Unmaking God

[pinkandyellow]

 She lost track of how much time passed, and not just because she was in a time machine. Some days, it felt like years, like she'd been passed it all and moved on but still carried the grief like a widow. Some days, it felt fresh and sharp, like it was only yesterday, last week, some time recent. She couldn't tell. She didn't ask, she didn't want to know. 

She told the Doctor, mostly. Told her story just as he told his, and he seemed to understand. Seemed to know, with a wisdom she always underestimated in him. A thousand years of life, a hundred companions and friends, people who loved him and loved others. He seemed to respect her even more for it, if that was possible, didn't judge her, silently encouraged her. Took it in the same stride he took everything else about her, as though she could do no wrong. 

She appreciated him more than she'd ever tell him.

They traveled. He took her gentle places at first, and when he realized it was the running that freed her, if only temporarily, he took her to planets that needed saving. What frightened her, though, was the fact that she wasn't doing it to save them. Not now. 

They didn't stop to examine their relationship, just as they never had. She didn't ask, he didn't offer. They picked back up as though she'd never even been gone, with grins and tea and understanding, and they just... worked. Together, as mates, and nothing more. He would probably be accepting, if she made any move to advance things, but she never did, and he didn't mind. Asexual, and an alien. 

Now, though, was one of those down-times in between planetary distraction. He was working beneath the console, and she was sitting, quietly. Watching. Not thinking, just... sitting, listening to the TARDIS sing in her mind, and just... breathing. 

Comments

[rebelledforyou]

Once again Castiel did not exactly feel embarrassed when the Doctor called for their attention. He just turned in the direction of his voice and found him by what he assumed to be the doors out of the TARDIS. He didn't even feel it land. He supposed some of that had to do with the fact that he was focused on Rose and not the rattle of everything. He would have to employ this tactic more often when they went places.

He smiled slowly and looked down at Rose. His eyes were actually lit up with excitement. Some might think it's hard to excite an angel, but it's quite easy. Rose had done it when she offered to take him to the movies. She continued to do it after that day. He was like a child sometimes. Even the simplest things could excite him. This right here was not exactly simple. It was no wonder his eyes lit up and he looked like a kid on Christmas.

He kissed the top of her head once more and then drew back. He walked quite quickly towards the doors and looked at the Doctor quickly. "May I open them?" He really, really wanted to pull them open and see what was out there waiting on them.

[pinkandyellow]

She never really stopped to think about it, but although Castiel was a metaphysical being several thousand years old, it was possible that he didn't spend much of his time away from Earth. Maybe he was assigned there, or maybe a hundred other reasons she didn't feel like thinking of, but it just seemed to her he didn't spend a lot of time exploring the rest of the universe.

She smiled at his enthusiasm, and stepped away, let him walk to the doors by himself. The Doctor seemed to approve of his request, and just nodded his head toward the door, making no attempt to move from his place, leaning casually against it. "Go on."

Outside the doors was a hallway. It was dark, and reflecting along the floor were dancing waves of light, reflecting and refracting and fluid as they danced along the metal. It was beautiful by anyone's standards, but that wasn't what stole the attention.

It was just a hallway.

Except, the hallway was glass. Rounded, perfectly rounded, one long, unending, unbroken, thick, clear, transparent piece of glass that separated the hallway from tens of thousands of pounds of water surrounding it. There was no sky, no surface, just miles and miles of water in any direction, blue and dark and endless, completely surrounding them.

[rebelledforyou]

Castiel had multiple responsibilities when he was an angel. He had humans in his care. He had wars to fight. He had things he had to take care of. He didn't have much time to go around and experience the wonders of the universe. Private time on his own was never really found. He always had something to take care of. He knew facts and figures about these places. He could accurately name the planets he was on or the galaxies he was in. He just had never seen them like this. It was a new experience for him.

He pulled the doors open quickly and stepped outside. His head lifted and his eyes widened. It was beautiful. Castiel had seen the Heavens. He had seen beauty he thought could not be compared. This was something though. This was amazing. It was glorious. It was beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. The very idea that one crack and it could all come caving in and wash this clean.

He stepped further down the hallway his eyes moving quickly around the hallway. He side stepped and pressed a hand to the glass. He licked his lips and looked over towards the TARDIS at Rose and the Doctor. "This is Nientara is it not?" This was a planet that literally had no land to speak of. It was all water. The people who came here had to adapt and make underwater settlements.

[pinkandyellow]

Rose stepped out not long after him, eyes wide with awe and a tinge of fear- of course, it was human instinct, being so surrounded by water in every direction was scary- but it was gorgeous. She breathed out a soft noise of awe, wandering down the hallway, pressing her hand to the glass as well.

The Doctor stepped out last, pulling the TARDIS doors shut behind them and locking them. He tucked his hands into his coat pockets as he looked around, remarkably less impressed by it all, but genuinely pleased with the reaction of his companions. He lit up a bit more when Castiel named the planet, impressed and interested. He was definitely going to have to get to know Castiel a little better.

"Nientara, and this is the year 206 P.I.- Post-Inhabitation. Around... oooh... the Earth year eight thousand? Climate's remarkably like Earth- same seasons, same distance from their sun, same everything... except for the lack of land. Took a hundred years to design this place, let alone build it. Impossible dream. Not so impossible, anymore." He smiled wryly, giving them time to look around, before striding toward the end of the hall and pressing the sonic screwdriver to the panel by the door. "Let's have a look around, shall we?"

[rebelledforyou]

His ears perked up and he listened to the Doctor explain everything to him. He knew about this time. All facts and figures with no actual life experience. It was like a pilot. They had plenty of simulation help. They had gone through the stats and all the plans. They could do plenty of checks and re-checks, but getting up there and flying was a whole different story. Seeing this place was like the first time he got to come down to Earth. It was magical.

Castiel turned and looked down the hallway at the Doctor by the door. He made his way over to him and stood with his hands in the pocket of his trenchcoat. He watched the Doctor get the door open quite quickly. He was aware of what that was, but seeing it in action was something entirely different. "Will they mind our intrusion?" It was a logical question. He wasn't exactly sure what the Doctor planned to tell them.

He looked over at Rose and smiled. "What are we going to tell them? I do not believe people will grant me access to this place if I tell them I'm God." That was what he told people before. You'd be surprised how many people stayed away and left you alone in a building when you told them that you were God. Castiel assumed it was out of respect, but honestly it was just because they thought he was crazy.

[pinkandyellow]

She blinked as she followed along behind them- that figured. Castiel was actually listening keenly to that educational little lecture. Nobody actually did that. Frankly, the Doctor looked pleased at the change of pace, and carried on rambling out inane facts about the place and it's history, with Cas hanging off of every word.

The Doctor strode through the door, glancing at Castiel over his shoulder. "Well, they'd probably mind, if they knew we were here. Which they don't. Just... let me do the talking."

Actually, he wouldn't be doing all that much talking, just flashing the psychic paper and going with the flow. She hadn't actually thought to prepare him for that- how up to the trespassing and lying was he? Seemed a bit rude, shoving that off onto him and expecting him to go along with it.

She winced at Castiel's comment about being God, and shook her head. "Yeah, don't... don't say that to people."

Or in general, because the wound was still fresh, and the reminder was painful and uncomfortable, as shown by the way she shifted her eyes ahead and tucked her hands into her pockets. "We sort of... make it up as we go along. Usually play tourists, which isn't exactly a lie."