But Not Forgotten: Epilogue
Epilogue
Donna Temple-Noble stepped out of the TARDIS and on to her very ordinary, normal street. For a moment, she just stood there, inhaling deeply. She turned around, looking back in to the blue Police Box with a slowly growing smile. “Well, come on. I’m sure I can rustle up something for tea.” She strode to her front door, half running by the time she was halfway up the front path. The door opened before Donna even reached it, her husband rushing out to meet her.
“Oh God, Donna!” Shaun caught Donna, lifting her off her feet before pulling her into a rib crushing embrace, burying his face in her hair. “Oh God, I thought you were dead! Where have you been?”
Donna clung to Shaun, feeling the tension she’d been carrying finally drain out of her. “I have so much to tell you.”
“I don’t care,” Shaun whispered brokenly, clasping Donna‘s face in his hands and resting his forehead against Donna’s. “All that matters is that you’re alright.”
Donna didn’t notice the once again familiar sound of the TARDIS teleporting away until it was already gone, and Mickey Smith cleared his throat loudly. Shaun let Donna go, and they both turned to look at the young man standing alone in the empty street.
“Don’t suppose that offer for tea is still open?” Mickey asked.
***
Sam looked at the half burned house, biting the inside of his lip. “Nice place,” he said brightly, turning to Dean.
“Lisa is gonna kill me,” Dean groaned, raking his fingers through his hair.
“At least the car’s okay,” Sam noted with a little smirk. Checking on the Impala had been the first thing Dean had done when the TARDIS had materialized in Lisa’s back yard. The Impala had been resting safely in the unattached garage, waiting for Dean to come back for her.
“We can fix this,” the Doctor said, joining the brothers for a moment.
“See?” Sam said. “No reason for Lisa to kill you. It’s finally over.” He squeezed Dean’s shoulder, grinning.
Dean didn’t grin back. Instead, he looked up at where Cas was balanced on the broken and burned bedroom wall. “It’s never over, Sam, and we’re only kidding ourselves if we pretend that it is.”
“Hey, hey, hey!” Sam turned Dean around so they were facing each other. “You finally got the Apple Pie life you wanted. Don’t tell me you’re gonna just walk away.”
“The Apple Pie life I wanted,” Dean retorted, “or that you wanted?” I don’t belong here, Sammy! I’ve just been drifting along trying to be like all these other people, and it wasn’t working!” Dean gestured towards the house, the yard, grinding one of the little yellow dandelions beneath his heel. “This isn’t me, and pretending that is it is just gonna get people hurt.” He watched Cas jump down, landing lightly on his feet.
“So what are you gonna do, Dean? Hop into the Impala and drive off?” Sam shook his head in puzzlement.
“There’s always room in the TARDIS for one or two more,” the Doctor noted as he, Amy, and Rory walked past with God only knew what. Martha was lingering by the TARDIS, one hand resting on the dark blue doors as she watched the brothers Winchester from a distance. She’d opted to come with the Doctor after leaving Mickey with Donna, saying that she wanted to see this through to the end.
“I’m not leaving my baby behind again,” Dean said quickly.
“I think we can find a place to fit your car. Make a little space in the bunk bed room, maybe? Or I could move all the Carver Ellund books from the library….” The Doctor tapped his chin, raising his nearly non-existent eyebrows as he turned to Castiel. “What do you think?”
“We can rebuild it,” Castiel said.
“Not what I was talking about,” the Doctor noted, turning towards Martha. “What do you think, Doctor Jones?” He grinned. “One trip? All of space and time? I think all of us could use a little time somewhere else.” He looked pointedly at Castiel, who refused to respond.
Martha snorted, almost grinning herself. “One trip.”
“It’s running away,” Sam pointed out, a little loudly and not entirely happy with this turn of events.
Dean looked at his brother, one corner of his mouth quirking upwards. “It’s what we do, Sammy. ” His eyes flicked briefly to Martha, then back to Sam. “You’re gonna love that thing. Hell, did you see the library?”
“What about you, Castiel?” the Doctor said quietly, edging away from the brothers Winchester and draping an arm around the angel’s shoulders. “What are your plans, now that you’ve won your war?”
Castiel watched Dean and Sam discretely, letting the last Time Lord lead him away. “It is not a matter I’ve given much thought,” he admitted reluctantly. “Perhaps it is time I did.”
The Doctor grinned ever so slightly. “All the time in the universe when you’ve got a TARDIS. Besides, someone should try to keep your Dean out of trouble, don‘t you think?”
The noise Castiel made was almost a laugh, but it could have been verily easily been mistaken for an exhalation.
***
In a place to the right of the material plain, an archangel and a cherub stood in the burned out remains of a Kansas farm house.
“I died,” said the cherub as the archangel helped her out of the basement and in to the clean, open air. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a chocolate bar, unwrapping the foil and taking a bite.
“That you did, Sparky. This is what comes next.”
***
River Song twirled the delicate, feather shaped crystal between her fingers, watching it pulse with gentle golden light, each movement causing the feather to make a soft, musical sound -- like a wet finger being run over the rim of a glass. Looking at it, not knowing what she knew, a person might have assumed that it was just a chunk of rock that had been carved into that shape, but River Song knew better. She still remembered the day Loki had plucked the feather from his wings and handed it to her with a smirk and instructions.
“Well it’s about time,” River murmured, reaching for the bit of psychic paper that would let her signal the Doctor.
