A day had passed since the showdown on the Discovery. What was left of UNIT had detained the staff of the Research Centre, especially Larissa. The Navy aided UNIT in removing the ships from prying eyes and set them back out into the open ocean. The city was slowly recovering and as normal, denied that all of those crazy things occurred and everything was just made up by the media. Back to normal. Somehow.
Will was reading the headline in the newspaper, sat at a table in a big and familiar room. The title read "Freak storm causes flash flooding." He had his legs crossed, leaning back in a comfortable desk chair with a freshly brewed coffee on the table.
Behind him, he heard the door open and someone in heels walk in. In a hurry, he closed the newspaper and partially threw it onto the desk away from his precious coffee. Will waited patiently as he watched Kate approach him.
'So? How did things go?' he quickly asked with a single breath. He was desperate to know what was going on. Truth be told, he was escorted home as soon as he disembarked the Discovery, as was Gray. It was early morning now and he had only just arrived at the UNIT base, blindfolded once again of course.
Kate pulled over a wheely chair and sat across from him at the table.
'You remember when the Huntress spoke of a request to the fallen crews of those ships?' she started. Will nodded back and edged her on. 'Her request was that they send the ships back to the black spot and watch over the sleeping warriors. Like guarding prisoners or watching over their charges.
'I see' was all Will could manage for the moment. Of course her request would be to watch over the hibernating army. Who better?
'And the Research Centre? Cassie?'
'The centre has been closed down and being stripped as we speak by everyone we have left. Cassie is with them and has decided to join UNIT as a field officer. Not an easy task, but I believe that she'll get there with some training and confidence. As for Ironwood, no one needs to know what happened to him. Weller on the other hand, we're going to do our best to remove the alien influence if possible before laying to rest.'
Content, Will reached over and took a large sip of his coffee, in desperate need of the caffeine boost due to his lack of sleep.
'Anyway, I actually have a favour to ask of you' Kate added while Will was lost in his silent thoughts. This re-caught his attention.
'Favour? From the Huntress?' he inquired, now interesting even more.
Kate looked away for a moment, almost like it was going to somewhat of a difficult ask. Will's heart skipped a beat the moment her eyes left his.
'Somewhat, I suppose'
She reached into her pocket and produced an envelope which presumably had a letter within. Kate held it out to Will face up. On the front it beautiful cursive handwriting was "Will & Gray"
Huntress, Will thought immediately. Was this a goodbye letter? Was this really it?
'She asked that you find Gray before opening this. It is for both of you, after all'
Hesitantly, Will took the letter carefully from Kate's grasp. Holding it with both hands, drawn to the handwriting, Will didn't know what to think anymore. Better yet, he didn't know how to feel about the idea of her being gone already.
Will opened his mouth to speak again but he was instantly met with a rebuttal from Kate. 'And before you ask, no. I haven't seen her since yesterday. Last place we spoke was at the Research Centre. She seemed quite happy'
A heavy quiet descended. A saddening feeling hung over the both of them. For Will, it made perfect sense. To Kate however, it was so out of the ordinary, so unusual. She never got such a feeling when the Doctor took off, but then again, she had never been so directly placed within the peril of the moment like she was with the Huntress. Never endured that much in such a period of time. She couldn't deny the fact that if earth was in peril once again, it wouldn't be just the Doctor who would pray for to show up.
'She said goodbye...' she thought aloud in a quiet mutter.
Will's head perked up and his heart stopped. Goodbye? She had already said her farewells to Kate. So was this letter truly... No, he couldn't just believe that.
Breaking the emotion of the moment, Kate's mobile rang. She stood and started walking away to answer it. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked back at Will one last time. 'I know where you'll find Gray'
* * *
The Cemetery.
Kate's words echoed in Will's mind as he stood at the bottom of the cemetery hill. He was back in his long navy coat with his thick grey knitted scarf. He watched Gray halfway up the hill. He saw him from a side profile, standing before a grave with a bouquet of fresh flowers in his hand. A dried tear streak visible on his right cheek. The true, final goodbye.
He wore a very worn, old brown leather jacket with a faded sky-blue shirt and dark blue jeans with a brown leather belt. His regular casual clothing.
Gray delicately placed down the bouquet of sunflowers by Breena's gravestone. He knelt down before them and simply looked at the grave as if he was looking at her again.
'I originally got these cause they were ya favourite. But I looked it up. Sunflowers mean ever-lastin' happiness and life. Seemed more than right, ya know. Cause, I believe, you see... I know that I may not ever see ya again, but I know your happy and alive. And that... that's all I need.'
Gray stood back up and walked over to the side of the gravestone, gently placing a hand on top of it, like putting a hand on a very low shoulder.
'I'm gonna move on, just like you wanted me to. I just hope ya stay happy, Breen. Love ya.'
