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She was walking home from school. Alone again. No one spent time with her and everyone teased her. She was a bit of a nerd, though her grades would never have you believe that. Actually, she was less than a nerd... even the nerds picked on her. Band practice had ended late and it was already getting dark, on that late December afternoon. She walked along the creek near the school, taking care not to slip on the ice and snow, when a group of kids came up behind her and knocked her over. She tumbled towards the creek, book-bag, trumpet case and all. She didn't fall in, but she had lost hold of her trumpet case.
Playing her trumpet was the one joy she had in her dismal high school existence. As she looked up at her tormentors, they laughed heartily and picked up the case and threw it into the creek. There was enough force, that it cracked the icy surface and started to sink. As she stood up, too horrified to notice or care about anything in that moment, one of the gang, kicked her so she fell down again. Then they grabbed her book bag and started throwing her heavy books on her, the way the ancients would stone people to death. She tried not to cry. The worst thing she could do was let them see her cry. And finally they left her... alone in the snow, aching physically and with a slowly breaking heart as her trumpet sunk further beneath the surface of the ice.
After they were out of sight, she slowly rolled over and shoved her books into her bag. She would need them for classes the next day. As she did that she felt a shot of pain with each movement. She was going to have nasty bruises the rest of winter because of this attack. Even her heavy winter coat had not provided much protection from the onslaught. She couldn't delay it any longer; she finally looked over at the trumpet in the creek. Only the very corner of the case could be seen and she knew that soon, it too would disappear beneath the surface. With a pretence of hope (can you really fool yourself?), she extended her hand as she had seen Luke Skywalker do during The Empire Strikes Back. She begged and pleaded with the Force, God, the angels, anything out there, that it would work... and she failed worse than Luke had.
She couldn't go without the instrument, though, it was her lifeline. It was her only reason for existing at this point in her life. And without it?... Well, it's best not to think about that. She slowly made her way down the rest of the small embankment. She stood at the edge of the creek, debating what to do. Finally she made up her mind. She looked around to make sure she was alone, given the vulnerable position in which she was about to put herself. Then lying flat, she slowly started to make her way towards the hole containing her Trumpet.
She hissed as some icy water started to seep through her knit gloves, but she was not deterred. She only had five more inches to go when the ice broke under her left arm and she nearly fell into the water. As it was, the icy and murky water had soaked the sleeve of her coat through. But, that was all the determination she needed. She knew it was a shallow run-off creek and with the winter, it wouldn't be as full as normal. She would be able to touch the bottom with her feet, it didn't matter how short she was this time. Her house was just up the hill, only three blocks away, so she knew she could get home and dry before hypothermia set in.
Decision made, she prepared her last-ditch effort to reach for the case. Suddenly the ice broke from under her. She screamed in pain as the icy water penetrated every part of her body, but she was able to get her trumpet, so she thought it was worth it. Her shoes were sinking into the creek-bed, but she knew she couldn't loose them, or the walk home would be more painful. So she slowly made her way to the edge. She was crying freely now, though whether from pain, being in the icy water, or the joy and relief of getting the trumpet was anyone's guess. She was making so much commotion that she hadn't noticed the whirl of the universe or the strong gust of wind from a ship landing.
She got to the edge of the creek and realized she had made a misjudgement. She had no way to get out of it. She was unbelievably cold and started crying harder, this time out of desperation. Then, through the haze of her tears she saw what she thought was a hand and heard a soothing tenor voice. "Take my hand."
She couldn't trust the voice. So many people had said they wanted to help her only to end up hurting her. She clung more tightly to the case and shook her head whilst squeezing her eyes closed tightly. That action allowed the tears to clear away and as she opened them, she noticed a pair of red converse and a pair of blue-clad legs. Slowly her eyes adjusted as she looked up. Her gaze followed the long legs and she saw hints of a long brown coat. Her eyes finally made it to his face and she couldn't help but smile slightly at the way his hair was sticking up on all sides.
The man squatted down in front of her. "We really should get you out of there before..."
Her teeth were chattering, but she completed his statement. "Before hypothermia sets in, I know... I just don't know if that would be a bad thing."
The man tried to school his features into one of indifference, but she saw that he was disappointed or maybe concerned by her comment. He cleared his throat, "Either you can take my hand or I can come in after you, but I think it will be easier for both of us if you take my hand."
He again extended his hand.
