Chaos Theory on Dimensionally Stable Objects on Earth College Campuses (16/27-ish)
Title - Chaos Theory on Dimensionally Stable Objects on Earth College Campuses (16/27-ish)
Author - earlgreytea68
Rating - General
Characters - Ten, Rose, OCs
Spoilers - None
Disclaimer - I don't own them and I don't make money off of them, but I don't like to dwell on that, so let's move on. (Except for the kids. They're all mine.)
Summary - Brem goes to university.
Author's Notes - Thanks to jlrpuck who notices important things like Kate's coatlessness on Boston Common in the dead of winter.
Many, many, many thanks to Kristin, for all the ideas. Thanks also to bouncy_castle79, who once again gave it the first outside-eyes read-through.
The gorgeous icon was created by swankkatfor me, commissioned by jlrpuckfor my birthday.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15
Chapter Sixteen
“What’s Brem like?”
Kate had been in the middle of a conversation with Charlotte and Jen, over dinner, and looked up at the woman who settled herself familiarly in the open seat opposite her.
“That’s what we were just asking her,” smirked Charlotte, and Kate blushed.
“Stop it,” she said, and looked at the woman. Yunny, she recognized. From her dorm. It was unusual for women to ask her what Brem was like, really. It seemed to her that there were very few women on campus who didn’t already know all about Brem. Well, amended Kate, thinking of Charlotte’s remark. They didn’t know everything Kate knew about Brem, but they knew mostly everything she’d be willing to share. “Sorry, how do you know Brem?”
“I don’t really,” she said, sunnily. “If I did, I wouldn’t have to ask you. I’m Yunny, I live in your dorm.”
“Of course,” replied Kate. “Brem’s great, he’s-Why do you want to know this?”
Yunny’s smile widened. “Oh,” she answered. “Curiosity. You know. Has he said where he’s from?”
“He’s from London,” said Kate, stiffly. She didn’t like Yunny, for some reason; this entire conversation was making her uncomfortable.
“Is he? Do you believe that?”
“Why would he lie about where he was from?”
“Oh, all sorts of interesting reasons.”
“We were just leaving,” said Kate, just as Brem interrupted, “What perfect timing, fancy that,” and slid into the seat next to her. “Brem,” she said in surprise, because they’d had no plans to meet that night, but Brem’s eyes were fastened on Yunny, and they were…hard. Deep and fathomless and hard.
“I have,” he said, eyes still on Yunny and no warmth in his voice, although his lips were curved into a brittle smile, “the most perfect sense of timing, sometimes. It’s lucky of me, wouldn’t you say? Right place. Right time. It’s a bit of a talent. Difficult, you know, to get things by me.”
Kate looked at Charlotte and Jen, who were exchanging confused glances. Kate didn’t have much more of a clue. She looked back at Brem. “Brem, what are you-”
“Sorry,” he said, looking at her for the first time. He was grinning now, his eyes a lovely shade of chocolate, and she could almost believe that she had imagined that odd, terrifying moment of iciness out of him. “I am interrupting some sort of girl dinner, aren’t I?” He glanced beyond her to Charlotte and Jen, gifting them with that smile that made all females everywhere want to forgive him every transgression.
“We were actually just leaving,” said Kate, because she didn’t really want to sit in this dining hall and have an awkward conversation with Yunny, Brem present or not.
“Ah,” he responded. “I haven’t eaten yet, so I’m going to stick around here.”
She hesitated, unsure whether he was seeking not to impose on the girls’ night or whether there was far more going on than she could comprehend.
“Go,” he said, softly, kissing her cheek. “I’ll ring you later.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, and squeezed his hand.
He winked at her. Brem had a good wink and he knew it; he always employed it to maximum effect. He looked over to Charlotte and Jen again. “Nice seeing you again.”
They echoed similar platitudes back at him, as they gathered their coats and trays and took off. Brem turned cheerfully back to Yunny. “Wellllll,” he proclaimed. “Just you and me. Cozy, innit?”
Yunny returned his humorless smile. “You’re in over your head.”
“I really don’t think so. That’s not really something I do, actually, get in over my head. You’ve still no idea where I’m from, do you?”
“Why?” asked Yunny, slowly.
“Because if you did, you’d have a much more accurate idea which one of us is in over our head. I haven’t figured out yet exactly what you’re up to on this campus, but I’ve already given you one warning, and I really hate having to repeat myself, it makes for terribly dull conversation, wouldn’t you agree?”
“It’s quite a feat,” said Yunny, “warning us not to do something while admitting you don’t know what it is we’re doing.”
“I’m very good,” said Brem.
“I’m sure you think so,” Yunny rejoined.
Brem smiled, stood, and leaned over the table, pleased when Yunny caught her breath just a bit. “Stay,” he said, “away from Kate.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Whatever this is, she’s got nothing to do with it. She’s very human.”