With one last tear and a fulfilling smile across his face in her memory, Gray left her grave. It wasn't until he got to the bottom of the hills pathway that he noticed Will off to the side waiting under the shade of a large tree.
'I'm guessing this isn't just a social call?' Gray called out with glee in his voice. A mood which seemed impossible to dampen, at the time.
Rather than answering with words, Will reached into his coat and pulled the letter out from his inner pocket. He held it by the side upwards. Once Gray got within a close distance, he tilted his head to read the handwriting.
'Together?' was all Will said. It was all he needed to say as they both knew that something, maybe like this, was coming since yesterday evening.
Trying hard to retain his mood even though the smile had faded, Gray nodded in response. 'Together'
Both men stood under that tree side by side and Will reluctantly opened the envelope and pulled out the handwritten letter. Both stood close and looked at it. Will read it aloud but all both of them heard was her voice...
* * *
To William and Gray
Well boys, we did it. It was quite a long ride for such a short time but none of us can deny that so much happened that it felt like it would never end.
I know that neither of you know much about me. Truth be told, I don't even know who I am myself anymore. That was the whole reason I came to earth. Because even though I can never escape my past, that isn't the kind of person I want to be anymore. Not to mention the new face. I have a lot to learn and there is so much in this universe that still needs discovering.
Someone once told me that the world can be a lonely place. I thought that used to be ridiculous. Now I not only see but understand what he meant. As peaceful and wonderful as it was on my own, travelling the wonders of the galaxy, it doesn't amount to the one day I had with the two of you, not to mention Kate and Cassie. I wish it didn't have to end. I really do...
My life is a dangerous one. My existence is a threat to many people in this vastness of time and space. And... My life ahead is going to be filled with nothing but days like today. I want you two safe but I want you to live the lives you want and to be proud of it the older you get. I won't burden you by asking any more, from either of you. But I will say one last thing.
At the strike of midday, I'll be gone. I've found my ship as disguised as it is and I'm ready to leave. However, I don't have to go alone. That is, if you can find me. I'm sure with Will's brain and Gray's out-of-the-box thinking you can find me. Whether it is before I leave or down the track in your happy futures, I promise with both my hearts that this isn't the last time you will ever see me.
But for now... Catch me if you can....
The Huntress x
Will shouted something at Gray and without hesitation, Will and Gray sprinted out of the cemetery and headed directly for Gray's car. Both had grins ear to ear and were absolutely sure of what they were going to do and where they w
* * *
Gray's car pulled up out the front of the Navy's Research Centre.
'Will!' Gray shouted in dismay. The time was 11:56 on the building's massive wall clock. Four minutes to find her. Both men rushed into the building and slid to a stop at the reception desk.
'The Huntress! Where is she!' Will insisted at one of UNIT's officers.
'Who?' came the innocent but blank answer from the officer. Gray half shoved Will away from address him.
'Kate. Where's Kate Stewart. We're Broke and Mayweather, mates of hers!'
'Why ask for Kate?' Will whispered into his ear, but Gray shushed him. Will was insulted and surprised at the same time.
The officer huffed and pointed towards the laboratory block. 'That way, sirs' he answered in a snarky tone.
Without thanking him or anything else, Will and Gray charged away in a massive hurry. They dashed down every corridor, each poking a head into a lab and charging onwards.
Both were now sweating and starting to panic. 11:58 it said on the building clocks. They were losing hope. They were going to miss it.
The moment the clocks ticked onto 11:59, they ran through a set of double doors and turning a corner into a new hallway. Closing in on Weller's old lab. Both stopped dead in their tracks and were stunned. Halfway down the corridor, almost waiting as she leant against a door arch, was Kate Stewart.
With whatever speed both had left in their feet, they sprinted down that hallway. They made sure to stop without crashing into her, but Gray did half slip on the floor but save it. 'Bloody Nora!' he exclaimed as he fought for his balance.
Kate gave an impressed grin and went back to a full and straight posture. 'Wasn't sure you would make it, either of you' she commented, surprisingly looking at Gray specifically for that second part.
Gray was too busy looking at the door she was near. 'The locked break room?' he pointed and asked, baffled. Even Will had to admit that he'd never have guessed she'd be here.
Kate extended an arm, gesturing them to go into the room.
'You knew all along, didn't you. You were acting' Will assumed at Kate, quite impressed at her acting skills. She shrugged with a smile and held her indicating arm out.
Will went first but looked at the strange keyhole under the handle. It was so old looking and unique. No wonder she was in here. Was this her travel machine? But how?
Gray waited impatiently behind Will, waiting for the door to hurry. 'Well, hurry up then!' he exclaimed.
Kate meanwhile shook her head with a smile and started walking away. Surprised, Will and Gray turned around to watch her walk away. 'Oi, what about you!' Gray called out.