She debated what to do. He looked serious in his comment about coming in to get her, but his voice... he wasn't from around here. He offered a soft encouraging smile and wiggled his fingers towards her. With that gesture, she relented. She slowly reached out her hand towards his and before she could change her mind he grabbed a hold of it and dragged her out of the water.
She murmured, "Thanks," as she caught her breath. "He is stronger than he looks," she thought as she found herself in the snow and suddenly extremely cold.
His warm voice broke through her thoughts. "Up you get! We should get you somewhere warm and into dry clothes."
She shook her head and tried to gather herself together, "My house is just there," she gestured absently with her hand, then leaned over to pick up her book bag, never letting go of her prized trumpet. As she stood, though, her bag knocked her off-balance and she fell back into the snow. She whimpered in pain as she became freshly aware of all her bruises.
The man was at her side before she opened her eyes; his voice was like a balm to all that was hurting. "You can't even stand, you're in no condition to walk any distance. Look, I have shelter, just behind you, let me take you there and we can get you home when you're feeling better."
Now she had lived in this neighbourhood all her life, she knew there was nothing along this particular stretch of the creek. So she thought the man was completely bonkers, but something about his voice made her believe him. She nodded.
So he shouldered her bag and helped her to stand. She noticed he made no attempt to take the trumpet case from her and that made her trust him. He then spoke gently as he turned her around. "I'm the Doctor."
She looked up at him. "Oh, that explains why you know about hypothermia."
The Doctor smiled warmly. "Not a doctor, the Doctor.. it's my name."
She nodded somewhat absently; with her unusual name she had no right to question anyone else.
The Doctor started to guide her towards a blue box. She was shivering from the cold, but found the strength to ask, "Wh-hat's a P-police B-box?"
The Doctor pulled her closer to himself afraid she might run off. "Oh, that's... umm, easier to explain if you were from Britain, which you're not, you're from America."
At that, she tensed and suddenly felt unsafe. She tried to get out of his grip, but he kept a tight hold on her. She quickly unsnapped her coat and slid out of it and screamed, "Let me go! Don't hurt me! Help!"
Only, no matter how loud she screamed, she felt like she was yelling in a closet, as her voice didn't seem to travel anywhere. She realized she couldn't stand any more and again collapsed into the snow.
The Doctor cautiously approached her. He didn't touch her but squatted near her and spoke gently. "I'm not going to hurt you. This will be hard for you to understand, but I travel and that... box. That is how I travel. Inside I have blankets and clothes and some medical supplies to help you."
She looked at the box and then at the Doctor again. He was close enough that she slapped him. Hard. Right across his face. He fell backwards and she tried to scamper away, but really didn't have the energy to get far. "Oi! What was that for?" She heard him cry indignantly.
She replied, but she doubted he could hear her. "No way all that can fit in there! You're lying and you just want to rape me!"
He whinged. "What is it with Earth Girls thinking I want to hurt them?"
The Doctor walked over to the box and opened the doors. "Look... It's bigger on the inside. That's all!" He sounded so proud of this fact, that she couldn't resist taking a look at it.
She shook her head and closed her eyes in disbelief. It... was... bigger on the inside! She looked over at him and said the only thing that made sense at the time, "Brielle."
The Doctor looked confused, but approached carefully. "Gabrielle. That's a lovely name."
She shook her head. "You're just the Doctor? I'm just Brielle."
An understanding smile spread across his features. He looked much better when he smiled, "Right, Brielle, then, let's get you inside, shall we?"
Brielle let him help her up. Well not let, really, he had to do all the work because she was just beyond being able to do anything on her own. He more or less carried her into the box. He helped her over to the jump seat, sat her down, and then sat her bag on the ground. He gave her a serious look and exclaimed excitedly, "Hold tight!"
With that, he set the controls to send them into the Vortex and released the handbrake. The room shook, but not as violently as usual, then everything was still.
As that was happening Brielle looked over everything and she noticed the coral struts. When everything calmed down, she heard what sounded like breathing. Finally, she could tell the temperature of the room was rising. Brielle wasn't afraid. A part of her said she should be, but there was nothing that seemed threatening. To the contrary, it seemed that everything about the place was only welcoming and calming.
The Doctor returned to her side. "Now, people won't disturb us while we get you better."
She was starting to be aware of how much pain she was in, but let him help her to her feet anyway. As they passed a strut, she rested her hand upon it and gasped. "I-its alive!"
