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The waves lap at my feet, soaking my shoes. I grimace at the uncomfortable feeling but can’t be bothered to move my feet away. The pain in my chest is too great to care about moving my legs.
I lift a hand to rub at my chest just above my heart, sighing as I recognise this particular type of ache, and I know it is not one that will go away quickly. I would be stuck with this for a while, it seems.
The human body can only go so many years without the touch of another human. Most people believe that a lack of touch doesn’t really do much to the body. They know it messes with your mind psychologically, but they don’t really believe it can have a physical impact.
I’ve been the only human on Erid for twenty years. I’ve experienced so many years without feeling another human touch me. No hands on my shoulders. No arms wrapped around me. Nothing at all. Sure, Rocky comes and sits on me sometimes, or leans against me, but it isn’t the same as real, warm human touch.
I sigh again, wrapping my arms around myself and staring out at the sea. A noise sounds from behind me where the airlock is and I don’t even need to turn my head to know that Rocky has come to find me. His visits are always well timed. It’s almost like he can sense when I am upset, and he comes rolling into my biodome ready to cheer me up.
“Hey Rocky!” I call to him as he gets closer. “How you doing today?”
Rocky plants himself next to me with a happy chirrup. ‘Hello Grace! Rocky was bored and missed Grace! Had not been to see you in long time. So Rocky visit!’
I chuckle quietly, digging my fingers into my sides as a particularly sharp spike of pain bursts in my chest. I don’t want to let on to Rocky the fact that I’m not feeling great, as he is getting rather sensitive about me feeling unwell. He hates how short the human life span is, and the more time I spend here, the more nervous he becomes.
However, Rocky can read me like a book and he sings a quiet, sad note.
‘Grace in pain, question? What go wrong? Grace feel bad.’
“Yeah,” I sigh, knowing I won’t be able to hide this from Rocky. He knows me too well. “Don’t worry though. It’s just a human thing.”
Rocky chirps. ‘All things with Grace are human things. Grace is human.’
I have to give it to him there. “You’re right, pal. I guess… I’m just a bit touch starved, is all.”
‘Starve? Why starve? Grace have plenty of food! Grace stupid. Go eat!’ Rocky jostles against me, as if trying to push me to my feet, but I wave him off, waiting for him to settle into the sand next to me before explaining.
“Not starved like hungry. Starved of touch. Human touch. I haven’t felt another human in years. It messes with our mood and can make us feel unwell.” I force myself to relax my hands though I keep my arms around myself, needing the faux reassurance. “I used to feel it a lot back on Earth. I thought I was used to it but I guess not. We all have our limits, huh?”
Rocky makes a sad sound, pressing himself into my side. ‘Grace need other humans. Maybe Grace go home, question?’
I shake my head, unwrapping one arm to place it on his head. “I’m too old to make the journey home. And I like it here. I like being with you and Adrian and all the other Eridians. This is home.”
Rocky’s pitch drops an octave. ‘Grace old. Humans live not enough. Is too short. Is not enough.’
“I know,” I say, rubbing his head affectionately which makes him hum. “But it’s okay. Every moment I get to spend here with you is a moment I treasure. You’re very special to me, bud.”
‘You are special to me too.’
I smile, moving my hand down his side to wrap around him, pulling him closer against me. He sings a soft note of affection, burrowing into my side, careful not to hurt me. He always knows how to make me feel better, even if he knows there are things only a human can fix with me, he always tries his best.
I guess that’s why he’s my best friend.
We sit like that for a while as I let the sea lap over my feet, breathing deeply to try and deal with the waves of pain rolling through me. I know Armando will give me something for it when I eventually drag myself back to my house, but for now I like to sit with Rocky, letting the sound of the sea crashing on the shore keep me calm.
A rumbling noise sounds near us, trying to disturb our peace, and I am half inclined to ignore it, as it probably means some Eridians are fighting. Well. Fighting, or mating. But I try to never read into it too closely. Rocky however, twitches at my side, making a distressed noise.
‘What this noise, question? What this sound. Rocky not like this sound.’
