Born of Fire (Doctor Who AU)

Chapter 17 Time to move On

Daniel missed Rose. He missed talking to her, he missed walking with her and on one particularly lonely night as he stalked the house, he admitted that he missed dreaming about her. In the days and weeks after the party, Adela watched him throw himself into work in a desperate effort to bury the pain and profound loneliness. It hurt to watch him trudge down the hillside night after night too exhausted to think. Not once did he complain about the way life had worked out. Instead, he regaled Adela with tales of the Doctor living life on the slow path everywhere from London to a place called Orbis. She was sure a few of those tales were made up out of whole cloth. Living statues indeed.

It was disappointing that none of his activities included dating.

Summer turned to autumn and life fell into a predictable routine that brought them both comfort. Walking the glen turned into a new adventure every day. Shades of deep reds and gold combined with the dark green from the pines painted the hills as beautifully as any artist could and brought back memories of home for both of them. His work schedule kept them safe from becoming too maudlin, though. He was at work when her own memories threatened. She glanced out the window of her suite in time to see a large bird make lazy loops above the glen.

With a contented sigh, she pulled on her wellies, took the walking stick that Daniel had carved for her from beside her door and left the house promptly at two thirty for the one hour walk around the glen. She'd almost forgotten how much she enjoyed hiking. Five years on, she still missed the feel of her hand in Edgar's when they strolled through the park by their home in Berlitz or hiked in the countryside. A soft smile tugged at her lips as she strolled along the length of the stone fence to the gate, made sure it closed securely, and then climbed the path to walk the edge of the glen.

The goats were nearby; she could hear their bells tinkling across the meadow. Adela looked out over the glen at the grass now cropped short by a small herd of Scottish cows that had spent the summer grazing the piece of land. Vegetation that shimmered in shades of purple during the summer looked dull and grey now.

She followed the path, making sure to keep to the shade of the trees. Before long, the leaves would be gone, leaving the stately conifers on display. She had no doubt Daniel would be up here with his camera, taking pictures of the way sunlight played on the greys and tans of the oak trees' bark. He'd point out the way the light played on an object or the way squirrels prepared for winter. He'd share it with the exuberance of a child that reminded her he was, in fact, seeing autumn through fresh eyes.

Maybe it was the relaxing beauty around her, but Adela quickly became lost in her thoughts. She sorted through her worries marvelling at how much her life had changed this last year. She glanced up at the sky and then back down at the house truly thankful for the new joys pushing away the grief. In less than two hours, he would return from class, change his clothes and go to work trying to sift through the mess left by the former residents.

Her eyes travelled to the ramshackle shed that he was determined to rebuild before winter. She had no doubt Don would be up for the weekend, joining Daniel in the endeavour. She'd come to like the tall Canadian. She did wish Daniel would tell Don the truth of his existence, but she understood why he didn't. She stepped around a fallen log, thinking about the easy bond the two had formed. Their bantering reminded her of her boys. Even as adults they were best friends. Addie hitched a breath at the memory of her sons and their antics.

Foolish old woman; no sense in going there, she thought.

She reached for a tree to balance her steps over another stump when a flash, a movement in the distance, caught her eye. Fifty metres on, she saw a man moving through the trees. The thought of a man skulking around the glen flooded her with panic. Screams echoed through the trees as the night when monsters clanged through Berlitz's streets filled her mind. Her daughter-in-law screamed Georg's name as they ran for the house. She felt Edgar's hands push her into the safe room. Addie ran. She caught her foot on a rock and landed hard on her knees. She pushed up and ran harder, stumbling down the hillside for the house. Once she reached safety, she'd turn her dog loose on the monster chasing her. Her knees ached with with every step, and then she was inside the house, bolting the doors as she ran up the staircase to Daniel's room. Only then did she remember the monsters had killed her dog.