He looked down at her and smiled softly with something that resembled wonder, but he spoke quietly, "Yes, she is."
He continued to move them through the doors and she couldn't help but asked, "How? It's like... something out of Star Trek… like that V'Ger machine that was the Voyager 6 Satellite."
The Doctor tried not to laugh, Brielle could hear his amusement as he spoke. "No, nothing like that." He paused and sighed, she got the sense he was debating something. Then he said. "She's... I... We're alien... at least to you."
She sighed. “Kind of figured that much out on my own. I’m not an idiot.”
She decided that she must be freezing to death and this was all a hallucination. Well, if she was dying, this wouldn't be a bad way to go.
The Doctor brought her into a room that looked something like a clinic and helped her to sit down on a bed. He then started to undress her. By now, she was really feeling quite poorly, so she didn't even stop him, nor did she particularly care if he were to do something less than honourable.
The Doctor was nothing but professional as he undressed her. He left her in her underwear, reached into a drawer beside the bed, pulled out a gown, and helped her into it. Then he helped her to lay back on the bed and produced a self-heating blanket that he used covered her. Suddenly though, she was shaking horribly.
The Doctor approached her with something in his hand. "I'm going to give you something to help you sleep."
Her eyes went wide in fear, "No, please... I- I'm not ready yet... please... I don't want to go."
The Doctor rested his hand on her cheek in a comforting manner and he stroked it gently. "What are you talking about?"
She met his eyes. "I'm not ready to die yet..."
He spoke encouragingly, but sternly. "I'm not going to let that happen. I promise this will just help you sleep."
She had no reason to trust him, but she had no reason not to, so she nodded her head. She felt something cool against her neck and within a few moments she succumbed to the darkness that was claiming her.
The Doctor stayed with Brielle while she fell asleep. He knew she was fighting it. Usually, this particular hypospray worked instantaneously. The fact that it took a few more moments was... impressive, if he were honest. Once he was certain she was asleep, he ran a scan to make sure she really would be okay. He didn't know how long she had been in the water or in the cold before he found her. He put on his glasses and studied the results. He was shocked at the injuries he discovered and wondered who might have done that to her. As he studied the results, she started to whimper. Looking at the scans, he thought at first it was because she was in pain, but then he noticed her brain activity. She was dreaming and not pleasantly, by the sound of it. If it hadn't been for what he was seeing, he wouldn't have believed she was dreaming. The drug he gave her should have prevented dreams, but as he had learned with Donna, never underestimate humans. He debated waking her, but decided unless she started screaming, to let her be.
Another few minutes had passed, when Brielle started to moan in her sleep. She sounded like she was in great pain. The Doctor checked her brain waves again. With the amount of activity that he was reading, she should have been screaming, not simply moaning. He wondered what must have happened in her life to make her mind so powerful. Such questions would have to wait. For now, he decided he could at least heal the physical wounds he found. He wouldn't fix the old wounds, that might change her medical records and he was not taking on a companion.
The TARDIS had simply done what she often did: brought him to a location where his help was needed. He sighed heavily and made sure Brielle was positioned so she wouldn't fall off the bed. He then went to make them some tea. He was hungry and he figured she would be when she woke up. He brought everything with him into the med-bay since he was concerned about what her reaction might be when she woke up. The TARDIS provided him with some reading material while he waited.
Brielle slowly came to awareness. The first thing she realized was that she was quite comfortable. Then she took a deep cleansing breath and... well... things didn't smell right. She wasn't in her room. She heard a sound that was like soft steady breathing, but there was a musical quality to it as well. Then she remembered what had happened and her eyes shot open. She looked around and her eyes came to rest on a skinny man with spiky hair. He was wearing glasses and reading. She closed her eyes and opened them again. Yes, the book was upside down. She cocked her head to the side and noticed he was reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. She smiled. She had just finished reading that last week. Not for class even, but just because she liked the challenge. Actually she hated reading for classes.
Brielle finally found her voice. "Is Hugo any better upside-down?"
The Doctor looked up and smiled at her question. "Oh Hugo is brilliant in any direction. You know this story? The bit about Valjean helping the man under the cart?"
She slowly sat up and nodded. "Oh, I enjoyed it. The abridged version was better. But the unabridged version had more of Eponine in it. Erm. Yes, I know the part about Valjean and the man under the cart."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow, but decided not to press it just now. He set the book down and approached her. "Well, that one scene is true, it actually happened."