“And she’s no idea you’re not,” said Yunny, recovering a bit.
“Oh, now, that sounded curiously like blackmail, but I know you would never be so thick as to attempt to blackmail me so we’ll move past that. Stay away from Kate.”
“Or?”
“There’s something called the ‘oncoming storm,’” said Brem.
It meant nothing to Yunny. He could see that immediately. “What’s that?”
“Look it up,” he responded.
********
On the last night before the Christmas break, all of the normal people Brem knew were at parties drinking. Matt had tried to coax Brem out to one of the parties, but the truth was these sorts of parties were of limited fun when you couldn’t drink, and, more importantly, he had other plans. With Kate.
“Dress up,” he told her. “We’re going to do a night on the town.”
And, having told her to dress up, he realized he had to dress up himself. He hated to dress up. He stuck with jeans and a T-shirt and made a concession of changing his Chucks for dressier shoes and throwing a suit coat over his T-shirt.
He walked though the slushy Yard to pick Kate up. She answered the door, visibly glowing with excitement, and he was pleased he’d decided to do something out of the ordinary. She was dressed in a silky brown dress that fitted her figure before flaring out in a playful, swingy skirt to her knees.
“You look amazing,” he told her, sincerely. She’d pulled her hair back in a complicated style, with those little wisps left to drift around her temples.
“Thank you.” She kissed him in greeting, then looked at his jeans. “You did say to dress up, didn’t you?”
“Yes. This is me, dressed up. Look at my shoes.” He held out a foot to illustrate his point.
She looked at him. “I see,” she said.
“And I took special care doing my hair,” he pouted.
“I can tell. You look amazing, too. Are we ready to go?” She grabbed her coat and a tiny purse he’d never seen her carry her before.
“Yes. Is that bigger on the inside?”
“Is it what?” she asked, laughing, taking his hand.
He hailed them a cab on Mass. Ave., and held the door open for her.
“Wow,” she commented, as she slid inside, pulling her skirt demurely over her knees. “You weren’t kidding. We really are going out on the town.”
“I told you,” he grinned at her, and then said to the cab driver, “We’re going to the Ritz. On the Common.”
“The Ritz,” she repeated.
“The Ritz,” he said, and kissed her. “Did I tell you you look amazing?”
“Yes.”
“How long ago did I tell you that?”
“A few minutes ago.”
“I’m due to tell you again. You look amazing.”
“This makes me wonder how I usually look.”
He paused. “Welllllll, you look amazing, then, too.”
She grinned at him. “Your hair is very impressive tonight.”
“Thanks,” he said, pleased. “I’ve been experimenting with back-combing.”
She smiled, then turned to snuggle against him, looking out the window. Brem put his arm around her. The night was crystal clear, but the lights of the city were drowning out any stars. It was almost possible to believe that they were on the only planet in the universe.
The Common was decked out for Christmas, blanketed with white lights, and Kate stood for a moment after getting out of the cab just to look out across the street, to the twinkling trees. Her breath fogged at him, as he paid the cab driver-he was still a little astonished how adeptly he now handled money-and then turned to look at her, tucking his hands in his pockets.
“D’you want to take a walk through it?” he asked her.
She looked at him, surprised. “Aren’t we on a schedule?”
“Oh, Kate, I’m rubbish at schedules, haven’t you learned that yet?” He took her hand and grinned at her, then looked up the street for cars. “Run,” he said, and dashed across the street with her.
She was laughing when they got to the other side. “I can’t run in these heels! Are you crazy?”
He swung her to him and kissed her, under the white trees on Boston Common.
“I am going to miss you terribly,” she said, tucking her head under his chin.
He wished she hadn’t said that. He wrapped his arms around her. “Not yet, though. We’re together, just now.”
“Yes,” she agreed.
They walked for a bit in the Common, before Kate complained about her shoes (and Brem was relieved, because he was honestly getting quite cold), and then they went back to the Ritz, where Brem led them up to the front desk. “Tyler,” he said to the receptionist, fishing out the credit card he’d managed to acquire.
“Ah, yes. Mr. Tyler,” the receptionist said, tapping at his computer.
Kate looked at him. “Are we staying here?”
He smiled at her and accepted the room key the receptionist gave him.
“Have a lovely evening,” the receptionist said to them, warmly.
“Thank you,” Brem said, and took Kate’s hand and tugged her to the elevator. “Surprised?” he asked, bouncing with excitement and looking pleased with himself.
“Yes. Very. I didn’t bring any clothes.”
“But you won’t need any clothes,” he pointed out.
“Brem-”
The elevator door opened, and he pulled her in, checked the room number written on the key’s envelope, and pressed the button for the appropriate floor. Then he looked at her, beaming. Kate looked at him, feeling a bit sideswiped. She had assumed a nice dinner. She had never expected a night at the Ritz.
