Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/1302724.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/M, M/M, Multi
  Fandom:
      Star_Trek, Star_Trek:_Alternate_Original_Series_(Movies), Doctor_Who,
      Doctor_Who_(2005), Doctor_Who_&_Related_Fandoms
  Relationship:
      John_Smith/Adrianna_Rivers, John_Smith/Original_Female_Character, James
      T._Kirk/Leonard_McCoy
  Character:
      John_Smith_(Tenth_Doctor), John_Smith_(Doctor_Who), TenToo, James_T.
      Kirk, Original_Female_Character(s), Leonard_McCoy
  Additional Tags:
      Explicit_Sexual_Content, Explicit_Language, Rape/Non-con_Elements, Non-
      Graphic_Rape/Non-Con, Rape_Recovery, Angst, Fluff, Humor, Time_Travel,
      Alternate_Universe, Parallel_Universes, switching_universes
  Series:
      Part 1 of Time_and_Space_Matters_Not
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-03-12 Updated: 2014-09-14 Chapters: 4/? Words: 9542
****** Almost Paradise ******
by Aly_Winchester, TheGirlFromTheStars
Summary
     Adrianna Rivers is a girl who has lived in a world of stars and
     spaceships all her life. Starfleet, her family and friends there and
     elsewhere are all she has. Them, and the stars that she travels to as
     a command ensign on the USS Enterprise. Her life has changed since
     childhood, and everything seems to be running smoothly, till a
     landing party on a new planet goes massively wrong. Adrianna is
     pulled into a parallel world, where she finds a man owning a blue
     box, and who has a story of his own to tell.
Notes
     Cast for this story is as follows:
     Emma Watson as Adrianna Alicia Rivers, David Tennant as Tentoo/John
     Smith, Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Karl Urban as Leonard McCoy,
     Arthur Darvil as Peter Rivers, Daniel Radcliffe as Micheal Pierce,
     Maggie Smith as Rose Pierce.
     There is a brief mention of rape at the end of the chapter. Because
     of the relationship of the two characters involved, it makes sense.
     However, this will not be a constant mention in every chapter, nor
     will the topic go into graphic detail.
***** There Is No Peace That I've Found So Far *****
The girl crouched in the corner of a very dark, and very cold, alleyway. The
sky above her was the color of pigeons and cloudy as ever. No surprise could be
found if rain fell that night. The only sound prodding the difference around
her, were the sniffles coming from her own body. She’d stopped crying long ago,
but that didn’t change the heaviness of her heart.
A girl only eight years old, with lack of friends and proper family, didn’t
have much of an opportunity to change her current place in life. Not with this
society. Dark doe eyes, bright eyes even with the knowledge that a girl so
young shouldn’t know, stared up at the stars. For once, she could see the moon
hanging above her, the clouds framing the outside of the orb. The light however
wasn’t affected by the cirrostratus cradling the beams given to the dark city
below. The girl smiled, a tiny hand reaching up to pull her hair back from her
eyes. The brown locks were hanging just past her shoulders now and stayed
hanging. She didn’t have a tie to hold it back, and her father preferred it
lying down. Supposedly, that was how her mother used to wear her hair. The
eight-year-old had no personal experience to base that information off of. Her
father’s words were the only thing she could go from, trust. But it wasn’t
exactly easy for her to trust the words he spoke.
Her head jerked to the side as she heard a noise that seemed very similar to
that of a scuffle. Frightened, she stood up, beginning to press herself further
back into the shadows. The sound drew closer, a combination of footsteps and
scrambles and loud thuds, shatters, and worst of all, skin hitting skin. She
flinched, her fear of noises and the unknown rising. Moving a few abandoned
boxes out of the way behind her, the small body quickly scrambled inside one of
the larger ones. Merely moments later, the disturbers of night came into view.
She dared not move, for fear of being heard, or the box’s movement being
spotted. Which in turn, meant she may be forced to join the rough movements her
ears caught on repeat.
She was sitting near enough to a crack in the box’s formation and her eye was
close to view the event every time there was movement. Two boys, for it was two
dirty little boys, fought on the opposite side of the alley. She flinched,
seeing one of the boys who appeared to be larger in height than the other had
pinned down the small one beneath him. Fists were raised for a pounding and
pleading cries fell upon deaf ears. Her body twitched even though she was kept
hidden and safe for now. Those blows were a familiar sight, and one the young
girl had to deal with it more than a little one ever should. She lost count
just how many times a boy was hit, or how long she stayed in her shelter, or
how long the boy lay battered and crying on the damp cobblestones after
surrender had finally been accepted. The attacker had long since left, and at
last the defeated child forced himself to get up and away before his tormenter
decided to come back for another round.
The steps were slow, echoing around the deserted and dark alley behind him. The
stench of trash and rats was now mixed with the smell of blood and sweat.
Gingerly, the little girl climbed out of the box. She made it half way before
the canister fell to the ground creating another clatter to echo around the
corridor as the fall created a chain reaction with the containers around it.
Her heart pounded in her ears. Even though she knew no one was around, there
was still a lurking fear that someone might be in the shadows. When she was
fully convinced that there really was no one around her, little hands and
little feet crawled out of the hiding place. Running quickly, hearing her feet
pound against the pavement, she headed to her place of living. She didn’t call
it home, because to her it wasn’t home. It didn’t feel like home one bit, so
how could it be? Her shoulders slumped once she noticed the house at the end of
the street, waiting for her to crawl back in the doors. Tiptoeing through dry
and dead grass, she could feel more than hear the blades cracking underneath
her feet.
Once she reached the back door, her clammy hands carefully reached for the
knob. Still unlocked, she could only hope that was a good thing. Cautiously,
the girl stepped inside the kitchen. All was completely silent when she pushed
the door closed behind her. The key was carefully pulled from under the mat and
she secured all three locks before crawling onto the counter beside the kitchen
sink. They key had been hidden inside the lid of the cookie jar, the discovery
of said key being accidental.
