Forged in Ice (Doctor Who AU Novel)

Chapter 12 Boys will be Boys

"Wake up, Pilot.  Wake up and see me."

The voice cut through the blackness shifting Daniel to the shadows somewhere between consciousness and oblivion. She was there, holding out her hand, waggling her fingers, encouraging him to come out of the shadows to join her. He strode out of the darkness to the edge of a burnt orange grass field. Twin suns had just begun their rise above the horizon, bringing with them the heat of a late summer day. He turned in a small circle enjoying the feeling of the suns' warmth on his face.  It felt so good to be home, where he could hear his own language in the chatter of the servants and hear his mum call out to him. Except the woman calling him now had a decidedly West London accent, not Northern Gallifreyan.  

He searched the horizon, finally spotting her, shrouded in gold, marching down the hill toward him. Her red  hair  shimmered as it bounced about her shoulders,   His arm shot up, seemingly on its own, waving madly at her until he realised it was wrong.  His arm should have been inside his beloved duster coat, not a brown leather motorcycle jacket. Then he remembered. That coat belonged to another person.  

"Hello, Pilot, you look pretty good, bald head and all," the woman said when she reached him.

"Oi, it will grow back," he protested.  "This is Gallifrey; why are we here? How are we here?" 

"I hope you're not always going to be such a big dunce. You've been wishing for home and for me -- this is home. You get me because I am your connection, and we're here because you keep casting out for a  something Time Lord, and that's here. We're on our own now, Spaceboy. Just you, me and my mum's other child protecting this whole universe.  I haven't finished, though, so I don't know if a parallel Gallifrey survived here or not.  I guess, we'll find out -- later than sooner, though."

His eyes widened in disbelief. "Finished?  You're barely more than a bit of coral. How are we linking anyway?"

"With a lot of effort on my part. It's too soon for this, and it's taking a lot out of me."

"I hate where I am, it's too confusing.  I want out. I want to be free again. I can't even feel the planet turning."

"But you can, Pilot, why do you think that you're a dizzy dunce? Come here," she ordered, holding out her arms.  

Daniel moved into the woman's embrace, letting her warm glow encompass him. Cool fingertips brushed against his temples as she tugged his forehead to hers. The feel of her cool skin against his washed over him, bringing immediate relief to the ever-present pain behind his eyes. Threads of gold began weaving in and around his brain. The two stood, locked in a silent communication as she wormed her way through the damaged areas then spread through his body. The beat of his tiny embryonic heart grew stronger; his muscles relaxed, making it nearly impossible to stand. He wanted to fall into her, letting her swallow him whole, but she pulled away  and stroked his cheek.  "I've come every night to do this, but you've been so lost in the darkness, you didn't see me."

"Don't leave me, okay?" he whispered.

"I won't, Pilot.  Soon, you will be able to discern timelines again. The children of the past will travel as one in the future. Our family, young Pilot, just as we should be. Now -- sleep."

Daniel's knees buckled, leaving him unable to stand. She took the weight of his body against her and eased him down to the soft grass. The warmth of the suns flooded through him, relaxing every muscle, making it impossible to stay awake. His last clear thought before descending into darkness was a single word. Home.

~~

Daniel hated this place. Seventeen days with people determined to fill every conscious moment with something: physical therapy, speech therapy, and the annoying short lady who prattled on about practising relaxation techniques.  It started at breakfast  and then started all over after lunch.  No one asked what he wanted. All he wanted was to remember the dream sitting just in the shadows of his mind. Bits of images floated through, twin suns, his mum, all jumbled together. Trying to put order to the mess was all the harder made because he'd barely had time to wake up properly before this lot descended.