She pulled a face to show she didn't believe him. He didn’t elaborate. He was standing over her now. "How are you feeling?"
She thought about it for a moment. "Better, thanks." She paused again. "Starving."
The Doctor smiled warmly. "Good. Appetite is a good sign. I set up some tea... er... I think you call it dinner."
Brielle grinned at the Doctor. "Don't worry about that, I watch BBC shows on PBS, so I know a bit of British culture."
The Doctor pulled out his stethoscope and nodded. With the readouts, he didn't really need it, but figured it might make her feel more comfortable. He listened to her heart and lungs and satisfied, he used his hand to take her pulse. It was still a bit quicker than he liked, but there could be a lot of reasons for that.
She didn’t look at him as he did these things. “I thought you said you weren’t a doctor.”
“I never said I wasn’t. I was just correcting you about my name.”
As he looked her over, he realized she was being more patient than most humans her age would be.
She looked up at him and asked. "So, what's the verdict, Doc? Am I okay?"
He looked at her and said somewhat annoyed. "Don't call me that."
She hung her head. "Sorry."
He realized he was a bit harsh. "It's okay. I just don't like it. It's not my name."
Brielle met his eyes, "I get that. People can be pretty mean with people’s names."
The Doctor nodded but decided to address some other things that came up. "You were awfully patient when I was looking you over."
She shrugged it off. "I was really sick as a kid. I'm used to be poked and prodded... and I learned it goes faster if I just let them do what they need to."
He helped her to sit up then brought a tray of food and set it in front of her. She looked down at it and then back at him. He raised an eyebrow. "What?”
She shook her head. "Nothing..."
He sat on the edge of the bed so the tray was between them. "That wasn't a 'nothing' kind of tone. What is it?"
She looked down at the plate of food. "Well, it's just that I thought you said you're an alien."
He nodded in a way to encourage her to continue and so she did. "It's just that.... this looks pretty familiar."
He smiled as he realized what she meant. "Oh, I enjoy earth food. Especially chips... er... fries."
Brielle giggled lightly as she started to eat the soup. "Of all the great foods on earth you go with fries? What about... chocolate?"
He smiled a bit fondly. "Chocolate is good as well, but chips? No other planet can compare to how good they are here."
She stopped eating and looked suddenly scared. "Where's my trumpet?"
The Doctor didn't know how to reply at first. He thought she would have asked how long she had been here or if her family would worry about her, but she asked about the instrument. He rested his free hand on top of hers. "It's okay, it's up in the control room. I can go get it if you want."
Her face shifted through various emotions: she didn't want to be a lone, but she desperately wanted it with her.
The Doctor patted her hand. "I won't be but a tick." Having made the decision for her, he turned back to look at her. "Go ahead and keep eating, I promise I'll be right back."
The Doctor returned with the trumpet case. Brielle watched as he carried it across the room. It was dripping and there was slime clinging to some of the corners. The Doctor approached her gingerly. "Right, so where do you want it?"
She gestured to the table. He nodded and removed the tray of food and set the case down. He busied himself with the tray and fiddling with odd bits and bobs that were around. He wanted to make her think he was giving her privacy without actually leaving the room. He could see she was already on the verge of tears, just seeing it.
Brielle kept lifting her hand as if to touch it and then seemed to get scared and retracted it. Finally she overcame her worst fears and clicked the clasps open. Then she raised the lid. She gasped when she saw the decrepit state of the instrument. She stroked it lovingly and then crumpled into tears.
The Doctor heard her crying and couldn't imagine that just an instrument would bring about such strong emotions. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and silently presented it to her. She tried to wave him off at first, but he forced it into her hand. He went to leave her again, but she clung to his hand. "P-please don't go."
He sat on the bed and tried to meet her eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head, 'No,' but clung tighter to his hand.
The Doctor sighed and asked about it anyway, "Does it mean a lot to you?" She nodded her head and he pressed, "Why?"
She shrugged and murmured, "It's stupid."
Why does he always find the humans who think they’re worthless? He replied. "I doubt that very much. You seem to be a clever girl and you were willing to go through great lengths to get it back..."
She took a shuddering breath, "M-my grandfather g-gave it to me. B-back when I was in Middle School. H-he was on h-his deathbed and the l-last thing he wanted w-was for me to p-play it. It’s all I had l-left of him." She began to cry in earnest.
