The Gallifreyan Bloodline

XX

Foreman sat down upon the floor of the TARDIS library, sighing to himself. He wished he didn't have to sit around and wait for something to happen, but he wasn't able to have any control of what was happening. He was only there because he wished to be near Susan as they waited for the TARDIS to land.

Though the only reason he was there was to provide company for Susan as they patiently waited for the time when the TARDIS would groan and sit down at its final destination, Foreman felt as if he didn't necessarily need to be near her at all. If she was lost within the novel she held in her hands, then why did he have to be nearby?

Nevertheless, he was devoted to his daughter entirely and utterly, even if she didn't have any reason to acknowledge his existence for the moment. He would much rather be present and near her at all times than ever do such a thing as desert her. After the hell he'd been through, he wouldn't ever wish to desert Susan. He wouldn't, not even for a moment.

He just wished Susan's favourite place to hang about was the library in the TARDIS. She just about lived in the room. Once, she had suggested that she would try to convince the Doctor to move into the room. She would never have to leave.

Foreman couldn't live in a place with so many books - it seemed ludicrous, but it was the truth. They made him uncomfortable. His heart would be set aflutter like pages blown by a wind, his breathing erratic. But it wasn't because he was afraid of the book, it was because he was afraid of the library part.

He wasn't born with a fear of libraries, and he wouldn't classify himself as having them at the moment anyways. It was because of one particular library, the Library, that he found himself getting worked up and anxious when he was around the large collections of stories.

Foreman had nothing against books. Truly, he couldn't find a reason that would justify the actual fear reaction that took place. He could say one thing for certain, however - it was because a library gave birth to Brook, raised her, and laid her to rest. Her story was created by the libraries, although it had nothing to do with the real books.

When Brook's mother was pregnant, she made it her goal to begin building up a library for her upcoming daughter. She wanted the child to be surrounded by far off places and great adventures when she grew up, knowing that being so young would prevent Brook from being safe if she were to go traveling across the stars. The books would be safer, she decided. Besides, Brook would go off on adventures when she was older.

Then that library began to grow along with Brook. Every time her mother came around, she would add a new book to the collection. Foreman had witnessed the gradual growth of some of the library, and found it fascinating.

He assumed at one point that Brook's father would do the same, but instead he brought verbal stories. It was either that, or he would take them out on a true adventure. Her mother had done that as well.

When Brook spent so much of her time alone, she ended up learning how to read very quickly and began living off of books. Foreman had come in a much later part of her life, but he still saw how she would take a book between her fingers and become completely absorbed. Those books raised her, her library raised her.

But when Brook left, Foreman hadn't seen the connection between this and where she was going. She left to go to the Library, a planet exclusively made for the purpose of being a library. It seemed like it was a dream come true for a girl like her - until he found out that she was planning to die there and be saved to a computer.

This must've been what happened to her - Foreman couldn't ever be sure. She forced him to promise never to pry around the Library before she left. What could Foreman possibly gain by messing around in the graveyard of his wife? He would end up having more dilemmas than he would anything else, more despicable memories to hang on his hearts until time ran itself out.