Pond Skipping - Chapter 27 (Fan Fic)
Ariadne found herself on a sidewalk in the middle of a park. "Whoo!" she cried, shaking her head. "I will never get used to that!"
"How...did you do tha'?"
She turned to find herself face-to-face with a young woman with long red hair and green eyes wide in surprise. "Oh. Hello." Ariadne said with a bright smile. "Um...just a...vortex manipulator." She glanced down at the band around her wrist. "Time Agent's standard issue. Ariadne Harkness. And what's your name?" She offered the woman her hand.
The woman took it hesitantly. "Amy. Amy Williams - did you just say Time Agent?"
"Well, yeah. It was my god-father's. Say, Amy? Do you think you can tell me where I am? And...well, when?"
Amy furrowed her brow. "Yeah. You're in New York. 1955." She said. "Are you alright?" Though she was grinning, Amy could see the obvious tear-stains on the girl's face, the unkempt hair, the scratches on her arms.
"Oh, sure. Sure. I'm fine." Ariadne said, waving her off.
"Well...why don't I at least help you get cleaned up. You look like a mess." Amy said honestly.
"Oh..." Ariadne glanced down at herself. "That bad?"
Amy smirked. "Yeah, I'd say so." she said. She offered the young girl her hand, which Ariadne took, grateful for her kindness. Amy led Ariadne to the third floor of a building in the Upper West Side. "Rory!" she called as she walked through the door.
Ariadne stood in the doorway nervously, glancing about the living room. It was comfortably spacious, with a cushy-looking tan couch, square, wooden coffee table, and a mid-sized television set. The white, wall-to-wall shag carpet ended as the room transitioned into a kitchen - floored more appropriately with wooden flooring - preceded by a breakfast bar. "Your place is really nice." she said, offering Amy a smile.
"Oh, thanks, Rory did most of the decorating." Amy said dismissively. "Rory?"
"I'm right here. You don't have to shout." Rory said, entering the room from the hallway. Rory was a gentle-faced man with sandy brown hair and light blue eyes. His gaze fell upon Ariadne's tattered exterior and he became immediately concerned. "Who's this?" he asked.
"Harkness." Ariadne said with a grin, shaking Rory's hand. "Ariadne Harkness. Pleasure t' meet you, Rory. I must say, you are quite the decorator." She crossed her arms behind her back, glancing around the room again.
"Um...nice to meet you, too." Rory said slowly. He raised an eyebrow at Amy, unsure. "Thanks?"
"Um, why don't I...show you to the bathroom, Ariadne?" Amy asked. That way we c'n get you cleaned up."
"Thank you, Amy. You're really too kind."
Once Ariadne was all set up in the bathroom, Rory pulled Amy aside. "Who is she?" he asked.
"I don't know. But she said she was a time agent..." Amy told him.
"A time agent? Amy what do you even know about time agents? She could be...you know, a bad one?"
"Oh, please." Amy laughed. "She's a child. She doesn't even look much older than fourteen."
Rory shook his head. "If you say so."
Ariadne emerged from the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes - a tan pant suit with red-orange pinstripe pants, a white sweater with a red-orange V-neck, white converse, and a piece of celery on her lapel. She placed an optimo-style panama hat on her heat and offered the couple a huge grin. "Much better, wouldn't you say?" she asked them, turning around for them to get the full effect.
"Oh, yeah. Real scary." Amy muttered to Rory. They rose to their feet. "Are all time travelers weird?" she asked bluntly.
"What?" Ariadne asked.
"Nothing." Rory said. "Do you mind if I check those scratches on your arms?"
Ariadne hesitated, hugging herself. "Um...s-sure, I...I guess."
"It's alright. I'm a doctor." Rory assured her. She met his gaze nervously as he crouched to pull up her sleeves.
"So's my dad." she said softly. "He's the best Doctor in all of time and space."
"Well, I'll try to live up to your standards." Rory chuckled lightly. He led her to sit down on the couch, examining her. "Do you mind if I ask what happened?"
"Yes." she said quickly. She wasn't ready to say what happened to her. To talk about it, or even think about it. He hearts started to race suddenly, and she shifted away from him. "I - I think I'm fine." She pulled her arm away, pulling down her sleeves.
"He's just trying to help." Amy said gently.
"No, that's alright. You..." She stood up, backing toward the door. "You've both done enough."
They exchanged worried glances. "I've...I've got to go." Ariadne quickly grabbed her bag and turned to the door.
Rory stood again. "Ariadne, just let us help." he said gently.
Tears began to fill the girl's eyes. "I...I'm scared." she admitted.
Amy sighed. She came to Ariadne's side and crouched to meet her gaze. She rested a hand on the gallifreyan's shoulder. "You can't let fear stop you from being happy. We don't want to hurt you. We want to be your friends."
Ariadne lowered her gaze. "O-Okay." she said. She went back to the couch and sat down, rolling up her sleeves. She let Rory dress her wounds, watching him nervously. He worked in slow, deliberate movements, so as not to spook her. When he was done, she pulled her knees up under her chin and hugged them to her chest. "Thank you." she said softly.
Rory glanced at Amy. "Do you think you'd want to stay with us a while?" he asked Ariadne.
Ariadne looked away. "I...I suppose so." she replied.
Amy smiled, nodding at Rory. "You c'n stay as long as you need to." she said.
"Th-thank you." Ariadne stammered, her eyes filling with tears again. "Thank you." She threw her arms around Rory's neck and started to sob. He carefully wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her.
