Traveling the Highway of Life

All the cool kids are doing it!

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:59:07 GMT

Stolen from aibhinn who stole it from earlgreytea68 who stole it from rosa_acicularis and so on and so on and so on...

Request any fic of mine and I will provide you with a commentary/annotations, like a DVD extra.

My fics are here.

As others have requested, just one chapter of a multi-chaptered fic, please.

Like aibhinn, I am in search of my muse. If you happen to spot her, could you tell her I miss her and would like her to come home?

Unmotivated

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:39:03 GMT

I know I've been MIA for quite a while, even without counting the trip to England. (Which was FABULOUS and I'll get to in another post.) I've just not been too motivated to do much.

Let's see...I don't think I ever filled y'all in on my job situation. that Fox job I'd been offered? They pulled the offer the vey next week because I was going away to England during their launch.

But it seems I may have dodged a bullet. The station has been getting incredibly BAD reviews for its newscasts thus far. I have watched a couple and just shook my head in disbelief. It's not a great place.

So, I'm still freelancing and still trying to get a permanent spot at KUSI. The good news: Everyone seems to like me. They're trusting me with the flagship shows during the week, too, so I'm hoping something will develop. The news director has said we need to talk about the future, but he's been very busy trying to get some other things in place. im hoping those things will include some good news for me.

School started again and Tony is doing well so far. Student of the week for his class last week! I really like his teacher, too. He's been working with the resource team to really try to prevent the behavior issues from starting in the first place. The folks in child care are getting on board with that too, so he'll be able to get back into after-school care next week. And his best friend is in the after-school care every day, so I think that will really help.

DH is glad to have me back from England. He says being a single parent sucks!

WIP Meme

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:42:42 GMT

Snagged from karenor

When you see this, post snippets of all your works-in-progress.

Maybe this will give me the much needed boost to get things moving again...if I can get real life stuff to stop killing my creativity.

I've got about 1600+ words written for the final chapter. This is just a tiny tiny taste, a bit that makes me giggle.

Martha gave him a nudge. “Doctor? Earthquake?”

“Total devastation?” Mickey added.

“Possible death of millions?” Rose finished.

The Doctor looked around at them. “Sorry. Not the best time to go on a tangent.”

“No,” Rose agreed.

I wanted to get the idea down, but have been telling myself I cannot write it fully till I finish that first WIP.

Seventy-five….seventy-six…seventy-seven…

The little girl’s eyelids were starting to get heavier, but she didn’t want to sleep. Not with meteors falling outside!

She wanted to see more than she could from her bed. She glanced over at the dark mound lying in her doorway, and decided she could make the window without disturbing it. Sitting up, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, but a warning growl stopped her before her feet hit the floor. She sighed and pulled her legs back under the covers. “All right, Eddie, I’m staying,” she told the Irish Setter. “Happy now?”

The dog settled back down in the doorway, laying his head on his front paws. The girl flopped back down on her pillow and sighed again, knowing she’d lost count. She decided to start over. One, two, three, four…..

She blinked and widened her eyes, trying to keep the lids from drifting shut. Five, six… She thought she saw a streak of light fall close, closer than any of the others. But she was so tired, too tired, even though a small portion of her young mind was still fighting sleep.

As she drifted off, she could just hear Eddie growl once more.

Just a bit of nonsense that came to my mind while out with my son one day

The Doctor knelt down in front of the children. “All right, troops, ground rules. No aiming for the face, and everything beyond that tree line is out of bounds.”

Jack hefted his two water guns, and with a grin said, “Aw, c’mon, Doc. Do I look like an out of bounds type of guy?”

There's one other bit started in longhand, but nothing really excerptable (is that a word?) from it yet. I started it in England, giving myself some permission to be less disciplined in hopes that I could get writing again.

Anyone want to take this real life stuff away from me?

Just back from Comic-Con

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:02:17 GMT

Just back from Comic-con. What a great day! Story and a couple of pics under the cut.

My first stop was the dealer hall to find out when John would be signing, since the program didn't give any times. To my surprised...there he was! And not much of a crowd about yet. I think a lot of people were lining up at the ballroom where the DW/TW presentations were to be held.

I bought my ticket for the signing and was able to walk up right away to have him sign my copy of "Another Side." Now, I'm not usually a shy person but I'm afraid I was struck dumb. All I could manage was a, "Thank you, John." Then I stepped back to snap a couple of photos. No posing allowed, per the vendor rules, and no flash. Inadvertently my flash *did* go off and the vendor's people snapped at me. I tried to turn off the darned flash...it was still on for my next shot. I grumbled at fancy schamncy new cameras and said that I should have brought my good old manual Nikkormat. Then I finally managed to get the darned flash off and got one more shot. Then I thought I ought to move on before I started to seem like a stalker fangirl!

Went upstairs for the panels afterwards, and they were both great. You could really tell how well the cast got along together. They say they will start filming the new series of TW in four weeks, and that it will be on the BBC in the spring. An agreement to air it on BBC America was also reached today, but no air date.

