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morningfears · 5 years ago

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Back Home

Rating: PG-13 (Blink and you’ll miss it homophobia, some swearing)

Summary: Calum and Elizabeth are going to Hangout with Michael and Crystal in Gulf Shores, Alabama. However, they’ve decided to make a stop in Elizabeth’s hometown, first. Calum gets to see firsthand what growing up in the middle of nowhere was like and, while he’s at it, ask her parents for her hand in marriage.

Word Count: 7k

Calum watched as sunlight filtered through the thick growth of trees lining the road and into the car, illuminating Elizabeth’s face as they drove along a seemingly deserted back road in some tiny Alabama town he didn’t remember the name of. Her eyes, a beautiful green that he hoped their children would someday inherit, were hidden beneath a pair of sunglasses she’d stolen from him but he could clearly see how she was feeling from the smile on her lips and the way that she relaxed in the driver’s seat.

They were on their way to her parents’ house, located in an even tinier Alabama town, where they planned to spend a few days before joining Michael and Crystal in Gulf Shores for the Hangout Festival. It was a new experience for him, he’d never been to either her hometown or Hangout, but he found himself looking forward to it. He found himself looking forward to the blistering heat (“It’s actually not that bad yet,” she’d told him as they packed their bags, “it’s only hit ninety once this week.”) and the solitude she’d described when telling him about growing up in the middle of the woods. But his excitement was nothing compared to hers.

Elizabeth had always been vocal about her dislike of southern politics, southern hypocrisy, southern weather (“It can’t make up it’s damn mind! One day, it’s eighty degrees and sunshine. The next, it’s thirty and you’ve got snow flurries. But maybe that’s just April,” she’d once said, and Calum had never forgotten it), and her own accent - one that Calum could hear but just barely - but he knew she missed certain things. She missed the food - her mother’s, specifically - and some of the people. She missed being able to smile at someone as she walked down the sidewalk and not get a funny look in return. She missed manners, being expected to say hello and ask how someone was doing when she walked into a shop, and not getting a dirty look if she called someone over the age of thirty ma’am.

But, more than anything, she missed her family.

Though Calum and Elizabeth had been together for nearly three years, he’d only met her parents once. It was at her college graduation, less than a year into their relationship, and the meeting was fine. Her parents, while polite, didn’t exactly love him right off the bat. They hadn’t cared how well the band was doing, that he’d made a career out of music and that it was going well, nor did they care about how much he already loved their daughter. He was different, a musician that didn’t look anything like the sweet southern boy her mother had always imagined she’d marry, and that was enough for them to write him off as a novelty.

They imagined that Elizabeth would grow tired of Calum after a while, that she’d get tired of the long, lonely nights while he was away on tour, and that she would begin to see things from their point of view. They imagined that she would tire of California, that her southern roots were planted just deep enough, and that she would tire of Calum and return home to them. But, so far, she hadn’t.

And Calum desperately hoped that she never would.

While her parents had accepted her desire to stay in California and to keep Calum in her life - her mother even liked him, enough to bake him a loaf of bread that apparently no one else in her family liked - there was a bit of a rift. Calum’s parents traveled to see him every so often (and he packed up to see them when he could) but Elizabeth’s parents didn’t like to travel. She told him once that her mother was so afraid of flying that even a Xanax couldn’t calm her enough to get on a flight and that she was such an awful car passenger that a twenty-nine hour drive, even. with regular stops, might actually kill her. They’d only been to California once, to see her graduate, and that had been such an ordeal that Elizabeth never asked again.

Her schedule, while freer now that she’d finished school, was less flexible than his own. She had work, a job that required her to stay in Los Angeles most of the time, and that made going home (as well as joining him on tour) next to impossible. She went home for big holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving, but even that was starting to become difficult as she and Calum began to intertwine their lives.

She hadn’t been home since November - they’d spent Christmas with his family in Australia - and was beyond homesick. Most of the meals she made were recipes her mother talked her through over FaceTime so when Michael and Crystal asked him if they would want to join them for a week in Gulf Shores, Calum jumped at the opportunity to surprise his homesick girlfriend. He worked with her boss - a lovely woman from, coincidentally, Georgia, who had become more like a mentor than a boss - to get her a week of vacation. He called her mom and asked her if it would be alright for them to stay for a weekend before they headed to the beach (of course, she was so excited that she cried and Calum didn’t quite understand half of her words through her accent but he felt the love). And he managed to keep their final destination a secret until they landed in Mobile.

Just before they landed in Mobile, when the pilot announced their destination, the look on Elizabeth’s face was more than enough to make Calum’s year. He took a picture of it, just to remember the look of awe and love she’d given him, before he kissed her and confirmed that they were headed to see her parents. He told her, as they navigated the airport and headed toward the car rental, that they would be spending the weekend with them before heading down to Gulf Shores to spend a few days exploring and experiencing Hangout.

He was certain the smile hadn’t disappeared since.

Although he’d offered to drive, Elizabeth refused to let him behind the wheel. Calum normally drove on their outings - mostly because he was a much calmer driver than her and knew how to handle Los Angeles traffic without having a minor panic attack - but she’d been insistent. The closest airport to her parents’ house was in Mobile and the quickest route took them through a maze of backroads that, according to her and Michael (who had gotten lost on more than one occasion during his trips down south), didn’t appear on either Apple or Google Maps. Elizabeth, however, knew the route like the back of her hand and was comfortable navigating the winding curves and deserted country roads.

“Did you go to Mobile a lot as a kid?” Calum asked, his voice breaking the silence for the first time since they’d left the city limits. He’d been content to just look, to soak it all in, and apparently, so had she. It was like she was recommitting the entire route to memory and he didn’t want to disturb her. However, he was curious and, with her, he never let his questions go unasked.

“Not really,” she hummed, glancing over at him for a moment before returning her gaze to the road beyond the windshield. “It’s almost a three hour drive. It wasn’t a big deal to make the trip but it was more special occasion, you know? We came down here to get dresses for formals and, like, my prom dress. I came with my grandparents some because my paw-paw went to the doctor down here. He took me to Hot Topic for the first time and my mom swears I haven’t been normal since.”

Calum grinned at that, both at the casual use of ‘paw-paw’ (something he knew she hated saying because of the obviousness of it’s origin and the way it seemed to draw out her accent) and the mental image of a pre-teen Elizabeth exploring Hot Topic for the first time. There were pieces of her, bits of her past, that he had never seen. They were never intentionally hidden, it wasn’t as if she locked them away and refused to show them to him, but they were just things that didn’t really come up in the course of their daily lives. Memories of childhood, old habits that had long since been forgotten, seemed to return to her as they drove through the curved roads and he was looking forward to getting know who she was before she moved to LA.

The drive passed far quicker than either imagined it would. Calum watched Elizabeth’s face more often than he watched the scenery pass them by but both were equally captivating. She pointed out certain buildings, little shops or restaurants, that she’d visited as a child. She informed him when they left one town and entered another. She made him promise they could stop by a diner, a little building that looked like it could only fit about five people at a time, on their way back to Gulf Shores (they would make the return trip, the same way they’d just come, and drive through Mobile to get there), as well as made him promise they could stop and get ice cream at a farmer’s market that would apparently ruin his desire to eat any other ice cream ever again.

It was endearing, seeing her so excited for such small things, and Calum decided that he would do whatever she wanted, stop wherever she wanted, just to see the carefree smile she’d been sporting since they stepped out of the airport remain on her lips.

The closer they got to her hometown, the more relaxed she grew in the driver’s seat. She smiled as she pointed out her high school (“It sucked. I hated every moment of it, but it still feels nice seeing the building, you know?”) and the one gas station in her hometown. Calum smiled as he imagined her driving these very roads as a teenager, singing along to All Time Low and wholeheartedly agreeing with the pop punk standard of needing to leave her hometown. He marveled at the lack of traffic lights, at the lack of buildings, and grew more and more astonished the farther they got from her high school. She’d told him she grew up in the middle of nowhere, far away from civilization, but he thought she was joking. However, as he realized that he could count on one hand the number of buildings they’d seen since leaving the city limits of the town closest to her home, he realized that that wasn’t the case at all.

But it was nice, in an odd sort of way. It felt serene, like a quiet place where you could disconnect from the world, and Calum wondered what it was like to grow up here.

“It was miserable,” Elizabeth answered candidly when he asked. “The nearest grocery store is twenty minutes away, if you’re speeding, and they don’t even have half of what you need. It’s just the essentials, really, like milk and bread and stuff. If you wanted anything good, like ice cream or candy or snacks, you’d have to go to Walmart. The closest Walmart, the only place where you can get stuff like dish soap and good shampoo - well, as good as Dove is, I guess - and toothpaste that doesn’t cost six bucks a tube is forty-five minutes away. The nearest hospital is an hour away. Same with the nearest mall, movie theater, bowling alley… The list goes on. There wasn’t much to do here as a kid. You just kind of exist, you know? I played outside al to as a kid. Shocking, I know,” she added, grinning in Calum’s direction as she caught the surprised look on his face.

He couldn’t imagine Elizabeth, the girl who hated her hands being dirty more than anything else, playing outside in the southern heat. He almost asked what her neighbors were like, what the other kids in her neighborhood were like, when she added, “I didn’t have neighbors so I just kind of had to entertain myself. It was lonely and boring.”

Calum watched as she focused on a turn she was making, down a road just off the main highway, and he imagined that they were getting closer to her parents’ house. “Do you miss anything about it?” he asked, his voice soft as he watched her bring one hand up to play with the butterfly pendant laying against her skin. “Other than your family and the dogs, of course.”

“Of course,” she laughed as she glanced at him and smiled. She paused for a moment, as if to think about it, before she shrugged. “Not really,” she hummed as she returned her gaze to the road ahead. “I mean, I miss the food but if I really want it, I can make most things myself. The only thing I haven’t mastered yet is collards and I think that’s just because I can’t get good ones in LA. I miss the quiet sometimes, mostly when I’m trying to sleep, and being able to see the stars but I love living in an actual city with things to do and places to go. Yeah, some stores are still twenty minutes from our house but if I really need something, I can get it from somewhere else. And, I mean, I love the diversity of the city. I didn’t know anything about other cultures, about other people, when I moved to LA and it’s been amazing to see it all and to see how open everyone is to new things. I mean, yeah, I hate some things about LA and it’s a different world for me, for sure, but, at the end of the day, it’s home now.”

Calum nodded his understanding at that. He realized that she loved being surrounded by options. She loved having the ability to get in the car and go get coffee or just go to Target if she felt like it and her hometown wasn’t exactly the most stimulating place he’d ever found himself. Everything looked as if it had seen better days, decades ago, and he didn’t begrudge her not wanting to return for good. However, he was glad that he was getting the opportunity to at least spend a weekend in the middle of nowhere with her and that joy was only magnified as they approached a small dirt road that he quickly realized housed her parents’ home.

“Am I going to get to hear your southern accent?” he asked, an excited lilt to his voice as they drove down a tree lined dirt road, careful not to hit the rocks and tree limbs that cluttered it. “It’s so faint now,” he reminded her. She, like him, had adapted to Los Angeles and he accent had faded. It was still there, more so than his own, but it only truly appeared when she was angry or excited or exceptionally tired and unable to control her speech pattern. It was faint and Calum missed it. He thought it was cute, he liked the way it sounded when she said his name, but he knew it had been a source of annoyance for her when she first arrived in the city. He also knew that she herself wasn’t very fond of it so she didn’t lament its loss at all.

“Probably. At least, it’ll be thicker here than it is in LA,” she confirmed with a sigh, not at all pleased by the thought. “I try not to control my voice so much around my family. I just talk, I guess. But I still don’t get why you like it so much. It’s gross. And, besides, you’ll get tired of the southern twang real quick with my family. I’ll provide translation services if necessary.”

Calum laughed at the deadpan comment and nodded his appreciation. She knew how much trouble he had understanding her mother sometimes (usually when she was angry and ranting during a phone call) and had warned him that the rest of her family - with the exception of her brother - was worse. The accents grew thicker and thicker, harder and harder to understand, and she herself sometimes found it difficult to navigate a conversation. But Calum was looking forward to seeing her at ease among members of her family and grew excited as he spotted a comfortable white house looming in the distance.

“Here we are,” she informed him with a smile, her cheeks round and pink (from the heat or excitement, he couldn’t tell) and her teeth on display, as she caught sight of the cars parked out front. “Holy shit, everyone is here.”

Everyone seemed to be an understatement. There were several cars, all parked in front of her parents’ home, and Calum couldn’t even begin to guess who had appeared to greet her. Her mother had told him that her brother, his wife, and their children would be there to greet them. He also imagined that her nana would be there. However, he couldn’t fathom who else her mother could have invited. But, as Elizabeth put the car in park, a horde of teenagers, all in their mid to late teens, rushed out of the front door, down the steps, and swarmed the car.

“Lizzie, you’re home,” one girl with blonde hair and braces cheered as Elizabeth climbed out of the car. Though she looked to be about sixteen, she stood several inches taller than Elizabeth and dwarfed her as she pulled her into a hug. “I missed you! I have so much to tell you. I got a car! I can drive now. And a boyfriend! You went to high school with his brother, Austin.”

“Let her go, May,” another of the girls, this one shorter than Elizabeth and decidedly the oldest of the group, urged as she shoved her arms between the pair, “I want to hug her.” She wrapped her arms around Elizabeth’s waist and pouted up at her as she said, “Lizzie, I start college in August. I’m going to LSU and I don’t know what to do. Help me!”

“She’s my aunt!” A high pitched voice squeaked as a short girl with glasses and braces that bore a clear family resemblance to Elizabeth shoved through the others. “Aunt Lizzie!”

“Hey, guys,” she laughed, clearly overwhelmed by the affection as she struggled to fully climb out of the car. “It’s good to see you all, too. What are y’all doing here?”

“We waited to have maw maw’s birthday party today so we could celebrate that, you being home, and me graduating high school all at once. Oh my god, is that a boy? Lizzie has a boyfriend!” the second girl, whose name Calum still didn’t know, yelled as she caught sight of him climbing out of the car. He offered her a smile, amused by the apparent novelty of Elizabeth bringing someone home, and waved at her before he reached back into the car to grab his bag. “Lizzie’s never brought anyone home before,” she told Calum as he walked around the car to stand at Elizabeth’s side. “We thought she was a lesbian but just didn’t want to tell us.”

“Oh my god, Haley,” Elizabeth groaned as she reached out and nudged the shorter girl away from her. “Go away. All of you, go inside. I’ll be there in a second.” When the girls turned and began running back toward the house, Elizabeth groaned and turned to bury her face in the crook of Calum’s neck. “Jesus, fuck. This is why I never brought anyone home,” she deadpanned as she glanced up at him from the corner of her eye. “I’m going to go ahead and apologize for everything that’s about to happen.”

Calum, who was struggling to hold back his laughter, shook his head at her statement. “Don’t worry about it,” he assured her with a smile as he leaned in to press a kiss to the crown of her head. “Family can be embarrassing but, at the end of the day, they love you and want to see you happy.” He paused for a moment, thinking about the comment the girl had made, before he asked, “Before we go in, they don’t know you’re bi, do they?”

“No,” she sighed as she removed herself from his grasp and opened the back door to grab her own bag from the seat. “They… I don’t know. I can’t tell them and, I mean, right now, it doesn’t matter. But, no. There are a lot of things they don’t know about me. I didn’t realize you’d be thrown to the wolves on the very first night so I’m going to apologize again for anything they say that’s offensive. I’ve tried so many times to educate them but it’s so tiring when they don’t want to learn, you know? My mom tries, sometimes, but it’s easier to just pretend for a few days than keep pounding my head against a brick wall.”

Calum wasn’t sure what he could say to that statement and he knew that, sometimes, all she needed was a hand to hold. So, instead of putting his foot in his mouth, he gripped her hand in his and brought it to his mouth to place a gentle kiss against the back. When she shot him a halfhearted smile, he squeezed it a little tighter and said, “Lead the way, love.”

Though Calum had been overwhelmed by the barrage of teenage girls that bombarded the car, they were nothing compared to the barrage of adults that swarmed them as they entered the house. He held Elizabeth’s bag and watched as, one by one, adult after adult wrapped Elizabeth in hugs and shouted variations of, “Lizzie Belle!” He stood off to the side, a small smile on his face, as he watched them tell her how proud they were of her for finding a life in Los Angeles or how beautiful she looked. It was sweet, an onslaught of love, but he imagined that she was incredibly uncomfortable with the outpouring of compliments as she thanked everyone. She didn’t like to be the center of attention, not when there were so many sets of eyes on her, but he could tell that she was glad to be at home as she hugged her nana and held on tight.

“Here, let me help you with that,” a voice called over the din of the living room and Calum glanced over to meet the eyes of a man he recognized as her older brother. The family resemblance wasn’t very strong - likely due to their different fathers - but he could see bits and pieces of Elizabeth in him. They had the same dark, wavy hair (though her brothers had started graying) and kind smile but that was where the similarity ended. Her brother, slightly taller than Calum and significantly bigger, looked as if he spent a good deal of his time outdoors and was covered with tattoos.

“Thanks,” Calum said as he handed the bag to Elizabeth’s brother and followed him through the small path he’d carved behind the crowd of relatives. “Calum,” he introduced, holding his hand out as they entered a long hallway, “nice to meet you.”

“Josh,” he returned as he shook Calum’s hand before gesturing to a room with a closed door, “this is Lizzie’s room. Y’all’ll be in here.” Josh dropped the bag onto Elizabeth’s bed and Calum followed suit before he paused to glance around the room.

The room was exactly what he’d imagined it would be. The curtains were black and red with a light blocking curtain behind them. The queen sized bed was tall, so tall that Elizabeth needed a step-stool to climb onto it, and covered with a black duvet with white polka dots and nearly a million pillows at the head. Posters covered every inch of the walls and Calum spotted All Time Low, Green Day, and even a few One Direction posters thrown into the mix. A bookshelf rested in one corner and was filled to the brim with books, CDs, DVDs, and old trinkets. He spotted a stack of yearbooks on the top shelf and decided that his night was going to spent combing through her memories.

As Calum lost himself in exploring her bedroom, he didn’t realize that a small velvet box had fallen out of his bag. He’d tucked it into the pocket for safety but it jostled loose when he tossed the bag onto the bed and hit the floor with a thud. As he ran his fingers along the CDs littering her bookshelf, stopping and grinning when he came across their self-titled album - something he was absolutely going to tease Elizabeth about having later - Josh bent down to pick it up.

“You know, Lizzie’s never really been a jewelry person but, from the way she talks about you, I can see her being alright with wearing this.”

Calum turned, surprised as he had forgotten that Josh was still in the room, and blinked as he stared at the box in his hand. He didn’t know what to say. He’d been planning on asking her parents for permission, something he knew she thought was old-fashioned but a sweet gesture, and was mildly terrified of the response he was going to get. However, as Josh smiled at him and held the box out to him, Calum felt a small bit of ease wash over him.

“You think?” he asked as he shoved the box back into his bag and ensured that it wouldn’t fall out again. “I don’t - I know we’ve just met but I…” He paused, unsure of what he should say to him, before he simply stated, “I really love her.”

“I figured,” he nodded as he took a seat on the edge of her bed and jerked his head in the direction of the living room. “Anyone willing to put up with all this has to be in love. Momma said you were the one who called and asked if y’all could come down,” Josh said as he glanced toward the door of the room. “Lizzie doesn’t get to come home much so it meant a lot that you called and set this up for her. Momma’s hard to get through to sometimes. She doesn’t think anyone’s good enough for her kids, especially when they keep them so far away from home, but that made her happy. That gave her a reason to like you. I don’t think they’ll say no, if that’s what you’re after. But, you do know that Lizzie won’t care what they say, right?”