He couldn't resist that. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as she cried. When the tears slowed the Doctor spoke. "I don't see anything that is stupid about that."
Brielle shrugged, but not really to get out of his embrace. She felt safe for the first time in oh, so long. "No what's stupid is that I'm not even that good. I sit third trumpet in orchestra... out of three. It's stupid to be so attached to something I'm not good at."
Those words created a lump in the Doctor's throat and made him think of Donna. Oh, he could see this young lady growing up to be just like Donna and he wondered how he could help her. He finally spoke, "I've got something I want to show you. But first, you need to get dressed. The TARDIS should provide something there in the bathroom."
She sighed, but got of the bed and walked in the direction he had gestured.
The TARDIS had provided Brielle with a warm sweat-suit set, wool socks, and a pair of trainers. When she exited; the Doctor was waiting for her. He extended his hand to her which she took and he led them back to the console room. He grinned. "You're gonna love this."
She grimaced and shrugged, but didn't say anything. Then he flipped a few switches. Then a strange, haunting, and yet beautiful sound filled the air. She gasped as she sat on the jump seat. "What is it?"
The Doctor smiled at her wonder. "It's the Music of the Spheres."
She looked at him incredulously. "The what?"
He smiled a bit more. "The Music of the Spheres. In the universe, you've got all these planets revolving around suns. And all those suns revolving around in a galaxy. And all those galaxies revolving around each other. If you take the gravity patterns and feed them to the TARDIS harmonic filter... That... is the sound of the Universe."
Brielle closed her eyes and took in the sounds around her. "So...the universe has a song... and I'm.... just... tiny."
The Doctor moved to join her on the jump seat. "No.... Nononono. That's not why I'm sharing this with you. You see, music isn't just orchestras, and pop-stars, and a bunch of people with albums, and downloads and concerts...It's you. 'Cause the music of the spheres is all around you. Just close your eyes and you'll hear it. Music... Inside your head. 'Cause everyone's a musician. Everyone's got a song inside them."
A tear slipped down her cheek. "Yeah, and mine was just drowned in a creek."
He cupped the side of her face and dried the tear with his thumb. "Oh... Brielle, I think it happened a long time before today. Do you want to tell me about it?"
She shrugged. "Not much to tell really. All the kids in school hate me. They terrorize me, beat me up.... it was three of them that attacked me today... and th-threw my trumpet in the creek."
She took a haggard breath and the Doctor was able to piece together what had caused her bruises. "What about telling your parents or your teachers?"
She sighed. "My parents don't believe me. Or at least they don't believe it's as bad as I say. In grade school they had sent me to shrinks who just said I needed to stop being so sensitive and toughen up. And my teachers? If I tell them... the whole school will know and I'll be a tattle-tail on top of everything else. No one believes in confidentiality. Not really."
Her tears fell freely again, even though her breathing had calmed down. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. Brielle buried her face in the Doctor's chest and let herself cry. The Doctor, for once, remained silent and just let her cry the way she needed to. When she came back to herself she sat up a bit and spoke haltingly. "I'm sorry... I don't even... know you... and... I don't know... why I said all that. And I think I ruined your suit, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry."
The Doctor shook his head. "You've ruined nothing, it'll wash."
He didn't address the other bits and rested his hand on her head, encouraging her to lean back into his chest again. She let the sound of the universe wash over her and dared to ask. "Do you think you could fix it? My trumpet, I mean? The TARDIS can do so many other wonderful things..."
He smiled softly and whispered in reply. "Yeah, I think I can do that."
With that she sat up out of his arms and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you... Oh it would mean everything to me!"
He had to again swallow at a lump in his throat, thinking that she really did believe she had nothing else.
After a few minutes in the hug, the Doctor gently patted Brielle on the back. "Okay, let's see what we can do about it, then."
He stood and extended his hand again, which she quickly took with a smile. He led them back to the medbay. He carefully closed and picked up the case, then brought it to his lab. Once there, he set the case on the table and produced a stool for her to sit next to him. He made a big show of getting all the water and slime out of the trumpet and the case, but then finished the job with his sonic. When he was done, the case, which had belonged to her grandfather looked practically brand new. He felt a moment of delight seeing her face as he presented it to her. He saw her eyes shining with unshed tears as she accepted it. "Thank you, it's the best gift anyone could give me."