There had to be abot four thousand people in that hall, judging from the computer counter I spotted on the way out. It was at 2500 and counting down as I passed, and the room was about half empty by then.

After the panel, I wandered the dealer hall again, and decided to go back and finally buy John's book. Which I should have done in the first place but I suppose I was a little stupid this morning. But hey. Got another chance to see John, and he thanked me for buying the book. I still couldn't manage much more than a "Thank you" in return; a far cry from my fantasies of a great conversation! But then, the line wasn't conducive to conversations!

Still, it was wonderful to get to meet him even for a moment. He was apologetic to one other fan about the inability to do posed pictures, saying it was the vendor's rule, not his. And it was wonderful to see that he was traveling with so many members of his family.

And yes. He's really as handsome in person as he is in his pictures. Which is probably why I was struck dumb both times.

Some pics here. Not really good ones; I can't seem to get the hang of that darned digital camera. I think I'm bringing the Nikkormat to England. I understand old-fashioned manual cameras!

John and Gavin at the signing table.

John is on the left, his mum and dad in the background, and that's me on the right. Thanks to the kind soul who took the photo!

One week to go!

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:31:45 GMT

A week from tomorrow, I'll be on a plane headed to Manchester!

I'm having a hard time believing that it's finally happening. There have been so many things that have gotten a bot in the way, mostly the job/money situation. And here is where I nominate my brother for the Best Brother In The World Ever award. He bought my ticket, and he pumped a bit of cash into our bank account to make sure that we'd be OK. In fact, he put in $500 more than I told him I needed.

Like I said. Best Brother Ever. Even if he doesn't answer the phone!

I've picked up a new suitcase, since the wheels on my old one have worn out. Now it's time to start packing, bit by bit. And to try to clean the house up somewhat before I leave. I told DH that I'm buying paper plates and plastic utensils and cups for them to use before I go. I do NOT want to find piles of dirty dishes upon my return. I think I'll be getting foil baking pans too. And disposable plastic microwave cookware. I know my boys...entirely incapable of cleaning.

Still pinching myself here!

Journey's End Reaction - Spoilers Ahead

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:03:56 GMT

So I've had 24 hours to process this.

I feel, well, a bit hollow. I didn't cry. I didn't wind up staying awake all night like I did after "Doomsday."

I just felt a bit shortchanged.

I'm not really happy with the outcome for Ten/Rose. It felt like a cheat, frankly. Rose didn't really seem too happy with it either. I know, I know. Ten in a long term relationship "isn't right" for the show.

The recalcitrant eight year old in me doesn't believe that.

Like pretty much everyone, I hated what happened to Donna, and I have a hard time believing there wasn't any other way. And who knows what could trigger her memories? That was very very risky.

I was very disappointed not to get more interaction between the companions. I wanted a conversation between Rose and Martha. I wanted Rose and Jack to really talk. Darn it, I wanted the three mums to get together!

The weird science was all a bit off for me. I've always said the Hand was significant, since way back before Torchwood premiered. I had a different theory about how it would be significant, but maybe I dug too much into Classic and Big Finish Who. I just dont get how Donna could be so impacted by regeneration energy.

And I wonder...the Doctor made a huge deal about being "Time Lord." Which begs the question: Is the TV movie NOT canon? According to it, the Doctor is half human. Do we need to forget that?

Am I the only one who thought the TARDIS towing Earth looked a bit cheesy? And with the Crucible destroyed, wouldn't the atmospheric bubble created by the Daleks have also disappeared?

Maybe some of this was covered...some of the dialogue was so fast I couldn't follow it.

Now, there were things I loved. The reunion between Mickey and Jack. All of Jack's humor. I'm glad he wasn't under-used this time. Donna, all the way through. All of Team TARDIS flying Earth home. I really wanted more of them all together.

One moment that gave me the shivers was Davros' speech about turning his companions into weapons. More than a year ago I wrote a fic in which the (not!Simm) Master berates the Doctor for ruining his companions. Nice to think I tapped into something there.

But the good elements just weren't enough. Perhaps if they'd done a 90 minute show, I wouldn't be feeling this way.

Book Meme

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:00:48 GMT

Picked this up from soules_cookies. I did OK on this list.

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them ;-)

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Cluck, cluck!

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:44:33 GMT

Just something fun from my hometown...a chicken on the loose at the local McDonalds. I've seen this bird and have watched the staff trying to catch her. They finally did last week. No, she's not McNuggets now.

http://www.pe.com/video/?z=y&nvid=252096

Interview tomorrow!

Wed, 28 May 2008 20:41:52 GMT

Well, not so much an interview as a serious discussion about terms for a full-time gig at KUSI. Keeping my fingers crossed that they don't lowball me and that they don't freak about my England trip this summer.

A different kind of angel...

Wed, 28 May 2008 02:09:15 GMT

Someone e-mailed me this. Since I don't spam e-mail inboxes, I thought I'd spam my flist instead. **grin**

Sick of angel emails?

