ageplot EP

[notsocommon]

Helen had never been away from home without her father and now she was on some strange island with a husband and a baby, neither of which she remembered. She had always prided herself on never fainting but she had come very close when waking up without a stitch of clothing in bed next to a man.

Will had been kind enough to explain that there was a place to get tea and to relax and that was where Helen was now, trying to soothe her jangled nerves. It was terribly awkward, the whole situation, made even worse by this strange technology she did not understand and these people she did not know.

"How much time have I missed? How many years in the future is it now?"

[PB aside, she looks enough like Magnus to be recognizable - just blonde and 17.]

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[tenthlife]

"Then he would probably like some of the places I've lived." Of course, he'd never be able to survive on those worlds and the creatures I'd been couldn't survive on this one, but that wasn't really the point. "Let's just say that events in the world I came from haven't happened as far as most people here are concerned. And the few I've talked to from the very distant future from my time, have no memories to match mine."

[notsocommon]

"That is fascinating," Helen said, beaming a little. She loved hearing stories of others' travel and this was even more fascinating because time travel, up until this morning, wasn't something she had thought possible.

"Could you tell me about it? The future?"

[tenthlife]

I pressed my lips together. "I would, but I don't think it would be a good idea. It's not a very happy time." Not for humans, anyway.

True, I'd told the older version when asked, but that woman had seen more of the world, her own and others, that gave her a different perspective on my story.

[notsocommon]

"I don't need coddling but I suppose you're right. No need in frightening or upsetting myself," Helen said, trying to keep from speculating on why, exactly, she shouldn't know the future.

"Do you know anything about me? Who I become?"

[tenthlife]

"No, I don't, I'm sorry," I replied, my tone quiet not because of a lie, but because of the words I couldn't say. I knew Helen was a fighter, I knew she was strong, maybe even as strong as Melanie. If she'd been able to survive the first waves, I had an idea that Helen would have gone into hiding and fought with the resistance. That could very well have been because she reminded me of Doc, in both her profession and her manner, though.

"And I don't mean to coddle you, but it has upset others I've told." I thought of Luke, but my mind shied away from that, from thoughts of him just as my hands wouldn't reach for things they knew would burn or prick.

"If you really want to know about the version of Earth I come from, I will tell you."

[notsocommon]

"No, not now," Helen said, shaking her head. "I think it might just end up overwhelming me and being no good. I trust in your judgment."

[tenthlife]

I relaxed visibly when she decided to not hear about the fate of humans in my version of the world. "Have you had a chance to look around the island much at all, or is this a very new thing for you, being here?"

[notsocommon]

"I've been too overwhelmed," Helen admitted.

"I think I am ready to explore now, though, if you have any ideas about where I should go? I leave myself in your capable hands."

[tenthlife]

"One of my favorite places to go is the beach," I told her, more than ready to return the favor of Helen's kindness when I first arrived here. "I'd never seen water the way it is here, stretching out into what looks like infinity, and I love walking just at the water's edge, getting my feet wet as the waves wash in."

[notsocommon]

"It is cold and grey where I live," Helen said, laughing a bit. "Nothing is like it is here. This is tropical and exotic and I haven't exactly experienced that in my life."

[tenthlife]

"Then I suggest a walk down by the water," I smiled and got to my feet. "I've found that nothing makes me feel better when I'm feeling down than being in the sun. Something about the warmth of it on my skin? I'm not sure, but it's my favorite place to be."

And I'd been on the beach so much lately, I was in danger of becoming perpetually sandy.

[notsocommon]

Helen reached out for her hand. "We should go, then, and maybe I can learn to love this island as much as I loved London."

[tenthlife]

"I hope I can help you with that. For all it's craziness at times, it really is a very beautiful place."