Kate waved a hand back at them but never turned. 'Not this time, thanks.' And with that, she turned a corner and was gone.
Unable to put off the inevitable any more, Will opened the door and both men walked in and neither of them could even conceive what they saw, but whatever it was, it was the most wonderous and beautiful place they'd even laid eyes on. As they edged inside step by step, the door gently closed behind them.
* * *
Before them was a huge, massive room. From the door was a walkway leading to a centre console. Circular in design, controls all around it. The centre had a rising cylindrical collum rising to the roof. It was filled with a water-like liquid which glowed blue and bubbled like a lava lamp. The controls themselves were built like steampunk devices. Valves, brass, bronze, copper, switches. Little eye-catching additions of ruby and sapphire had sneaked in there.
On the right side against the golden railing which surrounded every walkway was a plush two seated couch, elevated and a rich blood plum colour.
The room itself, massive as it was, was also circular in design. On the left was a stairway leading up to a surrounding balcony with shelves of old books, hanging plants and lanterns with ever burning flames. It looked like a set from Harry Potter and it spread around half of the upper area. There was another set of stairs on the other side of the console. By the right stairs was a staircase leading down underneath the console. On the roof around the collum was a half dome filled with endless turning cogs and around the enclosed dome were massive branches spreading outwards. They had leaves like a willow tree dangling down with glowing purple flowers in little, long clumps hanging and glittering throughout.
It was like they'd stepped into some kind of fantasy realm. A slice of magic. They'd never seen anything so fabulous in their existences.
Finally able to divert away from the marvels of this place, Will looked through the glass of the central collum and finally noticed. A figure on the other side, one he knew was smiling. She was there.
'So, going to leave without us!' Will sarcastically called out towards her, making sure she knew she had been seen. Gray meanwhile looked to where he was directing the comment, then he saw her too.
'Seriously!? We had like a minute left!' Gray added in an annoyed but playful tone.
Taking her cue, the Huntress walked around the console into view on the righthand side. Both men were left speechless. She looked so different, but it seemed so right.
The Huntress had found her own special look while waiting for her friends, knowing full well that they couldn't resist the call of the adventure.
She now donned a long-sleeved satin shirt in dark blue, but the sleeves were rolled up half way up her lower arm. It was a button up, but the first few top buttons were undone. Nothing inappropriate but looked more comfortable to breath in.
There was a loose-hanging silk fuchsia tie around her neck. She matched it with formal black pants. Not tight but not too loose either, along with a black belt. A horizontal holster case was attached to her belt on her left side and inside it was her sonic screwdriver. To finish it all off, she wore thick black boots with a chunky yet semi-high heel. The soles were perfect for outdoors but it seemed strange to wear heels.
Her hair was now styled and clean. Shoulder length with a sweeping fringe over to the right side of her face. Her bright green eyes bright as ever.
'I had to be sure this is what you wanted. After all, this is by no means a safe lifestyle choice.'
Started to feel the weight of her choice, she gently leans her hands on the console and looks at the controls, unable to look at them all of a sudden. 'There is always a chance I can never bring you home again' she added with a hint of worry in her voice.
Knowing the concerns she was feeling, Will and Gray walked over to her and with one on each side of her, they set a reassuring hand on her shoulders.
'Now, we both know you'd be lost without us' Gray cheerful reminded her. She couldn't help but giggle.
'After everything we just went through, we want to see what's really out there. For how long, who knows? At least a few grand adventures, right Gray?' Will chirped in. Gray gave a nod of acknowledgement and shook her shoulder to add to the moment.
'Not gettin' rid of us that easy!'
Feeling the fullness of her heart and that void which she had been carrying since remembered who she truly was, she confidently reached out for the big lever. The take flight lever. The decider.
As she reached out and grasped the level, she looked at the centre collum and halted for a moment. Though she knew it was just in her mind, she saw her reflection but not the one she wanted to see. The one of her in her past life, all leather, sweat and bloodied hands. The fear of her past wasn't easy to shake, especially now she had two more lives to protect as well as her own.
Noticing her uncertainty, Will reached out and delicately wrapped his own half onto her hand, the other on the right side of the handle. He gave a comforting smirk. Gray did the same but on the left side. All three gripped the handle tightly, but Will and Gray waited patiently for her to move first.
With one last look at her reflection, the Huntress was happy. It was different now. She saw herself right now, the person she wanted to see, and them. Her friends. Her gang. Her companions.
'Alright then'
Together they pulled the lever. The TARDIS groaned as it dematerialised away from the Research Centre, leaving a blank wall. As they travelled, the liquid in the centre collum spiral like a tornado inside which sparkled. It was magical.
The Huntress put some ideas into the system but still had no idea where or when they would end up, but at least for their first trip it would be earth. For now.
'Let's Rock'