Ok BE HONEST...

How many of you REALLY ENJOY getting

little angel love notes from every person in your address book?

Like the sickening cutsie message wasn't bad enough,

THEN they FORCE you by threatening bad luck

if you don't send it on to others and back to them

to prove you read the email! A vicious circle!

Here's a New and Improved version:

YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED BY THE GOOD LUCK ANGEL!

HE'S GOOD LUCK BECAUSE HE PROBABLY MADE YOU SMILE.

WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED TRYING TO SEE UP HIS LOINCLOTH...

AND YOU JUST LOOKED AGAIN, DIDN'T YOU...

WHY NOT SEND THIS ON TO SOME OF YOUR GIRLFRIENDS TO MAKE THEM SMILE, TOO?

There's no bad luck if you don't pass it on.

POURING!

Thu, 22 May 2008 19:25:59 GMT

It's just about 12:30, and a thunderstorm just rolled in. The lightning is virtually right on top of us, and the rain is pouring down! Unbelievable for this time of year!

Gacked from starlightmoonla

Wed, 21 May 2008 05:25:25 GMT

Go here. Keep refreshing until you've collected five quotes that really resonate with you, then post them to your journal.

1. If you have a talent, use it in every which way possible. Don't hoard it. Don't dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke.-Brendan Francis

2. Remember! Things in life will not always run smoothly. Sometimes we will be rising toward the heights - then all will seem to reverse itself and start downward. The great fact to remember is that the trend of civilization itself is forever upward, that a line drawn through the middle of the peaks and the valleys of the centuries always has an upward trend. -Endicott Peabody

3. Family isn't about whose blood you have. It's about who you care about.-Trey Parker and Matt Scott, "South Park."

4. Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.-Confucius

5. Confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can have. It's much sexier than any body part.-Aimee Mullins

And one extra that isn't profound and certainly is mean...but ooh, I like it right now for one certain person: "He is one of those people who would be enormously improved by death."

Update on the job front...

Wed, 21 May 2008 03:04:36 GMT

The interview at Fox6 went pretty well. I got to meet the anchors, the news director and the assistant news director. And all of them really spent more time TELLING me about their station than asking me questions about me. I got a tour of the facility (brand new, and the production control room is TO DIE FOR), and the Ass't ND actually apologized about asking me to take a writing test! I told him I *expected* to take one.

As I was leaving, the Ass't ND also gave me a salary estimate. Actually, he asked what I wanted, and I said, "I'll tell you what I always say to that question...I *want* $100K and a car! But what does it PAY?" He laughed and gave me the salary range...and it's about the same as I was earning at my two jobs. If I can bump it up a bit, it'll be better yet.

They UPS'ed an aircheck of last Friday's show for my critique. I've watched the first hour, but still need to view the second hour and then start writing. Then we'll see.

In the meantime...I've finally made contact with the Ass't ND at KUSI, where I've been freelancing. She's been on the graveyard shift and hard to reach. But she now knows that I am available, and is trying to work out bringing me in to meet with HR. And she needs to work out what shift to put me on...she did say I need to be open to any shift. She does NOT yet know that I'm interviewing with the competition as well.

*IF* KUSI can come up with the right money, I'd rather stick there. I knwo the people and the culture and the systems. But if they can't come up with the right money, I'll jump.

Also got a call from the unemployment office. Apparently KZSW was reporting my wages under my maiden name for one quarter. Very very very strange as I haven't USED my maiden name in 15 years. But since they could identify me, they say my claim is fine.

Which is good, becauseI'm going to be a bit nervous till I get another paycheck going.

Happy Prompts Ficathon

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:11:30 GMT

C’mon, get happy!

twdw_ficathon is hosting a springtime “Happy Prompts” ficathon. Forget the heavy angst. We’ve put together 50 fluffy fic prompts (say that three times fast) for your writing pleasure.

Signups begin this Sunday and go through 4/27. Then you have all May to write your fic of at least 1000 words. Post your fic by June 1.

Want to know more? Right this way!

Cross-posted all over the place.

I keep finding Torchwood everywhere!

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:30:54 GMT

Tonight, it's in my nightly reading with my son. We're currently in the middle of "The Egypt Game," which was one of my favorites when I was a kid.

In tonight's chapter, I came across this line: "For instance, you knew that Mrs. Harkness would call the police is you stepped on her lawn."

I giggled. Tony didn't quite get it because he only knows "Captain Jack."

We're getting a REFUND!!!

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:47:15 GMT

And it's a BIG one! About $1300 between the federal and state returns!

And I'd been so worried about this year. But between the extra withholding for my husband and the tax credit for the new hybrid car, we ended up ahead.

I know technically it would have been better if we'd merely broken even, but I'll take this, gladly. Already told DH that those funds are going into my England savings.

3AM ramblings....

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 09:57:30 GMT

Politically, I never agreed with Charlton Heston. But oh, what a voice and a presence! I was sad to miss "The Ten Commandments" this year because I was working...I've always loved that movie. Rest in Peace.