Taking the lid off the traditional square steel cookie jar, she pushed one of
the ridges in, which released a smaller drawer. She placed the key inside, and
returned both items to where it sat above the fridge. Still no sign of anyone.
The fireplace sat on the opposite side of the room, waiting for her. The child
moved across the hard tile to it, her hand reaching inside to pet the coals.
They were still as cold as she’d left them, and exactly in the same place.
Her tattered blanket fell to the floor by her dragging hands, off the table to
rest instead by the fire grate. Her father hadn’t returned yet, so on his week
long business trips she would usually sleep on the table. He’d notice if she
was in one of the beds. But since now she didn’t know if he’d return tomorrow,
or the day after, or even that night, she wouldn’t take a risk of sleeping on
the bed. When her father left, he was always gone a week. But this time…this
time had been nearly a week and a half and she didn’t want to have him come
home, discovering her body lying on something other than the floor. That would
absolutely ensure punishment. And if he found out that she’d found a way to
leave the house, and had actually gone outside, she’d be in enough pain to last
her the lifespan of a Vulcan. Not exactly something that appealed to the little
girl.
As tired as she was, her moves prevented her from falling asleep. Of course,
she could always turn on the kitchen replicator and create a pile of flour to
play with, but her father had locked it again. He always did that when he left.
It wouldn’t be possible for her to replicate anything from that machine.
Neither could she eat because her loaf of bread had been finished yesterday
morning and she hadn’t found anything while she’d been out earlier. So instead,
the girl settled for counting the panels in the ceiling above her ‘till she
could fall asleep. Again. She’d just barely made it to her fist hundred when
there came a very familiar sound from the front of the house.
The main door was opening. Her thin fingers curled against her palm on the
floor. There wasn’t much guessing involved as to who opened the door. There
were few things that would prove her guess and she sat still, waiting for to
hear them. Gradually, the noise of footsteps headed through the main hallway.
Clicks that could belong to a pair of men’s dress shoes clacked against the
shiny black tile that the floors were made up of. Each step rang familiar, but
what was most haunting was what the man would bring to her. No women ever came
to this household, not anymore. She hadn’t seen any women walk the halls of the
mansion, and the holograms of her mother didn’t count. Her father had hidden
away all of her pictures, so the only thing left for the eight-year-old to look
upon were those in the computerized database that she had managed to unlock a
month ago.
It was the first time she’d ever seen her mother. Even though she didn’t
understand the squiggles engraved in the plaque, she still knew it was her mum.
And the images sort of looked like her so that helped. Ally Rivers was a
beautiful woman, and to be stolen away from her new and freshly staring family
at the age of twenty-seven was a cruel act for the people she left behind. The
loss had caused a rip between father and daughter, one that grew more as the
years passed. She could hear a hand rise to unlock the kitchen door. The
footsteps were stumbling and she wondered how sleepy he would be this time. He
always came home acting silly and sleepy. The lock jiggled and she half-hoped
they key wasn’t in his pocket. He always locked the kitchen door when he left.
If there was no key, maybe he’d go sleep by himself tonight.
But no, she’d had a lucky streak with finding that key to the world outside.
She had been able to see the stars in the open, rather than from behind a
window. It was her first experience with the outside of the house; picture
books didn’t amount to the real thing. The lock turned and she held her blanket
tighter. Dark eyes hadn’t moved from the handle since the moment she knew it
was about to be unlocked. It creaked open, and hit the wall behind it. A man,
tall and bedraggled stumbled into the kitchen. His grey jacket hadn’t been
pressed since before he slept on the tram ride home. It was wrinkled and weary,
much like the lines around usually stormy blue eyes. His eyes were hazy,
causing his vision to be so as well. Heavy thumping steps turned towards the
girl and she couldn’t stop the shudder.
A thick voice, low with sleep and drunkenness sounded out. “Come here Ally. I
mished you Ally.” The girl shook her head, trying to backup into the fireplace
as if that would help at all. A large hand grasped her little one clutching the
blanket. With a tug, he pulled her up. She whimpered, still trying to get away
as he held tighter. “Didn’t you mish me Ally?” His vowels were pulled out,
extended with drunkenness. Still she yanked, feeling tears getting ready to
come because she knew what was happening. Of course she did, this had happened
many times before. She should’ve stayed out while she had the chance, but she
remembered a time when he’d thought she had ran and she’d never seen him so
angry. He was her daddy, he was supposed to be happy with her. As he pulled the
little girl from the room, she struggled, crying out loudly. He turned sharply
and spoke again, his voice raising. “Ally! Shtop being not nice!” His words
sounded sluggish with drink.
“It’s not Ally! I’m Adrianna!” The girl pleaded. Another growl sounded as he
began taking her upstairs. “P-please D-d-daddy…” Her voice shook with sobs and
sadness and it was getting to be too much. “Daddy pl-please! I’m Adrianna!” She
had pleaded with him so many times before, but each time she had hoped that he
would actually listen to her this time. “Mummy—” her shoulders slumped.
“Mummy’s dead. Ally’s dead.” That sentence earned her a heavily dealt smack on
her cheek. “Ally sh-stop it.” But Adrianna couldn’t. The little girl’s protests
were not heard, just like always. No matter how many times she tried to slow
her steps down, he kept dragging her forwards. “Please Daddy! P-please!” She
saw the door of his bedroom before her, and with another loud plead and
protest, she was pulled inside, the heavy door sliding shut behind them.
***** Mysterious As the Dark Side of the Moon *****
Chapter Notes
     Now, I know you may be asking, "Where's the Doctor? Where's Tentoo?"
     He comes in later. And once he enters, he doesn't leave. Promise. But
     I'm setting the stage for Adrianna first. Kind of important...
