Stellar Collision

Chapter 19

The Doctor jumped up and clapped his hands together. "First things first. It won't do to have our resident Zygon come across the TARDIS down in the car park. So I'm going to go engage the cloaking field and hide her away. I'll also see what more I can dig up on this fellow Arc in the TARDIS computer. Now, Dayle B, what will you say to Jesse when he comes home and finds two yous here?"

Dayle B replied, "I guess she'll have to make herself scarce before he gets home." Her tone darkened a bit. "But he called earlier to say he'd be late getting in tonight and to go ahead and leave some dinner wrapped up for him." She crossed her arms, clearly bothered by this fact. "It's starting to become a trend with him."

Dayle A stood and stretched. "Well I'm starving. I'd be happy to help you with dinner. Give us a chance to talk while the Doctor goes and does his alien thing." She looked at her counterpart expectantly.

Dayle B seemed to cheer up at this. "Yeah. Sounds great. A little Dayle time."

The Doctor headed down to the parking lot while the Dayles began to prepare dinner.

They worked in silence for a while. Dayle A was definitely more adept in the kitchen. She began chopping an onion while Dayle B started water boiling for pasta.

After a time, Dayle B suddenly asked "So...do you have kids?" She kept her tone casual but Dayle A knew this was a sensitive topic.

She approached it cautiously. "Yes. Two girls. Savannah and Ember."

Dayle B smiled sadly. "Savannah and Ember. Those are beautiful names. How old are they?"

"They're twenty-one and seven. Bit of a gap I know." she laughed awkwardly.

Dayle B stopped stirring the pasta. Leaned against the counter holding the wooden spoon. "Savannah. You had her when you were sixteen." It was a statement, not a question.

Dayle A wiped her hands on a towel and looked at her counterpart with gentle eyes. "Have you ever got to meet her?" She asked softly. "The baby you put up for adoption."

Dayle B shook her head as her eyes began to well up. "I only saw her the day she was born."

"I assume you had her with Jason Silva?" Dayle A asked.

Dayle B rolled her eyes. "That asshole. Hadn't thought of him in years."

"She has his dark hair and brown eyes. Savannah I mean. But she has my nose and smile."

Dayle B closed her eyes and a tear fell.

Dayle A continued. "She is smart and sensitive and strong. She's the strongest person I've ever met. She's had to be. She had a tough childhood. She is also the most loving and forgiving person I've ever met." Dayle A looked her in the eye and said softly. "I bet the child you had, that you wanted a better life for... I bet she'd love to meet you and know you. If I know my Savannah, I'd say she would be very happy to know you."

Dayle B wiped her face with a paper towel and turned off the stove. "I don't know." she said simply. She pulled a couple plates down and pointed to the red wine. They brought their food to the table. Dayle A had grabbed the wine and a couple glasses but she filled hers with water. Dayle B looked curious but didn't question her on it.

"So tell me about being psychic. How does that work?"

Dayle A grinned. "It's not like on TV. I can't see into the future, I've never predicted anything and I don't talk to spirits. I have always just kinda known stuff that I shouldn't know. If I touch someone, I can get a sense of their feelings and thoughts and I will assimilate a bit of knowledge about their life." She shrugged and sipped her water. "It's oftentimes a curse. Believe me, some things you really don't want to know." They both laughed knowingly at this.