| Date: 14 December 2007
Characters: Estelle Cole, Jack Harkness Location: outside Link to IJ: thread #6267 |
 Unable to find out where she was or how to get back home, Estelle did the next most sensible thing -- at least, in her mind. She explored. She wasn't going to miss this opportunity. She was happily wondering in and out of buildings as whim carried her, stopping to gaze into windows, bypassing others. She found a small park -- or maybe it was a bit of wildness whever this was hadn't managed to tame -- and half-danced, half-ran to a large patch of daisies and wildflowers. Only to have the heel of her shoe fail and send her sprawling in the flowers she'd been about to admire. "ACK!" |
 He didn't recognize her at first, just saw someone tumble and heard the yelp. It was enough to get him to go over and offer her a hand up. He stared when he saw her, then wrote it off as coincidence. He knew time was messed up, but he had yet to have any evidence that people were falling from that long ago in his own history. Except the Doctor, but the Doctor was a time traveler. |
| She accepted his hand, grateful but laughing. "Well, I guess that's one way to stop and smell the ... daises," she said as she dusted herself off with her free hand. She glared down at her broken shoe, balancing herself on his arm so she could shuck it off. |
| He recovered after a moment of staring and covered her hand with his own to balance her, automatically. "A tumble in the daises is a lot safer than one in the roses," he agreed with a quick smile. |
| "No thorns," she agreed, switching to her other foot and taking that shoe off too. "Thank you for rescuing me." |
| "Oh, the pleasure is all mine. My name's Jack," he said, warmly. He didn't let her go until he was firmly on her own two feet. |
| "I'm Estelle," she said, smiling up at him. "Are you from ... wherever this is?" |
| "Oh, no." He shook his head. "I don't think anyone's from here. It's lovely to meet you Estelle. We should see if we can find you some new shoes." |
| She looked down and wiggled her feet. "This place seems to be cursed for shoes. I met another man who'd lost his own." |
| "Did you? What sort of man?" he asked, still smiling. He put his hand on her back and started - slowly- walking her out. |
| "He said his name was Lane," she said, swinging her shoes from one hand. "He seemed very nice." She glanced over at him, taking in the almost-uniform. "Are you an American volunteer?" |
| "Lane?" He made a mental note, filed the name away for future reference and nodded. "I haven't heard of him, but I'll keep my eyes and ears open." Because he would. He grinned. "Yes, ma'am." He'd obviously figured out Estelle didn't have a clue who he was. Didn't mean he wasn't sticking to her, though. |
| She smiled back, admiration in her eyes. "Thank you," she said earnestly. "I know we're supposed to be keeping our chin up, but I think we can use all the help we can get." |
| "It'll work out all right in the end," he told her, amused and not quite laughing, but gentle enough about it. "As long as bomb doesn't follow us through." |
| "You mean to here?" She hadn't even thought of that. "I ... " She hesitated. She shouldn't say anything -- "Loose lips sink ships" and all that -- but she instinctively trusted him and they were both someplace they shouldn't be. "When I saw the light that brought me here? I thought maybe it was something going on that I might need to report. Then I thought maybe this was some sort of experiment of new technology for the war department." |
| He shook his head. "No. This has nothing to do with the War." He was sure about that, having lived through it once and all. "This is just a... happy accident." |
| "Well, this is the first time one of my little adventures has landed me someplace like this," she said, laughing lightly. "Everything here is so different! I like it, but it's different." |
| "I don't think this happens to many people," he admitted. At least he hoped not. "Different how?" |
| "It's very." She didn't really have the words to describe it. "It's like when I came to Cardiff from Pendoylan. Everything seemed bigger and brighter. Fancier. Only Cardiff had more people than this place." |
| He frowned, just a little - barely there expression with his eyebrows twitching together a bit. "Maybe it's just cleaner and quieter." |
| "Quieter, definitely. I love being in Cardiff, and I want to go to London, but sometimes I miss the woods." |
| That. Actually hurt. He'd been doing so well with this, but the remark about the wood, and his remark to Gwen and how Estelle died all came back then, hard enough to make him have to work to keep from flinching. "You don't strike me as a city girl," he admitted, after a bit. |
"I'm not really, I guess," she admitted. "Pendoylan is just a small village but it's. I wanted to help, in the war effort and I couldn't do it there. Not really." |
| "Helpful sounds a lot like the kind of girl you are," he said with a quick, if still slightly strained, smile. |
| He shook his head. "No. I'm not upset, just missing someone. War. YOu know how it goes." |
| "Oh, yes. I'm sorry," she said, squeezing his arm then letting go again. "I wonder, a lot, how many of the soldiers I meet, I'll never." She stopped and shook her head. Took a deep breath and gave him a smile. "Do you dance?" |
| He let it go, because he had to and time had already done it for him. "As often as possible," he said, honest and steady. "But only in the street, if everyone's wearing shoes." |
