"Looking at life from a different perspective makes you realize that it's not the deer that is crossing the road. Rather, it's the road that is crossing the forest."
-- Muhammad Ali
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One of the strange things that accompany intense attraction is that time together isn't cancelled out by time apart. One doesn't erase the other or balance it on some invisible scale. You can spend a few hours with someone and they will change your life; or you can spend a lifetime with a person and remain unchanged. Though, which option was true quickly became apparent.
A few days after their encounter with the fireplace troubles, all four friends were enjoying breakfast in the kitchen. Rose was telling a relatively amusing story of when she and Mickey were younger, ultimately ending up in trouble by her mother. That is until they were interrupted by the ringing of Echo's multidimensional phone. With a heavy sigh, she answered the call while rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Speak." Her unorthodox greeting surprised all of them; making all three of them silently listened in with curiosity. "I recognize the council had made their decision; but given that it's a stupid ass decision, I've elected to ignore it." Rose's eyes widened at the incredibly clever, insulting and completely unexpected blunt reply. "Ya know what? Suck dirt and die, Nova. You call me again and I'll kill you." After hanging up seconds later, she then looked at them with a nonchalant expression. "What were we talking about?"
"Who was that?" Mickey asked as their intrigue skyrocketed.
Echo simply shrugged with clear boredom for the topic. "That was an old headache working for even bigger migraines." Upon seeing the eager expression her Doctor wore, she couldn't help but to continued so he could understand. "Apparently, the rulers of planet Ethosie want to honor me for having protected their child princess from a band of galactic scavengers. To whom wanted to sell her to the highest bidder." She then downed the rest of her orange juice and put it in the nearby sink.
"Really?" the timelord asked with bewilderment. "Who are the rulers? Have I heard of them?"
She shook her head with a somewhat fake smile. "I highly doubt it. Seeing as they're in dimension A67-C. Their names are Emperor Bartholomew and Empress Abigale. They hail from the Thatcher line."
Upon seeing and hearing of her aversion to attend the award ceremony, he grew even more intrigued and warranted his desire to know more to grow steadily greater. Perhaps he could help her in some way, however miniscule the act may be. "And you don't want to go?"
She almost immediately snorted with derision, hoping he'd understand her hate of being thanked. "Hell, no. Those pompous pricks have a category all their own on the spectrum of self-absorbed jack-assery. They have a stick so far up their asses that it could be seen when they yawn."
Such an unanticipatable answer made it impossible for Rose and Mickey to retain their laughter. "Tell us how you really feel, Echo." the blonde joked as she, too, cleared away her used dishes.
"Ya, well, people should just stop expecting normal out of me. I think it's safe to say that we all know it's never going to happen." She then gave them a half-hearted salute and walked out of the kitchen without another word.
As the Doctor watched her leave, he didn't realize his smile of complete adoration had bled into his outward appearance. The greater his infatuation with the impossible traveler, the more he realized what his feelings were evolving into. He thought he was living a happy, merry, exciting and fascinating life. But he could never have predicted what life with Echo could be like. One day he realized that his life was incredibly black and white. His new found attraction some how became the only thing to allow striking colors to embellish his reality. What is more, every new day brought new colors he never thought possible; surprising him by their multiformity. It was like he had found himself in an brand new universe; the universe just of two persons, where they could harmoniously live throughout eternity. It was a feeling he had never experienced to such an intensity; even when he was with his Gallifreyan wife. He felt consumed. Though, he'd happily sink further into attraction's ready and absolute clutches. No wealth, no land, nor silver or gold; nothing could truly satisfy him unless he was in the presence of the beautiful dimension hopper. When apart, all he could focus on were the comments she would've said; the entrancing melody that was her laugh. His mind was filled with greatly distracting intrusive thoughts.
Following the brunette swiftly and without a word to the distracted Rose and Mickey, the Doctor kept his intensions at the forefront of his mind. If his friend was in need, no matter how mild their distress may be, he wanted to be there for them. Comfort them the best he was capable of. Upon entering the library, he found the woman silently sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. Nervousness suddenly washed over him as he momentarily stood frozen just within the threshold. After gathering his courage, he then slowly approached her. Sitting beside her without uttering a single word, he was glad by her lack of response to him sitting so close. Their arms would touch of they moved but an inch. He didn't want to force her or pressure her into saying anything she didn't want to. He wanted her to speak first; his way of avoiding any type of coercion.
The comfortable silence embraced them for a full five minutes as they watched the fire dance seductively before them. "How do you pick up the threads of an old life?" she suddenly asked as she felt somewhat envious of the fire's simplicity. "How do you go on... when you know for certain... there is no going back?" She then released a heavy sigh, "There will always be some things that time can't mend, isn't there? Some hurts that have taken hold and are far too deep to actually heal."
"The only way for you to get through it, is to go through it." he answered quietly. "We'll always be there for you. No matter what the problem is." he genuinely vowed.
Finally, her piercing gaze landed on him with an unreadable expression. "You wouldn't be saying that if you knew of what I've done... who I used to be..." she muttered quietly as she felt great sorrow practically drown her with a tsunami's strength. She then looked at her watch and typed in a few codes; to which caused a holographic memory appeared between them and the fireplace.
The Doctor could then see in the transparent images Echo standing over a severely beaten, grey skinned alien he recognized as a Pathlorcian. "You can do nothing to stop me. You're nothing but a pathetic, human girl." he taunted with nothing but searing hatred.
The holographic Echo snorted with mock amusement. "Oh sweet darling." she practically cooed with a sadistic grin. "Anarchy has no gender. And like a shadow, I will follow you wherever you go. There is no escaping your true fate." She then pointed her blaster at her target with precision like none other. The Doctor watched with nothing but intense focus.
He jumped a little when the holographic Echo shot the grey man in the leg; ultimately making him drop to the ground with an exclamation of great pain, rendering him immobile. "Who do you think you are? To go against me?" the man demanded with fiery anger.
Her transparent smile widened with a horrifyingly malevolent intent. "You want to know who I am? Very well." The Timelord watched every detail as if it were a life or death task. "I am the moth drawn to the burning flame of vile indiscretions. To acts of violence. To wrongful sufferings. To those who knowingly do wrong... I am a contracted mercenary but of darkness, pain and suffering. I am the evil that comes for the evil." She then slowly walked closer to the severely injured man, his fear spiking with every calculated step she took. "I am not here for reconciliation. I am not here for justice. I. Am. Your. Consequence." Seconds after the trigger was pulled, the hologram faded to nothing as the memory ended.
As silence enveloped them completely, Echo couldn't quite bring herself to look him in the eyes just yet; anticipating every negative reaction her mind could conjure. Surely this was the end. The end of their friendship, their collective happiness, their time that could be spent in each other's presence. Everything she found great joy some how stemmed into her inarticulable attraction to the Doctor. Something she knew would have made her uneasy in the past, but now she greatly yearned for. Echo thought she was going crazy. Though, the joke was on her. For she had already went there years ago, fell in love with the place and decided to stay.
A/N:
Srry 4 not updating sooner. Been busy, ya know. lol
Let me know what you think, if I should improve anything (spelling, word flow, etc.), suggestions, constructive criticism, etc.
Have a fantabulous morning/afternoon/night!