died, that part of me died with them." He swallowed hard forcing back tears. "It'll never come back. Not now."
"I tell you something, Doctor. Something I've never told you before." Donna looked at him. "I think you're wrong."
They looked up hearing gun and seeing Jenny running back. "They've blasted through the beams." She broke out into a smile. "Time to run again. Love the running. Yeah?" She asked.
The Doctor smiled glancing at the Time Lady beside him her softly smiling at him. "Love the running." They both replied the Doctor taking Rita's hand and running with her and Jenny, Donna slightly behind them.
"We're trapped." The red head gasped as the four skidded to a stop.
"Can't be." The Doctor frowned. "This must be the Temple." He looked around, Rita moved up to what she guessed was a door. "This is a door." She grinned starting to scan it.
"And again," Donna spoke over to two Time Lords mumbling to each other, trying to open the door before Cobb and his soldiers arrived. "We're down to one two now"
"We've got it!" The Doctor beamed.
"I can hear them," Jenny called over her shoulder watching to see when the soldiers would arrive. "Nearly done." The Doctor and Rita muttered.
"These can't be a cataloguing system," Donna mumbled to herself noting down the numbers in the line on the wall.
"They're getting closer," Jenny warned.
"Then you really should get back here Jenny." Rita looked up giving her a look of warning.
"They're too similar," Donna muttered. "Too familiar."
"Not yet." The young blonde protested.
"Jenny." Rita gave her a pointed look before the Doctor shouted breaking the glares the two blondes were giving each other something that made the Older Time Lady blink at remembering having glares like that with her own mother as well as her two daughters. After the door opened the Doctor pulled Rita through looking at her slightly worried seeing that she had paled slightly. "Rita..?"
"I'm fine." She shook her head at him taking his hand holding it a little too tightly worrying him even more than before.
"They're coming," Jenny said looking through the door seeing Cobb appear. "Close the door." The Doctor soniced it shut then turned to the Time Lady. "Stone what's wrong."
"I'm fine." She rolled her eyes at him, the Doctor raised her brows at him. "I'll tell you later." She muttered quietly to him. Nodding satisfied with her answer he went to look around as Jenny interrupted them.
"Oh, that was close."
"No fun otherwise." The Doctor remarked earning a chuckle from both the blondes he smiled seeing Rita slightly happier.
"It's not what I'd call a temple," Donna commented looking around the mechanical area with steam and buzzing sounds slightly echoing from further in. "It looks more like..."
"Fusion drive transport." The Doctor cut in.
"It's a spaceship," Rita stated.
"What, the original one?" Donna frowned. "The one the first colonists arrived in?"
"Well, it could be," the Doctor shrugged.
"But the power cells would have run down after all that time." Rita hummed looking about.
"This one's still powered-up and functioning." The Doctor added taking Rita's hand again. "Come on." He lead the way up the flight of stairs. They stopped seeing that someone was halfway through cutting through another door.
"It's the Hath," Jenny told them. "That door's not going to last much longer. And if General Cobb gets through down there, war's going to break out."
The Doctor quickly moved away from the others following as he saw a monitor. "Look, look, look, look, look."
"Ths ship's log." Rita started to scroll through as the Doctor read off the screen. "First wave of Human/Hath co-colonisation of planet Messaline."
"So it is the original ship." Jenny guessed Rita nodded at her while Donna frowned.
"What happened?"
"Phase one, construction. They used robot drones to build the city."
"But does it mention the war?" Rita looked back at the screen continuing to scroll through.
"Mission commander dead." He read. "Still no agreement on who should assume leadership. Hath and humans have divided into factions."
"That must be it." Rita looked at him.
"A power vacuum. The crew divided into two factions and turned on each other. Start using the progenation machines, suddenly you've got two armies fighting a never-ending war."
"Two armies who are now both outside."
"Look at that." Donna looked at the numbers above a large screen showing the planet.
"It's like the numbers in the tunnels."
"No Doctor." Rita shook her head. "Donna has been noting them all down, you may have not been paying attention." She crossed her arms. "But I have, Donna what do you think it is?"
"I spent six months working as a temp in Hounslow Library, and I mastered the Dewey Decimal System in two days flat," Donna said. "I'm good with numbers."
"Careful with that ego, almost as big as the Doctors." Rita joked making the red head harrow her eyes at the Time Lady who held up her hands in defence. "It's staring us in the face." She then continued.
"What is?" Jenny asked.
"It's the date. Assuming the first two numbers are some big old space date, then you've got year, month, day." Donna pointed to them. "It's the other way round, like it is in America."