I frown, looking down at him as he trembles under my arm. “Isn’t this the noise Eridians make when you fight? Or is it the… uh- mating noise?”
‘No no no. This bad bad bad. New sound. Rocky not recognise new sound.’ He scrambles out from under my arm, standing in front of me as if to protect me from whatever is making the noise. It has gone from a deep rumble to something akin to loud human snores and it’s freaking me the hell out. I push myself to my feet, grimacing at the ache in my chest and the uncomfortable feeling in my feet. I really shouldn’t let my shoes get wet like this again. It’s such a horrible sensation.
“What on Erid?”
Something is materialising only a few meters away from us on the beach, causing a wind to pick up around it, blowing sand into my face. I cough and bring my arm up to my face to protect myself from all the sand as Rocky dances before me, making distressed noises. He lifts one arm to make a fist at whatever it is that’s appearing on the beach, and he lets out an almighty screech that I know will be alerting some other Eridians to the problem.
Through the sand blowing around us, I can just about make out the thing appearing on the beach is a big blue box. As it becomes more opaque, I recognise it to be one of those really old British police phone boxes.
What the fudge? What is one of those doing on Erid? And more importantly, how did it get here? Nothing can get into my biodome without coming through one of the airlocks, yet this thing has just materialised in front of me and Rocky!
Soon, the whirring stops and the wind dies down, so I lower my arm to study the box, my thoughts running a million miles a minute. Is this another human that has landed on Erid? A scientist! They have to be a scientist if they have invented a box that could materialise out of nothing.
Actually. Scratch that. This is probably another alien. The last thing that this will be is a human. Even if, for some unknown reason, its ship looks like an old British police phone box. Random.
Suddenly, the door to the box is flung open, startling me and Rocky, who nearly falls over. A tall man in a long trench coat steps out of the box, hands tucked into his pockets.
“Ah! The sea air! Smell that Donna. Doesn’t that smell like home!”
This man speaks English. This man is a human.
There is another human on Erid.
“Oh my God,” I breathe out, lifting a hand to my chest to steady my beating heart. Rocky bounces before me, letting out another screech.
‘Grace not safe! Grace must hide. This isn’t safe!’
The man hears Rocky and he spins on his heels to face us, a surprised look on his face.
“Oh, hello! Who are you?” He makes to take a step forward but Rocky makes a noise of warning, his pitch dropping an octave. The man lifts his hands from his pockets and puts them in the air, a gesture of peace.
“Oh, sorry! You didn’t like that, did you?”
‘Grace go inside.’ Rocky insists. ‘Rocky keep Grace safe. Rocky wait here for other Eridians to help. Grace go inside.’
“Rocky, wait.” I just about manage to find my voice, though my words are strained. “This man speaks English. He looks like a human.”
Rocky isn’t deterred, and he sings another warning note. The man’s eyebrows shoot up to his forehead as I speak though.
“Are you a human?” He asks me. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting to see one of you so far from home.”
I wince, my hand clenching in my cardigan material above my heart. Well, there is absolutely no need for this stranger to rub salt in the wound.
“This is my home,” I manage to force out, “and you’ve just barged in without even knocking.”
“Ah.” The man nods and has the decency to look apologetic. “Yes. Sorry about that. I was just out exploring and my TARDIS picked up two different atmospheres on one planet, so I had to come and investigate, didn’t I? A massive biodome on alien soil? What an adventure!”
“No, you did not,” comes an indignant voice, and a woman appears next to the man, her arms folded as she stares up at him. “You were taking me home! I told you I had to get back to my mum, but oh no! You had to just drop in here because something looked a little funny!”
“I couldn’t very well ignore it, could I? What if something bad was happening?”
‘Something bad is happening!’ Rocky exclaims. ‘Strangers in Grace home. Strangers on Erid. Bad bad bad. Not safe. Grace not safe. Erid not safe. Bad bad bad.’
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” The man shakes his head. “I promise we come in peace-”
“Wait,” I cut in, absolutely flabbergasted. “You can understand Rocky?”
“Ah, yes. TARDIS translation,” the man explains, as if I have any idea what in the world that was. “It automatically translates unknown languages, so I hear him speaking English, and he hears me speaking his language!”
