[ He's rambling like a lunatic, but somehow she knows he isn't mad, even before he proves an intimate knowledge of her own jewelry.
A stretch of silence follows as she unfastens her bracelet and opens up the clockwork center. The piece of paper in there is folded several times over, by now worn and smudged, but she can still make out the words.
Her thumbnail creases the edge just a little more, and now it blurs only because tears threaten her vision. She keeps them at bay.
How can he know of this? More magic? ]
Do you know the answer, then? To the riddle?
[ What does it mean by 'three'? She has to know. It haunts her, like her dreams. ]
[ It seems such an obvious trap. Yet, he knows about the riddle. A poem, he called it. She claimed he was dangerous, but why should that stop her? She has her knife for protection, and he finally has an answer that might make some sense of her recent nightly torments. Her thumb is still bandaged from last night's 'dream'.
Barefoot, Vanessa steps cautiously out into the night, clutching a thin robe around her shoulders for a false sense of decency. It's warm enough that she hardly needs it. ]
[ Under the stars, dressed so casually, her hair loose and teased by a gentle wind that stirs the otherwise calm night, it would be so easy to forget their reality and what's happened before this moment. He would hold her if he could, if nothing else. He wants it desperately, but he soothes the ache inside by latching onto the beauty of her eyes catching the moon's half light and holding up a mirror to briefly illuminate the parts of him that have gone dark again; the parts of him that she'd brought to life so recently.
And he smiles, just a little, stepping closer.
He holds out both of his hands, palms up, reaching for hers. ]
The riddle, the poem, your heart and mine. But I have two hearts.
[ If she'll accept his hands, then he'll guide hers gently to his chest, to rest her palms over the twin hearts beating more rapidly than her human one. ]
[ Vanessa ought to yank her hands away before he can even touch her, given the pain he's induced before...but as ever, there's the pull of her heart that can't be ignored. The stars in his eyes are more radiant than anything in the sky, but she looks past their illumination to something even sweeter; something darker. It's buried in a place where stars have died, yet something else subsists.
Slender fingers flinch against his chest, but this time not from pain. The wonder that keeps her near now softens into something like realization. She's felt the rhythm of this pulse before; she knows it sweetly; she knows it bitterly.
Slowly, Vanessa's fingers curl against his shirt, staring so earnestly she may have forgotten how to blink. A man with two hearts? He wrote the poem? In... In Serthica? Wasn't she born...here?
Finally, she blinks as she battles through another bout of confusion, suddenly jerking her hands away so that she can clutch again at the bracelet on her wrist. ]
How...?
[ He isn't lying. She knows him, she feels him. Even now as she holds herself with a battered desperation, shaking her head, Vanessa doesn't step away. ]
[ As ever, he wants to keep holding her hands, but he won't force her, not in this manner. It would be unsettling to be adrift like this, to say the least. Frightening, he imagines, to feel torn between two realities. Any control she can clutch at, he'll more than allow. ]
I made it, in fact. You had a droid, I named it Oliver, delightful friend. I borrowed a few useful parts from its facade when we left Serthica, made that bracelet for you. Something to remember where we met.
[ The Doctor's smile is faint and a little sad, but hopeful nonetheless, as ever. ]
I don't know how, Vanessa, I don't know why. I don't know what has taken your memories, but I won't stop until I do.
[ As she listens, Vanessa's chest feels ever more tight. Visions come to her of a kiss and a promise in a parlor full of books, and a small robotic man flails nearby.
Beyond that, she feels a chill on the back of her neck, even as her breast feels hot. The air tastes like snow and it smells of cakes. He gave this to her later, after Serthica, in a cozy room away from snow and droids, where they joined together in an experience neither had thought could be possible.
Where more promises were made. ]
Doctor mine.
[ There's a gasp of relief in her sigh as Vanessa reaches for him, her robe falling away as her fingertips caress his cheek. ]
[ This time, when she caresses his cheek, the Doctor doesn't pull away. After thinking he might never feel that touch again, he'll savor it as long as possible.