Doctor Who....massive SQUEEEE! All I'm going to say for now.

Torchwood....yes, I cried. And I want to "fix" some things...but I'm not unhappy with the episode at all.

This could be a little more sonic.....

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:42:05 GMT

I once had a character tell the Doctor he could make a fortune selling copies of the sonic screwdriver on the Home Shopping Channel.

Imagine my giggles when I saw a commercial for this on the American Life Channel: Sonic Mop!

Time Lord technology, indeed!

Tales Told In A Minor Key - Chapter Four

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:51:51 GMT

Author’s Note: I started this last fall in response to something I read about compassion fatigue. It got put aside a few times; I’m still not sure that I haven’t been too self-indulgent with it. It's the longest thing I've written in quite a while.

This is for all of us who’ve had a bit of a tough time with things lately.

Storyline Note: By this time in the “Tracking Torchwood” timeline, Madhukar has left the TARDIS. That story still remains to be written.

Sometimes a post-traumatic roll in the hay is the only answer.

Jack drew Kit’s trembling body down and kissed her softly. “Okay now?” he asked.

She didn’t answer. She just moved to rest her ear against his chest, probably listening to his heartbeat. She hadn’t said anything since they’d stood at that window, her hands pressed against the glass and his arms wrapped around her.

He could swear he’d felt her heart breaking then.

They’d returned to the TARDIS in silence, her face a blank mask as they walked. No tears. Jack looked bleakly at the Doctor and Rose, then followed Kit back to their room. Once he closed the door, she threw her arms around him and pulled his head down to kiss him desperately. Desperate for connection. Desperate to stop the hurt.

And he was just desperate enough to try anything to ease her pain. So he made love to her, answering her desperation with tender kisses and caresses, trying to calm her and assure her that she wasn’t and would never be alone.

Now he stroked her back gently as she lay against him. She sniffled a little. “Sorry, Jack. That was…I shouldn’t’ve…”

“Yes, you should have. It’s what you needed. I’m here, whatever you need. Always.” Her breath caught in a sob, and he planted a kiss in her hair. “Ssssshhhh. It’s okay. I love you.” Now he felt tears falling on his chest. “No need for sorry, Angel.”

Hours earlier…

Jack grinned as Kit skipped into the console room, a Red Sox cap on her head and a baseball glove in her hand. “So, you’re gonna be an angel in the outfield today?” he teased.

“Gotta be ready for those foul balls!” she replied cheerfully.

“Actually, Jack, there will be angels in the outfield this game,” the Doctor said, pulling one last lever. “And in the infield, and at bat. Game seven of the 1986 American League playoff series, the Boston Red Sox versus the California Angels. The series is tied up and the Red Sox have a chance at their first pennant in more than a decade.”

“Amazing!” Rose observed from the jump seat. “Blokes are blokes, whether they’re human or Time Lords. I think they have a section of their brains reserved just for sport. Who bothers to remember this stuff?”

“I do!” Kit and the Doctor chorused. They stared at each other, and she giggled. “I’m a fan. What’s your excuse?”

The Doctor tapped his temple. “I’m a Time Lord.”

“And you looked it up first,” Jack said dryly. He shrugged at the Doctor’s glare, pointing at the monitor. “You left it on the screen.” The materialization sequence ended with its familiar thump. “I hope your Time Lord senses got us here before the game this time.”

“Why do you all doubt me whenever we arrive somewhere?” the Doctor complained as he went through the door with Rose.

“Experience,” Kit retorted, taking Jack’s hand as they followed the others.

“And maybe because you have another bloke habit. Getting lost and not asking directions,” Rose added. “I know I haven’t been to 20th-century Boston before, but from what Kit’s told me, this doesn’t look like Fenway Park.”

The TARDIS had arrived on an outdoor concourse. Jack looked at the people passing by, many dragging wheeled suitcases and talking on mobiles. “I’m fuzzy on late 20th century history, but I’m pretty sure cell phones weren’t around in 1986.”

“Sure they were,” the Doctor answered. “They just…weren’t as small as these.” His voice lost its usual note of self-assurance. “And…most people didn’t have them…”

“And I don’t think people bring baggage to a baseball game,” Rose added.

“All right,” the Doctor conceded. “Not 1986, and not Fenway Park. Sorry, Kit.”

Kit pulled away from Jack to peer inside a newspaper vending machine. “Not even Boston, Doctor. This should be the Globe, but it’s the Newark Star-Ledger.” She gasped suddenly, dropping her baseball glove. She shot Jack a wide-eyed glance and then took off running down the concourse, her cap flying off in her haste. Jack and the others stared for only a beat before starting after her, dodging passersby in their path.

She ran through a sliding glass door. Above it, a sign read, Newark International Airport - To All Gates. There was also a marquee scrolling the time and date. Reading it, Jack’s felt his insides turn cold. Rose gasped in surprise as the Doctor breathed, “Oh, no no no no.”