My mouth drops open and I stare at this man in disbelief. I feel rather put out that he can just waltz in here and understand Rocky so easily when it took me ages to learn Eridian.
“Who the hell are you?” I whisper, the initial fear from this interaction still brewing and another spike of pain stabs through my chest, making me cry out. Rocky instantly backs up to me, making distressed noises. The other Eridians must be making their way to us soon to see the problem.
‘Grace not safe! Grace go home, please! You go home, go see Armando and lie down.’
“You are safe,” the man says in a reassuring tone. “I promise. I’m the Doctor, and this is Donna.”
“Charmed,” the woman, Donna, says flatly, looking me up and down, her eyebrows raised. “Are you an alien as well?”
“The Doctor? Doctor who?” I wheeze out. I should probably sit back down again, but I don’t quite feel safe enough to sit down in the presence of these two… humans? Aliens?
“Just the Doctor- are you alright? You don’t look well.” The Doctor steps forwards but Rocky just screeches at him.
‘No approach Grace!’ He warns, raising his arms and clacking his claws at the Doctor, who raises his hands again.
“Okay! Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting all of this. It’s rather exciting! Grace is it?” He asks me, and I nodded slowly.
“Doctor Captain Ryland Grace,” I say, feeling the need to state my importance to this man who had so rudely barged into my home. “And this is Rocky.”
The Doctor freezes, his wide eyes staring at me in awe. “Doctor Captain Ryland Grace… And Rocky, oh, of course it’s you. I didn’t recognise you. Oh my goodness, Doctor Grace, it’s an honour to meet you.”
I blink, startled, and Donna frowns at the Doctor.
“Who’s he when he’s at home?” She asks. “I don’t recognise him.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” The Doctor smiles at me, raising his hand to his heart. “Doctor Grace and Rocky saved the world. Thank you, Doctor, for doing what I failed to do.”
It’s all I can do to wheeze out a laugh, this whole situation feeling entirely hysterical, and my knees choose that moment to buckle and I pitch over in the sand, barely missing Rocky, who lets out an alarmed noise.
‘Rocky take Grace back to Armando.’ Rocky states firmly, resting one of his claws on my shoulder. ‘Then Rocky and other Eridians deal with these two. Grace need to lie down. Grace need rest.’
“Yes, yes of course,” the Doctor hurries to say. “Please, let me help.” He tries to step forwards again but Rocky makes a note of warning.
‘Rocky protect Grace. Grace need rest. Doctor and Donna strangers. Strangers stay away. Strangers bad bad bad.’
I slowly move into a sitting position and push my head between my knees in an attempt to calm myself down. This is all just a bit too much. Sure, I have been longing for another human around here, but to have two of them appear on my beach is all a bit overwhelming.
And I have no idea if they are actually humans or not. Most likely they are aliens, but they are very human shaped aliens. And the Doctor said he speaks English, so I don’t need his translator thingy to understand him. Or maybe he is speaking some unknown language that just sounds like English to me because of the translator.
But he knows who I am. He knows me and Rocky and what we have done for Earth. How does he know, but Donna doesn’t?
“Oh dear.”
I look up when I hear the Doctor speak, but he is looking towards the airlock where ten Eridians are flooding in towards us. They are screeching, matching Rocky’s notes from earlier, and Rocky calls back to them, bouncing up and down though he doesn’t leave my side.
‘Strangers invade Erid!’ He shouts. ‘Need protect Grace. Keep Grace safe.’
‘Keep Grace safe!’ The Eridians echo, and they form a barrier between me and the Doctor and Donna, a low warning rumble coming from them. The Doctor backs up a bit and Donna looks downright furious.
“Right, space man,” she starts, “I don’t know about you, but I don’t fancy facing off with a bunch of sentient rocks. So I suggest we hop back into the TARDIS and you take me home like you were bloody supposed to!”
“Donna, I feel like you’re not appreciating the situation here-”
“Of course I’m not appreciating the bloody situation because I want to go home!” She roars, and I have to laugh, watching this tall man cower in the face of an angry redhead. Oh, how I have missed humans being humans. “I don’t know what you’re laughing at, mister,” she says to me, “but you’re not the one with a bunch of rocks ready to fight you, so I suggest you pipe down!”