Ever the optimist, even now, he wants to believe it's this simple, that she'd fought her way back to him, that she overcame whatever was done to her. And here they are, at last. For a moment, it's everything he needs; it's uncomplicated and it sets his hearts soaring again after weeks of beating just to survive.
He covers her hand, turning his head in an attempt to kiss her palm. ]
Take it slow. You've been through a lot. Do you remember all of it?
[ There's another little gasp when he kisses her palm, and she's quick to step forward to fling her arms the rest of the way around him. She remembers enough to weep, but she still holds on tight, burying her face into his neck. There, with her breath tickling his warm skin, she can take in the familiar scent where his pulse beats fiercest.
It's something to cling to, to keep her centered. She can't drift away again. ]
I went away again.
[ Again, she says, though it's the first time it has truly happened here. Different from before, yet all too much the same.
She had been so strong in this world, she had thought. Even with the temptations, she has been better defended. ...Until now. ]
[ It's her. It's truly her. She's broken through the grip some unseen force has had on her, and she's here now, safe in his arms. He could weep, and as it is, tears sting his eyes while he clings to her tightly in return. ]
You won't be going anywhere again. Stay here, Vanessa, right here.
[ Impractical? Hardly. Let the world turn and the light beat back the dark while they tie their hearts together again. ]
[ As her fingers dig into his back, Vanessa holds him as if they were alone in the world. Should anyone from her residence happen to go far enough outside to see them, she would hardly care.
She barely manages to choke down a sob. ]
You went away. [ Enough is recalled. The pain with the love. ] Don't—
[ Her grip tightens, and she lets the tears flow freely. ]
Please. Stay with me. Help— [ A shiver passes through, though she's plenty warm. ] Doctor, help me.
[ His grip on her tightens, as though his hold on her alone would be enough to keep anything from having her again. He wants to believe it, his desperation palpable in the ferocity of his embrace, his hand moving to rest against the back of her head.
He tries to reach out in his mind for her, alarmed to find a barrier there that he can't explain, something keeping them apart and threatening to pull her back again. His belief in her and them is relentless, though, and he grips her still, fighting for her even now. ]
Listen to me, hear me. I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I won't leave, I'll never leave, and nothing will take you away from me again.
It's the night; it draws out my memories. Shattered, broken things that pierce my heart and my dreams.
[ But what is it that did this? What power out there finally trumped her will? The terror of it keeps her shoulders hunched, and Vanessa leans back to cup his face in her hands. No matter what has happened, or what he has done, he hasn't stopped trying to get through to her. She can't forget that.
There's something else that she shouldn't forget; something that has haunted her. The sight of the bandage on her finger is enough to strike something else, and with a sudden shake of her head, Vanessa feels panic set in. ]
There is— There was something else. Last night, I heard them.
[ A flinch, as a pain begins to form between her eyes. ]
No, I remembered. Both— [ Her eyes widen. ] Both of them. They are coming for me.
[ The night brings out her memories, and in the day—he worries what happens then, when the sun rises. Both of them are coming for her, though; something here, or something still from her past, from beyond this place? She has no shortage of terrible things attempting to consume her, but the thought of it only stokes his rage and protective nature while he grips her tighter.
Cradling both of her hands again, he clings to her fiercely. ]
They can try. They haven't met me.
[ He moves one hand now to cradle her cheek in turn. ]
[ However it may darken his gaze, Vanessa is soothed by his protective ire just long enough to try and listen; to remember. ]
He— He did not fall alone.
[ It wasn't Amunet. They never meant her. Where was she meant to be in all of this, then? ...Drifting? Waiting for the end, where they will fling her into the abyss? ]
The other, he is—
[ His name almost comes to her, but it vanishes in a sea of white fog, and then the pain in her head consumes her. Groaning, she staggers and clutches at her eyes. ]
I can't remember. I— [ She blinks through her fingers, struggling to remain. Only... ] Where...?
[ Lucifer. Satan. The Devil. Many names and titles through the ages. The Doctor had confronted him once, long ago. He'd like to see Lucifer dare to get to Vanessa.