Calum was floored to hear Josh speak so candidly about their mother. Elizabeth was never so open about it. She rarely spoke about the bad with her family - only when she really needed to convey the importance of something - but he knew that there was a tension that he would need to overcome where her family was concerned. He was more of afraid of their denial than hers but to hear Josh predict that they would approve made his heartbeat calm and the tension in his shoulders ease.

“I know,” he laughed as he imagined Elizabeth raging against a denial from her parents. She was an adult, she was free to do as she pleased, and if she wanted to marry Calum, she would. However, having that approval was more of a symbolic gesture that Calum hoped would extend an olive branch to her parents and assure them that he wasn’t trying to steal their daughter or keep her from seeing them. He opened his mouth to thank Josh when footsteps interrupted him.

He glanced up to see Elizabeth step into the room with a small child in her arms, no older than two, and Calum felt his heart skip a beat at the sight. “There you are,” she hummed as she glanced at Calum and gave him a smile before she turned her attention to her brother. “Dad’s looking for you. They’re getting the crawfish ready to put out. They need some more hands.”

“Alright,” he sighed as he stood from the bed and clapped Calum on the shoulder. “Nice meeting you, man. We’ll have a beer later, talk some more. Lizzie says you’re in a band. I wanna know about your music,” he said before he leaned in and wrapped an arm around Elizabeth’s waist and pressed a kiss to the baby’s head. “Hey, girl. Good to see you. Don’t drop my child, please.”

“Like I would,” Elizabeth huffed as she nudged her brother away from her. “You literally threw me across a room as a baby. I’m clearly not the one anyone needs to be concerned about. Isn’t that right, Sawyer?” The baby in her arms cooed, grinning up at her, and Josh rolled his eyes as he let go.

“Keep bringing up the past, damn. Can’t let anyone make any mistakes around here,” he grumbled playfully as he left the room and left Calum, Elizabeth, and Sawyer alone.

“Sorry for letting him steal you,” she apologized as she stepped closer to him and smiled when he reached out to offer the baby his finger. “I try desperately hard to keep anyone I like away from him. When I was twelve, he called out this guy I had a crush on on Facebook and the guy never spoke to me again. He was, uh, a little… overprotective?” She paused, glancing down at the baby in her arms, before she cooed at her. “You’re gonna have such tough time dating, honey. He’s gonna give your dates the ultimate interrogation and it’s not going to end well for anyone involved.”

Calum laughed as Elizabeth pouted at the baby and felt his heart melt as he watched them interact. He’d been thinking a lot lately, about children and marriage and the future, and every image of the future he got, Elizabeth was in it. He wanted her to be the one walking down the aisle to meet him. He wanted her to be the one to carry his children. He wanted her to be the one he grew old with. He wanted her, then and forever, and it made his heart ache in the best way to see her look so happy holding a small child.

“You look beautiful like that,” Calum breathed before he could stop himself. When Elizabeth rolled her eyes, brushing him off with a comment about how much she’d been sweating from the sweltering heat, he shook his head. “You always look beautiful but you look even more so holding the baby,” he elaborated, smiling as she glanced down at the giggling girl in her arms. “It looks natural.”

“It’s taken us a few times to get this right,” she hummed as she tickled Sawyer and grinned at her. “She threw up on me the first few times I held her. But we’re good now, right, honey?” When Sawyer cooed at her, reaching out to tug at her hair, Elizabeth smiled and glanced at Calum. When she met his amused glance, she grinned and shook her head. “I know what you meant, bub. It’s nice. I’ve thought about it and I want it - children, a family - with you. I’m sure there are other things we need to work on before that but I want that.”

“I do, too,” Calum confirmed with a grin as he leaned over to press a soft kiss to her cheek. When the baby slapped at his chest, he laughed and pulled away from Elizabeth with a grin, “But maybe now isn’t the best time to talk about our family plans, huh?”

“Nope,” she agreed with a smile, “not when there’s a cranky little lady that needs her mom and two adults that need beer and crawfish.”

Calum quickly found himself in the backyard, passed around by relatives as Elizabeth introduced him to each one. Her mother, who had been finishing frosting a red velvet cake, grinned when she spotted him and nudged an uncle that Calum had already forgotten the name of out of the way. He was almost surprised at the hug he received, the affection was a little startling, but he decided not to question it as Elizabeth’s mother wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.

“Thank you,” she said as the others around them dispersed to give them a moment to talk. “My Belle doesn’t get to come home much and she’s always so worried about taking off so I’m so glad you convinced her to come home for a little bit. I’ve missed my baby. And it’s good to see you again. I haven’t seen you in nearly two years. I miss your hair,” she laughed as she pointed out the buzz cut he’d gotten recently.

“Lizzie does, too,” he laughed as he rubbed a hand over the bleached hair on top of his head. “She liked playing with it while we were watching TV,” he added quickly, afraid of how the first part of his sentence sounded. “I’m glad that everyone was able to come. She’s missed everyone.”

“She has,” her mom nodded as she glanced around the backyard and smiled as she caught sight of Elizabeth sitting with the girls and chatting animatedly about whatever topic they’d gotten started on. “Everyone’s missed her. It’s not the same without her here but she’s happy in LA. You make her happy. I’m glad that y’all have each other,” her mother told him with a smile and Calum breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the sincerity in her tone. He was afraid that Josh had misread the situation, that he wasn’t nearly as favored as he imagined he was, but to hear her say that eased the nerves he felt in the pit of his stomach. However, they quickly returned as she turned to face him and said, “Josh said you had something you wanted to ask us?”

Calum blinked, surprised he was being put on the spot so quickly, and nodded slowly. “I, uh, yeah. But it can wait. It’s fine.”

Her mother smiled at him and Calum could see the understanding on her face. “If it’s what I think you want to ask, I’d prefer you didn’t. The answer is yes, by the way, from both of us. But we still want to hear your proposal.”

Calum laughed as he found himself being dragged into the house by Elizabeth’s parents. Her brother and grandmother — whose opinion really, truly mattered — followed them into the laundry room (the only room that seemed to be empty) and listened carefully as Calum asked for permission and detailed the proposal he had planned in Gulf Shores.

The rest of the weekend seemed to pass in a blur. Elizabeth taught Calum how to eat crawfish - her brother showed him how to suck the head, though he didn’t imagine he would be giving that a try - and her maw maw taught him how to shell butterbeans and peas as they sat in the shade of a pecan tree and worked on seven five-gallon buckets of peas and beans. They took him to a fish camp, an old cabin-like building in the middle of nowhere that made the best friend fish he’d ever had, and showed him the river where they went tubing when Elizabeth and Josh were young. And on their last night, he and Elizabeth sat on her parent’s front porch with a bucket of peas a piece and watched as the dusty afternoon turned to night.

“I’m really glad you did this,” she hummed as she glanced away from the bucket in front of her and over at Calum. “I never thought I’d say this but maybe all I needed was to come home and shell peas for a few days.”

Calum, whose fingers were sore and stained from the hulls, couldn’t imagine having spent every summer in this fashion but it was a nice glimpse into her world and he agreed. It had been restful, something of a recharge, and he found himself grateful for the experience. “It’s been nice,” Calum agreed with a smile as he watched her work for a moment. “It’s been good to see you in your element. I know that this isn’t your life anymore but it was nice to see where you come from.”

“I’m glad it didn’t send you running for the hills,” she teased as she tossed a hull into the bucket and shook her head. “You know, if you’d told me as a kid that I would move to LA, I wouldn’t have believed you. But if you’d have said that I’d move to LA, find someone as amazing as you, fall in love, and then bring you home someday to show you what my life was like before? I would’ve called you insane. But it felt right. Letting you in, letting you see this part of my life. It felt… it felt like it was time, you know?”

Calum reached out to squeeze Elizabeth’s hand but said nothing as they continued to shell their peas. If he’d spoken, he would’ve poured his heart out to her. He would’ve confessed just how much he loved her, just how much she meant to him, and would’ve ended up proposing on her parents’ front porch. Instead, he let his touch convey everything he wanted to say and hoped that would last them until they made it to the beach.

Saying goodbye was a rough affair. Elizabeth’s mother and nana cried. Her father held onto her for so long that her mother had to pull them apart. They all made her promise to visit again soon and sent them on their way with enough food to feed an army. Elizabeth let Calum drive on the return trip and watched as he navigated the streets she regarded with a fondness that she never imagined she would feel. She felt bittersweet, glad to have gone home but sad to be leaving, and hoped that the festival would cheer her mood.

However, what she was met with was something far greater than she expected.

As they arrived at the beach house she, Calum, Michael, and Crystal would share for the weekend, she was under the impression that they’d arrived before Michael and Crystal. However, as they entered the house to find it decorated with photos from her and Calum’s relationship as well as flowers, she realized that she was wrong. They’d been in, long enough to help Calum set up his surprise, and were waiting somewhere in the city for Calum to make his move. It didn’t click, not at first, what the point of the set up was. But as she dropped her bag and began to look at each of the photos, it soon dawned on her.

“Calum,” she began, her voice quiet as she turned to him, only to see him on one knee behind her. “Oh, fuck.”

At her exclamation, Calum laughed and held his hand out for her to grab. “Come here,” he laughed, smiling as she stepped closer to him and allowed him to hold her hand in his. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while and even spending a weekend shelling peas can’t deter me,” Calum teased as he glanced up at her. Her hand rested over her mouth, her fingers shaking as she watched him open the small velvet box to reveal a beautiful ring. “I love you, so much. Whenever I imagine the future, I imagine you in it. I want it all with you. I want to have a family with you, I want to grow old with you. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life by your side. I love you, Lizzie. Will you marry me?”

Elizabeth, though she imagined the proposal was coming, couldn’t speak. Instead, she nodded her agreement and kneeled onto the floor to wrap her arms around Calum’s neck. He laughed, relief and joy bubbling in his chest, as he wrapped his own arms around her waist and held her tight against his chest. He held her there for a moment, relishing in the moment, before he pulled away just enough to press a kiss to her lips. “I love you,” he breathed against them, his eyes shining with joy as he moved to place the ring on her finger, “I can’t wait for forever with you.”

“Forever isn’t long enough when I’m with you, Hood,” she quipped, her smile bright and her eyes glittering with unshed tears as she pressed her lips to his once more. “I love you, Cal. Thank you for being the most amazing man and for loving me the way you do.”

Calum knew that the future was rapidly approaching. He knew that, no matter how far away it seemed, everything would change in the blink of an eye. But with Elizabeth by his side, with her hand in his, he imagined that he could tackle whatever the universe threw at him.

And as they sat on the back patio, curled up together on a lounge chair and looking out at the water with Michael and Crystal to their left and the sound of pre-Hangout revelry to their right, Calum couldn’t think of any other place he’d rather be.

____________________________________________________

Author’s Note: This is literally just seven thousand words of self-indulgent bullshit. I don’t know. I felt it and I’ve wanted to do this for a while. It wouldn’t leave me alone so I spent my day alternating between this and Rose Tattoo. Also, with tag lists I lowkey feel like I’m annoying people if I tag them (which is the point, I know) but tell me if you don’t want to be tagged in everything. Anyway. I need to write something for Ash now. I’m, like, in an Ash mood.

Tag List (like this post or message me if you want to be added! If you don’t want to be tagged in everything, just let me know): @toolazymyguy , @irwinkitten , @jamieebabiee , @glittersluke , @spicycal , @lusbaby , @everyscarisahealingplace, @brokenvirtualheartcollector , @if-it-rains-it-pours, @blisshemmings , @calumscalm , @lovemenowseemenever , @ijutreallylovezebras , @rhiannonmichelle , @p0laroidpictures , @tomscuddles , @loverofmineluke , @harrytreatspeoplewithkindnesss , @blueviiolence , @loveroflrh , @empathycth , @luckyduckydoo , @tobefalling , @bandsandbooksaremykink , @watch-how-she-burns , @megz1985 , @wokeupinaustralia , @lucidlrh , @canterburyfiction , @cal-is-not-on-branding , @jaacknaano , @findingliam-o , @idk-who-i-am-anymore1 , @sammyrenae68 , @flowerthug ,

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elfwriter1088 · 4 years ago

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Old Guard fanfic (prologue)

A/n: Please bear with me. It’s been a hot minute since I got the time to do this. Plus, I blame @badassbaker (in a good way) for getting this done. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Old Guard characters! That belongs to their respectful owners--don’t sue me! I only own the ones that you would not recognize (i.e. Nyx, Erik, etc.)

---(prologue)---

The blaring of a mobile device rings out into the otherwise silent apartment. Nothing happens for a couple of seconds before the figure underneath a pile of blankets swore under their breath as a hand reaches out to grab at the device.

“Hello?”

Hey, it's Book

“Where's the job at?”

Booker has to laugh--blunt and straight to the point. That's one thing about Nyx: you never beat around the bush with her.

I'll text you the details. How are you, l'amour? (love)

“You know what that does to me, Book. You think, after how many years we've known each other, that you would use that one weakness against me.”

Can you blame me? But, seriously, how are you?

Book could hear the gears turning in her head. Then again, who would blame the youngest member of the Old Guard for slipping to his native tongue on one of the older females. However, Nyx could outdo him on being fluent in a lot more than just French.

“It's been busy on my end. Trying to blend in a mundane day job while awaiting to see you all again. Je vous ai manqué (I missed you).”

Booker smiled at how Nyx managed that phrase with a hint of her own accent. It amazed him that she could slip into speaking different tongues with ease...after all, the woman had spent years living in Europe throughout most of history before making roots in the US after WWII.

And you said that I was playing dirty by using my mother tongue.

“Never said I play easy, Book. Who else will be there?”

Joe and Nicky are arriving in a couple of days...Andy too.

“It'll be good to see them again. Even though it's only been over a year since the last time. θα σε δω σύντομα, αγάπη (See you soon, love).”

As the figure ends the call, they sit up to reveal a disheveled woman, who was clearly just getting back to consciousness.

“...Σκατά. Δεν το πιστεύω ότι θα μου τηλεφωνούσε ακριβώς πριν τη βάρδια μου… Γαμώτο, πρέπει να βρήκα μια δικαιολογία την τελευταία στιγμή.” the woman mused aloud as she scrolled through her phone to place a call.

*Shit. I didn't think he would have called me just before my shift … Damn, I now have to find an excuse at the last minute*

Sand...gritty, earthy, hints of iron and raw material. The sun is hot, drying, killing all moisture in the humid air. The sounds of sword fighting, the grunts of men and women littered the surrounding atmosphere as far as the eye can see. People of all ages, from the age of three to eighteen, training and bettering themselves for future battles and parenthood.

In a blink of an eye...the scene changes to numerous battlefronts: different clothes...different tongues...different weapons...same results. Another blink: landscapes evolve with the passing years and eras of mankind. Same faces of agony...same faces of yearning for peace and hope...same color of death on the ground.

She is startled to consciousness as the memory of sleep starts to fade little by little. She's glad to have her headphones, although cheap by price in today's world, to block out any outside noise from her sleepy mind. She blinks away the sleep while getting into a more comfortable position in her seat, almost forgetting about the flight she's currently on to Morocco. Once in a good comfy position, she takes off the headphones and rubs at her weary face to a more alert look. Glancing down at the watch resting on her left wrist, she can read the time on there: 0238.

She wondered if the others were awake or asleep. Then again, Booker only called her up only nine hours prior to alert her of a new possible job for the group. It was not easy as far as booking a last minute flight, let alone from one of her own contacts in the US to get her safely to her destination. Then again, Nyx was owed this favor. Raphael knew that, once the petite brunette called him up just after Booker's phone call, her turning in that favor she was owed was something. He gave her details of the first possible flight to the other side of the Atlantic and Nyx was up in the air within four hours of planning. Now, five hours into a thirteen hour flight, Nyx was in dire need of catching as much sleep as she could.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and rose from the chair, grabbing a small toiletry bag in the process before she shuffled her way to the toilet onboard the jet plane. Once she closed the door and turned the vanity light on, she grimaced at the sudden brightness on the narrow compartment. Glancing back at her was a mirror image of herself: a messy chest length of dark brown hair rested on two directions on the left side of her head, bound only by a hair tie; her complexion looked a bit ashy, although the woman knew that her natural coloring was a somewhat warm olive-brown tone from years of being out in the sun and somewhat thanks to her genetics of long ago; vibrant amber-brown eyes hidden partially to the blue ringed contacts she wore to enhance the exotic nature of her origins.

She scowled a bit under her breath as she went about washing her face and brushing out her hair and teeth. Sighing once she freshen up a bit, she risked another glance in the mirror. She saw a worn-out woman looking back at her. She was merely surprised at how quickly she was able to scramble an excuse to her 'boss' of a family emergency that would take her out of the country for a while to care for them. She shook her head at the response she got back on how last minute the excuse was--then again, it was merely a front of her waiting for the next time she was called to help "save the world", as Andy would kindly phrase what the Old Guard was responsible for doing.

A soft knock on the door took over her musing thoughts. Nyx sighed in a breath as she turned the handle to see a young male looking back at her.

"Everything ok, ma'am?" The man asked, his voice a bit too soft for how tall he looked.

"Yeah...sorry, just wasn't intending to sleep so little for this trip, Erik."

Erik nodded his head, his crew cut hair did little to hide how handsome he appeared to others.

"Dad was mentioning that you would have issues with staying asleep. Did you try alcohol?"

Nyx gruffed at the suggestion of being drunk to sleep while flying.

"Wouldn't have worked for me. Even took a sleeping pill...tried it all, kid," she answered as she slowly got out of the small compartment; Erik allowed her to exit by scooting off to one side to allow her to pass. "I'm surprised that you fly this tincan at all. Your dad lost a bet with you?"

"Dad mostly does logistics now. Hasn't flown in a while due to his heart condition. Plus, he was really upset about missing out on taking ya." The man replied back as he took a seat across from Nyx.

"You left the control on autopilot, didn't ya"

The younger man nodded his head in response.

"Needed to take a nap. You ok with taking over for a bit while I catch a quick snooze?"

"Weather is going to be fine there?"

"Clear skies and only God to guide us there. It's safe."

Nyx nodded her head in return.

"Go on. I'll holler if I need ya," she said, grabbing a can of Cola Coca on the way to the pilothouse and giving Erik a squeeze of his shoulder in passing.

After getting situated in the pilot seat, Nyx let out a breath she didn't realize she held. The man accompanying her was the son of the man that helped Nyx get her semi-retired life in order. She helped raise that kid from diapers. Although, she never once complained at the mere thought of looking after one of her descendants from one of her long-lost children of yonder ago. She had been careful of revealing too much of her origins to Erik's father, but the boy wasn't blind nor stupid to see some sort of family resemblance. The kid was quite good at keeping his thoughts to himself--only happy to have someone be his guiding hand at times; other times, just be there if he needed an ear to vent to.

Sighing once more, Nyx prepared for however long it would take to fly the jet before the young pilot would awake from his slumber and join her on the controls.

#old guard #fanfic

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thetravellingvagrant · 7 years ago

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Day 6: Iasi- Grumble Warning

Ok, so, I've fallen a bit behind on posts and the one I was working on just deleted itself in a fit of selfishness, so I plan, over the course of today, to upload three mini-updates of significantly reduced length, in an effort to not send myself mental, trying to catch up. Don't worry. You won't be missing much.

So, let's speed through day 6; for the first time on the trip I had managed to let myself wake up naturally, without my alarm or (despite their best, snore-laden efforts) room-mates prematurely rousing me. Consequently, I slept until 12 and had managed to waste a good portion of my first full day in Iasi.