The elevator whooshed open, and he led them into the hallway and down it. He stood for a second, holding the card key. “This,” he said, frowning, “is not very safe. Anyone with a sonic could override this. You’d be better off with a good, old-fashioned Yale lock.” He slid the card in, and it beeped in response, and he opened the door, standing aside to let her through first.
She walked in, and then exhaled on an oh. The room was large. The windows overlooked the Common they had just been walking through, strung like a garland of stars underneath them. And there was a small round table set up by the window, with two seats clustered around it. She walked over to it. There was champagne chilling in a small stand next to it, and on the table itself was a stacked tray covered with scones and desserts and finger sandwiches, and two teapots. She turned back to him.
He was watching her, looking uncertain of himself. He’d taken off his overcoat, had swept back his suit coat, and stuck his hands in his pockets. “It’s their tea service,” he said. “I thought…Well. Tea.”
She reached out and touched a hand to one of the pots. It was cold.
“Okay,” he said. “We were on a bit of a schedule, I guess.”
She turned to him, smiling, and then said, “Brem.”
“D’you like it?” He walked over to her. “I mean, if you don’t like it, we can just go home. I thought…I just thought…It was supposed to be like this. I was supposed to do it this way. I was supposed to give you candlelight and rose petals and instead you had to settle for, well, me, which is what I keep doing to you. So I thought I’d…make it up to you. And it’s a bit of a luxury for us, isn’t it? I mean, we’ve this room, all to ourselves, all night. You can sleep with me, wake up with me. I thought it would be lovely. D’you like it?”
“I love it,” she said. “I love it. But there was no need to spend so much money, Brem. I get you, I don’t need the candlelight and the rose petals.”
He just smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Should I give you your Christmas gift now, then?”
“Oh. Yes. Should we exchange gifts?”
Kate blinked. “This isn’t my gift?”
“Well, no. Of course not. This is for both of us, that wouldn’t be fair. Of course I got you something else.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a curious-looking device that looked a bit, well, phallic.
Kate shed her coat before taking the gift and looking down at it. “It’s lovely, it’s…what is it?”
“What isn’t it?” he countered, eagerly. “First off, it has a setting that will lock any door or drawer, to keep Heather out. It has a setting to apply lip gloss, because girls like that stuff, right? It has a lighter-even though you don’t smoke, very useful at rock concerts-and it shuffles cards, and it peels apples, and it grills hot dogs, because you never know when you might need a hot dog. Oh, and it also brushes hair.”
Kate laughed. “Of course it brushes hair. God forbid you not address the important subject of hair. But how do I use all these settings?”
“Yeah, it’s…complicated.” Brem scratched the back of his neck. “I’m going to have to try to…remember that for you. It, er, also boils an egg at fifty paces. Whether you want it to or not, actually, so I would avoid hens. It’s not pretty when they blow.”
Kate laughed again. “I love this. I will treasure it always. Thank you.” She kissed his cheek. “Now it’s your turn.” She grabbed her clutch purse and reached in and pulled out a small box wrapped in shiny red paper and topped with an equally red and shiny bow.
“You wrapped it and everything!” exclaimed Brem, delighted.
“Well, that’s traditional, yes,” Kate replied.
He ripped open the present enthusiastically, pulling the top off the box. Inside it was a pocket watch.
Brem stared at it for a long moment. A silver pocket watch, with a delicate filigreed border all around it. He drew one finger along it.
“Like you said,” she said, “you’re ‘rubbish at schedules.’ I know you have a watch, but it’s so fancy I don’t even think it tells time correctly. And this one seemed to suit you. You seem more like a pocket watch person. I mean, anyone can have a wristwatch, you’re you, a pocket watch seemed more appropriate. And I like the border, it reminds me of your handwriting.” She looked at him, as he picked up the pocket watch and held it in his hand. “Do you like it?”
Brem flipped it open. For Brem, Who always uses time wisely.
“I couldn’t really think what to do for the inscription,” said Kate. “I mean-”
“It’s perfect,” said Brem, staring at it in his hands. She’d given him time, he thought. When he had buckets of it and she had so little. He looked up at her. “I don’t know if I always use time wisely, but I promise I’ll try.”
“Well, you certainly use time more wisely than me. You’ve finished all your work for the semester in the first week.”
“That’s just…”
“You’re just a quick study.”
He grinned. “Exactly.”
“Show me.”
“Don’t you want to call room service and have them warm up our teapots first?”
“You’re so British,” she laughed.
And he thought he had never been called something so marvelously normal.
********
Brem watched Kate sleep. While hours ticked by, he watched her sleep and never grew bored. Night gave way to dawn which gave way to day, and eventually Kate woke, slowly, gradually, stretching. She opened her eyes and smiled when she caught sight of him.
“Hey,” she said, her voice sleepy and lovely. “You’re up early.”
“Always,” he responded.
“Ah, that’s more proof of how wisely you use time.”