That only makes me laugh harder. “They aren’t a bunch of rocks. They’re Eridians. Do you even know what planet you’re on?”
“An alien one,” she replies flatly, folding her arms across her chest. “One that isn’t Earth, where I am supposed to be.”
“This is 40 Eridani A b, but we call it Erid,” I explain. “Home of the Eridians. And me, I suppose. And they don’t want to fight you, they just want to keep me safe.”
‘Keep Grace safe,’ ripples through the Eridians around me and Rocky presses against my side, clicking his claws towards the Doctor and Donna.
“That’s understandable. You saved them just like you saved us,” the Doctor says thoughtfully. “They’re protecting you from us. They’ve accepted you as one of their own.”
“Sorry, but how do you know me and what I’ve done? And how does she not know me?”
“‘She’ has a name,” Donna butts in, glaring at me. “And ‘she’ wants to go home.”
“Ah, right. Donna hasn’t experienced the whole… thing, yet. Time is very wibbly wobbly. But Doctor Grace, you’re a hero back on Earth. Your birthday is an international holiday. People are writing songs about you.”
I blink. Of course, I know that my work was to save Earth and Erid, but to actually hear it be spoken about, and to know that I am being actively celebrated all across the globe is a bit much.
“I think I need some coffee,” I say shakily. “This is all a bit much to process.”
“Of course, may we join you? I’d love to ask how you did it all,” the Doctor asks, and I nod. All I want is more humans here, so who would I be to turn down these two?
“Please,” I say gratefully. “Rocky, everyone, please stand down. These two mean us no harm. I am safe, Erid is safe.”
The Eridians make some unhappy noises, but after some chatter amongst themselves, they scatter off back up towards the airlock to head back into their atmosphere. Rocky stays by my side, but I expect that. He is so protective over me, as I am him, so I can’t fault him.
I try to push myself up but find my legs uncooperative and grunt in frustration. Rocky tries to push against me to help me, but he is small compared to me, and unfortunately he can’t quite help me how I need him to.
“Here, let me,” the Doctor offers, reaching a hand out to me. Rocky clicks nervously, but he moves aside, letting the Doctor into my space. I smile gratefully at him as he takes my hands and gently helps me to my feet, holding me firm as I wobble on unsteady legs.
My breath catches in my throat as he holds me, his hands gripping my upper arms. It has been so long since I have felt another human touch me. I look up at him and realisation fills his expression as tears fill my eyes. God, I feel pathetic, but I am hurting so badly and his touch fills me with relief. I can’t really help it when the tears overflow and I don’t even need to say anything before the Doctor wraps his arms around me and holds me close to him.
I let out a small cry as my body finally feels human love again and I grip his coat, letting myself bask in his embrace. Though we are about the same height, my head tucks perfectly in the crook of his neck and I shudder against him as the tears flow freely down my face.
“It’s been so long,” I choke out eventually. “I haven’t- I’m the only human here.”
“I know, Doctor Grace,” the Doctor says softly. “It’s okay. Donna and I are here now.”
I have no idea how long we stand there, his arms around me while I finally felt some relief from the pain in my chest. Rocky hums somewhere down by my feet and Donna stands back from us, just watching us. Her face softens when the Doctor hugs me. I wonder if she is a mother, or has someone waiting for her back on Earth. Maybe she understands why I am so emotional over this.
It really has been years since I had felt human touch. I’d spent my last days on Earth in a cell, then had been sedated by Stratt’s team. I can’t remember the last time I’d felt real, loving human touch. It might’ve been as far back as when I was with Linda after college. God that was a long time ago.
Eventually, the Doctor steps back, though he keeps his hands on my shoulders in case my knees give out again. He looks into my eyes and smiles softly, before letting me go entirely. I miss his touch immediately, but I know it would be really pathetic of me to reach back out to him. Instead, I clear my throat and wipe away my tears.
“Come on,” I croak. “Let’s go back to my house. Armando will make us coffee.”