I shared my room with an odd Romanian man, who we will get to later and another, eerily quiet, fairly creepy man who had sat stock still, the previous night, not moving, even to check his phone when it went off, save for one incident, where he sauntered directly over to my bunk to thrust a piece of melon into my face, to ask if I wanted some. I did not. Melon is gross. By the time I had woken up, however, both men had vacated the room, with my melon based assailant seemingly having done so permanently. I was very glad of this fact.

After a genuinely infuriating experience of trying to drag my incredibly low-end laptop through the relatively demanding experience of trying to book accommodation for Cluj-Napoca; my next destination, through AirBnB, who had also arbitrarily decided that I, all of a sudden, needed to scan my passport into the website in order to make any further bookings, for some mad reason, I finally managed to get out into Iasi, to explore the city properly. Sort of.

The sky was badly overcast, meaning, that once again, despite it being pre-sunset, my jaunt into the surrounding area would be undertaken essentially in darkness. Regardless, I pressed on to my first objective of the day; to hoover up souvenirs, like a mad tat-vaccuum.

I stopped, for what I hoped would be a flying visit, though actually ended up taking up a good portion of what remained of my day, at a gift shop I had spied on my way in to the hostel, the previous day. A timid little man greeted me upon my entry and asked what I was looking for, for whom and what my budget was. I told him and he considered for a moment, before demonstrating at wearying length each piece of stock he felt fit the bill, which, as it turned out, was nearly every piece of stock he owned. After an awfully long time, he stopped talking and I picked the piece of tat I most felt would make an appropriate gift and attempted to pay. He insisted on gift-wrapping it, despite the fact that I told him I did not need it gift wrapped, nor did I expect the structural integrity of the wrap to hold up, during my flight home. But, no. He did it anyway.

I left and, after a quick stop at a nearby mall to pick up a fridge magnet, upon which my demanding (though still nice) girlfriend insists I bring back for her, I was finally ready to explore the city. Like, for real this time.

I sat in a nearby park and pulled out the comically huge map I had been given by the hostel

I mean LOOK at it...

before feeling a bit embarrassed and putting it away, after taking a quick photo of it to take note of the highlighted areas of interest. I decided, in lieu of a better plan, to saunter between them, despite the fact that most, if not all of them just seemed to be old churches.

The walk was nice enough, with my podcasts filling my ears to distract me from the low-key mundanity and creeping cold that was setting in, though probably not of any huge interest to the blog, as it can be summed up in the single sentence “I saw some churches”. I nearly went to a museum which featured exhibits on life in the area at around 4000BC, which sounded interesting, but by the time I had arrived, it was getting close to its closing time, and so I did not.

I ended up, instead, in a nearby park, which my giganto-map had told me, I my memory served, had inspired numerous romanian poets to create their best work. It was, however, by the time I arrived, a little after sunset, and so I was only really inspired to leave.

Finally, I made a quick stop at LIDL to buy far, far, far too many pastries to make my nine hour train ride the following day, less shit.

The LIDL, though quite nice, had the curious flaw of not having any baskets for me to use, hanging around. People had trolleys, but I had no idea from where they originated. Instead, I was forced to just sort of fill my pockets, tuck under my arm and otherwise clutch onto the not insubstantial amount of things I wanted to buy. It was awkward and uncomfortable and for some time afterwards, my hands more resembled talons, but I powered through, little soldier that I am, and made my pleasingly cheap purchases. I remembered to buy a bag for the walk home.

I returned to the hostel and set about my evening bibble before being interrupted by my strange Romanian room-mate, whom I had previously mentioned. He stumbled into the room.

“...Deed you see the city?”

“Sorry?”

“...Deed you go and look at thee ceety?”

“What, today?” I asked, feeling vaguely affronted, like he was judging me for being in the hostel so often, when I could be outside exploring this gloriously mundane town. “Yes, I just got back.” I challenged, adding “I was out walking around for like five hours”, just to make him feel like a real piece of shit.

He seemed to drop the subject and wandered over to the window.

“You know eet was snoweenk earlier?” he said, desperate to prove that I wasn't paying enough attention to the outside world, apparently.

“Oh” I replied. “No, I didn't.”

“Yeah, its stopped now, theenk you meesed it”

Oh, fuck off.

“Ah, well, there'll always be more snow...” I said, philosophically.

“Who knows, man” he answered back, also philosophically, but at the same time, stupidly. “Weenters are getting warmer, you know”

“Yeah, true...” I mumbled back, out of politeness

“When I was a keed, always such huge snow in weenter, but nowadays, not so much”

“Well, that's global warming for you...”. My stock reply to people talking about weather I'm not interested in.

“...I don't believe so much in global warmeenk”

...Oh, no.

“Oh?” I queried, knowing full well that I was getting dragged down this rabbit hole, whether I wanted or not.

“Yeah, I mean it maybe happens, but its effect is like a drop in the ocean, compared to the governments weather controlling”

“...Wat.” I thought, and also accidentally said out loud.

“You know, chemtrails etc, you know government controls weather right?”

I wanted to just nod and smile, but I couldn't bring myself to. I had never actually come face-to-face with someone who harboured such a stupid belief. You hear about climate change deniers, flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers, but you don't honestly believe they exist. They're like Santa, or happiness.

“...I actually think that's a very dangerous opinion to hold, let alone spread. There's literally no evidence or science behind it, whatsoever.”

“Ah, you know science isn't always right? These scientists theenk something and then, a few years later, eets replaced by a new thing”

“Yes, but it's always replaced with more science...not just a wild, mental guess”

I don't remember exactly what he said after this, but I recall it being stupid. Something to the effect of “oh yeah? Then why do we have less snow now?”

I decided, at that point, just to drop it and be angry.

We talked a short while longer, before he vanished back into the common room to study for the university course he was undertaking while living here, which was also weird. Psychology, if you're interested, because of course it was. I have know idea what kind inperceptible mentalist lure has lodged itself at the heart of that subject, but, my god, it is there.

I bibbled a while longer, before sauntering down to finally use the shit, hostel kitchen to make some sandwiches; both for tomorrow's trip and tonight's dinner.

The climate change denier was in the kitchen, talking to some girl wearing a rough, loose fitting jumper, with her hair pinned up in neat dreadlocks.

“Oh, wow.” I thought to myself. The conversation I'm walking into is going to be fucking ridiculous.

“...You know why you're not supposed to eat fruit after a meal?” the man, let's call him Mental Andrei, said.

“Yeah, of course...” the girl replied, seemingly trying to make herself seem knowledgeable about a subject which was categorically mental and had no underpinning in facts.

“Because” Andrei continued “the food is already in your intestines and so the fruit goes straight through the stomach and go to the other food and it ferments and makes you feel sick. Maybe even make you vomit!”

I wanted so badly to tell him that what he said was fundamentally ridiculous; that a) food does not move from the stomach to intestine immediately after you eat it, that b) adding more food afterwards doesn't immediately mean that that food bypasses the stomach, like there's a big open plug-hole going straight through to your colon, which slowly closes again several hours after a meal and most crucially c) that humans have been eating and drinking fermented fruits for probably thousands of years, however, I kept tight-lipped, reasoning that to correct them would at best be a waste of breath and at worst, be an inescapable portal into their conversation.

I set about making my sandwiches, which were awful. Normally, I'd do a long description about how they were like someone throwing up into my nose and me snorting it into the back of my throat then swishing it around my mouth and that's what they tasted like, but because I'm trying to be brief today, I will simply say eating these sandwiches was like being kicked in the mouth by a shoe made of rotten meat. It was a sad, dry, gristly affair and I did not like it. Good thing I had just made four of them for tomorrow.

I then turned in to bed, eager to sleep, which which I did, after tossing and turning for a while, for at least an hour or so, before some absolute thundering prick decided the following things constituted acceptable behaviour; checking in at 3am; having a tour of the room and its amenities by the receptionist at this time; switching the room's lights on while he put took his stuff in; loudly and clumsily putting all his clothes away on /hangers/, directly next to the bed of someone, whom, for all intents and purposes, he could have happily assumed was still asleep; leaving the room, lights still on to have a shower, in the bathroom located directly through the wobbly cardboard wall from my bed and finally, coming back to bed to sit up, lights still on for a good hour or so afterwards, loudly coughing, turning the pages of his book and chuckling to himself.

It was a good thing I didn't have anything strenuous to do the next day.

...Oh, wait.

#travelling #vagrant #iasi #romania #churches #climate change #stupid #idiot #blue gifts

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agentmarymargaretskitz · 7 years ago

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Across the Universe and Time and Space: Time of the Angels

(Sara’s here!)

AO3

“Hey, what are you doing, I’m supposed to be- why am I handcuffed?”

“Spoilers,” the blonde smirked.

“Sara, if you do this, then you die. Let me take your place.”

“No, I can’t let you do that! If I do, then you’ll never know me. Our history will be erased.”

The Doctor stopped struggling, staring at the woman who knew so much about him.

Sara gave a bitter laugh. “And I’ve realized, you’ve always known how I’m going to die. My whole history, you knew what was going to happen to me in the end. That explains why you, the future you, cried at the towers the last time we met. You knew it was the end.”

“Sara,” the Doctor shook his head, trying to reach for the screwdriver sitting out of his grasp.

“Don’t even try,” she told him, shaking her head. “If you die here, we never meet.”

“Time can be rewritten.”

“Those times can’t!” she said sharply. “And don’t you ever try to.”

The Doctor looked like the world had come down on him.

“Don’t be sad,” Sara smiled, but there were tears in her eyes. “It’s not the end for you. It’s the beginning. You’re going to see me again.”

“Sara, please.”

“It’s your future. You and me, time and space. Just you wait. It’s going to be one hell of a ride.”

“Sara, you know my real name,” the Doctor said. “You know every name I’ve ever gone by. Why would I do that? Is it because-”

“Shhhh,” Sara placed a harness on her head. “Spoilers, sweetie.”

“You know what’s interesting about museums?”

“They’re a window to the past?” Lily guessed as Leonard leaned over another case.

“That,” Leonard nodded. “But also that species get worse and worse about dating where the artifacts originate from the longer they stick around.”

“It’s a lot of time,” Lily wrinkled her nose. “History classes must be awful in the future.”

“Depends on the species,” Leonard said. “Also there’s been pretty things to take from museums sometimes.”

Lily raised her eyebrows. “You’ve robbed museums before?”

“Early days,” he replied, pushing off the case and walking down the line of exhibits. “I expected better of the Delirium Archive. This is the final resting place of the Headless Monks and the biggest museum ever.” Lily decided she would look up Headless Monks later. It seemed doubtful they were human, given humans couldn’t survive their heads taken off. However, there could be some alien technology that allowed humans in the future to survive sans head. How would you be able to walk then not knowing where you were going?

‘Look it up later’ she thought to herself. “So how is the final resting place on an asteroid? Is it a thing in this era for people to live on asteroids now?”

“Higher class people tend to do it. Apparently it’s trendy.”

“And not that this isn’t interesting or anything,” Lily continued. “But what are we doing in a museum when you have a time machine and can see all this when it was being used?”

“I like to see how much people can find and if they get it right,” Leonard replied. “Besides, it’s a more of a thrill to break into a museum…”

He trailed off and approached a glass box that held a rusted box inside it. Lily followed him and leaned in to get a good look at it. She didn’t know what exactly it was, but the top was what sparked her interest. It was covered in a series of symbols that must have been another language.

“Is this one wrong too?”

“It’s a home box from an old starliner,” he murmured. “The Byzantium, to be specific.”

“And for those of us from the twenty-first century who have no idea what a home box is?”

“Think of a black box for an Earth airplane,” Leonard said, tapping the glass. “But if something happens to the ship, this box flies back to the departure point with all of the flight data.”

“That’d be helpful on Earth if black boxes did that,” Lily remarked, thinking of all the aviation mysteries that this technology could unlock.

“That’s not what makes it interesting though. The graffiti on it does. It’s Old High Gallfireyan, the lost language of the Time Lords.”

“Is wherever that language comes from where you’re from?”

“Yes, Gallifrey, but we’re getting off track. This language has been dead for centuries. There were many days, Lily, when these words would burn stars, raise and topple empires, destroy gods.”

Lily nodded. “And this writing says.”

Leonard looked down and sighed in exasperation. “Hello, Sweetie.”

“Hello, Sweetie?” Lily snorted. “I guess even Time Lords had their graffiti.”

Leonard shook his head “It’s not some juvenile stunt entirely. Someone’s said that to me. That same person might be trying to get my attention. Either way, I want to get a good look.”

He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the glass case. There was a click, and Leonard opened it up. He shot her a quick look.

“Get ready to run back to the TARDIS.”

“Why?’

“Because we’re stealing this,” he said as he grabbed the home box and set the lid back down.

Alarms began to wail around the hall. Two guards came out from the end of it and saw them. Leonard took off running with the home box. Lily ran after him a second later, going as fast as she could. She’d just become part of a museum theft.

Sara’s stunts would seem like small potatoes by the time she went back home.

12,000 years ago

Sara Lance strode down the halls of the ship, heels clicking on the metal floor. Finding the door she was searching for, a smile spread across her face. Pulling the gun from her bag, she shot the lock open, revealing the home box inside. Slipping on some protective glasses and making a quick change to the gun’s settings, she tilted the shiny black box toward her. With her new blowtorch in hand, she carved her message into the home box. Once the ship crashed (and it would), it would fly off back home and get stored in a museum. Sooner or later, the Doctor would find it as he mocked artifact dating and would look into it.

At least, she really hoped he would.

After her message was burned into the home box, Sara turned around and walked back out into the hall. She pulled off her glasses as she caught sight of a security camera. Throwing a wink at it, she continued her path down the halls until she found exactly what she was looking for. Reaching into her bag once more, she pulled out the blast charge and attached it to the door.

A second after she’d set it, Sara heard running footsteps slow to a halt and the click of guns.

“The party ended a long time ago, Dr. Lance,” Adam Hunt said behind her. “And somehow you remain onboard.”

“I’m ever the curious type, Hunt,” Sara shrugged. “Sorry, but I had to see what was in your vault.”

She looked back at the soldiers pointing their guns at her. “Do you know what’s down there? Any of you have any ideas?”

Hunt gave her a calculating look.

“Here’s something you might like to hear,” she smirked. “This ship won’t reach its destination.”

“Wait until she runs,” Hunt ordered his men. “I don’t want this to look like an execution. The last thing we need are questions.”

Sara spotted another camera close by. She lifted her wrist and tapped her bracelet to see where she was currently at in space. Better to be exact than to speculate with the Doctor.

“Triple seven five slash three four nine by ten,” she read out, shooting a smile at the camera. “Zero twelve slash acorn.”

Flicking her eyes downward, she saw the charge was getting closer to zero. “And I’d like an air corridor.”

Hunt frowned. “What are you saying?”

“Nothing important to you,” Sara replied. “But how about a piece of advice? You might want to find something to hold onto.”

She stepped aside to reveal the charge. Hunt and his men’s eyes widened before they scrambled over to grasp onto the pipes on the sides of the wall. Sara gave them a wink as the door behind her opened up and she was sucked out into space. She floated away from the starliner, knowing it would be destined to die. Its cargo wouldn’t though.

When she found herself about to breathe and heard the familiar noise, she knew he’d found her.

0 Leonard opened the doors up as soon as they arrived at the coordinates Sara had sent him. As soon as he did, the woman landed right on top of him, sending them down onto the floor. Sara looked down at him with a smile. She wore a long green dress that looked more fitting for a party than sneaking around in a spaceship. Leonard frowned up at her, wondering if this Sara had met him yet. Was this what she meant when she’d said it wasn’t the end? Was this their beginning, or just his?

“Hello, sweetie,” she laughed.

“Sara?” Leonard gaped up at her.

Lily tilted her head at him. “Leonard?”

“Oh good, you’re going by Leonard,” Sara rolled off him and climbed to her feet. “We need to follow that ship.”

Leonard turned towards the empty doors to see the starliner shooting off into space. The TARDIS suddenly lurched into flight after it. He caught himself against the doors before closing them shut. Whirling around, he saw Sara at the console of the TARDIS hurrying back and forth between switches. Lily was staring at her with her mouth open.

“What the hell are you doing?” he shouted, moving towards the console.

“Following the ship,” Sara told him, swinging the screen on the console towards him. “They’re putting it into warp drive. If I don’t stay close, we lose them.”

“Lose who?” he asked. “And when did there become a we?”

“Later,” she said as the TARDIS began to shake. “The stabilizers, use them now!”

“There are no stabilizers,” Leonard told her.

“Yes, there are.”

“I’ve piloted this TARDIS for hundreds of years, Sara. If there were stabilizers, I’d know about them!”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Try the blue ones.”

Leonard looked down at the blue knobs. Since the console room had changed up, so had the console itself. Most things were the same, but a few things he’d needed to figure out again. But the stabilizers had never been part of the console ever.

“You’re sure?” he asked, hovering his hand over them.

Sara reached over and twisted them. Immediately, the shaking ceased.

“Positive,” she smirked before going back to the other controls.

Leonard was speechless. Lily, who’d been clinging to the railing as they’d been jostled around, now released the bars and walked over to them.

“How can she fly the TARDIS?” she asked, pointing over at Sara.

“Uh…”

“Mapping the probability vectors,” Sara murmured. “Running a full backup on the temporalized sonatry and charting the starliner’s destination. We should be at its destination in five…four…three..two…”

The boom of the TARDIS landing echoed through the room. Leonard turned to see Lily staring at Sara in admiration. He glanced over at Sara, who shot him a smile. Shaking his head, he walked over beside her to see that they had indeed landed.

“What about the noise?” Lily asked.

Sara raised her eyebrows. “The noise?”

“You know, that wheezing one,” Lily made a half-hearted imitation of it. “The one it always makes when the TARDIS lands or takes off.”

“That’s because he leaves the brakes on,” Sara turned back to him. “But then again, you do love to make an entrance.”

Well, this definitely wasn’t their first meeting if she knew that about him.

“Come along, Stein,” he said to Lily. “Want to see where she’s taken us?”

“As long as it’s not the insides of a Star Whale, I’m happy with anything.”

“Hold on,” Sara typed in something. “I’m running an environment check.”

Leonard stared at her again. Sara had barely been on the TARDIS and she was already proving to know everything he did about the ship, maybe even more. She was another mystery thrown at him right as he was trying to figure out how Lily existed.

“We’re on the planet Alfava Metraxis,” Sara told him and Lily. “It’s the-”

“Seventh planet of Dundra system,” Leonard finished. “Oxygen rich environment means we don’t need suits to go out. Days are eleven hours.”

He opened the door, staring out at the waves hitting the shores. Looking up, he could see the smoking wreck of the starliner.

“Also, there’s a chance of rain later,” he said, shutting the doors and glancing over at Sara. “Hope you have an umbrella or raincoat.”

Sara narrowed her eyes at him as she stepped down the stairs. “You think you’re so cool when you do that, don’t you.”

Lily snickered and looked at Sara. “So how can you fly the TARDIS?”

“I had my lessons from the very best.”

Leonard began to smile smugly.

“It’s just a shame you were busy that day, Leonard,” Sara added.

He stopped smiling. Sara just kept deepening the mystery around her the longer she hung around.

“So why did they land here?” the blonde murmured, walking up to the doors.

“Define ‘land’,” Leonard said.

Sara frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We found the home box,” he explained, pushing the door open to show her. “The starliner crashed, Sara.”

“What?”

Lily watched as Sara exited the TARDIS before turning back to Leonard. There was something familiar about her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “Who is she?”

“Part of my future, I believe,” Leonard replied, closing the doors. “But she’s where she needs to be. We can go wherever we want now.”