“I don’t,” protested Brem, who had, after all, just spent several hours watching a woman sleep.
Kate lifted her hand and rubbed it across his cheek. “You need to shave,” she remarked.
“Yes,” he agreed, because he knew he did.
“But, more importantly, your hair still looks fabulous.”
“Does it?” he asked, looking pleased. “Good.”
She laughed. “What time is it?”
“Oh. Just a second. It seems to me I have this lovely pocket watch here…” He sat up to grab the pocket watch off the bedside table and popped it open. She leaned over his shoulder to look at the time-
And uttered a little squeak before scrambling out of the bed.
“What?” he asked, in dismay, as she grabbed at the discarded dress on the floor. “It’s only nine.”
“I have to meet my parents in half an hour, Brem! And I can’t meet them in a dress from last night! Get ready! Hurry up!” She disappeared into the bathroom.
Brem sighed and pulled on his clothes. Kate came whirling out of the bathroom, grabbing her clutch and her coat and the gift he’d given her.
“Ready?” she asked, breathlessly. “Let’s go.” And then she went dashing from the room.
So much for a leisurely, romantic morning, thought Brem, following after her.
Kate kept commandeering his new pocket watch to check the time during the cab ride, and Brem decided he was out-of-sorts that his last few minutes with her were turning out so rushed and stressful. Kate leaped out of the cab immediately when it pulled over, and Brem tossed some money at the driver before following her out.
She caught him up suddenly in a brief but passionate kiss that took him a bit off-guard.
“I’m sorry,” she gasped, pulling back just a bit. “I didn’t mean for it to be like this, I should have warned you I had to be up earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her, totally okay with everything now that she had kissed him like that.
“Thank you, Brem,” she said, seriously, looking into his eyes. “Thank you. It was…the loveliest evening. Thank you.” She kissed him again, although more briefly and less passionately. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
“Call me,” she said, and then slipped out of his arms and waved as she dashed off.
Brem took a deep breath and wandered back to his own dorm. Matt was passed out in bed still, snoring. Brem grabbed fresh clothing and took a shower and towel-dried his hair. Matt was awake when he got back to the room, although just barely, and was throwing things haphazardly in a suitcase.
“Should’ve packed earlier,” he yawned, tossing a pair of shoes randomly into the bag.
“Did you have fun last night?” Brem asked him. He was basically packed. There was nothing here in Boston that the TARDIS couldn’t replace, except for his journal, which he’d grab on the way out. He and his parents hadn’t really discussed a time to meet, per se. Brem’d be lucky if his dad managed to get the day right, never mind an exact time.
“I did, yeah. Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Kate liked the surprise?”
“I think so.”
“Good.” Matt yawned again. “What time do you have to meet your parents again?”
“Oh.” Brem waved his hand vaguely. “In the afternoon. Sometime. At some point.”
“Well, tell them I say hi and merry Christmas. It’s been fun.”
“Yes,” agreed Brem.
“See you in a month or so.”
“Yes.”
“Merry Christmas.”
“You, too.”
Matt leaned over with his fist up, a gesture that Brem recognized and leaned up to bump his fist against that of his roommate. And then Matt was gone.
Brem, apparently alone on campus, sighed. He tossed his journal into a backpack with a pen, along with the Christmas gifts he’d bought, grabbed his coat, and headed outside, walking toward the rendezvous point. The air was very crisp and very cold, and Brem huddled against it. It was far too cold to write in his journal, which had been his plan. Instead, he stood, taking out his pocket watch and studying it again and waiting.
Eventually, after thirty minutes or so, the TARDIS materialized, with its distinctive noise and a kick-up of the wind. When the door opened, Fortuna flew out of it and he caught her, laughing. “You’d think you haven’t seen me in three months,” he teased.
“Maybe I haven’t, relatively speaking,” she responded, grinning at him.
“Let’s go inside, it’s freezing,” he said, and they walked inside together.
His mother hugged him tightly. “Oh, Brem,” she said. “You’re freezing. Were you waiting forever?”
“No. Not very long, actually. It’s just very cold outside.”
“Brem,” said Athena, with a grin, “I’ve missed you terribly.”
“Yes,” he rejoined, gravely. “Me, too.” He gave her a bear hug just to punctuate the point.
Dad had wandered over from the controls he’d been fussing with. He was wearing the usual brown pinstripes, with a brown tie with blue swirls, and two buttons of the coat haphazardly fastened. And he grinned at him and said, “Bremsstrahlung,” and then buried him in a hug, and Brem suddenly felt ridiculous for hating it every time he was told he was just like his father. And then Dad straightened and gestured dramatically to the console. “Your choice. Anywhere in the universe you like.”
“Where we won’t be killed,” added his mother.
“Within reason,” amended his father.
