ignite ➝ Doctor Who¹

XXXV

"And this? This is home."
— Ida, The Impossible Planet

For all intents and purposes, they should be dead.

All the visitors on this planet knew, they knew that fact so well that they often struggled to sleep. But the newest three were only just learning that, and despite that clump of nervousness in Penelope's core, she couldn't help but be in awe of the view above her. She could hear people around her, disbelief from the Doctor, introductions, Rose flirting with someone just to the side of her. But she just sat against the railing, unresponsive and staring into the eye of the storm.

Someone covered her eyes and pulled them into their arms. If it weren't for the familiar fabric bunched in her hands, she would've kicked off. "You can't keep looking, you heard them, you could go insane."

"I-I won't Doctor, I won't go insane. I just have to look, I mean, have you seen it? How can you look away?" He removes his hand and watches her eyes flicker as she marvels at the black hole above them.

"Penelope."

"I won't go insane, Doctor. I just need this moment, I need peace for a second." He nodded solemnly when she finally looked at her. She smiled wide, pulling him into a hug. Kissing the top of her head, he stepped backwards, holding her at arm's length.

"Please be careful. They will give you a minute."

"Thank you." He left her alone, she could barely hear him go and talk to someone, probably whoever was in charge of the ceiling cover. But her surroundings were lost to bliss.

You'd think that having your face stolen would give you a sense of peace, but she had been left in the dark with her thoughts. Somewhere she didn't want to be. She thought that everything with her family was done, nothing else could emerge and ruin the life she had with the Doctor. But the parallel world version of her parents hurt, it hurt in ways she can't even begin to think of forming words for. And then the phone call from her aunt, the woman has always worried her, the state she's in right now concerns her more than ever. Being stuck inside her head for a good few hours wasn't a good call right now and she had come out even more distracted than before.

Luckily now, as she watched entire star systems burn up and fizzle out, there was an absence of all other thoughts that let her be free. If only for a moment.

Then she was blinking, letting the moisture back into her eyes as the ceiling closed out her source of comfort. Smiling at the older blonde woman, she nodded in thanks and then turned away to face the door, wiping away tears that had formed from her eyes being open for so long. The younger woman walked up next to her, smiling politely.

"Sorry, I need to go past."

"Oh, I'm sorry, here." She stepped aside and helped her start to open the door. "What are you going to do?"

"I've got work to do on the surface. Nothing that important." Penelope nearly went slack jawed.

"On the surface? Out there? That's amazing. Is the pull any different, being directly underneath the black hole?" She shook her head, a glow in her eyes that she had a new person to talk to about this, someone who nearly knows what she's doing.

"No! It's as if the planet is being completely ignored by the black hole, it's amazing."

"Could I come with you?" Penelope saw the look on her face and laughed, waving off that thought. "No, I meant just to watch, I'd never want to go out there, wouldn't know what to do." She looked back at the rest of the group before smiling at the ginger girl and opening the door.

"Come on then, I'll give you a proper welcome to the Bitter Pill."