“How come?” Lily ran in front of Leonard to stop him from getting to the console. “It’s not like this is a taxi and we have to be on a schedule.”

“True, except-”

“And she said there was a planet out there,” Lily grinned.

Leonard nodded. “She did.”

“A planet. An actual alien planet.”

“You want to see it, don’t you?” he sighed.

“Well, you may have seen other planets before, but I haven’t!” she said. “I’ve seen the future and the past. What’s the point of running off so soon? Why don’t we stick around and explore it?”

“Because the last time I crossed paths with Sara, it didn’t end well,” Leonard told her. “She’s my future, Lily. I know she gets out alive, but I don’t know if I will, or even if you will.”

“Come on, five minutes,” Lily pleaded. “Please? I’m sure we’ll be fine. What could be worst than a Star Whale mouth or Daleks?”

“A lot,” Leonard opened the doors. “But if you really want to, go ahead.”

“Like you’re not curious about this too,” Lily told him.

As she stepped outside, the scientist found herself gazing up at the cliff in front of her. It looked like some sort of structure was built right out of the rock itself. Whatever had been at the top was now marred by the enormous metal craft that had driven itself right into what could have been a dome. Bits of wreckage were burning on the large flat stones where they had landed. Lily stared around her in wonder before bouncing up and down in excitement.

“I’m on another planet!” she whispered to herself happily. Ray would be so jealous if he could see her right now.

“There’s better ones out there,” Leonard said as he stepped out of the TARDIS too.

“Well, this is my first alien planet and I think it’s amazing,” Lily shrugged as they walked over to Sara.

“Wonder what caused the Byzantium to crash,” she said as they stepped up alongside her. “It wasn’t me.”

“After you breached the airlock, they would have sealed the other sectors off anyways,” Leonard said. “The home box said it happened because the warp engine was out of phase shift. No survivors came out of this.”

“Well, the universe is better off without Adam Hunt,” Sara shrugged, glancing over at Lily. “But if the crash happened because of the phase shift, that means it was sabotaged. Guess they didn’t listen when I warned them they wouldn’t make it to their destination.”

“Did anyone up there die?” Lily pointed up the cliff structure.

“Fortunately, no,” Sara pulled out something from her bag that looked like larger, thicker phone. It reminded Lily of the devices that Liz Ten had had on Starship UK. “It was an Aplan temple at one point, but they’ve been dead for centuries. At least they won’t see one of their temples destroyed.”

Leonard started to turn away.

“Are you going to introduce me?” Lily joked.

Leonard eyed Sara and shrugged. “Dr. Lily Stein, Professor Sara Lance.”

Sara whirled around, eyes bright with excitement. “I’m going to be a professor one day? That’s exciting!”

Leonard groaned. “Timelines.”

“Spoilers, crook,” Sara laughed.

The nagging feeling that she’d met Sara before persisted, but Lily ignored it. “How did you know to write on the home box?”

Sara turned to her and smiled. “Two things always show up at museums. Artifacts like a Category Four starliner’s home box, and then that one to either mock dating methods. Although sometimes he likes to nick something shiny.”

Lily shook her head. “He does really get on how incorrect things are in there.”

“Oh, he does,” Sara said, typing something on the device she held.

“Ha ha,” Leonard muttered sullenly. “I’m not going to be there for you every time you need me, Sara. The next time you decide to throw yourself out an airlock, I might not be there to catch you.”

“Next time for you or for me?” Sara smirked.

Lily began to feel like a third wheel around the two of them. There was definitely something going on between them, or at least between Sara and the future Leonard. Their banter had her convinced of it.

“You’re wrong about survivors,” Sara continued. “There’s actually one in there. A thing is lurking within that wreckage. Something that can’t ever die.”

She seemed to have said the magic words to get Leonard’s attention. Lily was even more intrigued by Sara now. The woman winked at her and held the communicator to her ear.

“Are you all in orbit?” she asked as she walked away. “I’m waiting for you at the crash site. Hone in on my signal.”

Lily tilted her head as she realized who Sara Lance reminded her of as the woman asked Leonard to use his sonic to boost her signal. This Sara was like her own best friend Sara. The two looked nothing alike, but the personalities were the same. Sara Lance seemed just as mischievous and prone to getting into trouble as Sara Saunders was back on Earth.

“We’ve got a minute before they arrive,” she told them, flicking her eyes over to Lily as she pulled a worn blue book from her bag “So where are we anyways? Have we done Jurgen’s Ridge yet?”

Lily watched as Sara flipped the pages. “What’s that?”

“My diary,” Sara told her.

“Don’t read it, Lily,” Leonard warned. “Her past and my future. We can’t seem to meet in the right order.”

“We never do,” Sara corrected. “But we never let that get in the way.”

A gusting noise alerted Lily to look behind her. A series of miniature whirlwinds sprang up and men in combat fatigues appeared from them. One who Lily guessed was the leader started forward with the others following after him. Sara straightened up and gave a little wave to them.

“Hi boys,” she greeted.

The leader stopped in front of her and looked Lily and Leonard up and down. “You promised me an army, Dr. Lance.”

“No, no” Sara shook her head. “What I promised you was the equivalent of an army. And I delivered. I’d like you to meet the Doctor.”

She gestured towards Leonard. The leader’s eyes widened as a look of astonishment crossed his face.

“Father Walter, Bishop Second Class,” he said, shaking Leonard’s hand. “I have twenty clerics at my command. Troops are already in a drop ship and will be landing shortly. Dr. Lance here has been assisting us on a covert investigation.”

Leonard gave a wary look to Sara. “Investigation?”

Walter looked surprised. “Dr. Lance didn’t tell you what we’re dealing with?”

“She hasn’t,” Leonard said, turning towards Sara.

Sara glanced up at the temple and then back to Leonard. Lily again felt awkward. “Leonard, how much do you know about the Weeping Angels?”

Lily watched Leonard’s face go pale. “You can’t be serious.”

It had to be Weeping Angels. Leonard still remembered the time that he’d gotten taken to the past by one without the TARDIS. He’d never wanted to go near them again in any way. But yet now he was roped into helping the Church. As much as he hoped it would be a simple in and out, he had a feeling he and Lily had become roped into something complicated and highly dangerous.

“The Angel is trapped in the wreckage of the ship,” Walter told him, Lily, and Sara (who had since changed into fatigues that matched the soldiers) as he led them across the encampment the Church army had set up. “Our objective is to get in and neutralize it. Getting through up on top of the cliff is impossible. It’s too close to the drives for any entry.”

“Do you have a map of the temple?” Leonard asked.

Walter handed over his communicator. “Have at it.”

Leonard studied the screen for a few minutes before something caught his eye. “There’s a network of catacombs behind the cliff face. They’ll lead right up the temple and the wreckage. Have your men go in that way.”

“I can have them blow through the base of the cliffs to get into the entrance chamber,” Walter nodded.

“Catacombs?” Lily shuddered behind him.

“Technically, Miss…”

“Dr,” Lily corrected. “Dr. Lily Stein.”

Leonard caught Sara smile to herself.

“Dr. Stein,” Walter said with a nod. “My apologies. Technically, the ‘catacombs’ are known as a maze of the dead.”

“Doesn’t make it sound any better,” Lily replied.

“Father Walter!” one of the clerics jogged up to them. “We need you and Dr. Lance.”

“Excuse me, sir,” Walter said, following after the cleric. Sara walked with them, shooting a smile back at him and Lily.

Lily was giving him a funny look. Leonard shrugged as he studied the equipment of the clerics. “What?”

“People are calling you ‘sir’,” she pointed out.

“They are,” Leonard nodded. “I don’t like it though. I’m on good terms with the Church right now I think. Better to keep it that way.”

“Are they just a military group called ‘the Church’ or are they part of the actual, religious Church?” Lily asked.

“Religious,” he answered. “It’s the fifty-first century. The Church you know on Earth has long moved on.”

“Looks like they become their own military branch,” she snorted. “The Church can’t be the only ones out there as a religion. What if you’re not Christian? What if you’re Jewish? Or if you believe in some other faith?”

“Those religions don’t die,” Leonard assured her. “It’s just the Church that really gets militant.”

“Okay,” Lily leaned against the table they were in front of. “Another thing. These Weeping Angels. They’re bad, right?”

“More than you could imagine,” he turned to Lily. The mysterious aberration could be in danger here if the Angel got to her. “Maybe you should go wait this out in the TARDIS?”

“And miss out on the fun? No way!”

“Lily,” Leonard said sternly. “A Weeping Angel is one of the most powerful and malevolent life forms in existence. Walter and Sara and the other clerics are counting on me to follow after them into that wreckage with my screwdriver and flashlight. If I can survive the radiation and the wreckage doesn’t shift and bury me in a rockslide, then I have to then find a way to neutralize the Angel because I doubt the clerics really know what they’re up against. That’s not fun in any way. Still want to come?”

Lily paused for a moment before nodding. “You’re my ride. I need to make sure you get out alive.”

“I can’t talk you out of this, can I?” he sighed.

“Nope,” Lily shook her head. “Also, can I ask you something else?”

“You’ll ask it anyways so go ahead.”

The scientist grinned. “Is Sara Lance your wife?”

He sighed. “Really?”

“I’m curious!” Lily held up her hands innocently. “You said she’s someone from your future. The whole time I’ve seen you two, you’ve given off a very…married vibe. She’s going to be your wife, right?”

“I don’t know,” he told her. “You shouldn’t know too much about your own future, Lily.”

“I bet she is,” she smirked.

“Leonard!”

Leonard turned to see Sara standing outside a drop ship. Lily was failing to hid a smirk.

“Come along, Stein,” he said as he left the table and walked towards Sara.

Sara watched Leonard, Walter, and Lily study the four seconds of footage she had on the Weeping Angel. Even if it was just on the screen, she still was repressing a shudder and keeping her eye on it. Leonard looked just as unnerved. Lily, meanwhile, seemed intrigued by it. Clearly this was a very young version of her, and one who hadn’t gotten married yet by the absence of a ring.

“I got this from the security cameras in the Byzantium’s vault,” she told them. “While I was on board, I managed to snag a copy. Sorry I couldn’t get better quality, but I was on a time crunch. But I do have it on a four second loop.”

Leonard stepped forward. “You definitely found a Weeping Angel.”

“You’ve crossed Angels before?” Walter asked.

“Once,” Leonard grimaced. Sara remembered how a future version of him told her the story of it. “But they were scavengers on Earth.”

“This is a statue though,” Lily said, sounding exasperated.

Oh, she had to be brand new to this. Sara wondered how long Lily had been traveling with Leonard.

“It looks like a statue when you see it,” she explained.

Leonard turned around. “Where did this one come from?”

“Excavated from the ruins of Razbahan sometime in the last century,” Sara told him. “Ever since then it’s been circulating through private hands. Fortunately for them, it’s remained dormant that whole time.”

“Are you sure it was dormant?” Leonard asked. “Or is it just being patient?”

Oh, he was still good, even if this version of Leonard was still getting to know her.

“What did you mean when you said it looks like a statue when you see it?” Lily inquired.

“The Weeping Angels can only move if they’re unseen,” Sara told her. “Or that’s what the legends say.”

“Legend? Try quantum lock,” Leonard scoffed. “If any living thing sees a Weeping Angel, then the Angels literally cease to exist and become stone. It’s a great defense mechanism.”

“It’s just…stone for defense? That’s interesting.”

Leonard nodded at Lily. “And it stays that way until you turn your back. Then boom! The Weeping Angel comes to life. It’s one of the fastest predators you’d ever cross…and the last one too.”

According to Walter, the time drive had split open and was releasing out all sorts of radiation and other temporal by-products into the catacombs. While it was deadly to most living things, it was fuel for a Weeping Angel to make it grow stronger. The Aplans had been dead for four hundred years, but the planet had since been populated with a few billion human colonists who were now at risk with the Weeping Angel on planet. Walter was working with his men to get into the catacombs while Sara had taken away Leonard to show him something.

Lily was left with nothing and returned to the drop ship they’d been watching the clip of the Angel in. She stared at the creature on the screen in the time loop. Something was different now though. Instead of hiding its face in its hands, it was now looking over its shoulder. Confused, Lily backed up and peeked her head out of the drop ship.

“Dr. Lance!” she called out to where the woman was now handing a book to Leonard. “Did you have any other clips of the Weeping Angel?”

“Just call me Sara, and no. That one is the only one.”

Weird. Lily shook her head and returned back inside.

The Angel was now facing the camera head on.

Lily looked at the corner, watching the four seconds play on a loop. When she looked back to the Angel, she stepped back with a gasp. It was now closer to the screen. Its palms faced out and upward at its sides. The face was expressionless, but it just made thing creepier.

“How?” she murmured.

Keeping her eyes on the screen, Lily stepped over to a table to grab the remote she’d seen Sara use for the screen. She pressed the off button, smiling as the screen went black. A second passed before it switched back on again. When she repeated the action, the footage kept switching back on. Each time, the Angel seemed to have inched a little closer.

“You’re a recording,” she said aloud, walking closer to the screen. “You can’t move.”

Looking down, she found the plug for the television and tried to pull it out. It wouldn’t budge, even when she tugged it hard. The Angel’s face was right in front of hers on the screen when she glanced back up. Lily immediately backed away. This was starting to feel like a something out of a horror movie.

“Leonard?” Lily called out, walking backwards to keep an eye on the Angel.

The door to the drop ship had been open before. Now it was sealed shut. She looked down briefly to try and turn the wheel to open it. It refused to budge. Lily lifted her head back up to see the expression on the Angel frozen in a menacing, fanged snarl.

“Leonard!” she shouted, staring at the Angel’s eyes.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Leonard set the book Sara had given him down. “Everything in here is a warning about the Weeping Angels, but there’s no pictures. Why would you warn someone about them if you won’t show them what to look out for?”

Sara put her hands on her hips, frowning. “Read that bit about images again.”

Leonard flipped to the page and recited the passage. “That which holds the image of an Angel becomes in itself an Angel.”

“What’s that supposed to mean about the image of an Angel becoming an Angel?” Sara stopped. “Oh.”

“Oh,” Leonard realized what it meant.

“Lily,” Sara looked back at the drop ship and its sealed door. “She’s with it.”

“Leonard!” Lily shrieked, trying the keypad now with the combination she’s seen Walter use. “Sara! Walter! Someone!”

The angel was now a hologram in front of the screen. Lily could feel her heart hammering. All her curiosity was being replaced by fear. She wanted to know what would happen if it got to her since it was a hologram, but at the same time she didn’t with the evil look on its face. Dying on another planet far from home was not something she wanted.

“Lily!” she heard Sara’s muffled voice on the other side. “What’s happening?”

“It’s come out of the screen,” Lily said. “It’s just a hologram but it’s been moving when I look away.”

“Don’t look away!” Leonard’s voice ordered. “Keep watching it and it won’t move. Don’t even blink, Lily.”

She now wanted to blink, but resisted. “Open the door and let me out!”

“It’s not opening,” Leonard said.

“We’ll get you out, Lily,” Sara added. “I swear to you, you will make it through this.”

“I hope you’re right,” Lily thought as she kept her eyes on the Angel.

“Have you tried turning the screen off?” Leonard asked.

“Yes, and it just came back on,” Lily replied. “And the plug wouldn’t budge when I tried to yank it out.”

“Dammit. Just…don’t blink, Lily.”

“I know, I know,” she said, desperately wanting to blink.

Then she finally noticed it. Every four seconds, there was a blip in the tape. The Angel hologram would shudder during that blip. Lily walked forward, keeping eye contact with the angel as she felt around the table for the controller. All she had to do was time it just right.

“Can you at least tell me why the recording is doing this?” she shouted as she missed the blip and it flickered back to life.

“It’s not a recording anymore,” Leonard’s reply came through the door. “It’s an Angel now. Whatever takes the image of an Angel is an Angel.”

“So I’m with a Weeping Angel right now?” Lily swallowed. “What’s it going to do to me if it gets me?”

“Don’t stop looking!”

“No, tell me!”

Leonard didn’t answer.

“Leonard?” she called out.

What if this was it? Was this how the story of Lily Stein ended? At the hands of an alien that turned to stone when you looked at it? She didn’t want it be the end. There was her life back on Earth. She was supposed to be getting married in the next day in her own time.

“Lily, don’t look it in the eyes.”

That’s where she had been staring at it the whole time. She lowered her gaze towards its shoulders. “Why?”

She heard Sara mumble something inaudible, to which Leonard gave an equally inaudible reply. The only words she was able to make out were ‘soul’ and ‘doors’. “What?”

“Don’t make eye contact!”

She couldn’t wait for them anymore. Lily held out the remote, finger hovering over the off button. When the blip happened, she hit the button. The angel froze in the static, and she finally heard the door open behind her. The angel disappeared and the television shut off.

“I froze it,” she sighed, closing her eyes finally. “There was a blip on the tape and I froze it then. It no longer was the image of an Angel.”

She reopened her eyes to watch Leonard approach the screen and yank the plug on it. Sara stood beside her, watching her with concern.

“That was freaky,” Lily confessed. “I really don’t like those things now.”

“But you did amazing stopping it,” Sara told her.

“Sara, hug Lily,” Leonard instructed, giving her a nod as he turned back to the plug with his sonic.

“How come?”

“I’m busy and she’s there.”

Sara looked hesitant. Lily stepped forward, holding her arms out awkwardly. The blonde smiled and embraced her quickly. Lily had a feeling that they’d hugged before. Maybe a past version of Sara was going to hug a future version of her or something.

“You were brilliant,” Sara told her after letting her go.

Lily blushed a little. “Thanks.”

“Nice job under pressure,” Leonard said, dropping the plug.

“So was the Angel was here?” Sara asked him.

“It was a projection of an Angel,” he told them. “It was scouting around to get a look at us. That means it’s no longer dormant.”

“Oh, great,” Lily muttered as an explosion echoed in the distance.

“Doctor!” Walter shouted in the distance. “We’ve made it through.”

Leonard walked over to the door of drop ship. “And now it starts.”

Sara rolled her eyes as they watched him exit. “He’s so dramatic.”

Lily snorted as Sara made her way to the door. Then she felt something. Bringing her hand up to her face, she rubbed her with her finger.

“Lily?” Sara had stopped. “Are you coming?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Just had something in my eye.”

It still felt like it was there, and she rubbed it again as she left.

When they all made it down a ladder to the maze of the dead, the clerics distributed flashlights to everyone. Walter ordered a gravity globe to be released into the air. Leonard watched it sail into the air and illuminate their surroundings. All around them were stone statues for the Aplans’ maze of the dead. Finding the Weeping Angel would be difficult in here.

“This is going to be tricky,” Walter said. “One Weeping Angel among hundreds of stone statues.”

“It’s a needle in a haystack,” Sara said beside him. “Then again, when is anything you get involved in easy?”

“You’re going to be around a lot in my future if you know me about me,” Leonard told her.

Sara shrugged. “Spoilers.”

“Check every single statue in this chamber,” Walter ordered all of them. “You know what to look for. Be very through when you inspect the statues.”

A chorus of “Yes, sir” rose up from the clerics as they dispersed in groups.

“What should the course of action be to fight the Angel?” Walter asked Leonard.

There wasn’t a good answer he could give to the bishop. “Just find it and hope.”

With that, Leonard started off in one direction with Lily.

“He doesn’t know yet, does he?” Walter asked.

Sara swallowed, but didn’t reply.

“He has no idea who you are, what you are?” the bishop continued. “He doesn’t know about the Canary and the things you did.”

“No,” Sara shook his head. “For him, it’s too early. He doesn’t really know me yet.”

“Neither of them do,” her brain reminded her.