"Oh!" The Doctor hit his head as Rita spun around the both of them exclaiming. "It's the New Byzantine Calendar."
"The codes are completion dates for each section." Donna continued. "They finish it, they stamp the date on. So the numbers aren't counting down, they're going out from here, day by day, as the city got built."
"Yes." The Doctor nodded. "Oh, good work, Donna."
"Yeah. But you're still not getting it." She pointed at him. "The first number I saw back there, was sixty twelve oh seven seventeen. Well, look at the date today."
The Doctor looked at the date on the clock. "Oh, seven twenty-four." He paused staring at it. "No."
"What does it mean?"
"Seven days," Rita answered.
"That's it." Donna nodded. "Seven days."
"Just seven days."
"What do you mean, seven days?" Jenny asked the Doctor then looked at Rita.
"Seven days since war broke out." The Doctor replied.
"This war started seven days ago." Donna breathed. "Just a week. A week!"
"They said years." Jenny frowned at Donna.
"No, they said generations." The red head corrected. "And if they're all like you, and they're products of those machines..."
"They could have twenty generations in a day." The Doctor cut in.
"Each generation gets killed in the war, passes on the legend." Rita finished.
"Oh, Donna, you're a genius." The Time Lords beamed at the red head squeezing her into a hug.
"But all the buildings, the encampments. They're in ruins."
"No, they're not ruined. They're just empty. Waiting to be populated. Oh, they've mythologised their entire history. The Source must be part of that too." The Doctor guessed. They froze hearing footsteps the Doctor poked his head around a corner to see his and the Time Lady old friend.
"Martha!" They both broke out into broad smiles having found her again the three of them, laughing and hugging.
"Doctor, Stone!"
"Martha! Oh, we should have known you wouldn't stay away from the excitement." The Doctor laughed once more.
"Donna." The two other companions hugged.
"Oh, you're filthy." The red head frowned. "What happened?"
"I, er, took the surface route." She sheepishly pointed upwards.
"Positions." They heard Cobb in the distance.
"That's the General." The Doctor groaned. "We haven't got much time."
"We don't even know what we're looking for," Donna said.
Martha froze for a moment sniffing the air. "Is it me, or can you smell flowers?"
"Maintain defensive positions."
"No I can smell that too..." the Time Lady sniffed then muttered aloud with the Doctor, "Bougainvillea."
"I say we follow our nose." He said taking the Time Lady's hand and leading the way.
"Squads seven to ten, advance. With me."
"Oh, yes." The Doctor looked around his arm around the Time Lady's waist, the both of them enjoying the scenery of multiple plants and flowers in the area as they tried to find the source. "Yes. Isn't this brilliant?" He looked at the Time Lady who nodded chuckling ever so slightly until they walked up to a globe on a pedestal glowing multiple colours with wires running into the globe.
"Is that the Source?" Donna said looking at it.
"It's beautiful." Jenny breathed in awe.
Martha frowned not understanding. "What is it?"
"Terraforming," Rita replied.
"It's a third generation terraforming device." The Doctor added.
"So why are we suddenly in Kew Gardens?" Donna looked around not understanding what the device actually did.
"Because that's what it does. All this, only bigger." The Doctor explained. "Much bigger. It's in a transit state. Producing all this must help keep it stable before they finally..." he went to continue but the Hath then appeared as well as the soldiers the both of them pointing guns at the opposite site with the Doctor and Rita in the middle holding their hands out to either side not wanting the, to fire. "Stop!" The Doctor shouted. "Hold your fire!"
"What is this, some kind of trap?" Cobb hissed.
"You said you wanted this war over." The Doctor looked at him.
"I want this war won." He corrected his tone harsh and cold.
"But you can't win," Rita told him. "No one can."
"You don't even know why you're here." The Doctor cut in. "Your whole history, it's just Chinese whispers, getting more distorted the more it's passed on. This is the Source." He gestured to it. "This is what you're fighting over. A device to rejuvenate a planet's ecosystem. It's nothing mystical. It's from a laboratory, not some creator. It's a bubble of gases. A cocktail of stuff for accelerated evolution. Methane, hydrogen, ammonia, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids. It's used to make barren planets habitable. Look around you." He said while looking around at the beautiful Scenery. "It's not for killing, it's bringing life. If you allow it, it can lift you out of these dark tunnels and into the bright, bright sunlight. No more fighting, no more killing..." The Doctor picked up the globe. "I'm the Doctor, and I declare this war is over!" He shouted throwing the globe onto the floor and stepping back watching as the glass shattered and the energy was released freeing the gas and energy as it rose up. The soldiers and Hath then began to lower their weapons.
