Soul's Shadow (Doctor Who - SI)

Part XVII - Closing the loop

Wilf left us then.

It wasn't that he wouldn't like to travel. "I think I'm just too old for all the excitement," he said, sighing happily. "This was amazing, so amazing. And no one will believe it. I can't tell anyone, will just call me crazy."

"Are you sure, gramps? I bet the TARDIS can make you a cosy little place where you don't see and hear us."

"Oh that'd be even worse! See, Donna, darling, I have friends down there. They're not good for much, but I love'em. And your mum, annoying as she is, she'd be lonely."

Donna sighed and hugged her grandpa tight. "I'll miss you."

He patted her shoulder and smiled. "I'll miss you too, my love. But this is for you, not for me. I'm better off imagining you're having fun, just fun. Without the parts that can do you harm. Can't watch that, dear." Donna let go of him and he turned to the Doctor. "And you, boy, you take care of her, you hear me?"

The Doctor stood by the console, one hand already at the lever. He nodded, face serious. "I will, Sir, oh I will." His lips twitched upwards. "One last visit to the stars?"

"Ah, I think I'll pass." He smiled fondly. "I want to keep that first awe in my heart, you know. Not make it something ordinary."

"Yeah, I get it. Well then, let's bring you back!"

The Doctor bounced around the console, doing his usual flipping of switches and levers. Here was a button to press and there some dials to turn; the engines hummed with a sad undertone.

"I'll miss him too," I muttered, patting the coral pillar next to me.

Kira gave me a funny look, but no one else paid me any attention. We landed soon and everyone let go of whatever they had clung to, this time.

I followed them. Wilf took one last glance at the magical interior, smiling to himself. Then he stepped outside and took a deep breath. "That's better. Familiar, you know? At a certain age you're happy when everything is where and how you know it."

The Doctor dipped his head to the side. "Oh, I'm not sure I've reached that age yet."

Wilf only laughed and waved us goodbye. He and Donna walked alone, back to their house where they shared one last hug.

The image was serene. A promise she'd come back, a promise to still be there, when she would. Somehow it stung to watch them, somewhere deep within my guts. It was bittersweet and at the same time burned like acid. Like something tugging at me, at my insides, at something that was hidden too deep to reach.

I turned away and went back inside. Back into my room, where I conducted my weekly tests on Kira. Size, wingspan, teeth. I noted it all down to compare the data, even though I didn't have to.

He wasn't growing. He wasn't changing. But maybe that was normal for his species. He might just take a while.

The flying lessons were another story. The Doctor had provided me with a room for practises. A bunch of hoops and short tunnels to fly through. At first, the little dragon had been sceptical and had even tried to eat the plastic from one of the tubes. But after enough bribing with bugs and after literally throwing him through a hoop, he eventually understood what this was all for. And since then, Kira was happy as one could be whenever we made our way over here.

The first few weeks had been... well, rough. His flight attempts had been clumsy and uncoordinated, ending in Kira landing against one or the other wall or getting caught in a ring and whatnot. Each time that happened, I had picked him up to check for injuries, but the little one was robust - although never sad about the cuddles.