The next day saw Farah going to the cemetery to visit her grandmother's grave. After her close call with that almost suicide attempt, she needed to talk to someone about it. Granted she was only going to be talking to a block of carved granite but she always felt better after doing it. Plus whenever she spoke to the headstone, it really did feel like her grandmother was present.
The 23 year old knelt down and gently traced her grandmother's name: Elizabeth Sladen. "Hey nanna", she greeted "I um…have something to tell you and I know you're going to be very disappointed when you hear it" she took a deep breath to compose herself "yesterday I…I nearly killed myself. All those emotions…I couldn't breathe…" Farah wiped away some tears that had rolled down her cheeks "I just wanted it to go away. So I…I went to the pool and was about to get in when I realised that I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life. By being selfish and ending my life, I would've been leaving mum alone and I can't do that to her" the ginger tucked a piece of hair behind her ear "mum can never know what I did. It would…it would worry her" Farah kissed her hand and placed it on the granite "I love you". She stood up, looking down at the grave.
"Losing a loved one is never easy", a Scottish male voice spoke up behind her. She glanced back to see an older man wearing a suit with a long black coat that had a red lining.
"You can say that again", the empath agreed.
"Can I offer you some advice?" the man questioned.
"If I say 'go ahead' and you spout some 'one day at a time' crap at me, I will smack you", the 23 year old said firmly. She was fed up with people saying things like that to her. Those were usually the ones who didn't understand what she was going through. The only person who could get away with it was James but that was because she knew he was being sincere. Everyone else it sounded so rehearsed….so fake it mad her want to hit something and she wasn't a violent woman by nature.
The newcomer put his hands up "its nothing like that, I promise", he assured her.
"By all means, go ahead", Farah said, giving him the verbal ok to proceed.
"The best way to deal with grief is to just keep going", the Scotsman recited "Just keep living for the people we still have in our lives. Mothers, fathers, siblings, childhood friends. You need to keep going for them", the newcomer said "We also need to live for those we have lost too for they're never truly gone. They still live within our memories and our hearts".
Farah felt strangely comforted by his words. They also made a lot of sense to her too. "Thank you", she said softly "I'll definitely try to follow your advice".
"Do or do not. There is no try", the newcomer quoted and the empath burst into laughter.
"Sorry, it's just…that's a line from my favourite bunch of movies", Farah explained between giggles. The ginger took a breath to calm down "anyway, I um…better get going. Thanks again for the advice".
"You're welcome", the man murmured, watching her leave "my brilliant Fay".
The Doctor turned and walked away hands in his pockets. "Doctor", came Farah's voice from behind him. He stopped and turned around to see the same ginger that he'd just left. Well, not exactly as she was wearing a mint green Grecian style dress that was a little worse for wear.
"I see you met Caecilius", he states, knowing exactly where she'd been.
"I have", the ginger confirmed with a nod. The empath took several steps forward raised her hand and placed it gently on his cheek. The Doctor closed his eyes, leaning into her touch like he'd done so many times before.
"I must look like an old man in your eyes", he said quietly, the words very similar to what she said to him on the Titanic after he'd told her how old he was.
"No, you don't", Farah said softly "You look like the Doctor to me" the Doctor opened his eyes to see that she was smiling at him. The Doctor closed his eyes, leaning into her touch like he'd done so many times before. When he opened his eyes, he saw that she was giving him a very familiar look. It was the same one he'd given her many times through his tenth and eleventh selves. It was love. He shouldn't have been surprised by this younger Farah's answer as she'd never looked at him any differently after the Master had aged him on the Valiant.
Farah removed her hand from his cheek. "I better go. Don't want your younger self worrying", she said.
"That would be a good idea", the Doctor agreed knowing full well how his tenth self could be when it came to her safety. "Isn't there something else you want to ask me?" he asked her when she turned away.
Farah turned back "I can't think of anything", she lied. She really wanted to ask if she was in his future but didn't know if she was allowed to.
"Don't you want to know if you're still with me?" the Doctor gently pressed.
"I didn't know if I was allowed to know", the woman admits "timelines and all that jazz".
"Technically I'm not supposed to tell but I want you to have a peace of mind", the Time Lord said "we're still together".
"Thank you for telling me", Farah said relieved to hear that they were still together through more than one regeneration. Speaking of… "There's something else I'm wondering. That is if you're allowed to tell me".
"Ask away", the Doctor said.
"What regeneration are you on?" Farah enquired.
"12", the Time Lord told her, noting the undisguised relief on her face.
The ginger nodded, mentally filing that away "ok. Now I really better go before your tenth self tries to break down the TARDIS door", she said.