Brem stepped over to the console and leaned forward to rest a hand against the column. The TARDIS hummed in greeting, and he grinned and pulled on a lever and then spun himself over to the nearest dial.
Next Chapter
Author - earlgreytea68
Rating - General
Characters - Ten, Rose, OCs
Spoilers - None
Disclaimer - I don't own them and I don't make money off of them, but I don't like to dwell on that, so let's move on. (Except for the kids. They're all mine.)
Summary - Brem goes to university.
Author's Notes - Thanks to jlrpuck who notices important things like Kate's coatlessness on Boston Common in the dead of winter.
Many, many, many thanks to Kristin, for all the ideas. Thanks also to bouncy_castle79, who once again gave it the first outside-eyes read-through.
The gorgeous icon was created by swankkatfor me, commissioned by jlrpuckfor my birthday.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15
Chapter Sixteen
“What’s Brem like?”
Kate had been in the middle of a conversation with Charlotte and Jen, over dinner, and looked up at the woman who settled herself familiarly in the open seat opposite her.
“That’s what we were just asking her,” smirked Charlotte, and Kate blushed.
“Stop it,” she said, and looked at the woman. Yunny, she recognized. From her dorm. It was unusual for women to ask her what Brem was like, really. It seemed to her that there were very few women on campus who didn’t already know all about Brem. Well, amended Kate, thinking of Charlotte’s remark. They didn’t know everything Kate knew about Brem, but they knew mostly everything she’d be willing to share. “Sorry, how do you know Brem?”
“I don’t really,” she said, sunnily. “If I did, I wouldn’t have to ask you. I’m Yunny, I live in your dorm.”
“Of course,” replied Kate. “Brem’s great, he’s-Why do you want to know this?”
Yunny’s smile widened. “Oh,” she answered. “Curiosity. You know. Has he said where he’s from?”
“He’s from London,” said Kate, stiffly. She didn’t like Yunny, for some reason; this entire conversation was making her uncomfortable.
“Is he? Do you believe that?”
“Why would he lie about where he was from?”
“Oh, all sorts of interesting reasons.”
“We were just leaving,” said Kate, just as Brem interrupted, “What perfect timing, fancy that,” and slid into the seat next to her. “Brem,” she said in surprise, because they’d had no plans to meet that night, but Brem’s eyes were fastened on Yunny, and they were…hard. Deep and fathomless and hard.
“I have,” he said, eyes still on Yunny and no warmth in his voice, although his lips were curved into a brittle smile, “the most perfect sense of timing, sometimes. It’s lucky of me, wouldn’t you say? Right place. Right time. It’s a bit of a talent. Difficult, you know, to get things by me.”
Kate looked at Charlotte and Jen, who were exchanging confused glances. Kate didn’t have much more of a clue. She looked back at Brem. “Brem, what are you-”
“Sorry,” he said, looking at her for the first time. He was grinning now, his eyes a lovely shade of chocolate, and she could almost believe that she had imagined that odd, terrifying moment of iciness out of him. “I am interrupting some sort of girl dinner, aren’t I?” He glanced beyond her to Charlotte and Jen, gifting them with that smile that made all females everywhere want to forgive him every transgression.
“We were actually just leaving,” said Kate, because she didn’t really want to sit in this dining hall and have an awkward conversation with Yunny, Brem present or not.
“Ah,” he responded. “I haven’t eaten yet, so I’m going to stick around here.”
She hesitated, unsure whether he was seeking not to impose on the girls’ night or whether there was far more going on than she could comprehend.
“Go,” he said, softly, kissing her cheek. “I’ll ring you later.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, and squeezed his hand.
He winked at her. Brem had a good wink and he knew it; he always employed it to maximum effect. He looked over to Charlotte and Jen again. “Nice seeing you again.”
They echoed similar platitudes back at him, as they gathered their coats and trays and took off. Brem turned cheerfully back to Yunny. “Wellllll,” he proclaimed. “Just you and me. Cozy, innit?”
Yunny returned his humorless smile. “You’re in over your head.”
“I really don’t think so. That’s not really something I do, actually, get in over my head. You’ve still no idea where I’m from, do you?”
“Why?” asked Yunny, slowly.
“Because if you did, you’d have a much more accurate idea which one of us is in over our head. I haven’t figured out yet exactly what you’re up to on this campus, but I’ve already given you one warning, and I really hate having to repeat myself, it makes for terribly dull conversation, wouldn’t you agree?”
“It’s quite a feat,” said Yunny, “warning us not to do something while admitting you don’t know what it is we’re doing.”
“I’m very good,” said Brem.
“I’m sure you think so,” Yunny rejoined.
Brem smiled, stood, and leaned over the table, pleased when Yunny caught her breath just a bit. “Stay,” he said, “away from Kate.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Whatever this is, she’s got nothing to do with it. She’s very human.”
“And she’s no idea you’re not,” said Yunny, recovering a bit.