Never. ]
He did not fall alone...you've said it before. I'm not familiar, but we'll figure it out. Together, Vanessa, I promise.
[ So many mythologies to sort through, but he'll reason it out, he knows he will. He can figure out anything for her sake.
But then the pain grips her again and he worries anew, a concerned frown on his face as he attempts to reach for her, to soothe. ]
It's there, the name, and we'll find it. Just hold onto me, Vanessa.
[ No, she's confused. Lucifer is gone. Banished. But who was the other?
...
What other? Where...is she? Who is she? ]
What?
[ Hold onto him? Doctor mine. Doctor who? ]
No! Stop, please. It hurts. You—
[ With a fervent shake of her head, Vanessa backs away, her hands dropping down where her nails dig into her own arms. When she blinks through the tears now to gaze at him, confusion overtakes her. Then fear, which only brings her defenses back up. ]
I told you to leave me be. Take your cruel spellcraft elsewhere, or I shall scream.
[ His touch is side-stepped with a flinch as though it might yet burn, and she swiftly backs away with another shake of her head. She doesn't even bother with retrieving the robe, too afraid to take her eyes off of him until she's close enough to feel as though she can flee into the cave before he can try to follow.
She isn't alone in there. Vanessa is safe in there, even with her nightmares. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
A stretch of silence follows as she unfastens her bracelet and opens up the clockwork center. The piece of paper in there is folded several times over, by now worn and smudged, but she can still make out the words.
Her thumbnail creases the edge just a little more, and now it blurs only because tears threaten her vision. She keeps them at bay.
How can he know of this? More magic? ]
Do you know the answer, then? To the riddle?
[ What does it mean by 'three'? She has to know. It haunts her, like her dreams. ]
no subject
[ His voice softens, a bit calmer than the frenetic jumble of words mere moments ago. ]
It only has to be a moment, promise. I won't keep you for long.
no subject
Barefoot, Vanessa steps cautiously out into the night, clutching a thin robe around her shoulders for a false sense of decency. It's warm enough that she hardly needs it. ]
no subject
And he smiles, just a little, stepping closer.
He holds out both of his hands, palms up, reaching for hers. ]
The riddle, the poem, your heart and mine. But I have two hearts.
[ If she'll accept his hands, then he'll guide hers gently to his chest, to rest her palms over the twin hearts beating more rapidly than her human one. ]
no subject
Slender fingers flinch against his chest, but this time not from pain. The wonder that keeps her near now softens into something like realization. She's felt the rhythm of this pulse before; she knows it sweetly; she knows it bitterly.
Slowly, Vanessa's fingers curl against his shirt, staring so earnestly she may have forgotten how to blink. A man with two hearts? He wrote the poem? In... In Serthica? Wasn't she born...here?
Finally, she blinks as she battles through another bout of confusion, suddenly jerking her hands away so that she can clutch again at the bracelet on her wrist. ]
How...?
[ He isn't lying. She knows him, she feels him. Even now as she holds herself with a battered desperation, shaking her head, Vanessa doesn't step away. ]
The bracelet? You...gave this to me.
no subject
I made it, in fact. You had a droid, I named it Oliver, delightful friend. I borrowed a few useful parts from its facade when we left Serthica, made that bracelet for you. Something to remember where we met.
[ The Doctor's smile is faint and a little sad, but hopeful nonetheless, as ever. ]
I don't know how, Vanessa, I don't know why. I don't know what has taken your memories, but I won't stop until I do.
no subject
Beyond that, she feels a chill on the back of her neck, even as her breast feels hot. The air tastes like snow and it smells of cakes. He gave this to her later, after Serthica, in a cozy room away from snow and droids, where they joined together in an experience neither had thought could be possible.
Where more promises were made. ]
Doctor mine.
[ There's a gasp of relief in her sigh as Vanessa reaches for him, her robe falling away as her fingertips caress his cheek. ]
There you are.
no subject
[ This time, when she caresses his cheek, the Doctor doesn't pull away. After thinking he might never feel that touch again, he'll savor it as long as possible.
