(no subject)

[guppy_sandhu]

After this, Luke is resting in the infirmary, under Guppy's supervision.

Comments

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy comes to check on Luke when he's awake.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

[born-running.livejournal.com]

Awake and staring at the ceiling. It's interesting!

"Better."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Do you know what happened?" Guppy perches on the end of Luke's bed, watching him.

[born-running.livejournal.com]

"Yes," he says.

He's not being evasive or anything- it's just an odd instance where he's not sure where to start or what to say.

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy watches him for a moment, with a slight headtilt.

"Luke, you know about medical confidentiality, right? If you have a health problem, you can tell me."

[born-running.livejournal.com]

....Blink.

"I don't have a health problem."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Okay. Can you tell me what happened?"

[born-running.livejournal.com]

"I had parents," he says.

Or, he thought he had parents, but he's not sure how to say this, really.

And, eidetic memory aside, it all did happen fast.

[guppy_sandhu]

"Sarah Jane?"

[born-running.livejournal.com]

He shakes his head. "No. A Mr. and Mrs. Stafford."

Beat.

"They weren't really my parents."

Confusing?

Just a bit!

[guppy_sandhu]

"They were pretending you were adopted?"

[born-running.livejournal.com]

Another head shake. "They were Slitheen."

[guppy_sandhu]

OH NO, NOT THE SLITHEEN! OH THE FART JOKES...

"What's a slithin?"

[notthesinger.livejournal.com]

It has only been, for Alan, a couple of days since Milliways first intercepted him. This time, he's pleased to encounter the place without being loaded down with sacks of groceries.

This lasts for exactly as long as it takes for a note (http://community.livejournal.com/milliways_bar/20606651.html#cutid1) to materialize when he approaches the Bar. It's accompanied by a napkin bearing directions to the infirmary. He hasn't heard anything from Maria or Sarah Jane about Luke being hurt, but then, he's already seen firsthand the fluid nature of time in this place. It could be something that's already happened, or it could be years from now. He goes immediately to the infirmary, because regardless of when, he is here and Sarah Jane isn't and someone needs to check.

"Luke?"

[born-running.livejournal.com]

...Luke had not heard of Maria's dad coming here.

This is, understandably, confusing.

"Mr. Jackson?"

[notthesinger.livejournal.com]

He looks all right, at least, and also looks about the right age. Both points bring a sense of relief, the former more than the latter, of course.

"I got a note," he explains. "Are you all right?"

He doesn't mention anything about this being his second visit to Milliways, because that's not the important thing right now. Even if Luke does look a bit confused.

[born-running.livejournal.com]

"Yes."


Beat.


"Why are you here?"

And Question Boy is up and at 'em again!

[notthesinger.livejournal.com]

The note - oh, right.

"In Milliways? I don't know. I was trying to walk into the house. Uh, this is only my second time here." Apparently that is the important part. "And I got the note when I came in, so I wanted to make sure you were all right. What happened?"

[born-running.livejournal.com]

He's maybe still not entirely all right, but he is aware enough to know that he might be stepping on Alan's timeline here.

"I'm not sure if I can tell you."

[notthesinger.livejournal.com]

Alan sighs. He can tell that this timeline thing is going to get old very quickly.

In fact, it already has.

"All right. Um." He stops to think, trying to come up with an easy way to work things out and sidestep a twenty minute conversation. "Oh! I know. Tell me a word or a name that won't mean anything unless I already know it."

The very fact that he appears to understand what Luke means should, if Luke is paying attention, at least give him an idea of Alan's current place in the timeline.

[born-running.livejournal.com]

There is a moment's thought.

And then, a tentative, "The Bane."

[notthesinger.livejournal.com]

"They created you," Alan says promptly, "at about the same time as Maria and I moved to Ealing."

He watches Luke, waiting to see if the boy is surprised that he knew that or not. It would be best if he wasn't, but Alan doesn't see too much harm if he finds out in advance that Alan knows. After all, it wasn't Luke who told him.

(There is a small part of him that is amazed at how easily he said all that - after all, it's only been about a month since he found out the truth - but it's easily ignored. Someday it will die entirely, and when Alan thinks about that, he's never certain whether he wants that day to come or not.)

[born-running.livejournal.com]

"Yes," he says.

At the very least, he oughtn't be messing with Mr. Jackson's timeline. "I came from the time with the Staffords."

[notthesinger.livejournal.com]

Comprehension dawns.

"Ah," he says. "All right. That was a month ago for me."

Alan pulls up a chair and takes a seat near Luke. "Right, now we've got that sorted. Are you directly from there? Is that why you're here, because of the, uh . . ." He gestures vaguely at his own head.

He's also watching Luke just a little more closely now, because he has wondered off and on for the last month at how easily Luke seemed to shrug the whole thing off. He'd more or less chalked it up to Luke being more resilient because of what he is, but it still seemed - odd.

[born-running.livejournal.com]

"Yes."