"What's happening?" Jenny asked stepping towards her parents.
"The gases will escape and trigger the terraforming process." The Doctor explained. Rita rolled her eyes knowing that the young blonde couldn't possibly understand what he meant.
"What does that mean?" She asked in awe.
"It means a new world." Rita smiled.
Suddenly Jenny shouted jumping in the way of the Doctor and Rita as an ear aching ring shot out. "No!"
The Young blonde stumbled back into both of their arms having taken a bullet to save them both. "Jenny!' Rita cried out clutching onto her swallowing thickly the Doctor and Rita gently laying her on the ground the two of them, taking her in their arms.
"Jenny?" The Doctor shakily spoke terrified for losing her after she only just came into the world and finally was accepted.
"Jenny please." The Time Lady begged tears she couldn't hold back slipping from her eyes.
"Talk to me, Jenny." The Doctor begged holding his own tears back.
"Is she going to be all right?" Donna softly asked Martha who slowly shook her head then stepped back taking the redhead with her, giving the three space.
Jenny looked up at both her parents in awe. "A new world. It's beautiful."
"Jenny please." Rita sobbed clutching her hands, her own shaking out of fear, fear that what happened before was happening all over again.
"Jenny, be strong now." The Doctor whispered running his thumb over her forehead to soothe her while Rita did the same running a hand up and down her arm trying to keep the blonde calm. "You need to hold on, do you hear me?" He begged his own voice cracking slightly. "We've got things to do, you, me and your mum, hey?" He said. "Hey? We can go anywhere. Everywhere. You choose." He continued to whisper.
"That sounds good." She nodded slowly.
"You're our daughter, and we've only just got started."
"You're going to be great." Rita smiled through the tears trying to keep the girl calm and relaxed.
"You're going to be more than great. You're going to be amazing just like your mother." The Doctor clutched the Time Lady's hand with his free one the both of them holding Jenny's body. "You hear me?" He said to her softly. The young blonde glanced between her parents before slowly closing her eyes. "Jenny?" They whispered before Rita broke out into more uncontrollable sobs the Doctor set Jenny down on the ground gently then took the heart broken Time Lady in his arms her head on his chest clutching onto her tightly not wanting to lose her either. The Doctors head shot up in hope starting at the two companions. "Two hearts." He muttered holding the violently shaking Time Lady. "Two hearts. She's like us." He tightened his grip on Rita. "If we wait. If we just wait."
Martha sadly shook her head gently not wanting to anger him. "There's no sign, Doctor. There is no regeneration. She's like the both of you, but maybe not enough."
"No." he shook his head looking down at the Time Lady who couldn't stop crying in his arms her tears dampening his suit jacket. "Too much. That's the truth of it. " he thickly swallowed starting to slowly rock back and forward not wanting to see her cry. "She was too much like us." Keeping her in his arms the Doctor gently leant down kissing Jenny's forehead then rubbed Rita's arm sniffing she gently turned kissing her daughters forehead where the Doctor did.
Suddenly the Doctors face grew cold with anger. Anger the Time Lady hadn't seen in a long time. Gently he left her sobbing beside Jenny as he stood up marching over to Cobb who was forced to kneel down by the soldiers. The Doctor without saying a word grabbed Cobbs pistol and pointed it at the man's head unclicking the safety and holding it there. Swallowing thickly her voice still showing signs of crying with more tears undoubtedly still to come the Time Lady took a shaky breath then whispered. "Doctor..." his face softened ever so slightly, she didn't want this and no doubt their daughter wouldn't either.
The Doctor clicked the safety back on and held the gun to Cobbs face. "I never would." He calm and coldly said. "Have you got that?" He asked snapping, making the man flinch. "I never would." He threw the gun away standing up and shouting at the soldiers and the Hath. "When you start this new world, this world of Human and Hath, remember that! Make the foundation of this society a man who never would!" He slowly moved back over taking the Time Lady in his arms one more the both of them hiding their faces in the crook of the others neck the Doctor now starting to slowly and quietly cry. The Time Lady sniffed and finally forced herself to stop now having to comfort him, he comforted her so now it was her turn to do the same. She gently rubbed his back keeping him with her the two of them ignoring the rest of the people and Hath watching them as she whispered comforting Gallifreyan words in his ear holding back her own tear as they both grieved.