“Oh, now, that sounded curiously like blackmail, but I know you would never be so thick as to attempt to blackmail me so we’ll move past that. Stay away from Kate.”
“Or?”
“There’s something called the ‘oncoming storm,’” said Brem.
It meant nothing to Yunny. He could see that immediately. “What’s that?”
“Look it up,” he responded.
********
On the last night before the Christmas break, all of the normal people Brem knew were at parties drinking. Matt had tried to coax Brem out to one of the parties, but the truth was these sorts of parties were of limited fun when you couldn’t drink, and, more importantly, he had other plans. With Kate.
“Dress up,” he told her. “We’re going to do a night on the town.”
And, having told her to dress up, he realized he had to dress up himself. He hated to dress up. He stuck with jeans and a T-shirt and made a concession of changing his Chucks for dressier shoes and throwing a suit coat over his T-shirt.
He walked though the slushy Yard to pick Kate up. She answered the door, visibly glowing with excitement, and he was pleased he’d decided to do something out of the ordinary. She was dressed in a silky brown dress that fitted her figure before flaring out in a playful, swingy skirt to her knees.
“You look amazing,” he told her, sincerely. She’d pulled her hair back in a complicated style, with those little wisps left to drift around her temples.
“Thank you.” She kissed him in greeting, then looked at his jeans. “You did say to dress up, didn’t you?”
“Yes. This is me, dressed up. Look at my shoes.” He held out a foot to illustrate his point.
She looked at him. “I see,” she said.
“And I took special care doing my hair,” he pouted.
“I can tell. You look amazing, too. Are we ready to go?” She grabbed her coat and a tiny purse he’d never seen her carry her before.
“Yes. Is that bigger on the inside?”
“Is it what?” she asked, laughing, taking his hand.
He hailed them a cab on Mass. Ave., and held the door open for her.
“Wow,” she commented, as she slid inside, pulling her skirt demurely over her knees. “You weren’t kidding. We really are going out on the town.”
“I told you,” he grinned at her, and then said to the cab driver, “We’re going to the Ritz. On the Common.”
“The Ritz,” she repeated.
“The Ritz,” he said, and kissed her. “Did I tell you you look amazing?”
“Yes.”
“How long ago did I tell you that?”
“A few minutes ago.”
“I’m due to tell you again. You look amazing.”
“This makes me wonder how I usually look.”
He paused. “Welllllll, you look amazing, then, too.”
She grinned at him. “Your hair is very impressive tonight.”
“Thanks,” he said, pleased. “I’ve been experimenting with back-combing.”
She smiled, then turned to snuggle against him, looking out the window. Brem put his arm around her. The night was crystal clear, but the lights of the city were drowning out any stars. It was almost possible to believe that they were on the only planet in the universe.
The Common was decked out for Christmas, blanketed with white lights, and Kate stood for a moment after getting out of the cab just to look out across the street, to the twinkling trees. Her breath fogged at him, as he paid the cab driver-he was still a little astonished how adeptly he now handled money-and then turned to look at her, tucking his hands in his pockets.
“D’you want to take a walk through it?” he asked her.
She looked at him, surprised. “Aren’t we on a schedule?”
“Oh, Kate, I’m rubbish at schedules, haven’t you learned that yet?” He took her hand and grinned at her, then looked up the street for cars. “Run,” he said, and dashed across the street with her.
She was laughing when they got to the other side. “I can’t run in these heels! Are you crazy?”
He swung her to him and kissed her, under the white trees on Boston Common.
“I am going to miss you terribly,” she said, tucking her head under his chin.
He wished she hadn’t said that. He wrapped his arms around her. “Not yet, though. We’re together, just now.”
“Yes,” she agreed.
They walked for a bit in the Common, before Kate complained about her shoes (and Brem was relieved, because he was honestly getting quite cold), and then they went back to the Ritz, where Brem led them up to the front desk. “Tyler,” he said to the receptionist, fishing out the credit card he’d managed to acquire.
“Ah, yes. Mr. Tyler,” the receptionist said, tapping at his computer.
Kate looked at him. “Are we staying here?”
He smiled at her and accepted the room key the receptionist gave him.
“Have a lovely evening,” the receptionist said to them, warmly.
“Thank you,” Brem said, and took Kate’s hand and tugged her to the elevator. “Surprised?” he asked, bouncing with excitement and looking pleased with himself.
“Yes. Very. I didn’t bring any clothes.”
“But you won’t need any clothes,” he pointed out.
“Brem-”
The elevator door opened, and he pulled her in, checked the room number written on the key’s envelope, and pressed the button for the appropriate floor. Then he looked at her, beaming. Kate looked at him, feeling a bit sideswiped. She had assumed a nice dinner. She had never expected a night at the Ritz.