Twelve laughed "See you later, my brilliant Fay", he said using her usual saying when it came to farewells.
"See you later, Spaceman", Farah said pressing a light kiss to his cheek. She turned and started to head off when she suddenly faltered, pressing a hand to her head. The Doctor was quick to steady her. "Sorry, just got lightheaded for a second", she said apologetically.
"It's ok, you don't need to apologise", the Time Lord assured her. He already knew what was going on but of course he couldn't tell her about it nor could he mention what else her future held. As much as it pained him, he had to let it play out the way it was supposed to.
Instead of going home, the 23 year old Farah went to the ice rink. Something she hadn't done since her grandmother had died. Aside from her mother, Elizabeth had supported her love of ice skating. Plus if she wanted to follow the advice from the Scottish stranger, going back to a beloved hobby was a good place to start.
"George", she greeted the middle aged man as she passed him on the way to her locker where she kept her ice skates.
"Miss Galen! A pleasure to see you as always", the security guard happily remarked "I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother".
"Thank you", the ginger murmured, opening up her locker. She pulled out her skates and went to close the locker door when George reached out, lightly touching the back of her hand.
"If there's anything I can do…" he started.
"I'll let you know, thanks", the 23 year old assured him. She closed the locker and went into the main area of the rink, taking a seat on one of the benches. She watched the few people skate around the rink, pulling on her skates as she did so. The ginger rubbed her hand where George had touched it before she got to her feet. She then stepped out on the ice, grabbing on to the side. Taking a couple of breaths, Farah pushed off from the side. The next hour was spent gliding around the ice growing more confident as the time went on.
She was about to leave the ice when she felt a sudden searing pain across the back of her hand, causing her to cry out. She stared wide eyed at the strange symbol that had been burned onto the skin. Farah looked around at the others, wondering if they'd noticed the commotion she'd just made. "What the…?" she breathed, seeing that there was no one else on the ice. Where did everyone go? she thought they couldn't have just disappeared! She'd literally passed a mother with a little girl just a moment ago!
"Farah…" came a rather chilling voice.
The young woman's eyes widened even more as a black hooded, dementor like figure appeared. She screamed as it came rushing toward her. Farah spun around and dashed across the ice as fast as she could. The creature shrieked as it grew closer to her and the empath intentionally slipped over, watching as it flew over her head, narrowly missing her. The ginger scrambled to her feet and skated in the opposite direction. She'd literally just reached the side and was about to step off when the creature grabbed her, tossing her across the ice. She cried out as the terrifying being slammed her head against the frozen surface.
The young woman passed out from the pain.
The creature, an Industria Lamia, tore its hands away from her unconscious form when it heard a high pitched sound. The being shrieked in pain, stumbling away from Farah, morphing back into the so called 'friendly' security guard, George. "Please…stop", he pleaded.
"Why should I?" James asked, glaring at the killer alien "You were about to kill the one person I care about the most. You don't deserve any mercy", he spat. He continued using the device in his hand to torture the alien with a high pitched noise for a few more minutes until he took out a 'gun' from his pocket and shot George. He screamed as he burst into flames.
James dusted the ash from his jacket and crouched down next to Farah. He gently felt around the back of her head, cringing a little when his fingers came into contact with her blood. He quashed any queasiness he felt as he had to focus on helping her.
The blond closed his eyes, concentrating on her head. His fingers faintly glowed gold and within seconds, he could feel the wound healing. He kept his hand there a fraction longer after it was done just to ensure there were no lasting effects. The last thing he wanted was her to wind up in a hospital with a brain injury or something.
Once he was satisfied with his work, he picked up the unconscious woman from the ice and left the rink. He wished he could be relieved that 'George' was dead as it meant the threat to Farah had passed. Unfortunately this was just the beginning. Now it was up to the Doctor to stop that creature's sister from getting her revenge.
It wasn't that he couldn't stop her himself. He was more than capable. However, it was imperative that the Time Lord and Farah meet. So for the time being he had to put his faith in the Doctor and trust him to get the job done.
Oh, he wasn't going to stop being around Farah though. He was her friend, after all…
Farah groaned awake, frowning in confusion when she found that she was in her bedroom, lying fully clothed on top of her bed. Immediately she sat up, hand going straight to the back of her head. Her frown deepened when her fingers came away clean. She was almost positive she'd cracked her head on the ice. It had certainly felt that way. But there was no wound…no blood.
"Did I dream all that?" she murmured to herself. Farah turned her hand over, gasping at the burn on the back of it. "It was real", she breathed "it was all real". Her breathing grew erratic as she recalled the hooded figure of death. She grasped the duvet tightly, her entire frame shaking. "Breathe. Just breathe", she said to herself. The empath closed her eyes and forced herself to take deep breaths.