“Who’s Armando?” Donna asks as we start slowly making our way back across the beach.
“He’s my robot helper,” I tell her. “He was on my ship, looking after me, and when I came here, the Eridians helped me move him into the house they built for me.”
“So this is all for you?” The Doctor asks in awe, looking around him at the biodome. I nod.
“Yeah. It took them ages, but they worked so hard on it. It’s my biodome, designed to replicate Earth. I asked for it to be a beach because I always loved going to the beach. Took them a while to get the sea temperature just right though.”
Rocky makes an indignant noise. ‘Grace too picky, statement. Water too hot, then too cold. Too picky.’
“I gave up going home so I could save you,” I remind him drily. “I think I had every right to be picky about the qualities of my biodome.”
Rocky just grumbles in response, making me smile. I am not stupid enough to call Rocky my kid, as he is much older than me, but sometimes his mannerisms are very similar to the kids I used to teach back on Earth. It’s nice to be reminded of home through my best friend, even if he has no idea he was doing it.
When we get to my house, I show the Doctor and Donna to the kitchen where Armando is. Rocky takes up his usual spot on the armchair in the corner as Armando starts making coffee. The Doctor studies him with great interest, making me chuckle.
“Fascinating!” He says. “This human technology was way beyond its time when they made it. Donna, it was designed to keep humans alive in a prolonged coma state. I mean, the whole project was way beyond its time. Making a space ship to fly to a different solar system? Absolutely bonkers, you humans are. But bloody brilliant, the lot of you.”
I frown slightly, tilting my head at him as I take off my wet shoes and socks, shoving my feet into my warm slippers. “Are you not a human?”
“Oh no. I’m a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey,” he says, as if I would understand what that means. I look to Donna for help and she takes pity on me.
“He’s a space alien and a time traveller that flies around in that blue box,” she explains kindly. “He’s a bit of an odd one, but he’s a good man.”
“Well. Of course he does.” I sigh and lower myself into my usual chair, accepting the coffee that Armando gives me. Since I met Rocky all those years ago, I’ve learnt to be much more open about aliens in the universe. Though it still baffles me, I know better than to argue against it. “And why are you with him? Are you also a… Time Lord? Lady?”
Donna scoffs. “As if! No, I’m a human. Just a normal human woman. I work as a secretary when I’m not exploring the stars with him. He picked me up one day when we were chasing a woman who was turning people into globs of fat. Well, actually he abducted me on my wedding day, but then he put me back, and then we met again when the fat thing happened. But I’ve been travelling with him since.”
“I did not abduct you on your wedding day,” the Doctor counters indignantly. “You materialised inside of my TARDIS!”
“Eh, well. Potayto, potahto, materialised, abducted. Whatever.” Donna shrugs, smiling smugly when the Doctor shakes his head in defeat. I look on in amusement.
“Of course. Obviously. Because that’s what humans do with their life now. How much have I missed?”
“Oh no,” the Doctor cuts in, sitting down opposite me, “humans don’t do any of that. Just Donna… who is from 2008, so she hasn’t lived a lot of what you have yet.”
I blink. “I’m sorry. You’re from 2008?”
“Yeah. Are you not?”
“No! Oh my god. I left Earth in the 2020s for the Hail Mary mission.”
“What’s the Hail Mary mission?” Donna asks.
“Ah! Spoilers,” the Doctor says with a grimace. “Sorry Donna. This is one thing I really shouldn’t be letting you know about.”
Donna sighs exasperatedly. “What, is something going to appear out of space in the 2020s and start killing Earth so we need to send Doctor Grace off to space to fix it?”
I ponder Donna’s words for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. I wasn’t even supposed to be on the mission, but there was a… last minute complication. So here I am.”
“Right. And I can’t know about this because…?”
“Because it affects your personal future,” the Doctor says apologetically. “Sorry, Donna, but stuff like this is really finickety in the space-time continuum, so I can’t really let you in on all this.”
“Great,” Donna grumbles. “Thanks Doctor. I guess we’ll just pop back to Earth later then and I’m supposed to live with the knowledge that we’re all probably going to die in the 2020s.”