     Cast for this story is as follows:
     Emma Watson as Adrianna Alicia Rivers, David Tennant as Tentoo/John
     Smith, Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Karl Urban as Leonard McCoy,
     Arthur Darvil as Peter Rivers, Daniel Radcliffe as Micheal Pierce,
     Maggie Smith as Rose Pierce.
It was her second time to get out of the house. She knew there was a chance
that she’d get caught and then punished, but she couldn’t stay inside, not
after learning the realism of the night, not after being able to explore a
world so new that was just within reach. All Adrianna had to do as walk outside
her back door. Easier said than done. Her father kept a close eye on her. More
than he probably should because the girl was confined to the mansion anyways.
She spent more of her days in solitude, till her father desired her company.
And she’d come, even though it was always the same, because where else was she
going to go? The punishments came if she wasn’t a ‘good girl’ as he put it.
Sometimes the punishments were worse if she didn’t obey, and sometimes they
weren’t. Being left alone to cry after one of her sessions with him could be
better than her remaining in his company. He was always worse when he wasn’t
feeling good. More angry, more upset. Whenever he was drunk or sleepy or
depressed, Adrianna felt the repercussions the most. But being outside…that
could make the punishments worth it. So, two weeks after he’d returned home,
Adrianna decided that this was the night. All she had to do was wait till he
was asleep. Once Daddy was asleep, he was asleep.
She still had to be quiet though, because as heavy of a sleeper as the man was,
there was a chance he could wake up. She didn’t want to take any chances of
being found half-way out the door. Then again, she couldn’t do anything to him
or herself that would make her more conspicuous than she wished to be. Adrianna
could simply wish for him to retired to bed early, not take her with him, and
stay awake till he felt asleep. It would be lovely if it could happen that way.
But she knew wishing wouldn’t grant her, thus the waiting. Although the child
was glad her father eventually went to bed without her, he went much later than
she had hoped he would. The moon was already hanging in the sky. She had lost
half of the night, so there would be less time to enjoy the alleys of London.
Nevertheless she was going to enjoy it as much as she possibly could. For she
was uncertain as to how long she would have to wait before she would get
another change to be outside. Uncertainty was a common thing in the River
household, for the child anyways.
Carefully, she climbed up on the counter again, her tiny hands stretching for
the jar and hiding place. A click, turn, and yank later, the key was in her
palm once more, the jar returned to its setting above the fridge. She slipped
the keycard through the handle, and with a soft beep, the door slid open.
Adrianna was wearing the only pair of pants she had that contained pockets.
Wedging the key card into her pocket, she slipped outside and closed the door
behind her. Her hands buried themselves inside sleeves that were at least two
sizes too big, but the fabric helped keep body heat inside. She’d lived with
over-sized clothes for all of her life, since all she had to wear were the ones
that belonged to her mother. Her father wasn’t the sort of man to go out and by
her clothes and trinkets and whatnots. Not anymore.
She remembered her dad buying her ice cream once. She was six. Adrianna had on
a polka-dotted blue dress, and brand new shoes. Standing inside the kitchen,
she heard someone she didn’t know stop by to visit the pair. The only thing
Adrianna remembered about the words exchanged was a comment referring to how
Adrianna looked just like her mother, even at a young age like this. That had
been the last day Adrianna had seen another beside her father. The last time he
had bought her anything. He started to look at his daughter in a different
ways. He brought bottles of disgusting green liquid into the house. Adrianna no
longer had a room of hers. All her clothes were taken away, and she was given a
box of her mother’s wardrobe. She was only allowed to use those clothes from
now on. Baggy clothes had to suffice.
She wasn’t completely at a loss, she had found ways to tie up uncomfortable
loose fabric before and she would continue to do so. Treading through shadows
she walked back out into the city, her eyes peeled wide open in case there was
another scenario like the one she had observed a week ago, her first night out.
As frightening as the boys had been, it was merely one even in her evening.
They had been nothing compared to her father. Mild rousing activity compared to
what she had seen her father do. Adrianna slipped her arms into her over-extra
large sweater sleeves, the chilly air tonight pressing down on her petite form.
The streets tonight were emptier than it had been last time.
Loneliness took the place of people. But she kept walking, keeping her eyes
open to every new and old sight. Her feet retraced her steps from her first
night out. Because she had a limited amount of time and she was well aware of
the fact that she could become lost quite easily. The chances of her being
found out of the house would grow if she did indeed become lost. Her dark doe
eyes were focused on her current footsteps, wanting to keep them as soft as
possible rather than ones she would be taking next and what direction they
would lead her in. When she finally did look up from the sidewalk, the fog
around her was thicker and the buildings on either side of the street were
unfamiliar. Stopping abruptly, Adrianna was ready to turn and run the other
way, but then she remembered that her feet had not just walked straight. There
had been a few turns included here and there. Jerking her head up, buildings
dripping with shadows loomed above her, climbing up to the sky to block out the
moon. She gulped, fear rushing in to over-take her senses. Her head turned one
way and then another, not knowing what to do. Adrianna backed into an alley,
pressing her hands against the walls. It was cold and sticky, covered with
layers that shouldn’t be there. The rest of the city was shiny, why was this
place not the same?
Little gasps of worry could be heard, and she realized they were coming from
her. The girl should still have a few hours, but if she didn’t make it back in
time... She shuddered. That could be thought about later. She dropped down,
crouching near the ground while trying to think of ways to get back. A sniffle
sounded. Adrianna looked around in a hurry, her hand rising to her nose even
though she was very well aware that the noise didn’t come from her. She held
still, trying to hear anything that was a repeat of the previous noise. She
didn’t know how much time had passed, but no sounds came. Possibly it had been
a part of her imagination. The one that was jittery and nervous about many
different things right now. Standing up slowly, her knees had just barely
straightened when another sniffle echoed around her, bouncing off the fog.