7:41 AM September 11, 2001.

They ran into the terminal. Kit was already halfway up the escalator to the gates, running up the steps. Jack and the others followed, but were blocked by a knot of oblivious tourists and their carry-on bags. By the time they pushed their way through the group, Kit had already disappeared into the crowd. “Damn!” Jack cursed. “Which gate?” He went to the bank of departure monitors to look for the gate number.

Rose followed with wide eyes. “Doctor, Kit wouldn’t do anything to change what happens, would she?”

“You know about gingerbread houses,” the Doctor said grimly, also looking at the monitors. “And angels can fall.”

“Not if we’re there to catch her,” Jack answered as he spotted the flight listing. “A-17! That way!”

They headed toward the wide passageway at the end of the terminal. Dozens of passengers were waiting to pass through security. Now Jack could see Kit, reaching the line and calling out. He couldn’t hear her over the terminal’s bustle, but he saw two people turn toward her: a tall man with graying hair and a slender auburn-headed woman. Kit fell into their arms.

“Should we just be standing here, letting this happen?” Rose asked, her chin trembling.

The Doctor’s expression was somber. “Probably not.”

“No Reapers, Doctor,” Jack pointed out, his voice rough with emotion. “We’d have seen them by now if this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“They still have to board the plane,” the Doctor replied. “Come on.”

They approached the group, huddled in a tight embrace. Then Kit drew back, wiping her eyes. Her voice quaking, she said, “Jack, Rose, Doctor…these are…you’d call them Jophiel and Kristine. My parents.”

Jack felt himself pinned and measured by the crystal blue eyes of Kit’s father. Measured and apparently found acceptable, because the angel smiled at him then. “There’s nothing to fear here, Jack.”

“I know, sir,” Jack replied. “No Reapers.”

Kit’s mother laughed warmly. “Don’t be formal, Jack! Use our heart names. Kris.”

“Call me Joe,” Jophiel offered. “Relax, Doctor. This is what must be.” He looked down at Kit. “The Music brought you here.”

She stared in surprise. “But…you must know I’m not part of the Music anymore.”

“Not hearing the Music doesn’t mean you’re not part of it,” Joe told her. “No matter the reason you can’t hear it.”

“All living things are part of the Music of Time,” Kris added. “Even them.” Her eyes shifted past them.

Jack casually followed her gaze to see a pair of dark-haired men standing in the line. They were trying to act nonchalant, but he saw the nervousness in their stances and in the way they looked around. Not quite enough to alert the poorly-trained, bored-looking security guards, but enough for a Time Agent taught to watch out for meddlers in history.

“Are they..?” Rose whispered.

“Yes, Rose,” Joe answered. “Don’t stare.”

She looked away, and said, “They look like ordinary blokes. They’re so young.”

“Only a little older than you were when you became the Bad Wolf,” Kris said. “But you’re never too young to change the world.”

“But…” Rose started protesting loudly, quieting when Joe made a quelling motion. “Do they have to change it this way?"

“You already know the answer to that,” said Joe. “Bad things do happen to good people.”

“And sometimes great evil is needed to bring about greater good,” the Doctor mused.

Kris smiled. “You’ve come a long way from the stable in Bethlehem, Doctor. You didn’t want to accept that then.” She nodded slightly at his surprised stare. “From today comes the birth of the future. It’s just one necessary link in a chain of human events spanning millennia.”

“Excuse me.” A woman in a United Airlines uniform had stepped up to them. “You folks are holding up the line.”

“Give us a minute,” Jack asked her quietly. He inclined his head toward Kit. “She’s not going to see her family for…” He felt a lump rise up in his throat at the look in Kit’s eyes now. “For a long time,” he finished hoarsely.

“I’m sorry—” the woman said, stopping when Joe raised a hand and waved it slightly. She nodded. “We’ll let the others go ahead. You can get back in when you finish with your goodbyes,” she said, and stepped back a discreet distance.

“Jedi mind tricks are always useful,” Joe said, smiling slightly. He laid a hand against Kit’s cheek. “Remember this, when you don’t think you can understand.

“O Light divine! we need no fuller test
That all is ordered well;
We know enough to trust that all is best
Where Love and Wisdom dwell.

Christopher Pearse Cranch. It’s in the TARDIS library.”

She gave him a watery smile. “You don’t usually give me such long quotes.”

“It has to last you,” he said, stroking her cheek. “It’s time, Kit-kat. The Music plays on. We can’t hold up history.”

She held on to his hand. “Not so soon!” she protested. “I tried so many times to reach you before, but something kept blocking me until now.”

“It wasn’t in your Music until you could no longer hear it,” he told her gently.

“But it’s not fair!” Kit looked rebellious. “What’s the point of it now if it’s only for a minute?”

“No more point than this,” Kris said, drawing Kit into a gentle hug. “Just a chance to say goodbye.”

Joe folded his arms around both of them, and the family huddled together one last time. The public address system blared, “United Airlines Flight 93, service to San Francisco, now boarding at Gate A-17.”