The Doctor and Rita stood hand in hand at the end of the long table which had their child's body resting upon it. The two of them having sad yet unreadable looks on their faces as they lent against each other staring into nothingness broken over the loss. Martha, Donna, Cline and one of the Hath stood on either side of the table watching over her body.
Martha looked out as a bright light shone through the windows then looked at the two Time Lords her own face hurt by how saddened they truly looked, their faces not showing half of how they currently felt. "It's happening." Martha gently whispered to them both. "The terraforming."
"Build a city, nice and safe underground, strip away the top soil and there it is." Donna gently joined in. "And what about Jenny?"
Cline slowly moved forward looking at the Time Lords. "Let us give her a proper ceremony. I think it'd help us." He looked over at them. "Please." Swallowing thickly they glanced at each other their eyes showing all the words as they look back at Cline gently nodded.
"Jenny was the reason for the TARDIS bringing us here." The Doctor said the Time Lady in his arms once more not crying but just staring into nothingness in the TARDIS. "It just got here too soon, which then created Jenny in the first place. Paradox. An endless paradox." He sadly looked over at Martha who looked worried seeing the usually ecstatic. The Time Lady looked so sad and hurt. "Time to go home?"
"Yeah." She slowly nodded. "Home." The Doctor nodded moving around the TARDIS still keeping the Time Lady beside him as they started up the TARDIS all energy in how they normally piloted the machine disappeared only filled with hurt.
Donna and Martha left ahead as the Doctor grabbed his coat as well as the Time Lady the both of them helping each other in their coats before taking each other's hand and gently stepping out following the two down the street.
"Are you sure about this?" Donna softly asked her new friend.
"Yeah, positive." She gently nodded her head. "I can't do this anymore. You'll be the same one day."
"Not me." Donna smiled at her. "Never. How could I ever go back to normal life after seeing all this?" She asked earning a smile from Martha. "I'm going to travel with those two for ever."
Martha smiled having to give the red head a smile for her determination. "Good luck." They shared a hug saying their goodbyes.
"And you." Donna nodded slowly dropping back as the Doctor and Rita walked on with Martha.
"We're making a habit of this." The Doctor softly smiled at Martha who nodded in return.
"Yeah. And you'd think it'd get easier." She smiled a little then sighed. "All those things you've been ready to die for. I thought for a moment there you'd finally found something worth living for."
The Doctor glanced down at Rita's hand for a moment softly smiling as his eyes flickered up to her face as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Oh, there's always something worth living for, Martha." The Doctor and Martha then hugged smiling before letting go.
"Bye, Doctor."
"Goodbye. Doctor Jones." The Doctor looked at Rita who nodded then turned to Martha hugging her as the Doctor slowly made his way back to Donna who was standing just a little from the TARDIS.
"Bye, Stone." She softly smiled hugging the Time Lady. "Anytime you need me just ring." She looked at the Time Lady sternly showing she was serious.
"I will." She nodded. "As soon as the Doctor and I have 'settled' in a sense and everything is sorted with a date for the wedding I'll call you, send out an invitation for you and your family if they want to come." She smiled glancing down at her ring sighing happily.
"Of cause, I'm sure they will love to come. Until then." Martha beamed hugging her once more.
"Goodbye Martha." She nodded the both of them slowly walked away from each other the Doctor took the Stones hand lacing his fingers with hers as they slowly walked back to the TARDIS.
The TARDIS was silent with Donna in her room the Doctor alone in the console room after the Time Lady locked herself in her own room wanting to be alone, as much as she would love to stay with the Doctor and help him, she needed to be alone to think. Swallowing thickly the Doctor forced himself to go to her, she was alone at a time where she shouldn't be, no one should; to be truthful he needed her right now just as much as she needed him. Gently knocking on her door he heard the faint murmurs of her inside her voice sounding thick from crying. Upon entering he saw fresh tears on her face, her pillow damp and her hair a mess from the time where she had gently pulled on it trying to take away the pain in her head from constantly crying away. "Oh, my love" he murmured slowly moving aside towards the bed sitting her up and pulling her to his chest a moment before her eyes began to sting with new tears all over again. The Doctor breathed deeply as trickles of tears slowly began to fall from her eyes while he tried to stop his so he could comfort her. The Doctor moved around with her in his arms still before he was lying on the bed and pulling her closer to him once more knowing that was she no doubt tired from the long day she had been through. They stayed there together tears now falling down both of their cheeks as they silently mourned the loss of their Jenny. No soon after they were curled up together in her room they fell asleep using each other to stay warm and to chase away the nightmares, scared of being alone throughout their pain.