Ever the optimist, even now, he wants to believe it's this simple, that she'd fought her way back to him, that she overcame whatever was done to her. And here they are, at last. For a moment, it's everything he needs; it's uncomplicated and it sets his hearts soaring again after weeks of beating just to survive.
He covers her hand, turning his head in an attempt to kiss her palm. ]
Take it slow. You've been through a lot. Do you remember all of it?
no subject
It's something to cling to, to keep her centered. She can't drift away again. ]
I went away again.
[ Again, she says, though it's the first time it has truly happened here. Different from before, yet all too much the same.
She had been so strong in this world, she had thought. Even with the temptations, she has been better defended. ...Until now. ]
no subject
You won't be going anywhere again. Stay here, Vanessa, right here.
[ Impractical? Hardly. Let the world turn and the light beat back the dark while they tie their hearts together again. ]
no subject
She barely manages to choke down a sob. ]
You went away. [ Enough is recalled. The pain with the love. ] Don't—
[ Her grip tightens, and she lets the tears flow freely. ]
Please. Stay with me. Help— [ A shiver passes through, though she's plenty warm. ] Doctor, help me.
no subject
He tries to reach out in his mind for her, alarmed to find a barrier there that he can't explain, something keeping them apart and threatening to pull her back again. His belief in her and them is relentless, though, and he grips her still, fighting for her even now. ]
Listen to me, hear me. I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I won't leave, I'll never leave, and nothing will take you away from me again.
no subject
[ But what is it that did this? What power out there finally trumped her will? The terror of it keeps her shoulders hunched, and Vanessa leans back to cup his face in her hands. No matter what has happened, or what he has done, he hasn't stopped trying to get through to her. She can't forget that.
There's something else that she shouldn't forget; something that has haunted her. The sight of the bandage on her finger is enough to strike something else, and with a sudden shake of her head, Vanessa feels panic set in. ]
There is— There was something else. Last night, I heard them.
[ A flinch, as a pain begins to form between her eyes. ]
No, I remembered. Both— [ Her eyes widen. ] Both of them. They are coming for me.
no subject
Cradling both of her hands again, he clings to her fiercely. ]
They can try. They haven't met me.
[ He moves one hand now to cradle her cheek in turn. ]
What do you remember of them?
no subject
He— He did not fall alone.
[ It wasn't Amunet. They never meant her. Where was she meant to be in all of this, then? ...Drifting? Waiting for the end, where they will fling her into the abyss? ]
The other, he is—
[ His name almost comes to her, but it vanishes in a sea of white fog, and then the pain in her head consumes her. Groaning, she staggers and clutches at her eyes. ]
I can't remember. I— [ She blinks through her fingers, struggling to remain. Only... ] Where...?
no subject
Never. ]
He did not fall alone...you've said it before. I'm not familiar, but we'll figure it out. Together, Vanessa, I promise.
[ So many mythologies to sort through, but he'll reason it out, he knows he will. He can figure out anything for her sake.
But then the pain grips her again and he worries anew, a concerned frown on his face as he attempts to reach for her, to soothe. ]
It's there, the name, and we'll find it. Just hold onto me, Vanessa.
no subject
...
What other? Where...is she? Who is she? ]
What?
[ Hold onto him? Doctor mine. Doctor who? ]
No! Stop, please. It hurts. You—
[ With a fervent shake of her head, Vanessa backs away, her hands dropping down where her nails dig into her own arms. When she blinks through the tears now to gaze at him, confusion overtakes her. Then fear, which only brings her defenses back up. ]
I told you to leave me be. Take your cruel spellcraft elsewhere, or I shall scream.
no subject
[ He tries to reach for her hand again, even now, even when she tries to push him away, hoping he can break through again. ]
Doctor mine...Doctor yours, remember? Yours.
no subject
[ His touch is side-stepped with a flinch as though it might yet burn, and she swiftly backs away with another shake of her head. She doesn't even bother with retrieving the robe, too afraid to take her eyes off of him until she's close enough to feel as though she can flee into the cave before he can try to follow.
She isn't alone in there. Vanessa is safe in there, even with her nightmares. ]