Sighing deeply, Joe kissed the top of Kit’s head. He beckoned to Jack and laid Kit’s hand in his, and then wrapped his own around them both. “You’re her family now, Jack. All of you are.”

Kris kissed Kit, murmuring, “We have to go. Jack, thank you.” She laid a hand on his cheek, and suddenly he felt a moment of warmth, acceptance and even gratitude flowing from the two angels. Then they pulled away gently, stepping back into the queue.

Jack put his arms around Kit and felt her shaking as she watched them pass through the scanners. Once on the other side, Joe turned back to call out, “D’hiraya’azvasa, Kit-kat!”

She nodded and swallowed back a sob as she rested her head against Jack’s chest. The two angels disappeared into the crowd.

The airline worker approached them again. “You can watch their flight take off from the concourse,” she said kindly.

Together they slowly walked toward a set of empty seats near the windows. People darted around them, intent on their destinations, no one paying any attention to the somber group. Kit sank into one of the chairs, burying her face in her arms. Jack settled next to her, gently rubbing her back. Rose sat on her other side, putting a hand on Kit’s shoulder. The Doctor leaned against the window, lost in thought.

They heard the final boarding call. In a muffled voice, Kit said, “The flight will be delayed forty minutes. You don’t have to wait. I’ll catch up after…”

“I’m not leaving you here,” Jack said firmly.

The Doctor knelt down in front of her and reached out to make her look up at him. “Of course we’ll wait. All of us. That’s what families do.”

She let out a long breath and nodded. He stood again and moved toward the window, once again leaning against its frame.

They waited.

Kit sagged against Jack, as if she’d been totally drained. He wrapped his arms around her and laid his cheek against her hair. Rose patted Kit’s shoulder and then squeezed his arm in reassurance before getting up to join the Doctor.

“I was only fourteen, but I remember how awful this day was,” she said softly. “It’s hard to believe that everything is so normal right now, everyone just going about their business.”

The Doctor looked around, checking that no one else was listening, but they were still being ignored by the passing travelers. Then, in an equally soft voice, he said, “Things are normal here, Rose. But American Airlines Flight 11 is being hijacked even as we speak. Ninety-two people are on board, heading from Boston to Los Angeles…but they’ll never make it. The plane will hit the World Trade Center’s North Tower in about half an hour. And then, nothing will be normal in this country again. Not the normal that everyone’s known until now.” He stared off into space. “Nothing on Earth will be the same.”

Jack had seen that faraway look before. He imagined the Time Lord was seeing history, watching timelines shift into place.

“United Flight 175 is just taking off, also from Boston to Los Angeles,” the Doctor continued. “Fifty-six people are on it.” He paused and shook his head. “Funny thing. Not one of those planes was filled anywhere near capacity.”

“Sometimes the universe is kind,” Rose said.

Jack felt Kit flinch at that. He stroked her hair soothingly.

The Doctor went on, “At about the same time that Flight 11 crashes, Flight 175 will be hijacked and flown to New York to hit the South Tower. But before that happens, American Airlines Flight 77 will get hijacked. It’ll end up crashing into the American Pentagon, with sixty-four people on board. Then the towers will collapse in New York, and thousands will die,” he concluded with a shuddering sigh.

“I remember watching it on the television. It was horrible. Mum cried,” Rose said. “I know we can’t stop it, but I wish....” Her voice trailed off, and she looked back out the window at the 757. “What about Flight 93?”

“It’ll be the last to go down,” Kit answered, very quietly. “The only one that doesn’t make its target. It was supposed to hit the White House. But instead, the passengers will fight back. The plane will crash in a field in Pennsylvania.” Her voice had become thick. Jack gave her a squeeze and kissed her temple.

“It doesn’t make any sense!” Rose said, defiance in her voice.

Jack snorted. “Terrorism never does.”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” Rose said. “Why do Kit’s parents have to...to die to make sure the passengers fight back?”

Kit laughed bitterly. “I spent a long time trying to figure that out, Rose. I looked for answers in so many places. Talked to so many people. Oracles, seers, philosophers…wise men and women and—others—all over the universe.”

“An angel turning to mortals for enlightenment?” Jack asked.

“Knowing what must be doesn’t mean we always know why.” She sighed and looked back out the window. “But the answer always boiled down to what the First Circle said in the first place, and what Jophiel told me back there. Even that poem means the same thing in the end. D’hiraya’azvasa. And I try to. I really do, but—” She stopped with a small, sharp intake of breath, and stood up. “They’ve pushed back from the gate.”

Jack followed her to the window. Rose and the Doctor stepped apart to let her stand between them at the glass. They each put a hand on her shoulder. Jack slid his arms around her from behind as she stared outside. Together they watched the jet move slowly across the tarmac, taxiing off toward the runway.

“What’s it mean, Kit?” Rose asked. “The TARDIS won’t translate it. Diheer—diheereye—”

“D’hiraya’azvasa,” Kit corrected. “The TARDIS can’t translate it. Too complex for mortal minds. Even hers.”