He smiled. "It was my pleasure. And now... I think you're clothes should be clean and dry now as well."
He led her back to the medbay and she saw her clothes neatly folded on the bed she had used. She excused herself to change in the bathroom and came out a short while later. The Doctor then led Brielle back to the control room. The harmonics were still on, so the sound of the universe greeted them. She stopped, closed her eyes, and again listened to the song. The Doctor leaned in and whispered. "You're a part of this song too, you know."
She opened her eyes and hung her head in an attempt to hide her blush. He gave her a shoulder bump. "Sure you are. Go on, take out that trumpet, and join in."
She shook her head. "I couldn't this is so beautiful and I'd... I'd just ruin it."
He reached down took the case out of her hand, opened it, picked the instrument and the mouthpiece up and gave them to her. She rolled her eyes and took them, then tried to play along, but she felt she was doing a horrible job, and in frustration cried out. "See? I ruin everything!"
The Doctor approached her and gently covered her eyes with his hands. "Don't think, just play. Your song is a part of this one..."
She took a deep breath and tried again. After a few minutes he released her. She kept her eyes closed and continued to play. She started to cry again; only this time they were tears of joy. The Doctor too, wept a few tears. It wasn't often that he got to show people this part of themselves. After a few more minutes, she stopped.
The Doctor met her eyes. "Your song... is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me."
She smiled as she blushed a deep red. "And what about your song, Doctor?"
A dark shadow crossed his features, she didn't press further, but watched him intently. The Doctor went over to the console and flipped some switches. Slowly the sounds of the universe filtered away and she could again hear the breathing sound of the TARDIS. Then, he flipped a switch and the sounds again changed. There was something that quite obviously came from the ship, but there was a counter-melody that danced its way around the ship's theme.
And a realization dawned for Brielle. "You two are connected, aren't you?"
He nodded and smiled broadly. "You are brilliant!"
She closed her eyes and listened as the melodies ebbed and flowed from darkness to light, from pain to joy and back again.
Brielle had so many questions to ask him, but had the feeling that this song of his was something he had never shared with anyone else. So it was a gift to her. It was enough for her to just accept it. He flipped the switches and the song slowly faded away.
Reality crashed around her as she put the trumpet away. "How long have I been here? I will be in so much trouble when I get home."
The Doctor looked at her. "No you won't. You know how I showed you the ship is bigger on the inside?"
She nodded slowly so he continued. "Well time functions differently in here as well. So, what may seem like hours in here is only seconds on earth."
Of course that's not how it really worked, but he wasn't about to take on a companion, so it was enough of an explanation. She nodded to show she accepted his answer.
The Doctor set the coordinates and sent them back to a few moments after they had left. Once the TARDIS stopped shaking, Brielle picked up her book bag and the trumpet case. The Doctor showed her to the door, then stopped, and turned to her. "Thank you."
She smirked. "I think I should be saying that."
He shook his head, 'no'. She raised an eyebrow. "Then what did I do?"
He suddenly looked so much older. Older than any creature she had ever seen. "You let me share my song with you. Just do me one favour?"
She smiled softly. "What's that?"
He spoke simply and quietly. "Remember it. When you're out there sharing your song with others... remember mine."
There was seriousness to his request that sounded almost like a last request. Almost as if he knew he might be going to his death. She nodded. "It would be an honour."
Then the Doctor wrapped Brielle into a tight hug, book bag and all. Once they let each other go, he saw her to the doors. When she had crossed back into the real world she turned around. The Doctor was still standing there, watching her, so she asked. "Will I ever see you again?"
His face was sad as he replied cryptically. "If you did, you probably wouldn't recognize me."
Her face contorted in confusion and then she met his eyes. "No matter how you looked, I would recognize those eyes anywhere."
Something passed between them in that moment and he replied. "Well then, Brielle, until we meet again."
She nodded. "Until then." She placed her hand over her heart and said, "And I will remember, I promise."
The Doctor smiled and offered a slight nod of his head.
Brielle turned around to finish her walk home, with a bit more hope than she had in a long time. She didn't turn around again.
For his part, the Doctor stood there in the doorway to the TARDIS and watched over her until she was out of sight. He caressed the console as the TARDIS mourned the loss of this youngling. But he felt a bit more hope than he had when they had landed here. "We don't have to take a companion to change lives in little ways that leave a big impact. Her song is part of ours now."