'I love you, it's ruining my life' - Taylor Swift
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"Your world would be much better off if you lost me."
"Don't say things like that. What difference does it even make? Either way, I'm travelling with you, and I'm in danger. One way we'll both just...
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It takes Cherry a long time to convince the Doctor to teach her to fly the Tardis. Mainly because every time the Time Lord tried to teach her how to pilot the ship, he got distracted or accidentally landed them in the middle of a war field or on a beautiful planet which they had to explore immediately. Honestly, Cherry didn't really mind because he gets ever so excited when they've been out on adventures. They spend their days saving civilisations and running from terrifying monsters, hand in hand, and when they're done the Doctor whisks her away to their bedroom, and sometimes they do not even make it that far before he rips off her clothes. Cherry doesn't complain. She loves it. She never thought anyone could be so desperate to have her. So hungry for her and her body. Especially not someone so... impressive. She can never quite understand how someone so beautiful and interesting could be so captivated by her. He never makes her feel plain or ordinary or boring. He practically worships her.
When they aren't busy saving the world or spending time to themselves either on dates or in the Tardis, they visit Melody and they take her on days out. The Doctor pampers them, taking them to spa planets and holiday resorts.
They visit Easter Island. They meet Jim the Fish.
Those trips fill Cherry with dread. It reminds her it's not all fun and games and running around with the Doctor and their daughter on little family holidays. The Doctor is going to die, and that day seems to be approaching faster than ever.
He grows more and more restless as time passes, trying to squeeze in as many trips as he can, as many nights together as Cherry can manage with her human stamina. It barely feels like time is passing at all for Cherry. She even visits home a few times, staying with Amy and Rory for weeks at a time whilst the Doctor goes off on solo trips, claiming he has far too much to see to stay on Earth. Honestly, if he wasn't acting this way because of his looming death, Cherry would absolutely adore their little dynamic. It's the perfect balance of everything she loves, and for once her life finally felt... nice. Nothing was going wrong. She barely even remembered the night on the lakeside. And then they landed on Easter Island and her world came crumbling down around her.
She's back in the diner and she can remember Melody and the Doctor discussing their trips. She remembers how Melody told her their trip to Easter Island was a spoiler. And now she knows why. And then she pictures the astronaut again, and she can smell the gasoline on his body, and feel the burning heat that turned him into nothing but ash.
Her sleep from then on is plagued with nightmares of that night, and she wakes up crying, reaching for him because he is the only thing that will make her feel better. He's usually reading in bed beside her. He doesn't like to sleep. It's a waste of time. Besides, he needs to be awake for Cherry when she needs him. And she does. She always does.
But, no matter how much she tries to cherish their time together, she can feel him starting to slip away. He's giving up. He hasn't found a way to save himself, and she doesn't have any plans either. She can feel the colour fading from her life again. It's like torture.