“What’s the simple version?” Jack asked.

She sighed, laying her hands on the glass, and said, “It means trust in what must be.”

Jack kissed her cheek, and the Doctor and Rose both stepped a little closer. Huddled together, they waited for history to play out as it must.

Kit cried herself to sleep, and it showed in her shadowed eyes when they went into the console room the next day. The Time Rotor was in motion, the Doctor moving around the console while Rose watched from the jump seat. Some books were piled next to her. Jack raised an eyebrow when he saw a baseball glove and a bouquet of white flowers on the console. When he caught the Doctor’s eye, the Time Lord shrugged. “The glove is the TARDIS’ doing.”

Jack smelled new leather as Kit picked the glove up and turned it over in her hands. Her face was impassive.

“Your glove was gone when we came back through the airport,” Rose said. “The hat, too, but the TARDIS didn’t come up with one of those. I think she wants us to get you a new one at Fenway Park.”

Kit put the glove back down. “I’m not really up to a baseball game today, Rose.”

“We didn’t think you would be,” the Doctor said. “Fenway will wait till another day. You need to break that glove in first anyway, right? Can’t catch foul balls with a stiff glove, can you?”

“Suppose not,” Kit replied without enthusiasm. She picked up the flowers, holding them close and inhaling, then offering them to Jack to do the same. The flowers looked something like Earth irises, each bloom having three large, feathery white petals streaked with pale gold, golden stamens in the middle. Their scent reminded him of jasmine and honeysuckle. He gave her a smile that she returned only half-heartedly.

“You didn’t need to get me these, Doctor,” she said softly, “but…thanks.”

“Actually, they’re not for you,” the Doctor said. “Well, not for you to keep. But we do have something else for you. Rose?”

Rose held up one of the books. “Your father was right,” she said. “That poem was in the TARDIS library. There’s a lot more to it.” She opened it and read aloud,

“No night so wild but brings the constant
sun
With love and power untold;
No time so dark but through its woof
there run
Some blessed threads of gold.”

“Some horribly mixed metaphors there,” the Doctor said, getting a brief smile from Kit in answer. “But the point is, terrible as that day was, there were threads of gold. The courage of Flight 93’s passengers became an inspiration. September 11th united most of humanity across the world.”

“It didn’t last for long,” Rose said, “but for a while we were all in it together, you know?”

Jack nodded. The impact of that day still resonated even in the 51st century.

“Each disaster that struck, each attack that terrified, each tragedy that tore at people’s hearts,” the Doctor said, “they all strengthened the human race and made it ready to face the next thing. That’s what gave humanity the spirit to get through World War Three, and then to ‘boldly go’ and colonize outer space.”

“One necessary link in a chain of events,” Jack said, remembering Kris’ words. “You know, in the Time Agency they told us history is just a fragile house of cards. I might never have been born if those planes hadn’t crashed.”

Kit gazed thoughtfully at the flowers. “Sometimes great evil is needed to bring about greater good.”

“Greater good and Jack Harkness in the same thought? I don’t know if I’d go that far!” the Doctor said, winking. “But I’ll admit he can be handy to have around sometimes. Like right now. Jack, would you help me, please?”

He joined the Doctor in starting the arrival procedure, while Rose beckoned Kit over to the jump seat. “Kit, I don’t think I’ll ever understand why they had to die. But I do think I understand why it had to be them,” she said. She read more from the book.

“We know enough to trust that all is best
Where Love and Wisdom dwell.”

Rose picked up the other book, holding it so Jack could see the cover with its painting of a Renaissance angel. She said, “This was next to the poetry book. It fell open to this page, about the Archangel Jophiel and Archaeia Kristine.”

“Legend says they represented love and wisdom,” the Doctor added as Kit handed Rose the flowers in exchange for the book. She turned the pages slowly.

“It’s just like they told you, Kit. Diheer…” Rose stopped, and then said with conviction, ”D’hiraya’azvasa.”

“All was best because they were there,” Kit murmured, and set the book down. She moved beside Jack, watching the monitor as the rematerialization sequence ended. She looked up at the Doctor in surprise at the readout.

Quietly, he said, “Sometimes pain can be eased best by sharing it with others who bear the same burden. Humans call it closure.”

“That’s what these are for,” Rose said, standing to return the flowers to Kit and put an arm around her shoulders. “Come on.”

The Doctor paused to pick up the poetry book before nodding at Jack and following the women. Together they stepped out of the TARDIS, into the warm air of a late summer Pennsylvania afternoon. They walked across a grassy field toward a long wall, where a large crowd of people had gathered.

As they drew closer, Jack could see that the wall was actually a fence, flags fluttering all across its top. The links were covered with hundreds of mementoes, leaving practically no open space. Flowers, crosses, baseball hats, greeting cards, children’s drawings…and photos. So many photos, of the victims and of those who were left behind. Kit was gripping his hand tightly, and he returned the pressure, feeling overwhelmed by the emotion in those simple tributes.

