damned_institute | DAY 36: LIBRARY

Keman retreated to libraries almost instinctively. He liked books. Books were simpler to deal with, and they didn't change. No matter what, the ending always stayed the same. Even if it was a bad ending, that ending was still a constant. Constants were good. They didn't surprise him, didn't show up out of nowhere and throw everything off kilter.

This had.

His mother. They'd taken Alara and done horrible things to her. Made her forget, fed her lies. He wouldn't wish it on anyone, not even Myre. And that was what would happen to him, too, if he wasn't careful. He'd lose himself completely. He was already slipping, already more halfblood than dragon. How long before halfblood turned to human, and Keman became Calvin?

At any rate, he needed to tell Shana everything that had happened. Alara was her mother, too. Keman left a note for his sister on the board, letting her know where he'd be, and then pulled the largest book he could find off the shelf: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. It looked to be a massive collection of plays and poetry. Good. Opening it to a random page, he settled down and began to read.

[for Shana (and Valyn and Shadow?)]

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"Well, you can tell me about the parallel world— the one before here," the Doctor said in way of elaboration. "It was important. Really... important."

He straightened, rubbing one hand over the back of his neck. "You'll hear all this again once you get back, but... On Shan Shen, there was a Time Beetle— one of the Trickster's Brigade. It latches onto a person and changes their life in little ways, but with you... Usually, the universe compensates for the changes and everything goes in generally the same way, but you had a great, big parallel world form around you."

He looked past Donna into the distance. "That's why Rose was there. She crossed from her parallel world into yours..."

His gaze snapped back to her. "The thing you mentioned that was important: there's something you have to tell me when you get back to your proper time. It was a message from Rose. Do you remember it?"

All right, so he knew Rose had been there. That meant he definitely knew. And he'd already said it was important, so why didn't he just let her know so she didn't have to think so bloody hard?!

"I don't..." she began, but then another thought came to her and she paused, losing the look of someone who was more scared than confused. "Wait hold on..." Donna closed her eyes and held up both index fingers. "Is it off me?" she asked then, reopening her eyes, "I'm not there yet, so do you know that beetle thing is really off me? This isn't just another part of that, is it?!"

Though she was asking, Donna really didn't want a negative answer. Just seeing that thing had freaked her out enough, but if it was really still on her then...!

The Doctor was taken aback, and he stared at her. Did he know for certain that the Beetle was off? He supposed he didn't. This could all be part of her parallel world if he had been forced into it, but he was certain enough to tell her, "It's not there. This isn't your parallel world."

She had overcome the Beetle on her own, so even if it was still there (unlikely), it would just be a matter of time. It was more likely that she had gotten pulled from her parallel world into this one while the walls were still weak.

He glanced down at the book still in his lap, and picked it up to set aside. "Right, so, when you get back. You can't tell me about anything here at this hospital. Spoilers," he said decisively. "But you have to remember Rose's message."

"You're sure?" she wanted "beyond a shadow of a doubt" sure and not just some "keep her from panicking" sure, "One-hundred percent?"

Her arms fell to the side and she sighed. Rose again. Donna'd realized a long time ago that the Doctor had a thing for the blond, but this was her problem right now, not Rose's. Or maybe that was what was so important. Was Rose in trouble somewhere? There had been something she'd said there at the end, before Donna had awoken.

"I'm sure," the Doctor said. "Well, not one hundred percent sure, but ninety-nine-point-nine percent is really close enough. I am certain— one hundred percent— that this place is not part of that parallel world, because it can't be. If it was, Donna, I wouldn't be here."

"That's not helping!" she barked at his rambling. Ninety-nine point nine was not one-hundred, and a blathering spaceman like him should know that! "And don't tell me it's just because you're here that it doesn't work again, because that was your last excuse!"

"This and that are completely different!" the Doctor defended. "It couldn't be part of the Library because there wouldn't have been enough memory space to save me. This can't be your parallel world, because even though the walls of the universe were breaking down at the time you came from, they're closed in the time I came from. I couldn't have crossed into that parallel world, especially since it's gone now. Well, relatively now. For me."

He paused for only a few seconds before continuing, "Besides, if this was that world, Rose wouldn't be here, either. Well, not this Rose. She's from before; she hasn't gotten trapped in that parallel world yet."

After a moment of silence, he amended, "Not your 'that parallel world'. I meant hers."

Edited 2008-11-04 04:25 (UTC)

Donna put a hand to her head and held up the other. "Stop, just... stop!" She'd already had to think enough today, and attempting to decipher that mess was only making her head hurt more.

The Doctor stopped when Donna told him to, but it was merely a momentary setback. He opened his mouth to clarify, to break it down into something simpler to grasp, and possibly to elaborate, but at that moment, the intercom came to life with an announcement. Barely seconds after it had quieted, his nurse walked up.

"I'm glad to see you and Mrs. McAvoy are getting along so nicely!" she said sweetly. "But I'm afraid that's all the time you have for today."

The Doctor frowned, but didn't argue. If it was time for dinner already, that meant he could continue looking for the TARDIS soon. He stood, ready to follow the nurse after he said a few more words.

"We need to talk later; you, me, and Rose," he told her. "Tomorrow, if we get chance."

"Oy! Watch it with the Mrs.!" Donna snapped immediately at the woman, but she was soon trying to pull the Doctor away from her. Oh, there'd been an announcement. Right, then they had to go or the nurses would get their panties in a bunch. "Right, later," she sighed but agreed. She didn't think he'd be more given to talking around Rose, but maybe she was good at getting him to talk. She'd see.

DAY 36: LIBRARY

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