Adrianna pressed her body up against the wall, she didn’t care how sticky it
was. “Don’t hide!” She called out, then clamped her hand over her mouth. There
was a sudden noise that stopped as soon as it started. She wanted to know who
was out there, but at the same time, she was intimidated. There was no way to
guess who or what was lurking nearby, but the need to know wasn’t going to go
away. “Please…you don’t have to hide.” She repeated herself, but quieter than
before. She took a step forward, hearing the unknown other follow suit. Her
eyes widened a little and she couldn’t help but smile in relief. “Why…you’re
jus’ a little boy!” And he was, with tussled dirty blonde curls, and a scrawny
figure that had a few bruises resting on his forearms. There was a smudge of
dirt tattooed under his left eye and the bright green hues shone out under the
forests of his eyebrows. The boy’s arms folded across his chest and he frown at
the person who had dared to call out to him. “So wha’? You are too.” Adrianna
laughed again, shaking her head. “Of course I’m not! I’m a girl!”
The boy took a step or two towards her before his feet led him in a circular
path around her, judging it felt like. He frowned again, and she wondered if
the lines formed around the corners of his mouth were permanent. “Why’re you
out ‘ere if you’re a girl? Girls don’ fight.” She was puzzled, understanding
the sentence, but not his reason for speaking them. She wasn’t here to fight
anyone. “Girls can fight if they want to.” Words of protest were how she
thought to respond, and they were out before she could think about whether or
not she should keep the opinion to herself. To her surprise, the boy laughed.
Actually laughed.
“What?” She didn’t understand why he was laughing. Adrianna folded her arms, a
puzzled frown finding its way on to her face. This boy was influencing her too
much. “They can too!” Another laugh.
She wasn’t happy with the responses the boy was giving, and she would tell him
so. He was just a little child, he couldn’t hurt her. Then again, she was a
little child too, but he had to be seven, maybe six. That was a whole year’s
difference! Her mouth opened and— Pain. Her cheek hurt and her head had been
jerked to the side. The boy had slapped her and was actually smirking about it.
How dare he! He thought it was funny…?
She was not happy, not in the least bit. “Told you girls don’ fight.” The
annoying twat’s voice pulled her back into reality. “They jus’ take ‘its. Boys
and men are the fighters.” Maybe her dad could hit her, because he was big and
tall and she was scared of him. But this new person, this arrogant idiot of a
boy—no she wasn’t afraid of him, not at all. He was just missing manners.
“Maybe most girls don’t fight.” Her hands lay at her sides and she really
wanted to use them, “But this one does!” Her fists raised and she went with
instinct because she had no idea how to use them properly. She hadn’t ever
attacked anyone before, not in this manner, so there was no way to know if she
was doing it right. Either way, she wasn’t going to stand quietly while he
mocked her. There was enough of that from her father, so she wasn’t going to
let this boy follow in his footsteps. Her hand clenched together, much like she
had seen her father do countless times before. Her arm thrust forward and she
wasn’t aiming, her eyes shut as she moved. A thump followed immediately
afterwards and she squinted her dark eyes open. She found that the boy had
taken several steps back and was holding a hand to his shoulder. Despite her
instant sympathy for her opponent, there was also an instant smile. The boy
dropped his hand, his frown setting in deeper. “You’re still a girl. Girls get
lucky ‘its, don’t mean—”
“You making a fool of yourself again?”
This sudden voice belonged to a boy also, one with raven hair and eyes to
match. However, what surprised Adrianna the most was that this scrawny boy was
smiling at her. She said nothing and after a few seconds the dark-haired boy
turned to the one Adrianna had first met. Again he spike, directing words only
to his colleague. “Come on ‘Gene. You know better than to fight girls.
Especially ones new to our part of town. We have a reputation to keep up,
remember?” He walked over to pat Gene on the back before grabbing the little’s
boy’s shoulders and steer him back towards the entrance of the alley. “I’m sure
Stefan is waiting for you. Scoot. I have to clean up the mess you made.” With
one more sneer back at Adrianna, her opponent turned and ran off in the
direction his friend had gestured to. He was gone, that was all that mattered.
She needed to get home too. And soon. The sooner she left the faster she’d be
able to find her way back, to arrive before her father woke up.
Not knowing what direction she needed to go in meant she needed as much of time
as possible to find her way. Adrianna watched with cautious eyes, wondering
what his meaning was. He was much taller than her, and definitely older. But
just like Gene, Adrianna felt no fear in facing this boy. “I can hit you too.”
She spoke quickly, before he had a chance to begin anything. She had to speak
first, because she knew nothing about how to properly warn him off. The boy
grinned. “You’re spunky. That’s good. Maybe that’s why Eugene didn’t take you
down. His French temper gets him into trouble at times, so ready for a fight.
And he’s not very strong, so he fights to prove himself. Maybe that helped you
a bit. But...then again he hasn’t seen you before, so maybe that’s why he
turned and ran when I asked.” From the tone he used, Adrianna did not believe
that had been the excuse. This other male was clearly a leader.
 
She didn't much care for Eugene, or even this nameless boy. Neither held any
concern for her, because all she was focused on was trying to get back.
Her heel turned around and she pushed herself away from the alley with sticky
walls. She did come from the right. Thankfully she remembered that much. With
her hands inside her hanging sleeves, the pace she walked was fast, hurrying as
she hoped she could remember where she came from. It was all very well and
good, until she came to a crossroads. There was a building in front of her, so
that meant she had to go right or left. But which one?
Adrianna bit her lip, panic rising. The moon was no longer directly above her,
which meant she had less time than she thought she did. She took a few steps to
the right, before changing her mind completely and running back in the other
direction. On her way back, she noticed Alley Boy standing on the street corner
that she had just left.
The boy watched her, looking over curiously. Why was he staring? Matter of
fact, why was he still here? “You’re weird…” She commented, wary and unsure
what sort of feelings were rising because of this other child.