“I remember you.” A woman was approaching them. She was out of uniform, and she looked older and grayer than when they’d last seen her in Newark. She stopped in front of Kit and put a hand on her arm. “You’re the one who didn’t want to say goodbye to your family at security.”

“My parents,” Kit said.

The woman nodded. “I still don’t know why I let them step out of line,” she said, “but I’m so glad I did.”

“Me, too,” Kit said in a quavering voice. She drew the other woman into a hug, and they began to weep together.

Jack moved closer to Rose and the Doctor, who had a melancholy expression. He’ll never have this kind of closure himself, Jack reflected as he exchanged a glance with Rose. But we’ll do the best we can. He put an arm around the Doctor’s shoulders.

After a moment, the woman pulled away from Kit. “I don’t want to crush your flowers,” she said. “They’re lovely. I’ve never seen anything like them. What are they?”

“They’re from Hanauma,” the Doctor answered, giving Kit a small smile. “The natives call them ‘Angel Wings.’”

The strange white flowers were still fresh, a week after the 9/11 anniversary service. Ranger Lissa Munroe had never seen anything like them before. But while they were still oddly beautiful, they had to go to the Park Service’s Memorial Archive, to make room for the new tributes that came in every day. She pulled the flowers down, reading the torn-out page attached to them.

No night so wild but brings the constant
sun
With love and power untold;
No time so dark but through its woof
there run
Some blessed threads of gold.

Good news!

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 04:27:24 GMT

We don't owe a tremendous amount of money to Uncle Sam this year! In fact, Uncle Sam owes us money BACK!

Yay!

Not quite sure of the amount yet because we still have a little bit of a stock issue to straighten out. Seems eTrade misreported an adjustment as income. That's a couple thousand dollars of income that we certainly never got! We do owe a little bit of money to the state, but if we straighten out the eTrade business that might go away.

So, overall a Good Day.

Now I'm waiting for this dratted cartoon to end on Cartoon Network so I can pack the little monster off to bed and watch Torchwood. And then I might might might get a fic finished tonight (although, sadly, not "Llanada Villa" which is languishing in my imagination).

No longer a creature of the night...

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 03:56:57 GMT

I did my first weekend evening shift down in SD last weekend. Nice to NOT have to get up at 10:30 PM and be at work at midnight!

It's still a real challenge. I get to the station by 1:30 and start building the 6PM newscast. The writers come in at 2:30 so I have to have something for them to do...fastest I've ever built an hour newscast. And since it is dayside/evening, there is breaking news all the time and I have to be ready to change things around a lot.

Then after the hour at six...we do it again at 10! And 30 minutes at 11.

It's just as challenging as the four hour morning show, but the shift is a lot more in tune with my personal rhythm. I'm able to be home in the mornings for my family, and I'm able to get some things done too, which is great.

It has been harder to keep up with the flist, though...anything interesting going on?

Better tonight

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:57:19 GMT

Thanks to everyone for their kind words yesterday. Once I got home, I managed to calm down a bit. Tony is fine, and says I panic too easily.

Which is true. I can manage to keep my cool at work, so I suppose it has to break out somewhere.

I guess it was just a case of, "What now?" After the past three years, I'm not complacent about health issues with my family.

(You shoould've heard me yell at my brother tonight. He told me he had a bunch of ministrokes because he forgot to take his blood pressure medicine!)

In shock

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:21:18 GMT

My husband has been having recurrent health issues for the past few months. He had a bout of pneumonia that lingered for a long time, still has pain from a 2004 motorcycle accident and lately has been complaining about pain and numbness. He finally went to the doctor for that last today.

They say he had a stroke.

It would have been a very very minor one, because his only symptom now is minor weakness on the left side. He's been going to work and they say he can continue to do so. He will have to see a neurologist and possibly a cardiologist again.

He seems to be handling this much better than I am. I've asked the doctor to call me because I wasn't there at the appointment and I'm a heartbeat away from a full-blown panic attack right now.

I have no idea what happens from here.

Getting off the vampire shift!

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:11:49 GMT

No more going to bed at 7PM Friday nights! I'm being moved to the weekend evening shows at KUSI, so I don't have to be at the station till about 2PM. That will make things *so* much easier!

This might be some good news

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 02:15:21 GMT

I learned today that the producer freelancing on the weekend EVENING shows where I'm doing my second job is leaving. He got a civil service post.

If I can confirm that, I'm going to try to get switched to the evening shift. It will be *so* much easier for me, working 2-11:30 PM instead of midnight to 10 AM. I'd be doing the hour at 6, the hour at 10 and 20 minutes at 11. CAKE, compared to what I've been doing there.

And I did come up with an acceptable solution to expanding coverage at my home station in Temecula. Instead of an hour at 6, a 30 minute news/interview midday, which we'll run again at 5 followed by the Independent Network News (which we receive daily) and then our 6 PM half hour.

More than one way to de-fur a feline!

Off to sleep for me now!