‘Stupid human, statement. Donna not listen to Grace or Doctor.’ Rocky pipes up from his armchair. ‘Grace and Rocky Saviours of the universe! Saved Earth, saved Erid. Grace Rocky saved stars.’
Donna rolls her eyes and the Doctor smiles over at Rocky, his head tilted onto one side as he regards him. “You did. They built statues for you both… They released some of the footage you sent back, Doctor Grace. Everyone loves you, Rocky. No-one does a thumbs up anymore. It’s all thumbs down.”
That startles a laugh out of me as Rocky makes a happy noise, giving the Doctor a thumbs ‘up’. The Doctor grins and returns the gesture, his thumb directed towards the floor.
“Thumbs up baby,” I say faintly, remembering our interactions on the Hail Mary all those years ago. “And please, just Grace is fine.”
The Doctor grins at me. “Well then, just Grace. Can I ask you something?”
I shrug. “Go for it.”
“How come you never came back to Earth? I mean, we all know you had to save Rocky, but why not fix up the Hail Mary and come back once you had saved him?”
I sigh, gazing over at Rocky who lets out a soft trill of encouragement. “I settled here, really. I have Rocky, and Adrian and their pebbles, and my class, and all the other Eridians. They are all so friendly and I guess… I guess I felt more at home here than on Earth. I was given the chance about a year after I was living here to go home. Rocky came up to me and told me that he and his team had fixed up the Hail Mary for me to go back, but I couldn’t bring myself to. This is my home.”
The Doctor hums in response, regarding me with a curious look. I hate being under his scrutiny, so I busy myself with my coffee, feeling his and Donna’s eyes on me. I look over at Rocky instead, who is observing us all, clicking his little claws together like he does when he is thinking.
It is then I hear the airlock noise again and smile softly. That will be Adrian coming to check in on me as they always do around this time. I like it when Adrian comes over. They are a very smart being, and we often compare notes and science and technology. I can tell why Rocky loves them so much. Rocky perks up when he hears the airlock noise and he hums happily.
‘Rocky mate here!’
“You have a mate?” The Doctor asks, peering out of the window, his eyebrows raising as he sees Adrian wandering over to the house. “Wow, they’re beautiful.”
Rocky preens. ‘Adrian prettiest of all, statement.’
“Your mate’s name is Adrian?” Donna asks. “There’s no way.”
I grin sheepishly. “Well, when you’re the one who gets to translate a new language, and your best friend who speaks that language is called Rocky and he has a mate, what else are you going to call them?”
“You clever buggar!” Donna laughs. “Oh, that’s perfect that is.”
“Would you let them in?” I ask Donna as she is closest to the front door, and she obliges, opening it when Adrian knocks.
‘Hello Grace! Hello Rocky! Hello strangers!’ they chirp, nudging themself against my legs and I lean down to pat their head.
“Hey Adrian. This is the Doctor and Donna,” I introduce them, and they respond with greetings before Adrian goes over to see Rocky, who is jiggling with happiness in his armchair. Their relationship is so sweet and I always love seeing them interact. It seems the Doctor does too, as he turns his head to watch them with interest. I shake my head slightly, sighing into my coffee.
A weight lands on my arm and I smile up at Donna, who is looking at me the way a worried mother might look at her son. My smile dips slightly, confusion leaking into my gaze as she and I stare at each other.
“How long have you been alone?” She asks quietly and my smile drops entirely.
“Well, let’s see. The journey from Earth to Tau Ceti was four years spaceship time, so about thirteen years Earth time. I spent about a year with Rocky up there, doing science, then I’ve been here for twenty years. So… somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-four years, depending on which way you look at it. Relativity and all that.”
Donna’s face scrunches up in concern. “They sent you from Earth on your own?”
“No. There were two others with me,” I say softly, my heart aching for the two crew I never got to work with. “Yáo and Ilyukhina. But they didn’t survive the trip.”
“No spoilers,” the Doctor cuts in gently. “I’m sorry, Grace, but Donna really can’t know too much. Space-time continuum. It’s all very wibbly wobbly.”
I nod, letting out a sigh as Donna glares at the Doctor before she turns her attention back to me.