The grin on his strangely sweet-looking face grew. “You’re lost.” He threw it
back in her face with the same truthful tone she had given him to begin with.
Her teeth sunk deeper into her lips and she didn’t know how to respond at
first. “Yeah. So?” Raven hair tumbled side to side as his head shook with
laughter. Adrianna took a step back, not knowing how exactly she should make
herself react to that emotion. “Was-was what I said so funny?” Still his head
shook, the light giggles coming from a wide mouth and she huffed.
Fine. She didn’t need him to laugh at her. As she turned her back to him, she
waited for him to say something. He didn’t, thankfully. So she let herself
smile and continue walking down the left path. She passed first one building,
and then another. This second one was very shiny, like the whole exterior was
made of mirrors. She looked over, catching a glimpse of herself and Alley Boy
following behind her. A groan sounded and she turned again. “Are you a puppy?”
He shook his head. “Then stop following me!” The look in his eyes told her no
and she wasn’t sure if she liked it.
“Where are you going?” Curiosity never seemed to leave his face. Adrianna
rubbed her nose, “Does it matter?”
“I know these streets. You’re lost. Where are you going?” So quick to the
point. But he hadn’t tried to hit her yet, so maybe she could respond. “I’m…
I’m trying to get home.” “And where would that be…?” And there was the
difficult question. She looked down at her bare feet. “I don’t…know…”
“What does it look like?”
That question took her by surprise. She wasn’t supposed to not know stuff, she
always got in trouble for it. “Its…a house?” Maybe if she described it he would
help him get her home. If that was something he’d even do. From the sound of
his words it seemed like that was his intention. But if he was lying to her…
“It looks like a house. Its big...” She bit her lip, thinking, “And…and the
grass is dry.”
His eyes lit up. Did he know what she was talking about? He knew what she was
talking about didn’t he. “Near here?” She nodded, bringing forth a grin from
his impish mouth. “Come on then.” And he took off. Walking back down to the
right. She paused, looking after him. Should she follow? Dark eyes turned to
the sky and she winced. There was no time to find it on her own, she’d never
get back in time. Trusting this boy was her best option. So she ran to him,
walking by his side and the two heads trotted down corner after street after
corner.
“You were brave. Taking on a boy.” The several minute silence was broken by her
companion’s voice. Adrianna opened her mouth to protest that Eugene being a boy
had nothing to do with it, but he continued before she had a chance to sound a
syllable. “You seem brave. I think you would do well out here.”
Her gaze was quizzical as her eyes remained on him. “Tell me. Have you ever
trained with anything?” T-…trained?  What did he mean by that? “By the look on
your face I think your answer’s a no.” The boy smirked, keeping his feet moving
forward. He said no more on the topic as they rounded a corner. Wait, wasn’t he
going to explain why he brought that up? But no, from the way he started
running to the left, she didn’t much think he was going to follow through with
details. He stopped at another street corner, and she could be wrong but it
seemed familiar to her. His bony arm reached forward for Adrianna to follow the
length of it and where the limb was pointing to with her gaze. Oh. There it
was.
“How did you-…”
“Know where it is? It’s the only house in the area with dead grass.” He
shrugged. “Simple.” The little girl couldn’t help but grin. Maybe she wouldn’t
be in trouble after all. She ran forward, again, feeling the prickles of the
grass that she decided she didn’t like very much. The key was in her trouser
pocket, where she had moved it upon return, and was dug out of said pocket very
quickly. She unlocked the door and stuck her head in. Her father wasn’t
anywhere in sight, but the relief at the sight was evident.
Time to go inside. Time to put the key away and turn around and close the door
behind her-
“Why are you still here?” Adrianna tilted her head, staring up at the boy that
sat on the fence. Shouldn’t he be gone by now? She was home and it was time for
him to leave. “Thank you…? Is that what you were waiting for?” The child never
knew how many times to say thank you because her father made her say it at
nearly anything. When was the polite time to say those words? She didn’t know.
The boy shook his head. “I don’t care if you say thank you or not know. You can
tell me next time.” “What do you mean next time?” It seemed like he enjoyed
smiling or smirking at everything she said. Now was the former. He turned his
body, ready to slide off the fence onto the other side, away from Adrianna. But
before he did so, he spoke once more. “You’ll be back. Once you have a taste of
freedom you can never let it go.”
***** Give Me Something to Remember You By *****
Chapter Notes
     Cast for this story is as follows:
     Emma Watson as Adrianna Alicia Rivers, David Tennant as Tentoo/John
     Smith, Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Karl Urban as Leonard McCoy,
     Arthur Darvil as Peter Rivers, Daniel Radcliffe as Micheal Pierce,
     Maggie Smith as Rose Pierce.
It was almost a month later. A whole month and Adrianna had yet to be able to
go outside. She hated being stuck inside, especially after experiencing what it
felt like to have the stars above her head. If only she could change how it was
in her ‘room’, still the kitchen just like always, then she would have painted
or carved stars into the ceiling to keep the feeling of wonder above her. They
were marvelous, and she hardly knew anything about them, but she wanted to.
Adrianna didn’t know her real birthday, she had never been told and there were
no records anywhere in the house. But once, when she was much younger, Peter
told her how proud he was of his five year old. That she had stayed awake the
whole night, instead of falling asleep half-way through. Since then, she made
up a day for her birthday, and it took her several months to figure out a
system of days since she didn’t really know how to read or write. Adrianna had
only learned to count by sneaking out to sit outside her father’s office and
listen to him speak off numbers. Figuring how many days were in a year had
happened merely by accident, but after all was sorted out, Adrianna picked a
day and chose it as her birthday.
That day, April 26th, was today. Adrianna leaned against the window sill above
the sink, staring up at the stars that had captured her attention so quickly.
She had found some way to look up at them, watch the unknown white twinkles
gleam and glitter far above, so very far above her head. They were beautiful.