“Don’t let him figure it out,” Walter ordered. “If he does, then we lose his help. And we need him to stop this creature.”

“He won’t find out,” Sara said, resuming her trek after Leonard and Lily. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Lily gazed around her at the statues as she followed after Leonard. She couldn’t think of anything on Earth that was like in in scale. Sure, it was a little dark and damp and cold. Even though catacombs gave her the creeps, this was incredible. How many humans could do what they were doing right now?

She stopped staring up at the levels of statues. Something was in her eye again, and it wasn’t going away. Whatever it was, it was really beginning to bug her. With a sigh, she rubbed the palm of her hand against her eye.

Something trickled out through her fingers. It felt coarse and grainy.

Lily jerked her hand away from her face. There was nothing in her hand. Smooth warm flesh was beneath her fingers as she traced her finger along the area where she’d felt the stuff come from. She crouched down to the ground, but couldn’t tell if the gray rock dust was already part of the ground or if it had come from her.

“Are you okay?”

The sound of Sara’s voice made Lily start a little. She bolted up in surprise.

“Me?” she nodded. “Fine. Just had something in my eye.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah,” Lily shined her flashlight up at the ceiling. “So…maze of the dead?”

“It’s not that bad,” Sara shrugged. “Think of your Earth’s catacombs. Except this is on a larger scale with more dead people buried in the walls.”

“Great,” Lily muttered sarcastically.

“Fine, maybe it does sound a little bad,” Sara admitted. “But at least they won’t be rising up and coming out to play. Now, can you hold out your arm?”

“Why?” Lily asked, extending the limb to Sara.

“Don’t worry,” Sara held up what seemed to be a futuristic version of a syringe that made a whining noise. “It’s only a precaution, and it won’t hurt a bit.”

She pressed the end against Lily’s bare skin. A sharp pain went through her entire arm. Lily gasped out and blinked her eyes as the pain slowly faded.

“You said it wouldn’t hurt!”

“Yeah, I lied about that,” Sara kept the end on her arm for a few more seconds. “Virus stabilizer. Now your metabolism is stabilized against radiation and any other nasty side effects that could happen once we get up the Byzantium.”

“Sooo thanks?”

“You’re welcome,” Sara let her arm go.

Lily looked ahead at where Leonard was pacing around one of the statues. “Hey, Sara?”

“Yes?”

“What’s future Leonard like?” she asked, keeping her voice as innocent as possible.

Sara looked somewhat surprised. “I’m sorry?”

“Come on, you know him in the future, right?”

“Leonard is Leonard,” Sara told her with a shrug. “He’s still the Doctor. That’s all you need to know.”

“So still a bit of a crook who makes snarky comments and has a heart of gold,” Lily examined one of the statues. It didn’t look like the hologram from earlier, so she ruled it out as an Angel. “Nothing seems to change then.”

Sara laughed. “We are!”

“Huh?” Leonard looked back at them.

“Talking about you,” Sara said smugly.

“I haven’t been listening,” Leonard retorted, holding a device to a statue. “Maybe you haven’t heard, but there’s an Angel on the loose.”

“Uh huh,” Sara’s expression grew even more smug. “And you’re holding it upside down.”

Leonard flipped the device over silently, not looking at them. Lily pressed her lips together to hold back a giggle.

“You’re his wife in the future, aren’t you?” she asked Sara.

“Ah, Lily,” Sara tutted. “This is an alien who has lived hundreds of years and can change his face. Can it really be that simple?”

“I don’t know,” Lily looked between them. “It’s hard not to picture you two together.”

That made Sara laugh. “You’re good, Lily.”

“But am I right?”

“You are very good,” Sara told her. “And that’s all I’m going to say about it. Now come on. We have an Angel to find.”

Leonard studied the statue in front of him carefully. It definitely didn’t look like an Angel, so he could rule it out as that. But there was something off about it. He couldn’t put his finger on it though.

A hail of gunfire broke his concentration. Lily and Sara turned toward it in surprise. Leonard abandoned the statue he’d been inspecting and ran towards its source. If one of the clerics had found the Angel, bullets wouldn’t stop it. They’d only make the Angel angrier.

However, they only arrived to see another statue that wasn’t an Angel now marred by bullet holes and a trembling cleric with a gun.

“Sorry,” he said meekly as Walter approached him. “Coulda sworn I saw it move and look at me.”

“We know what the Angel looks like,” Walter said coldly. “Does that look like the Angel?”

“No, sir.”

“No, sir, it is not,” Walter snapped, shaking his head. “According to the Doctor, we are facing an enemy of unknown power and infinite evil. So it would be good to remain calm and not go shooting your gun about just because you looked the wrong way.”

Leonard couldn’t stand to let the cleric (although he was so baby-faced Leonard could barely believe they’d let him in on this mission) take Walter’s tirade anymore. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Jason, sir.”

“Jason?” Lily repeated. Clearly she hadn’t been expecting that as an answer.

“It is a sacred name,” Walter told her. “We all have sacred names that are given to us in the service of the church.”

Leonard tried not to roll his eyes as he approached them. “So, sacred Jason. You’re freaked out now, aren’t you?”

Jason looked between him and Walter before nodding. “Yes, sir.”

“Don’t bother with the sir,” Leonard said. “But it’s a good thing you’re scared. If you’re scared, then you’ll be fast. Anyone who isn’t scared in this room is an idiot.”

Walter gave him a dirty look.

“Well, don’t stand around,” Leonard said to him. “There’s an Angel on the loose.”

Jason smiled briefly. Walter sighed and turned back to Leonard, Lily, and Sara.

“We’ll be moving into the maze itself in two minutes,” he instructed before turning to Jason. “Jason, stay with Damian and Tim and help them guard the approach. The rest of you, follow me.”

Jason moved aside to let them pass. Leonard offered a half smile to him as they walked by him. He hoped that Jason would make it through this. It was a slim chance, but Jason seemed like a good kid. A little trigger happy and too green for this assignment of hunting down a Weeping Angel, but still a good kid.

“The Byzantium isn’t going to cause this to collapse on top of us, right?” Lily asked him as they walked through a small tunnel build into into the rock. “I mean, didn’t you say something about a rockslide earlier?”

“I said it so you wouldn’t stick your neck out for this,” Leonard muttered.

“You don’t have to worry, Lily,” Sara assured her. “The Aplans were extremely skilled builders.”

“You know, I had dinner with their chief architect once,” Leonard told her, remembering the occasion now. “Both of them were good company.”

“Both?” Lily inquired.

“Aplans are a two headed race,” he explained, studying another statue. The nagging feeling that something was wrong came back to him. “Sara…that book you gave me. What did the last passage of it say?”

“One second,” Sara started to rummage behind him. “Here we are. What if we had ideas that could think for themselves? What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels.”

Leonard shined his flashlight on at the upper half of the statue before him.

Still not an Angel.

“Are we there yet?” Lily asked, knowing she probably sounded like a whiny seven year old on a long road trip.

“Not quite,” Sara said from up ahead. “There are six levels to this maze. For the Aplans, this represented the ascent of one’s soul. We’re only on level four right now.”

“I’d rather be in the Labyrinth,” she muttered. “At least that was only one level.”

“The Labyrinth is much more complicated than that,” Leonard told her. “We should stop there sometime.”

“I can only imagine what this was like at the height of Aplan civilization,” Sara murmured, swinging her light up the ceiling. Lily gazed at the columns carved right out of the rock and the intricate patterns on them.

“They were a pretty great species,” Leonard told them. “Maybe we should see them after the Labyrinth.”

“You said the Aplans were dead though,” Lily frowned, then realized what he meant. “Oh, right. Time machine.”

“Exactly,” he nodded. “But the times I met the Aplans, they were always relaxed and cheerful. I was amazed by that. If I had a second head, I’d be arguing with myself constantly.”

“Two of you would tear the other apart,” Sara murmured. “Anyone else have the feeling something’s wrong?”

Lily shook her head. Leonard, on the other hand, nodded. “Can’t figure out what yet.”

“Me neither,” Sara murmured.

Lily looked around her. She didn’t know what was making them suspicious. Clearly they found something even more stranger within a maze of creepy statues. Whatever it was, she wasn’t picking up on it. She started to look around her more as Walter took the lead of the group and continued to ignore whatever it was in her eye.

“The wreckage is only fifty feet up from where we are now,” Walter said as they walked past more statues.

“And away from these statues,” Lily muttered before something hit her. “Leonard, you said Aplans had two heads, right?”

“Yes.”

“Lily shined her flashlight on the statue to her left. “How come all the statues have one head then?”

Leonard stopped in his tracks as Lily asked the question. It had been staring him in the face the entire time, and now he was getting it.

Sara’s eyes widened as it dawned on her too. “Oh.”

“You’re right,” Leonard muttered, shaking his head.

“How come we never realized this?” Sara muttered.

“Either it’s a low level perception filter or we’re all just idiots.”

Lily looked between them. “Wait, what’s wrong?”

“No one move,” Leonard ordered, backing away from the statue he was in front of. “Bishop, I’m sorry about this. We’ve walked right in the middle of it.”

“The middle of what?” Walter asked.

“An ambush,” Sara said. “Bishop, think about what Lily just said. If the Aplans had two heads, what’s with the statues having only one?”

Lily swallowed. “So these are not the Aplans’ then?”

“Nope,” Leonard shook his head. The statues weren’t Aplans, but he needed to be certain that they were indeed Angels.

“Everyone into that corner there,” he pointed to a spot in the room where there were no statues. “No questions. Just do as I tell you and we might just get out of this alive.”

Walter, Sara, Lily, and all the clerics followed his orders. Leonard walked backwards slowly towards them. He kept his eyes on the statues as he took his steps carefully. When he brushed back against Sara, he stopped.

“All of you shut off your lights,” he instructed.

“Sir-”

“Do it, Walter,” Sara snapped.

One by one, the lights went out until Leonard’s was the only one remaining.

“I’m going shut mine off for a second.”

“Leonard,” Sara sounded wary beside him. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

“Only one way to find out,” he replied as he plunged them into darkness before bringing back the light.

The statues had been in different directions before, but now all of them were facing the group.

“Oh crap,” Lily said on his other side as the other members of the group turned their flashlights back on.

“They’re all Angels,” Leonard confirmed. “No one take your eyes off of them.”

He ran past one statue that was now crouched on the floor and out to the edge of a cliff. Lily and Sara were right on his tail. Shining his light down, he could see more statues on the steps they’d taken to get up here. When they’d first taken them, they hadn’t been there. Now, it would be impossible to get up without running into one.

“Every statue in here is a Weeping Angel,” he murmured. “They’re coming after us.”

“So can you tell me now what happens when they catch up to us?” Lily asked him.

“There was only one Angel on the ship, I swear,” Sara protested as the trio ran back to the clerics.

“Were the rest already here?” Lily asked her. “What if they caused the Aplans to go extinct?”

“No one knows how they died out,” Sara told her. “It’s a mystery among archaeologists.”

“I think I know how it happened now,” Leonard muttered, keeping his flashlight on the Angels.

Walter shook his head. “But they don’t look like Angels.”

Lily had to agree. The statues looked more along the lines of Grecian or Roman.

“You said they were fast, right?” Lily said to Leonard. “They don’t seem to be that fast. How fast can they get, actually?”

Leonard shook his head. “They’re in a weakened state. See how they’re crumbling and cracked? The Aplans practically sealed them in. Since Weeping Angels can’t die, they’ve been starving instead for centuries.”

It sounded like a Weeping Angel hell. Lily shined her flashlight on the face of one Angel. She couldn’t see the features on it like she had with the one in the drop ship. However, there was a long crack running down where an eye should have been. “It’s made them lose their image.”

“Not to mention their power since their image is the source of it,” Leonard added. “And since the Byzantium crashed in here, they’ve been getting that through the leaking time drive. I’m willing to bet this wasn’t an accidental crash now.”

“What was it then?” Walter asked.

“A rescue mission to restore the Angels.”

Lily watched Sara glance nervously at her, then over towards Leonard. “We all need to leave right now.”

“Agreed,” Walter pulled out a communicator. “Jason, Damian, Tim, do you read me?”

“Jason reporting, sir.”

“Jason, do you have eyes on Damian and Tim?” Walter asked. “All the statues in here are active. We need to evacuate immediately.”

“I know, sir,” Jason replied. Lily noted that he didn’t sound very scared. “Tim and Damian are dead. They were killed by the statues.”

Lily shuddered as Leonard moved over to Walter.

“Jason,” Leonard took the communicator from Walter. “This is the Doctor. Where are you now?”

“I am making my way up to you. I am homing in on your signal.”

“Something doesn’t feel right about this,” Lily said aloud to Sara.

Leonard didn’t hear her. “Told you that you’ll be fast if you’re scared.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What did the Angel do to your friends, Jason?”

“Snapped their necks,” Jason said emotionlessly.

“No,” Leonard seemed confused. “An Angel kills you by displacing you in time and feeding off that time energy. It needs the bodies for something then.”

Walter snatched the communicator back. “Jason, did you check for vital signs on their data packs? If there’s something, we could initiate a rescue.”

“That won’t work,” Leonard told him, taking the communicator back. “The Angels don’t care if you’re dead or alive. Jason, keep moving and tell us how you escaped.”

“I didn’t.”

Lily’s eyes widened. This just got a lot creepier.

“I didn’t escape,” Jason repeated. “The Angel killed me too.”

Sara straightened up. Lily watched as Leonard looked over at her. Her eye was starting to itch again.

“Jason,” Leonard said slowly into the communicator. “What do you mean the Angel killed you too?”

“My neck was snapped. It wasn’t painless, but it was over quickly.”

“How is he talking to us?” Lily asked, and Leonard relayed the question through the communicator.

“You’re not talking with me,” Jason said. “You’re speaking to the Angel. It has no voice, so it stripped my cerebral cortex from my body, then reanimated my consciousness to communicate with you.”

“So you’re not the one coming up,” Leonard sighed. “It’s the Angel.”

“Angels. There are many of us.”

Lily groaned softly. This was getting more and more creepy by the minute.

“Enough of this,” Walter said, taking the communicator back from Leonard. “We need to get out through the wreckage and fast. The Angels will not have mercy on us.”

Sara pulled Lily along as the clerics began to start running. Leonard didn’t run, but instead started talking to Walter. Lily tried to stay, but Sara tugged her along again. They made their way across a stone bridge with her in the rear. She set her hand down on the stone for a moment and looked back before attempting to move forward.

Her arm didn’t budge. Lily looked down to see her hand had turned to stone. Grabbing her wrist with her other hand, she ran a hand over it. There was no sensation in it whatsoever.

“What are you doing?” Leonard demanded as he passed by. “The Angels are coming.”

Lily inhaled slowly. “Leonard, I can’t move.”

He stopped and backtracked to her. “Lily…”

“I can’t,” she glanced down at her hand. “Look at my hand.”

He followed her gaze. “Looks fine.”

“It’s not!” she protested. “It’s stone!”

“Lily, it’s-” he stopped. “You looked into the Angel’s eyes earlier, didn’t you?”

She nodded guiltily. “I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to until you said something.” “Whatever. But I can tell you your hand isn’t stone. The Angel is messing with your perception. That’s flesh, not stone.”

“It’s stone!” Lily shouted. “I can’t move my hand. Nothing is messing with me. I know what I’m seeing. I even touched it and it’s stone, okay? It won’t move.”

“No, you can move it,” Leonard said. “Once you move it, then you can let go and we can run before the Angels kill us.”

He didn’t get it! How could he not see what was right in front of them? “It won’t move!”

“Not with that attitude,” he snarked as the beam of his flashlight flickered. “Lily, you have to move it. The Angels are coming, they’ll turn off the light, and there’s nothing I can do to save you. So instead of denying it, concentrate and move your hand.”

She tried, but it remained stone.

“Just save yourself,” Lily urged. “You have a future ahead of you with Sara. There’s probably more stuff in between whenever you guys met up. You know you can’t die here.”

“Time can be rewritten,” Leonard countered. “And you told me you have your stuff tomorrow. I can’t lose you to Weeping Angels, Lily.”

He looked over her shoulder. “Turn around and keep watching the Angels.”

She followed his instructions. “Now go.”

“That’s not happening,” Leonard snapped. “I am not leaving you here. I will not lose you before I’ve figured you out!”

She had no idea what he meant by that, but she continued to watch the Angels instead of turning around. “Leonard, go. You are not dying for me.”

“I’m sorry for this, Lillian.”

“Just do it, okay?” she told him, wondering if the Angels had gotten closer as the flashlight kept flickering. “There’s more people to save up there anyways.”

“Sure, but that’s not what I’m sorry for.”

A sharp pain went through the hand that was stone. Lily jerked it away with a shout. Her wrist throbbed, but it was now flesh again. She looked over to Leonard, who was holding a sort of joy buzzer.

“What did you do?”

“Minor electric shock,” Leonard said, pocketing the buzzer. “But now you see it isn’t stone, so let’s get out of here.”

“You shocked me!” she exclaimed as she whirled back around to keep watching the Angels.

“Would you rather I bit you?” he snapped back.

She sighed. “Fine, but I’m still not happy about that.”

“You’re alive, that’s all that counts right now. Go down that tunnel. It goes right to the Byzantium wreck.”

“How do you even have a joy buzzer?” Lily asked as she started backing up.

“You want to have that discussion now or later when Angels aren’t trying to kill us?”

“Good point.”

“We’re surrounded on all sides,” one of the clerics was reporting to Walter as Leonard caught up to them. “And my torch keeps flickering.”

“So is the gravity globe,” Sara gestured upwards before turning to look at him.

“That would be the Angels,” Leonard said, studying the globe above them as it struggled to stay lit. “They’re sucking the power from everything as they get closer to us. Soon, we’ll be in the dark.”

“And we won’t be able to see them,” Walter finished. He was starting to look uneasy now.

Sara moved closer to him. “Tell me you have an idea.”

“I did when I came in here,” he replied. “It’s gone off the rails. So that means it’s time for step four.”

She shook her head. “It always comes down to step four.”

“What’s step four?” Lily asked.

Leonard smirked. “Throw the plan away.”

“We can’t go back,” Walter told them. “The Angels are blocking our passage that way. The only other way would be up, but we neglected to pack climbing equipment.”

“So we’re trapped?” one of the clerics said.

“Yes,” Sara said calmly. “But this is when he usually come up with something.”

Leonard studied the surroundings, his eyes finally landing up on the gravity globe hovering above them. It was providing light right now, but that wasn’t it’s only purpose…

“Is the Doctor there?” Jason’s voice came from Walter’s communicator.

Leonard closed his eyes as Walter passed him the communicator. Poor kid didn’t deserve to have his voice used by the Angels. He shouldn’t even have been on this mission. But he had come, and the Angels had killed him. Jason was now another person who he hadn’t been able to save.

“Doctor?”

Leonard reopened his eyes. “Angels?”

“Your power will not last much longer,” Angel Jason said as the flashlights flickered. “The Angels will be with you shortly. I’m sorry about this.”

“Why?”

“Because the Angels are very eager for you to know something before your end,” Angel Jason said. “I died afraid.”

Leonard frowned. “What?”

“You said that being scared would make me fast, that it was good to be afraid,” Jason’s voice said. “You were wrong. It didn’t make me fast. I died in pain and fear all by myself. You made me trust you, but you lied to me. You let me down. It’s your fault I’m dead.”

He clenched the hand not holding the communicator into a fist.

“The Angels were very keen for you to know that.”

Leonard exhaled slowly. He knew Jason’s death was his fault. The Angels were choosing to mock him about it. They wanted to make him mad, but that was a mistake. A angry Time Lord was the last person you wanted to face.