The End
Donna Temple-Noble stepped out of the TARDIS and on to her very ordinary, normal street. For a moment, she just stood there, inhaling deeply. She turned around, looking back in to the blue Police Box with a slowly growing smile. “Well, come on. I’m sure I can rustle up something for tea.” She strode to her front door, half running by the time she was halfway up the front path. The door opened before Donna even reached it, her husband rushing out to meet her.
“Oh God, Donna!” Shaun caught Donna, lifting her off her feet before pulling her into a rib crushing embrace, burying his face in her hair. “Oh God, I thought you were dead! Where have you been?”
Donna clung to Shaun, feeling the tension she’d been carrying finally drain out of her. “I have so much to tell you.”
“I don’t care,” Shaun whispered brokenly, clasping Donna‘s face in his hands and resting his forehead against Donna’s. “All that matters is that you’re alright.”
Donna didn’t notice the once again familiar sound of the TARDIS teleporting away until it was already gone, and Mickey Smith cleared his throat loudly. Shaun let Donna go, and they both turned to look at the young man standing alone in the empty street.
“Don’t suppose that offer for tea is still open?” Mickey asked.
***
Sam looked at the half burned house, biting the inside of his lip. “Nice place,” he said brightly, turning to Dean.
“Lisa is gonna kill me,” Dean groaned, raking his fingers through his hair.
“At least the car’s okay,” Sam noted with a little smirk. Checking on the Impala had been the first thing Dean had done when the TARDIS had materialized in Lisa’s back yard. The Impala had been resting safely in the unattached garage, waiting for Dean to come back for her.
“We can fix this,” the Doctor said, joining the brothers for a moment.
“See?” Sam said. “No reason for Lisa to kill you. It’s finally over.” He squeezed Dean’s shoulder, grinning.
Dean didn’t grin back. Instead, he looked up at where Cas was balanced on the broken and burned bedroom wall. “It’s never over, Sam, and we’re only kidding ourselves if we pretend that it is.”
“Hey, hey, hey!” Sam turned Dean around so they were facing each other. “You finally got the Apple Pie life you wanted. Don’t tell me you’re gonna just walk away.”
“The Apple Pie life I wanted,” Dean retorted, “or that you wanted?” I don’t belong here, Sammy! I’ve just been drifting along trying to be like all these other people, and it wasn’t working!” Dean gestured towards the house, the yard, grinding one of the little yellow dandelions beneath his heel. “This isn’t me, and pretending that is it is just gonna get people hurt.” He watched Cas jump down, landing lightly on his feet.
“So what are you gonna do, Dean? Hop into the Impala and drive off?” Sam shook his head in puzzlement.
“There’s always room in the TARDIS for one or two more,” the Doctor noted as he, Amy, and Rory walked past with God only knew what. Martha was lingering by the TARDIS, one hand resting on the dark blue doors as she watched the brothers Winchester from a distance. She’d opted to come with the Doctor after leaving Mickey with Donna, saying that she wanted to see this through to the end.
“I’m not leaving my baby behind again,” Dean said quickly.
“I think we can find a place to fit your car. Make a little space in the bunk bed room, maybe? Or I could move all the Carver Ellund books from the library….” The Doctor tapped his chin, raising his nearly non-existent eyebrows as he turned to Castiel. “What do you think?”
“We can rebuild it,” Castiel said.
“Not what I was talking about,” the Doctor noted, turning towards Martha. “What do you think, Doctor Jones?” He grinned. “One trip? All of space and time? I think all of us could use a little time somewhere else.” He looked pointedly at Castiel, who refused to respond.
Martha snorted, almost grinning herself. “One trip.”
“It’s running away,” Sam pointed out, a little loudly and not entirely happy with this turn of events.
Dean looked at his brother, one corner of his mouth quirking upwards. “It’s what we do, Sammy. ” His eyes flicked briefly to Martha, then back to Sam. “You’re gonna love that thing. Hell, did you see the library?”
“What about you, Castiel?” the Doctor said quietly, edging away from the brothers Winchester and draping an arm around the angel’s shoulders. “What are your plans, now that you’ve won your war?”
Castiel watched Dean and Sam discretely, letting the last Time Lord lead him away. “It is not a matter I’ve given much thought,” he admitted reluctantly. “Perhaps it is time I did.”
The Doctor grinned ever so slightly. “All the time in the universe when you’ve got a TARDIS. Besides, someone should try to keep your Dean out of trouble, don‘t you think?”
The noise Castiel made was almost a laugh, but it could have been verily easily been mistaken for an exhalation.
***
In a place to the right of the material plain, an archangel and a cherub stood in the burned out remains of a Kansas farm house.
“I died,” said the cherub as the archangel helped her out of the basement and in to the clean, open air. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a chocolate bar, unwrapping the foil and taking a bite.
“That you did, Sparky. This is what comes next.”
***
River Song twirled the delicate, feather shaped crystal between her fingers, watching it pulse with gentle golden light, each movement causing the feather to make a soft, musical sound -- like a wet finger being run over the rim of a glass. Looking at it, not knowing what she knew, a person might have assumed that it was just a chunk of rock that had been carved into that shape, but River Song knew better. She still remembered the day Loki had plucked the feather from his wings and handed it to her with a smirk and instructions.
“Well it’s about time,” River murmured, reaching for the bit of psychic paper that would let her signal the Doctor.
The End