Wanderer of Time: Silence Begins (doctor who)

Chapter 44: Wanda's Love

This chapter is more or less a filler. But I hope you enjoy it anyway...

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Everyone sort of snapped out of it all at once. The pressing and unsettling energy that had been surrounding them all had lifted. All their fears and panic they had been feeling since the beginning of these events disappeared in an instant. It was almost as if they had come to from a long nightmare, and were just now waking up. The Doctor collapsed to the ground panting heavily as Biff and Hobbes let him go.

"It's gone," the Doctor breathed out in a rasping voice, relief flooding through him in elation. "It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. It's gone. It's gone."

Everyone else panted and sighed as they let their own relief flood through them. Then, the relief turned into horror upon realizing what they had almost done. Upon knowing what they had been all gladly doing only moments ago. It hit them with a force. Each person went through their own dismay when reflecting on this. Some slowly sank down into seats in a daze, while others shakily curled up on the floor in a hunched crouch.

The Doctor dragged himself over to Wanda, seeing the blood matted in her hair and her body trembling. He grabbed her and pulled her towards him.

"It's gone. It's gone," he whispered breathlessly. He rubbed her back as she trembled even more, feeling her burying her face away from the universe into the material of his shirt. Rocking her against his chest, he continued to repeat his words of relief as he listened to her sob against his chest, both of their hearts aching together. Everyone else sniffled and stared around in dazed horror, neither one of them knowing what to do or say after what had happened. Each one stared at the two Time Lords warily; afraid of what to say to the couple they had treated so poorly.

"I said it was her," Val spoke up, staring steadily at the Doctor and Wanda. She seemed to think everything could be forgotten, that their actions could be justified. The Doctor merely glared angrily at her, silencing the woman into a shameful demeanour.

The Doctor scooted both himself and Wanda far away from the others, sitting in silence in a corner as the rest sat around in disbelief and dismay. All were in a state of utter shock. There was only silence as they sat there. None dare speak of the occurrence or what actions had been done. Only sounds came from Wanda as she sniffled with her face buried into the Doctor's chest. She clung onto him tightly, refusing to let go for a second. She was afraid to let him leave her side again. He simply stroked her hair and rubbed her back in soothing circles as he clung to her as well. Still terrified to what had almost happened to him, to them both.

It was twenty minutes later when the rescue ship began to speak over the intercom system. Telling them how it would be there in three minutes where the shuttle would then be boarded and taken to safety. They continued to remain silent as they all stared off distantly. The Doctor was the one to finally speak up.

"The hostess . . . what was her name?" he asked the other passengers. They all sort of glanced at each other. Each trying to recall what their hero's name had been.

"I don't know," Hobbes spoke up, looking grave at the loss of never knowing who the brave woman had been.

"Eveleen," Wanda said hoarsely. She pulled her head away from the Doctor's chest, staring at everyone with puffy red eyes. "Her name was Eveleen. Eveleen Sommer." She stared at them all, seeing the looks of regret. "I want you all to remember that name. Remember the woman who sacrificed her life for ours. And remember what you had become here. What your fears did to you. Don't ever forget that."

They all let their eyes fall to the floor, gazing down in remorse. Wanda turned her head away from them as she laid her head against the Doctor's chest, listening to the four beats of his hearts. The hearts that she had almost lost.