She wrapped her arms around her knees, bringing them close to her chest and
just stare. She imagined, letting her mind wander while her eyes rested outside
the window. Maybe she would fly through them, grow wings and soar in-between
each different orb. Or she could take a boat, row a path up to the stars and
never leave them.
She wished she could see them close, take one and lose herself into it, fall
into the beauty and wake up to happier times. Ones that didn’t startle her,
like the way the knock on the window did. Adrianna jerked, eyes open wide as
she felt and heard the vibration. Her hand jumped to her mouth as her eyes
stayed peeled open. It was that boy. That little street boy with the curly dark
hair. That smirk that she hadn’t come close to forgetting showed up on his face
when he saw she recognized her. Not fair. She frowned, her eyebrows narrowing
to bunch together in-between her ears. He kept smirking, kept knocking, even as
she looked over her shoulder to see if her father was coming. He didn’t appear
to be, so Adrianna, grabbed the key and went to the door. Her first words were
to shush him. “What are you doing here? I’m going to be in trouble,” She
hissed, her frown deepening to see his smirk still present. “Go away!” Adrianna
whined, ready to close the door. “You didn’t come back. I wanted to make sure
you were still alive.”
“Still alive-…?” Adriana rolled her eyes taking a step back with her hand still
around the handle. “Go away. I’m not going to be ‘alive’ if he finds you here.”
And that was that, she thought. But no, this child still had curiosity. “Who?”
“My…my father. Now leave before he does something to you too! He could wake up
and come down here at any minute.”
“You don’t believe that.” How did he know what she did and did not believe?
“You’re trying to convince both of us, of a lie.” The boy reached forward and
took her hand, leading her outside in one swift motion. “Come outside. There’s
so much for you to see…” She was out the door as he spoke and led, her protests
coming out halfway through her lips.
Truthfully, Adrianna had been wanting to return outside almost as soon as she
left it, but it had been difficult and she had been unsuccessful, until now.
Nearly every night, Peter kept her in his company, and on the nights he didn't,
he wasn't drunk enough for Adrianna to risk it. Either he suspected Adrianna's
secretive excursions, or being overly drunk didn't appeal to him.
The boy still held onto her hand, and it wasn't until they had reached the end
of the next block that he let go. Adrianna looked behind her quickly, but Peter
was no where in sight. She hated to go back, but was scared to go on. Was it
safe enough? The dark eyes of the boy beside her twinkled with the same
knowledge that the little girl, who was now nine, realized. The city was
waiting for her, and as she was already outside of the house, there was no
sense in going back now. Absolutely none. With a sigh, though her heart leaped
in joy, she started walking again, the curly-haired boy right beside her.
"You going to tell me your name this time?" Adrianna didn't wait to ask her
question. A name hadn't been given during their last meeting, and to be honest
the answer had been bugging her. This boy was the third person she had met in
person in a very long time. She didn't think she could let go of that so soon
so quickly. Maybe he would be as rude as Gene had been, but for some reason she
doubted it. Despite the gut feeling that was telling her to be extremely
cautious, there was another gut feeling that was at the same time telling her
this person could be trusted.
Trust. She had never exercised that human emotion before. Would she do so now?
To be entirely honest, she wasn't quite sure.
Receiving a chuckle in response to the inquiry, Adrianna assumed that that was
the end of her curiosity. He seemed to be amused and laughed instead, so there
would be no name. But then the child was surprised by her companion when he
decided to speak. "Its Micheal." Micheal. Speaking the name softly, she nodded
to get it. Not the name she would have expected, but the nod came anyways.
Micheal looked at her expectantly, making the girl blink a few times.
Was he waiting for her name now...? That was the polite thing, how
introductions went right? The right way to be mannerly and all that?
But before she was able to, Micheal opened his mouth first. "And you're
Adrianna." The doe eyes widened and she looked up at him. Even though her mind
had temporarily started reeling - how did he know that? -her feet still
continued to walk and keep the pace that was set. They walked further and
further away from the house that she felt trapped in on a daily basis.
"Yes..." Even though her curiosity was an annoying flame and she did want to
know how in the skies he knew her name, she wasn't sure how to approach the
topic. Just how did he know? She was fairly certain that it hadn't been
mentioned previously. There hadn't been enough time for that. They had been too
busy running - him leading, her following - for that to happen. The more
Adrianna thought about it, the more she realized that yes, she had not said
anything about her name at all.
They ventured out further into the city, though always staying in the shadows
of the buildings within the heart of their city. Adrianna had the feeling that
Micheal was more comfortable in them. From what the nine-year-old saw, there
was a limitless amount of buildings here. Stretched, mainly shiny, and made of
metal, most of them taller than she could tell from her miniscule height.
This city... Adrianna blinked in succession, realizing that it went on forever.
Micheal seemed to know these streets enough, so he could know just how long it
went on. It was at the very least possible.
Adrianna learned very quickly that her companion had an interesting habit of
speaking first. He didn't disappoint her now. "It wasn't difficult you know."
The usual vagueness showed up too, how nice. Turning a puzzled gaze at him, she
was clearly confused. Micheal grinned, his curls bouncing as he looked back to
where they were headed. To her gratefulness, he continued. "Your name. Peter
Rivers lives in your house, he did when my parents moved in and I've never seen
him move out. He-...so I though I love he was living alone for the longest
time, after his wife died."
His wife, her mum. She had died long before Adrianna could remember. In truth,
there were no memories she possessed of her mother. That fact made her feel
almost more sadness than the daily hell of living with her father. Because her
early happy memories were being washed away over the years. With no memories of
her mum, she knew that she had had to have one because it everyone has had a
mum at some point or other, but some days it felt like she had never had one.
"You're a surprise." The beat of Micheal's spoken words matched the tapping of
his shoes against the concrete. Their steps had slowed to a comfortable walk,
which allowed Adrianna to take more time in looking at her acquaintance.