“Spending all those years alone isn’t healthy for a human,” she says, as if I don’t know that. “How have you even survived? We are pack animals. We need each other.”
‘Grace have Rocky and Adrian,’ Rocky trills from the armchair he and Adrian are now sharing. ‘Grace have all of Erid and Eridians. Grace not alone.’
“He may not be physically alone, but to live for so many years without contact from the same species is… well. It does things to a man,” the Doctor says, his voice distant, as he stares out of the window at the waves lapping on the shoreline. He drags his gaze to mine and as we lock eyes I see an understanding there that I have never found anywhere else.
He knows.
He knows what it’s like to be alone for so long without another person to talk to or to touch. I can see it in his eyes, his old, old eyes. How can eyes so old sit on a face so young? I bet his eyes have seen a thousand universes full with so many different species. But where are the rest of his species? What happened to the Time Lords?
“How long has it been for you?” I ask quietly, and he shrugs.
“Long enough,” is all he says, and that is all I need to know that this man is probably the last of his kind. That brings a kind of peace to my mind that it really shouldn’t have, but knowing that the Doctor understands what kind of loneliness I am experiencing makes me feel seen. It makes me feel a little bit less alone, even though I know he won’t be staying long.
“But- but you can come home now,” Donna starts. “We can take you back to Earth, in your timeline. We can bring you home.”
I let out a quiet chuckle as Adrian and Rocky sing sadly.
“I can’t go back now, Donna,” I say gently. “I’m old, and I belong here, really. I don’t think I’d fit back on Earth. I’ve spent too much time away. Besides, I don’t want to go back somewhere where I’ll be praised at every step. I’ll be treated like a commodity, rather than just another human.”
Donna falls quiet, staring at me with sorrow in her expression, and I smile at her, reaching out and taking her hand.
“It’s okay. I’m at peace here. I miss humans, but I’ve made my peace with the situation. And I love living here.”
“But it’s not healthy,” Donna presses, sounding upset, and she squeezes my hand between both of hers. “I mean- you’d be welcomed back! You should be at home-”
“This is my home, Donna,” I respond, my tone soft. I feel for her, I really do. I can tell she isn’t going to accept the idea that even though I ache for humanity, there isn’t really any chance I will go back to Earth. I’ve become part of Eridian life here. I have friends and Rocky, Adrian and their pebbles are my family. I have my class, I socialise, I have a life here. This is my home, and now, sitting at nearly 60, I am quite happy to live out the rest of my years here in this bliss, the knowledge that Earth is safe thanks to me and Rocky keeping me happy.
“It’s not right. Doctor,” Donna turns to him desperately, “can’t you do something? I mean, he has to come back to Earth!”
The Doctor sucks in a breath through his teeth and shakes his head. “Nothing I can do. If he doesn’t want to go back to earth, he doesn’t have to. I’m not going to force him to go anywhere.”
‘Grace stay here, question?’ Rocky asks, his tone sharp, anxiety in his words. ‘Grace need humans, but Grace stay?’
“Yeah, pal. I’m staying, don’t you worry.”
He trills happily in response and I smile over at him, a fond love for him settling in my chest.
Silence fills my house, the only sound being the quiet conversation between Adrian and Rocky in the corner. Donna is staring at me, tears in her eyes, while the Doctor regards me with understanding and warmth. I do want to go back to Earth, of course I do, and Donna’s suggestion has sparked hope in my chest, but I can’t go back. Not now. Not after so long away from there.
Erid is my home. I don’t want to give it up, because I know if I go back to Earth with the Doctor now, I’d never be able to come back here, and I can’t live without Rocky anymore. He is my best friend.
“Would you both like a tour of the biodome?” I ask them eventually once I’ve finished my coffee. “There’s a forested area that has apple trees, and I have a garden with vegetables and flowers!”
The Doctor’s eyes widen. “Blimey, do you really? How did you manage that?”
‘Science the shit out of it,’ Adrian pipes up, making the Doctor laugh as I sigh good-naturedly.
“Language, Adrian,” I say, out of habit, even though Adrian is a good few centuries older than me. My teacher mindset is always working at the back of my subconscious.