“You’re making your second mistake with that, Angels,” Leonard said. “Jason, I’m sorry I got you killed. But I will make sure the Angels pay for what you did.”

“How can you do that if you’re trapped and outnumbered?”

“Trapped, huh?” Leonard smirked. “You think you have the perfect trap, don’t you? Too bad it’s got a flaw.”

“A flaw?”

Leonard turned around to face Lily. “Do you trust me?”

She nodded. “I do.”

“What about you, Sara?” he asked, turning to the woman who would be playing a big role in his future.

Sara smiled. “After everything we’ve been through, yes.”

“Walter, clerics?”

All the clerics looked towards Walter. The bishop turned to Leonard and nodded. “We have faith in you, sir.”

“Good,” Leonard held out his hand. “I’m going to need your gun. A sonic screwdriver won’t do this effectively.”

Walter passed the weapon to him. Leonard weighed it in his hand.

“What are you going to do with that?” Lily asked. “Will bullets stop the Angels?”

“No,” Leonard shook his head. “But when I do this, jump. I don’t care where, but jump as high as you can.”

“Sir, what are you going to do?” Walter asked.

“Just take the leap of faith on my signal.”

“What signal?” a cleric asked.

Leonard raised the gun towards the ceiling, aiming for the gravity globe. “It’s going to be hard to miss.”

“Doctor, you mentioned we made a second mistake earlier,” Angel Jason said. “The Angels want to know what the first was if our second was angering you.”

“Here’s the thing, Angels,” Leonard announced, flicking the safety off. “You’ve made a big mistake. Don’t you know there’s one thing you never put in a trap? If you have any brain cells, care about your continued existence, or even plan to see the next day, then you should know there’s one thing you never, ever put in a trap. But you went and put it in anyways.”

“What’s that?”

“Me.”

He fired the gun at the gravity globe. A shower of sparks went up into the air as the bullet hit it.

“Jump now!”

#legends of tomorrow #doctor who #leonard snart #lily stein #sara lance #walter steele #au #across the universe and time and space #fanfiction #weeping angels #captain canary #a bit at least

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tsgneworleanslouisiana · 8 years ago

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Fly GLO to Arkansas: The Scouted Itinerary

GLO Airlines was started by a friend of mine, Trey Fayard, whose lifelong dream has been to connect regional destinations with direct flights, bringing businesses and tourists together quicker.

Since its launched in 2015, I’ve been waiting to fly GLO. This April, I finally made the trip and selected Little Rock as my destination. Why Little Rock? Its one of the five destinations this regional airline travels, this city is a member of The Scout Guide network, and is close enough distance to the new Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, AR that I’ve heard so many people talk about. By the time I planned and executed the trip, The Scout Guide launched a Northwest Arkansas Guide, meaning more carefully selected boutiques, restaurants, hotels, and museums to enjoy!

Early April, my mom, godmother and I set out to scout the best of local using The Scout Guide as our guide and GLO, a member of The Scout Guide New Orleans, as our mode of transportation. And I must admit, without GLO, Arkansas wouldn’t have been at the top of my getaway list. But, GLO makes it easy by cutting the nine-hour drive into a one-and-a-half-hour flight, making it an easy choice.

Flying GLO felt like the perfect mix of commercial convenience without any of the aggravation or stress. Here’s what you can expect when you board a GLO Airlines flight:

This is a commercial airline, with a personal touch. That means you fly right out of Louis Armstrong, but you don’t have long, chaotic lines at your gate. Plus, most of the people flying and working on your plane call our region home so there’s a neighborly vibe.

There’s no middle seat, and tons of legroom in the back of the plane. When you’re booking your flights, you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in the middle. Look for seats toward the back where you’ll have a bit more room to spread out.

You get two free checked bags and two free carry-ons! This comes in very handy for those of us who enjoy shopping tours on our getaways.

The commissary program supports small local and family owned businesses. Currently, passengers receive Louisiana-made Zapp’s potato chips, Hubb’s peanuts and PJ’s coffee for an in-flight snack, no matter how short the flight.

The flight attendants wear uniforms that are locally designed and made by NOLA-based studio The Wild Life Reserve.

You get the best in-flight reading, of course! Passengers will find a copy of The Scout Guide in their seat pockets. All you need to scout your destination can be found in those pages.

What I love most about flying GLO is that it makes completely unique regions feel that much closer…making it all the more easier to scout the best of local!

City Guide to the Best of Local: Arkansas

Prior to launching The Scout Guide New Orleans, my hobby was scouting. I have always loved discovering new places and the hidden gems that make them unique. I would always reach out to a friend via phone or email for insider suggestions. When The Scout Guide was created, my life became a lot easier. The trusted recommendations of a local could be found in a beautiful city guide…and as the platform evolved, I found the real scoop online.

Lucky for me, I now have a friend in over 60 cities. Anna Serpente, Editor of TSG Little Rock and Rebekah Lawrence, editor of TSG NW Arkansas are just two of them, so planning a trip to Arkansas was easy. You too can benefit from their inside scoop by following their local blogs and checking them out on Instagram (@tsglittlerock | @tsgnwarkansas).

Where to Stay

To start, the two girls helped me secure hotel reservations at their Scout Guide preferred hotels: The Capital and 21c Museum Hotel respectively.

THE CAPITAL IN LITTLE ROCK

While these hotels are completely different in style, what they share in common is the experience. The Capital has an old world style. It is called “The Front Porch of Arkansas” because it truly feels like you’re coming home to a dear friend’s house. In true Southern fashion, rooms are complete with amenities like sparkling water, toffee and spiced pecans. Anna tipped me off to the insider secret: “The Adult Turndown.” Order one before departing for dinner and when you return, you’ll find an Irish coffee and other surprises waiting for you. On my pillow was a typed note written personally to me. It was just one of the many letters I received during my short stay that really made me feel like a valued guest.

21c MUSEUM HOTEL BENTONVILLE

We left the Capital and drove three hours west to the 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville, a modern day space filled with loads of contemporary art … and green penguins. Penguins are the signature mascot of 21c, and they’re also a form of interactive art. Life-sized green (plastic) penguins are always popping up where you least expect them. For me, it was the elevator when I was on my way to hotel restaurant The Hive. For my mom, it was on top of the toilet seat when we returned from dinner. Penguins don’t move themselves, guest do. It optimizes the fun!

Where to Eat and Shop

So now, where to eat and what to do! Its all right here in these two guides: The Scout Guide Little Rock and The Scout Guide Northwest Arkansas.

LITTLE ROCK

In Little Rock, you’ll want to eat a meal at Samantha’s Tap Room. Order the Parmesan Salsa. It’s to die for. Tulips is full of absolutely adorable clothes, jewelry and amazing prices. Box Turtle is another great shop filled with two stories of gifts and clothes. And, what isn’t in The Scout Guide but should be: The Purse Museum and Fresh ID. We missed a ton so before your trip, be sure to order a copy of the Guide online!

BENTONVILLE

In Bentonville, we dined at The Hive, a James Beard nominated restaurant. Rebekah introduced us to the keeper of the town: Debbie Matteri and the owner of In Season, a darling boutique across the street from the hotel. We walked less than a block to the adorable town square and visited the original Sam Walton Five and Dime store and the Wal-Mart Museum. Afterwards we enjoyed a homemade sparking soda at the soda fountain! We turned the corner and hit a few more local boutiques that were soon to make their debut in TSG Northwest Arkansas. I will tell you, even me, a devoted supporter of local businesses, now has a new appreciation for big box after hearing Sam Walton’s story.

What to See

I originally learned of Crystal Bridges through the New Orleans Museum of Art Contemporary Curator, Katie Pfhol. At a NOMA Young Fellows Cocktail Party, I asked her to tell me her favorite Museum in the country (other than NOMA, of course!). Expecting her to say something like the Art Institute in Chicago and the Getty in LA, I was taken aback when the first one she named was in Arkansas. What could be the attraction? Well, naturally I set out to figure it out and boy was I blown away.

No doubt the best part about the visit was the visit to Crystal Bridges! When I learned that you could bike ride from 21c to the Museum, I knew it was going to be a hit. We rode our bikes right from our hotel through a trail system to the museum’s grounds. Crystal Bridges is situated on more than a hundred acres of lush Ozark forest and offers miles of nature trails, dotted with unique sculpture gardens. As you explore the grounds you become fully aware of the museum’s aim: to tie nature, art and architecture together. Once you see the museum itself, the architecture part clicks. Designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, it looks just like it’s floating on water.

Diane Carroll, the Director of Communications, invited Rebekah and me for lunch in the Museum Café, and she gave us a brief overview of the Museum, and made sure we knew about the upcoming Chihuly exhibit this June. Next we visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Bachman -Wilson House on the museum grounds. The space’s symmetry and alignment really made an impression on me. And the home was meticulously maintained—even the sofa is pristine!

We meandered through the galleries spotting a few favorite pieces like: Rosie the Riveter (Norman Rockwell) and Dolly Parton (Andy Warhol), two of the most iconic pieces of modern American art in the collection. We also saw George Washington’s portrait, painted by Gilbert Stuart.

Just to visit Crystal Bridges and to experience the museum’s architecture in the middle of Arkansas’ natural bounty is a magical experience, and that’s not even counting the exhibits themselves. Now is the perfect time to book your tickets to Arkansas on GLO Airlines to visit this true Mecca. Starting on June 3 the museum will be the first ever to present Chihuly: In the Gallery and In the Forest, with indoor and outdoor exhibitions. Tickets are on sale now!

Between June 3rd – August 14th, 21c Bentonville will be offering a special hotel package for guests wanting to experience the Chihuly exhibition at Crystal Bridges while staying with 21c. The package will include 2 tickets to Chihuly: In the Gallery and In the Forest, $50 towards The Hive and $30 towards the 21c Museum Shop. Book your trip by clicking this link or calling the hotel and asking for the Chihuly package.

Return Trip The Brightest Way to Fly

Arkansas, when you are ready to fly South to New Orleans on GLO, I’ll be waiting for you. Reserve a room at The Terrell House Bed & Breakfast or the majestic Windsor Court, which is offering a special rate for those who mention The Scout Guide. If you’ve visited New Orleans a thousand times, plan to scout Louisiana’s Northshore, an hour from the city center, and overnight at the charming Southern Hotel in Downtown Covington.

Find everything you need to know for an insider’s trip to New Orleans in The Scout Guide New Orleans. Order your copy of this curated city guide or peruse it online. Follow me on Instagram, read my local blog and learn more about how to scout NOLA in TSG style.

TELL THEM SCOUT SENT YOU!

—TAYLOR

P.S. You can fly GLO to Memphis too and use The Scout Guide Memphis and Editor Muffy Turley as your Guide!

Photos of Taylor Morgan and Rebekah Lawrence by Meredith Mashburn

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sebassstian-stan · 8 years ago

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20-ish Hours in LA [Self Para]

[Takes place between Saturday afternoon and late Sunday morning.]

“What’s this meeting for again, babe?” Minka asked as she and Sebastian watched the large digital board change the status of his flight, the gate finally being displayed. Picking up his hand luggage – he knew he wouldn’t be there long enough to justify a checked back – he leaned down to press a lingering kiss to Minka’s lips in response.

Sebastian had planted the seed weeks ago that he might have out to LA to meet with some studio executives for his next Marvel jaunt, the details of which he couldn’t discuss. While he hadn’t meant ‘executives’ in the terms the two of them were used to in their line of work – Sebastian felt it was close enough to the truth to assuage his conscience from misdirecting her away from why he was really going: to meet with her father, Rick.

With a wink, he assured her brightly, “gotta see a guy about a metal arm tomorrow morning, then a quick pop in to meet with my agent out there; then I’ll be back late tomorrow afternoon. Not even twenty-four hours, you won’t even know I’ve been gone,” he smiled, besotted, and cupped her cheek to kiss her again. Knowing time was counting down, Sebastian shouldered his bag and wove their fingers together, nodding his head as he lead them towards the blessedly short security line. Knowing Minka couldn’t go any further without her own ticket, Sebastian spent a few more minutes kissing his girlfriend; running his hands through her hair, and finally pulled back to bend down and press their foreheads together, despite their height difference.

Looking into her eyes, his heart beat out an even tempo: you’re it. You’re it. You’re it. Feeling deep in his bones that this was the right move, that this woman was the person he wanted to spend his life with. Grinning widely, he pressed his lips against her forehead, he murmured against her skin, “Minka Kelly, I love you all day,” quietly to keep the precious words between them in the bustling terminal, “and I cannot wait to see you tomorrow.”

With a final kiss, and a wink at her telling him to not stress out too much on his flight – already a lost cause, since the moment they parted Sebastian felt his palms begin to sweat – he made his way towards the gate, every step closer causing the small velvet box in his pocket to press happily against his thigh.

Settling into his seat, Sebastian ran a nervous hand through his hair before digging his phone out of his pocket. He considered the device for a moment, glancing around to see if any of the still incoming passengers were paying attention to him. Noting more of them were focused on finding their way to their seats, he thumbed open the camera function, and turned the camera onto selfie mode, feeling slightly ridiculous but the need to document this moment winning out.

To say that Rick hasn’t been the easiest person for Sebastian to get to know was an understatement. Between the not to veiled comparisons between Sebastian, his superhero alter-ego, and the not unimpressive men Minka had dated before him, it had taken Rick’s particular brand of ‘good-natured initiation’ five, long days to get under Sebastian’s skin far enough that he had exploded at Minka during one of their rare arguments. Since then – much to the credit of the woman herself, who had told her father to dial it down – Rick had begun to give Sebastian more of than a snowball’s chance in hell for the two men to form a relationship of their own.

Though it had taken some time, they had eventually found commonalities between them that extended beyond their shared love for Minka. Now, he was used to receiving trash-talking updates about NBA teams, and had a growing stack of “educational” classic rock mix CD’s, ones Rick still used actual CD’s for and hand wrote liner notes (also trash talking those artists Rick knew personally) – all of which delighted Sebastian to no end.

Smiling to himself at the irony, Sebastian pulled up one of the many, too-long-titled CD’s from Rick that Sebastian had uploaded into his iTunes and leaned back into the stiffly upholstered seat of his Uber, slowly making its way through typically horrendous Saturday night LA traffic. Checking his phone, he shot off a quick text to the woman this whole trip was about letting her know he was on his way to his hotel, safe and sound.

Tony, who’d accompanied Sebastian on multiple afternoons of sneaking to jewelry stores under strict confidence, even from his mother, had originally been the only person he’d divulged his real intentions of visiting the West coast. The following week, in a fit of nervousness and uncertainty, he’d confided in Zach what he’d been planning, relieved and bolstered once again that he’d been making the right choice by his friend’s excitement and encouragement.

However, that didn’t make the thirteen hours Sebastian had ahead of him, ones separating him from meeting with Rick the following morning, any less nerve wracking. Pulling his lips into a considering frown, he momentarily wished that he’d alerted one of his friends in LA that he was going to be in town - his previous paranoia that Minka would somehow get wind of what he was planning preventing him from reach out to someone. He checked his watch and realized he wouldn’t want to wake Zach’s kids to call him - and calling Tony at this hour would absolutely alert his mother that something was up. The person he really wanted to call and talk to, the one who always assuaged his concerns and grounded him when he was spiraling, ironically, was the one person he couldn’t talk to this about. Unplugging his phone from where it was half-charged, he called up the camera application once again, sitting himself at the edge of his all-too-empty bed, and considered what to say.

Sebastian then attempted to channel his emotional energy into rehearsing the words that had started off as an anxiety-fueled ramble, but which had eventually taken shape into a nearly eloquent testament of love and devotion. One Sebastian hoped would be enough to convey to Rick exactly what his daughter meant to him, how seriously Sebastian had thought about what he was asking for Rick’s blessing over, and how desperately he need him to say yes.

Sometime around three o’clock in the morning, Sebastian had dozed off, fully clothed, on top of the hotel bed. Startling awake without the assistance of an alarm, he swam up through the last vestiges of sleep, jolting into complete consciousness as he realized he had just enough time to shower, make himself presentable, and make his way over to the cafe where Rick had suggested they meet for an early lunch. Biting down on a groan when his Uber, once again, encountered a traffic jam destined to make him a few minutes late, he shot off a quick text to let Rick know, feeling relieved when the man responded that he had no other plans that day.

Laughing at the ridiculousness of his Sebastian’s careful timing going to shit because he hadn’t factored in the street congestion the city was infamous for, he took advantage of the delay to slide his trusty iPhone out of his back pocket and began to film.

“Fifteen minutes late but no entourage? What kind of movie star are you?” Rick asked with a wry smile, standing to shake Sebastian’s hand. The younger man was grateful when, in a subconscious movement fueled by nerves from being late, the hug he went in for with Minka’s father wasn’t rejected or treated unusually. While they hadn’t hit it off to nearly the extent with which Sebastian’s own parents embraced Minka, upon their return home from their New Year’s trip to Hawaii, Sebastian had received a surprisingly candid and thoughtful email from Rick, apologizing for his rough demeanor – and that her father was trying meant a lot to Sebastian. Despite their growing bond, Sebastian knew this was cashing in all the good favor he’d earned from the man, and tried to keep himself from immediately chugging the glass of water waiting for him at the table.

Keeping the conversation light between them, Sebastian found that he actually enjoyed Rick’s company these days. The man was an endless fountain of knowledge about music and navigating the, sometimes tumultuous, entertainment industry, and was generous with his stories about some of the wilder nights of his extensive career. Filling the other man in on the projects he’d been working on recently – including Rick’s insistence Sebastian listen to his daughter and retire his long-gone mustache for good – he waited until they had finished their meals and waiter had been served their after-lunch coffees to the table before he sat forward in his seat and took a deep breath.

“I actually wanted to talk to you about something else,” he fixed Rick with a smile he hoped didn’t betray the way his heart started thumping into overdrive. “Do you remember a while ago, after the last time we were in LA, you sent me an email and told me that my relationship with Minka was going to end up one of two ways?”

“I remember,” Rick said, the edges of his mouth curling as he settled back in his chair.

“Good,” Sebastian said with a smile before shifting his weight to one side to pull a small box from his pocket. Opening it, he glanced down at the sparkling ring nestled in the black velvet before placing the box on the table facing the other man. “Rick, I want nothing more than to ask your daughter to marry me,” Sebastian watched as Rick slipped on one of the, undoubtedly, seven pairs of glasses on his person and picked up the box, inspecting the ring closely, “but I’d like your blessing as her father first.” Feeling a prickling cap of sweat break out over his scalp at the older man’s continued silence, Sebastian forced himself not to fidget in his seat.”

“Why?” Rick drawled eventually, placing the ring box back on the table and waving away a hovering waiter.

The question threw Sebastian, all of his carefully planned words flying out of his head at the unexpected turn of the conversation. “Why do I want to marry her?” When Rick nodded, Sebastian felt a small crease form between his brows as he shook his head once, and stared down at the table, fearing this wasn’t going to be as simple as he’d been anticipating.

“Because she’s the most important person in my life - and the best person I know. Her happiness makes me happy, and when she’s not, I want to set the world on fire to find out why. I want to champion her victories and comfort her after her losses. And I know with every part of me, that no one on earth will ever love or care for your daughter more than me.” Sebastian cut himself off before he started rambling further, licking his lips nervously and glancing up to see his lunch date smirking back at him, clearly amused.

“She ever tell you you’re a little dramatic sometimes?” Rick laughed, shaking his head back, but not unkindly.

Sebastian huffed good naturedly, realizing now that the question had been a teasing one, “all the time,” he grinned. “That or she’s telling me how stubborn I am.”