'How so' wasn't asked, but with the way Micheal continued, it was was if she
had asked after all. "I spoke to Rose, and she was as surprised as I was. Your
dad said you and your mum both died in childbirth. We didn't know it was just
your mum." She blinked a few times before staring down at her bare feet. They
looked so pale against the grey pavement, almost sickeningly so. Childbirth she
had never found out just how her other had died, only that she was the one
responsible. She was the one responsible for a lot of things. Peter did a
wonderful job of reminding her of those facts constantly.
"W-with me?" A curt nod, and the end of curiosity was in sight. Childbirth. Yes
the girl was only nine, but that didn't mean she was too thick to put two and
two together. Putting 'child' and 'birth' in one meaning was easy enough. There
were no other brothers or sisters that Adrianna knew of. There was always the
possibility, but Peter never mentioned that she had a sibling,  and he had
mentioned her mother Ally before, so very many times. Adrianna was called by
that name on more than once instance. When she was a toddler, three or four
years old, he had mentioned her mum on occasion, but that never happened now.
Unless Peter was drunk enough to confuse the identities of his daughter and his
wife, Adrianna didn't hear about the woman.
"How did you know about her?"
"Rose."
"Who's...Rose?"
"My grandmother."
What was it like having a grandmother? Was it like having a mother? Better, 
worse, different? She didn't know. Adrianna didn't know if she had any other
relatives. Peter never brought any home, and had never mentioned that there was
anyone else in the Rivers family. "What's she like?" The girl's curious nature
never could be appeased. But then, here was a chance to get answers. Why would
she pass that up? Any questions she could get answers to, she would like very
much. Peter never gave her any, nor opportunities to ask.
Adrianna had kept her eyes on her comrade for the past couple blocks, so she
was visually unaware of where they were headed. The sounds around her weren't
much of a giveaway. Micheal hadn't answered that last question so she would try
again. His eyes had been on the road, watching, darting, flickering across the
moonlit crossways. Her mouth opened one more time, repeating her question.
"What's she li-"
"Would you like to fight-?"
Not exactly the response to be exacted. Tilting her head to the side, Adrianna
then moved it back to center, before repeating the process. She could have been
an owl, or a cat possibly, in a past life. Fight? What did that have to do with
his grandmother?  "...Fight? Are you serious? I thought you were kidding when
you mentioned it a month ago..." Either the grin was Micheal's default
expression or nearly everything she said to him was humorous.
"Dead serious. You seem like you could hold your own. You have the sass part
down. You have the look of a fighter, and if I'm wrong about all this, this
will be the first time I've been wrong in ten years. I would suggest a haircut
though." A haircut...that sounded almost luxurious. The girl couldn't remember
the last time she had it cut. It had to be one of those times when she was a
toddler. Maybe. Self-conscious for a moment, her small hand lifted to finger
the strands of auburn hair hanging to the middle of her shoulder blades. It
felt course, hard from under wash, battered and coal-stained from long nights
and the fireplace.
The hands at the edge of her wrists were small, shaped in a petite mold.
Looking down at them now, that was the second time she pulled her gaze away
from the guide leading her around the city. "You really think so?" Full of
questions she was. Around Micheal, the desire to ask and learn grew. Back at
the trap of her house, she never felt like it was allowed. With this boy
though, it was as if for the first time questions could be posed and no
punishment would be given. For once, there was a kind of freedom that Adrianna
hadn't tasted before.
Its flavor was exciting, fresh. Drawing her it, making her taste the freedom
and desire to know its limits. On the other side of the figurative coin, there
was also a risk, that was the dangerous side. A reminder was needed on how
risky it could be, to open herself up to this boy. She had to go carefully,
despite how badly she wanted, dare she say it, a friend. A nod accompanied
Micheal's grin this time, his hand lifting up to rest on her shoulder. She
jumped at the touch, and Micheal's brows furrowed for a moment before putting
his hand slowly back to its place at his side. She relaxed a little, but that
touch had taken her by surprise and Adrianna wasn't sure how to respond.
Whenever she was touched by another it usually meant... Oh no, no she didn't
want to think about that, and she wouldn't.
Micheal's slow answer was the distraction she needed. "Yes I do. And I think
you'll need it in the future." It was possible, at the very least.
Adrianna took a moment to look at their surroundings, her feet notifying her
brain that they had stopped walking. It looked to be on one of the edges of
London, and besides the instruments set up, it was completely deserted. Crates
and wooden barrels and boxes were easy to identify. There were a few towels, or
maybe they were rags, hanging off the side of one barrel. There was a pitcher
of water and a cracked cup sitting by the fence that stretched between two
brick buildings. Brick meant they had to be a good ways from the main parts of
the city. Brick was an outdated item, a thing of the past. People had to be
very poor to be using a tool like that for their foundation. "I don't think you
should wait to learn, that's why we're here. You start tonight."
The only thing that Adrianna had been taught, and forcefully she would add upon
being asked, was how to serve her father and whatever little whims popped up
alongside. This would be a new experience, one to add alongside the others that
Micheal had introduced her to. Taking her hand, being careful not to start her
again, the boy led her to the middle of the open space. Adrianna listened
carefully, letting her fall into Micheal's capable hands, more than once
literally.
He worked with her on her hands mostly, defense the theme of the night. She
learned ten or so different ways to block punches, and when she asked about
blocking feet, that earned her one of his bright grins and the answer of "We'll
do them another time." That had made her heart skip a beat, feeling something
better than she had in a while. It was a simple emotion, but since the girl
couldn't remember the last time she felt it, it was also so consuming. She felt
happy, doing this fighting training. She was happy, happy for once in a long
long time.
What a strange feeling it was.
The more Micheal showed her, the more she would break away with questions until
the sweet-natured boy would have to bring her focus back to the motion at hand.