The elevator whooshed open, and he led them into the hallway and down it. He stood for a second, holding the card key. “This,” he said, frowning, “is not very safe. Anyone with a sonic could override this. You’d be better off with a good, old-fashioned Yale lock.” He slid the card in, and it beeped in response, and he opened the door, standing aside to let her through first.
She walked in, and then exhaled on an oh. The room was large. The windows overlooked the Common they had just been walking through, strung like a garland of stars underneath them. And there was a small round table set up by the window, with two seats clustered around it. She walked over to it. There was champagne chilling in a small stand next to it, and on the table itself was a stacked tray covered with scones and desserts and finger sandwiches, and two teapots. She turned back to him.
He was watching her, looking uncertain of himself. He’d taken off his overcoat, had swept back his suit coat, and stuck his hands in his pockets. “It’s their tea service,” he said. “I thought…Well. Tea.”
She reached out and touched a hand to one of the pots. It was cold.
“Okay,” he said. “We were on a bit of a schedule, I guess.”
She turned to him, smiling, and then said, “Brem.”
“D’you like it?” He walked over to her. “I mean, if you don’t like it, we can just go home. I thought…I just thought…It was supposed to be like this. I was supposed to do it this way. I was supposed to give you candlelight and rose petals and instead you had to settle for, well, me, which is what I keep doing to you. So I thought I’d…make it up to you. And it’s a bit of a luxury for us, isn’t it? I mean, we’ve this room, all to ourselves, all night. You can sleep with me, wake up with me. I thought it would be lovely. D’you like it?”
“I love it,” she said. “I love it. But there was no need to spend so much money, Brem. I get you, I don’t need the candlelight and the rose petals.”
He just smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Should I give you your Christmas gift now, then?”
“Oh. Yes. Should we exchange gifts?”
Kate blinked. “This isn’t my gift?”
“Well, no. Of course not. This is for both of us, that wouldn’t be fair. Of course I got you something else.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a curious-looking device that looked a bit, well, phallic.
Kate shed her coat before taking the gift and looking down at it. “It’s lovely, it’s…what is it?”
“What isn’t it?” he countered, eagerly. “First off, it has a setting that will lock any door or drawer, to keep Heather out. It has a setting to apply lip gloss, because girls like that stuff, right? It has a lighter-even though you don’t smoke, very useful at rock concerts-and it shuffles cards, and it peels apples, and it grills hot dogs, because you never know when you might need a hot dog. Oh, and it also brushes hair.”
Kate laughed. “Of course it brushes hair. God forbid you not address the important subject of hair. But how do I use all these settings?”
“Yeah, it’s…complicated.” Brem scratched the back of his neck. “I’m going to have to try to…remember that for you. It, er, also boils an egg at fifty paces. Whether you want it to or not, actually, so I would avoid hens. It’s not pretty when they blow.”
Kate laughed again. “I love this. I will treasure it always. Thank you.” She kissed his cheek. “Now it’s your turn.” She grabbed her clutch purse and reached in and pulled out a small box wrapped in shiny red paper and topped with an equally red and shiny bow.
“You wrapped it and everything!” exclaimed Brem, delighted.
“Well, that’s traditional, yes,” Kate replied.
He ripped open the present enthusiastically, pulling the top off the box. Inside it was a pocket watch.
Brem stared at it for a long moment. A silver pocket watch, with a delicate filigreed border all around it. He drew one finger along it.
“Like you said,” she said, “you’re ‘rubbish at schedules.’ I know you have a watch, but it’s so fancy I don’t even think it tells time correctly. And this one seemed to suit you. You seem more like a pocket watch person. I mean, anyone can have a wristwatch, you’re you, a pocket watch seemed more appropriate. And I like the border, it reminds me of your handwriting.” She looked at him, as he picked up the pocket watch and held it in his hand. “Do you like it?”
Brem flipped it open. For Brem, Who always uses time wisely.
“I couldn’t really think what to do for the inscription,” said Kate. “I mean-”
“It’s perfect,” said Brem, staring at it in his hands. She’d given him time, he thought. When he had buckets of it and she had so little. He looked up at her. “I don’t know if I always use time wisely, but I promise I’ll try.”
“Well, you certainly use time more wisely than me. You’ve finished all your work for the semester in the first week.”
“That’s just…”
“You’re just a quick study.”
He grinned. “Exactly.”
“Show me.”
“Don’t you want to call room service and have them warm up our teapots first?”
“You’re so British,” she laughed.
And he thought he had never been called something so marvelously normal.
********
Brem watched Kate sleep. While hours ticked by, he watched her sleep and never grew bored. Night gave way to dawn which gave way to day, and eventually Kate woke, slowly, gradually, stretching. She opened her eyes and smiled when she caught sight of him.
“Hey,” she said, her voice sleepy and lovely. “You’re up early.”
“Always,” he responded.
“Ah, that’s more proof of how wisely you use time.”
“I don’t,” protested Brem, who had, after all, just spent several hours watching a woman sleep.