“Sounds like her,” Rick agreed fondly, before clasping his hands together on the tabletop. “I’m not going to sit here and give you a shovel talk, Sebastian,” Rick said with near uncharacteristic seriousness, changing the tone of their conversation again and catching Sebastian off guard. “I think you and I both know that I won’t stand for anyone hurting my daughter; she’s been jerked around enough.” Sebastian nodded, pursing his lips as flashes of stories about the woman in question’s cheating, lying, and uncommitted exes floated through his head.

“I agree,” Sebastian said with an edge of defensiveness creeping into his tone, both at the thought Rick could ever lump him in with them, but more so that Rick thought he would think Minka deserved anything less than everything.

“I know you make her happier than she’s ever been; which is all I want for my little girl.” He tapped the table in front of the ring box “and I have no doubt this is going to make her even happier.” Motioning to the still-hovering waiter with an irritated glance they’d like their check, Rick waited until they were alone again to continue, “and yes, of course you have my blessing – she’d murder me if I said otherwise - and I don’t doubt your love for her. From what I’ve seen of the two of you together, and the way she goes on about you on the phone,” he complained good-naturedly, “she’s just as gone on you as you are on her.” He met Sebastian’s eyes seriously before smirking, “s’a very nice ring, Hollywood.”

“Well, you have a very nice daughter, sir,” Sebastian retorted smartly, mouth curling proudly when Rick laughed loudly in the quiet restaurant. Quickly settling the bill, after Sebastian insisting on paying the check much to Rick’s dismay, the pair exited the restaurant into the pleasant Californian sunshine. Ambling over to the valet stand, Sebastian had to check the grin on his face more than once, hands nearly shaking, giddy with relief and excitement, as a single thought danced through his head: this was happening.

“Here’s me,” Rick said as a tiny, classic convertible slowed to a stop in front of the valet check, to Sebastian’s complete lack of surprise. “Where’s your meeting? Let me drop you,” Rick offered kindly.

“I – uh,” Sebastian stammered, shouldering his backpack more securely. “That’s okay, I can just,” hitching a thumb over his shoulder, “call an Uber.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not on a schedule – where you headed?”

“I’m… uh, the airport, actually?” Sebastian’s voice climbed in pitch as he realized he hadn’t through this part of the plan all the way through.

“The airport?”

“Yeah, I – I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“Seb?” Rick interrupted, the diminutive sounding unfamiliar on his tongue, “did you come all the way out here just to have lunch with me?” Rick said, tone and expression unreadable.

Feeling the tell-tale heat in his cheeks, Sebastian held Rick’s gaze for a few moments before insisting, “no.”

Seeing it for the blatant lie that it was, the older man barked out another loud laugh, throwing an arm around Sebastian’s shoulders and jostling him twice as the engine of the tiny, red car rumbled loudly, awaiting them.

Later, Sebastian wouldn’t remember the details of what they’d talked about for those forty minutes, or really any salient detail about their trip to the airport. The only thing that stuck with Sebastian was as he once again thanked the older man - the man who would hopefully someday become his father-in-law - for his approval, and the ride, was the bone crushing bear hug that he was pulled into. One that Rick had initiated. His brain skittered offline, quickly rebooting as Rick shook him gently by the shoulders one last time, studying Sebastian over the wire frames of his glasses.

“You’re a good fucking kid,” Rick said gruffly, “you know that? I’m glad you’re sticking around.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Sebastian smiled, overwhelmed and painfully grateful for the affirmation as Rick gently shoved him towards the automatic doors of LAX, waving a final goodbye in response to the quick beep beep of the car’s parting honk. Patting the box which was once again snuggled comfortably against his leg, Sebastian made his way through the check in line, a renewed excitement to get back to Bayview.

Settling down in the airport lounge with a few moments to spare, Sebastian studied his reflection in the darkened screen of his phone before sliding open the lock, and starting to record his final installment of this journey, laughing delightedly “So, final installment of this ‘road journal’ - that I still don’t know if you’ll ever see - and you’re never going to believe this, babe, but I swear to God your father just hugged me…”

#20ish hours in LA #self para

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haggertyadventuretime · 7 years ago

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Northern Thailand

Happy New Year, everyone!

Where I left off last post, Brendan and I were about to celebrate Christmas by travelling to Sukhothai! We took a train to a travel hub called Phitsanulok, and loved the train ride once again. We were lucky enough to experience the “lunch rush” of food vendors on the train, we basically had a full meal delivered to our seats, complete with bags of coffee.

I still can’t get over how everything comes in a plastic bag here, even tea and hot soup (if it’s to go!), just ladled into a plastic bag and tied off with a rubber band, which doubles as a string to hold it from. There’s always a large amount of air in the top of the bag, resulting in an I-just-bought-a-pet-fish look to it. If it’s a drink, the vendor just stabs a straw through the top of the bag, and then you just drink from it, dangling it from your fingers. I hate how awful it is for the environment, but it’s also very funny looking. My enjoyment of the bounciness of my beverage was not lost on our Thai neighbors, who giggled with me as I played with my drink.

Sukhothai was a charming little city, and it was once the capital of ancient Siam in the 12-1400s. The ruins of the ancient city are scattered in the older part of town, and there is a large park with large remains of buildings and temples that is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. To be honest, I think Brendan and I are a little tired of ruins and UNESCO signs at this point, because we have been to just. so. many. at this point! They were very cool though, this time made out of bricks with cement and stucco with lots of Buddhas all around the temples. We spent half a day walking around the main area until we decided that maybe we had enough, and also it started to rain.

We opted to spend a lot of our time those two nights in Sukhothai relishing in the very comfortable room I had booked through Air BnB. It was only $15, and had a western-soft mattress, with a very cozy comforter, FOUR PILLOWS, a big screen (flat!) TV, a shower with an actual stall, AC and a fridge. This may sound basic to you, but we are used to fan-only rooms with a mosquito net, beds that make wooden floors seem supportive in softness, sheets for blankets (not that you need a blanket in 80+ degree weather) and bathrooms that are constantly wet because the shower is just a nozzle that you use in the same 3 square foot space as the sink and toilet, and there’s just a drain in the floor. Plus warm beer if we were drinking in that night. So, this place was the Four Seasons compared to everywhere else, and we planned on just chilling and watching incomprehensible Thai game shows while it rained outside. We did go out one night and planned on crossing a bridge to go to the night market, however a transformer right where the street was kept exploding and raining sparks onto the side walk, so we opted to stay in. They fixed it eventually. Man do those things make a loud bang when they explode.

Next on the map was Chiang Mai, the Boston to Thailand’s NYC (Bangkok). We took a bus back to Phitsanulok, then took a train (2nd class, no vendors this time and more $$$, boooo!) to Chiang Mai, and checked into our next Air BnB. Not as comfy as Sukhothai, oh well! We spent five nights in Chiang Mai, because we wanted to ring in the new year there, and also its culinary reputation had been much hyped.

We loved it! We spent a lot of time walking around the city. We stayed within the walls of the Old City, which much like Avignon in France, is surrounded by the original ruins of the medieval wall that once protected it. It has a moat, too! We visited a Folk museum, which gave us lots of information about the “Lanna” culture, which is the culture of the northern Thai, once a separate kingdom from Siam.

I got a traditional massage from a non-traditional masseuse... An inmate! There is a vocational training program that teaches current female prison inmates a trade, in this case Thai massage, and for a very nice price of $7 you can have a lady with very strong hands pound your muscles into submission for an hour. Thai massage is not the relaxing, rub-your-muscles type, you get a warning before she starts to tell her if she’s hurting you. It was similar to the massage I had in Laos, only with more movement and less pressure points. Lots of bending, using her body against mine to stretch muscles and crack joints. You lay on a table in a room with 20 other tables, with an inmate and a guest/victim at each one. The inmates seem to all learn the exact same moves and practice them in the same order, so when it comes time to drum a back/thigh/arm with their hands, they pause and do a 1,2,3 and all go at the same time, which was pretty funny. I love this style of massage, it’s like someone guiding you through yoga positions to make your muscles work better, with occasional added pressure from one of her appendages (hands, feet, elbows, knees, etc).

The food culture here is very strong, and delicious. Lots of influences fro Laos with sticky rice and minced meat salads, as well as Thai and Burmese curries, fishy papaya salads, and of course, meat on sticks. We ate at a bunch of noodle stalls, as well as at night markets and random street vendors, including the infamous Cowboy Hat lady’s braised pork leg! Our only sit-down lunch was at SP Chicken, another world-famous eatery, known for its rotisserie chicken. I know roasted chicken sounds pretty basic, but this shit was next level. Totally worth the wait, and pretty cheap, for sit-down style dining around here. For a sit-down dinner, we waited for two hours for a seat at a place I’m not naming, because it’s already too popular and also I forget what it’s name is. They specialize in traditional Northern Thai food, so we had roast pork shoulder, puff ball mushrooms with galangal chili dipping sauce, a fermented pork sausage (served raw with a soft egg yolk) and a spicy ant egg and sweet greens soup. I was under the impression the pork sausage was grilled (I had seen grilled fermented pork in Laos), but turns out the “grilled” part on the menu was referring to the egg! It was very good. The ant eggs were also surprisingly delicious. They look a lot like barley and have a nutty, fruity flavor. They are the eggs and larvae of red ants that live in mango trees, so their diet of mango leaves makes them sweet, and apparently they are a great wintertime protein. Cool!

The highlight of our stay in Chiang Mai was definitely celebrating New Year’s eve on the moat. Locals and tourists alike get together at one of the gates and light lanterns and send them into the air, making the entire night time sky full of beautiful, twinkling yellow lights moving in unison in the wind. We lit a few of them, since Brendan’s first try landed in the moat (some lanterns die spectacularly in trees, on phone lines and in the water, but somehow they don’t damage anything), and once we did get the hang of it, it was way too much fun (and cheap). The best part was coming back and doing it at midnight, and watching your lanterns rise with a spectacular backdrop of other drifting lanterns framed with fireworks. It was magical, and the pictures and videos pale in comparison to what it was like in person!

I’m actually typing this from the seat of a minibus, on our way to a town called Mae Sot. Why Mae Sot, you ask? By happenstance! We were planning to go to the hill town of Mae Hong Son, a northwestern border town with Myanmar, for trekking and meeting some new tribes that we haven’t encountered yet, including the long-necked Karen tribes. We also needed to book our flight from northern Thailand to the southern islands for our next destination, Ko Tao. Brendan and I were at an expat bar, and I was looking over flights while Brendan was trying to fend off an unwanted conversation from a very drunk English expat, who kept insisting on telling “great stories” that always ultimately ended in him driving home drunk (or cheating on a girlfriend, or something similarly stupid). One thing we have learned on this trip, is that unmarried middle-aged expats in SE Asia are unfortunately a seedy bunch. ANYWAYS, we are just trying to book flights while having a refreshing beer, I’m seeing things are getting pretty booked and I tell Brendan the price and timing and just go for it. Well, turns out I had booked our tickets from a different airport than I thought, in a very different Myanmar-bordering town called Mae Sot, whose flying code is very similar to Mae Hong Son. A mistake I realized in the middle of the night a day ago. Luckily, we hadn’t booked anything in Mae Hong Son. And bummed as I was about not seeing the northern mountains, Mae Sot seems pretty cool as well! It’s supposed to be one of the most ethnically diverse towns in Thailand, with a decent tourism infrastructure and huge Burmese population. It’s also supposed to have a really cool market and some nature sights and refugee camps nearby. We shall see! Oops. Looks like another accidental adventure for the Haggertys! We took a train back to Phitsanulok AGAIN because all the direct busses were booked (also we wanted to ride 3rd class one more time in Thailand before we leave!), and now we are meandering in a minivan, the only foreigners, getting lots of stares. Woohoo!

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europesglobetrotter · 8 years ago

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1. Goodbyes are hard

The hardest part of leaving my home town was saying goodbye - to everyone I love - for an entire year. It may seem like a small feat because, after all, it’s only a year, right? The thing is, I’m not just travelling across the country to go to university, I’m travelling to a different country entirely. It’s daunting, I’m not going to lie. Excitement and nerves boiled in my stomach since I started counting down at 104 days until I left. Now here I am: sitting on an aircraft, surrounded by 7 other people in the same situation as me, while we wait patiently for the last 3 hours of the 11 hour flight to fly by - pun intended.

The night before was surely the hardest. I still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that I was moving thousands of miles away in a matter of hours. How could I? It’s surreal to think about. Even now, as I’m traveling to my destination, I still can’t quite believe it. I’m waiting for someone to pinch me so I’ll wake up.

If I could I’ve you one piece of advice, it’s to not leave your passport at your house. Believe me, I’ve done it. Hell, I think we all have at one point. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most critical pieces you’ll need.

My flight departed at 6.30 and I woke up that morning at 4.30am. I used to be a competitive swimmer, though I quit seven months ago. Even after 10 years of competitive training, the early mornings don’t get any less unbearable. What can I say? My bed and I have a special bond like no other. My best friend and I carried my suitcases to the car, with the help of my grandparents of course. As we drove to the airport, I still couldn’t believe I managed to store my life in 2 suitcase, one carry on, and a jam packed laptop bag. I thought about all the shoes I’d left behind. Trust me, you’ll want to pack everything, but you can’t. At least I know my favourite pair of studded converses will be there when I get back.

At the Palmerston North airport, I waited for my friends to arrive. JJ, S, Mel turned up a little bit before I was supposed to board. After a lot of exchanged hugs and goodbyes, I snagged a few photos and said goodbye to my best friend, Kenz, who stayed the night with me. My brother barely turned up on time for a goodbye. I mean, seriously, I’m away from a year in a foreign country and you could only just manage enough energy to roll out of bed? Dude, come on.

I felt like a prisoner on death row as I walked towards the plane. A morbid analogy, maybe, but 100% true in every sense of the world. You know in the movies where one of the main characters, predominantly the female love interest, decided to have a life away from the other main character, and the camera would focus on the lead as she walked towards the plane? Then, at the last possible moment, she’d turn her head over her shoulder, seemingly in slow motion before vanishing into the plane? Yeah, that was me. I was that girl. I always thought the people in the airport had it the hardest. After all, they were saying goodbye to someone (me) who chose to leave. They couldn’t stop it if they wanted to. The thing is, as I vanished into the plane, I was the one feeling a rush of emotions pour into me. I might not see these people, even when I come back. Who knows what’s going to change for me?

My first struggle of the flight was trying, and mostly failing, to cram my bad into the overhead lockers. After almost dropping it on my head multiple times, I finally jammed it in. I took my seat by the window and stared out to see my friends and family sitting in the upstairs lounge, trying to find my face in the plane. I felt like a creep knowing that I could see them but they couldn’t see me. I ended up texting them all to try and ease my nerves. By this point only five minutes had passed since I last saw them and I was already experiencing friendship withdrawals. Suffice to say leaving was harder than I thought.

Before I knew it, the plane was in the air. As the plane lifted higher and higher, the weight on my shoulders became lighter. I felt free. Finally after a year of contemplating my future, I was ready to embark on the next part of my journey. Travelling thousands of km away may seem like a bit of an exaggeration for someone who doesn’t know what they want to do with their life, but it felt right. As cliche as it sounds, I know I made the right decision. Mentally, I wasn’t ready to accept the responsibility of university and I’ve come to realise that’s okay. It’s okay if you’re not sure what you want to do with your life. Sometimes the best experiences are those that aren’t planned. You think that I attended high school with the intention of fleeing to England as soon as I left? Hell to the no. I always thought I’d get a scholarship and go straight to university to begin the next chapter of my life. I now know that a break from life isn’t something to be ashamed of, or scared of, it’s something to be accepted. I’m just grateful of all the support I had to get me to where I am today.

Once I landed in Auckland airport, I hit a small snag - the snag being the 6 hour wait until my international flight departed. After a lot of wondering around I realised that for a big airport, there’s nothing to do, especially if you’re alone. I was smart enough to follow the sign posts to the international section of the airport. You could catch a bus if necessary, but I figured I both needed the exercise and time to kill, so I walked. It only time a measly ten minutes. Possibly shorter. I couldn’t tell you really since I spent most of the time snapchatting people while making sure my trolley didn’t crash head on into the curb. Teenagers and their cell phones, am I right?

I made it into the international sector of the airport and I felt my stomach drop. It was that feeling you get when you’re on a roller coaster and you’re about to go down a steep decline, or when the planes initially takes off in the air, only this feeling was accompanied by a swarm of nervous butterflies. No, butterflies are beautiful, it was a swarm of moths crowding around a bright light. That’s what my stomach felt like. This happened as I stood in the entrance to the airport, on my own, bags on a trolley, and a dazed and confused expression on my face. I finally realised I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know where to drop my bags off, what time I was supposed to drop them off, which sector (there were 5 different sectors labeled from A to E) I was supposed to do it. My advice? Ask for help. Seriously. Do it. Don’t wander around like a headless chicken in search of it’s head. Case in point: me. After swallowing my pride, I asked for help. The lady explained how you looked on the departure tv boards hanging around the airport. You look for your flight name and departure time and it would have the sector letter next to it. She also told me you could only check in your baggage 3 hours before your flight. I was going to wait a while for that.

I made my way up to the food court and grabbed a table on the corner. I saw a girl named Jess post on Facebook that she’d be on the same flight as me, so we were planning on meeting up when she got there. For that moment, I was by myself. And hungry. Very hungry. The delectable smells invaded my nostrils and my stomach couldn’t help but grumble. I gravitated slowly towards the food after a good fifteen minutes and drooling. Luckily, I didn’t lose my table. In fact, after polishing off my meal in record time, Jess found me. She brought me over to her family (there was a LOT of them) and we had a good Ol’ chat for a few hours. Nathan and Emma, two other gap students, caught up with us soon after.

We took some photos and made our way to sector E to hand off our luggage. I was sweating bullets as I waited for them to tell me my bags were overweight. By some miracle I managed to slide through with no problems. We handed in our orange card that we filled out earlier and made our way to customs. Firstly, you had to go through this machine with your passport. You scanned your passport and if you weren’t coming through illegally like I wasn’t, a gate would open and you’d step into a small square where you’d see your face on a small tv. It scanned your face to see if you were the same person in your passport photo. Then, I was declined. Shit. That’s all I could think. I backed out of the square where I was confronted by a security guard. I was so worried I’d done something wrong. Did I get a counterfeit passport? Am I an illegal immigrant trying to sneak through? Oh god, what was going to happen to me?! All the panic was for nothing. I handed the security guard my passport who told me to take my glasses off. I didn’t have my glasses on in the passport photo and apparently I looked like an entirely different human being without them on. That’s the goal. I passed through successfully, thankfully, and lined up to pass my things through the scanning machines at customs. Pro tip: empty your damn pockets before you get to customs. I was decked out in my heavy winter gear so it didn’t weigh down my already overweight carry on and I had my pockets filled to the brim with crap. Glasses case, portable charger, phone, passport… You name it, I had it. I had to empty my entire pockets, as well as pulling my laptop bag out of my laptop bag. That in itself was a mission and a half. I passed through the metal detector, only to have that go off. I’m telling you, the airport systems and I don’t gel well. I had to take off my massive winter coat, scarf, and Shawn Mendes sweater that was tied around my waist. This time, I passed.

After stuffing everything back into their original places, the four of us wandered to the far end of the airport to where our plane was. We waited there for a while since our plane was delayed. We were on the lookout for gap students like us and we found one - Grace. Soon after meeting up, and taking much needed toilet breaks,we piled onto the plane, where I find myself now. I found my seat, only to see someone sitting in it. After a lot of ticket checking since everyone in my row seemed to be in the wrong seat, I finally found a seat. One that wasn’t mine, but it was in the Perth position on the isle so I was happy with life at this point.