They practiced till Adrianna felt warn out, and he successfully managed to get
Adrianna home just as the sun was coming up. The pale yellow rays framed his
friendly face, and this time it was Adrianna who smiled. Micheal shoved his
hands into the dark black pockets of his stretchy-pants. "Same time next month,
got it?"
"A whole month? Why not next week? Or better, tomorrow night?" His chuckle was
low, making the young one blink in confusion. Did he agree, or not? "I think
Peter would suspect if you managed to get away all those times. Stretching it
out will make it easier, well hopefully make it easier for him to not suspect
anything." Micheal turned and started walking away. Just before he reached the
gate, he looked back over his shoulder and gave her that grin again, but it
somehow seemed a little more genuine. "You did well tonight. I'll see you in a
month."
Adrianna knew she'd be counting down the days till she could start learning
again.
 
***** You Know the Rules and So Do I *****
Chapter Summary
     Now we're moving along. We'll be finished with Adrianna's childhood
     quite soon.
     Cast for this story is as follows:
     Emma Watson as Adrianna Alicia Rivers, David Tennant as Tentoo/John
     Smith, Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Karl Urban as Leonard McCoy,
     Arthur Darvil as Peter Rivers, Daniel Radcliffe as Micheal Pierce,
     Maggie Smith as Rose Pierce.
Adrianna grinned, her heart pounding loudly as she hunched over her fallen
comrade. The sweat that had beaded itself across her face and clumped in her
cropped hair gathered. With the angle she was bent over at, it rolled onto her
hanging bangs, falling through the strands of hair till it reached the edge.
Once a drop had formed, that drop fell from her, falling in front of her eyes
as gravity pulled it down to the heated pavement she stood upon.
It was early in the morning, about three hours before noon, and already the
signs were evident that the day was going to be humid and heated. All the more
reason for Adrianna to be thankful that her fight was finished. There was a
chance it could have extended longer, or that another fight would start and she
would be battling further into the heat of the day.
Extending a hand down, her grin spread wider. Adrianna was proud of herself,
and it was a feeling that was not going to be disappearing soon. Like she
thought, Micheal took her offered hand, and she helped him up off the ground.
"Finally" was the first comment he offered. The boy's hands wiped the dirt from
the seat of his pants, ran his arm across his brow in a tired fashion to remove
excess sweat that had been the result of their spare. The sequence of actions
was finished by giving his trainee a few claps with his worn hands.
The girl's grin only grew wider. Her own pride was felt, but she could also see
pride on Micheal's face. Seeing that from him only made her heart swell more.
"Told you I could do it." She knew she would be able to come through on her
promise, it just had taken a little time.
"Yes you did. After two and three/something years." Adrianna laughed, elbowing
the boy playfully. There were many playful interactions like that between the
two; years of training and growing in their sibling-like relationship had this
result. He wasn't legally, or by blood, her brother, but she thought of him as
such. Micheal gave her reason to keep fighting to live, since her situation
with Peter hadn't changed. Micheal gave her hope and the love of a family that
she hadn't known before. He treated her like a little sister, and he a brother
to her, and Adrianna valued that very much. In her mind, for sure, he was her
brother. Definitely.
"Because I wasn't ready then! It took more time, and look, I beat you!"
"You did. Once."
"I could do it again."
"Now?"
She had to think about that one. Adrianna had never been able to beat Micheal
in a spar before. This had been the first time, and admittedly, she was tired.
It had been her longest fight, and well worth it.
"I've made progress, but I'm not ready for round two today." When she had
sparred with her brother for the first time, he beat her in under five minutes.
The girl was untrained, lacking skills apart from determination, and far from
ready to win a fight against someone with Micheal's skills. Even though the boy
was merely a decade at the time, he had been able to. Training on a daily basis
had brought his skill to a higher levels then any of he other boys Adrianna had
met.
Adrianna saw Micheal at least three times a week, although it was usually more.
Whenever Peter went on his business trips, Adrianna was able to see Micheal not
only during the nights, but she wasn't concerned about having a certain time
that she needed to be back in that dreadful house.
Her life with Peter hadn't changed. It was still a life of repressive darkness,
consistent nights of pain and humiliation followed by days that were filled
with loneliness and time to nurse what wounds she was given.
But with Micheal, he was her escape. These nights of training, nights of
schooling were her little slices of heaven that gave her enough of peaceful
moments to gave her courage to return to Peter's house. She couldn't call that
place home. It wasn't true.
Micheal not only trained her body, but he trained her mind. Adrianna was able
to get into the library now, read the books and learn more than she ever
thought possible. There was so much knowledge in the world. Whenever the girl
could, she was in the library filling her head with those beautiful words.
Every day there was something new to find.
Turning away from Micheal, Adrianna walked over to the barrel in the little
corral that was filled with water. Somehow, that barrel always had water. On
her way to refresh her parched mouth, before she was able to reach it, Adrianna
felt herself being pushed to the ground, her arms locked behind her upper back
and her head crashed to the side against the dirt. "I already had enough dirt
on my face, I really didn't want anymore." She coughed, trying to push herself
up before stopping her struggling. Micheal would let her up when he was good
and ready. Most likely, he'd start going into a lesson in the first place.
He started talking, and Adrianna smirked because she had guessed correctly.
"They're going to take you by surprise many many times. Because they let their
pride get in the way and won't let you, a puny little girl, have a chance at
winn-"
She decided to take a chance. Adrianna jumped on his back, a yell of triumph
standing as Adrianna's feet left the ground. But as her hands launched on their
intended destination - his shoulders - Micheal made himself respond to her
attack in a way the little girl wasn't expecting. He turned and backed up
quickly til Adrianna was pinned against the alley wall. "oof!"
She could practically hear the grin in his voice as he gave his pupil another
lesson. "Never make sounds like that. Its like the bad guys in the movies when
they talk too much, and it gives the other guy a chance to respond."
Another thing for her to work on.
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!