“Well then, absolutely! If you don’t mind giving us a tour.”
“Of course. Adrian? Rocky? You coming too?”
Both Eridians chirp affirmative answers, so the five of us slowly leave my house, Adrian in the lead, talking the Doctor’s ear off about all the science we had to do to achieve this level of Earthness on Erid. It has taken us ages to get to this point, but all the hard work has paid off as this place is a near perfect replica of Earth. I can grow my own fruit and vegetables and live off the land. I’m entirely self-sustained here, with a little bit of extra help from the Eridians, of course.
The Doctor is fascinated by my biodome, eagerly chattering away to Adrian and Rocky about everything we have done to get to this point. I only chime in a few times, choosing to talk quietly to Donna about her life and her experiences with the Doctor while the others talk science.
It sounds like the two of them live a very extravagant life, traversing the galaxies, saving species from harm. Donna has seen more than I could ever dream of seeing, and I am a tiny bit jealous of her. I want to ask her if any species she has met have lived without water, but she openly admits to me that she absolutely is not a science person, and I know she would be the wrong person to ask. That is unfortunate, as I still hold onto my belief that somewhere out there is a species that can survive without water.
I love having them both here on Erid. Finally hearing English spoken to me gives me a new spring in my step as I eagerly show them the forest and my garden. The Doctor is fascinated by it all, and he keeps saying how amazing we are for managing to replicate soil and grow vegetables. I can see Adrian and Rocky practically glowing under his praise, which makes me smile. I am glad they can hear someone else sing their praises. I hope they will go back and tell the rest of the biodome team what the Doctor is saying.
However, as all good things have to, their visit comes to a rather abrupt end as a warning noise flashes from inside the Doctor’s TARDIS. Though I’m still not really sure what his ship is all about, I know better than to question him about it, especially while it is making such a racket.
He and Donna run back towards it to silence the noise, and I stick my head inside to see what all the fuss is about.
The bloody thing is bigger on the inside.
Because of course it is.
Rocky and Adrian ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ beside me, marvelling at the amazing piece of technology the Doctor possesses. I know they want to study the hell out of it, but the Doctor is making a face that I understand can’t mean anything good.
“What’s happened?” I lean against the door of the TARDIS, watching as Donna and the Doctor study a small screen in front of them.
“A distress signal. I’m so sorry, Grace, but we have to go,” the Doctor replies apologetically. “I have to help-"
“He’s got a saviour complex,” Donna tells me, but I waved her off.
“Don’t worry, I understand.” I rest my hand on Rocky’s head and the Doctor nods, smiling at me in understanding. “Come and visit me again someday?”
“Oh, absolutely, Grace. I’ll even bring you Earth things,” the Doctor says with a grin.
My eyes fill with tears. “You know how to spoil a guy,” I joke, and the Doctor steps out towards me and draws me into another hug. Donna watches us with a smile on her face and when the Doctor steps aside, she comes and gives me her own hug.
“You look after yourself here, okay?” She says, cupping my face in her palms. “I know what you men are like when you’re all on your own. Don’t lose yourself. And I will make sure he comes back to see you. I will too, if I’m still travelling with him.”
“Thanks Donna,” I say, before letting her go and stepping back from the TARDIS. Rocky, Adrian and I wave as the Doctor bows to us, a glint in his eye. He lifts his arms and rubs his left forearm on his right. I almost cry as the three of us return the gesture. He smiles at us, then snaps his fingers, the door closing on us with a slam. A single tear falls down my face as I stare at the closed door, knowing that’s the end of my interaction with humanity.
But they will be back, I hope, if the Doctor keeps his word and Donna drags him back here. I’d love to see them again someday, before my time in this universe runs out. Human lives are so short, so fragile. I must seem like a speck of dust compared to a Time Lord. I just hope he won’t forget about me and that he really will come back and visit me.
‘Grace feeling less touch starved now, question?’ Rocky asks as we watch the TARDIS groan its way off the beach and back into wherever it had come from. I laugh quietly, patting his head.
“I am. Thanks, bud. You’re the best.”
‘I know.’