As the flight wears on, the time wears down. So far I’ve watched a few movies like Suicide Squad, Jack Reacher, Big Hero Five, some tv episodes and eventually have stuck with music. I’ve had two meals so far with two cokes. One fish meal and one chicken meal. I was a bit skeptical about the chicken, but it doesn’t taste like impending food poisoning, so I suppose that’s a good sign. Though knowing my luck so far, I won’t be surprised if I find myself chucking up upon landing.

It’s after 8pm in Singapore now. I’ve fast forwarded the rest of the plane ride. It’s 1:24am NZ time, so one could say I’m a little more than completely and utterly exhausted. Singapore airport could probably fit my entire country inside of it. Was that an exaggeration? Yes, massively, but at least you get the picture. It’s 3 stories tall with tilted panels hanging from the ceiling, creating the illusion that the roof is falling down. Everything is so clean and articulate. Honestly, it’s beautiful. The one Debby downer about this place is the temperature. Okay, I get that it’s 32 degrees C, but there is no need for the humidity that overpowers you as soon as you step off the plane. I’ve never sweat so much while doing so little. The good news is that there is around 10 of us now since we managed to group together on the flight. The boys have gone off to get food, though I can confidently say I’m mot surprised, while the girls are shopping and looking around. I’m sitting here with the rest of the people, looking after the bags. It’s weird because my legs are cramped, but I don’t want to walk anywhere. To let you know the pain my lower body is in, it’s like having female cramps everywhere simultaneously. Oh yes, that bad. We have 17 hours until we reach England, so I can’t wait for that when the adventure begins :) ~ EGT ~

#travel Singapore

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the2travel · 8 years ago

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* World Travel Tips : How Following Economics 101 Could Have Prevented United's PR Nightmare

Travel Tips -

By Volodymyr Bilotkach, Newcastle University

On April 9, a passenger was forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight from Chicago O’Hare to Louisville after the carrier was unable to find volunteers to accommodate four of its employees on standby.

Dramatic videos of the incident have gone viral on YouTube and social networks, and I reckon the resulting cost of this PR disaster will likely make United’s CEO wish he had sent in a private jet to ferry those employees to Louisville (which the airline could easily have afforded, given its net income of US$2.3 billion in 2016).

Many articles have reported that airlines routinely overbook their flights, and sometimes passengers have to accept (voluntarily or not) the inconvenience of getting to their destination later than planned.

As an airline economist, I do not recall, however, such a situation ever escalating to the level it did on that United flight. The incident raises many questions, including why airlines overbook and what the carrier could have done differently.

Airline economics 101: Why they overbook

Overbooking is indeed something that the airlines routinely do, and it represents a rational behavior for a carrier that sells some of its tickets as fully refundable contracts (mostly to business customers who pay the highest rates).

While the last few years have generally been good for airline profitability, the brutal truth is that profit margins have been rather low historically. Airlines rank below most other industries in terms of return on invested capital, according to the International Air Transport Association.

An airline that does not overbook risks finding itself in a situation in which several cancellations from high-yield passengers flying on refundable fares (the most expensive airlines offer) can turn a profitable flight into a loss-making one. Airlines have quite a lot of information on cancellation patterns for different flights, and they decide on how many seats to overbook based on this.

[Overbooking] is done mostly because it is comparably easy for the airlines to provide their passengers with alternative ways of getting to their final destination.

Overbooking has likely contributed to the rising “load factors” in the U.S. airline industry. Load factors – the share of airline seats occupied by passengers – on U.S. domestic flights have gone up from just under 80 percent in 2007 to almost 85 percent in 2016. Keeping airplanes as full as possible clearly helps airlines stay in the black.

Of the major U.S. and European airlines, only Ryanair does not deliberately overbook its flights, to my knowledge.

To the best of my knowledge, the airline industry is the only one that practices overbooking. This is done mostly because it is comparably easy for the airlines to provide their passengers with alternative ways of getting to their final destination. For instance, United provides five daily flights from Chicago to Louisville, giving the airline quite a bit of flexibility.

Ins and outs of overbooking

So what happens if a flight is overbooked?

The airline starts by looking for volunteers, offering the passengers travel vouchers or sometimes cash for taking a later flight. U.S. and European airlines are technically not required to offer anything to the passengers for voluntarily giving up their seat (the law stipulates only that the airline and the passenger come to an agreement on conditions under which the passenger volunteers to take a different flight), but most airlines tend to offer travel vouchers.

If not enough volunteers are found, passengers will be bumped off involuntarily, in which case, both U.S. and EU laws require airlines to provide financial compensation to the passengers.

The airlines take your “status” and other factors into account, so you are less likely to be denied boarding if you are traveling on an expensive fare or hold an elite status in the airline’s frequent flier program.

Pro tip: In both jurisdictions, laws provide for compensation in cash. So if you are offered travel vouchers in return for being involuntarily denied boarding, it is your right to refuse and demand cash compensation instead.

UA3411 veers off course

Basically, this is where things went wrong for UA3411. Because United could not get enough volunteers, it started the process of removing passengers from the plane involuntarily, and chose four at random.

Since taking off with more than the maximum allowed number of passengers on board is a serious violation of safety rules, the airline has every right to ensure that there are no extra people on board when the aircraft taxis from the gate.

The issue in this case, in my opinion, is that United did not do all it could to prevent the situation from escalating to the point where it became what will likely be an expensive PR issue, if not a legal and political one.

United did not do all it could to prevent the situation from escalating to the point where it became what will likely be an expensive PR issue, if not a legal and political one.

Even if just 1,000 passengers decide over the next month to fly with a rival instead of United because of this incident, we are talking about a third of a million dollars in lost revenue, giving the current average airfare of about $340.

And that’s without factoring in the cost of repairing the airline’s image (which explains why its shares tanked on the stock market).

Simple economics

What could United have done differently?

From the point of view of economics, the airline’s inability to find volunteers means that the compensation offered was too low. Some accounts of the incident suggest that the airline offered $400 for the passengers to volunteer to take a flight on the next day, and the offer was later raised to $800.

While $800 seems like good money for the inconvenience, passengers apparently put a higher value than this on their desire to get to Louisville (recall that the flight in question was on Sunday evening). In fact, I guess your boss would be more sympathetic with you missing a day at work if this were due to the airline bumping you off a flight than you volunteering to spend a night away (especially since you will end up with a travel voucher or cash in your pocket either way).

Regardless, the airline would definitely have found volunteers if it had kept increasing the offer. Whether the airlines’ employees had the authority to do it is another matter, as the company may have put a limit on how much it could offer.

More generally, to reduce the likelihood of involuntarily denying boarding to passengers in the future on oversold flights, airlines could introduce some sort of auction system to look for volunteers. The airlines could either gradually increase their compensation offer or even ask customers to name their own price for volunteering. It seems that Delta is already doing this, as a matter of fact.

Such a system should not be too onerous to implement. Airlines these days have plenty of ways to contact passengers via text or app. The entire process could be run without creating much fuss in the airport, and even in a way that few even are aware the flight was overbooked.

A rare problem, big headache

Fortunately, denied boarding is in general not a major issue for airlines.

According to the Department of Transportation, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of all passengers are denied boarding, and only one in 10 of those are involuntary.

Still, airlines are well-equipped with all the data and related technologies needed to make sure that all the passengers on oversold flights are reaccommodated voluntarily – and are not involuntarily dragged off a plane in such a horrifying manner.

I hope the incident on April 9 will make them consider making the appropriate investment into tackling this issue.

Volodymyr Bilotkach, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Newcastle University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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theairlineboutique-blog · 8 years ago

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Cathay Pacific 747 farewell

December 2016

Cathay Pacific is one of the biggest and most important airlines in the world: number ten globally by sales revenue, number one in the world for cargo. Its base, Hong Kong, is number eight in the world for passengers and number one in the world for cargo. No plane symbolises Cathay’s march towards Europe, and for that matter their long and prestigious transpacific runs to Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York like the Boeing 747.

Cathay Pacific was founded as the Roy Farrell Export-Import Co. in 1946 by a pair of ex-military pilots, Sydney de Kantzow (an Australian) and Roy Farrell (an American) to serve Hong Kong; the name Cathay Pacific was chosen later the same year during a late-night session at the Manila Hotel. (Incidentally, in Chinese the airline is aptly called “grand and peaceful state”.) Because of Hong Kong’s status as a British Dependent Territory from the mid 1800s until being handed back to China on July 1, 1997, it didn’t have statehood and therefore was unable to negotiate much in the way of long haul air treaties, and most of the flying from there was done by British Airways. In Cathay’s early days, it was only able to secure traffic rights to local ports such as Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta and down to Australia.

The fleet included Douglas DC-3 and Lockheed Electra propliners, followed by early jets such as the Convair CV-880A (a fleet of nine, mostly acquired from VIASA and Japan Airlines) and the Boeing 707 (a fleet of fifteen, mostly acquired from Northwest Orient). Cathay moved up a league in 1975 with the purchase of two widebody L-1011 Tristar widebodies from Lockheed, a love affair which resulted in the procurement of nineteen more secondhand examples, mostly from Eastern Airlines in the USA but also British Airways, Air Lanka, Court Line and Air Transat. These were L-1011-1s with limited range, and Cathay was still restricted to the local region.

The big breakthrough came in 1980 when Cathay finally secured traffic rights to serve London, and received its first Boeing 747-267B on July 20, 1979, Rolls-Royce engines not only pacifying its colonial masters in the United Kingdom but also for compatibility with the Tristar fleet. The registration displayed local pride: VR-HKG. After being inaugurated on the Sydney run in August and bringing extra capacity to local routes within Asia, the jumbo’s London Gatwick debut (via Bahrain) took place the following year, on July 16, 1980.

The fleet of 747-200s expanded to twenty-seven aircraft: fifteen people movers and twelve dedicated freighters. Cathay Pacific opened transpacific service to Vancouver in 1983 and to San Francisco in 1986. Half a dozen 747-367s joined the fleet starting in 1985, bringing extra capacity in the stretched upper deck, but incorporating the same cockpit, wing and engines as the -200 – a “minimum change” upgrade. A major evolution to the 747 was in the works, driven by customers including Cathay, and 1989 Boeing unveiled the 747-400 which went on to become the best-selling variant of the jumbo, arriving just in time for the post-Cold War peace dividend of the 1990s. Cathay Pacific bought eighteen passenger models and twelve freighters directly from Boeing and, in the 2000s, another seven ex-Singapore Airlines 747-412 Megatops despite having different Pratt & Whitney powerplants.

The 747 in Cathay’s jade green colours was a staple at airports across Asia and further afield as the airline took its place among the biggest travel brands in the world. In 1998, one of the 747-467s operated the inaugural flight into Hong Kong’s Chep Lap Kok airport which replaced the famous but undersized Kai Tak, with a fifteen-hour, thirty-five minute flight from New York’s JFK via the North Pole. By the mid-2000s Cathay jumbos were operating daily passenger service at cities as distant from Hong Kong as New York, Johannesburg, Frankfurt and Dubai, as well as multiple frequencies to strongholds such as London, Los Angeles and across Australia. Due to the volumes on local routes in the region, the 747s were mainstays to trips to Bangkok, Singapore, Beijing, cities in Japan, plus of course the “golden route” to Taipei.

However, the twin-engined 777-300ER can do pretty much anything the four-engined 747 can (but burning half the fuel and needing half the maintenance), so when deliveries of Boeing’s twenty-first century miracle machine to Hong Kong began in late 2007, the writing was on the wall. By 2014 the passenger fleet of 747-400s at Cathay was down to half a dozen, and its last long haul destination was its first US destination: San Francisco, which ended on September 1. After that 747s were only used ad hoc to regional cities such as Taipei, Bangkok, Bali and Singapore when traffic demanded the extra capacity, with one just route still scheduled, the evening Hong Kong to Tokyo Haneda CX542, returning to base the following morning as CX543.

Cathay occupies a special place in the hearts of Australians, as Hong Kong is a major stopover for Aussies travelling to or from Europe – a place to spend a few days en route to get a suit or some shirts made, shop in the markets, stroll up Nathan Road, flag down a G&T at the Peninsula if budget allows. Many Cathay pilots are Australian, some gravitating directly from flying school, others as refugees from the shutdown of Ansett Australia in 2001. Along with Singapore Airlines and Thai, Cathay Pacific could be considered an Australian flag carrier, so important is the market to the airline’s bottom line, and so important is Cathay to mobilising generations of Australians.

When Cathay announced the last flight of the 747 would take place on the Haneda route on October 1, 2016, this Australian couldn’t resist one last flight on a Cathay 747, and booked a ride using British Airways points on CX543 on September 27, 2016.

I stayed overnight at the Royal Park Hotel which is located right inside Haneda’s modern international terminal, so I needed to take no more than a few steps from the hotel reception area to Cathay’s check in desk. Although I was booked in Economy, I was able to use the First Class check-in thanks to my Emerald (top tier) status with fellow oneworld alliance member British Airways.

With nine First and forty-six Business seats on the jumbo, it was unusual to find a line-up at the premium class check-in desks but Cathay’s capable ground staff dealt with each customer swiftly and I was soon checked in by a friendly and helpful agent despite my two legs being on different bookings, and my two heavy bags were tagged through to Manchester, clearing the way for an uninterrupted nine hour stay in Cathay’s lounges at Hong Kong.

Cathay have laminated seat maps of the fleet at the check-in desk to show passengers where they’re sitting and what’s on offer (why every airline don’t do this is a mystery). I wanted to steal the 747 seat map but with three days left of 747 ops it might still be missed. I can only assume its now in the possession of some sticky-fingered enthusiast who was among the last to check-in on October 1. With help from the seat map, I picked a seat down the back in one of the outer pairs where 3-4-3 becomes 2-4-2.

After clearing security I used my BA gold status to spend an hour in the Cathay lounge on the top floor and commands an impressive view of airfield action. The approach to land involves a low-level bank to join finals very late, and every minute another jet, many of them widebody 777s and 787s on domestic runs, curved around to touch down outside the panoramic windows. A choice of Chinese or Japanese breakfast was offered, cooked to order and signalled when ready with a radio-controlled buzzer. I was pleased to see our 747 wasn’t the only one of its kind on the move, as a Thai jumbo landed from Bangkok. There is plenty of life in the old girl yet – on top of thirty-seven 747-8i at Koreanair, Air China and Lufthansa, AeroTransport Databank lists 185 active 747-400 passenger aircraft (British Airways, China Airlines, KLM, Qantas, Lufthansa and Thai all remain committed to the type at the time of writing).

I wandered down to gate 145 where a familiar sight awaited. The jade-green jumbo sat nose-in to the loading area, two jetbridges attached, cockpit and upper deck presiding over the surroundings. Passengers took pictures from the glassed-in boarding area – all Hong Kong Chinese, one of the most mobile populations in the world, have a love affair with the 747, and Japan too, since JAL and All Nippon at their peak operated more than two hundred machines including dozens dedicated to domestic runs, the biggest national fleet of jumbos in the world.

At this point, the very end of Cathay’s 747 operations, the fleet was down to three machines – B-HUI, -HUJ and HKT. The first two were delivered new to Cathay as 747-467s, and the latter an ex-Singapore Airlines -412. From spying the registration painted on the nosegear, today’s CX543 was to be operated by B-HKT, distinctive also for the Pratt & Whitneys under the wing, as opposed to Cathay’s original Rolls-Royce powered fleet.

Nonetheless, there was no sign of a previous owner. Boarding the aircraft definitely induced a grand and peaceful state, the soft green tones reinforcing the Cathay corporate brand which stands for reliability and luxury. With retirement of the fleet in the works for some time, the 747s never received the most up-to-date hard product installed on their latest Cathay 777-300ERs, sticking with the herringbone business class that has now been replaced everywhere else (except Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand. But the kind-hearted welcome and clean aircraft appearance and smell suggested a machine in the prime of its life; most passengers would never have guessed it was three days from retirement.

Demonstrating the appeal of the Tokyo to Hong Kong route, with over twenty flights a day from Narita and Haneda every day, almost all of the 747’s 359 seats were occupied (breaking down as 9 first, 46 business, 26 premium economy, 278 economy) and we were ready to push back for an ontime departure at 1035 local time.

We made a long tour of the airfield, rolling past the Nippon maintenance hangars where the latest 787s received some attention, then out on a pier to the new runway 05 which extends into Tokyo Bay on stilts in the water. With a roar from the four massive PW4000 engines, we were rolling. After a thirty second race down the runway, the nose rose into the air and the whole machine levitated magically upwards. As Japan fell away beneath, we rolled into a series of turns to set course to the west for our four-and-a-half hour trip to China.

Soon after the seatbelt signs were switched off, a crew member announced that Mount Fuji was visible off the right side of the aircraft. I hopped out of my seat and found a free window on the other side, and there it was, rising 12,388 feet, the tallest mountain in Japan and in the words of UNESCO, “Inspiring artists and poets and the object of pilgrimage for centuries.” I’d seen it covered in snow before, but at the end of a hot summer, it was somehow futuristic and intimidating, this enormous yet mute black pyramid. Photos were snapped by passengers and then as Fuji-san slipped out of sight we settled down for an early lunch, served on trays in economy.

I had the Chinese beef option, which came with a prawn cocktail appetiser, a bread roll and a Kit-Kat, washed down with green tea and water. Although fairly basic, it was tasty and filling. Trays were cleared away and I sat back to read and listen to the dull roar of the queen of the skies cutting through the upper atmosphere at over 500mph, 35,000 feet above the East China Sea.

All too soon the distant thunder of the engines died away and a momentary sense of weightlessness signalled the top of descent into Chep Lap Kok airport. As our altitude on the flight map began unwinding, the captain came on the PA and announced that the 747s had only three days left to fly before being retired, paying tribute to the type’s long history in Cathay service and that the crew would be sad to see the end of passenger service for the jumbo – a classy touch.

Soon we were down in the haze of Hong Kong and the skyline came into view as the flaps were extended for landing. With a thump the wheels were lowered and we were on finals for runway 25R. We returned to earth with a rattle and a smudge of blue smoke whippinh out from under the wing. Spoilers rose to dump the lift and settle the full weight of the jumbo onto the wheels for effective braking; we smoothly decelerated to walking pace and turned off towards the bustling terminal area for parking, fifteen minutes ahead of our scheduled 1500 arrival time.

As passengers deplaned I asked if I could visit the cockpit and was escorted up the stairs to meet the pilots. We had a brief chat about the 747’s planned delivery flights to California and Bruntingthorpe UK for scrapping while the cabin crew took turns sitting in the pilots’ seats for photos as it was their last work trip on a jumbo.

The captain then invited me to sit in the captain’s seat for a photo of my own. I thought of all the men and women who had sat here during the hundred thousand hours B-HKT had clocked up since it was rolled off the line at Seattle in December 1992 for Singapore Airlines, and, since April 1997, Cathay Pacific – landings at dawn and dusk, long nights across the Pacific, daylight crossings of oceans, deserts, whole continents, in every imaginable weather conditions.

The last passenger flight, also CX543, operated as promised on October 1, a frenzy of avgeek enthusiasm and nostalgia for the end of an era. The following week, on October 8, Cathay operated a special sightseeing flight for 359 employees, each of whom donated HK$747 to the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation, flight number CX8747, with the airline using social media to advise the public of the best vantage points to watch the aircraft fly over the city it had served for decades.

Twenty 747 freighters (six 747-400ERFs and fourteen 747-8Fs) fly on at Cathay but the era of 747 passenger flights at Cathay Pacific is over; my last trip on one was a memorable way to say goodbye. Thanks Cathay and thanks jumbo!

#avgeek #cathaypacific #boeing 747 #douglas dc3 #CathayPacific747farewell

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