| She looked at the shoes in her hand, looked around the area and held up a finger. She moved over to a bench and took her good shoe by the toe with a firm grip before suddenly whacking it over the back of the bench with all her strength. The heel went flying. She nodded in satisfaction, slipped both the shoes back on and walked back to him. |
| He watched her, head to the side and more curious than anything. When he caught on he threw his head back and laughed, the sound coming from somewhere that he'd almost forgotten he still had, and would go back to forgetting as soon as he left this moment and conversation, but for now. He held his hand out, grinning and warm. "May I have this dance? I think it's our song." |
| "I thought you'd never ask," she said as she took his hand. He had a beautiful laugh and an even more beautiful smile. She had to smile back -- who'd be able to resist? |
| The smile stayed well after the laugh faded. He bowed slightly, pulled her into the street and then into his arms, found a rhythm and danced. |
| He danced with her, a little silly and a little nostalgic, and when he stopped he kissed her forehead. "Have you found a room, yet?" He was herding people, he realized. Right into the hotel. There were worse things. At least he'd know where to find everyone. |
| She shook her head, a little flushed. "I've been exploring." |
| He rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "Come on, I'll talk you to the hotel and help you pick a room and make sure the locks work." |
| She grinned, slipping her hand in to his without thinking about what she was doing. "How long have you been here?" |
| He wrapped his fingers around and held her hand, warm and firm. He managed not to clutch. "Just a few days." |
| "Longer than me!" she exclaimed. "I don't suppose... would it be too much to ask you if you know if there's a store where I could get something else to wear? This dress was great for dancing but if I'm going to be here a while..." |
| He frowned. "I haven't actually made it too far toward the shops, but I'm sure I can find something. Maybe a little different from what you're used to, though." |
| "I don't mind," she said. "A girl's got to move with the times, right?" |
| "Especially when the times move the girl," he agreed with a grin. "We should do that first, then." |
| She laughed, eyes sparkling. "Is that what happened, then? We're out of time somehow?" |
"Didn't I get around to saying that?" he asked, voice low and almost soft. |
| "Let me think. Gallant rescue, shoes, war, more shoes, dancing, clothes ... No I don't think you did," she said, teasing a bit. She didn't seem too perturbed. In fact, she seemed excited by the thought of such an adventure, although there was a bit of worry in her eyes. "Do you suppose we're here forever?" she asked. "Or is there a way back? Or are we at the whim of time or whatever brought us here?" |
| "I'm certain there's a way out. Finding it will just be a matter of time and luck." He didn't seem worried, at all. Of course he was good at presenting himself how he wanted, when he wanted, too. |
| She considered him from the corner of her eye, debating. |
| He looked back, lifted his eyebrow, grinned and laughed. "What's that look for?" |
| "You seem to know an awful lot about this stuff," she said. |
| "It's your imagination," he told her, lightly. "That looks like a likely place," he said, and steered them across the street and toward the store. |
| "Probably," she agreed. "Supposedly, I have a very active one!" She let herself be steered, biting her lip as she studied the clothes in the window. |
| He tested the door, then pulled it harder and got it open. "After you." |
| She nodded her thanks, took a breath and stepped in. Another thing to add to the different list. |
| He followed behind her and stood by the door, keeping watch, and guard. |
| She picked out two outfits -- one with slacks, another with a skirt. Considered jeans although she felt a little odd about those. And shoes to replace her ruined ones. "Jack!" she exclaimed suddenly. |
| He left the door and made his way over, as quickly as he could without actually breaking into a run. "What's wrong?" |
| "I don't have any money!" she whispered, blushing. "I can't just take these things!" |
| "Estelle, sweetheart, I would be very surprised if this place doesn't exist just for people to take things from." |
| She wrinkled her nose, considering as she looked around the shop. There certainly didn't seem to be anyone working at a cashier's stand. In fact, there wasn't anyone but them. She held up a blouse she'd chosen, searching for a price tag. She didn't find one. She took a deep breath and nodded. "It's just, I've never even palmed anything from the five-and-dime. Not even on a dare." |
| He put his hand on her shoulder and led her back toward the door. "I promise, this doesn't count as stealing and your karma will stay untarnished." |
| "Well, in that case..." She pulled away from him slightly and nipped a flower out of a display near the door. She was disappointed to find it was fake, but she imagined it had to be since there was no one here to tend to it. She juggled the clothes as she bent the wire stem and then tucked it into his lapel. |
| He looked down and then back to her, kissed her forehead, and took her clothing from her. "Come on. I'll see you back." |