Kate lifted her hand and rubbed it across his cheek. “You need to shave,” she remarked.
“Yes,” he agreed, because he knew he did.
“But, more importantly, your hair still looks fabulous.”
“Does it?” he asked, looking pleased. “Good.”
She laughed. “What time is it?”
“Oh. Just a second. It seems to me I have this lovely pocket watch here…” He sat up to grab the pocket watch off the bedside table and popped it open. She leaned over his shoulder to look at the time-
And uttered a little squeak before scrambling out of the bed.
“What?” he asked, in dismay, as she grabbed at the discarded dress on the floor. “It’s only nine.”
“I have to meet my parents in half an hour, Brem! And I can’t meet them in a dress from last night! Get ready! Hurry up!” She disappeared into the bathroom.
Brem sighed and pulled on his clothes. Kate came whirling out of the bathroom, grabbing her clutch and her coat and the gift he’d given her.
“Ready?” she asked, breathlessly. “Let’s go.” And then she went dashing from the room.
So much for a leisurely, romantic morning, thought Brem, following after her.
Kate kept commandeering his new pocket watch to check the time during the cab ride, and Brem decided he was out-of-sorts that his last few minutes with her were turning out so rushed and stressful. Kate leaped out of the cab immediately when it pulled over, and Brem tossed some money at the driver before following her out.
She caught him up suddenly in a brief but passionate kiss that took him a bit off-guard.
“I’m sorry,” she gasped, pulling back just a bit. “I didn’t mean for it to be like this, I should have warned you I had to be up earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her, totally okay with everything now that she had kissed him like that.
“Thank you, Brem,” she said, seriously, looking into his eyes. “Thank you. It was…the loveliest evening. Thank you.” She kissed him again, although more briefly and less passionately. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
“Call me,” she said, and then slipped out of his arms and waved as she dashed off.
Brem took a deep breath and wandered back to his own dorm. Matt was passed out in bed still, snoring. Brem grabbed fresh clothing and took a shower and towel-dried his hair. Matt was awake when he got back to the room, although just barely, and was throwing things haphazardly in a suitcase.
“Should’ve packed earlier,” he yawned, tossing a pair of shoes randomly into the bag.
“Did you have fun last night?” Brem asked him. He was basically packed. There was nothing here in Boston that the TARDIS couldn’t replace, except for his journal, which he’d grab on the way out. He and his parents hadn’t really discussed a time to meet, per se. Brem’d be lucky if his dad managed to get the day right, never mind an exact time.
“I did, yeah. Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Kate liked the surprise?”
“I think so.”
“Good.” Matt yawned again. “What time do you have to meet your parents again?”
“Oh.” Brem waved his hand vaguely. “In the afternoon. Sometime. At some point.”
“Well, tell them I say hi and merry Christmas. It’s been fun.”
“Yes,” agreed Brem.
“See you in a month or so.”
“Yes.”
“Merry Christmas.”
“You, too.”
Matt leaned over with his fist up, a gesture that Brem recognized and leaned up to bump his fist against that of his roommate. And then Matt was gone.
Brem, apparently alone on campus, sighed. He tossed his journal into a backpack with a pen, along with the Christmas gifts he’d bought, grabbed his coat, and headed outside, walking toward the rendezvous point. The air was very crisp and very cold, and Brem huddled against it. It was far too cold to write in his journal, which had been his plan. Instead, he stood, taking out his pocket watch and studying it again and waiting.
Eventually, after thirty minutes or so, the TARDIS materialized, with its distinctive noise and a kick-up of the wind. When the door opened, Fortuna flew out of it and he caught her, laughing. “You’d think you haven’t seen me in three months,” he teased.
“Maybe I haven’t, relatively speaking,” she responded, grinning at him.
“Let’s go inside, it’s freezing,” he said, and they walked inside together.
His mother hugged him tightly. “Oh, Brem,” she said. “You’re freezing. Were you waiting forever?”
“No. Not very long, actually. It’s just very cold outside.”
“Brem,” said Athena, with a grin, “I’ve missed you terribly.”
“Yes,” he rejoined, gravely. “Me, too.” He gave her a bear hug just to punctuate the point.
Dad had wandered over from the controls he’d been fussing with. He was wearing the usual brown pinstripes, with a brown tie with blue swirls, and two buttons of the coat haphazardly fastened. And he grinned at him and said, “Bremsstrahlung,” and then buried him in a hug, and Brem suddenly felt ridiculous for hating it every time he was told he was just like his father. And then Dad straightened and gestured dramatically to the console. “Your choice. Anywhere in the universe you like.”
“Where we won’t be killed,” added his mother.
“Within reason,” amended his father.
Brem stepped over to the console and leaned forward to rest a hand against the column. The TARDIS hummed in greeting, and he grinned and pulled on a lever and then spun himself over to the nearest dial.
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