After a couple of minutes, her heart rate started to go back to normal. Her grip slowly loosened on the duvet as she began to calm down. "I'm home! Sweetie, are you here?" her mother called from downstairs.
"Upstairs mum!" Farah called back. She got up from the bed, promptly falling back onto it. "Oh blimey, head rush", she mumbled. She waited for a second to make sure that she wasn't about to fall over before she made her way downstairs. In the hallway was her mother, Kate Galen and a man wearing a pinstriped suit and converse. "Who's this?" Farah asked, curious by the newcomer.
"This is John Smith. He's going to be our lodger for a while", the older woman explained. The empath was pleasantly surprised by this. They'd only put out the advert for a lodger that morning. She certainly hadn't expected to get a response this quickly.
"It's nice to meet you John", Farah said, holding her hand out. The Doctor shook it, noting the mark on her hand. It was the mark of the Industria Lamia. She'd been marked for death. Seems like the sender of the message he got via psychic paper was right to send him here. Kate's daughter was in danger.
The ginger noticed him staring at the back of her hand and she pulled back, tugging the sleeve of her jumper down to cover it. All the while her green eyes stayed in contact with his brown, silently pleading to keep his discovery to himself. The Time Lord gives an almost imperceptible nod and Farah lets out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Their new lodger was going to keep her secret.
"It's nice to meet you too Farah", the Doctor said, politely. The look in her eyes when she'd caught him staring…she was scared. And she had every right to be. The creature who'd marked her was terrifying, even to him.
"You can call me Fay if you like", the ginger offered "a lot of people do. Unless your my niece/goddaughter. Then I'm Rah Rah….or Feefee. Depending on her mood" the Time Lord chuckled, slightly amused by the child's moniker of the ginger "she was three when she came up with that name and it just stuck!", the young woman defended.
"Oh, I'm not taking the mickey", the Doctor assured her. Those names were more endearing than funny. Besides, he'd been called far worse over the years so he didn't exactly have the right to tease her.
"Good", Farah said "I'd have booted you out if you were, don't care if you're our new lodger" she clapped her hands rubbing them together "now that's been made clear. Let's give you the tour".
Kate watches them go, happy to see her daughter being able to have a bit of banter with the newcomer. Truth be told, she had been worried about her daughter. Elizabeth's death had hit Farah pretty hard.
The Doctor followed Farah across the landing to a room furnished with the basics and nothing else. "This'll be your room for however long you'll be with us", she told him "That's the main bathroom" the ginger nodded to another plain white door, slightly ajar "and we have another downstairs. Feel free to use the kitchen anytime".
"Thanks", the Time Lord said. Farah nodded and turned to go when he spoke up "Fay".
"Yes?" she said.
"Thanks for letting me stay", the Doctor said.
"It's no problem, my mother clearly likes you otherwise she'd wouldn't have let you stay with us", the ginger stated and with that, she left him alone. "I've left our lodger to get settled", she told her mother as she came into the kitchen "so what does our lodger do for a living?" she enquired, stealing a piece of freshly washed lettuce from the plate.
"A journalist apparently. Mostly on travel", Kate replied, finishing up the chicken and salad sandwiches "maybe he can suggest places for you and Ben to go on your Europe trip".
The 23 year old snagged one of the sandwiches, taking a bite from it "I'm not so sure it's going to go ahead", she mumbled.
"How come?" the older ginger enquired "are you and Ben having problems?"
"I suppose you could say that", the young woman admitted "I mean, we don't really see each other anymore. Either he's stood me up or cancels on me. And the last time we had an actual date, he seemed distracted" Farah set aside her sandwich and sighed "I love him mum, I really do but maybe…maybe it's time we went our separate ways".
"I think that would be for the best", Kate agreed, putting an arm around her shoulders, hugging her. Initially she liked her daughter's boyfriend. He was polite and treated her baby girl well. However, the past 8 months, he's been completely different. 'Forgetting' dates or cancelling them at the last minute. If he didn't want to be with her anymore, then he needed to man up and say so. It wasn't fair or right that he was stringing Farah along especially since she was already struggling with her grandmother's passing. "There's only so many second chances you can give him".
"I know", Farah said quietly. Her head was definitely agreeing with her mother but her heart was telling her that things with Ben would get better, that she shouldn't give her. She sighed again. She really hated these dilemmas.
"And if there's anything I can do to help…" Kate started.
"Just be the amazing mum that you are", the 23 year old gently cut in. Her mother smiled, hugging her closer.
"That I can do", she promised.